“Yes. She said everything’s been taken care of.”
“Then it looks like our business is concluded.” He stood up.
“I’ll walk with you. I’m leaving too anyway.”
They went out together. In front of the main door, she turned to him. “This means the world to me. You didn’t have to help.”
“It’s been my pleasure.”
Placing a hand on his cheek, she rose on her toes and kissed him. “Thank you and good-bye. You know, when I first came to L.A. to try and get help from Ceinlys, and then Vanessa, I thought it was sort of unfair. They have this great life, and my mom’s sick with cancer. But I see that maybe that’s not the case. Vanessa’s good fortune became mine.”
Not much to say to that. He rubbed the back of his neck as it tingled suddenly.
Peggy laughed, breaking eye contact. “If you’re ever in Utah, look me up. Bring Vanessa too if you like.” Then she climbed into a waiting taxi.
* * *
Easing up on the gas, Vanessa blinked, then stole another glance in the rearview mirror. The man was definitely Justin, the woman now gone in the taxi.
Why was he meeting Peggy alone at a hotel? And unless Vanessa was mistaken, Peggy had kissed him.
The car behind honked, and Vanessa accelerated. Justin hadn’t said anything about going out or meeting Peggy. He’d said he was having her investigated, but if everything had checked out, he should’ve told Vanessa…shouldn’t he?
An old image of her father coming out of a hotel with one of his many mistresses flashed in her mind. The blonde had kissed her father’s cheek chastely, like somehow the gesture would hide the fact that they’d been in a room, screwing each other’s brains out. Vanessa had been too young to understand, but she supposed everyone else had…and had pitied her as a result.
Suddenly the dam she’d used to contain her doubts burst, and she started shaking. There were so many things that had gone wrong. By now, her firm probably fully expected her to bring the Sterling & Wilson business. And everyone knew about her marriage to Justin, so anyone who’d seen him with Peggy just now would probably start talking about her now the way they had her mother. And the baby…
She put a hand on her belly. Would it have the same kind of awkward and emotionally lonely childhood she’d had? Would she wind up like her mother, having more and more children, first to ensure her husband didn’t stray, then to fill the enormous hole left by his inattention?
Maybe she should’ve never told Justin about the baby. Then none of this would’ve happened.
/> Tears filled her eyes, and she wiped them away impatiently. This wasn’t like her. She didn’t cry like a little girl at the prospect of trouble. She’d find a way around it or over it…or through it if she had to.
Nothing more, nothing less.
Stopping at a red light, she put on a headset and dialed Justin.
“Hey, Vanessa,” he said, his voice washing over her like warm caramel.
“Where are you?” she asked.
“On my way home.” He paused. “Are you downtown? If so, we can eat out.”
She tried to think of a way to approach the matter delicately, but couldn’t. “Did you have the firm put me on a restricted work schedule?”
There was a short pause. “Vanessa, it’s not like that.”
“Okay. Did you get an update on Peggy?”
“Yes. She checked out. So I’m going to pay for her mother’s cancer treatment. It’s not that much money anyway.”
And how did she thank you? Vanessa swallowed the question. “That’s generous of you. Even more generous to see her in person to do it.”
Another pause. “She wanted to thank me in person, that’s all.”
“Mmm. And you had to meet at a hotel to do that?”
“Are you accusing me of something?”