by Kiki Leach
“No, I didn’t. I wanted to know how you were doing after all that happened at your reunion Saturday night.”
“A lot better,” she told him.
He sat up and arched a brow, unconvinced. “Really.”
“Yeah. I’m just trying to move past it, and that includes trying to go along to get along with Sheila, even if it kills me. Did Alexis tell you that she came up to the office today?”
“No. How did your mother react to that?”
“She flipped her shit as expected, but only because she thought I might try to kick Sheila’s ass on the property, which, hey, I have my limits when glass is around. I know it may not seem like I know what I’m doing all the time, but I do.” He laughed. “I tried to offer something of an olive branch just so that we can put all of this behind us and try to move on. I won’t ever forget what she did, but I can’t keep berating her about it either. Sort of makes me something of a hypocrite anyway,” she mumbled. Alexander made a curious face, but didn’t question her on what she had said. “And being so damn angry all the time isn’t good for my health and it sure as hell isn’t good for my sanity. I even invited her to the restaurant opening on Thursday just to show her how much I was willing to move forward.”
“You have taken a big step.”
“Yeah, well, it helps that the press will be there and take pictures of us in the same room without wanting to rip each other’s faces off. Smile! Cheese! Click! Simple. I won’t be taking pictures with her, of course, just within the same vicinity.”
“Never a downside with you, Vanessa.” A waiter with shaggy blonde hair and a thin goatee brought over Alexander’s food and sat it in front of him. Vanessa leaned down to the table and inhaled the aroma of steak with mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus. “Thanks, John.”
He nodded and turned to Vanessa. “Anything I can get for you, V?”
“I’d ask for a few plates of those if I were wearing something other than this dress, but otherwise, no thanks, I’m good.”
“Alright. Enjoy, Mr. Grant.”
“Thanks.” He pulled a napkin from the table and sat it in his lap. “Now that you’re trying to make things right with Sheila--”
“Olive branch.”
He chortled. “Okay, now that you’re giving her an olive branch. How are you feeling about her relationship with Nathan these days?” He drank more of his tea, then grabbed a knife and fork and began cutting into his food.
“I’m trying to live through it. I don’t really have much of a choice anymore. Besides, I’m learning to open up to the possibility of something else, with someone else. I thought about what you told me the night you came to visit me when I got that ridiculous invitation in the mail. And I started to wonder, what if what I have always wanted has been right in front of me all along?”
He swallowed back his food and tilted his head. “Are you’re talking about Maurice Livingston?”
“Yeah. But don’t tell Gina ‘cause she’ll flip out on me, and please for the love of God don’t say anything to Alexis, even in joking, okay? She practically begged for us to get together at her birthday party, but I’m still trying to figure things out between us. I’m not ready to tell the entire world what we’re doing because I don’t even know it myself yet. In truth, we’re not even really dating because he hasn’t taken me out on an actual date yet, not officially. But we’re not just friends anymore either. It’s sort of in that complicated stage where we want to move things forward but are afraid to take that giant leap into something real. At least I am, which is sort of ironic when you think about it.”
“The first time I met you, baby girl, you were wearing your mother’s wedding dress as a Halloween costume. So I’d say the irony there isn’t lost on me.”
“I was supposed to be Bloody Mary!”
“There wasn’t a single drop of blood on that dress.”
“Because my mother would’ve hung me upside down by my toenails if I had gotten a single drop of anything on her dress that wasn’t white. Don’t you remember the sign I wore around my neck, telling people what I was? I think I remember a homeless man giving ME a dollar that night because he thought I was crazy. But, yes, I know that the irony isn’t lost when it comes to that. I want to move things along with him, but the thought of Nathan just seems to get in the way of everything. And I shouldn’t be with him. I know that I shouldn’t, because he’s no good for me. Even if he left Sheila tomorrow, he broke a trust with me that can’t ever be repaired. You share feelings with someone, intimate thoughts and desires. And when they take that from you and share those things with someone else as if it’s the first time – as if what you had together never seemed to matter and was just practice for the one they chose to be with later…” She stopped and turned her eyes downward. “I never knew a heart could break until that moment. Thinking back on it, I remember that Maurice had to carry me home from school that day because I couldn’t pull myself together enough to walk, let alone drive. I just stayed in my room and cried all night. Then a few days later, when Alexis got me into therapy hoping I would get over it--” She shook her head and uncrossed her legs, resting her hands in her lap. Everything Maurice had told her came flooding to her mind within seconds, and she realized that he was more right than she had ever wanted to believe. “And I’ve been there ever since.... Anyway.”
“You’re handling this a lot better than a lot of people expected. Post reunion,” he said, eying her with compassion. “When Alexis couldn’t get to you last night, she fumed well into the morning. She didn’t finally fall asleep until 5am, and then she realized she had to be at work just a few hours later.”
“When did she initially hear about what happened that night?”
“Around 6am the next morning. But I tried to get her to cool down before she even thought of talking to you first.”
“That might explain why she only yelled at me and didn’t try to toss me out the window. She did say that she banned me from seeing Regina because of this.”
“You’re not banned from seeing Regina, V. We just had to restrict your time with her for a little while until this mess involving you and Sheila dies down. You know we don’t want her involved in the press like that.”
“I know. But I think what’s actually more infuriating about all of this is that Nathan and Maurice got into a fight too. It started in the lobby of the hotel and no one managed to catch THAT ONE on film, not even the security cameras in and around that entire damn building. But I’m on the cover of everything and my dress flies up and it looks like I’m not wearing any underwear. I just hope it doesn’t hurt the reputation of the magazine like Alexis keeps fearing it will.”
“Believe it or not, you’ve managed to do a lot worse over the years and the magazine continues to thrive.”
“Tell that to her. She’s convinced this is career suicide and that I’m risking the magazine, again.” As bulbs flashed throughout the room in a sudden frenzy and people scattered near the front door calling her mother by name, Vanessa looked up and sucked in a deep breath. “And speaking of which, it seems Cruella just walked in the door.”
“That’s not the best thing to say about your mother.”
“You should hear the things I don’t say to people out loud,” she told him. “My head is a very interesting place to be at times.”
“I can only imagine, baby girl. I can only imagine.”
She got up, as did he, and they gave one another a tight hug. “Thanks again for allowing us to have this thing here,” she told him as he released her. “I guess we would’ve been having this launch in the street if you hadn’t have been able to come through.”
“There were plenty of other people you could’ve asked who would’ve easily said yes to those big brown eyes of yours.”
“Yeah, but it wouldn’t have been the same. I should head over before she starts crowing about me not being seen.”
While Alexis sought accolades from everyone who crossed her path, Bee being the first of
many to be photographed with her, Vanessa stood across the room just waiting to hear her latest wrath. When it was clear she wasn’t making it over anytime soon, she headed back over to the food and grabbed another plate of caviar with shrimp on the side this time.
She looked down at the tray of glasses filled to the rim with champagne as they sat adjacent to the food, believing every single one was calling her out by name, begging her to take a sip before guzzling it down, but decided to keep drinking water instead. The last thing she needed was to be completely sloshed and especially not in front of her mother after all that had happened so far.
“My goodness, this launch is amazing!” Melanie squealed as she came over to her. “This is the first time I’ve gotten to really see you all night, Vanessa.” She leaned in and bumped her shoulder, lifting up the thin strap of her silk black dress as it fell down the side of her arm. Vanessa smiled and continued fixing her plate. “I can’t thank you enough for this. Never in my wildest dreams did I believe I would ever make the cover of Attitude and that it would turn out to be as successful as this.”
“It’s just the beginning. You’re a real hot commodity right now as a strong woman operating her own film studio in the gritty city of Los Angeles, better known as Boys Town, USA. Which makes me wonder how long you plan on staying in this town.”
“Why?”
“Well, if you stay out here too long, who’s going to run your company back in Los Angeles besides the men who work for you? The whole point of your cover was to appeal to the women of this country who can do it all and still feel glamorous at the end of the day no matter the shit they had to encounter before it was all over. I’m not saying that you can’t or that you suddenly have to give one thing up in favor of another because that contradicts my entire argument. But, how are you really going to manage doing it all from here in New York?”
“The same way I managed to do it all from there in LA.” She leaned on the table and rested her hand at the corner of it. “Is this something that Nikki talked to you about because she learned I was staying in town?”
“No, actually, Maurice told me that you were staying in town to help Oscar open another shop inside my building. Congrats to him by the way.” She looked aside to keep from rolling her eyes. “He said he and Nikki ran into you at the bank the other day and you told them then.”
“I did. I also saw him again later that day as well, alone. I didn’t think he would tell you seeing as it’s not that big of a deal.”
“It is sort of a big deal, especially now since you’ve chosen to do this AFTER the cover launch. That entire article is going to appear contradictory and people might start to think, ‘wow, maybe the working woman really CAN’T do it all’. That’s not the message we want to send, Melanie.”
“I’m sensing something a little deeper here, Vanessa.”
“There’s nothing too ‘deep’ about it. Look, if you want to move back here, fine, but I’d appreciate it if you wouldn’t go around telling more people your decision at least until after the issue has been on stands for a month or two. That way, it gives you time to reread what you said and maybe change your mind if you want to. OR, if you choose not to change your mind, it gives the public enough time to move on from what you said and not think of you as much of a hypocrite for choosing to stay in town while men are running your business in another city.” She turned from her and tossed a shrimp back onto the tray.
“Why do you sound so angry about this?”
“I’m not angry. I just wish that if you had decided to do this, you would’ve come and talk to me about it instead of me having to hear it from my roommate who’s basically a stranger to you.”
Melanie nodded and picked up a fork, poking at various foods on different trays. “Is that all you and Maurice are is roommates?”
“We’re still trying to figure things out.” She took a small bite of caviar and thought about what Melanie said, then turned to stare at her for a long minute before asking, “Why?”
“Curiosity.”
“That killed the cat.”
“I hear satisfaction brought it back,” Melanie replied before tossing a cube of cheese into her mouth. Vanessa became intrigued by what she said, but not in a way that put her emotions at ease. “Nikki came to work this morning and brought me a cup of coffee from your house that he had made. It was probably the best cup I’ve ever had.”
“Oh, really? Was it better than what your husband makes on a daily basis?”
“Much,” she answered. It was too quick for Vanessa’s liking. “When I ran into him on the street, I thought that he was single.”
“If you saw him on the street that means you saw him during his run.” It was starting to make sense for her now. “Hm, well, okay, he’s not single, technically speaking. And considering what I just said, neither are you.”
She opened her eyes wide and laughed, placing a hand on Vanessa’s shoulder, but Vanessa hadn’t found much to laugh about during the entire conversation. “Oh my gosh! I’m so sorry if I gave you the wrong impression. I found an old picture of him in a magazine last night while a girlfriend was over to visit and she asked me if I knew him. That’s all.”
“She asked if you knew him because she was interested.”
“Yes.” She picked up a glass of champagne and took a sip.
“Well, that’s understandable. But maybe the next time you see her you can tell her that I’m seeing him, and that I’m living with him, and that God willing, I’ll soon be fucking him too. So thanks but no thanks on her interest as it’s no longer needed or wanted by him.”
She nervously chuckled. “There’s no need to get nasty about this, Vanessa, it was just an honest mistake.”
“Honestly? I’m not being nasty, I’m just being myself. I know this side of me is very new to you, but it comes out every now and again, especially when I feel like I’m being played.”
“I wasn’t trying to play you, it really was just an honest mistake.” She took a moment, looking around the room and knitting her brows as she had felt slightly embarrassed by the entire situation. “I guess I’ll know better next time.”
“Yeah.”
Vanessa lifted her shoulders and smiled impishly. She eyed Melanie in a curious manner and was starting to get a vibe from her that she didn’t like, one that seemed treacherous and needy; the flaws in her perfect porcelain demeanor were starting to show.
Not to mention, her sudden interest in Maurice’s personal life reminded her all too well of Sheila’s constant curiousness of Nathan when they were in high school. Even if Melanie wasn’t interested, she wasn’t making the case for herself look any better by asking more about him than her own damn husband.
Melanie drank the rest of her champagne and sat the empty glass down on the table. “I haven’t seen your mother anywhere yet.”
“She’s here, but I haven’t seen her since she walked in. If you happen to find her, send her this way, thanks.”
Vanessa had become flippant in her tone and behavior, which Melanie seemed to recognize right away. But she was determined not to make this into a bigger deal than it should’ve been, nor did she expect to have a bad night, especially after the day she was dealing with and the possibility that her husband wasn’t with her, not because he was too busy at work, but because he was too busy off screwing his favorite employee in a back room.
“I just want to say that whatever my decision comes to, that cover really is the absolute best I have looked in over fifteen years. I have retouched many photos in my life, but I’ve never managed to get any to make me look like that.”
Vanessa, sensing the smallest bit of vulnerability peeking through the cracks, backed off of her earlier critiques, only slightly while continuing to keep her guard up. “You talk about yourself like you’re old.”
“In some ways I am, for this industry. In other ways, I don’t feel nearly as old as I can appear at times.”
“Well, I think we did a great job of capturing your re
flection from within, seeing as you’re basically glowing.”
“‘Mood lighting’ is what your mother liked to call it.” She laughed. “But this entire thing was more thanks to you. If you had never contacted me back, I wouldn’t even be here. On the cover or in this restaurant to celebrate being on the cover…” She glanced at her from the corner of her eye. “And I certainly wouldn’t be back in the arms of my husband.”
“Oh. So, I take that to mean you and Oscar have become closer since you’ve been back?”
“The closest. It’s part of the reason I would like to stay. Being away from each other for so long can really put its strains on a marriage, but now that I’ve returned and can now remember what it’s like to be in his arms again as I wake up with them around me every morning…” She paused and smiled. Vanessa became visibly uncomfortable and reached for her water, though she was desperate for more alcohol and maybe even a handgun. “I don’t think I’ve ever been happier with him in my life than I am right now.”
It took everything Melanie had within herself not to vomit right after saying those words. She couldn’t believe them even as she thought them and needed more champagne to swallow them back so that her clear feelings of disgust didn’t spread all over her face like cheese on a Ritz cracker. But she knew that Vanessa would relay the news back to Nikki as soon as she saw her, and that was the entire point.
Hearing all of this should’ve elated her; even if she wasn’t sure that it was all true, knowing this a few weeks ago might have put her in a better state of mind. Instead she felt extreme guilt over it, and not just for the wife but for his mistress as well.
Both women focused to the front when they saw Alexis shuffle through the crowd and up to the podium. She clinked her glass with a knife to gather everyone’s attention. The entire room fell silent and turned their eyes toward her. One person whistled out as they saw her in her sleek yellow Versace dress.
Alexander stepped up and turned to an anonymous face in the back. “That’s my wife,” he said. Everyone laughed, including Vanessa and Melanie.