"That's because I've been busy." He wanted to add the word bitch to the
end of the sentence, but he refrained. It wouldn't be smart to furtherantagonize her. The important thing was getting rid of her before MaryJane, his wife, got wind of something foul in the air.
"Well, get un busy Tonight."
"Listen, you little two-bit whore" -- "Who gives you the things you want most."
"Dammit!"
"Call me."
God, did he ever need what she had to offer. She had dangled the right
carrots in front of him. It was all he could do not to tear out of the
house, straight to her.
If he did that now, his marriage, his career, his life would be in jeopardy.
He had barely replaced the receiver and was mopping his face with ahandkerchief when his wife appeared in the adjacent doorway, her prettyfeatures marred by a frown.
"What on earth was that all about?"
"It's nothing."
"Nothing? That's absurd, when you're flushed and perspiring like you
have the flu. Your eyes are glazed, too."
"Maybe that's what's wrong with me," Randall lied. "Maybe I'm coming down with something."
Mary Jane's frown deepened, and her eyes went from sympathetic to
suspicious.
"You're not sick, Randall. You're lying."
Ignoring her last statement, he demanded, "Is dinner ready?"
"Yes."
They ate in silence in the dining room that the best designers in
Lafayette had decorated. The remainder of the mansion was outfitted in the same grand manner. The bad part about it was that he was still paying for it, along with tuition for twin girls in one of the most expensive universities that money could buy.
"What's going on, Randall?" Mary Jane asked at last, laying her fork
down and staring at him.
"I've never seen you like this. You're wearing your nerves on the outside of your skin and have been for months now."
"I don't want to talk about it." His tone was as sullen and withdrawn as he could make it. Hopefully she would get the hint and leave him be.
She glared at him.
"Is it work?" she pressed.
"Has one of the other attomies pulled a boner?"
"No, dammit."
"Okay, is it the pending land deal with Austin? I know it's not going
well."
Randall gave a start.
"How the hell would you know that?"
"I heard you talking on the phone in your study."
He glared back at her.
"Have you taken up eavesdropping between bridge games?" "Why, you
bastard," she said between clenched teeth.
"What's happened to you? To us?"
Randall blew out a breath.
"Look, I'm sorry. You're right, I've been under a lot of pressure
lately, especially at work."
Mary Jane's features lightened.
"I'm relieved your foul mood doesn't have anything to do with Austin.
He's such a good friend to both of us."
"Don't you worry your pretty head about that. Everything's fine on that
front."
' "And our finances are still in good working order, I take it."
Randall's heart jolted.
"Why do you ask?"
"Because I want to have some more work done on the house. I'm not as
pleased with our bedroom as I should be."
Before he realized his intentions, Randall lunged to his feet, then
threw his empty wineglass against the mirror on the back wall, shattering the Waterford into a million pieces.
The silence that followed was equally shattering.
"Have you lost your mind?" Mary Jane cried, her eyes wide and frightened
as she looked at him as if he had turned into some kind of monster.
"Don't you dare spend another fucking dime on this house, you hear?"
Mary Jane's chin quivered, and tears filled her eyes. "You need help,
Randall, desperately."
He knew he'd frightened her, but he didn't care. At the moment, he was barely holding body and soul together.
"You're the one who'll need help," he warned, his tone uglier than ever, "if you don't do like you're told."
lassie rounded the corner and came face-to-face with her daddy.
"Good morning, daughter, dear," James said in his usual uplifting manner.
"Hi, Daddy." She leaned over and brushed his cheek with her lips, then wiped a finger across that same cheek.
"Oops, gotcha."
"Don't worry. It'll give the women at the church office something to gossip about."
"Why, Daddy, shame on you."