A Wife by Accident (20 page)

Her taste in fabrics and colors were always dead on, and her original styles were such that she couldn’t find similar in stores. And what was even better—she could design the patterns at home while raising children and experimenting in the kitchen. She’d even been toying with the idea of hiring Carla on to manage a new boutique filled with the
Hayely
line—but she’d have to give that and her brand name some more thought before saying anything.

Along with her husband and career,
Hayely
had also discovered a newfound confidence that just might let her stand up for herself with some measure of class. If she could handle Kathy Mark with dignity, she was sure she’d be able to withstand worse with even greater grace from here on out. She was well on the way to understanding her father, too. She had only one more thing to accomplish, and she’d have that done in only a few more anxious minutes.

She turned her car into the big parking lot, stepped out onto the pavement and bumped the door shut with her hip just for fun. She’d done that the day she met Gary and it seemed fitting to do it again on the last day she’d ever have to make the long walk up to that dreaded office.

With her grey leather boots clicking along the pavement, she walked with her head held high past the fine jewelry store, past the gift shop, past the deli and pushed the button on the elevator. She was a woman going to the office with a mission—her own this time.

When
Hayely
stepped into K. L. Mark’s reception area, the office fell silent around her. Half the employees she saw in the background were complete strangers to her, but some remained who recognized her and with them the shock was instant and visible. There was also another new and very friendly receptionist to greet her, she noticed.

And she had to admit, there were butterflies zipping around inside her stomach so the receptionist’s warm smile helped. Be strong,
Hayely
thought. Don’t shrink away this time. Stand firm. Have integrity, though.
Don’t act
like her. No cussing and no yelling.

When she gave her name and asked for Kathy, the receptionist dutifully called back to her former boss’s office, giving away the fact that the woman was there.
Hayely
imagined that single action would cost the receptionist her job. From the stricken look on her face as she listened to the voice on the other end of the line,
Hayely
would bet money on it.

“You can go back,” the receptionist whispered and fought to hold back tears. “I’ve never been called that name before.”

Hayely
quickly scribbled her cell phone number down on a notepad. “If you wind up needing a new job, call me here. I’ve been in your shoes and can help.”

Kathy’s door was wide open when
Hayely
approached it.

Kathy Mark sat behind her desk and observed
Hayely
with absolute hatred in her faded blue eyes. “What the hell do you want? Do I need to have someone escort you out of the building?”

“I came for my final paycheck,”
Hayely
said with more composure than she felt. She’d come this far—no time to turn back now. “By law, it was due to me weeks ago, and I understand it hasn’t been issued yet.”

“Maybe it’s lost in the mail.” Kathy gave a mean little smile and tapped her fingertips together in front of her.
Hayely
remembered an article in which Kathy had been described as ruthless and how she had gloated about that term for days. Did she actually take a reputation for hurting people as a compliment?

Hayely
ignored her snide comment and continued with her mission. It was coming easier with each sentence. “I’ve spoken with Payroll several times now. If the check isn’t in my hands when I leave here, I’ll be filing charges with the appropriate state agencies and taking you to court.” Her statement came out plainly, flatly—and just the way she planned it without her voice increasing even a decibel.

“If that’s the way you want to play it, sweetie.”

Hayely
fought the urge to throw something pointy at Kathy, but then pity took over. With all the blessings she’d been given, it was hard for her to envision how horrible it would be to live in Kathy Mark’s position. All the woman’s soul strove for was physical appearance and dollar signs—there was little more to her and little goodness created around her. She knew Kathy believed she was to be envied, but
Hayely
thought maybe when the woman was alone at home during the evenings the sadness of her situation crept over her privately.

“That’s the way it will be, Kathy,” she countered softly. “I don’t want to have to do that because a trial will expose all your personal issues—Darryl or Dee’s personal issues to the community. I don’t want to sink to that and I hope you won’t force me to.”

Kathy pounded her fist down on her desktop. “I will not have this discussion,” she bellowed. “You’ve had problems, too.
Lots of problems in your past.”
Her eyes narrowed to slits accented by short pale lashes. Her face suddenly looked old—very old and very hard.

Hayely
heard the hum of distant discussions stop and silence fall in the carpeted halls outside Kathy’s office. She knew that just in the way people always overheard Kathy mistreating
people,
they were now overhearing this conversation. And she recognized a desperate attempt to dig up dirt when she heard it.

“Nice try. But, no—I haven’t had any problems,”
Hayely
said coolly and brushed the ludicrous accusation aside. “It’s also come to my attention that Mel Reilly may be airing a story of interest to you tonight. You might want to watch it.”

An uncertain flicker passed across Kathy’s anger-contorted face. She pulled her teal tweed jacket tighter around herself and crossed her legs.

Hayely
continued in hushed tones to avoid the office eavesdroppers, “Did you know Gary’s lawyer’s office was broken into recently?
Seems the only thing missing was a document of ours.”

“Don’t you dare try to accuse me of
anything.
I’ll run you out of town on a rail.”

Hayely
couldn’t even bring herself to smile. She knew the rail construction project K. L. Mark had been involved in recently had its funding turned down by the local voters. Kathy’s words were sadly ironic and futile.

“I just wanted you to know that the lawyer filed a police report. Anyone found with their hands on that document would run into some serious trouble with the law.”

“This meeting is over.” Kathy made a great show of trying to regain power of the room. She stormed by and put her hand on the edge of the open door.
Hayely
remembered reading about just that meeting-ending technique in a second-rate manager’s manual, and that knowledge made Kathy’s act seem all the more impotent.

Hayely
stood firmly where she had been standing all along. “It would be a shame if anything in that document got out—especially with so many people at the mall having seen the woman who stole it sitting there in broad daylight reading it.”

“Get out.”

Hayely
said very quietly, “I want my paycheck and all the copies of that document. If memory serves, you probably have them both in the file cabinet next to the window.”

•

Hayely
laughed and pounded her palms against the steering wheel as she drove back toward home. Her paycheck and what she suspected weren’t the only copies of her marriage agreement sat under her purse on the floor beside her.

When she got home and walked into the kitchen, she found a note telling her that Charlie and Carla had taken her parents out to dinner. What a relief that she didn’t have to cook that night! She couldn’t imagine a more unlikely foursome sharing dinner conversation, though. The idea of her father and free-spirited Carla debating current issues actually made her laugh out loud. Then another thought hit her.
Home.
This really was her home now.

With the house empty, she darted upstairs and turned the gilded handles that released a stream of frothy water into Gary’s round black bathtub, which she supposed was also hers to share. She’d have to get used to that thought—and bring in some new towels with “HT” stitched onto their ends.

It looked like Gary had finished hanging pictures, and there was rarely a room to be found in the house that wasn’t graced with a portrait of the two of them together. He’d even put a framed picture of them on the counter next to the sumptuous gold bath beads and white fleur-de-lis shaped soaps.

When her bubble bath churned up mountains of white foam, she lit a candle and slid down inside the great marble hollow. With a great sigh, she rested her head back and let all of her cares evaporate into the steam.

“I’m always finding you like this,” Gary said softly from the doorway. He held the grey silk scarf she’d dropped on the bedroom floor, and ran it through his fingers. “I can’t wait for our company to be gone.”

“How did the big interview go?” she asked, her pulse pounding in her throat as she caught his meaning. So he’d been in the house the day of the Banquet after all. She sunk deeper into her
bubblebath
until she was hidden.

“Controlled the damage before it even started,” he murmured down against the back of her head.
“How about your visit with Ms. Trash-in-a-suit?”

Hayely
couldn’t help but smile at his term for her former boss.
“Got my paycheck.
And three photocopies of our stolen agreement if you can believe that.”

“Really?
Now that I didn’t expect.”

“Neither did
I
. I think you might have to hire another receptionist, though. I probably just cost one her job this morning.”

“We’ll have to talk about that later.” He bent to kiss her.

His touches were growing familiar to her, she realized. There was a comfort and a security in them now.

He set a damp and crumpled newspaper into her hands. “I think it will explain a lot about why that woman was bent on causing trouble.” He pointed to the business section.

“K. L. Mark Enterprises closes local offices.” She didn’t know whether to laugh outright or remain solemn and dignified.

Gary noticed her struggle. “I think
it’s
okay to step off the high road for just a second.”

Hayely
kept smiling and read out loud, “Kathy Mark, owner of K. L. Mark Enterprises announced the pending closure of that company’s offices in Nevada, citing a poor economy and pending relocation of its headquarters. Industry insiders believe recent allegations of falsified credentials and high staff turnover may be partially to blame. Following a series of lawsuits filed by former employees and clients during the past few months, K. L. Mark Enterprises has been unable to secure positions on subcontractor teams—”

“What did I tell you?
Instant karma.”
He smiled and kissed her sweet-smelling hair again.

“You were right. I never doubted it. But, you know, I felt sorry for her today. All I could see when I looked at her was a desperately insecure woman whose lack of values is eating away at her. I wouldn’t trade her places for anything.”

Gary grimaced. “Perish the thought.”

She glanced up at the clock and pushed at him playfully. “We’re going to be late. Look at the time. Out, out! I’ve got to get dressed.”

She tied her blue robe around her and when she opened the bedroom door, she could hear the sounds of the TV coming through the surrounding speakers in the upstairs media room, and knew that Charlie and Carla had already arrived with her parents in tow.

“Come on!” She grabbed his hand and pulled him willingly down the hall behind her.

Charlie looked up as they ran into the room. “You made it just in time.” He pointed the remote control at the screen just as the introductory music faded.

“Look—there’s the little creep right now,” Gary said as Mel Reilly’s face appeared on the screen. Gary sank heavily with
Hayely
down into the cushy black theater chairs she had arranged in short lines in front of the big screen. The way she’d lined things out, they’d be holding private movie screenings before he knew it. Was that a movie theater popcorn popper in the corner of the room? He knew instinctively that it was.

Mel Reilly began, “Tonight we’re pleased to bring you what no news program has been able to bring you before—an exclusive interview with Nevada’s very own self-made multi-millionaire, Gary Tarleton.

“We were shocked earlier today when what we first deemed to be a very credible source brought certain shady allegations to this reporter regarding Mr. Tarleton’s marriage. We’ll address those allegations tonight in our feature interview.”

Segue
music rolled through the room. “I just hate the way he emphasizes certain words like some big conspiracy is happening,” Carla said with a shake of the head and then they all fell silent.

The camera faded in to show Gary and Mel Reilly seated opposite one another in a pair of tacky yellow and orange patterned chairs. “Mr. Tarleton. Gary. You don’t mind if I call you Gary, do you? I just want to say what an honor it is to have you here with us.”