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Before I can reply to William, my cell phone rings again.
“Hi, Kristy.”
“Yes. Yes. Hello. Just a heads-up, we are going shopping.”
“Um…I don’t think I can come today.”
“Why not? Rose and I have already left Cherrywood and we will see you at the bakery in an hour.” Kristy ends the call, giving me no time to explain.
“Go. Get some fresh air. I will call you as soon as Mr. Teager wakes up.” William is still on the balcony, watering plants.
I scratch the back of my neck, torn and conflicted. Maybe a girls’ day will distract me for a while.
I grab my cell phone and type a message to Kristy asking her to pick me up from The Ritz.
We three wanderaround the mall, going from one shop to another until Kristy leads us to a lingerie store and I hesitantly follow her and Rose.
Over the months, Rose has been more accepting of me. I wouldn’t go as far as saying she likes me, but she definitely no longer hates me. She loves Ray though and also Mr. Stanley.
Selecting a few pieces, Kristy makes a beeline to the changing room while Rose is still lingering in the fanciest lingerie section, which is a surprise. But with my mind wandering every second to my husband possibly still asleep, I follow Kristy hoping to find an empty chair to sit down.
I release a deep sigh of relief when I spot a green velvet ottoman just inside the changing area.
Drawing the curtains of her changing room open, Kristy walks out and stands in front of the three-walled mirrors in the sitting area.
“It’s gorgeous,” I say as she stands in a sea-green-colored satin and lace two-piece bikini.
“Isn’t it?” She turns around, gazing at her reflection in all the mirrors. “Now your turn.” She suddenly throws the exact same piece in my size on my lap.
“Kristy, I don’t need a bikini. Plus, it’s too revealing for my taste.”
“You don’t need to wear it outside. Wear it for Zach.” She flaps her hands, fanning her face.
Before I can protest, the curtain of the next changing station opens and a gorgeous woman walks out. “Well, well, well.” She looks right at me.
“So, you are the wife.”
My heart lurches in my throat as she pins me with her gaze. Who is she?
But she seems to know all about me as she scans me head to toe. Her nose crinkles as if I’m nothing but a fly in her drink. “The talk is that Zach’s new toy is a poor boy and he’s playing family for a while.”
Her words catch me off guard and a burning sensation develops in my throat.
Is this what people think about me and Ray?
“You are the mom it seems.”
I swallow hard, trying to find my voice. “Who are you?”
“I am one of the women your husband has the pleasure of knowing…very well.”
My head almost spins hearing her drawled words. I never imagined how it would be if I ever met one of Zach’s…partners. But this is…agonizing. The worst thing is, she doesn’t look like the girls I imagined. Even standing in a pink bikini, she looks like a runway model.
“You know your husband has slept with half the town and beyond, right?” Her loud voice gathers the attention of more women around us.
“What the hell are you talking about?” Kristy walks up to the woman, her pointed finger shaking in anger. But I have no intention of knowing what she’s talking about. I can feel that it isn’t good.
“Let’s go.” I grab Kristy’s hand and try to get us away from here. Everything in my body screams that I should run as soon as possible.
