Starlight in Her Eyes (18 page)

Please do.
Serena had a sinking feeling this wouldn't be good. “Have a seat.”

“I'd rather stand. Look, Serena. I don't believe for one second that you're as naïve as you pretend. I'd hate to see the same thing happen to you twice. No one deserves that.”

Serena tamped down the inclination to lash back at Paulina's words, her tone of voice, everything about her. “I beg your pardon?” When she licked her lips, she could have groaned. Chocolate. Wonderful. She'd never been able to eat chocolate prettily.

“Graham didn't purposely set out to cheat on you,” Paulina said. “Like so many men before him, he was bulldozed. The woman he was with the night he died is right here under your nose. And now she's trying to come between you and Colin.”

Serena swallowed hard. “I'm not sure what to say except that Graham had a mind of his own. He made his own choices.” Never in her life had she been involved in such a confrontation. As a Christian, how should she respond? Not only was she a betrayed widow, but she'd apparently also been played for the fool. Maybe she should be quiet and not respond at all.

Lord, I need You.

Paulina pushed away from the desk and crossed her arms. “You need look no further than the other morning co-host chair to find your late husband's mistress. The same woman who's trying to seduce Colin at this very moment.”

“What?” That statement brought Serena to her feet.
Gabrielle?
She found it interesting how Paulina was telling her this since she'd made her own play for Colin.

“You can thank me later.” Paulina dropped her arms to her sides and turned to go. “If you need proof, I suggest you go check the wardrobe room. Oh, and Serena?” She turned back halfway to the door. “If needed, fight for Colin. But whatever you do, if you love him, don't let him go. He's worth it. You won't find a man like that again. Merry Christmas.” Pulling open the office door, leaving it wide open, Paulina stalked into the hallway.

Serena slumped back into her chair. “Merry Christmas.” She started trembling and couldn't stop. She crossed her arms over her middle. Did she dare go to the wardrobe room? Lowering her head to her hands, elbows on the desk, she began to pray.
Lord, what should I do? I need Your direction. Should I believe Paulina? If she's not telling the truth, what motivation would she have to warn me about Gabrielle?

No, she wouldn't go to the wardrobe room. She might not get any work done, but neither did she wish to become embroiled in a catfight over a man. The whole idea sounded tawdry. Colin was a grown man and could take care of himself perfectly well on his own. For all she knew, Paulina and Gabrielle might be in cahoots and they'd cooked up some kind of scheme.

Forgive me, Lord, if that's a terrible thing to believe. I'm confused. Please give me wisdom and discernment to know how to handle this situation. I only want what's best for Colin, Lily, and me. Please show me the way. These things I pray in the name of Your Son.
“Amen,” she whispered, opening her eyes.

Serena looked up to find Colin standing in the doorway of her office with Gabrielle beside him. He looked perturbed and Gabrielle appeared disgruntled.

What now? This day just kept getting better and better. Maybe if she fainted from an overload of information and mental stress, she'd be taken to the hospital where she could at least get some rest. Then wake up and start this day all over again like a movie she'd seen once.

Colin cleared his throat. “Serena, I'm very sorry to interrupt, but Gabrielle's just told me something I think you should hear.”

Her life was quickly veering on the downhill slide into soap opera territory.

“Have a seat if you'd like.” Massaging her temples with the pads of her fingers, Serena stared at the blotter on her desk as she tried to calm her erratic pulse. Didn't work. She was aware that Gabrielle took a chair but Colin remained standing. She glanced up at him.

Arms crossed and feet planted apart, his expression was difficult to read.

“Go ahead, Gabrielle,” Colin said. “Tell her.”

Appearing ill at ease, Gabrielle shifted in the chair. Her behavior struck Serena as highly ironic since Gabrielle was normally the epitome of poise as soon as the
ON AIR
light blinked on the set of
Wake Up, Philadelphia!

“If it were up to me, I would never be making this confession,” Gabrielle grumbled.

“Confession?” Serena's heart plummeted. Was what Paulina said true?
Please no.

Gabrielle looked at Colin. “Would you give us some privacy?”

Serena felt Colin's gaze on her. “What would you like, Serena?”

For this not to be happening.
She considered her options. “I'll speak with Gabrielle on my own. Thank you, Colin.” More than anything, she wanted him to stay, but this was something she needed to do on her own.

“As you wish.” After a long moment, Colin nodded and moved toward the door. “I'll be in my office. We'll speak later.” He left and closed the door behind him.

Serena came around her desk and sat in the chair next to Gabrielle. Inside, she was shaking and steeled herself to be strong.
Lord, give me the right words and keep me calm.

“Serena, I'll cut to the chase,” Gabrielle said. “I was the woman with Graham on the night he died.”

“I see.” Her head pounding, Serena forced herself to look past Gabrielle to the painting on the wall behind the other woman's head. She'd wondered from time to time if Gabrielle had been the woman but then she'd quickly dismissed the idea. There had been subtle clues here and there. Still, how could she have been so blind? Serena hoped she hadn't been a laughingstock and the last to know.

Gabrielle stared at her as if in disbelief. “Is that all you're going to say?”

“Graham's dead and nothing we say or do will bring him back,” Serena said. “In some ways, it was easier that I didn't know it was you, Gabrielle. If you think I'm going to try to physically or verbally attack you, that won't happen. The time has long since passed, although at one time, I would have done so gladly.”

“It might make me feel better if you did.” Gabrielle's tone was low and perhaps tinged with a hint of regret, but it was difficult to tell.

Serena looked into the dark eyes of the last person—to her knowledge—who'd seen her husband alive. “I choose instead to forgive you.”

Gabrielle balked and reared back in the chair. “Right. I'm not asking for your forgiveness. Why would you do that?” She shook her head and let out a sound of disgust. “Seriously, Serena, how long do you think you can hold onto Colin? He's an exciting, handsome man in the limelight. Just like Graham, except Colin's even better looking and a whole lot more gregarious. Men like that are never satisfied with one woman for long. You're different for Colin, and sure, he might think you're the type of sweet, pretty woman he'd like to settle down with eventually. You might even have a child together like you did with Graham. But a leopard doesn't change his spots. I hate to tell you, but as noble as Colin seems now, I can pretty much guarantee he'll be cheating on you within six months.”

Simmering with anger, Serena raised her chin. This would take all the Christian charity she could muster, and much more than with Paulina. “That's the difference between you and me, Gabrielle. I don't look at my relationship with Colin as ‘holding on' to him. He's not a possession or a commodity to be traded or bought. The way I see it, the reason Colin and I work so well together is because we're willing to see one another's faults and vulnerabilities. We see past the surface. Colin has a beautiful heart. We laugh and have fun together. He loves my daughter, and I know without a doubt he'd do anything to protect us. Most importantly, Colin and I look to the Lord to guide us in our relationship.”

Looking aside with a deep frown, Gabrielle crossed her arms. “Graham claimed to be a Christian, too, but look at how he cheated on you. Don't be blind, Serena. How do you know Colin won't do the same?”

“I don't, but that's a chance I'm willing to take. It's called trust. I'm not sure I ever completely trusted Graham, especially after a certain point in our marriage. He was a good man in many respects, but he was weak in other areas. We're all weak, but Graham was weak in a way that broke down our marriage, and then he did nothing to try to repair the relationship.” Serena hesitated for a long moment, seized by the need to ask Gabrielle a couple of questions of her own. “Can you tell me why you seduced Graham? And have you also tried to seduce Colin?”

The other woman's brown eyes narrowed as she focused on Serena. “How did you know about that?” She brushed a lock of blonde hair behind one ear and mumbled something about spies.

“So it's true?”

Gabrielle's features transformed from beautiful to bitter in a heartbeat as she scowled. “You'll be happy to know that your boyfriend turned me down. As far as Graham, I liked him. It's really no more complicated than that. You were busy with Lily and ignored him, so he turned to me to meet his needs.” Her gaze bore into her. “I was more than happy to give him what you couldn't.”

Serena cringed. That cut went as deep as a physical blow.
Stay strong, Serena.
She needed to ask Gabrielle one more question. “How long did the affair with Graham last?”

“Almost two years,” Gabrielle said. “If it helps, to my knowledge, there were no others before me and we weren't together often. Graham loved you in his own way, but he was a complex man, as you know. He never felt as if he measured up to his dad and that filled him with insecurity. I spent more time with him than you did. We talked and shared things on the set…and after.”

Serena tamped down the urge to throw up and forced herself to breathe. “Gabrielle, what do you really want in life?”

“Like you really care.” Instead of bolting as Serena expected, Gabrielle remained in her chair and met her gaze. “I want what you have, Serena. I want what you've always had. The irony is that you don't even seem to have to work for it.”

Serena sat back in her chair, surprised by Gabrielle's frank words.

“People gravitate to you,” Gabrielle continued. “Even Colin, in spite of the fact that you put on your Miss High and Mighty act when he first started here at the station. There's no easier way to attract a man than to act aloof. Trust me, I've used that ploy enough times to know.” She laughed without any true humor. “I even tried to warn him about you.”

Serena's eyes widened. “What do you mean?”

“I told him that you carried a lot of baggage.”

“We all do, Gabrielle.”

The other woman snorted. “That's exactly what Colin said. Maybe you two deserve each other, after all.” Gabrielle rose from the chair. “I've said more than enough.”

“Would you allow me to pray with you?” It sounded like a last-ditch, feeble attempt. Serena needed to try even though she should have spoken up earlier. She couldn't allow Gabrielle to leave the office without making the offer.

At the door, Gabrielle turned to look back at her with one hand poised on the doorknob. “Feel free to pray for me all you want. You and Colin can both pray for me, but I won't be around to hear it. I'll see you around, Serena.”

I won't be around to hear it.
What did that mean?

Serena walked back to her desk and sat in her chair. Her mind was overloaded with everything she'd learned. She needed time to process it all. Gabrielle envied her? That was a shock. The thing that needled in her mind and unsettled her the most was the seed of doubt that both Paulina and Gabrielle had planted in her mind. For some unfathomable reason, she'd attracted men like Graham and Colin, but there must be something about her that also chased them away…eventually.

Maybe she needed some time to herself. She was tired of the cold and the snow. A getaway to a tropical island with hot sun, palm trees, and the ocean, sounded like a dream. She still hadn't finished her Christmas shopping, and it was only four days away. Since she rarely took vacation days, she should consider taking some time off as soon as the show wrapped on Wednesday. Then she'd have a few days for the short Christmas break before they resumed filming
Wake Up, Philadelphia!
next Tuesday.

Then she'd figure out what to do next.

Colin.
Dear Colin was counting on her to go to Starlight, and they were bringing Lily with them. In her current state of mind, as much as she cared for Colin—no, as much as she loved Colin—going away with him was the last thing she should do. As much as Serena hated to do it, she had to tell Colin that she and Lily wouldn't be going to Starlight. She needed time to think, time to pray, and time to think about her future.

Gabrielle had shown her that women would always be after Colin just as they'd sought Graham's affection. Colin lived in the limelight, a place she'd never embraced.

Perhaps it was time to be grateful for her blessings, take Lily, and move on.

A tear escaped, and Serena pushed it aside with a deep sigh as she rose to her feet. Time to see Colin.

Please Lord, let him understand.

17

Wednesday Night, the Night before Christmas Eve – Starlight, Iowa

Nikki swung open the door of their new home before Colin could ring the doorbell. “Colin! I'm so glad you're here.” She gave him a warm hug and kissed his cheek. “Get in here now, my friend, and let's get you warmed up. How was your flight?”

“Uneventful, but that's always a good thing when on a plane. Great to see you, love. You're looking as beautiful as ever. Marriage certainly agrees with you.” After stamping his feet on the welcome mat, Colin stepped over the threshold and set his suitcase in the entranceway. When Nikki motioned for his coat, he tugged off his gloves, unwound the scarf from around his neck, and then slipped the wool coat from his shoulders.