Part 3 (1/2)
Simone threw over the covers, dropped her feet on the side of the bed and ignored the clenching ache to her pelvis. The bathroom door was partially open with the light pouring out into the room. ”You hungry, baby? I'll cook you something to eat before you leave.” She picked up her robe, which was thrown on the chaise, and slipped it on. Hot tea and two ibuprofen were the only things to get her through the morning. The phone rang. Yawning, she walked over and picked it up.
”h.e.l.lo?” she said.
”Morning.”
”Keith?” Simone sat. She looked to the bathroom she thought he was in. ”Where are you?”
”I didn't want to wake you. I'm at the office.”
”Huh? It's six in the morning. What time did you leave?”
”It's my first official day.”
”Yesterday was your first day.”
”You know the drill, Simone. This isn't New York. I wasn't sent here to just...” Keith paused.
”Just what? Finish?”
”Never mind that. I got pressures you don't know about.”
Simone fell back over on the bed and stretched. The tension in her lower pelvis lessened. ”You could have woke me. I would have made you breakfast.” She turned over, drew her knees up and tried to ignore the dull aches that now spread from her pelvis down through her thighs.
”I will next time. So what will you be doing today?”
”Oh, I don't know. I don't feel good,” she groaned. ”Didn't tell you last night, but my period started after we made love.”
”Cramps?” he asked.
”Yea. Are you disappointed?”
”About what?”
There was a rustle of movement. It sounded like soft closing of a ledger and then typing on a keyboard. She imagined him behind a dark wood office desk in a large black swivel with his gla.s.ses riding the edge of his nose as he pecked away at the keyboard, barely listening. Her imagination didn't stop there. A secretary with bigger t.i.ts and a shapelier body than hers would saunter in. Stacy's twin possibly. She'd decided to come in early to be of 'extra' help. She imagined things she shouldn't since she said she forgave him. Closing her eyes, she forced the doubts from her head. He just wanted to catch up on his work, make a good impression. Besides, he called her this morning. That was thoughtful. He deserved points for that much.
”What should I be disappointed about, Simone?”
”My period, Keith. We aren't pregnant.”
He sighed and answered with silence. His silence always made her feel small.
”We've been trying... we still aren't pregnant.” Simone reminded him.
”And if you want to, we can keep trying,” Keith answered.
”If I want to? What does that mean? We both want a baby. Right?”
”I don't have time for this right now. If you feel better today, you can come to the office and bring me lunch.”
”Oh, joy.” She rolled her eyes.
”If not, I'll see you when I get home for dinner. At the very least, get out of the house today. Take a tour of Castle Rock. Get to know our new town. Call you later.”
”Keith?”
She overlooked the note of exasperation in his tone. ”Yes.”
”I'll bring you lunch. I want to see your office. I'm proud of you sweetheart.”
”Thank you, baby,” he said. She could hear a smile in his voice. She smiled too.
”Bye, Keith. See you at twelve.”
The line clicked off. With eyes shut, she tossed the phone. She was pus.h.i.+ng and he was avoiding. That's what Dr. Tanner once said. So it was her fault that her husband cheated. She pushed too hard. It was his fault for cheating because he evaded instead of dealing, which was bulls.h.i.+t. Keith always pushed her, and she always evaded the issues they'd had as partners. She didn't get therapy at all.
Simone groaned. She rolled over to her side then drew up the sheet. She forced the questions to silence in her head. What was the point? She made the choice to be his wife and support him again. She pledged to forgive and forget, because part of her still felt lucky that a man like Keith Livingston married her. If this was it, if this was all there was, she had to do the best she could to fit in and deal with life.
”What?”
The carafe of juice slammed down on the table with the fresh squeezed lapping at the top, threatening to spill. Maryanne looked as if her eyes would pop from their sockets. Her face ran scarlet. Her lips pressed together so tight they were pale, almost white.
”What?” she mocked him. ”You know what. This is terrible.”
Cain took another sip of his orange juice. He woke to find her in her negligee preparing breakfast, a ruse to get into his good graces again. He liked it better when she didn't bother. He foiled her seduction by sharing some morning news.
”Not really. It is what it is.”
”You said he was Senior V.P.? That's not possible.”
”It's totally possible. Keith Livingston is your neighbor and my new boss, the new Senior V.P.,” Cain answered.
”That's not right. Daddy said you would be Senior V.P. It was supposed to be your promotion! Daddy said...” She struggled over her outrage and a full-blown tantrum. In short order, decorum won out. With the calm of a debutant, she smiled at him. ”You must be mistaken, dear. Whatever this so called appointment is, it has nothing to do with you. You are the one set to run that division. I believe Daddy wants you on the board one day.”
”Wrong.” Cain picked up his paper and snapped it open, turning the page. The paper was delivered early. He appreciated that. Nowadays people didn't read newspapers. They turned to the internet. But in Castle Rock, the local paper was a tradition every man of means held on to. A morning read, breakfast with the wife, and then off to work.
Maryanne sat back in her chair. She crossed her arms. ”Well?”
”Well what?” he asked as he peeked over the edge of the newspaper.
”What are you going to do about it?”
”I thought you said I was mistaken.”
”Cut the bulls.h.i.+t, Cain. What are you going to do about it?”
”I don't know. Should I get him a tie or invite him to the club? We definitely need to welcome him to the neighborhood. Maybe you can take over one of your pies,” he winked. He knew she probably did just that.