Little White Lies

by R. C. Matthews

  “Royce,” Madalyn said softly and pulled back to gaze into his eyes. “Your father knew you were the better man for the job, too. Please don’t step down as CEO.”

  “But … ” he began.

  “Shhhh … ” she said while placing her hand over his mouth. “Not now. Not when you’re so close to achieving your father’s dream. If you want to think about it after that, I will support you in whatever decision you make. But I’m begging you to finish the journey you started. Do it for him.”

  Royce gazed into her eyes and a hint of a smile touched the corner of his mouth. “I can appreciate why you’re a successful lawyer, Madalyn. You’re logical and tenacious. It’s difficult to argue against your strongly built position. And you’re beautiful to boot.”

  “Being beautiful makes me a good lawyer?” she asked with a gentle smile.

  “It certainly doesn’t hurt,” he said with a full-blown smile. “Lord knows I can’t keep a straight thought in my head when I look at you.”

  “I’ll have to keep that in mind the next time I want to win an argument with you,” she said pushing him back down on the bed and straddling his hips. She stroked his face and leaned in for a lingering kiss. “But right now we have a date. It’s Friday night, baby. It’s time to christen our new piano and sing a few theme songs.”

  Chapter Twenty-One – New Beginning

  Madalyn alternated between pacing back and forth in her parents’ living room and staring out the window to see if Royce had arrived. The minutes on the clock ticked slowly by until she felt like she might go insane. The suspense was pecking away at her like tiny birds perched on a bird feeder. Peck. Peck. Peck.

  The Board of Directors had respectfully requested Madalyn wait outside while they reviewed the results of the investigation into the allegations made by Mr. Daniels the previous week. Royce had almost pulled rank, insisting that she be allowed to stay, but Madalyn gracefully excused herself, respecting their wishes. The company would be public soon and Royce needed to learn that he would no longer hold exclusive power—that is, if he decided to stay on in the role of CEO. Instead of pulling her hair out in his office, she had driven to her parents’ house to wait there for news with her family.

  Madalyn’s mother was busy in the kitchen brewing tea and putting goodies she had brought back from the bakery on a plate. How could Madalyn be expected to eat at a time like this? Her stomach was sick with worry. But she was thankful for her mother’s company, knowing that she’d left the bakery early to be with her. Mr. Russell was holding down the fort until the bakery closed at seven o’clock.

  “Thanks for the tea Mom,” she said and sipped on the rich blueberry brew prepared just the way she liked it. Her mother massaged her shoulders to help ease some of the tension.

  “It won’t be long now, Madalyn,” Mrs. Russell said. “Your daddy and I have been praying all week. It’s going to work out. I can feel it, honey. Royce is a good man and he will pull through this.”

  Madalyn reached for her mother’s hand, patting it gently. “Thanks, Mom.”

  Madalyn’s heart leaped into her throat at a knock on the door. She turned to watch her mother open it and allow Mrs. Spencer to enter quietly, her face tense with anxiety. Madalyn felt sorry for Mrs. Spencer, knowing she blamed herself entirely for what was happening to Royce and Mark. Brother pitted against brother. How awful for a mother to have to wait to hear the news of which son would spend time in jail. Mrs. Russell had insisted she be invited over to wait with them for the news. Family is family!

  “Any news?” Madalyn asked softly.

  “No,” Mrs. Spencer said and folded her arms lightly over her chest.

  “Can I get you a cup of tea?” Marg offered, her hand resting gently on Rebecca’s shoulder.

  “That would be great,” she said. Madalyn walked over and gave her mother-in-law-to-be a hug. She looked like she needed one. “Are things getting any better between you and Royce?”

  “He acknowledges my presence now,” his mother said staring blindly out the window, “says hello and goodbye. I guess that’s progress.”

  “He’ll come around eventually,” Madalyn assured her. “You just need to give him a little more time. It was a shock to him. But he loves you and he’ll forgive you. Here, relax while you enjoy the tea.”

  Madalyn adjusted a pillow on the couch where her mother had placed a cup of tea for Rebecca along with a plate of cookies. It was already almost seven o’clock in the evening. What was taking so long? She gazed down at her phone, half expecting it to go off any minute. Madalyn peeked out the window again and then gasped when the door flew open to reveal Jeanine with Royce and Mark in tow.

  “Look at what the cat dragged in!” Jeanine said in a saucy voice, looking over her shoulder at the two men, their faces battered and bruised.

  Royce pushed his brother through the door and tried to give Madalyn a smile but winced at his effort. Mark jabbed back at Royce but immediately pulled back, holding his rib and groaning. What was going on?

  Mrs. Spencer jumped to her feet and rushed to inspect her boys. “What on earth is going on?” she demanded, her motherly instincts in full force, refusing to be ignored by her errant children. She poked and prodded despite their protests.

  “Nothing a little ice and a few days rest in bed won’t cure,” Jeanine said, filling two ice packs at the kitchen island. “They just needed to hash it out, man to man, you know, get rid of the bad blood. There’s nothing like a good pummeling to set the soul free, followed by quality time in the back seat of my car to kiss and make up!”

  What? They had forgiven each other? As much as Madalyn wished it were true, she struggled to comprehend how that could be under the circumstances. She wanted answers. Now!

  “Explain this instant!” Madalyn cried out, pulling Royce into her arms and kissing his split lip.

  “Ouch!” he moaned in pain. “Easy, woman!”

  “What are you both doing here?” she asked, turning to Mark, her hands on her hips. It was insane! “I thought for sure that one of you would be sitting in a jail cell by now, asking to make your one call.”

  “Nope,” Mark said, grabbing an ice pack from Jeanine and placing it gently on his ribs. “We’re both free and clear,” he managed to squeak out before sinking back into one of the large chairs.

  Mrs. Spencer burst into tears and threw her arms around Royce, causing him to groan. He wrapped his arms around his mother as best as he could, having forgiven her as well.

  “How can that be?” Madalyn gasped, her eyes filling with tears of joy. What an incredible turn of events! But so confusing!

  Jeanine handed Royce a bag of ice and then pulled Madalyn to the couch. “It’s a long story.” Jeanine settled down next to her. “I found these two idiots beating the crap out of each other on the streets of Detroit when I closed up shop for the evening. I forced them into the back seat of my car and was able to drag the truth out of them before the swelling fully set in.”

  Madalyn raised her brow in surprise. Jeanine forced two grown men into her car? She wished she could have seen that. Were there cameras in that area of downtown?

  “What?” Jeanine said and shrugged her shoulders. “I knew my can of mace would come in handy someday. Besides, they were both hurting pretty bad by the time I stumbled upon them. And I had Craig to help me with the dirty deed.”

  Madalyn couldn’t suppress her smile at that image.

  “Do you want me to dish or not?” Jeanine asked.

  “Of course,” Madalyn said. “I want to hear all of it!”

  Royce grabbed Madalyn’s hand and gently rubbed her palm while she listened to her sister recite the events of the afternoon.

  “The evidence presented through the investigation was contradictory and inconclusive. The ship’s records and Ms. Burke’s testimony confirmed that Royce had, indeed, not accessed the Internet through computer, phone or iPad.” Jeanine patted the seat next to her on the couch, welcoming Royce’s mother to sit close to hea
r the story. Mrs. Russell sat on the loveseat, listening intently.

  “The time period between leaving Madalyn’s stateroom and when the wire transfer occurred was deemed to be too short for Royce to have created a request for payment and logged into the bank account to authorize the transaction,” Jeanine said.

  Madalyn nodded her head. That had been her precise argument. She was glad that the Board could see the sense in it too. But that didn’t explain why Mark wasn’t implicated.

  “As the Board was reviewing the evidence that Mark had verbally requested a change to Royce’s access rights, Mr. Daniels burst into the room.” Madalyn turned to watch Mark closely for his reaction. Had Mark somehow concocted a new story, together with Mr. Daniels, to ensure neither was implicated in the matter?

  “Mr. Daniels claimed that the incident was a terrible mistake on his part, showing that his personal account and a newly established account of the FDA used to accept filing fees were only a few digits off.”

  “And they believed that?” Madalyn asked, turning to Royce for confirmation. Her attorney instincts told her this was a bullshit story. It was as far-fetched a story as she had ever heard.

  “How could they not?” Royce said his voice hoarse with pain. “He was quite convincing, even producing letters addressed to Innovare to the ‘attention of Mark Spencer’, notifying us of the change in bank account number and the most recent filing fee of $25,000. It was pretty official looking stuff.”

  Madalyn couldn’t school the shocked look on her face. It was almost too much to believe. Had Mr. Daniels created fraudulent documents to get out of this mess? Perhaps he was wise enough to know that if Mark was implicated, then his own guilt might soon follow. That was a story she could believe. What she really wanted to know was how much Mark paid Mr. Daniels throughout this whole nightmare.

  “But what about the change to your access rights and the fact that you gave Mark your password?” Madalyn asked.

  “The board wasn’t too happy about that to be sure,” Mark said, switching the ice over to his left shoulder. “But they understood it nonetheless. We’re both owners in the company and Royce had been ordered by them to go on vacation and leave work behind. Progress in the clinical trial was essential to the success of the IPO—and that included making timely payments of all fees due. It made sense that Royce couldn’t have anticipated everything that needed to get done before his last minute departure on the cruise and needed me to step in. And the stupid head of research couldn’t be faulted for not knowing that changes in access rights were a big fat no-no.”

  “Unbelievable!” Mrs. Spencer sighed. Her tears slowly streamed down her face.

  “The board demanded that Mark and I both take training on internal controls and the evils of management override of controls,” Royce said and then stuck his tongue out at his brother. Mark laughed and groaned and then flipped Royce the bird. “While understandable in light of a family-owned business, in these very specific and unusual circumstances, such actions would be intolerable in a public company environment.”

  Madalyn closed her eyes and took a deep, cleansing breath, allowing the truth of the situation to wash over her. And then it hit her. She sprang out of her seat and raced to the bathroom, barely making it before vomiting spectacularly into the toilet bowl. It passed quickly and she sat back, leaning against the bathroom wall. Royce wasn’t going to jail. She finally allowed her tears to flow freely.

  Royce stood at the bathroom entrance, concern evident in his face. He reached down to help her up and pulled her into his arms. “Everything is going to be ok, Madalyn. What happened to my tenacious attorney? Getting sick from a little thing like jail time?”

  Madalyn smiled up at him, ready to rock his world. “I assure you, baby, that I have a much stronger constitution than you give me credit for; however, I can’t vouch for my hormones. Apparently, being pregnant doesn’t agree with my stomach.”

  Royce’s eyes widened in surprise, and then his lips crushed down on hers, oblivious to his cuts and bruises. He swept her off her feet in his joy and laughed out loud at the news.

  “How long have you known?” Royce asked, setting her down and staring into her eyes.

  “A few days,” she said and winced in anticipation of his anger. “It figures we’re a damned statistic. Condoms are 98 percent effective. We’re the unlucky 2 percent. Why can’t we be the kind of statistic that wins the lottery? I keep telling myself it was meant to be!”

  Royce wrapped her up in his arms and kissed her forehead. “Maybe we’re the lucky 2%? Is this why you’ve been tied up in knots all week? Worried about our baby going through his youth without a father? I’m so sorry Madalyn. You should’ve told me.”

  “I know,” she said snuggling into him. “But seriously, Royce, you had enough to deal with and I wasn’t sure how you’d react. And maybe it’s a she.”

  He turned her face up to his. “I’m thrilled to be a father. I’m not getting any younger. Now is as good a time as any. Maybe there is a he, and a she in there!”

  Madalyn laughed. “We’ll find out next week. I made an appointment with my doctor.”

  Royce grabbed her hand and led her back into the living room just as Mr. Russell entered the house.

  “Crack open the champagne!” he shouted. “We’re having a baby!”

  Epilogue

  The intoxicating smell of roses filled Madalyn’s senses giving her a giddy feeling … almost like a glass of her favorite Merlot.

  Her deep aqua eyes slowly scanned the chapel overflowing with stunning floral arrangements of pink and cream roses. It was amazing what Caesar’s Palace could do with the tiny space in a short amount of time. A quick phone call, a few questions answered and here it was, the wedding of her dreams.

  Madalyn’s eyes rested on Royce standing patiently at the altar. Her heart swelled with the knowledge that he would soon belong to her. He wore his hair a little longer, just the way she liked it. His custom-tailored tuxedo hugged his body in all the right places and was the perfect complement to her magnificent wedding gown. Satin roses encircled her slender neck and dipped down like a necklace to meet the teardrop shape of her bodice. A fine cream lace overlay with a blooming rose pattern sheathed the form-fitting gown. Simple gloves and a long satin train completed the ensemble. It made her feel truly beautiful. She glanced down at her baby bump and smiled. It was barely noticeable. She wore her hair down, pulled back over her ears with a single red flower pinned above her right ear.

  She walked down the aisle slowly, her hand resting on her father’s arm, staring into the eyes of her fiancé. His radiant smile warmed her heart. She smiled at the intimate group of friends and family gathered along the white wooden benches adorned with fluffy pink bows.

  She locked eyes with Susie and Liz, glad to see them happily situated next to Jason and Mike. They should rename The Cleopatra to The Love Ship. Jordan and JT sat directly next to them and smiled at her. Despite the fact that Jordan and JT were several years younger than her and Royce, they had developed a close relationship after Madalyn moved to Detroit and looked them up in the directory. She counted herself lucky to have been able to meet Grannie.

  Madalyn’s gaze finally rested on her sisters sitting in the front row. Jeanine sat with Craig’s arm resting casually over her shoulder. Jeanine gave her a saucy wink, making her giggle. Katie had made it back from London in time for the festivities. She waved at Madalyn and blew her a kiss. Both mothers sat in the front row and cried softly, holding each other’s hand.

  When they approached the altar, Madalyn’s father turned to her and pulled her into a hug. “Be happy, my little Maddie! You’ve found yourself a keeper.”

  She nodded with a bright smile and kissed him on the cheek before turning to Royce and taking his offered hand. She gazed at the preacher for a moment, acknowledging him with a slight nod. Giggling softly, she leaned in to whisper to Royce. “I thought you said you weren’t an Elvis kind of guy!”

  His shoulders
bounced with his suppressed chuckle and he smiled down at her. “I’m not, my love. But I aim to please and I knew it would rock your world!”

  The End.

  About the Author

  R.C. Matthews was raised along with four siblings in the Metro Detroit area by deaf parents. In her senior year of high school, she joined the Year Book class and wrote many of the feature stories. She graduated from a liberal arts college with a B.A. in Accounting and German and continues to work as a certified public accountant. She lived for four years in Germany and two years in Boston, MA. She is a mother to two sons and stepmother to one stepson. Her husband patiently indulges her in her writing obsession. She enjoys traveling with her family and has been on four cruises in her lifetime. She also loves to read, down-hill ski, and play board games with her family.

  A Sneak Peek from Crimson Romance

  (From Secrets Gone South by Alicia Hunter Pace)

  In the strictest sense, just breathing the early morning pig-fat-scented air of Lou Anne’s diner ought to go against the law of vegetarianism, but it didn’t bother Will Garrett. He was a tolerant man. The only laws he had were for himself. It didn’t even offend him that Lou Anne never remembered to leave the bacon off his scrambled egg platter. In fact, he understood. In Lou Anne’s world, men who didn’t eat meat simply could not exist. Life was about choices: he could choose to be glad he existed for Lou Anne or he could ruin his morning because his personal preferences were not utmost on the collective mind of the world at large.

  It was an easy choice.

  Across the table, Brantley Kincaid slid his plate forward and Will deposited the bacon there. They had done this so many times over so many breakfasts, that they didn’t even remark on it anymore.

  Will and Brantley had gotten into the habit of eating together when they’d been working on restoring a historical building, along with Brantley’s girlfriend, Lucy, who was now his wife. The magazine that had done a spread on the building after it won an award of excellence from the Southeastern Preservation and Restoration Association had called Will an “artisan” and a “master craftsman.”