Secret Obsession

by Kimberla Lawson Roby

  She pushed the door completely open, walked in, and felt worse than she had when she’d entered Camille’s office. The black and off-white color scheme was tremendous, the California king sleigh bed with leather headboard and footboard was adorned with the most striking velvet comforter, matching shams, sheets, and pillowcases, and the matching velvet drapes and off-white Berber carpet were to die for. There was also the stunning marble fireplace situated in the sitting area, right in front of the balcony, as well as the mansion-size walk-in closet Pierce and Camille shared. Paige was in total awe and couldn’t believe this was all going to be hers in the near future. She likely wouldn’t change a thing except possibly the paint color to a slightly lighter crème than what her sister had chosen. Although as she looked more closely at the carpet, she could see maybe choosing a different texture for her and Pierce’s bedroom, and she was sure he’d be fine with making any changes she wanted. He’d always allowed Camille to do whatever made her happy, and she knew he would offer her the same courtesy. He would want the absolute best for his new wife and would do anything to see that she had it.

  Just thinking about the fabulous life she’d soon be living gave her tiny goose bumps and made her feel as though she’d finally be special—just as special as Camille had always been to their parents and everyone around them, and maybe even more so. Pierce would treat her like a queen, and she knew they would be happy until death.

  Paige went inside the walk-in closet, scanned Camille’s section of it, and decided right then that she was going to have every one of these items. Camille must have had every high-end shoe she could think of—Christian Louboutin, Bally, Gucci, Salvatore Ferragamo—and then there were her beautiful handbags: Louis Vuitton, Jimmy Choo, Marc Jacobs, etc., etc., etc. It just didn’t make sense, especially since Camille never got excited about brand names or any other luxuries she’d been blessed with. As a matter of fact, most of the pricey items she owned had been given to her by Pierce as gifts, because whenever Camille shopped, she looked for serious bargains at normal department stores and only tended to buy things she actually needed or clothing for the children. Paige, on the other hand, was planning to shop for the best of everything, every chance she got, and wouldn’t feel bad about it.

  About a half hour after Paige had gone back to her own room, the doorbell rang. She smiled, because even though it wasn’t quite noon yet, she knew it was Karla. So she went down the winding staircase, disarmed the security system with the code Camille had recited to her, and let her in.

  “Hey, honey,” Karla said, hugging her.

  “Hey yourself, and look at you all dressed up in that tight-​fitting black sweater dress.”

  “Well, we do what we can,” Karla said, laughing as they walked into the family room and sat down on the apple red, grained-leather sofa.

  “With a dress like that, you’ll find a new man in no time. Because I know there had to be a ton of them checking you out this morning.”

  “Yeah, I guess, but since I went to the early service and wanted to come by here, I sort of hurried out to my car when it was over. And it’s not like I’m in a huge hurry to meet anyone anyhow.”

  “You will be eventually.”

  Karla’s face softened, revealing a touch of sadness. Paige knew why and rubbed the top of her best friend’s hand.

  “You will,” Paige said. “You’ll see.”

  “Maybe, but I won’t even lie, P. I miss Kevin so much, and to be honest, I’m not sure any man could ever replace him. That’s why I’m not all that interested in meeting someone else so quickly.”

  Kevin and Karla had only been engaged a month when he’d been killed by a drunk driver, and Paige completely understood how hard it must have still been for her. Especially since it had only happened six months ago.

  “I know it’s tough,” Paige told her. “But as time goes on, you’ll feel better and better.”

  “I sure hope so. But enough about me. How are you?”

  “Still hanging in there.”

  “Have you heard anything from the police? Are there any leads yet?”

  “No, nothing at all.”

  “It’s too bad you couldn’t see his face.”

  “I know. I keep thinking the same thing,” Paige said, hating all the lying she kept doing to Karla.

  “Well, at least it’s over,” Karla said, scanning the family room and kitchen. “And it’s good you have people who love you like Camille and Pierce.”

  “That’s for sure. They’ve been extremely wonderful to me.”

  “And you have me, too, remember?”

  “Of course, and I won’t ever forget that.”

  “And hey, wait a minute. Where’s Owen? Is this his weekend to stay over at the fire station? I just thought about him.”

  “Girl, long story short, he came over on Friday evening and proposed to me, but I told him I wasn’t ready for marriage. And we broke up.”

  “Oh no. I’m so sorry, P. I had no idea.”

  “It was all for the best, because I just didn’t love him the way he wanted me to.”

  “Well, as long as you’re not upset about it.”

  “I’m not. I mean, I feel bad for Owen, because I can tell he really loves me, but he’ll get over it.”

  Paige and Karla chatted for another hour, ate some leftover pizza, and then Karla prepared to leave.

  “You look tired, so I’m going to let you get some rest.”

  “Yeah, I am a little sleepy, but I’m so happy you came over. It gives me such peace every time I see you.”

  “I’m glad. And I’ll be back tomorrow, too. I have a meeting after work, so it might not be until early evening.”

  “That’s fine. And if you can’t get back until later in the week, then just call me.”

  “I will,” she said as they walked to the front door. “And you take care of yourself, you hear me?”

  “I will. I love you, Karla.”

  “I love you, too.”

  Paige waved at Karla one last time and watched her drive away. Then she closed the door, went upstairs, and climbed into bed. She tried making herself comfortable, but it wasn’t long before her thoughts got the best of her…and she began calculating her next move.

  Chapter 8

  As soon as Paige and Camille walked inside Paige’s condo, Paige shut the alarm off and tossed her shoulder bag onto the purple loveseat. This morning when she’d gotten up, she’d told Camille that she needed to get her laptop, files for her clients, and more clothing. So they’d dropped the children off at school and then driven over. Paige had wanted to laugh during their ride, because it was at that very time that Camille should have been calling her phantom love interest, William. Needless to say, she hadn’t known she was supposed to, but it would certainly look like she had on paper when the time was right.

  Paige sorted through the junk mail that must have come on Saturday and laid it on an end table. Camille looked on and said, “Maybe you should just have your mail forwarded to our house for a while.”

  “I guess I could, but for now, I think I’ll just leave it as is. Plus, it’s not like I’m going to stay with you guys forever.”

  “There you go again,” Camille said, pursing her lips playfully.

  “I’m serious. I don’t want to overstay my welcome, so as soon as I’m feeling better and like I’m safe, I’m moving back home.”

  “In due time.”

  They went into Paige’s bedroom, and Camille sighed when she saw the sheets still tousled across the bed and bloodstains on the pillowcase. Paige hadn’t paid attention to any of this on Friday evening, but she knew the blood had likely come from her bleeding lip. It was interesting, though, how Camille seemed much more bothered by all of this than she was, but then Paige knew something Camille didn’t, that no actual crime had been committed.

  Paige slid open her closet door, pulled out a couple of pairs of jeans, two turtleneck and two V-neck cashmere sweaters, and a sweatsuit, and then pulled out a garment
bag. Camille took the items while Paige unzipped her luggage and then passed them back to her. When Paige laid her clothing inside, she went over to her dresser and pulled out underwear and tights, but then she sat down on the bed.

  “Come sit with me, sis,” Paige said, realizing it was time for a bit of fake bonding.

  “Sure. What’s up?”

  “You know, I never could have gotten through these last couple of days without you, and I won’t ever be able to thank you enough.”

  “Awww. It’s nothing at all, and it’s like I keep telling you. I love you, and I would do anything for you, Paige.”

  “I love you, too, and I’m glad you’re my big sister.”

  “I’m glad, too, and actually it’s been really nice having you at our house because it reminds me of all the happy times we shared as children.”

  Paige heard her but couldn’t have disagreed more. There was nothing happy about her childhood. Still, she nodded and forced a smile onto her face.

  “We had so much fun, and Mom and Dad took us on so many amazing summer vacations. Disney World, Disneyland, SeaWorld, Niagara Falls, Hollywood, New York, Miami Beach. We went somewhere different every single year, and remember how all our friends would be so jealous?”

  Paige abruptly left the edge of the bed and placed her underwear inside one of the smaller sections of her bag.

  “Are you okay?” Camille asked, sounding confused. “Did I say something wrong?”

  Paige wanted to shout a resounding, Yes, there’s a lot wrong! But she held her tongue and tried moving past her pain and anger. “I’m fine.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “Positive. No, wait. Everything isn’t fine when it comes to Mom and Dad or my childhood. They treated me like I was some foster child they didn’t want, Camille, and the only reason you didn’t notice is because they treated you like royalty.”

  “What? You really feel that way? Why?”

  “Because it’s the truth. Maybe you had a great childhood, but I was miserable the entire time. I hated living in that house with them, and the best day of my life was when I moved out of there and got my own place. I could barely afford the rent, but it was ten times better than having to deal with them every day.”

  Camille seemed dumbfounded, and Paige knew she was shocked, because until now Paige had never openly talked about this to anyone, not even Karla or any of her former boyfriends. She’d kept all her pain to herself, but enough was enough.

  “I guess I don’t know what to say, but I’m so sorry you felt that unhappy.”

  “It’s not your fault,” Paige said, knowing she blamed Camille for her misery just as much as she blamed her parents, because it was Camille who they’d highly favored. It was Camille whom they’d given everything to at all costs and then acted as though they didn’t have another child.

  “Gosh, Paige, I’m stunned.”

  “I’m sure you are, but like I said, it’s not your fault, so just forget it.”

  “Why haven’t you mentioned this to me before now?” Camille wanted to know.

  “I just didn’t.”

  “Well, I wish you would have, because regardless of how you think Mom and Dad felt about you back then, I always loved you.”

  “Maybe.”

  “Paige, please. You know I did.”

  “I’m not saying you didn’t, but what I do know is that Mom and Dad have never loved me. They tolerated me because they had to. Haven’t you ever noticed how distant my relationship has been with them as an adult?”

  “I just thought you and Mom had issues because you’re so much alike. And then, as far as Dad, he’s been a quiet man all his life and never says much to anyone. He’s a good person, though.”

  “Yeah, he is, but he goes along with whatever Mom says or does, and when she treated me badly, all he did was stand by and watch. He never defended me or tried to console me when he knew I was down about it.”

  “Maybe we need to have a family meeting with just the four of us,” Camille suggested.

  “Nope. Not interested,” Paige said matter-of-factly.

  “Sis, sometimes letting everything out is the only way to fix things.”

  “I’m not having any meeting with them, Camille, and that’s that.”

  “Okay, then, what about seeing a family therapist? That way, you could discuss your childhood, what happened to you on Friday night, and anything else.”

  “I’m not doing that either. I don’t need it.”

  Thankfully, Camille didn’t force the issue, because Paige had no intention of seeing some overrated, overpaid, know-nothing shrink when there wasn’t a thing wrong with her. There was no reason to get any counseling when all her problems were about to be solved through Pierce.

  After a few minutes, they gathered the rest of Paige’s things and went into the living room. They hadn’t said much else to each other, so Paige finally spoke.

  “I think I’ll drive my car back to your house.”

  “Why? Because I don’t mind taking you anywhere you wanna go.”

  “I’d rather just have my own transportation,” she said, and Camille didn’t argue.

  Finally they loaded the bags they were carrying into each of their trunks and drove away from the condo, Paige in the silver Lexus she couldn’t afford and Camille in her shiny black Cadillac Escalade. Camille was a wealthy housewife and carpool mom to her heart, but little did she know, those wealthy little housewife days were coming to an end—so fast she wouldn’t know what hit her.

  Chapter 9

  As soon as Paige hung her clothing in the closet and placed her folded items in the dresser drawer, she went into the extra room where Camille told her she could work, set up her files, and turned on her laptop. Last week, she’d been following up with various media producers for a motivational speaker she represented, and now she was on the phone with Nancy, who worked at a Boston TV affiliate.

  “Hey Nancy, it’s Paige Donahue, here. How are you?”

  “I’m good, Paige. And you?”

  “I’m well.”

  “Did you have a great weekend?”

  “I sure did,” Paige said as if nothing out of the ordinary had happened in her life. “You?”

  “Yeah, it was great. Spent time with the family, and of course, that’s always fun.”

  “I’m glad.”

  “So, what can I do for you?”

  “Well, I just wanted to check in to see if you received the cover letter and press release I emailed you a couple of weeks ago. It was for one of my clients who’ll be in town next month speaking at a scholarship dinner.”

  “As a matter of fact, I did, and was going to be calling you just as soon as I figured out which morning segment we could get him on. Do you know if he’s planning to fly in the night before?”

  “I’m not sure, but if you need him to, it won’t be a problem.”

  “Why don’t we plan on him doing that, so I can get him scheduled around six or six-thirty a.m. This will likely be the best time for his audience, since folks are usually watching and getting ready for work at the same time.”

  “Sounds good. And you’ll email me confirmation?”

  “Yes. No later than tomorrow.”

  “I really appreciate this, Nancy.”

  “His book sounds very interesting, and one of my colleagues says he’s a mesmerizing and very informative speaker. So I’m glad to do it.”

  “He’s definitely very talented, and thanks again.”

  “Take care now.”

  This was the kind of thing that made Paige proud, booking a client on a live local network show on the same day as an appearance. It was a great feeling, and she hoped the same thing would happen once she followed up with an FM radio station in New York and the Atlanta Journal-Constitution in Atlanta for two other clients. It also looked like the former NFL player she represented was going to be featured in USA Today because of his philanthropy efforts, and she couldn’t wait to lock that in as well.

 
; When Paige heard a knock at her door, she looked up and said, “Come in.” It was Camille, and Paige smiled when she saw her entering with a wooden tray filled with tuna sandwiches, kettle potato chips, and iced tea. Even if Paige wanted to, there was no denying how sweet this was of her sister.

  “Wow. Now, you know you didn’t have to do this, right?”

  “Of course I did. Anything for my baby sister, and especially after all you’ve been through…lately and in the past.”

  Camille set the tray down on the chaise, then sat on it herself, and Paige rolled toward her in the desk chair she was sitting in.

  “Thank you so much, Camille.”

  “I figured you might be hungry, and I hope you’re able to work okay in here. If not, you can always use my office, which has a full desktop computer, two desks, and lots of shelving.”

  Paige took a bite of her sandwich. “No, this is perfect.”

  Camille opened her bag of chips. “Did you call Detective Johnson yet?”

  “I did. I called her before I started working, and unfortunately, they still don’t have any leads. They did have Owen supply a DNA sample, which matched a hair they found in my bed, and they also found what they believe are the rapist’s skin cells from under my fingernails, but there was no match with anyone in their system.”

  “That’s too bad.”

  “I know. And I’m starting to think they’ll never find this person.”

  “Well, I’m not giving up hope, and I’m going to keep praying they do.”

  Paige expressed much worry and frustration for Camille’s purposes but knew the police would never figure out the truth.

  They both ate and drank their tea until Camille folded her arms, her spirit now solemn. “Hey, can I talk to you about something?” she asked.

  Paige wasn’t sure what this was about and hoped Camille hadn’t somehow discovered she’d been snooping around in her office yesterday or that her computer had been used. But then, that couldn’t be it, because she wouldn’t have fixed such a nice lunch for the two of them.