Vanessa had to hold her hand up and inhale deeply. Good thing that he wasn’t standing next to her because there was no telling what she would’ve done if he had been within striking distance.
“Let me explain something to you, Thomas Edward Kirk,” she began, struggling to keep her voice down so she didn’t get even more stressed out. “I don’t need to lie. I’m sure she has you fooled with this young and innocent act, but the girl is a conniving wench and your dumb ass is so blinded by what you think you weren’t getting from me to see it.”
“Okay,” he announced. “I can see this conversation is going nowhere.”
“You’re right about that.” Vanessa slammed the phone down. “Uggh!” she screamed. She hurled her coffee cup in the sink so hard, it cracked the handle off. Why did she let that man get to her? She didn’t even love him anymore.
That had been less than two hours ago. She’d driven to work, blinded by fury. Now she was back to her original plan of seeking revenge.
Vanessa opened her computer and punched in her password. She checked her personal email. “Yes,” she said, when she noticed the email from [email protected].
She clicked it open and smiled as everything she ever wanted to know about Alana Irving filled the screen. Vanessa started perusing the file. “Age, twenty-five. Driver’s license number, Social Security number. Parents, Leslie and Mark Irving.” Vanessa paused. Those names sounded familiar for some reason. She shrugged it off and continued reading. Alana was a kindergarten teacher at the exclusive Baines Academy Montessori School. Vanessa scrolled down to look at whether Alana had any criminal records.
“Well, well, well,” Vanessa said, settling in on the third line in Alana’s criminal file. “A drug conviction and a theft by check conviction in California. Hmmm, I wonder if Baines Academy knows about this?” She Googled the school, then got the address and the principal’s name. “We’ll just have to make sure that they do know.” She copied the conviction record onto a blank page, printed it, then addressed the envelope to the principal. After placing the printout into the envelope, Vanessa tossed it in her outgoing-mail box. “Little girl, you picked the wrong woman to mess with.”
She had just returned to reviewing her cases when she heard a knock at her office door.
Her secretary, Nicole, stuck her head in the door. “Judge Colton-Kirk, I’m sorry to disturb you, b-but there are some men out here to see you.”
“Well, who are they?” Vanessa asked.
Before Nicole could answer, Judge Malveaux pushed his way into the office. Standing behind him were two courthouse security guards.
“Judge Vanessa Colton-Kirk,” Judge Malveaux intoned, “on behalf of the Texas Judicial Commission, I am here to deliver papers declaring a forced leave of absence.”
Vanessa was speechless as the guards moved closer to her desk.
“According to this letter, approved by the commission, you are hereby ordered to take leave for eight weeks, at which time the commission will reexamine your work practices and conduct a personal evaluation to determine if you are capable and competent to reassume your position.”
“Are you out of your mind?” Vanessa exclaimed, standing up. “No, but you clearly are. And as a representative of the people and the state of Texas, you have left me no choice.” He dropped a document on her desk. “You will see that those papers are in accordance with your contract. Now, you can leave of your own accord, or these nice gentlemen”—he motioned toward the security guards—“can escort you out.”
Vanessa picked up the letter and quickly read it. “You can’t do this.”
“Watch me.” Judge Malveaux stared at her with disdain.
Vanessa glared at the burly security guards, who stood on either side of the desk, their arms folded.
Nicole was still in the doorway, shock written all over her face.
Vanessa didn’t want a scene, so she grabbed her purse. “Fine. I can use some time off anyway.” She stomped toward the door. “Nicole, please lock up my office.” She turned an arched eyebrow at Judge Malveaux. “Unless, of course, Judge Malveaux plans to kick you out of here as well.”
She shot him an evil look, then walked out of the office with her head held high. Vanessa knew she was well-respected around the courthouse and she didn’t want anyone here to see her crumble. But inside, she felt like she was falling apart. First her marriage, now her job. How much more could she be expected to endure?
Chapter 24
“Hey, you seem out of it.” Rosolyn waved her hand in Vanessa’s face.
Vanessa shook herself out of her trance. She was lost in thought, beating herself up for letting her personal life interfere with her career. She had been unusually harsh. What was she thinking? Now her job was in jeopardy.
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Vanessa said. “I’m just trying to process this whole forced leave-of-absence thing.”
“Well, I can go over this paperwork myself. You don’t have to do it.” They were sitting at the small conference table in the corner of Rosolyn’s office.
“Naw.” Vanessa pulled the financial report closer to her. “We need to get this stuff together. Texas Southern said they needed a detailed financial analysis before they could make a commitment.”
“Well, Kenneth, the accountant, did a fabulous job. So I think this will do. You can review it at home.”
“Okay.” Vanessa slipped the papers into her Louis Vuitton tote bag. She peered out into the lobby.
“What time does Shelly get out of school?” Vanessa asked. Lately, seeing Shelly was really the only thing that brought her out of her slump.
“Oh, she won’t be here today,” Rosolyn excitedly said. “A couple is picking her up after school. They’ve been spending a lot of time with her, since they’re looking at adopting someone her age. I think they really like her. This is her fifth visit with them.”
Vanessa’s heart sank at the news. She was happy for Shelly, but the thought of never seeing the girl again was depressing. She didn’t mean to be selfish, but she felt a connection with Shelly. Maybe it was because they were both parentless children. Or maybe Shelly just helped Vanessa keep her mind off Thomas.
“I’ll let you know how everything works out. But I’m keeping my fingers crossed that this is really the family for Shelly.” Rosolyn narrowed her eyes when she noticed the expression on Vanessa’s face. “What’s wrong?”
Before Vanessa could reply, the office door swung open.
“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you’d be here,” a nerdy-looking guy wearing small-framed glasses said.
“Hey, Bruce, come on in. We’re just wrapping up,” Rosolyn said. “Bruce, this is my other sister, Vanessa.”
He smiled widely as he walked toward them, extending his hand. “Nice to meet you.” His smile was infectious.
“Nice to meet you, too. I’ve heard a lot about you.” Vanessa stood and returned his handshake.
“Good things, I hope.”
Vanessa nodded. “Of course.”
“That’s good,” Bruce said, relief evident in his voice. “Rosolyn, I brought the part to fix your computer.”
Rosolyn clapped her hands together. “Great! I didn’t realize how dependent I was on that computer. I haven’t been able to get anything done.”
“Yeah, it appears you were having trouble getting the network stable because your Linksys kept disabling your mother-board. I suspect the Soyo KT333 board was too outdated for the card, so I brought a Q6700–Intel DG33TL Vista combination, which I’ll pair with a crossover cable to the USB-equipped machine.”
Vanessa and Rosolyn looked at each other like they had better take some new language lessons.
“Sorry.” Bruce chuckled. “I forget not everyone is as versed in computer terminology.”
“Well, whatever is wrong, just fix it, please,” Rosolyn said.
He set the box he was carrying down on the desk. “I’m on it. Just give me about an hour and you’ll be up and running. I just need to ge
t one more bag out of my van.”
He dashed out, a man on a mission.
“Okay, Dionne was right. He is such a nerd.” Vanessa laughed.
“But he’s a nice nerd,” Rosolyn replied.
“And he drives a van? Oh yeah, I can see Dionne really going for that.”
“Well, I was hoping she could look past all of that,” Rosolyn said defensively. “Shoot, she needs somebody stable and average-looking, someone who is going somewhere and not these pretty boys like Roland that she keeps messing with.” She gave a slight growl. “But Dionne ain’t trying to hear nothing unless it’s about Roland. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were off in Vegas getting married.”
“Married!” Vanessa exclaimed.
“I’m just saying, you know your sister. I wouldn’t put it past her.” Rosolyn put a finger to her lips as Bruce walked back in.
“You know, Mrs. Frazier, I didn’t get to tell you, but thank you so much for fixing me up with your sister. I really like her. Of course you know how beautiful she is, but she has a wonderful personality,” he said brightly. “I never thought I’d find someone who loves to read as much as I do. Or who likes music as much as me. Or who was just so funny.”
Vanessa and Rosolyn exchanged glances again.
“Sorry,” Bruce said, “I got a little carried away.”
“No problem,” Rosolyn said. “I’m glad you two hit it off.”
“She’s not feeling me like I’m feeling her,” Bruce announced. His smile widened again. “But don’t worry, she will.” He clapped his hands briskly. “Well, gotta get to work.”
Vanessa bid him good-bye as she and Rosolyn left the office.
“He’s confident, isn’t he?”
Rosolyn stopped, glancing back toward her door. “That’s just what Dionne needs. And for some reason, I have a feeling that he is going to get exactly what he wants.”
Chapter 25
The bright lights lit up the night sky. Dionne had been to Las Vegas several times, but it had never looked this good.
“Are you sure you’re ready to take it in?” Roland asked, taking her hand. They were leaving Caesars Palace, strolling down the sidewalk, heading back to their penthouse suite after an exhausting yet fulfilling day.
She and Roland had been back together just under three weeks and she couldn’t be happier. As Roland had promised, he had given her a weekend to remember. They’d arrived on Thursday night and they had been going ever since. He’d secured front-row tickets to Toni Braxton at the Flamingo Hotel. Then it was dinner, dancing, and gambling. But the highlight of the weekend was when Roland hit it big at craps, winning more than twenty thousand dollars. This morning he’d taken Dionne on a shopping spree and let her go crazy. And she’d done just that, buying the designer stuff she’d only dreamed about ever wearing.
Dionne had been trying to get up the nerve to tell him that she was pregnant. But they were having such a good time and since she didn’t know how he would react, she didn’t want to ruin their weekend.
“Hello. Are you there?” Roland said, waving his hand in her face.
Dionne let out a small giggle. “I’m sorry, baby. I was lost in thought.”
“Dang, I must be a boring date if you’re drifting off on me,” he said as he opened the hotel lobby door and motioned for her to go first.
Dionne linked her arm through his as they walked through the massive lobby. Roland looked like a male model in his black form-fitting shirt and Calvin Klein jeans that showed off his muscular physique. She was proud to be seen on his arm. “Nah, you’re not boring me at all,” she said. “I’m just wondering when I’m going to wake up from this dream.”
Roland stopped and turned her toward him. “Dionne, I messed up. I knew that I loved you, I just didn’t realize how much until you were gone. Nothing like losing the woman you love to put everything into perspective. I’m so happy that you gave me another chance.”
He looked down at his cell phone, which was silent, but lighting up. It had been lighting up all evening, and Dionne had done her best to ignore it. Roland picked the phone up, looked at it, then placed it back on the clip.
“Who is that?” Dionne asked, no longer able to contain herself.
“Nobody,” Roland responded.
Dionne snatched her arm away and stomped toward the elevator. “Here we go with the lying again,” she snapped, pounding the Up button. “I am so stupid for believing you could change.” She hated to be going off, but that dang phone had been the only thing ruining their weekend. He’d said he couldn’t turn it off because his mother was sick and he didn’t want to take any chances on missing her call. Still, the constant calls were getting on her nerves.
Roland caught up with her. “Babe, chill, a’ight? I didn’t want to tell you who it was because we were having such a great time and I didn’t want to mess it up.”
Dionne spun around. “It was Tasha, wasn’t it?”
Roland sighed, nodded, then motioned for her to step in the elevator, which had just opened up. Dionne glared at the little old lady who had scooted closer to the corner like they were going to mug her or something.
Dionne was too upset to pay the woman any more attention and, in fact, didn’t even care that the woman was in the elevator. “So, why does she keep calling you?” Dionne asked.
“She’s texting me,” Roland corrected.
“Calling, texting, whatever,” Dionne snapped. “Why is she still trying to contact you?”
Roland glanced at the old lady, then put his index finger to his lips. “Can we talk about this in the room?”
Dionne was just about to go off when Roland reached down, unclipped his phone, and handed it to her. Dionne scrolled through the text messages and began reading out loud. “‘Why are you doing this to me? Why won’t you take my calls? Go to hell. I hope you and that trick have a car accident and die,’” she recited.
The elevator stopped on the tenth floor and the old woman scurried off. As soon as the doors closed, he said, “I told you it was over with me and Tasha. She just ain’t getting it. But don’t worry, I’m not taking a chance on messing things up with you again.”
A smile slowly spread across Dionne’s face. “I’m sorry for trippin’.” She leaned in and kissed him.
“I’m sorry for makin’ you trip,” he replied as the elevator doors opened.
Once they got settled back in their room, Roland called Dionne out to the balcony. He took her hand and they stood outside taking in the dry desert night air.
“My friends are gonna think I’m a fool,” Dionne said. All weekend they’d been talking about their future. He was completely shocking her with his confessions of love. She was so happy, she couldn’t think straight.
“That’s understandable,” Roland replied, wrapping his arms around her waist.
Dionne looked at him in amazement. She’d expected him to respond by telling her to screw her friends.
“Your friends are worried about you, Dionne. They don’t want to see you get hurt. But you did the right thing by taking me back, and they’ll see that soon enough.”
Dionne laid her head on her man’s shoulder. I wouldn’t count on changing their minds, she thought. But her friends didn’t have to believe Roland had changed. She did, and that was enough. Roland was serious this time, finally ready to settle down.
She turned around to face him. “I guess now is as good a time as any to tell you.”
“Tell me what?”
She took a deep breath, trying to gather up her nerve. “Have you noticed that I haven’t been drinking today?”
“You sure haven’t,” he said, as if it had just dawned on him. “And I know you love you some drinks, especially the free ones. I don’t know…” His eyes suddenly grew wide. “Oh, my God. Are you pregnant?”
She nodded, not sure of how to take his reaction. He stared at her in shock. Then he let out a scream, picked her up, and swung her around. “Yes! I’m going to be a daddy!”
Dionne giggled as he swung her around in circles. “I love you so much, girl!” he shouted.
Suddenly, the whirling stopped.
He looked at her with a bright idea. “Let’s get married!” His excitement was overwhelming.
Dionne’s mouth dropped open.
“I mean, I know we have to wait for my divorce to be final,” he said, momentarily dejected. “But let’s get engaged. We can go get a ring tomorrow. My divorce will be final soon and we can get married right away.” He lovingly touched her stomach. “My baby will be born with his or her daddy’s last name.”
“Roland, are you serious?” Dionne asked. “I mean, you’re not just saying that, are you? You really want to marry me?” He kept on smiling for all he was worth. “I mean, you don’t have to do this just because of the baby. I can do this on my own,” she added, knowing full well she didn’t want to be a single mother.
Roland closed the distance between them. “I want to marry you. I want you to have my baby. And I want to live with you forever. I mean that from the bottom of my heart!”
Dionne was so happy she began crying. Roland hugged her tightly and began kissing her tears away.
Dionne sank into the warmth of his embrace. Despite all the drama she’d endured lately, it seemed like she was going to meet her goal after all: she would be married before thirty.
Chapter 26
If her heart wasn’t hurting so bad, Vanessa would swear she was dreaming. That was the only way she could explain why she was sitting in a courtroom about to go before one of her colleagues in her petition for a divorce. It was bad enough that she had been forced to leave her job for eight weeks, but now she had to come back to the courthouse to go before another judge. Vanessa was sure rumors were running rampant, and she really didn’t want to face anyone. She’d come up the back way, and other than the new security guard working the back door, she hadn’t seen anyone she knew before entering the courtroom.
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