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Why hadn’t he bothered to tell me that he had someone stopping by? Or better yet, why hadn’t he informed her? I was just about to get on the elevator when I heard her voice behind me.
“He’s not going to call again. They always say they will, but these rich men never do.”
I spun around, holding myself tall as I took on the role I was born to play. “Not that it’s any of your business, but I’m his wife,” I said, holding up my finger to show her the ring.
“Then why are you rushing out?”
The elevator opened behind me and I stepped inside. “I don’t believe that’s any of your business,” I said as I punched the button for the bottom floor and let the doors slide closed. Her answering smirk was all I saw as I left his apartment. I sank back against the walls, trying to compose myself before I did the walk of shame. I couldn’t believe the position he just put me in. And what an idiot I looked like, telling her I was his wife when there wasn’t a trace of me in his house.
The elevator jolted slightly as we reached the bottom floor. I realized as I headed out the front door that I’d left my jacket upstairs, but there was no way I was going back up now. I didn’t even have the elevator key to get in. I waved down a cab and climbed inside, giving my address. I would talk to him about this when I got home.
Twenty minutes later, I pulled up in front of my apartment and got out, slamming the door behind me. Angry didn’t even cover what I was feeling right now. I dialed his number as I made my way upstairs, but of course it went to voicemail.
“James, why didn’t you tell me you had someone coming? I was standing in the living room in your t-shirt! She thought I was just a one-night stand!”
I hung up, not sure what else to say to him. There were so many things I wanted to tell him, but none of it over the phone. I wasn’t even sure where we stood now, but we definitely had some issues to work out.
* * *
Hours later,I still hadn’t heard from James. Either he didn’t want to call me or he just didn’t have time for me. Either way, I wasn’t impressed so far by James as Alexander. And what was I supposed to call him now? Was he James or Alexander? Frankly, I almost wanted to start calling him Alexander because there was no sign of the man from the island.
The day dragged on as I cleaned my apartment to keep myself from watching the clock and my phone. The reality was, James had a different life now. He didn’t have time to while away on the beach. I called Clarissa, but she wasn’t getting back to me, and to be honest, I didn’t have any other friends I felt comfortable talking to about this.
Early afternoon, my mom called and said she would be stopping by. That would no doubt be a stimulating conversation. It was actually a shame that I had cleaned all morning. I loved it when she showed up and looked at my messy apartment with disgust.
But as much as I loved to revolt her with my less than exquisite taste in decoration, I dreaded seeing her when she knocked on my door a half hour later. I pulled open the door, ready for the onslaught of the inevitable instructions on how to proceed in my marriage to James.
In her Jackie O. style, she practically stormed into my apartment, ready to take over. Looking around, she turned to me in confusion. “Please tell me that you’re leaving the godawful decorations behind and that’s why you are not packed yet.”
“I haven’t decided what I’m doing,” I answered, crossing to the kitchen to grab a glass of water. My mother always made me feel like I was standing in a desert, begging for an ounce of water.
“What do you mean? You married Alexander. You had your time to yourself, but now it’s time to uphold your end of the contract.”
“What would it matter if I lived with him? The Samuelson’s keep separate apartments in the city.”
“Yes, and they are constantly a topic of conversation.”
I smirked at her, taking my water into the living room. “Well, you know what they say,I don’t care what the newspapers say about me, as long as they spell my name right.”
“Kimberley, honestly! Do you realize what your father and I have gone through to secure this marriage for you?”
“You mean, what you did for yourselves? I was merely a bargaining chip.”
She shot me a nasty look. “Oh, don’t pretend like I sold you into slavery. An opportunity presented itself and you snatched it up.”
“Yes, to escape you,” I shot back. “If there’s one thing I really don’t care about, it’s how you view my marriage with your little circle of friends.”
“My little circle of friends could make or break your husband’s business.”
“Well, that would defeat the purpose of merging with him, don’t you think? And besides, if James was—”
“James?”
I took a deep breath, pursing my lips. “If Alexander was really so inept at running a business that he could be taken down by your circle of friends, I wonder why Father would allow him to take over.”
The fury was clear on her face, but she wasn’t ready to give in yet. No, this was going to turn out to be a very long conversation, one that I probably wouldn’t win in the end. It was different when I was on the island. She couldn’t touch me there, but here, she ruled with an iron fist. Maybe she couldn’t interfere in my marriage, but she could make life a living hell for me if she wanted.
“I will arrange to have movers come and pack up your things. I suggest you don’t take too much time moving since you’re expected to host a luncheon next Saturday.”
