Chapter Fifteen

 

Two days ago, they had been making hot, lusty love on the beach in Maui, and now, his driver was placing the last of his bags in the trunk of the car. She tried not to be sad, but she felt empty.

She stood in the doorway as Darius’s limousine pulled away from the curb. With the darkened windows she couldn’t see him, but she waved anyway. The cool morning air circled her bare ankles. She pulled her sweater tighter and shivered. The old familiar feeling of loneliness radiated through her veins as the car turned the corner.

She went back in the house. Without waiting another moment, she dug out the paperwork from the lawyer out of her purse and dialed his number.

“I’d like to speak with Mr. Daly, please. This is Melissa Conroy.”

“He’s in court this morning. Can I take a message?” The receptionist sounded just as frenzied now as she had when Melissa showed up in their office.

“Oh. Well, I stopped in to see him a few weeks ago about a divorce.”

“Honey, he sees a lot of people about divorce. Let me pull your file.”

Melissa heard papers shuffling and a hushed conversation, but she couldn’t make out any words. Turbo left his space near the fireplace and brushed against her leg. She scratched the top of his head.

“Conroy. I’ve got it. It says here you wanted a little time before signing. Are you ready now?” she asked in a clipped tone.

“No, actually we’re not getting divorced. We made up. Maybe I was being hasty, but everything is fine now.”

“Ha,” the receptionist guffawed. “I’m not surprised. They always change their minds when they find out how much it’s going to cost them or how much alimony they have to pay. We’ll keep the papers on file for a year in case you change your mind.”

“No. You don’t need to do that. I’m certain,” Melissa rushed. No matter what happened she wouldn’t go back to Daly’s offices. Maybe he should think about finding a new assistant, one who didn’t drive business away.

“I’m following our policy,” she snapped.

“Does your policy require me to remember to call you again, a year from now?”

“No,” she said in the same clipped tone. “Not at all. If I don’t hear anything more from you, we’ll shred your documents.”

Melissa sighed with relief. “Thanks.” She eased the receiver back on the cradle. Maybe she should try to talk with Mr. Daly in person. The receptionist had had it in for her ever since she disrupted the discombobulated woman’s schedule by showing up without an appointment.

The doorbell rang, startling her and setting Turbo into a fit of barking. She opened it without checking the peephole.

“Pam, what are you doing here?”

“Just because you and Darius have made up, are you kicking me to the curb?” Pam stepped in the house, dropped her drawstring bag on the floor and placed her hands on her hips.

“You’ll always be my girl.” Melissa hugged her friend.

Pam shrugged loose from the embrace. “You didn’t even call me when you got back in town.”

“Awww. Are you feeling abandoned?”

“Oh, shut up.” Pam gave her a gentle shove. “You know I have abandonment issues. What’s for breakfast? I’m hungry.”

Melissa motioned her toward the kitchen. “Darius prepared some sausage and toast. My sinuses have been acting up, so I didn’t eat. You can have mine.”

Pam rinsed her hands in the sink and flopped into a chair at the kitchen island in front of the plate. “You sure you don’t want this?” she asked as she picked up the link and bit it in half.

“Help yourself.” Melissa pulled orange juice from the refrigerator and poured two glasses. As she set one in front of her friend, Pam gobbled up the first piece of toast and reached for the second. There were heavy bags under her eyes, and her dark roots needed a touch-up. “Pam, what’s up with you? Do we need a day of TLC?”

Tears collected in Pam’s eyes, but she continued to chew. “I tried to see Steve last night. He shut the door in my face."

Melissa held her. While she rubbed her shoulders, Pam shook with sobs.

“I was on the phone all night with my mother. I couldn’t stop crying. Even though I tried to convince her I was going to be okay, she’s adamant about coming out here.”

“Maybe she should. She might be able to comfort you and help you move on. It’s obvious what I’m doing isn’t working,” Melissa tried to reassure her.

“I just thought after a few months maybe his mood would have improved and he’d be ready to sit down and talk.”

“I thought we agreed you were going to leave him alone, honey.”

“I still love him, Melissa. How can he move on so fast? He had to be cheating on me.”

“Don’t do this, Pam.” She held her at arm’s length and tried to get her to focus. “Why don’t we go get our nails done and get a massage? Maybe a day on the town will help you feel better.”

Pam reached for a napkin on the counter and wiped her nose.

****

Darius called home. After four rings, the recorder came on. From the backseat of the town car he glanced at the digital clock display. Where could Melissa be this time of day? She’d sworn she needed to get caught up on paperwork and would be home all day.

After a few minutes, he redialed. Again, no answer. She didn’t answer her cell, either. After the message prompt, he said, “Call me.” He couldn’t suppress the terse sound in his voice. Why wasn’t she picking up anywhere? He shoved the phone back into his jacket. Seven hours and they were right back where they started. He tugged at the collar of his shirt. Distrust gnawed at him, and as much as he wanted to ignore the feeling, it was hard. Melissa was not like his mother, sneaking around with someone else while he was on the road. And Darius knew he could never be like his father and forgive her if she ever did.

“What’s gotten into you? You’re fidgeting like a prostitute in church. Don’t tell me you’re nervous about the concert?” Dan asked from his side of the car.

“It’s nothing.”

“Darius, talk to me, man. I’m here to listen to you.”

“I’ll be fine when I get on stage. I got this.” He slid closer to the door. “Are you sure the dancers know their steps? I don’t want another incident like we had last time.” He tried to take the edge out of his voice.

“Gwendolyn decided to quit the group and stay home with her baby. Her replacement is really good. You can meet her when we get to the arena.”

Traffic out of JFK International Airport was congested. As the car inched toward downtown, he kneaded his neck to keep the tension at bay. Tomorrow, he needed all of his cylinders firing red-hot. Before the press conference tonight, he’d try her again.