Paige positioned her black Gucci sunglasses across her nose and dialed Camille.
“Hey, you on your way?” Camille asked.
“Leaving now. I should be there in about twenty minutes.”
“I’m heading out, too. See you there.”
Early this morning, Paige had called to see how Camille was doing, and although Camille hadn’t wanted to talk in front of the children, she’d sounded very upset and had asked if Paige would meet her at their favorite café for lunch. Of course, Paige had told her yes, and was dying to know what was bothering her. Clearly it had to do with this whole marital disaster between her and Pierce, but she’d sounded like something specific had happened since yesterday.
Paige pressed the button on the console in the ceiling of her car, saw her garage door closing, and drove away. It was another gorgeous Indian summer day, and she felt good. She was happier and more content than she’d been in ages, and she knew it was all because of Pierce and how close she was to having a life with him. She’d dreamed about this for years, and now she wished she’d taken him from Camille before she married him. If she had, she wouldn’t have been forced to spend the prime of her life dating men she hadn’t cared about and then sitting back wondering when she’d find the perfect mate. She’d tried and tried and tried, but finally, she’d had to accept the fact that no man would ever excite her or turn her on the way Pierce did.
Paige turned on her radio, pressed the preset button for XM Satellite’s Heart & Soul channel, and turned up the volume when she heard Kem’s “Share My Life.” It was a song from his Intimacy CD, and she loved it. She could listen to it over and over, and sometimes she did whenever she played the actual disc. The chorus talked about sharing your life with someone, trusting in that person, and then professing how they were all you wanted and were everything you needed. These sentiments described how she felt about Pierce exactly, and they would soon describe the way he felt about her. She would be all that he imagined in a woman, and she would please him eternally.
Paige bobbed her head to the song, sang along with it, and when it ended she turned on her compact disc player and listened to it again. Then she played more of Kem’s songs, because the entire collection was remarkable. The man was truly talented and not nearly as publicized or recognized as he should have been, and while Paige hadn’t considered it before, she was going to see what she could do about that. She worked hard for her clients and was very good at what she did, so maybe she could help him. Maybe she could skyrocket his career and make him as popular as some of the more well-known R&B artists. She would certainly try if he would have her, and she was planning to contact him. She wouldn’t be able to do it just now, but she would connect with him as soon as she and Pierce were a couple.
When Paige pulled into the parking lot, she saw Camille waiting in her SUV and parked right next to her. She turned off the ignition, grabbed her purse, and got out of her car.
“Hey,” Camille said, hugging her.
“Hey, honey,” Paige said, and they strolled toward the restaurant.
“Thank you for coming, because I know you probably have a lot of work to do.”
“Yeah, kind of. But that’s one of the benefits of owning your own business. You can take off anytime you want.”
“I guess that’s true.”
“Good afternoon, ladies,” the fifty-something woman said when they walked in.
“Hello,” the sisters said.
“Will it be just the two of you?”
“Yes,” Camille answered.
“Then right this way.”
Paige and Camille followed her to their table.
“Will this be okay?” the woman asked.
“This will be fine,” Paige told her, pulling out her chair.
When they sat down, the hostess set menus in front of them and said, “Your waitress will be right with you.”
Camille hung her leather tote on the back of her chair. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome,” the woman said. “Enjoy.”
Paige scanned the area. “I love this place. Such great food.”
“I know. I do, too.”
“So, how are you?”
Camille’s demeanor slightly changed. “Not good.”
“I could tell something was wrong when I called you this morning.”
“Well, first of all, two more email messages came from William last night, and even worse, they were in response to two messages that were sent from my account. And this time I actually saw all four of them.”
Paige frowned. “Are you serious? But you never saw any of the others, did you?”
“No. So I’m not sure what that’s about.”
“Did you tell Pierce about them?”
“No, of course not. But I did call this computer expert, who sometimes works with the police, to see what he could figure out.”
Paige kept her composure but was also a little nervous. “And?”
“They could see that the outgoing emails actually were sent from my computer, but they couldn’t tell where the incoming messages were being generated from.”
“Then I can see why you’re so frustrated.”
“No, but it’s more than that.”
“What?”
“Pierce called me this morning, saying that there was no sense in my lying anymore because he now knew for sure I was having an affair. Even said he had proof.”
“Proof? What kind of proof?” Paige asked, but knew his proof had come from her when she’d lied and said Camille was messing around on him.
“I begged him to tell me, but he wouldn’t.”
“That’s insane.”
“Tell me about it, and I feel so defeated. I’m so tired of defending myself and pleading with him to believe me.”
Paige held Camille’s hand. “I’m sure you are, and I just wish there was something I could do,” she said, repeating the same words she’d told Pierce last night before hanging up with him. They were such caring words, and she could tell from the look on Camille’s face that she believed they were genuine.
“I know you do, and I love you for that,” she said, squeezing Paige’s hand. “But there’s nothing anyone can do as long as Pierce believes what he believes.”
“If you want, I can try to talk to him again.”
“That’s up to you, but at this point, I don’t think anything is going to matter unless I can clear myself.”
“Well, then that’s what we’ll have to work on. Finding out who really did this to you guys.”
Tears rolled down both sides of Camille’s face.
“Honey, please don’t cry,” Paige said.
Camille wiped the water away with both hands, and a young man walked up.
“Hello, ladies. I’m Jason, and I’ll be your waiter.”
“Hi Jason,” Paige said.
“Is everything okay?” he asked, looking at Camille.
“Everything’s fine,” Paige answered.
“Then can I get you something to drink?”
“We’ll have two lemonades.”
“Coming right up. Also, just so you know, our specials for today include a fabulous tuna croissant, a chicken Caesar salad to die for, and a ten-ounce ribeye with creamy garlic mashed potatoes.”
“Sounds good,” Paige told him.
“Actually, we can order now if you want,” Camille said, and Paige closed her menu.
“Sure. I’ll have the chicken Caesar.”
“And I’ll have the tuna croissant.”
“That was easy,” the waiter said, smiling. “I’ll get your order put in and will bring your drinks out shortly.”
“Thanks,” Paige said.
When the young man left, Camille breathed deeply and shook her head. “I just don’t know what I’ll do if my marriage is over. I don’t know what the kids or I will do, because you know how much they love their father.”
“You haven’t told them anything, have you?”
“Not the truth. Pierce and I agreed that it was better if we simply told them he was going to be away on a business trip for a while.”
“Actually, that’s probably the best thing for now. And what about Mom and Dad?”
“No, because I don’t wanna upset them. Plus, I’m so ashamed.”
“Yeah, but you didn’t do anything,” Paige said, although she was glad Camille hadn’t told their parents the news, because this way her evil mother wouldn’t suspect that Paige was up to anything.
After the waiter brought their food, they ate, but Camille didn’t say very much. Now they were finished and ready to pay the check.
“I’ll get this,” Paige said, taking the slip of paper from her sister.
“You don’t have to do that.”
“You pay all the time, so please let me do this.”
“Okay, if you insist,” Camille said, placing her wallet back inside her bag.
“I do.”
“Thank you again for meeting me.”
“No problem, and if you want me to drop by later I will.”
“I think I’m going to take the kids out to dinner, but I’ll call you if I change my mind.”
Paige took care of the bill, and they went outside.
“I’ll see you later,” Camille said as they hugged.
“I love you,” Paige said. “And please don’t ever forget that.”
“I won’t. I love you, too.”
Paige got into her car, dialed Pierce’s cell phone, and waved goodbye to her sister.
“Hello?” he said.
“Hey, I know you’re working, so I won’t keep you. But how are you today?”
“Hurt. Angry. Stunned. You name it.”
“I could tell how upset you were last night, and that’s why I wanted to call and check on you.”
“Have you spoken to Camille?” he asked.
“Yeah, we just had lunch.”
“I’m glad to hear she’s going on with business as usual.”
“Maybe you should try to call her.”
“I don’t even wanna hear Camille’s voice, and I certainly don’t wanna see her. I do miss my kids, though, and it’s killing me to be without them.”
“I’m sure they miss you, too.”
Paige waited for him to respond but when he didn’t she continued. “Like I said, I know you’re at work, so I’ll just check on you tomorrow.”
“Thanks, Paige. You take care now.”
“You, too.”
Paige dropped her BlackBerry onto the passenger seat, slipped her sunglasses back on, and zipped out of the parking lot. It was only two o’clock, but by golly, her work was already done for the day. Boy was she good.