by Annette Mori
Change of plans. Running late, I’ll fill you in when we arrive at our new destination.
“Well, fuck me, all that plotting and planning and now it looks like I didn’t even have to make those new arrangements,” Lara grumbled.
Lara had a fleeting thought that maybe she should just cancel those new plans and tell Sophia that the resort was able to work things out after all. She discarded that notion immediately. She’d had to scramble too much already and she wasn’t going to change things again at the last minute. Sophia might think she was going crazy. Hell, she thought she might be going crazy with all the impossible maneuvering during the past couple of days.
Oh the tangled webs we weave, when first we practice to deceive, whipped through her brain like an angry wind. She needed to get on the other side of this chaos and everything would return to normal. Recently her lying had reached a frenzied peak and it was exhausting keeping everything straight.
When Sophia exited the bathroom, Lara plastered a smile across her face and turned to focus on her wife. It was time to pour on the charm.
†
Rachel was enjoying the view from the front seat on the floatplane. Instead of one tiny window to look out, she got a one hundred and eighty degree panoramic of the vista before her. She smiled knowing that Sophia probably experienced the same exhilaration on her trip. She wondered if New York had the same breathtaking views that the Pacific Northwest offered. She didn’t think so, but she’d never been to New York as an adult and couldn’t quite remember the family vacation of her youth. All she had to go on was how Hollywood depicted the busy city. So many people chose to live there, so it must hold some appeal, she thought.
She turned around and looked at Joy who had her head leaning against the window with her eyes closed. Rachel chuckled. The plane was so loud that she couldn’t imagine anyone taking a nap on the short forty-five minute trip, especially when such a mind-blowing landscape appeared in all its glorious finery.
Rachel appreciated how much of a trooper that Joy had been this morning. Despite coming in at a late hour, she was ready to go when Rachel came by to pick her up. Not only was she ready, but Rachel sensed that she was eager to go on this journey if it meant ensuring that Lara got her just desserts.
She laughed to herself, thinking about the first time she’d heard that expression. She was ten years old and wondered why getting your just desserts was a bad thing, because she loved dessert. Her mom patiently explained the archaic expression desserts was a derivative of deserve and not her favorite tasty sweet.
As the floatplane landed, Rachel retrieved her phone so that she would be ready to send a quick text message. This would be the final droplet in their Chinese torture scheme before tracking Sophia and Lara down to finally confront her on her deception.
Once the pilot placed the bags on the dock, Rachel shot Joy an evil grin. “God, I wish I had a camera pointed at Lara in about ten seconds. I’d love to see her expression when she peeks at my text message.”
“I don’t suppose it would work to send a text to Sophia and have her discreetly use her phone to tape this historical moment,” Joy quipped.
“I wonder how she’s doing? It won’t be long now. I don’t envy what she had to endure last night—knowing what a conniving, two-timing skank Lara is,” Rachel remarked.
“If I know Sophia, she found a way to avoid that bitch.”
Rachel pushed the button to open her text message app and thumbed in the final jab.
Hey, babe. Landed in Victoria. That was our change in plans. Took Monday off. Heading to the Empress. Call me and I’ll fill you in.
“Done. Now we have to hightail it to the hotel. If Sophia is successful and was able to get her to high tea and keep her there, we’ll end the torture. If not, I can think up several new ways to yank her chain as long as Sophia is able to feed us updated information on their whereabouts. Lara might try to whisk her away to their room and keep her there, but that won’t fly too long. It would seem odd not to enjoy the city, especially since Sophia has never been to Victoria.”
“I’d vote for more torture, but then Sophia would have to endure further pain and I don’t want that for her,” Joy explained.
“Agreed. I’d rather get to the Empress and end the game.” Rachel frowned. “Do you think we should have just confronted her right away? I feel bad now.”
“No. We all agreed to make her squirm a little. Besides, we needed more time to get all the legal mumbo jumbo squared away. Sophia will be fine. You can cheer her up when we all finally intersect with one another.”
“We can cheer her up. It will be our job to get her to loosen up and enjoy a vacation in a beautiful city,” Rachel declared.
Rachel felt the buzz from her phone and looked down. Lara was calling. She decided to ignore the call for now. “Oh darn, cell reception is so persnickety here in Victoria.”
“Is that Lara?” Joy asked.
“Oh yeah, the rat is calling and most likely looking for a way to abandon ship.”
Rachel felt another buzz in her hand, looked down, smiled, and retrieved the text message from Sophia.
Direct hit. She’s in the bathroom now. Hopefully puking her guts out, but probably trying to devise an exit strategy. Hurry.
“Come on, oh faithful side kick, we have to hurry if we want to catch them.” Rachel began running toward the enormous hotel covered in lush green ivy.
“You should have told me to wear running shoes, not high heels,” Joy grumbled as she hastened to catch up.
†
Sophia walked into the elegant Empress Hotel and marveled at its old world charm. She insisted that they check in and then immediately return for afternoon tea which was served in the lobby until four.
As she sat across from Lara in the elegant wing backed chair, she looked around the room and marveled at the antique furniture, rich tapestries, and hand carved tables. She’d read that this British, time honored tradition, brought to Victoria had served famed royalty, celebrities, and other various dignitaries. However, this wasn’t what impressed Sophia. What she enjoyed was the warmth of the place. A sense of peace and relaxation permeated her body despite the angst of the past few days.
Sophia looked directly at Lara when she heard the buzz of her phone. “Go ahead. I know you want to look. I’m enjoying the ambiance, so if you need to take a quick call, I don’t mind.”
“It’s a text message, just let me read it and if it’s urgent I promise I’ll deal with it quickly. I won’t even leave the table,” Lara promised.
Sophia nodded and watched carefully as her wife read the message.
Lara turned white and shoved the phone in her pocket.
“Lara. Are you all right? Bad news?” Sophia asked.
“No, no. I do feel a little queasy. Maybe I have a delayed response to the flight. If you’ll excuse me for a moment, I need to visit the washroom. I’m sure it’s nothing.”
“Do you need me to come with you?” Sophia tried desperately not to smirk while she asked the question.
“No. You stay here and order a nice calming tea for me. Peppermint is supposed to settle a person’s stomach.” Lara abruptly rose and marched in the direction of the public restroom.
It was now or never. Sophia sent a quick text to Rachel, and prayed that they had arrived and were on their way. She didn’t know how much longer she could stomach playing the adoring wife.
†
Lara considered her options as she paced back and forth in the washroom. Victoria was a big city and the chances of them running into one another were slim—especially if she kept Sophia in the room most of the time—at least until Monday.
She could call Rachel, get a general idea of their plans, and then arrange to visit the various tourist activities located in the opposite direction of where Joy and Rachel might be.
The most pressing issue at this moment was her need to speed up afternoon tea. Lara supposed that her reaction to the text and feigning illness provided
her with the perfect excuse to retire to their room for a short while. She figured she still had a few minutes since she’d just received the text and they still needed to check into the hotel before making their way around and possibly deciding to have afternoon tea.
Lara stopped pacing and threw her shoulders back. She could do this. After all, she was the owner of a billion dollar company. This was just a small wrinkle that required her special Lara iron. She was hot and ready to smooth it all out.
When she dialed Rachel’s cell phone and wasn’t able to connect with her, it was Lara’s undoing. “Where the fuck are you, Rachel? You just texted me and now you aren’t answering!” Lara shouted in the empty bathroom.
Lara’s cool collected manner was unraveling. She would have to find time a little later to contact Rachel and discover her plans for the weekend. One of the things she loved about Rachel was her spontaneity. Unfortunately, this did not work in her favor. She needed to find a way to stay a step ahead and that would be challenging given Rachel’s propensity to change her plans at the last minute. She’d have to make frequent calls to her wife to get the most updated information on their plans.
Lara walked briskly back to the table where Sophia sat facing the water view. Steam rose from the two cups sitting innocently on the table awaiting her return.
Sophia looked up. “How are you feeling? It was an unusual request, but they were able to track down some peppermint tea. I don’t think too many people order that particular flavor. I got the feeling it was an insult to the queen.”
“I’m sorry, darling, but would you mind terribly if we went back to our room. I’m not feeling better. Perhaps a short nap will help and then I’ll be ready to go again. I’ll make reservations for afternoon tea tomorrow. Okay?” Lara asked.
Sophia glanced out the window and Lara got the distinct impression she was looking for something. “Are you sure you don’t want to sit down for a minute and have some tea? It might settle your stomach and then we can head back to the room.”
Lara’s forehead wrinkled as her displeasure snuck into her expression. “I don’t think the tea will do the trick. I really think I need to lie down for just a little bit if you don’t mind. You can stay and finish your tea if you wish.”
“No, No, that’s all right. I’ll come with you. Let me get the waiter so that we can pay him.”
Lara pulled two hundred dollar bills from her purse and laid it on the table. “That should more than cover the bill.”
Lara had the uncomfortable feeling that Sophia was using deliberate delay tactics. She watched as Sophia slowly rose from her chair. When Sophia’s eyes rested on a location over Lara’s shoulder and a smile spread on her face, Lara turned around to see what caught her wife’s attention.
Lara turned around and suddenly all the small clues shifted into place. Now she understood Rachel’s odd behavior before she left for Rosario and all the change of travel plans that Rachel kept feeding her. The sudden realization that the trio had played her the past two days was like a neon sign in front of her face. Lara locked eyes with a smirking Rachel and a scowling Joy.
“Hello, Lara. Fancy meeting you here. Did your business in New York take a sudden turn in the opposite direction? If I had known, we could have shared a cab or something,” Rachel snapped.
The exhaustion of maintaining her deception finally caught up with Lara as she crumpled into the chair with her head in her hands. She absently ran her fingers through her hair in a last minute attempt to massage her brain into coming up with a solution, but it was no use trying to salvage anything at this point. She recognized defeat. The bitter pill they forced her to swallow sat heavily in her stomach.
Lara lifted her head to meet Rachel’s cold blue eyes. “I’m sure you have a pretty speech prepared. Get on with it. I’d like to know exactly what I’ll be dealing with.” She looked at Sophia. “If it’s any consolation—I’m sorry. I couldn’t choose. I loved you both too much. I know you don’t understand. How could you? I’m not even sure I understand, but I swear it is possible to be deeply in love with two different women.”
Lara thought she saw Sophia’s eyes soften to her confession, but Rachel’s eyes held the steel glint of pure hatred. She honestly had not intended to hurt either of them and she was genuinely sorry it had come to this. The cool ice in her veins melted as she noticed Sophia’s eyes well up with unshed tears. She imagined the past few days had been pure hell on her.
Lara reached out to touch Sophia. She meant to comfort her, but Sophia slapped her hand away. “No, you don’t get to comfort me and make it all better. You lost that right when you married Rachel.”
Lara cringed when Rachel walked to Sophia and embraced her as her tears finally found a final destination in the fabric of Rachel’s shirt.
Joy stomped to her and slapped Lara across the face. “If I didn’t think that Sophia needed me more by her side than in jail right now, I’d shoot you.”
“I guess I deserved that,” Lara stated.
Lara directed her attention to her two wives. A small part of her thought that maybe she could still salvage something. As she pondered her dilemma, she realized that in a forced choice, Sophia would rise to the top. Rachel was fun and exciting, but she had to admit to herself that Sophia would always be the one for her. She had loved Rachel, but Sophia was her one true love. This realization hit her hard.
“I fucked up. I know that now. Sophia, can we please talk about this? Without an audience.”
Lara glanced at Rachel.
“Rachel, I’m sorry I know this is callous of me, but Sophia is legally my wife and although I care about you, I’ve realized I need to repair my relationship with my wife. I don’t know of a gracious way to end our relationship. This is very awkward for everyone, but if I can just have a few minutes alone with Sophia,” Lara pleaded.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Rachel still had her arm draped on Sophia. “Sophia, I’ll do whatever you want, but please tell me you are not about to listen to this piece of shit. I have all the papers here in my pack.”
“Don’t you dare listen to one word that comes out of her mendacious mouth. She’s like a politician. How do you know she’s lying? Her lips are moving. I’ll slap some sense into you myself if you give her one second of your precious time,” Joy exclaimed.
Sophia slipped from beneath Rachel’s embrace and stood up. “We might have had a chance if you hadn’t married Rachel. I would have forgiven an affair and tried to work through the trust issues in counseling. You don’t get to simply apologize and receive a blank slate. I want a divorce and if you fight me on anything, I’ll have your ass in jail faster than you can call your lawyer. You do realize that bigamy is a felony in both states. Feel free to look at the papers that our attorneys have drawn up and take them to your fancy lawyer to review, but we will only make this offer once. Fight either one of us on this and I swear neither of us will stop until we see you behind bars. If you agree to all of the terms, you can continue to rebuild your business without the threat of jail time hanging over your head.”
Rachel opened her pack and removed four sets of legal papers. She handed the documents to Lara. “Divorce papers for Sophia, financial settlement that I deemed appropriate for my pain and suffering, a separate financial settlement for Sophia’s pain and suffering, and a rather large donation to Seattle Children’s Hospital. We left you more than you deserve. You should be able to rebuild some of the wealth within a few years’ time. Knowing you and your propensity to work twenty-four seven, you’ll probably rebuild your financial dynasty in less than five years.”
Lara took the papers and resisted fighting back. She couldn’t risk provoking Rachel. Sophia might allow some leeway, but Rachel never would. She could see that in her cold eyes. Lara knew that she’d obliterated any ounce of love that Rachel once felt for her. It was time to graciously accept this setback. She would give Sophia some time while she considered her next move. Sophia might be a bit more malleable if she let some o
f the hurt subside. She’d give her a month to lick her wounds and then perhaps she would be open to counseling and a reconciliation.
“I can see those wheels turning in your delirious mind. Sophia is going to spend a few weeks with Joy and me, so I would advise you not to make any attempt to contact her. I swear, Lara, you will be sorry you ever crossed my path if you ever contact either of us again. You can take that threat to the bank,” Rachel declared.
Rachel zipped up her backpack, slung it back over her shoulders, stood up, and wrapped her arm around Sophia. Lara heard her whisper in Sophia’s ear. “Damn that was hot when you told her about the felony bigamy laws.”
“What about the execution of these papers? I’m going to have to connect with both of you on that,” Lara pronounced.
“No, you won’t. Contact our attorneys if you have any questions. Everything from here on out can be settled through them. I mean it, Lara—don’t contact either of us. I think we’re done here.” Rachel turned around, leading Sophia out of the beautiful parlor. The steam from the tea no longer existed, but Lara could almost feel the steam from Rachel.
Joy cast upon Lara one final angry glare before following her best friend.
Lara wasn’t accustomed to losing. Although this was a particularly challenging problem, every problem inevitably had a solution. She always did like the line, tomorrow is another day, from Gone with the Wind. That was so much better than, it isn’t over until the fat lady sings.
Chapter Nineteen
Sophia felt comforted by Rachel’s arm casually draped on her shoulder. It was endearing to her that Rachel felt the need to protect her. At least that’s what it felt like to Sophia. At first, she stumbled when Lara made her emotional outburst. She sensed that Lara was genuine in her confession and ultimate awakening, but it was too late and she’d been proud of herself for making that clear. A small part of her feared that if Joy and Rachel had not been there to lend moral support she might have crumbled and given Lara another chance. That would have been a monumental error. She knew that, but the heart hears what it wants to hear. You can’t just turn off your feelings like a spigot—especially if you’ve been married to someone for nearly ten years.