Rumor Has It: A Bad Boy Romantic Comedy (32 page)

Genevieve

We pulled up in front of the building where I used to live. I jumped out before Trent could put the car in Park.

“Hey…” he shouted after me.

I didn’t wait for him. Whatever was waiting for me in my mother’s apartment needed to be faced alone.

I mashed the elevator button over and over, as if that would speed up the process. Finally, I was inside going up.

The elevator door opened on my former home. It wasn’t until I took a step inside that my biggest fear hit me: what if my mother had somehow convinced Luke to abandon me and take her back? What if I was back where I started? Alone, broke and pregnant.

I didn’t waste any time. I ran through the apartment and went straight to my mother’s bedroom. The door was closed. I stopped and listened. I couldn’t hear any sounds from inside. I raised my hand to knock, then thought better of it. I wasn’t going to give them the courtesy of politely entering.

I pushed the door open and turned on the lights. The bed sheets were tangled, like someone had just gotten out of bed, but otherwise the room was empty. A jacket was crumpled up on the floor at my feet. I picked it up and examined it. Was it Luke’s?

“I’ve been looking for that.” Trent stepped in the room and stood beside me. He took the jacket from me and slipped it on. “No Luke?” he asked.

“No, he’s not here.”

The relief I felt was only temporary. They weren’t sleeping together. That was good, but where were they?

“Where are they?” I asked.

Trent shook his head. “I don’t know. Knowing Luke, he’ll try to do the right the thing.”

“What does that mean? What’s the ‘right thing’?”

“He’s been hung up on you ever since the two of you met. Ever since Val faked her miscarriage, he’s been obsessed with you.”

I looked down at my feet. I’d often wondered if Luke thought of me. The way we’d parted at the hospital had been ugly. He thought I was a liar and a lunatic. I figured he wanted to forget the day I ever walked into his life.

“You knew she was faking?” I asked.

It was beside the point. What mattered now was stopping Luke from making a mistake. Still, it was nice to know someone believed me.

“Well, yeah,” Trent said. “I mean, no offense, but your mother is nuts.”

“None taken.”

“I know you’re upset at Luke, but you have to understand, your mother did a number on him. He thought he was going to be a father. His dad abandoned him when he was a kid. Being a dad himself would mean a lot to him.”

I felt so ashamed to be related to Val. She’d sized Luke up perfectly. She preyed on his vulnerabilities like a master con artist.

“I’m pregnant,” I said, my voice barely audible.

Trent stared at me for a moment before touching my shoulder. “Does Luke know?”

“Yeah.”

He rubbed my back gently. “He’s going to try and make this right for the two of you,” he said. “I just hope he doesn’t inadvertently make things worse.”

“All my mother wants is money. Maybe he’s going to pay her off?”

“That would make sense. She already took me for three million,” he said bitterly. “I want you to go back to Luke’s place and wait. I’ll go check the office and a few other places. Hopefully, I can stop him before he hands over his life savings.”

“I want to go with you. I need to talk to him.”

“You need to wait at Luke’s place in case he shows up there. I know he wouldn’t want you running around and stressing yourself out, especially given the fact you’re pregnant. Here.” He handed over a key. “This will get you into his condo. Just wait. I’ll call you if and when I find him. Okay?”

“Okay,” I agreed reluctantly.

“Good. Now I’ll drive you back to Luke’s place.”

Luke

Watching Val and her plastic surgeon walk away made me want to puke. They carried four duffel bags between them. Inside was fifteen million dollars in cash.

I touched the contract inside my breast pocket, making sure it was still there. Val was walking out of our life forever. I should have felt relieved. Instead I felt troubled. It couldn’t be this easy, could it?

They threw the duffel bags into the backseat of a convertible, then slid inside. The car accelerated with a jolt of burnt rubber as they fled the scene. They took off so quickly you’d think they just committed a crime. In a sense, they had.

I looked around. My car was parked a few feet away, but I decided to walk. My condo wasn’t far and I had a lot of thinking to do. A couple holding hands and smiling walked towards me. The woman shared ice cream with a young boy she carried. They laughed as he smeared chocolate all over his nose.

Would there ever come a time when Genevieve and I were that at peace?

I crossed the street, failing to look both ways. A car slammed on its brakes and honked nearly hitting me. The man shouted at me, but I couldn’t understand what he said. I held up my hands, waving an apology. He flipped me off then sped away.

I rubbed my face. The money was going to eat me up inside for a long time. I hated losing. Seeing a bad person rewarded for their shitty behavior is rage inducing. I’d never forgive myself for paying them off. But if that’s what it took to protect Genevieve and our baby, then I’d have to learn to live with it. Life is full of shitty compromises; sometimes the bad guys win.

I took the long way home. I walked around the park then decided to cut through it. Watching happy families in the park was a special kind of torture. It felt far removed from my own life. It was hard to imagine that someday Genevieve and I would take our child to play here.

After an hour or two of wandering around the city, I finally made it back to my place. I checked my watch. I’d been gone all night. Genevieve was probably worried. I hadn’t meant to be gone so long. I’d thought I’d write Val a check, get her to sign the contract and be home before Gen woke up. Now it was almost noon. Hopefully, Genevieve wasn’t too concerned.

As soon as the elevator opened on my condo I knew something was wrong. An icy stillness had descended on the room.

“Gen?” I called only to be met with silence. Maybe she was still in bed?

I made a beeline for the stairs. I took a step and tripped. A package wrapped in brown paper was sitting on the floor at the foot of the steps in the same place I’d found Val. Scrolled across the top in black cursive was: ‘
Luke
.’

My heart skipped a beat. I grabbed the package and ripped it open. Inside was the dress Genevieve had worn out last night. It was torn and stained with something that looked like blood. A folded note was pinned to the dress. I pulled it off. It simply said: ‘We have G. Expect us.’

Genevieve

When I strolled into Luke’s penthouse, my mind was a million miles away. I never saw it coming. I walked into the living room to find my mother and a man I’d never seen before sitting on the sofa.

“Gigi!” she said enthusiastically. “Come have a drink with us.”

She lifted her glass. I recognized it as one from Luke’s bar. I was dumbfounded by the scene. My mother was the last person I expected to see sitting in Luke’s living room.

“Is Luke here?” I asked.

“He had to step out. He’ll be back soon. Relax. Have a seat.”

She gestured to the empty spot beside her. I decided to sit across from her. I wanted to keep as much distance between us as possible.

“Where’s Luke?” I asked.

“He went out to get more booze. We’re celebrating.”

“Celebrating what?”

“We’ve come to an agreement about our futures. I think you’re going to be pleased with what your mother has orchestrated,” she said in a singsong voice.

The hair on the back of my neck stood on end. My mother crossed her legs and rested her arm on a duffel bag to her left. Three more black duffel bags were sitting on the floor at her feet.

“When did Luke say he would be back?” I asked.

“Soon. I’ve made an arrangement with him. The four of us are going to leave here. Carmine has a yacht. We’re going to sail around the Mediterranean for a while. Won’t that be nice?”

Nothing she was saying made any sense to me. I watched as my mother’s companion- Carmine, I assumed- walked over to me with a drink.

“It’s Ginger Ale,” he whispered. “No alcohol.”

“Thanks…” I said, unsure of how to respond. He winked conspiratorially. I took a sip. It tasted extra sugary. I took another drink. It was just what I needed.

“What’s in the bags?” I asked.

“My retirement fund- well, part of it anyway.” She traded a smile with Carmine. “We’re going to need it where we’re going.”

“Mother- Val- I’m not going anywhere with you. Are you seriously crazy enough to think I’d go on some spontaneous vacation with you after what you’ve put me through? I don’t want you in my life. You’re greedy and self-serving. Everything about you is toxic. I want to be with Luke. We both want to be free of you.”

She laughed incredulously. “I’m sure.”

“This isn’t a joke. You need to leave.”

“Once we’re together, sunning on the deck of our yacht in the Mediterranean sea, you’ll change your mind. You’ll know that mother is always right.”

“You’re nuts. What makes you think Luke would go along with such a crazy arrangement?”

“Whoever said Luke was invited?”

“You said the four of us were going together.”

“Right. You, me, Carmine and the baby.”

My heart dropped. The baby. She knew.

“How do you know…?”

“About the baby? Luke told me. Why do you think he paid me all this money?” She opened the duffel bag, revealing a mountain of cash. “He paid me to take you off his hands.”

“Bullshit. I don’t believe you.”

“It’s true. I’ve come to realize it was foolish to try and convince Luke to settle down. He’s a young, hot, wealthy guy. Men like that don’t want to settle. They want to play.”

“Hey,” Carmine said jokingly. “I want to settle down. Are you saying I’m not hot?”

Val laughed, saying nothing to reassure him of his sex appeal. I had no idea who this guy was but I didn’t doubt for a second that my mother was using him. As soon as she’d used him up, she’d throw him away. There was an expiration date hanging over his head. He just didn’t know it yet.

“The point, Gigi,” she continued, “is that Luke’s not ready to settle down with
anyone
. He wants to fool around with girls for a while. Your pregnancy came out of nowhere. He’s not prepared to be a father.”

“Where is he?” I demanded. “What did you do to him?”

“Calm down. I didn’t hurt him, you silly girl. He’s at the office. This is between us.”

“I know you’re lying. I won’t go with you.”

“I knew you’d be difficult.” She sighed and looked at Carmine. “Didn’t I tell you she’d be difficult? The girl just doesn’t know a good thing when she sees it.”

I stood up and started to leave. I swayed on my feet and dropped my drink. It spilled across the floor, leaving a dark stain on the rug. Carmine jumped up and ran to my side. He wrapped an arm around my waist supporting me.

“How much of that stuff did you give her?” Val said.

“I just poured a little in her drink. The girl must be sensitive to drugs.”

“Obviously.”

“You drugged me?”

My words were slow and drawn out. My eyelids were heavy. I was having a hard time staying awake.

“It’s for your own good, sweetheart. You’ll come to understand that in time.”

I tried to push Carmine away and run. Instead, I tripped and fell to the floor.

“Help her up!” my mother shouted. “If she has a miscarriage, we’ll lose everything.”

“She’s okay,” Carmine replied.

I felt his arms around my waist lifting me into the air. The room spun around me.

I stared out the window. The thick haze swirled like smoke, then parted revealing blue sky. The blue intensified to a blinding white. I squeezed my eyes shut hard and blacked out.

Genevieve

My eyes were closed and yet, I could still see a blinding light. I squeezed them shut and rubbed my face. I turned to my side. When I opened my eyes, I was staring at the sky. It was so bright I could barely keep my eyes open. I tried to look away, but all I could see was more of the same.

For a disorienting second, I wondered how it was possible. Was I lying on the floor of Luke’s penthouse? Nothing made sense.

The ground shifted, rocking slowly. I pushed myself up. The sky met the horizon then disappeared from view. The ground dipped beneath me. I felt like I was in a fun house. My stomach protested, flipping inside me.

I crawled on hands and knees across the floor and vomited over the edge of what I quickly discovered was a boat. I stared down into the clear water. I could practically see straight to the bottom. The effect was dizzying.

I pushed away from the edge of the boat and sat back, putting my head between my knees.

“Gigi!” my mother called.

I turned to see her standing on the deck of the yacht waving, a huge smile on her face. She wore a long flowing skirt, a pink bikini top, huge black sunglasses like the kind movie stars in the sixties used to wear and a big hat.

I tried to stand, but my legs were too shaky. I felt like I was walking on quicksand. My mother strolled over to me in six-inch heels with no difficulty at all. She lifted her sunglasses and peered down at me with a frown.

“Are you still sick? You’ve been out like a light for the last twenty-four hours. I was starting to worry.”

Finding my strength, I rose to my feet. I gripped the railing of the ship and held on for dear life.

“Gigi, what’s the matter with you? The sea is perfectly calm.”

I looked out at the horizon expecting to see huge swells and crashing waves, but Val was right. The water was calm and still. It was like looking out over a mirror surface.

“Here- drink this.”

She handed me the glass of sparkling water she’d been sipping from. I tossed it overboard.

“What did you do that for?” she asked.

“You drugged me. Do you really think I’m going to take a drink from you ever again?”

Val rolled her eyes. “You’ve got to learn to relax. You’re so uptight. I did what needed to be done for the sake of my daughter.”

I laughed in her face. “For my sake? Since when do you make decisions that are for my benefit? All you care about is what’s best for you.”

“Now, Gigi, that’s just not true. We’re partners now. That little baby growing inside you is our ticket to easy street.”

Suddenly, it all made sense. Marrying Luke would have provided her with wealth and comfort for a time, but inevitably Luke would have divorced Val. She’s too much trouble. She cheats and uses men for their money. The truth would have been revealed and Luke would have divorced her.

Now that I was pregnant, she could use my baby to get child support for the next eighteen years, possibly longer. Assuming I didn’t get away from her.

“The money Luke paid you wasn’t enough? Can’t you just take it and leave?”

“It’s a good start. But as you know, I’ve become accustomed to a certain lifestyle. It will only take me so far. Now that you’re going to have Luke’s baby, things will be much better. He’ll make sure his son lives in the lap of luxury. Naturally, we will too.”

A man in a crisp white uniform walked on to the deck. “Can I get you another drink?” he asked.

“Yes, please and one for my daughter as well.”

The man nodded and turned to leave.

“Oh! And make mine a double. No alcohol for Gigi though, she’s pregnant.”

“Congratulations,” the man said to me.

I could only grimace and look away.

“I’ve got to hand it to you Gigi, you’ve played this beautifully. Like mother, like daughter. You’ve secured our future perfectly with that little bundle of joy.”

She touched my stomach. I pulled away from her like I’d been stung.

“What makes you so sure I’d stay with you for the next twenty years? Why shouldn’t I just take the money and run?”

“Well, you could try, but there is the matter of what happened at Luke’s penthouse. The police will be very interested to learn that you pushed me down the stairs. I imagine Child Protective Services would be even more interested to learn about what happened. They’d take your baby away and grant me custody.”

“They’d never believe you.”

“Gigi, honey, let’s get real. With your history of being institutionalized for violent outbursts and my testimony, they’d believe it. Besides, you’re forgetting, Luke was willing to believe you pushed me down the stairs. If I can convince him I can convince anybody.”

Tears welled up in my eyes. I wouldn’t let her hold me prisoner or infect my child with her toxic way of thinking. I had to escape.

“Luke doesn’t believe you,” I said vainly.

Val shrugged. “He may not anymore, but there was a time when he did. You should never forget that. Whatever you feel for him doesn’t matter, because he doesn’t feel the same way about you.”

I shook my head. It wasn’t true. I refused to believe it. She was trying to manipulate me again.

“I was never violent towards you. I was depressed and I wanted to hurt myself…” I said vainly.

“That may be true, but it’s not what the record shows. You were admitted to the hospital on the grounds that you were a danger to yourself and others. All I’d have to do is show CPS your medical records. They clearly state that you attacked me with a knife.”

“It’s not true,” I whispered. “None of it.”

The yacht pitched and turned to the side. We were dropping anchor in a small cove. Not far away, the beach was full of people sunning and playing in the waves.

“The truth doesn’t matter Gigi. What matters is how you play the game.”

The man in the white uniform returned holding a tray with two drinks on them. He handed a mixed drink to Val then held out the tray to me. I stared into his smiling face. Did he know I’d been kidnapped? He’d probably been paid to look the other way.

I took the drink. With a slight bow, he turned and walked off, leaving us alone on the deck. The yacht came to a stop. The day was warm and clear. Under different circumstances, I would have enjoyed being here.

“You’re right,” I said. “This is a game.”

“I knew you’d see things my way sooner or later.”

“It’s a game…” I said slowly. “And I’m not going to let you win.”

I threw the drink in her face, took one step over the railing of the yacht and looked down. The water looked like it was miles away. There was no time to think; I had to act. I closed my eyes, took a deep breath and jumped.