Uncorked

by Rebecca Rohman

“I’m not accusing you of being selfish. I just want you to remember you’re not the only one who feels out of control. Let’s go for a walk. If the road has been cleared, maybe we can go into town to take your mind off things.”

  “Sure,” she replied half-heartedly.

  The drive to town was breathtaking. Deep green pine trees and naked aspens led the way, dressed in brilliant white coats and skirts dressing the trunks. They parked the SUV and window-shopped. They strolled through the town streets holding hands. Half an hour into their stroll, flurries began again.

  The next day, Maggie called to tell Chella that Craig was conscious. Detective Carter called just after Chella ended the first call.

  “Ms. Noon, how are you today?”

  “I heard Craig is better, so I’m happy.”

  “That’s good news. We spotted Jade in the camera footage at the bar, but her hands are out of view.”

  “Figures.”

  “I know. I was hoping we’d be able to make an arrest from the video footage.”

  “What about the photos?”

  “We questioned the intern who packed them. The envelopes were put in the conference room together with all the other things. She admits to putting them in the bag, but she never knew the contents of the envelope.”

  “Jade was responsible for ensuring those packages were put together.

  “She denies having anything to do with it. She says she doesn’t know how the envelopes got in the conference room.”

  “She’s lying. How do we get her out of there before she does any more damage?”

  “Give me until the new year, Ms. Noon. I want more than circumstantial evidence. When we arrest her, I want the charges to stick.”

  “Too many people are getting hurt. I just want it to stop.”

  “I understand. I’ll try my hardest.”

  “Thank you so much.”

  New Year’s Eve came. Mitch and Chella awoke to clear blue skies. Heavy snow from the night before coated the mountains, flawless and undisturbed by any living being. As the day went on, skiers would make their mark. At the breakfast table, Chella’s phone rang. Maggie’s number appeared on the screen.

  “Hello?”

  “My wife says her phone has been ringing off the hook because of you.”

  “Craig?”

  “It’s me, Darling.”

  “It’s so good to hear your voice. I’ve been worried sick. How are you?”

  “I must be doing well, because they’re letting me go home this evening. I get to go partying for the new year.”

  “We’ll see what Maggie has to say about that.”

  “It will be a good night. All the kids and grandkids will be there.”

  “I’m so happy to hear your voice. I’ve been worried.”

  “It’ll take a lot more than poison to kill me. I missed you at Christmas. Now, I’ll be missing you at New Year’s. You okay all by yourself?”

  “You’ll be happy to know I’m not alone.”

  “Hot damn, I knew it!” he said excitedly. “So you broke down and told him where you were?”

  “Not quite. Let’s just say he got creative and showed up on my doorstep.”

  “Well, I don’t care how he got there. I’m glad he did.”

  She smiled at his words. “I’m glad, too. Take care of yourself.”

  “I will, my darling. I love you.”

  “I love you, too.”

  After breakfast, Mitch and Chella dressed in ski gear and hit the slopes for a day of skiing. The gondola trip up the mountain was gorgeous. It was a complete sea of white with sprinkles of people and trees that represented color here and there. They gradually reached the mountaintop and the town below disappeared. The plateau views were a sea of green and white against the blue-backdrop skies. The red gondolas that glided up and down the cables added the only pop of color.

  Their ski lesson went well, interrupted occasionally by bursts of laughter from Chella as she fell time after time. Mitch was an experienced skier and took on the role of instructor for a few hours before they headed down the first beginner slope. Chella had gotten the hang of things, and as the day went by, they increased the difficulty level with each run. After a myriad of mistakes, successes, falls and jokes, they called it a day and headed back to the house.

  They put on holiday music and played board games and cards after dinner. A midnight fireworks display would dazzle over the valley. Mitch pulled Chella into his arms, and they held each other close. They moved as one to the music surrounding them. The feel of her bare skin against his palms encouraged Mitch to roam his hands over her shoulders. Chella slipped her hands around his neck kissing him softly on his lips repeatedly.

  At 11:59 p.m., he held Chella’s hand and led the way to the fixed glass windows. He encircled her in his arms as the last ten seconds counted down, and they kissed as the fireworks erupted over the mountains.

  Mitch kissed Chella lightly near her ear and whispered, “Will you marry me?”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Astonished at Mitch’s words, Chella said, “What?”

  Mitch’s response was to present a beautiful princess-cut, platinum diamond solitaire in a black suede box.

  “Will you marry me?” Mitch asked again.

  “Mitch… it’s beautiful… and I love you… but I can’t.”

  “Why?”

  “You know why. I can’t marry you, at least not until this is over. We will both end up regretting it if we do. If these people know you and I are in a relationship, you and your family will always be at risk, and I can’t have that. I’m sorry.”

  She walked to the sofa. “I only want what’s best for you. I didn’t refuse because I wanted to hurt you.”

  “Chella…”

  “Until all the players involved in this fiasco are behind bars for good, I can’t think of a future that goes beyond a few weeks to a month. I’m sorry.”

  His shoulders hung low. He stared at the floor, only occasionally looking at her while she spoke. She felt his disappointment, and she knew her response hurt him. For her, the alternative was much worse.

  “Mitch, I’m so sorry I can’t tell you what you want to hear right now.”

  He sat on the sofa beside her.

  “Say something,” Chella said after a few minutes of silence.

  He closed his eyes, massaging his temples. “I just need time to think.”

  “Do you want to be alone?”

  “I think I’ll turn in early. Maybe we can discuss this tomorrow.”

  “Under the circumstances, I really do feel it’s best.”

  “I heard you.” He kissed her on her forehead then walked away.

  Her reasons for declining his proposal were legitimate, but she wasn’t comfortable with the fact that she had caused him pain. In a matter of minutes, she witnessed all the life sucked out of him, and the hurt was written all over his face. She wasn’t quite sure how to fix things.

  She wasn’t certain what room he had returned to. Since they had made love, they shared a bed again. After this turn of events, he may have returned to his old room. Chella switched off the lights and summoned the courage to return to her room.

  Mitch was not in her bed.

  Hours later, Chella was awoken by Mitch’s hand shaking her shoulder.

  “What’s wrong?” Chella asked.

  “I have to go. Charlotte called. Emily’s been admitted to the hospital. She had a seizure. I’m going to catch the first flight out from Denver to Vancouver.”

  “Is she going to be okay?

  “I have no clue. Charlotte called me as soon as it happened.”

  “Be safe. Keep me informed.”

  Chella got out of bed and helped him gather his things. Within minutes, she was helping him out of the garage. She said goodbye with a quick kiss on his cheek. No I love you, no cute pleasantries they usually exchanged. She hoped it wasn’t as serious as he made it sound. Maybe he had used it as an excuse for him to get away from her. Bec
ause if it was life-threatening, even indirectly, she still felt responsible for Emily being in the hospital in the first place.

  She didn’t sleep after he left. She was worried about Emily, worried about Mitch, and worried about the hurt she caused him. By four o’clock the next afternoon, she still had not heard a word. Things were more uncertain between them now than ever before. She wasn’t sure whether she even had the right to call him and find out what was going on.

  By eight, Chella was ready to pull her hair out. It had been over fourteen hours since they last spoke. She called him but it went straight to voicemail. She left him a message telling him that she was thinking about him and Emily. She had not eaten all day, so after fixing herself a cup of soup she snuggled up in her favorite seat by the window, cell phone in hand, and prayed he would call. Near midnight, her phone went off. It was a text message from Mitch.

  Mitch Mariani

  Sunday January 1, 2012

  11:56PM

  All is well. I arrived safely in Vancouver. Emily is doing better. She’ll be in the hospital until tomorrow, back to Santa Monica on Wednesday. You probably won’t hear from me for a few days. I need time to think. Take care.

  She quickly responded to his message saying,

  Chella Noon

  Sunday January 1, 2012

  11:58PM

  I’m glad to hear all is well. Please know that I’m thinking about you both. Send Emily my love.

  After reading Mitch’s text message ten times, she wondered what her life would be like without him. The thought scared her. Had she made a mistake? She said what she thought was right, but her good intentions might have cost her the man she was in love with. Honesty would pay off. She hoped.

  Five days later, when she had not heard from Mitch, she started to worry. She had put herself in an even more difficult situation than she was in a month ago. Then, she knew where she stood. Now, she didn’t feel like she had the right to even call him.

  Later that Saturday, Detective Carter called, and told her that he was granted a search warrant to get into Jade’s apartment. They would be conducting the search within minutes of his call, and they were hoping to get the evidence they needed to secure an arrest.

  Chella played a waiting game. There were so many unknowns. Most of all, she wanted to find out how involved Jade was in all these events. It was the first week in January, and she prayed that later that afternoon, she would have some clue as to where her life was heading.

  After she ended the call, she searched for a condo in San Diego again. She liked living in a house these last few weeks and wanted to consider that, but in the back of her mind, she heard Mitch scream in disapproval. She shopped with heart, not even bothering to take notes. She imagined herself in a place she could call home—a real home where she could feel safe and secure, as she had for the past six weeks. A home like she had with her parents all those years ago, maybe with a small garden and beautiful ocean views. One she might be able to have a family in some day.

  Five hours later, the phone rang. Detective Carter’s number appeared on the screen.

  Chella got an antsy feeling in the pit of her stomach.

  “Detective, any good news?”

  “Ms. Noon, Jade is definitely the one, but some of the evidence suggests that she had a little help. We’re interrogating her to see if we can find out who it is. If you do return to San Diego, I suggest you keep a low profile until we can find out more.”

  “What is the evidence that suggests that?

  “The emails to you were all blind carbon copied to a person by the name of Robert Willis. We need to find out who that is. Does the name sound familiar?

  “Never heard of him.”

  “We’re running background checks right now on the name. Hopefully, something will come up. Give me a couple of days before you return. I’d like to make sure you can live a normal life when you come home.”

  “Not a problem. I need to plan my fresh start, anyway.”

  “I’ll call you once I have some more information.”

  “Detective Carter, thank you so much for all your help.”

  Chella felt a sense of relief and excitement. The first person she thought to call was Mitch, but she was afraid. She wanted to respect his request and give him his space. After hours of thought, she sent him a one-line email: Jade has been arrested. Thought you’d like to know.

  The next day, Detective Carter called Chella to let her know they had located and arrested the so-called Robert Willis. He was a prison guard at the jail where Aaron had been incarcerated. Jade and Aaron would communicate through him.

  Chella was free to return to San Diego.

  She wandered the house. The thought of leaving brought her profound sadness, probably because in her adult lifetime, she had never felt so at home anywhere else. She had rediscovered so many of her old loves and passions again. While there, she had completed two paintings, read books and found herself indulging in pleasures she had as far back as before her parents died. She had begun to find her joy again.

  She turned the set of gift keys Mitch had given her at Christmas in her hand. She wasn’t sure whether she was still entitled to use them. She had no clue where things stood between them. As happy as this moment should have been, she felt emptiness.

  A couple of days later, Chella’s plane touched ground in San Diego. She checked into a hotel and switched on her old cell phone. She saw close to a hundred missed calls and text messages. She had no idea what to do next. Should she call Mitch? Go see Craig, Kacy, or Vicky or keep a low profile? She decided on the latter. After her five-hour flight, she decided to take a nap.

  Later that night, Chella called Mitch.

  “Hi, Chella.”

  “Hey, how are you?”

  “I’m still not in San Diego. I had to go to Sacramento after I left Vancouver.”

  “Is everything okay?”

  “An opportunity came up for work. That’s why I’m here. Look Chell, I can’t talk right now. I’ll call you when I get back in town in a few days.”

  “Okay. Talk to you then.”

  “If I get a chance, I’ll call you before, but it will be crazy for the next day or two at least.”

  “Enjoy your trip.”

  After the call ended, she was pleased that she’d spoken with him. He didn’t seem angry or upset with her, but he was still keeping his distance. Not making the time to stay in touch with her was completely out of character for him. She decided to try to put it behind her for now. She needed to focus on piecing what was left of her life and reputation back together.

  The perfect place to start would be to go through all her emails and messages on her phone. After she received the first threatening emails in Aspen, she hadn’t bothered to check them further. First though, she had to pay a visit to someone special and make sure he was doing well.

  When she returned home from visiting Craig, she went through her messages and emails. She had six requests for interviews from local business magazines and news stations in San Diego looking for interviews and comments regarding the pictures of her circulating over the internet. Restoring her reputation was going to be a lot more difficult than she thought. She was now facing a public humiliation scandal that she had to face if she was going to put what was left of her life back together. The thought crossed her mind to relocate, but in the age of the internet, Facebook, and instant messaging, her problems would follow her. She was also surprised that she had a call from Liz. She seemed polite, asking her to call her as soon as she had time.

  She returned phone calls and messages over the next day. Craig offered her her job back, but with the state of her reputation, she decided she would need to fix it before she could work for him or any reputable company again. She returned the call she had been postponing—Liz.

  “Chella,” Liz answered.

  “Hello, Liz. Happy New Year. I’m returning your call.”

  “I was about to try you again. I’m in San Diego. Can we meet?
”

  “So you can try to embarrass me and break up Mitch and me?”

  “I had that coming. Please, maybe just for a cup of coffee?”

  “Sure. Where are you?

  “Mitch’s penthouse.”

  Chella hesitated at her response. She wondered if Mitch was back. She didn’t want to ask Liz any questions that might let on that her and Mitch were having problems. He had, however, told her he’d be out of town for a few days. She agreed to meet Liz there.

  Half an hour later, Chella arrived at the penthouse. Liz was in the kitchen.

  “What can I do for you?” Chella said as she walked in.

  “Why don’t we sit down? I made coffee,” Liz said, carrying a tray to the living room. “I made sandwiches, too.”

  “Thanks,” Chella respond politely, pouring herself a cup of coffee and sitting in the egg chair near the window.

  “Chella, I owe you a huge apology. For everything. I wanted to say I’m sorry.”

  “Why the change of heart?” Chella asked, taking a sip of coffee. “What do you have up your sleeve?”

  “Nothing. I’m being honest. I want a life with my son. It seems he comes as a package deal these days, so I promised him I’d be cordial to you.”

  “I don’t know what to say.”

  “You don’t have to say anything. I just wanted to apologize.”

  “Apology accepted. This will make your son very happy.”

  “I know. Chella, there’s one more thing…”

  “What’s that?”

  “Mitch didn’t tell me, exactly, what happened to you, but he told me you went through something very similar to what I did. I wanted to tell you how sorry I am. You’ve been in my prayers and thoughts.”

  “Thank you, Liz. I appreciate that.”

  “He’s been miserable these last few weeks without you. First when he couldn’t find you then when I spoke to him a couple of days ago. He seemed disillusioned.”

  Chella’s heart ached at her comment.

  “I thought you wanted me out of his life.”

  “I used to think that, but I realize you make him happy. And you make Emily happy. There isn’t a day that goes by she doesn’t mention your name.”