Scandalous Secrets

by Synithia Williams

  Miranda looked up from her laptop and smiled at Zoe. “Good morning. Come on in and have a seat.”

  Zoe crossed the thin blue carpet to Miranda’s desk. The office was large with no windows since it was in one of the corners of the manufacturing facility. Miranda had brightened up the room with large framed prints of abstract artwork on the walls.

  Zoe held out the folder with her report. “I got the information you asked for after my presentation last week.”

  Miranda’s eyes brightened. “Good. Let me take a look.”

  Zoe sat in the hard, wood chair across from Miranda’s wide metal desk. Miranda opened the folder and flipped through the pages. Zoe clasped her hands together in her lap and watched. She hadn’t expected Miranda to look at the report now. What if she hated it? She would have much preferred to find out later and not get an up-close-and-personal view of her reaction.

  “Zoe, this looks good,” Miranda said slowly as she continued to skim the papers. “Really good.”

  “I focused on the lessons learned from the few accidents we had. In many cases we immediately changed procedures or increased training. Chances of it happening again are low.”

  Miranda nodded and closed the folder. “This is exactly what I wanted to see. One thing I’ve learned is that if you focus on the good and don’t bring up any challenges you faced people tend to question you harder. If you talk about what went wrong and how you recovered from that it’ll make a much bigger impact. Remember that in the future. You’re going to face a lot of scrutiny in a director’s position.”

  Zoe sat up straighter. “Have you all made a decision?” Hope sprang in her chest. Was she getting the job?

  Miranda smiled but shook her head. “Not yet, but we are meeting on Thursday to discuss our thoughts. We hope to announce our choice soon after.” Miranda tapped the folder. “I’m not trying to be presumptuous, but this follow-up information does work in your favor.”

  Zoe fought not to grin. She didn’t want to assume the job was hers. If they met on Thursday, then they would hopefully notify the candidate on Friday. The excitement bubbling inside her made it almost impossible to sit still. This Friday she could have finally reached her career goals and have a director position.

  Then it hit her. Friday was the day of the press conference. That was the other reason she’d come to Miranda’s office. She needed Friday off to drive back to Jackson Falls and stand next to Byron as they told the world he was her child’s father.

  “That’s good to hear, Miranda. I’m just happy to be considered,” she said.

  “Of course we’re considering you. You’ve been with the company for years. Loyalty from employees like you is one of the reasons we’ve been so successful for so long.”

  Zoe licked her dry lips. “There is something else I wanted to ask you about.”

  “Sure. Hit me.”

  How much to tell? If she said nothing and there was a media fallout from her press conference with Byron, the interest in Zoe might spill over to the company. Valtec wouldn’t be ready to deal with any questions directed their way. If she told Miranda everything, she ran the chance of word getting out before the press conference.

  “I was hoping to take Friday off. I’ve got a family emergency I need to take care of in North Carolina.”

  Miranda’s brows drew together. “North Carolina. I wasn’t aware you had family up there. Is everything okay?”

  Zoe swallowed and nodded. “Everything is fine. It’s just Lilah’s father lives there. He’s running for public office and wants her there for an event.”

  That was enough of the truth to keep Zoe from feeling guilty.

  Miranda leaned back. “Her father? You’ve never talked about him before.”

  “We didn’t get along for a few years, but things are different now. I know it’s short notice, but she’s looking forward to going, and I promised to try and take her.”

  Miranda immediately shrugged. “No problem. What we do here is important, but not as important as the people we live with at home.” Miranda leaned forward and tilted her head. “Will you be heavily involved in his campaign?”

  Zoe heard the calculation in Miranda’s words. The unspoken question: How many more days off will you need to be part of a political campaign? “No. It’s just this thing and that’s it.”

  Miranda relaxed a bit. “Good. We don’t discourage political involvement with our employees, and with the campaign taking place in another state I don’t see there being any potential conflicts. Just remember to keep anything related to the campaign out of the office.”

  “Absolutely,” Zoe said, nodding.

  “Sounds good.” Miranda stood.

  Zoe took the cue and got up, as well. “Thank you, Miranda. I’ll have my cell phone if something comes up on Friday. Don’t hesitate to call.”

  “You enjoy the time with family. I’m sure we’ll be okay.”

  Zoe left Miranda’s office and hoped Byron’s campaign wouldn’t affect her job. It shouldn’t. Jackson Falls was hours away and in another state. No one in South Carolina would care about the latest senator from North Carolina. Would they? Even if there was media interest it would more than likely be focused on Byron and what he could do for the people voting for him.

  Zoe ignored the ever-present knot of uncertainty in her stomach since Byron showed up at her job last week. One press conference, one quick statement and that was it. Byron would clear his name. Lilah would be safe from interference from her real father. Zoe would come back to work and get that promotion.

  The little pep talk worked. By the time she went back to her office she was smiling and cautiously optimistic. She’d left her cell phone on her desk. There was a notification on her email icon. She picked up the phone and checked her messages. Byron’s campaign manager promised to send her more information about what to expect later that week. The email wasn’t from Byron’s campaign.

  From: debtcollector10@zmail.com

  To: Hammond.zoe@gomail.com

  Subject: BITCH

  You are a lying bitch. You’ve tried to hide the truth. It’s coming out and then you WILL pay for what you’ve done.

  The words ran together. Zoe’s hand shook so hard she dropped the phone. Her head swam. Slowly, she sank into the seat behind her desk. That did not read like a prank or an accidental email. A cold sweat broke across her skin. Someone was mad at her, and Zoe had a feeling they meant every word they’d sent.

  * * *

  ZOE’S NERVES WERE wound tight by the time she picked up Lilah from school. Her eyes scanned the line of other parents picking up their children. No one looked unfamiliar. No one seemed to pay her any more attention than usual. Still, the hairs on the back of her neck stood up. She was being paranoid, but an email calling her a lying bitch and saying she would pay for what she’d done was cause for paranoia.

  She tried to hide her anxiety when Lilah got in the car. Thankfully, her daughter was obsessed with the last-minute paper their teacher had assigned and was on a rampage about the unfairness of the world. Zoe gave the obligatory nods and grunts of agreement as Lilah lamented about the unfairness of a teacher’s supreme rule. Tomorrow she’d worry about course correcting her when it came to her teachers. Today she had to figure out what to do about the emails.

  They got home and Lilah changed clothes for her archery practice. Typically, Zoe would drop her off and run errands while Lilah practiced. Today she sat on the sidelines of the archery studio with the other parents and watched her child.

  Who could be sending her threatening emails? Of course, the obvious answer was her ex-boyfriend. Kendell had tried to keep in touch with her when he’d first gone to prison. He’d sent her letters and she’d gotten more than a few collect calls when he had the chance to call. She’d only accepted one. After he’d told her they were meant to be together and that when he got out they could start
over she hadn’t accepted another call. She’d changed her number and moved to Greenville, South Carolina.

  How could he have gotten her information? Her mother, Dahlia, had moved to Canada five years ago with her new boyfriend and barely talked to Zoe. Another guy who had the same toxic approach to relationships as Zoe’s father had. Molly, her sister, moved to Arkansas shortly after Zoe graduated college. She was married and happy with a job at the Walmart corporate offices. They talked occasionally, but just like Zoe had tried to forget her past, so had her sister. The last thing Molly said to Zoe before she’d moved away and started a new life was that Zoe was stupid for not marrying Byron and accepting his money and help.

  Molly wouldn’t have told Kendell how to find Zoe, but if he’d managed to find Zoe’s mother... A cold knot formed in Zoe’s stomach. Her mother had liked Kendell. She’d accused Zoe of doing him wrong. Her mother might let Kendell know how to find her.

  When the instructor pulled the kids together to talk about their form with the bow, Zoe got up and walked away from the practice. She hadn’t talked to her mom since the year before when Dahlia had a layover in the Atlanta airport and decided that was close enough to warrant a quick call to her daughter.

  She dialed her mom’s number and waited for her to answer.

  “Zoe?” Dahlia answered the phone as if she was unsure Zoe was really on the other end of the line. “Honey, what do you want?” The question wasn’t asked with concern about hearing from a child unexpectedly. Instead, Dahlia asked as if Zoe frequently called begging for something and she didn’t have the time to be bothered again.

  “Yes, it’s me,” Zoe replied, trying not to sound irritated. Now that her mom was off living her new life with her new boyfriend, she acted like she’d fulfilled all obligations to her children.

  You girls are grown now. You don’t need to be pestering me for anything anymore. Dahlia’s words after she’d called Zoe to tell her she was moving to a new country.

  “Is everything okay? How’s Lilah?” Dahlia at least sounded somewhat interested in her grandchild.

  “Lilah is fine. I’m calling because...well, I want to give you a heads-up.”

  “Heads-up about what? Hurry up, honey. I’m meeting Bill for lunch. You know how he doesn’t like it when I’m late.”

  Bill, Zoe’s wannabe stepdad. He owned a chain of furniture stores and was the distant cousin of the owner of an NBA team. Zoe wasn’t sure how her mom met him. She wanted to be happy for her mom, but she’d seen Bill call her mom stupid when she’d spilled a glass of water and Dahlia just chuckled and waved it off the way she’d done with Zoe’s father. That was all it had taken for Zoe to know she’d never like Bill.

  She glanced around to make sure no one was in earshot. “Byron Robidoux is going to publicly claim Zoe as his daughter. I don’t think it’ll be a big deal, but just in case, I want you to be prepared.”

  Dahlia was quiet for a few minutes. “Why would it be a big deal? You told me he was the father.” Dahlia’s voice held the same skepticism it had years ago when Zoe first made the claim.

  “I did, but you know how it is with these rich families. Sometimes people want more of a story.” She didn’t want to tell her mom Byron was running for Senate. Dahlia might insist Zoe demand more from him. “I just need to make sure things will go smoothly.”

  “Why wouldn’t they? He’s the girl’s dad. You’re finally being smart and getting what he owes you. Remember, I’m the one who said you were dumb for not suing him for child support.”

  “Mom, I’m not going there right now.” She tried to be calm, but some of her frustration bled through. “He’s here now, and we’re good. What I don’t need is for Kendell to pop up asking questions or trying to push his way back into my life.”

  “Isn’t he in jail?”

  “He is, but his time is about up.” More than about up. He would be out of prison in a few months.

  “Really? It’s been ten years already,” Dahlia said as if she couldn’t believe how fast time had flown by.

  “It has, so I’m making sure he doesn’t try to get back in our lives. He hasn’t contacted you or anything?”

  Kendell always turned on the charm when he was around Dahlia. When Zoe confessed to her mom about the way he liked to fight, Dahlia only snickered and shook her head.

  It isn’t really love if you don’t fight every once in a while. What? You’d rather he didn’t care and let you act and talk to him any type of way? Be happy with what you got.

  “I haven’t talked to him since right before he went to jail,” her mother said as if that was a bad thing. “That whole thing was a setup. Kendell is a decent guy. Kind of reminded me of your dad on his good days.”

  He’d reminded Zoe of her dad, too. She’d realized much too late that being with a guy who was like her father wasn’t a sign of love.

  “Yeah, that was the problem,” Zoe muttered.

  “There you go being silly. Kendell had a temper, but you knew how to control it.”

  “That’s the thing, Mom. I shouldn’t have to worry about controlling his temper.”

  Dahlia sighed. “You young girls now. Don’t know a thing about standing by your man and being his helpmate. That’s why none of ya’ll can keep a man.”

  Zoe rubbed her temples. She was in no mood to debate with her mom about this. Zoe eventually accepted that she and her mom would never see eye to eye about what was acceptable in a relationship. She only wished her mom would realize she deserved a lot more than what she accepted. “Look, I just want to make sure Kendell isn’t trying to worm his way back into my life after all this time.”

  She wouldn’t tell Dahlia about the emails. Her mom would tell her she was being silly again.

  “You should at least talk to him. I mean, the boy did love you and you cheated on him with Byron. Not that I blame you much. Byron is fine as hell. Are you two together now?” Her mom’s voice perked up with the question. She was probably calculating the benefits of a daughter dating a millionaire.

  “No, we’re not together. He’s engaged to someone else and very happy. We’re doing this for Lilah.” In a way that was the truth. Sure, it was one more half-truth on top of a mountain of half-truths. One slipup and the entire mountain might crumble and crush them all. “But if Kendell finds out about me reuniting with Byron, he’ll get upset and may reach out to try and start trouble. Promise me you won’t talk to him or give him my phone number or email address. Please, Mom, do this for me.”

  She didn’t beg her mom for anything, but she was willing to beg for this. If there was even a small amount of love Dahlia had for her then maybe she would do this one thing.

  Dahlia sighed. “Fine, fine. If you don’t want to talk to him, I won’t tell him anything. But that doesn’t mean he can’t find you if he wants to.”

  A truth Zoe would prepare for. “Thank you. Look, I’ve got to go. Take care, okay?” She didn’t like the decisions her mom made and hated that she pushed her daughters toward accepting toxic relationships, but she couldn’t not love her. She wanted her mom to be happy. Maybe one day she’d realize that putting up with a man who didn’t appreciate her wasn’t the key to happiness.

  Maybe Dahlia heard the concern in Zoe’s voice because when she spoke again her voice had warmed slightly. “You too, Zoe. And if you know what’s good for you, you’ll steal Byron away from that fiancée or at least get child support.”

  Typical Dahlia Hammond. “Bye, Mom.” Zoe hung up without waiting for an answer.

  As frustrating as the conversation with her mom had been, Zoe had gotten some good information from it. Kendell hadn’t been in contact with her mom. Dahlia wouldn’t have hesitated to let her know if she had spoken with him, considering she still liked him. That didn’t mean Kendell wasn’t behind the emails. They could still be a prank or meant for someone else.

  After the practice Zoe
went over to thank the coach. Coach Riley taught archery at Lilah’s school, but the older man’s love for the sport and talent with making his own bows had resulted in his opening an archery studio.

  “Is Lilah doing okay?” Zoe asked while she waited on Lilah to finish talking with some of her teammates.

  Coach Riley’s gray eyes beamed with pride. “Yes, she’s great. One of the best archers on the team,” he said in his deep Southern accent.

  “That’s fantastic. She’s really excited about the upcoming competitions.” The team had a few local competitions before they moved on to the state competitions and hopefully the regionals.

  “She’s already garnered some interest,” Coach Riley said, grinning.

  “Really? How?”

  Coach Riley slid a variety of arrows into a leather carrier case. “Just earlier today I had a guy call me. Says he’s a scout for the University of Georgia and he wanted to know more about Lilah and the date of the next competition so he can come watch her.”

  Zoe’s stomach dropped. “How did he know about her?”

  “Says one of his recruiters saw her at a competition the other month and was impressed.” He pointed a finger and grinned. “If she keeps practicing, she could get a scholarship. Great, huh?”

  “Yeah, great,” Zoe said. She tried to smile as he walked away. A sinking feeling overwhelmed her. She glanced to Lilah, laughing and talking with teammates. A recruiter looking at her daughter would be great, but Zoe had been at the last competition. No recruiters were there. One of the other parents had checked. Sure, the organizers could have kept things quiet, but those types of things usually got out.

  She swallowed her panic and hardened her resolve. Regardless of the strings attached or the demands, she would go to this press conference and connect Lilah to Byron forever. If someone was looking for her and her daughter, she’d be damned if she let that person get anywhere near her child without a fight.