In Another Man’s Bed Page 6

“Please,” Marcus said. “Nina is going with us. We have to show them that nothing has changed. We’re still committed to building this senior citizen complex. It will have everything the occupants need to live with dignity and purpose. Andrew’s vision will continue.”

  There would be too many people asking the same question, hugging her, offering her comfort when there was none to be had. “Many of them have visited the hospital and assured me of their support. I don’t think my attending is necessary,” Justine pointed out, hoping, praying it was enough.

  “People change their minds and so do ministers.” Kent edged closer. “Until I have the check in the bank, I prefer to cover all bases.”

  Her gaze went to Marcus. He was proving to be more perceptive than she’d thought. He answered her unanswered question, saying, “Kent’s right.”

  Her lashes fluttered down briefly, then lifted. The senior citizen complex had been her dream as well. Too many elderly people didn’t have a safe, caring place to live where they were treated with dignity in their declining years. Having children didn’t guarantee that they would be cared for.

  Seniors shouldn’t have to eat cat food to save enough money to buy meds or live alone with no one to care if they lived or died. People needed to know someone cared. She couldn’t have made it these last months without Brianna. “I’ll need to go home and change first.”

  Kent and Marcus stood immediately. “We’ll pick you up in forty minutes.”

  Justine came to her feet as well. “I’ll be ready.”

  “Excellent. I have some calls to make. Thanks again for coming.” Kent left and they slowly followed him.

  In the outer office, Nina, in a cropped red jacket and matching slim skirt, was behind the desk instead of Andrew’s old secretary. She immediately stood and joined them. “Hello, Justine.”

  “You’ve changed positions?”

  Marcus curved his long arm around his pretty wife’s slim shoulders. “She’s been invaluable to me.”

  Andrew’s secretary had been young, energetic, and efficient. “What happened to Teresa?”

  “She resigned shortly after Andrew’s accident,” Nina said when her husband didn’t offer any information.

  Suspicion sprouted in Justine’s mind. “Why? Was there a problem?”

  “No problem. She just decided to move back to Mississippi with her parents.” Once again it was Nina who answered.

  “I see,” Justine said when she didn’t see at all. If she recalled, Teresa came from a tiny town in Mississippi and had always proclaimed she’d rather eat dirt than go back.

  “It’s worked out great.” Marcus’s dark face split into a wide grin. “I like having Nina near, since I can keep an eye on her to make sure she takes care of herself.”

  Nina cut her gaze at Marcus, who suddenly looked stricken. “Why is that?” Justine asked, although she was sure she already knew the answer.

  Nina gave one last annoyed look at Marcus before answering. “I’m pregnant. With all that’s been happening in your life, we wanted to wait and tell you.”

  “I told her you’d be happy for us,” Marcus said, obviously trying to defend his slip.

  Justine wasn’t sure how she felt. “How far along are you?”

  “Not that far. Probably a couple of months,” Nina said.

  Women were usually more definite about the length of their pregnancy, especially with their first one. Justine wondered if there was a reason for her being vague, then berated herself for doing so. She was driving herself crazy with her suspicions. She hugged Nina. “Marcus was right. Congratulations.”

  “Thank you,” Nina said. Was there relief in her voice?

  Justine straightened. She had to get a grip. “I better get home so I can change.”

  Leaving them standing there, she once again walked the gauntlet of concerned employees, who offered more hugs, prayers, and well wishes.

  At the elevator she turned. Through the glass door she saw Marcus and Nina. Neither seemed happy. Although Justine had once thought of them as the odd couple, they had always appeared happy in the past. But she’d learned the hard way that looks could be deceiving.

  The elevator doors opened. Before stepping on, she saw Marcus take Nina’s arm and enter Andrew’s office, closing the door behind them. Interesting.

  Five

  Shortly after seven that night, a bone-weary Justine arrived at Brianna’s condo and rang the doorbell. Lies wore a person down.

  They had barely gotten out of Marcus’s Lexus at the downtown hotel before others arriving for the luncheon recognized her and hurried over. As at the foundation offices earlier, they were joined by others. By the time she entered the ballroom of over five hundred people, she had an entourage.

  She’d hoped they would be seated in the back and tried to keep smiling when they were led to a reserved table near the raised speaker’s dais. She had thought the ordeal was surely over when the program began. She wasn’t that fortunate.

  The guest speaker, a nationally known minister and a friend of Andrew’s, recognized her and asked her to stand. The standing ovation that followed made her head pound and made her feel like a fraud. But this time she put the blame where it belonged, on Andrew.

  When they left the luncheon almost two hours later, the foundation had numerous promises to have checks ready by the next day, and several ministers had asked Kent or Marcus to stop by their office that afternoon. The senior complex remained on schedule, and Justine was drained.

  Brianna opened her door. For reasons that Justine couldn’t phantom her throat clogged, tears filled her eyes. Seconds later she was encircled in a hug filled with love and understanding. She’d called Brianna from the bookstore after returning from the luncheon and told her everything. Justine just held on and swallowed to keep the tears from falling.

  “It will get better,” Brianna murmured.

  Justine’s eyes closed. No, it won’t, she thought, then realized she didn’t have to hide her true feeling or watch every word anymore. “When?” she pleaded.

  “I don’t know, but it will,” came Brianna’s fierce reply.

  Justine straightened before either of them gave into more tears. “I’m glad you’re here.”

  “So am I.”

  “I want the grand tour,” Justine said, glancing around the beautiful apartment in calm, neutral colors of beige and cream. “It’s beautiful.”

  Brianna laughed, a rich, full sound. “Thanks to you. I detest shopping.”

  “You have exquisite taste. You’re just impatient at times.” Justine glanced at the hand-tufted rug beneath her feet in ecru and pale blue, the exact colors in the drawn draperies framing the bank of windows and the French doors on the other side of the room. A chair in front of a narrow window was a stripe of the two colors. “Elegant and understated.”

  “Hopefully, the maid coming next week will help me keep it that way.” Brianna wrinkled her nose. “Unlike you, I’d rather chew nails than keep house.”

  A shadow crossed Justine’s face. “I haven’t done much cleaning lately.”

  “You’re entitled. Besides, a little dust won’t hurt,” Brianna said, looping her arm casually through Justine’s. “I am an expert on the matter. The bathroom is spectacular, with a crystal chandelier and Italian marble. I might not want to leave to go to work each morning.”

  Justine smiled as Brianna had obviously planned and went into the bedroom, where a queen-size brass bed with cream and blue bedding dominated the room.

  “I thought you wanted a balcony in the bedroom,” Justine said.

  Brianna made a face. “Only the corner units have balconies in the bedrooms. I thought I had one, but the tenant decided to sell to a relative.”

  A frown knitted Justine’s brow. “They backed out of the sale?”

  “If she had, I would have hauled her butt into court. When I was looking at this one to buy, the concierge mentioned the owner of a corner unit was thinking of selling instead of leasing. But when I contac
ted him about it a week later I was told she had decided to sell to a relative.”

  “Well, this place is beautiful, and you must have a wonderful view from the balcony in the living area,” Justine consoled.

  “I do, but I told the concierge to keep an eye and ear out for anyone in those corner units who might want to sell.” Determination narrowed Brianna’s tawny-colored eyes. “I’m not sure how long Daddy is going to need me to run his practice. If one of those units comes up for sale I intend to grab it, then lease or sell this place.”

  “You’ll get it,” Justine said. “There isn’t much you’ve wanted and haven’t gotten.”

  “There’s always a first time, but hopefully it’s in the far distant future. Let’s leave the rest of the tour for later and get a drink.” In the great room, Brianna released Justine and poured them each a glass of red wine.

  Tossing her shoulder bag on the striped sofa as she passed, Justine accepted the glass. “I’m not sure this is a good idea on an empty stomach.”

  “Not for long.” Brianna glanced at the diamond dial Cartier watch on her slim wrist. “Garlic bread will be ready in five minutes, or we can empty the bottle and you can stay here for the night like old times.”

  Justine sipped her drink and remembered. “Your mother always said she couldn’t imagine what we had left to talk about so much since we stayed on the phone all the time.”

  Brianna grinned. “She probably had a pretty good idea it was about boys.”

  Justine’s fingers flexed on the delicate stem. “You always handled the many boys in high school so well, and the men afterward. You wouldn’t have been duped.”

  “Don’t compare yourself to me or anyone,” Brianna said fiercely. “You loved him, trusted him. You didn’t expect him to be unfaithful.”

  “No. Unlike our parents, we were going to be happy and together forever.” Justine walked through the open French doors leading outside to the wrought-iron-rimmed balcony. A gentle breeze touched her face, tossed her hair. The sun was setting behind the boats riding at anchor in the harbor below. “I looked through his papers and e-mails, but didn’t find anything that might tell me who the woman was. Not knowing makes me suspicious of every woman who visited Andrew. I hate that.”

  “But statistically speaking, she’s probably someone you know.” Brianna leaned against the rail. “I’ve seen it too many times to count.”

  “Nina said Andrew’s secretary went back to Mississippi to be with her parents. I can’t help thinking there might have been another reason,” Justine said.

  “I can hire someone to check her out if you’d like,” Brianna told her.

  “No. I won’t do that.” Justine sipped her wine. “I might have suspected even you if I hadn’t known you were a thousand miles away,” she said, turning to face her best friend, waiting for the hurt to appear in her face. “Forgive me.”

  Brianna hugged her. “He put you through a lot. You’re still going through it, but you’ll survive.”

  “I’m going to try. Your parents are one of the lucky couples,” Justine said, feeling miserable because she couldn’t shake feeling jealous and angry that she and Andrew hadn’t been able to keep their marriage together.

  “They still hold hands and snuggle,” Brianna said, a smile touching her lips.

  “I don’t remember my parents ever doing either.” Sighing, Justine walked back into the room. “Mama was always so afraid I’d fall for a ladies’ man like Daddy. She was right. At least we didn’t have a child.”

  “Children often get caught in the crossfire, but you wouldn’t have let that happen.”

  Justine’s eyes briefly shut. “No, I would have loved any children we might have had even more. On the drive up there I was hoping I could change his mind about starting a family. I had even purchased a new nightgown in his favorite color.”

  “Was that the blue one you tore to shreds at the hotel in Gaithersburg?”

  Justine nodded. She’d used her manicure scissors to cut the gossamer silk, then finished ripping the material by hand. “Childish and unsatisfying.”

  “Since you couldn’t vent your anger on Andrew, you used a substitute,” Brianna said. “Andrew is a bastard.”

  Shock widened Justine’s eyes. “He’s in a coma!”

  Brianna’s hard gaze didn’t waver. “That doesn’t excuse him for what he did or is.”

  “I’ve thought and called him worse.” Justine glanced down at the fading scars on her hands. “But I couldn’t just leave him.”

  “Honey, no.” Brianna arms circled Justine’s shoulders. “You did a brave, stupid thing, and I couldn’t be prouder of you.”

  “At times I can still smell the gas fumes, feel the jar of the earth beneath my feet as the Escalade exploded, feel the heat of the flames on my face.”

  “Don’t think about it,” Brianna ordered.

  “I try to forget, but it keeps sneaking up on me,” Justine said, misery in her voice and face. “I feel trapped and angry. And so tired of this limbo I’m in. But I don’t want him dead.”

  “You just want to be able to move on.”

  She should have known Brianna would understand. “Yes. Sometimes I just want to scream or tell people the truth, but it would hurt more than it would help.” She ran a shaky hand through her hair. “Can you imagine the scandal if I tried to divorce the renowned and beloved Andrew while he was in a coma?”

  “The people and press would eat you alive. Especially since you have no proof of his affair.”

  “And it would hurt his mother, the foundation, and jeopardize plans for the senior citizen facility that a large number of churches are backing financially. Even my mother. She thinks he’s the perfect son-in-law.”

  “We both know differently.” Looping her arm through Justine’s, Brianna started for the kitchen. “The timer just went off.”

  “I’m not hungry,” Justine said, dragging her feet.

  Brianna ignored the resistance. Tonight she was putting a stop to Justine not taking care of herself. “You’ll change your mind when you smell the gumbo.”

  In the spotless ultramodern kitchen in blue and stainless steel Brianna seated Justine at the dining table for four, then picked up a large blue bowl with a crawfish on the side. “There’s fresh homemade bread.”

  “Your mom makes the best. How is she and your father?”

  “Great.” Brianna placed bowls of gumbo on the table and sat in a black leather chair across from Justine. “I’m going into Dad’s office in the morning. Mama and I have a bet as to how long it will be before he shows up.”

  Justine’s lips curved as she picked up her spoon, stirred. “Probably an hour.”

  “That was my guess.” Brianna tore a chunk off the loaf of bread and handed it to Justine. “Food is for eating.”

  Justine accepted the bread, then glanced at the thick gumbo filled with shrimp, sausages, chicken, and vegetables, and then back to Brianna. “Your mother is a great cook, but I don’t have much of an appetite.”

  Frowning, Brianna eyed her best friend critically. “You’ve lost enough weight. Eat. Don’t let him take any more from you.”

  Justine’s sad brown eyes lifted. “I don’t seem to be able to help myself, and I’m ashamed for that.”

  “Don’t be. Give yourself time to go through the grief process.” Brianna placed her arms on the table. “Soon you’ll be able to move on with your life.”

  “But I can’t.” Justine bit her lower lip. “You said yourself, a divorce would be disastrous.”

  “It would cause fallout, and that’s what angers me,” Brianna said. “Andrew is the one who cheated and caused this. Not you.”

  Sighing, Justine leaned back in the chair. “I wish I knew what to do.”

  “Take your time. I’m here now.”

  “At least for the time being,” Justine said. “Did Jackson persuade you to take him back?”

  Brianna’s expression hardened. “Jackson and I are through for good. He thought I sh
ould care more about a junior law partnership with my firm than helping Daddy.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Don’t be.” Brianna tore off a chunk of bread for herself and placed it on her bread plate. “If I hadn’t found out how selfish he was, I might have wasted even more of my time on him.”

  Justine propped her elbow on the table and rested her chin in the palm of her cupped hand. “Where are the good men?”

  “I don’t know, but I’m not going to be looking.” Brianna stirred her gumbo. “I’ve sworn off men.”

  Justine straightened abruptly. “You can’t be serious. You were the most popular girl in high school, and in college you could have had a date every night if you’d wanted. I can’t imagine letting myself be that vulnerable again, but just because things with Jackson didn’t work out is no reason for you to forgo men altogether.”

  Brianna turned introspective. “I completely misread Jackson. That’s never happened before. I won’t allow it to happen again. I don’t want another man in my life or my bed for a long, long time.”

  Justine sighed. “Me either.”

  “I’ll eat to that.” Brianna picked up the spoon and began eating.

  Justine followed suit. “This is good.”

  “Stick with me and you’ll gain back the weight you lost in no time.”

  Justine lifted her head. “I’m glad you’re home.”

  “Me too,” Justine said just as the doorbell rang. “You’re expecting someone else?” Justine asked, taking another bite.

  Brianna frowned. “No. I haven’t given anyone except you my address.”

  “Perhaps it’s your parents or the concierge?” Justine offered.

  “Or a nosy neighbor,” Brianna said, her mouth tight.

  The doorbell rang again.

  “A new admirer?” Justine guessed, then smiled as Brianna’s eyes narrowed.

  “A man, a tenant he said, tried to get chummy with me when Mama, Daddy, and I were bringing up the luggage. We got off on the third floor. Since this was the only new listing on this floor, it wouldn’t be difficult for him to find me,” she explained.

  The teasing smile disappeared from Justine’s face. “Do you think you should be concerned?”