Keeping Secrets & Telling Lies

by Trice Hickman

  Ted continued. “I haven’t been completely honest with you about my mother’s secret. What I discovered about her is far more complex than I told you.”

  Now Victoria was sitting on the edge of her seat, her thoughts swimming with confusion as Ted held on to her hand. His words tumbled out like a mystery movie plot starting to unfold.

  “You know that old saying ‘You never really know someone’? Well, it was invented for people like my mother. Her life wasn’t what it seemed, and she wasn’t who any of us thought she was. This isn’t the right moment for me to tell you what I found in her safe-deposit box, but I want you to know that neither you nor Alexandria is in any danger from it.”

  Victoria finally spoke. “I don’t understand why you can’t tell me. This is crazy.”

  “V, sweetheart, please bear with me and trust me on this.”

  The irony of the situation nearly crippled Victoria’s mind—he was asking his lying, cheating wife to trust him. But despite her duplicitous position, she wanted answers from him.

  She withdrew her hand from his and stood to her feet, then began to pace the room. “You just told me that you’ve been lying to me, and now you want me to trust you? How am I supposed to do that?” A small voice inside her head called her a hypocritical bitch. She immediately regretted her words, knowing that she had absolutely no right to stand in judgment or demand truthfulness when she’d just welcomed her husband through the front door after rushing her ex-lover out the back.

  Ted stood and walked over to her. “You have every right to feel the way you do. I’ve lied to you, and I know it’s built a wall between us.V, I’m still dealing with the shock that my mother revealed to me... . It’s been hard. But yes, I’m asking you to trust in me, and I’m asking you to give me just a little more time so I can make sense of it all. I’ll tell you all there is to know ... soon.”

  She wanted to believe him, and he wanted to make the questions and the pain on her face disappear.

  Victoria could see that the weight that had been haunting Ted’s eyes was no longer there. He looked tired, but he also looked relieved. She knew it must have taken a lot for him to come forward with the truth, even if he had given it only in dribbles, and that whatever embarrassing indiscretion Carolyn had been hiding, it almost certainly paled in comparison to the secret Victoria was keeping.

  Now she knew how Debbie had felt, because she wanted to tell Ted her truth, too. She wanted to confess her sins and make things right, but she knew she couldn’t. It was one thing for him to lie to her about a secret that his mother had been keeping, but it was another thing entirely for her to admit to him that she had enjoyed the heat of Parker’s kiss and the excitement of his touch.

  Victoria sank into his arms. She held back a tear that threatened to fall. “Before we got married, I remember you said that we’d encounter a few hurdles along the way, but as long as we were together, it would make life a hell of a lot easier,” Victoria said, biting her bottom lip as she swallowed hard and continued. “I haven’t been perfect, either, but you’ve loved me, anyway. I adore you, and I’m here for you whenever you’re ready to open up to me.”

  That night Victoria and Ted made love like old times. All that had been said and done was washed away with tender kisses and gentle caresses. Everything that had been broken was made whole again. As she lay in her husband’s arms, Victoria drifted off to sleep. She knew they hadn’t cleared all the hurdles in the road, but they were headed for recovery. Now her only worry was how she was going to keep Parker at bay.

  Chapter Sixteen

  You Need Some Tough Love....

  Victoria sat at her desk, thinking about the roller-coaster ride she’d had the night before. After barely escaping what could have been a catastrophic scene between Ted and Parker, she shuddered when she thought about the bullet she had managed to dodge. She knew it was proof that God had been watching over her in spite of her poor decisions and careless behavior. She was grateful she had been spared, and she knew it was time to get her act together.

  She’d put all that she loved on the line the night Parker came to her office and she followed him to the hotel. When she thought about what she had nearly lost, she almost cried. She remembered how happy Alexandria had been when she dropped her off at summer camp an hour ago.

  “You’re the best mommy in the whole wide world,” Alexandria had said out of the blue.

  “My, my, young lady. What did I do to deserve that honor?”

  “Just ’cause I love you, Mommy.” Alexandria smiled back.

  Victoria gave her a big hug and a kiss on her forehead before watching her skip away toward her group of friends, who had already gathered in their classroom. She looked at her daughter and thanked God for second chances.

  She thought about the love she and Ted had made after they returned home from her office last night, and about the passionate declarations they had whispered to each other in the dark. She knew she had been given a blessing that eluded most, and now she had to step up her game before she squandered it.

  Morning slipped into lunchtime, keeping Victoria busy as she worked on new projects. Then, out of the blue, an unsettling thought came to her, breaking her concentration and twisting her mind like a ball of twine dangling loose and frayed. She heard the words that Parker had spoken echoing in her ears. Every good-bye’s not gone. It had been his way of telling her that he wasn’t giving up and he wasn’t going away.

  Suddenly, Victoria’s optimistic mood took a 180-degree nosedive. The more she thought about what Parker might do, the more nervous she felt. She was fearful before, but now she was terrified. As she pondered her fate, she heard Denise walk through the door.

  “You ready to go to lunch?”

  Victoria looked up at her friend, startled and anxious, doing her best to mask her emotions. She’d forgotten they had planned to have lunch outside the office. “Sure,” she said, grabbing her handbag. Maybe a good meal will calm my nerves.

  Fifteen minutes later Victoria and Denise settled into a booth at Houston’s restaurant. They each ordered a salad and the soup of the day. Denise took a sip of her Coke before she started in. “All right, girlfriend. What the hell’s goin’ on?”

  “What do you mean?”

  Denise pursed her lips. “Tell me what’s got you looking like you just stepped into a room full of fog. I know it’s been rough since Ted’s mother died, but there’s something else going on.”

  Victoria shifted in her seat, not sure that she was ready or that she even wanted to involve Denise in her complicated drama. She thought about the advice that Tyler had given her—the fewer people who knew about her indiscretions, the better.

  Denise leaned forward. “A few weeks ago Parker was calling like a bill collector. Then, all of a sudden, he stopped, and that’s when you started acting strange. I’m not stupid.... Whatever’s going on with you, it has something to do with Dr. Brightwood,” she said, twisting her mouth.

  Victoria could only nod her head, confirming Denise’s suspicions.

  “Girlfriend, tell me what kind of mess you’ve gotten yourself into behind that fool.”

  Victoria couldn’t keep it from Denise any longer. She spilled out everything as she told her friend from beginning to end about her encounters with Parker, right up to what happened in their very office last night.

  Denise shook her head. “Well, I’m not even gonna lie. I knew this was gonna happen.You’re sittin’ in the middle of a serious shit storm.”

  “Really? I didn’t know that. Thanks for your astute observation.”

  Denise craned her neck. “Don’t get snippy with me. I’m here to help you.”

  “You could’ve fooled me. I don’t need to hear ‘I told you so’ right now.”

  “What else do you want me to say?” Denise said, doing her best to keep her voice low. “Listen, you messed up.You risked everything you have for some dick, and now you want sympathy? Uh-uh.” She pointed her finger in Victoria’s direction. “I th
ought Debbie had lost her mind, but you managed to top her.”

  “You didn’t have to go there.”

  “But I did.You know I love you, but I’m not gonna coddle you. And you know I’m not one for all that pretending and bullshit. I’m gonna be honest with you because you’re my girl. You need some tough love and real talk, not some hand-holdin’, sugarcoated mess that’ll have you in worse shape than you’re already in.”

  The two friends quieted their conversation when the server came back with their food.

  “For the record, again,” Victoria reiterated, “I didn’t sleep with him. But as much as I hate to admit it, I’ve always had feelings for Parker, and a part of me probably always will.”

  Denise paused for a moment, letting out a long, heavy sigh. She nodded her head, acknowledging what she also knew was the truth. “I know ... and I’m sorry. I guess I just wish that you didn’t.”

  “Me too.”

  Victoria picked over her salad, while Denise dug into her soup.

  “Parker basically told me that he’s not giving up. He’s not going away easily,” Victoria said.

  “Do you think he’s bold enough to start popping up on the regular?”

  “After the stunt he pulled, showing up at the office last night, I really don’t know.”

  Denise moved her bowl to the side and wiped her mouth with her napkin, carefully assessing the situation. “Parker’s an arrogant bastard, but he’s not crazy. If he wanted to show his complete ass and make a scene, he could’ve done it last night, but he didn’t.”

  “So you think he’ll just fade away?”

  “I didn’t say that.”

  “Yeah, the chances of that look slim,” Victoria said.

  “When does school start?”

  “Next Monday.” Victoria desperately wanted to switch Alexandria to another school. The only reason she hadn’t was that she knew she would have had to explain the move to Ted. They had spent a year searching for schools before deciding on Peachtree Country Day. They both loved the school, and she knew if she told him that she wanted to move Alexandria, she better have a damn good reason why.

  Denise rubbed her chin. “My guess is that he’ll try to start some mess at the first school event, if he gets an opportunity.”

  Victoria shook her head. “I don’t think Parker would cause a scene in front of his son. He loves PJ too much to do something ridiculous like that.”

  Denise raised her brow. “You love Alexandria more than life, but you risked your family for the excitement of a thrill, so don’t tell me what people won’t do.”

  Victoria couldn’t say a word.

  “Girlfriend, I’m not tryin’ to be a bitch about this. I just want you to see the light.”

  “You’re right. If I’d been thinking with a level head, I wouldn’t be sitting here, unable to eat, worried as hell right now.”

  “If my aunt had balls, she’d be my uncle. You can’t worry about what you can’t change. The important thing is that you’re thinking on the right track now, and you need to make sure you stay there.”

  Victoria rubbed her temples. “Ted’s going to eventually find out that Parker’s son goes to Alexandria’s school, and he’s bound to find out about Jack and Jill, too. I have to figure out a way to explain why I haven’t said something before now,” she groaned. “This is such a mess.”

  “But it’s one that you can dig yourself out of. The next time you take Alexandria to a Jack and Jill function, tell him that Parker’s son recently joined.... It’s not exactly a lie. In the meantime, you need to find a way to tell him about the school situation, because that’s more immediate.”

  “You’re right. I’ll just tell him that I needed to stop by the school to drop off some last-minute paperwork, and that while I was there, I ran into Parker, who was registering his son, too.”

  Denise smiled. “Now you’re thinking. You need to work this out before it works you.”

  Just then, Victoria’s cell phone rang. “It’s him,” she said, looking at Parker’s reversed initials, BP, which appeared in bright letters across the screen.

  “Don’t answer it,” Denise said. “From this point forward don’t answer any of his phone calls, and don’t respond to his e-mails or text messages.You need to cut off all forms of communication with him. If he conveniently shows up anyplace you’re at, leave immediately, and tell him that you’ll call his chief of staff at the hospital if he does it again. You’ve gotta back his ass down.”

  Victoria nodded her head, regretting the situation she was in, but knowing she was the only person to blame.

  This World Is Too Damn Small ... !

  Two weeks had gone by, school had started, and Victoria and Ted were attending their first PTA event at Alexandria’s school.They were pleased that she was adjusting so well to her new environment. She loved her teacher and had already made a group of new friends.

  While Ted held court beside Victoria, listening to the PTA president outline their goals for the coming year, she tried to steady her nerves. She was on pins and needles at the thought that Parker might walk through the door at any minute. She still hadn’t told Ted about seeing her ex-lover at the school, because he had been in and out of town so much on business trips that they’d barely seen each other at all.

  Victoria knew that she couldn’t break the news to him as she had planned on doing, because now that he seemed to be back to his old self again, she was sure he would be able to see through any attempt to cover up the truth—and she would have to come clean and admit that she had known for nearly two months that Parker’s son was a student at Alexandria’s school. But the fact that PJ was a student at Peachtree Country Day wasn’t the problem—Parker was.

  She knew for certain that Ted wouldn’t be pleased that Parker was back on the scene, but more important, he’d be pissed that it had taken her so long to mention it. That alone would raise his suspicions about their involvement. Her only saving grace was that he had yet to tell her the full details about his mother’s secret. She knew she could use that as ammunition to back him off if she needed to.

  And to make matters worse, just as she’d feared, PJ was in Alexandria’s class. She hadn’t been caught off guard when she ran into Parker and his son on the first day of school. She had been prepared for it. But her blood pressure rose a notch when she found out that PJ was in Alexandria’s class. As soon as the two kindergarteners saw each other, they bonded again like Siamese twins. Parker was delighted, but Victoria was more than a little nervous about their children’s instant connection. She could see where it was going, and all roads led straight to trouble.

  Since that first day of school, all Alexandria could talk about was PJ, and the dog she wanted, because he had one. And to throw Victoria’s nerves into overdrive, Alexandria had practically begged for the two of them to have a playdate. “Mommy, can PJ come over and play? Please, please, please,” she’d asked just two days ago.

  Luckily for Victoria,Ted had been gone so much lately that when he made it home, coming in late after business trips out of town and long days at the office, Alexandria only briefly mentioned her new friend to him, because she was too engrossed in the bedtime stories he read when he tucked her in.

  Outside of seeing Parker at school a few times when she dropped Alexandria off in the morning,Victoria had managed to avoid contact with him since his surprise visit to her office. He’d called her several times and sent texts and e-mails, but she hadn’t responded to any of them. She was thankful that he hadn’t done anything crazy so far, but she knew it was only a matter of time before Ted found out that her old flame had reentered their lives.

  Victoria tried to relax and enjoy the PTA meeting, but her mind wouldn’t allow it.

  Ted eyed her with concern. “You keep looking around, like you’re expecting someone. Are you okay?” he asked.

  “I’m fine. Just checking out the room.” Victoria gave him a quick smile, trying her best to ignore the intense stare of his piercin
g eyes. She could see that Ted was studying her, noticing every little detail, every little nuance, and every move she made. Even though he had been traveling on business for most of the week and this was his first night home in several days, she knew that he had begun to notice signs that something was wrong with her. She was jumpy, nervous, and distracted.

  The next hour went by without incident, and to Victoria’s great relief, Parker hadn’t made an appearance. After the school principal made the final remarks, the PTA president adjourned the meeting.

  Minutes later Victoria and Ted mingled with a few other parents. She was feeling a little more at ease until she felt a small tap on her shoulder. She turned around so quickly, she almost gave herself a case of whiplash.

  “Hi,Victoria. It’s good to see you again,” Roberta Stevens said, smiling.

  This world is too damn small! Victoria hadn’t seen Roberta since the Jack and Jill meeting nearly two months ago. “Hi, Roberta. It’s good to see you, too.” She smiled back. “I didn’t know your son was a student here.”

  “Yes, this is Al Jr.’s second year, and he loves it.” Roberta beamed as the short, heavyset man beside her nodded with enthusiasm. “This is my husband, Alvin,” Roberta said, introducing him as she exchanged glances with Victoria and Ted.

  Victoria and Ted greeted him with warm smiles and strong handshakes. The two couples made pleasant small talk, which mostly centered around their children.

  “Victoria, I don’t know what your schedule is like, but we sure could use your help planning the Jack and Jill holiday social this year. We’re having a meeting at Hilda’s house next weekend. Think you can make it?” Roberta asked.

  Victoria purposely hadn’t mentioned Alexandria’s membership in Jack and Jill since the disagreement she and Ted had ironed out, and she was glad that he had forgotten about it in the wake of all that had recently happened. But now Roberta was reopening the can of worms. “No, I’ll be tied up with an event next weekend. And actually, my schedule ... our schedules,” she said, looking at Ted, “are so busy that I’m not sure how involved we’ll be.” She wanted Roberta to know that Jack and Jill wasn’t a household topic, and she hoped the chatty woman would drop the line of conversation.