THE GREAT PRETENDER (15 page)

Oh, Lord,
she thought. The last thing she needed was another surprise from Reggie. Her life was complex enough, what with Frank and his apparent disinterest in a real relationship. Tracy shuddered at the thought of what everyone would say when she and Reginald separated. And what’s worse? She’d be leaving him for his oldest—and closest—friend.

Leaving the barstool, she went over to the refrigerator to scout for more necessities. But as thoughts of a divorce intensified, Tracy found she could not actually comprehend a life without Reginald. They had been together for so long. Reggie was an essential part of her. He was her husband. He was her friend. He was everything…

U
ntil Orlando,
she thought with full heart.

Just as she closed the fridge, Tracy spotted Olivia walking toward the foyer. “Good morning, sleepy head,” she called out. Olivia was still in her pajamas, complete with tangled hair. Tracy smiled, adding, “I’m certain you aren’t going anywhere dressed like that.”

“Yeah, right, Mom,” she chuckled. “I was just opening the blinds. It’s too dark down here.” She joined Tracy in the kitchen. “It looks like we’re gonna get more rain.”

Tracy took one look at Olivia’s puffy face and said, “Okay, what’s happened with the infamous Sean this time?” She slipped back onto the barstool.

Olivia fell silent. Padding over to their walk-in pantry, she set about seeking food for her starving stomach. She had awakened not only to find Valerie still sound asleep beside her, but also to the sound of a growling tummy. Finding nothing in the pantry that she wanted, she closed the door and went to the refrigerator, deciding on bacon and eggs.

“There’s nothing there, honey. I’m doing the list now,” said Tracy. “Now, tell me what happened.” She reached up and turned down the animated chatter of the animal hunter.

Olivia took the stool next to her mother, and a fresh pool of tears filled her eyes. “Mommy…oh, Mom…” She laid her head on Tracy’s shoulder. “Jackie. He’s still seeing Jackie.” She paused, wiping her tears. “I went over there last night, and they were locked up in his room together. He didn’t even open the door after I screamed and pounded on it for bloody murder. And what’s worse, his brother, Vincent, basically told me straight out that Jackie never actually left the picture.” She sniffled and blew her already sore and tender nose in a napkin. “He said the
whole family
knew that Jackie was the only girl Sean’s ever really loved.” She sobbed.

Her mother let her weep, remaining silent for several minutes. Finally, she quietly said, “I think I know where this is headed, but I don’t think there’s anything I can do about it.” She placed a soft kiss on Olivia’s forehead. “Hon, you’ve got to get smarter about Sean. It’s obvious that he cares a great deal about you, and that he’s a fun guy to have around. But what’s that doing for you, Liv? At the end of the day, you’re left with this broken heart.” She laid her cheek on Olivia’s head. “Has it been worth it? Is it worth it to continue holding out hope for this relationship?”

“Mom—”

“Hold on, wait a minute,” Tracy cut her off. “It’s also painfully obvious that he’s still
tremendously
wrapped up with Jacquelyn. I mean, if his own
brother
is tipping you off…” She fell silent, shook her head. “I’m not telling you it’s gonna be easy, but just think about the facts and make a solid decision, because, honey, I hate seeing you in so much pain.”

Tracy chose her next words carefully. “In light of all this, what do you want to do about the baby, Liv?”

“Oh, Mom, what
can
I do?” she sobbed. “That’s what’s
really
eating me raw!”

Tracy raised her shoulder, forcing her daughter to look at her. “Have an abortion, Olivia,” she said simply.

Olivia closed her eyes. Then she really bawled.

She had known two weeks ago, the very day she missed her period, that she was pregnant. She went to the doctor’s office only to confirm it. The first—and only—person she had told was her mother. She had wanted to share the news with Sean, but at the perfect time and place. She had yet to find either. “When can I get it done? Daddy’s supposed to be home this week, and I don’t want him to know anything, Mom. You understand?”

“I understand,” said Tracy, smoothing her hair. “You know I won’t tell your father if you prefer he didn’t know. I’m just so relieved that you’re making this decision.” They hugged, and Tracy held her tight. “The last thing you need to do now is ruin your beautiful youth by becoming a single mother at such a young age. It would break our hearts to see that happen to you.” After a pause, she added, “Thank God I never had to raise you two alone, without a father. I can’t imagine what being a single mother would’ve been like for me—I certainly don’t want that for you or Valerie.”

“Well, you know, you practically have been a single mother for all the time we’ve seen Daddy in the last ten years. But look at what happened. I think it’s so weird. We leaned on you, and you leaned on Uncle Frank.” Olivia chuckled through the tears.

“Shhh,” Tracy put a finger over her lips and quickly glanced toward the doorway. “Watch it…Don’t say that too loud, Olivia. Your sister’s got big ears, you know. Is she up yet?”

“No. I left her in my room, fast asleep. She woke me up so early this morning…Which reminds me…” She sat straight up, touching her mother’s arm. “Mom, you’ve got to be careful. Valerie’s getting ridiculous—”

“Tell me about it! Can you believe she flat out insinuated that I didn’t want your father to make his schedule change?”

“Uh-huh, she told me that. But listen to me. She told Debbie to follow you later on to see where you run off to every night when Daddy’s in Orlando.”

“She what?” Tracy practically shrieked. “
Told Debbie to follow me?
Oh, my God.” She covered her mouth. Seconds passed. Finally, she said, “You know what this means? If she’s filling Deborah’s head with her nonsense, what’s to stop Debbie from telling
her
mother? Maybe now Reggie’s entire family suspects I’m seeing another man…Oh, my God!” she said in a sudden panic. “Damn it.”

“So what are you gonna do? Besides, it’s not nonsense, Mom. She just doesn’t know who to put at the end of the equals sign, but Valerie’s got the equation down to a T.”

Tracy rubbed the side of her head. “I feel helpless,” she murmured, more to herself than to Olivia. “My hands are tied. How can I scold Valerie in a situation like this when I’m up to my elbows in wrongdoing? What in the world can I possibly say to her without feeling like a hypocrite the size of Mount Rushmore?” It was impossible.

Tracy closed her eyes and shook her head. “Oh, Olivia, make sure you never get yourself into a situation like this. I’ll tell you now from experience, it’s completely avoidable. Damn! I should have seen this coming. No wonder she’s become so cheeky.” Tracy rose from the stool and reached for the kitchen telephone.

“What are you gonna do? Who are you calling?”

“I’m gonna call Deborah and give her a piece of my mind. She’s old enough to know better. She should’ve called me the
instant
Valerie came to her with such an outrageous proposition.”

“Wait, wait, wait…” Olivia reached for the phone and put it back in the handset. “If you do that, Valerie will know that I told you and she’ll hit the roof— she’d never tell me anything again. Can’t you just wait till Debbie’s following you? Catch her on the road? Then you can take it from there.”

Nodding her head, Tracy replied, “Yeah…yeah, you’re right. That’s a better idea. And I’ll also be giving Thelma a call to set the record straight, because I’m betting that Debbie’s already spread the news to her mother. I couldn’t imagine her sitting on something like this.”

Thelma was Reginald’s only sister and three years his senior. They were extremely close, and she and Olivia both knew that Thelma wouldn’t waste a millisecond in phoning Reginald with a suspicion.

“Anyway, Mom, back to me. When can we get this done?”

Tracy pushed her own woes aside and focused once again on Olivia. Her eldest daughter. Their firstborn. Their pride and joy. Oh, what a happy time it had been when she was born! And now Olivia was pregnant with her own baby. Unfortunately, the timing—and the father—just weren’t right. Tracy grieved. “Call Dr. Gabriel first thing on Monday and set up a morning appointment. We’ll have to do it one morning when your father’s at work and Valerie’s in school.”

“Okay.” Olivia hesitated. “And what about you and Uncle Frank? You know, with Daddy being home and all? I’m sure you’ve been worrying about that a lot…”

Tracy expelled a long breath and ran a hand through her hair. “Olivia, have you ever thought about your father and me splitting up?”

“Splitting up? You mean divorce? Is it that serious with Uncle Frank, Mom?”

“I think so. I mean, there’s still a lot to sort out before it comes to that, but the truth is that things just aren’t the same with your father and me anymore. I won’t go into details, but things have really changed for me in the last few years…And for him, too, I think.” Tracy remembered the strange tone of Reggie’s voice last night, though she wasn’t prepared to share that with Olivia, knowing how she felt about him already.

“Well, you know what I think. God would have to come down from the sky to tell me that Daddy doesn’t leave a pack of heartsick women in Orlando when he comes home to work. Well, he must,” she added quickly, when Tracy tried to interrupt. “Half my friends want to date my dad—women go gaga over him. I’m sure he’s not beating them
all
off with his wedding ring.”

“Listen, true or not, that’s not for you to be concerned with—you’re getting to be just as bad as Valerie.” Tracy rose and snapped off the television set. “Things happen, Olivia, and we may not always make the right choices, but we are still your parents, and both you and Valerie better not ever forget it.”

Olivia fell silent.

“Go up and wake Valerie, and let’s go out for breakfast. I’m starving, and I know you are, too.” Tracy stepped toward the stairway. “We’ll get dressed and go have brunch at Brixel’s. Then we can stop for groceries.” Pausing at the door, she turned back to Olivia. Softening her tone, she said, “And honey, I know it’s hard, but try not to worry about this thing.” She cupped Olivia’s jaw. “It’ll be fine. Just call on Monday, and we’ll take care of it. It’ll all work out for the best.” She hugged her close. “And like I said, get wise about Sean.”

Tracy released her slowly, and left the kitchen.

A
fter checking his e-mail, Franklin signed off the computer and took the last sip of his black coffee. He’d been irritable all morning, so he hadn’t bothered to visit the gym as he normally did on Saturday afternoons. Instead, he stayed home with his thoughts.

I’ve been doing that a lot lately,
he thought matter-of-factly. He grabbed his mug and left the spare bedroom, which served as his work-at-home office.

His thoughts were full of Tracy. Her talk of ending their affair had really sobered him. He had always fancied the notion that she was smitten with him and couldn’t get enough, despite her fronts to suggest it was purely physical. Perhaps she really
was
cavalier about their affair. Maybe in reality, he
was
no more than a stand-in for Reginald’s absence in her bed!

Ten minutes later
, as he laced his Reeboks, Franklin felt his temper brewing. He didn’t like these thoughts he was having. He didn’t like them at all. Was she
serious about calling it quits? What if she really meant it, and it was all over?

The frustration mounted.

I sure as hell can’t slip quietly back into the role of supportive friend,
he thought, leaving his apartment,
just casually watching them live happily ever after.

Downstairs, he climbed into his SUV. Since its servicing was long overdue, he decided to take it to the dealership. Then he’d head over to see Tracy. They needed to talk more about this whole thing. If he could only see her face-to-face, get her alone.

He wasn’t ready to let her go just yet. It should end when
he
decided it was time—and not a moment sooner.

The Brixel’s on
Miami Lakes Drive was packed. With its airy, pastel décor and excellent cuisine, it was their favorite place to have breakfast. The walls were pinstriped in lime green and beige wallpaper, and throughout the restaurant there were heaps of hanging greenery and standing plants. The pleasant setting, coupled with the trademark cuisine, was more than likely what kept the customers out of the Waffle House down the street.