Family Pieces (12 page)
Karsen woke the next morning before James. In the kitchen, she scoured the cupboards. Typical bachelor. There was hardly any edible food. Thank God there was coffee. She loaded the coffee pot and hit brew. The strong aroma of dark roasted coffee beans made her feel refreshed.
A few leftover holiday cards and miscellaneous mail sprawled across the counter. She picked several pieces up, intending only to help straighten up a bit. A photo crept out of one. Curiosity getting the better of her, she opened the card. Inside, inscribed in notably feminine handwriting, was a note.
Dear James,
Thank you for a wonderful weekend. Can’t wait to visit again.
Love, Nikki
P.S. I’ve enclosed a reminder for you while I’m away.Karsen stood, momentarily shocked. She looked at the photo again. A voluptuous young lady, probably a few years older than herself, posed in a pink-polka dot string bikini.
Karsen viewed the second card, apparently a Christmas card from his grandparents. There was nothing out of the norm that popped out at her there. The third, also from the holidays, stopped her point blank. Her whole body felt numb as she read the words.
Dear James,
Have a splendid holiday. Hope you are well and give our best to Nikki.
Love, Jackson and StephanieJackson was James’s brother. Stephanie was his wife. But Nikki? Who the hell was Nikki and why were they asking about her?
Karsen dropped the cards, scattering them across the table.
“Come’ re, Nik,” rung in her ears and her stomach wrenched into a knot. No. She ran to the bathroom shutting the door behind her.
No. No. No
. As she struggled to catch her breath, her mind rambled in thought…
if the thank you card was dated in January that meant she visited here. Not only was she here, but she was here while I was burying my mother.“Not this weekend,” he had said.
Karsen lost her senses. She frantically opened drawers in search of something. What she wasn’t sure. Evidence that another woman had been in his apartment. That was it. She opened the first cabinet. Bath towels. Next, wash clothes. Off to the side a zip lock baggie leaned against the wood. She pulled it out. Make-up. She WAS here. As nausea rose in her throat, Karsen dropped the bag and stumbled back against the wall, sinking slowly to the floor. She sat, hands over her face, and wept.
“Hey, K. Karsen, honey, what are you doing in there?” James called through the door. She didn’t answer. “Come out, K. Come out and let’s play.” He said meaning play in the seductive sense. “You’ve been in there forever.” He seemed oblivious to her sniffles. Her eyes felt like two swollen cotton balls.
Fury spread through her, making her skin flush as she staggered to her feet.
“Play?” She threw open the door. “Play? PLAY! Apparently, you’ve been PLAYING enough, ASSHOLE!” she screamed, lunging at him, fists flailing against his chest, tears streaming down her cheeks. “You asshole!”
James overpowered her. He grabbed her arms and secured them tightly against his chest. She fell into him, sobbing uncontrollably. He froze, perplexed by her actions.
Realizing she was submitting, she pushed him away.
“You cheater! I trusted you!”
“K, what are you talking about?” He tried to corral her in a bear hug. She resisted. “Come on! You’re being crazy! What has gotten into you?”
“You cheater! You lying, fucking jerk!”
“Karsen, stop!” His voice was stern and he tightened his grip on her wrists to keep her from hitting him again. She struggled against him until he finally released her.
“I found the make-up!”
“What make-up?” His eyes glanced and he saw the bag on the counter.
Shit
, he cringed silently.“The cards! The make-up! Nikki! Who the hell is Nikki?”
“Nikki?”
“Yes, Nikki?” she hissed.
“An old friend.”
“We’ve been together for two years. I’ve never heard you mention a Nikki.”
“Karsen, honey, you’re freaking out over nothing.” Karsen knew he was lying. He continued, “She’s just a friend.”
“She was here!”
“No.”
“She met your brother and sister-in-law. I haven’t even met them!” Had he known Nikki longer than her, maybe longer than they’d been dating? She felt bile churn in her stomach.
“Karsen, don’t be so immature.”
“Immature? IMMATURE? You cheat on me and I’m supposed to be mature? How does one react to the crushing news that her boyfriend is sleeping around? Brad was right all along! My mother was right all along! God, I’m so stupid!” she wailed.
“Enough, Karsen. I didn’t cheat. You know that.”
“Do you think I’m that naive? That you can sweet talk and rationalize your way out of this? What I know is that this is not my make-up. What I know is that single men don’t keep make-up in their apartments. What I know is that I’ve never eaten at Caffé Boa before last night!”
“You shouldn’t have been looking through my cabinets,” James countered, his stance and tone becoming defensive.
“Don’t turn this around on me. This is not my fault! This is your fault and right now this is over!”
She couldn’t believe the words were coming out of her mouth. She was standing in front of the man she’d dreamed of marrying. She had clipped the photo of her dream dress out of
Brides
magazine just weeks before, the perfect off-white strapless gown. She gathered her clothes and returned to the bathroom slamming the door. Within minutes, she exited wearing her crumpled dress from the night before. Her tussled hair and make-up made her look like she’d had an unexpected one-night stand.James made one last attempt to plead his case as she headed toward the front door.
“Karsen, please! You’re being ridiculous. Let’s talk about this!” he shouted.
She slammed the door behind her and ran down to the sidewalk in front of the building. Pulling out her cell phone, she called for a cab and didn’t look back.
T
he “chin” debacle with Mr. Montague was settled. Crisis averted. Her mother’s surgery had gone well and next month’s issue was almost complete. Addison should have been relieved. Unfortunately, the stress had not released from her body. Her shoulders felt tense and her back was in knots that had taken up permanent residence. Her next massage wasn’t scheduled until next Friday and her massage therapist booked out weeks in advance, so there was no chance of moving it forward.
Addison craved a distraction. She needed a release. She wanted someone to talk to and she knew what that meant. She sucked up her pride and called Emily. There was no answer so she left her a voice mail, apologizing for her recent behavior. She still didn’t want to talk about her adoption, but at least she would make the effort to resolve the friendship.
Unable to reach Emily, her mind then turned to Russell. She hadn’t returned his message yet either and still wasn’t sure if she wanted to. It was late, however, and she figured he wouldn’t be home so she dialed his number. The phone rang three, four times. Expecting voice mail, she flinched when he answered immediately feeling a twinge of regret.
“Hello?” His masculine voice penetrated the line. He had a slight accent she couldn’t quite place, but it added to his appeal.
“Helloooo…?” his voice queried again.
“Russell?” Addison caught him, her momentary pause lingering so long he almost hung up.
“Yes, this is Russell.”
“Addison Reynolds. I’m returning your call.”
“Ah, yes. Hello, Addison.” The background noise drowned out his voice.
“Perhaps this is a bad time.” Addison apologized, certain she had caught him out.
“No, no. Hold on a moment.” She could hear shuffling. When he came back, the racket of the background had dissipated. “That better?”
“Yes, much. I was… I was returning your call.”
“Yes, you said that,” he teased. “The two-day calling rule, huh?”
“Guilty.”
“I was going to invite you to dinner.” He waited for a response. “So?”
“Soooo?” Addison repeated.
“What are your dinner plans tonight?”
Addison looked at the clock. “It’s after seven.”
“Yes, but you’re calling me now. I’ll bet you haven’t left the office.”
“Guilty again.”
He continued, “If I had to guess, you’ll probably pick-up Chinese on the corner and eat at your loft while watching prerecorded episodes of
Lost
. And, anyway, if not tonight you’ll make me wait another two days.”
“Actually,
Lost
is a rerun. The series finale was last month. I planned to stop by the hospital then finish a book I’ve been reading.”
“Everything okay?” His tone changed at the mention of her hospital visit.
“Yes. My mother had surgery. She’s doing fine now.”
“Then you are free for dinner,” he said, as if ‘no’ would be an unacceptable answer.
“How about I meet you at,” she paused as she calculated the time she needed in her head, “say eight-thirty?”
“Works for me. Have you been to the new seafood place on Fifth?”
“No, I haven’t, but it sounds perfect. I’ve wanted to try it anyway.”
“Shall I pick you up at your place then?”
“Um, actually, how about I meet you in front of the restaurant? That will give me time to wrap up a few things here and run by the hospital beforehand.”
“Great. Then it’s a date.”
“Yes, Russell, I suppose it’s a date.” She hung up the phone trying hard to minimize the smile spanning across her lips.
After finishing outlining the layout changes for next month’s cover, Addison logged off her computer and headed down the elevator.
“Good night, Ms. Reynolds,” the security guard said as Addison walked by. Even with the guards, the building at night, with its dim lighting and utter silence, felt uncomfortable.
“Good night, Ed,” she replied, smiling back while unconsciously quickening her step.
