by Judith Keim
“I hate to do this, Carol Ann, but I think it’s important to keep the news of our engagement quiet. That is, if you want to keep your job. Lee Fredericks called a 7 A.M. meeting this morning and laid down a lot of new rules. She also specifically mentioned that there will be no alliances between bosses and assistants and others working in the office. Apparently, she feels that amounts to sexual harassment.” He shook his head and sighed. “She’s not easy to get along with. I think that’s why headquarters shipped her off to us and helped her get settled in so quickly.”
Carol Ann looked down at her ring. Disappointment flowed through her. “How can she get away with acting like this?”
“I don’t know. Her reputation isn’t great. She’s known as a real ball buster.” He gave her a sympathetic smile. “In different circumstances, I’d tell her to shove her rules, but I know how important this job is to you.”
Carol Ann nodded. “I can’t lose it. I’m still paying off college debts and trying to get my car paid off.”
“I could help you with that,” Ed said.
She shook her head. “It’s something I need to do on my own.” She wanted Ed to know she wasn’t marrying him for his money. She’d read that marriages that started that way ended badly, and she couldn’t stand the thought of their relationship failing.
Ed gave her a steady look. “I’d like to kiss you right now, but I can’t. In fact, we’ll have to be very careful with one another.”
“How do the other execs feel about having Lee for a boss?”
“Not happy at all,” said Ed. “It has to do with her attitude more than anything. She’s a workaholic and expects us to be the same.”
Carol Ann left Ed’s office filled with mixed emotions. She’d hoped everyone would celebrate her happy news with her. Now, she’d have to be very careful. She hurried over to Lynetta to warn her not to say anything about Ed and her. Lynetta listened and agreed.
Carol Ann told Grace the news of her meeting with Ed.
“Sure, I’ll be quiet about it, but it’s a damn shame it’s come to this.”
“Ladies?”
Carol Ann and Grace turned at the same time.
Lee glared at them. “Unless you are working together on a joint project, you should each be at your desks.”
Carol Ann bobbed her head and hurried back to her desk. Taking a seat, she fought resentment at Lee’s tone of voice. For God’s sake, she’d sounded like a middle-school principal scolding students.
CHAPTER THIRTY-SEVEN
TIFFANY
Tiffany headed for the Fat Fridays luncheon with a real need to see the other women. Following her visit to Charleston, it had been a dismal week full of angst and mixed emotions. When she’d turned down the house they’d offered her, what would have been a sweet gesture from anyone else had turned into a bitter argument between Beau’s parents and her.
At the memory of Regard’s stern, thin-lipped stares and the sound of Muffy’s crying, Tiffany’s stomach twisted. Funny, she mused, she’d gone from being unwanted in the family to the person they thought should be ever-present, so they could influence her daughter. Remembering how they’d ordered her out of their house, Tiffany caught her breath.
She pulled into a space in Bea’s parking lot and sat a moment to calm herself. She turned as Sukie drove up beside her and gave her a cheerful wave.
Feeling calmer upon seeing her friend, Tiffany got out of the car and waited for Sukie to join her.
“How are you, sweetie?” Sukie said, wrapping an arm around her.
“Glad to be here,” said Tiffany. “I need a Fat Fridays lunch.” She followed Sukie into the restaurant.
The tangy smell of pork barbeque met her nose and made her stomach rumble with sudden hunger. Her spirits lifted. Williston was a small town where people enjoyed simple things like good Southern cooking.
They headed into the back room to their favorite table.
Carol Ann stood as Tiffany approached the table. Holding her left hand out to her, Carol Ann flashed Tiffany a broad smile.
“You’re engaged?” Tiffany squealed. “Oh, Carol Ann, I’m so happy for you!”
As they embraced, Tiffany felt her eyes sting with happiness. Of all the women in the group, she considered Carol Ann the most vulnerable, the most in need of acceptance.
“The ring is absolutely beautiful,” Tiffany said, smiling at Carol Ann. “Ed has great taste.”
The sparkle left Carol Ann’s eyes. Her shoulders slumped. “Sssh. Don’t mention his name. I’m not supposed to let anyone know who I’m engaged to.”
Tiffany blinked in surprise. “For heaven’s sake, why not?”
“Wait until you hear this,” said Grace from her place at the table. “You won’t believe it.”
“Yeah,” said Lynetta. “It’s a mess.”
Tiffany and Sukie glanced at each other and immediately took seats at the table.
“Okay, you’d better fill us in,” said Sukie. “This sounds important.”
Before they could begin, the waitress approached them.
After everyone had ordered, Carol Ann said, “Okay, here it is. Big news. We have a new boss sent to us by headquarters.” She described Lee Fredericks.
Sukie gave Carol Ann a worried look. “She sounds real tough.”
“Let me tell you her new rules,” said Carol Ann. “Number one, there’s to be no fraternizing socially between men and women on the staff. Ed called me into his office to warn me about this. We’re keeping things quiet between us until I go on maternity leave. I can’t take a chance on anything going wrong and being fired, because I can’t afford to pay for the baby myself. And, under the circumstances, it isn’t right to expect Ed to do it. He’s being a doll about the situation as it is.”
Sukie frowned. “Her rules seem archaic. She can’t dictate employees’ personal lives.”
“No, but most companies do not like spouses working together, especially as boss and assistant. At least none that I know of,” said Grace.
“And then Lee might say that Carol Ann isn’t needed anymore. She’s bringing in her own assistant from California. Or so she said. I haven’t seen any sign of one yet,” said Lynetta. “Maybe the assistant refused to come. This woman is very difficult, Sukie.”
“No one likes her. Ed says the other execs think she’s what he called a real ball buster,” said Carol Ann.
“And what about Roger? He was the best boss I ever had,” said Tiffany, shaking her head. “What happened to him?”
“The word is that he resigned, but I think he was booted out,” said Grace. “And I bet that woman was behind it. I’m all for women getting ahead, but she’s a bitch.”
“I’ll keep quiet about your fiancé, Carol Ann, but this is something you should be allowed to celebrate,” said Tiffany.
The conversation turned to Misty’s decision to stay in Ohio.
As she listened to Grace tell them about how hard it was to leave Misty behind, Tiffany’s heart ached for Grace.
Sorrow coated Grace’s features. “I haven’t heard from Misty for a few days now.”
“I promise to call Misty again, tell her we all miss her. Vanna too,” Tiffany said.
“Thanks,” said Grace. “That would be nice.”
Tiffany poked at her pork barbeque and took a few bites of coleslaw.
Sukie glanced at her. “You’re awfully quiet, Tiffany. Are you all right?”
Tiffany drew a deep breath and told them about the house Muffy and Regard had wanted to buy for her. “It got pretty ugly when I told them I wasn’t moving there. Regard finally ordered Kevin and me to leave the house.”
“It’s always wise to look a gift horse in the mouth, as Betsy would say,” said Sukie. “And this particular horse comes with a whole mess of troubles. We all know what Beau’s parents are like, how dominating they are. I say you did the right thing by not accepting their gift.”
“Yes,” said Grace. “If you lived near them, they’d make your life misera
ble.” She let out a sound of disgust. “They already have.”
“We never want you to leave us, Tiff,” said Carol Ann.
Tiffany let out a sigh of relief. As sure as she was about her decision, she needed to hear approval from these women. She knew from the past how they all supported one another and was grateful for their backing now.
“There’s something else,” Tiffany said. “It’s about Kevin.” She shifted in her seat and then blurted out, “On the way home from Charleston, we talked about a lot of things, including how we felt about one another.” She glanced around the table at the other women. “We’ve been fighting our attraction to each other for a long time, but now we’re going to try living together.”
A round of good wishes expressed by each of the women broke the momentary silence.
Tiffany leaned forward and shot them each a worried look. “You don’t think I’m awful for doing something like this when Beau hasn’t been gone a year?”
“That year is almost up, and even though you still loved him, your marriage was broken long before that,” Sukie reminded her.
A dreamy expression crossed Carol Ann’s face. “I’ve often wondered if Beau didn’t have you working with Kevin on purpose.”
Grace nodded. “Especially after Kevin helped you with Vanna’s birth.”
Lynetta smiled at her. “I’ve seen the way Kevin looks at you, sweetie. His love for you has always been there.”
Tiffany smiled. Kevin had told her the same thing. She filled with gratitude for her friends’ support. She and Kevin had kept their feelings for each other hidden for as long as they could. Now, maybe she could get on with her life—a life with someone who thought she was wonderful just as she was.
CHAPTER THIRTY-EIGHT
SUKIE
Sukie left the Fat Fridays luncheon grateful for the time she’d spent with her friends. It was a relief from worrying about the situation with Chloe. Thinking of the little girl she thought of as her own, Sukie made the impromptu decision to stop by the preschool to pick up Chloe a little early. On Friday nights, Anthony’s ran a special on bake-it-yourself pizzas. She’d order a couple of different choices, put Chloe to bed early, and have some much-needed alone time with Cam. They’d been so busy lately that romance was slipping out of their lives. She knew from the past how important it was to keep it alive.
She drove into the parking lot of the small pre-school Chloe loved. With its red clapboards and cupola, the little red schoolhouse looked like it had emerged from a middle-school reader.
Sukie parked the car and went inside to the office. The woman behind the desk gave Sukie a startled look. “I thought you were in the hospital.”
“What? Why would I be in the hospital?”
“Your sister called to say she would be picking up Chloe today, that you’d been taken ill and were in the hospital.”
Sukie felt her knees grow weak. She had no sister. She collapsed into one of the wooden chairs against the wall. The call had to be from Chloe’s mother.
“You have the note that says that Chloe can leave with only Cam or me, right?”
The woman nodded. “But I thought this was an emergency. The caller explained that Cam was with you.” She placed a hand over her heart. “I’m so sorry, Sukie. I really am.”
“I need to make a call. May I use the owner’s office?”
The woman nodded. “Of course.”
With shaking hands, Sukie punched in Cam’s number. Waiting for him to pick up, Sukie fought tears. If she hadn’t decided to pick up Chloe early, their little girl might have been abducted by her birth mother. The thought ate at her like a caustic chemical.
“Hi, sweetheart! What’s up?” said Cam.
“I’m at Chloe’s school. They got a call from someone claiming to be my sister, telling them I was in the hospital, and that she would be picking up Chloe.”
“Oh my God!” said Cam. “It’s gotta be Sheri. You’d better call the sheriff. I’m on my way.”
Sukie punched in Bill Michaels’ number. He answered right away. After Sukie explained the situation, he said, “Let’s trap her. Stay right inside, Sukie, but have someone hide your car. I’ll send one of my undercover guys over. You’d better warn Cam not to go anywhere near the school.”
Sukie hung up and quickly called Cam.
“Not be at the school? I can’t stay away,” Cam all but yelled back to her.
Sukie understood how he felt, but she was determined to find a way to end this nonsense with Sheri. “Bill said not to come here. Why don’t you go home and make sure everything is okay there? Maybe Sheri will show up there. Chloe will be safe here at the school. The children are inside. I’ll make sure Chloe doesn’t go outside.”
Sukie asked the woman in the office to get the owner.
A grandmotherly, middle-aged woman hurried into the office. Sukie smiled. With her pleasant disposition, Molly Masters was a favorite of both kids and parents alike.
“Yes, Sukie? What can I help you with?” Molly asked her now.
Sukie told her what had happened and what Bill Michaels wanted to do.
“Oh, my! We never let our children go home with others.” She turned to the woman behind the desk. “You should have told me about the call.”
“Yes, I know,” the woman replied, looking tearful. “But I was waiting until you were through with the music class.”
Molly nodded. “Okay, I need you to drive Sukie’s car behind the building and pull it into the garage. There’s room there for her car.”
The woman accepted Sukie’s keys and left the building.
“This is very serious stuff,” Molly said. “I’ll let the other teachers know that no child is to be outside on the playground for the rest of the afternoon. It’s usually the last thing we do before parents come to pick them up, so they’re all dressed to go home.”
Well acquainted with the schedule, Sukie nodded. “I don’t want Chloe to know I’m here. Is it okay if I hide out in your office?”
Molly nodded. She checked her watch. “Better go there now.”
A man entered the office. Dressed in blue jeans and wearing a golf shirt, he looked like one of the fathers.
Sukie paused.
“I’m here to see Sukie Taylor,” he said.
Sukie let out the breath she’d been holding. “That’s me.”
He shook her hand. “Hi, I’m Al Parker. Bill Michaels sent me here on the possible abduction case.”
“Thank you for coming so quickly,” said Sukie, impressed by the fact that she’d never guess he worked for Bill.
“I want you to stay in the office, but I’m asking you to place this tiny recorder on you, so when someone tries to pick up your daughter, we’ll have plenty of evidence. I’m able to record too.” He turned to Molly. “And we’ll have at least one witness if you stay nearby.”
Sukie accepted the small recording device. She studied it so she’d know where to turn it on. No bigger than her iPhone, it easily slipped into her pants pocket.
“Parents are starting to arrive,” said Molly. “Better get ready.”
Sukie hurried into the owner’s office while Al took a seat on one of the wooden chairs.
Sukie sat quietly, listening to conversations outside the office door. She’d never seen a photo of Chloe’s mother, Sheri Cantwell, and didn’t know what to expect. Chloe looked a lot like her father, but there were some differences too.
She could hear Molly talking to parents of kids, urging them to go along to the various classrooms to pick them up.
A husky voice said, “I’m here to pick up Chloe Taylor. I called earlier. Sheri. Remember?”
“Oh, yes,” Molly said. “What’s the problem?”
“Like I told the secretary, Sukie is very ill. She was taken to a hospital earlier this afternoon. Cam called me and asked me to pick up Chloe. She’s going to be staying with me for a while.”
“Oh? Anyplace special?” Molly asked, playing along.
“Uh, is
Chloe ready?”
“I’ll bring her in,” said Molly.
Hearing that, Sukie broke into a sweat. She didn’t want Chloe to be traumatized. She rose from the chair she was sitting on and leaned on the wall next to the door, wanting desperately to be able to confront Sheri.
“Hi, there,” she heard Al say. “I’m waiting for my son. Who are you waiting for?”
“Chloe Taylor, my ... uh ... my niece.”
Molly’s voice came loud and clear. “Here’s Chloe.”
“Hi, Chloe, remember me?” Sheri said.
“No.”
“I’m your Aunt Sheri. Your mommy wants you to go with me.”
“Mommy said I wasn’t to talk to strangers,” said Chloe.
Hearing her voice, tears blurred Sukie’s vision. Bless her heart! Chloe was such a good little girl.
“Well, today you’re coming with me,” Sheri said.
“Nooo!” wailed Chloe.
Sukie listened for cries of protest, but neither Molly nor Al spoke as they all went outside.
Sukie cracked open the office door. Seeing the administration office empty, she ran to the front door and stepped outside.
Al had detained a young woman by the arm. Molly was walking away with Chloe.
Sukie switched on the recorder and approached the woman. “You’re Sheri Cantwell?” She couldn’t hide the surprise in her voice. The woman Al was reading her rights to was unlike anything Sukie had ever imagined. Dark-haired, with a boyish figure, she stood about five-two. Her hair was stringy, and even from a distance, she could see how glassy her blue eyes were. In years past, she must have been pretty. But drugs had done a number on her face.
“Are you Sukie? Cam’s perfect wife?” snarled Sheri.
Sukie made sure Chloe was out of earshot and turned back to Sheri.
“What are you doing here? Did you think you could kidnap Chloe? Was that your game?” Sukie trembled with anger. “You’d do that to your daughter?”
“I don’t have a daughter anymore, thanks to Cam.”