“So you think I sneaked over there behind your back? I’m not a child, Chase.”
“No, but it just seems that you would have mentioned it to me. We talked on the phone this morning just like we always do.”
“I guess I was hoping that me and your mother could work things out on our own. If I had it to do again, though, I would have stayed in my lane and left her alone.”
“I wish you would have.”
Alexis raised her eyebrows. “Why is it that you seem to be blaming me for all of this? You heard the way your mother talked to me at breakfast on Saturday. Then, how about the way she’s suddenly parading Renee in front of me? You weren’t even happy about that yourself.”
“I know that, but how would you feel if your mother called you right now, crying and then insisting that someone had tried to attack her?”
Alexis stared at him with no emotion. “In case you’ve forgotten, my mother is gone. So I guess I’ll never know, now will I?”
“Baby, I’m sorry,” he said, scooting to the edge of the chair. “I didn’t mean it that way. I was just trying to make a point. I was trying to get you to understand why I feel the way I do.”
“There’s nothing for me to understand. I told you what happened, and your mother is lying. And anyway, what did Margaret say? Did you ask her about me screaming at your mother, and breaking a vase across the floor?”
As soon as Alexis finished her last sentence, everything made sense. She’d just remembered that Margaret hadn’t been there most of the time. Geneva hadn’t wanted anyone to witness what she was up to.
“Margaret was out running errands,” he said.
“Yeah, and don’t you think that’s pretty convenient?”
“What, you think my mother sent her out on purpose?”
“I told her what time I was coming over, and it’s awfully strange that this just so happened to be the morning your mother needed Margaret to go places for her. Even I know that after Margaret cooks breakfast for you and your mother, she changes the sheets, washes clothes, and cleans the house. She does that until early afternoon when it’s time to start dinner. She also doesn’t run any errands until the afternoon either.”
Chase took a deep breath and leaned back in the chair.
“Did you ask Margaret why she had to run errands so early?” Alexis asked.
“I haven’t seen her. I stopped at home to check on Mother, and then I came straight over here. Margaret was already gone for the day.”
“It’s not like you don’t have her phone number. So why not just call her?”
Chase glanced over at the television.
“Deep down, I think you know I’m telling the truth. You just don’t wanna side with me over your mother. Which is fine, but don’t expect me to keep taking this.”
“There has to be some sort of way to work this out.”
“There is.”
“I’m listening.”
“You have to set your mother straight. I’m not telling you to disrespect her, but you have to let her know that there’s nothing she can do to break us up. Then you have to tell her it’s time she move back home. Not just before the wedding, but by the end of this year.”
“That’s only a month from now,” he said.
Alexis lowered her feet to the floor. “Look, Chase. If you don’t feel comfortable with that, I will completely understand. But know that we can’t be together.”
“So you’re making me choose between you and my mother?”
“No, I’m just telling you that I can’t tolerate her anymore. I love you, but if you can’t stand up to your mother now, you’ll never do it when we’re married, either. You’ll never defend me, and your mother will say and do whatever she wants to me and get away with it.”
Chase pulled off his suit jacket, removed his tie, and opened the first couple of buttons on his shirt. He walked over and sat on the edge of the sofa facing Alexis.
“Baby, I hate to admit this, but I feel like some sheltered child. I feel like I’m being pulled in two different directions.”
“I’m sure you do, but Chase, look at me,” she said, holding either side of his face. “I would never lie to you. Your mother told me that the reason she doesn’t like me is because I’m not good enough for you. She said that if I loved you, I would walk away so you can marry a woman who’s right for you. Do you wanna hear more?”
“I just don’t understand why she would do something like this. And then that crazy story she told me.”
Alexis couldn’t tell if he was saying he now knew his mother was lying, or if he still believed she wasn’t capable of going this far.
“Maybe we need to step back,” she said. “After all, you’ve been with your mother all your life, and you’ve only known me for barely a year.”
“That’s not what I want.”
“Well, we can’t go on like this.”
“What if the three of us sit down together?”
“That’s fine, but are you going to tell your mother she has to move out?”
“Eventually.”
“When?”
“Soon.”
Alexis didn’t believe him, but she also wasn’t going to try to force him to kick his own mother out of his house. If Chase told his mother to leave only because Alexis wanted him to, he would always resent her for it, which meant they’d still be starting out their marital life with problems and animosity.
Chase pecked her on the lips. “Baby, can we go lie down and just hold each other? I’m so exhausted.”
“Don’t you think we need to settle things first?”
“I just can’t talk about this anymore. We’ll deal with it tomorrow.”
Alexis gazed into his eyes.
“Baby, please,” he said. “I just wanna rest my mind and be near you.”
Alexis wasn’t sure what to do at this point. Her heart declared one thing, yet her mind whispered another. She didn’t want to end their engagement, but Geneva was a real hell-raiser who crafted real schemes, and she was good at it. She was the kind of woman who was willing to do whatever became necessary to get what she wanted.
But like Chase, Alexis was exhausted, physically and emotionally, and she didn’t want to spend the rest of her evening discussing his mother. She didn’t want to think about that woman at all.
Chapter 11
Alexis thought she heard Chase’s phone ringing, but she didn’t move. When it rang a third time, he reached over to the nightstand and picked it up. Alexis couldn’t believe his mother was calling yet again. As it was, she’d already called his phone no less than four times after they’d laid down, and now here it was well after midnight.
“Hello?” he said, clearing his voice and trying to sound alert. “What?…When?…Which hospital?…I’m on my way.”
Chase set his phone down and got up. “My mother’s being rushed to the emergency room.”
“Why, what happened?”
“I’m not sure.”
“Do you want me to go with you?”
“Do you mind?”
“No,” she said, pushing the covers back and getting to her feet. There was no doubt that Geneva wouldn’t want her there, but she was going anyway to support Chase. Alexis also couldn’t help wondering if this was another one of Geneva’s tricks. Knowing her, there was nothing wrong at all and she was simply trying to find another way to gain Chase’s sympathy. Thankfully, they’d fallen asleep fully dressed, so all Alexis had to do was slip on her socks and gym shoes. Chase sat in the chair in the corner, putting on his shoes, and then went into the living room and pulled on his blazer. They were out the door in no time.
When they arrived at the hospital, they left the car and rushed inside the ER entrance. Alexis hurried behind Chase as though she truly wanted to be there, but she wasn’t happy. During the ride over, she’d asked him who’d called to tell him about his mother, and he’d told her it was Renee. Alexis had been livid, but she hadn’t made anything of it because she knew Chase
was worried about Geneva.
Chase moved closer to the admitting desk. “I’m here to see my mother, Geneva Dupont.”
The clerk checked her computer and then said, “She’s been taken to an examination room. I’ll buzz you back there.”
Chase and Alexis opened the door to the left of the reception window and one of the nurses escorted them to Geneva’s room. Chase opened the door, and they walked in. Renee was sitting at her bedside, and it was all Alexis could do not to turn and leave.
Geneva reached out her arms, and the top of one of her hands had an IV needle inserted in it. “I’m so glad you came, son. I was so afraid,” she said, now crying.
Chase leaned down and hugged her. “Mother, what happened?”
“I don’t know. Out of nowhere I became nauseated, and my head started pounding. The pain was excruciating, and then I felt dizzy. I thought I might be having a stroke,” she said, and then glanced over at Chase’s ex. “But thank God I called Renee, because had she not insisted I call 911, there’s no telling what might’ve happened.”
“Why didn’t you call me?” he asked.
“Well, when I’d called earlier, you’d sounded like you were sleeping, so I didn’t want to bother you again.”
Boy, she was good. Alexis watched Geneva perform with great talent. She knew exactly what to say and how to say it, and Chase was already buying her story. Alexis didn’t believe a word of it.
“Thank you so much for being here, son.”
“Where else would I be?” he said. “And how are you feeling now?”
“I’m a lot better. Still not completely out of the woods, but much better since they gave me something for the pain and nausea. They’re also going to take me down for an MRI.”
Just then, a radiology technician knocked on the door and opened it. “Geneva Dupont?” she said.
“Yes?”
“I’m Jessica, and I’m here to take you to our X-ray department.”
“Okay,” Geneva said.
“How long do you think it’ll be?” Chase asked.
The technician walked behind Geneva’s bed and released the security latches near the wheels. “Maybe a half hour or so.”
“Then, Mother, we’ll just wait for you here.”
“That’s fine, son.”
As Jessica rolled her out, Geneva looked at Renee, displaying the most pitiful look Alexis had ever seen, but interestingly enough, she hadn’t glanced at Alexis the whole time she’d been there. She pretended that only Chase and Renee were in the room with her, and Alexis was ready to leave there.
Chase closed the door, and the room fell into awkward silence. Renee gazed up at the TV, acting as though she were watching whatever was on, and Chase seemed out of sorts as well. There weren’t any other seats, so Alexis turned toward the door and said, “I’m going back out to the waiting area.”
But to her surprise, Renee said, “That’s probably a good idea.”
Alexis quickly turned back around. “Are you talking to me?”
“Yeah, I am. Geneva told me how you attacked her, so you’ve got a lot of nerve showing up here. The way you treated her was so uncalled for, and it’s probably the reason she’s ill.”
Alexis folded her arms. “Why are you even here yourself, Renee? And for the record, I never did anything to Geneva.”
“I’m here because I care about her. Geneva is very special to me.”
“Baby, let’s just go,” Chase said, opening the door.
Alexis walked ahead of him, and when they returned to the waiting area, she dropped down in a chair and tossed her handbag to the right of her. Chase sat next to her on the other side.
She folded her arms. “How long do you expect me to keep putting up with this?”
Chase leaned his head against the wall and took a deep breath.
“So you’re not going to say anything?” she asked.
“Baby, look. I don’t like the fact that Renee is here, either, but right now I just wanna make sure Mother is okay. See what her test results are.”
“I understand that, but I also think you should ask Renee to leave.”
“You know I don’t like a lot of conflict, so why don’t you just ignore her? That’s what I’m doing.”
Alexis stared at him and then pulled out her cell phone.
Chase watched her. “What are you doing?”
“Calling a taxi.”
“Lexi, please don’t do this.”
“I told you I won’t keep being disrespected this way, but apparently you’re not hearing me.”
“I do hear you, and I understand what you’re saying, but I also have to wait for my mother.”
Alexis stood up. “You do what you need to, but I’m out of here.”
“Just like that? Even though you know how worried I am?”
“It’s not like you’re here alone. Renee would love to sit with you and console you.”
“Now you’re just being ridiculous.”
“Am I? Well, like I said, I’m out of here.”
As Alexis walked away from him, she Googled local cab companies and dialed the first one she saw. It didn’t take more than ten minutes for a taxi to pick her up. It took even less time for her to make a decision about Chase. She was calling off the wedding and giving him his ring back. All this Geneva drama just wasn’t worth it, and it was time Alexis wised up and faced facts. This whole relationship had been too good to be true since the very beginning. She hadn’t wanted to think that, but now she knew the truth: Fairy tales just didn’t happen.
Chapter 12
When Alexis heard her phone ringing, she looked away from her computer to see who it was. When she saw Chase’s number, she hit Ignore. He was calling bright and early, but since he hadn’t bothered to call when she left the hospital last night, she didn’t have much to say to him.
She clicked her Microsoft Word icon and pulled up the speech she’d been working on before Thanksgiving. It was for a university speaking engagement she had the second week of January, but she always tried to finish writing her speeches at least six weeks ahead of time. That way, she had time to review them and make any necessary changes. Normally, when she was asked to focus on time management, it was for various sales forces throughout the country, but it was always nice when she was able to gear her talks toward time management for college students. She loved speaking to any group, but when she spoke to young men and women it felt a bit more rewarding because they were highly ambitious and they believed the sky was the limit. This made Alexis feel as though she was helping to prepare them for life after graduation, at least in some small way.
Alexis typed a few lines of her speech, went back and made some changes toward the beginning, and looked over at her cell phone. Chase was calling her again. If she didn’t answer, he would likely call a third time, so she picked it up.
“Hello?”
“How are you?” he asked.
“Good.”
“Are you working?”
“Yep.”
“So I guess you’re still upset.”
“Nope.”
“You’re not upset, but you’re giving me all these one-word answers?”
Alexis leaned back in her chair. “What is it you want, Chase?”
“To talk to you.”
“About what?”
“Last night. I know you weren’t happy about Renee being there, but that wasn’t my fault.”
“Yeah, but you should have asked her to leave.”
“I didn’t invite her.”
“But you knew it made me uncomfortable, and you should’ve handled it. You also knew your mother called Renee on purpose.”
“Whether she did or didn’t, I brought you to the hospital, and that’s who I wanted to be there with me.”
Alexis heard him, but her feelings about Renee being there hadn’t changed. Now she wanted to know about Geneva’s diagnosis. “So, what was wrong with your mother? Did they find out anything?”
“Not
yet.”
Alexis wanted to laugh out loud. “Did they admit her?”
“No, they released her around four a.m., but they want her to follow up with our family physician.”
“Did Renee stay the whole time?”
“Yes, but I never said one word to her.”
Alexis didn’t say anything else.
“Why are you so upset about this?”
“Wouldn’t you be?”
“About what? Some man you broke up with and don’t care anything about? No, that wouldn’t bother me at all.”
“Well, this is about more than just Renee. It’s about your mother and how she’s never going to stop trying to cause trouble for us. She wants me out of your life, and now she’s faking stroke symptoms to get your attention?”
“I don’t think my mother would pretend about something like this. She’s capable of a lot of things, but not something this serious.”
Alexis raised her eyebrows. “Chase, your mother is capable of that and then some. You just can’t see it because you love her. Your mother is very slick with her schemes, and she knows how to manipulate you. My guess is that she’s been doing it for years.”
“But she’s still my mother, and you can’t expect me to just cut her off.”
“I never asked you to. All I wanted was for you to talk to her, but you couldn’t even do that. You act like you’re afraid of her.”
“No, but I do love her, and I respect her.”
“Well, I can’t deal with this anymore.”
“And what does that mean exactly?”
“Our engagement is off.”
“You’re breaking up with me because of my mother?”
“I’m ending things because as long as your mother is around, we’ll never be happy.”
“I’m not sure what you expect me to do. I mean, I’ve told you how much I love you and that I want to spend the rest of my life with you, but that’s not enough?”
“No. It’s not.”
“Then you must not have loved me the way you claimed,” he said.
“I did love you. I still do. But I won’t tolerate a meddling mother-in-law who doesn’t think I’m good enough. I won’t be talked down to or have ex-girlfriends paraded around me like they’re family members.”
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