Chapter 75
Danielle stepped into her office and found a bouquet of flowers on her desk.
I know this woman didn't send me flowers!
she thought. She quickly snatched the card out and read it. “Thinking of you, Raymond.”
“Hi, do you like the flowers?” Raymond said, stepping around the desk.
“Oh, they're beautiful,” Danielle said, a careful mix of appreciation and grief crossing her face. “It's so hard to believe Troy is gone.”
“I was quite disturbed to hear of your bereavement,” Raymond said. “You've been through so much. Your best friend's little girl's death, so much at work, your family, now this.”
“Yes,” Danielle said, lowering her head. “It's been very rough for me.”
“Well, I don't mean to intrude, but do you have someone helping you through this?”
Danielle shook her head. “No . . . not really,” she shook her head sadly. “My best friend is pretty shaken up from losing her little girl, and my family . . . well, like I said, they don't speak to me. I've been home alone, crying.”
She shuddered, and tried to smile. “But I'm not going to let anything get me down. I'm just going to try to get back to work and do the best job I can.”
“Oh, don't worry about your case load,” Raymond said. “I've handled some things on your desk. And Nurse Smart said she would divvy up your active files until you are back on track. She's been really accommodating to you lately. It's like night and day.”
“Yes, she's been kind,” Danielle said softly. Then she made an exaggerated effort to smile. “Well, I'll go and reclaim my work. I don't want to be an unfair burden on anyone.”
“Oh, it's no problem at all!” Raymond said. “I'll help you in any way I can.”
She patted his arm. “Thank you, Raymond. If you can, get my reports to me at least an hour before shift change, so I can go over them and at least be aware of what's in them.” She flashed a quick smile. “You're so sweet.”
Chapter 76
MAYORAL CANDIDATE DIVORCING WIFE FOR MANAGER.
The headline slapped Nikki. What was this? She snatched up the paper, her eyes hungrily consuming the words next to a smiling photo of William. “Beleaguered Mayoral Candidate William Broussard has dumped his wife, an admitted identity thief, and has lately been seen sporting around town with his campaign manager, the Ivy League educated daughter of the late Reverend Chance.”
“Ma'am, are you going to pay for that?” the agitated clerk asked, pointedly eyeing the newspaper in Nikki's clenched fist.
“Oh . . . yeah,” Nikki said, struggling to regain her composure. She added the newspaper to her tiny stack of groceries, hurriedly paid and fled the store. Back in the SUV, she jammed the key in the ignition, then opened the newspaper again.
“This can't be true,” she mumbled, the words on the page blurred. She sniffled back the tears, though, again refusing to let them fall. During this latest ordeal, she had refused to break down or even to let a tear escape her eyes.
But this time, it was hard.
I'm going to get to the bottom of this
! She gunned the engine and tore off for the campaign office.
Nikki hopped out of the vehicle and strode quickly to the door. She paused for a moment to regain her composure, then stepped into the building. The air outside had a light touch of coolness, but the air conditioner whirred as if the calendar said July and not October.
Winston flew by her. “Hi, Nikki, excuse me,” he said, stepping around her. “I'm on my way to meet our candidate at a briefing.”
“William isn't here?”
“No,” Olivia said, stepping next to Nikki. She waved Winston off. “William is a very busy man. Especially now that his wife has almost single-handedly destroyed his career. But we are working to repair the damage.”
Nikki recoiled as if slapped. “Excuse me?”
“You heard what I said,” Olivia said coolly. “You have wrecked William's life. I don't know why it took him so long to finally realize you're just some backwoods, low-class girl. Certainly not the caliber of person he needs on his arm as the future mayor.”
Nikki regained her voice. “William's and my relationship is of no concern to you.”
“See, that's where you are wrong,” Olivia said, quickly glancing around and then lowering her voice. “Your relationship with William is every bit my concern. William is a good man. A good, strong man. And he is going places. I have sat around and watched him follow behind you. But I knew if I just played it cool long enough, you would do something to mess it up. And then he'd see clearly that I am the better woman. I have education. I have status. I have money.”
Nikki swallowed. She knew from speaking with William that Olivia was Ivy League educated and had spent some time working in the former president's administration before moving back home following her husband's death.
Nikki felt she was just a country girl who got a scholarship to go to college. She'd never even been to Washington, much less worked for a president. Nikki's insecurity made her shift from one foot to the other.
Olivia's pumps probably cost more than Nikki's entire outfit, Nikki knew. Olivia was in her late twenties or early thirties, Nikki wasn't sure, and had a solid build. The woman wasn't small by any means, and in fact, the jacket on her navy suit was just long enough to hide heavy thighs. She wore diamonds in her ears, heavy makeup and big hair. The combination commanded attention.
Nikki touched her own natural hair, with its curls that grazed her neck. Maybe she should have taken Trudy McWilliams's advice and straightened her hair. She looked down at her own jeans and T-shirt. Her face was devoid of makeup, and her slender frame had never held an extra ounce of fat. Nikki knew some men liked women with “meat on their bones,” and she would never be that woman.
“Well, you just stay out of our business,” Nikki finally managed to say. “I'll take this up with my husband.”
Olivia smirked. “Yes, I'll be sure to tell William you stopped by. Do you have a newspaper, by chance? I was wondering if there was anything interesting in there today.”
Chapter 77
Reverend Hicks pulled William aside as the media event wrapped up. “You've still got a decent shot at winning this mayor's office,” the older man said. “That's as long as you don't get into anymore trouble.”
“Yes, Reverend, I know,” William said. “I'm doing my best to just focus on my campaign and not worry too much about the negativity out there.”
“Well, all that negativity was created by your own poor decisions,” Reverend Hicks chided. “Yours and your wife's. You two need to get it together. Don't let all the work I've done for you be in vain.”
“Thank you, Reverend,” William said, assuming Hicks was fishing for appreciation.
“You can thank me by winning,” Reverend Hicks said. “Just keep doing your speeches and meeting with as many folks as you can. And stay out of trouble.”
“I will, sir,” William said, looking for a way to exit. He hoped Winston would arrive soon. Just as William's eyes scanned the room, he saw Winston enter. William smiled at Reverend Hicks.
“Sir, Winston is here to take me to my next engagement,” William said. “It's been a pleasure talking with you.”
Reverend Hicks spotted Winston. “Okay,” he said to William. “I'll see you later.”
William quickly walked toward Winston. “Let's go!” he hissed, and Winston followed William out of the building. William climbed into the car with Winston. He rubbed his eyes. “Man, so many people have pinned their hopes on me, but I just wonder if I'm making any difference.”
“Sure, you are,” Winston said. “I got numbers this afternoon. Your points are up, now that you've gotten rid of the PR problem Nikki was causing.”
“Well, I didn't
get rid
of anything,” William said. “Did you find out how that story got in the newspaper to begin with?”
“No, I didn't, but it's a good thing,” Winston said. “It at least distances you from the issue of the identity theft. You know I like Nikki. She fed me plenty of times when we were in school. But right now, she's a liability.”
“Man, don't talk about my wife like that!”
Winston raised an eyebrow. “Well, according to the paper, she won't be your wife for long.”
William shook his head, recalling the latest story. “I will fire whoever told that to the press. I can't believe that stuff ran. There is nothing going on between Olivia and me. And I certainly don't need Nikki to see that story. We already have enough problems.”
Chapter 78
Nikki's eyes fell on a copy of the newspaper with the offending story in it. Her face threatened to crumble as her eyes again took in the story that announced the demise of her marriage, but Nikki managed to keep her composure. She turned on her heel and quickly walked back to her vehicle. Her breath came in short bursts as she struggled to control her emotions. Hurt, anger and fear churned in her heart. This was something she had never expected from William.
But then reason prevailed.
Olivia is lying. My husband would not do this to me
, Nikki told herself
.
She backed out of the parking lot, then hit on the brakes
.
She would find out what was going on.
Things had never been like this between them before, but she wasn't sure how to fix any of it. It seemed that one bad thing led to another.
Nikki would wait in the parking lot until William arrived. She was glad Danielle had offered to pick up Psalm from after-school care when she got off work. It was a surprising move from Danielle, who rarely baby sat Psalm, but Nikki knew the woman's motivation: Danielle felt threatened by Keedra and had insisted on picking up the girl today, as if to stake her claim.
The offer gave Nikki the freedom to force a confrontation with William. She would ask him about Olivia and that news story as soon as she saw him this evening. He would tell her the news story was wrong and Olivia was a liar. Then they would go home and work out their problems.
Nikki pulled into a corner parking space and waited for William to return. Nervousness filled her stomach.
Chapter 79
Danielle sat at the back of the cold room, silently observing as Nurse Smart led a group session for patients. The air conditioner clanked loudly and Nurse Smart had to raise her voice as she moderated this special session. This was really one of Danielle's responsibilities, but Nurse Smart had insisted Danielle take it easy.
You don't have to tell me twice
. Danielle leaned against the wall, crossing her arms over her chest. Even in her scrubs, she knew she looked good.
A patient glanced around the room and his eyes rested on her for a split second.
I know he wants me
, Danielle mused. She casually averted her glance, though not before she smoothed her hair with one hand.
I don't know what it is. All my life everybody has tried to get with me
, she thought. It all started with her uncle, who let her bounce on his lap and later, played grownup games with her. And then growing up and even in college, so many guys had hit on her. She shrugged when she thought of all the girls who had gotten mad at her when their boyfriends came sniffing around. It wasn't her fault she was so beautiful. Besides, something must not have been right on the home front to begin with if their men came to her, is how she saw it. It wasn't her fault, she had always told herself.
The most imperceptible twinge niggled at her conscience as she recalled the summer between freshman and sophomore year of college when she slept with Nikki's boyfriendâthis was way before Williamâone weekend when Nikki went home to visit her family.
She still wasn't sure how the two had ended up in his bed. And really, it wasn't her fault he wanted her, she thought. Just like it wasn't her fault Nurse Smart wanted her and kept dropping all those hints. Even Raymond was smothering her with attention. Then there were the patients. They wanted her too, Danielle was certain.
Everybody craved her. Everybody it seemed, except for Troy.
It's so sad, what happened to him
, she thought, absentmindedly twisting a strand of her hair.
Chapter 80
Nighttime was falling when Winston pulled into the parking lot of the headquarters and William stepped out of his car. He already looked like a polished politician, in his charcoal gray suit and freshly shaved head. He had a sophisticated air about him, as if he had been wearing suits all his life. The sight of him jarred Nikki, and she longed for what they once shared. She longed, even, for that goofy William whose skinny arms seemed to extend forever and his elbows seemed to get all over the place. She'd take anything. Before she could move, though, Olivia deftly emerged from the office, her purse in hand.
“Why don't we knock off early?” Olivia said. “Come on, gentlemen, let's go grab something to eat. I know you're exhausted.”
Nikki fumbled with the latch on the door and jerked. Her eyes flew to the lock and she realized it must have automatically clicked when she first got in. She pressed the lever and sprang from her vehicle, then quickly crossed the parking lot to her husband. “William, we've got to talk.”
“William, I must update you on a critical situation,” Olivia said, moving a step closer to Williamâ
too close
, Nikki thoughtâand taking on an imperious tone.
“William, I need to talk to you. Now.” Nikki's tone was urgent.
William looked from one to the other. Winston cleared his throat. “I'm not much feeling like going out to eat, Olivia. I'm going home. I'm going to work on some things on my laptop.”
He quickly climbed into his car and sped off.
“Let me just get inside and put these things down,” William said, picking up his brief case. He moved stiffly, and Nikki could tell he didn't want to be there, to have this conversation.
Desperation gave her energy and boldness. She grabbed his arm: “William, it'll only take a moment.”
She felt him hesitate, but he twisted away from her and continued into the building. Olivia tried to elbow her way into the door first, but Nikki slipped past and raced to William's desk.
“What's up with that story in the newspaper?” Nikki demanded.
“Can we discuss this later?” William asked, looking around the room. It was empty, save for the three of them and an obviously eavesdropping volunteer in a corner. Nikki knew William hated discussing his private life in public, but what choice did she have?
“No,” Nikki said. “What's up with you and Olivia?”
William frowned and looked disgusted. “Nothing is up with me and Olivia,” he hissed. “I know you didn't believe that crap you read in the paper.”
Uncertainty crossed Nikki's face and she relaxed as she realized her fears were misplaced.
Of course those reports were false. William loves me
. She breathed the words to herself.
Olivia touched William's arm, letting her long nails drag down his arm a bit too long, and Nikki's heart sank. “Okay, well, I'm leaving,” Olivia said, cutting her eyes at Nikki. “I'll see you at home. Should I hold dinner?”
Hold dinner?
Nikki's eyes flew to William's face and he tried to shake his head, but she didn't wait around to listen. So it was true. And he was living with Olivia? Nikki raced from the room, this time, letting tears run down her cheeks. Olivia's voice from their last encounter seemed to mock her as it owned the space in Nikki's consciousness.
“I'm the better woman. I'm the better woman. I'm the. . . .”
Nikki tried to shake the other woman's words from her mind.
She saw the Protégé parked at the edge of the lot and instinctively, she fled toward it. She wanted to touch nothing that had anything to do with that campaign, and that included the Yukon she had been driving. She found her key and unlocked the door. Nikki hopped inside and backed onto the street, the tires squealing. She could not believe the rumor was true.
She couldn't believe William was sleeping with Olivia.