The Kept Woman (25 page)

Oh, how that had hurt her! She knew she'd never been the world's most touchy-feely mother, but she'd always been proud of Jack and had encouraged him every step of the way. He couldn't have become the man he was without her having done something right.
Right?

As Marguerite sat at her outdoor breakfast table watching Nestor tidy up the flower beds, she allowed her mind wander to the twins. She so often pondered how her life and Jack's life would have been different if those two precious angels had survived. But they hadn't. And after they died, she threw herself into Gordon's career with twice the passion. She was aware that Jack felt a bit ignored during that period, but that's what she needed to do to survive. No growing boy needs a mother insane with grief. Jack had seemed to handle it all fine.

Of course she wanted Jack to find a woman to love, settle down, and start a family. In fact, Marguerite sometimes felt silly that she placed so much of her own deliverance on the shoulders of babies who did not yet draw breath and perhaps never would. But she wanted those grandchildren. She wanted them
now
, before she grew too old and frail to hold them in her arms, to rock them, to cuddle them.

She wanted those grandchildren before she died. She needed proof that the family would continue on.

It broke her heart to watch Jack squander his most vital years and his astounding gifts on cheap women and an aimless political career. She would be happy to see him in love, she truly would, no matter
who
the woman was.

But Samantha Monroe?

Dear God, he was bedding a woman he'd paid to pose as his fiancee! That made her nothing but a call girl! A call girl with three children! The concept made Marguerite so sick with worry for her son that she temporarily considered spilling the beans to Kara and Stu in the hopes that they'd make Jack end the tryst. But why would they? A real love affair only made their twisted charade that much more believable. And Marguerite wasn't exactly proud to announce just how severely Jack had lowered his standards.

Marguerite took a sip of her coffee and sighed. The election was just over a month away and she was supposed to be returning to Indiana next week in support of Jack's final campaign push. Her schedule of appearances included a women's club luncheon and a mental health association banquet, one radio and two print interviews, and, of course, Christy Schoen had been hounding her to appear on
Capitol Update
to answer a series of questions on live TV about how thrilled she was to welcome her future daughter-in-law into the Tolliver clan.

No, thank you.

But what Marguerite just couldn't forgive was how Samantha Monroe had the audacity to tell her that her hairstyle was a crime. How dare she! Marguerite loved her hair and had loved it for nearly thirty years just as it was.

"You want the hibiscus cut back, Mrs. Tolliver?"

Marguerite turned toward Nestor's voice, staring at him blankly, thinking that there was absolutely nothing wrong with her hair. . .was there?

"Mrs. Tolliver? Do you want it trimmed?"

"What? Oh, cut it all off for all I care."

That Friday's D & D Night was a departure from the norm. Nine women descended on the Sunset Lane house for a swim party and indoor picnic. The downstairs was invaded by laughing, wine-sipping women, alternating between the Florida room, where manicure and pedicure stations were set up, the butler's pantry, where hair was being done, and the kitchen, where they found the sustenance required to continue on—guacamole and blue corn tortilla chips, brownies with macadamia nuts, crispy rice treats, Chex mix, artichoke dip, bruschetta, and a fruit tray with fat-free, sugar-free dip.

Kara had her usual root touch-up and trim. Denny wanted her blond spikes sharpened. Wanda wanted to see what she'd look like with auburn highlights. Candy McGaughy said she needed to go shorter because with the baby she had no time to style her hair. Olivia Petrakis just wanted a pedicure, and Brigid Larson decided she wanted to go full-on-drama with big romantic curls.

Monte gave Sam her usual no-fuss trim and then pulled her hair up in a cute clip, a few curls falling around her face. Sam touched up Monte's braids and gave her a manicure. Marcia settled for a simple trim and sat back and enjoyed Candy's serviceable pedicure.

"You're pretty good with nails," Marcia told her.

"I have to be pretty good at everything," Candy said. "I'm a mom."

At some point, Brigid got the idea to bathe Dale in the butler pantry's sink, an event she enjoyed far more than the dog did. When Brigid began to pour conditioner on his frizzy coat, Monte said, "You know, that shit is five bucks an ounce retail."

Brigid grabbed the clueless dog and stood him up on his hind legs. "I'm worth it," she said, gesturing with the dog's front paws. Everyone laughed.

"So, Monte, Sam says you met a man at the gym," Olivia said, munching on a brownie. "What stage is the relationship in? The 'I'm happier than I've ever been in my life' stage? The 'I'm starting to wonder about this man' stage? Or the 'Hello, Officer—how do I file for a protective order' stage?"

Denny snorted. "You should date more women, Olivia."

Monte waved them all away. "He's a nice man, y'all. Divorced, with two kids in college, and he treats me like a queen. He's the first man I've really liked in years, so give a sista a break."

"Wow. This sounds like love," Kara said.

"And he's cute, too," Marcia added with an eyebrow wiggle. "He came into the shop the other day and all business came to a standstill."

"That happens when any straight man walks into Le Cirque," Sam said.

"What about your legendary romance, Sam?" Wanda plopped up on the countertop with her glass of wine. "Have you set a date?"

"Not yet," Sam said, helping to dry off Dale. "We're not going to stress about that until after the general election in November."

Kara caught her eye and gave her a look that said,
Quick thinking
.

"Well, the two of you look so happy together whenever I see you on TV or in the papers," Candy said. "He always seems so sweet to you."

"He is," Sam said, putting away hair dye supplies in a bottom cupboard. "I've never known a man like Jack before. I feel completely free to be myself with him. I never realized a relationship could be so fun and feel so right."

"Ooh, and I bet he's one hell of a kisser. You can just tell," Wanda said.

"Mmm-hmm. I bet he can do it all," Marcia said.

"You got that right," Sam said, washing her hands in the sink.

When she turned around, Sam was greeted by alarmed stares from Monte, Denny, and Kara. She was saved when Jack chose that moment to check in on the party.

"Careful, ladies," he said, grabbing a slice of bruschetta. "I got in big trouble once for making sexist remarks like that."

"Lord have mercy," Monte said.

"I was just—" Olivia looked like she was going to pass out. "I'm—"

"He's just messing with you," Kara said. "Jack loves that women adore him."

"Especially a certain woman." He walked over to Sam and kissed her cheek. To everyone in the room, it looked innocent enough. Only Sam knew that he'd managed to flick his tongue against her skin, and she couldn't help but giggle.

Jack introduced himself to a starstruck Brigid, a slack-jawed Olivia, a nervous Wanda, a grinning Candy, and a gushing Marcia.

"It's so wonderful to finally meet you!" Marcia said, shaking his hand. "We are all so thrilled about you and Sam!"

"Uh-huh," Monte said.

"Is there room in the schedule for a quick trim?" Jack asked.

"Yes," everyone said in unison.

Sam trimmed his hair while he chatted with Brigid and Wanda about how to volunteer for his campaign. Greg and Lily popped their heads into the butler's pantry.

"Hey, Jack!" Greg said, smiling. "Getting a pedicure, too?"

"Naw. I'm holding out for a bikini wax."

"I can do that for you," Marcia said.

Greg told Sam that they were heading upstairs for the night, just as Dakota ran into the butler's pantry.

"Mr. Jack!" He did a headfirst dive into Jack's lap. Sam watched the tiny snippets of Jack's dark hair attach themselves all over Dakota's shirt and pants. She leaned down to kiss her youngest.

"Sleep well, little man," she said.

"'K, Mommy. 'Night, Mr. Jack." Dakota reached up and grabbed Jack's cheeks between his hands and planted one right on his lips.

Jack laughed and roughed up Dakota's curls. "Good night, Dakota."

"Lily, would you remember to take him to the potty one last time before he goes to bed?"

"Gee, Mom? How could I forget? How could
anyone
forget? Our lives revolve around Dakota's bathroom habits."

"Anything's better than those diapers," Simon said, looking around Greg into the crowded pantry. "'Night, Mama. 'Night, everyone."

After Sam had finished Jack's trim, he stole a few brownies for the road, said his good-byes, and headed home. It took Sam nearly a half hour at the front door to see her friends out, making sure no one forgot their swimsuits or platters.

"Oh, Sam," Marcia said, hugging her. "It must be wonderful for you to see that your children are getting such a positive male influence in their lives."

"It really is," Sam replied.

Monte was finished straightening up the mess in the kitchen when Sam found her. She watched her best friend slap the dishrag over the faucet with high drama.

"Have a seat, Sammy."

Sam sighed and pulled up one of the stools to the counter. She figured this would happen. So far, she'd managed to juggle the deception pretty well, but she knew Monte would see through it eventually. In all honesty, Sam wanted Monte to know, so that she could confide in her.

"You're in love with him," Monte whispered harshly.

Sam said nothing, twirling the antique emerald and diamond ring around her finger.

"Damn, girl! Are you completely insane?"

Sam met Monte's agitated gaze with a peaceful resolve but remained silent.

Monte waved her hands through the air. "The man's been practically living in this house! I see the way you look at him. And the way Dakota was with him tonight?
Hello?
Your little boy is getting way too attached to your boss. Know what I'm saying?"

"You've got to trust me on this."

Monte bugged her eyes out and put her hands on her noticeably slimmer hips. "How long you been sleeping with him?"

"A long while."

Monte stomped her foot on the hardwood floor. "How could you have kept this from me?"

"I'm so sorry, Monte!" Sam let her head drop and pressed the heels of her hands into her eyes. Eventually, she dared look up. Monte had pulled a stool up to the counter and was shaking her head. "I am so sorry, Monte. I should have told you, but by the time I figured out my mistake it was too late. I knew you'd be really pissed."

"How long
exactly
have you been sleeping with him?"

"Since the night of the ice storm."

Monte's mouth fell open, then snapped shut. "You sure didn't waste any time, did you?"

"It was a mutual sexual meltdown."

"Mmm-hmm. Except that for Jack, sex doesn't carry the same weight as it does for you. You don't play by the same rules he does, Sammy. I doubt you're even playing the same
game
. And you sure as hell know better than to give a man any before the third date."

"I think the ice storm was my fourth or fifth date. And I know what I'm doing. Jack loves me."

Monte reached for Sam's hand. She looked worried. "No, girl.
I
love you, and that's why I'm going to say what I'm about to say." Monte sighed before she went on. "Jack's great. I really like him. I do. And he sure is fine. But Sam, his track record with women is not exactly the—"

"He's changed."

Monte rolled her eyes heavenward. "Do you hear yourself? How many busted-up women do we listen to—all day, every day—who say that very same thing?"

"Jack and I have something special, Monte. It just happened—neither of us planned on it. Jack makes me feel respected and treasured and desired all at the same time. It's so unlike anything I've ever experienced before that it's not even funny."

"OK, Sam. So has he told you he loves you?"

"Yes." Sam couldn't stop herself from beaming. "He says it often and I say it right back."

"And have the two of you discussed your plans for the future? Has he asked you to marry him?"

Sam shrugged, smiling. "Not in those words, exactly. But I know he's open to that."

Monte leaned away from Sam to glare at her properly. "I don't know what to say. It's like I've been shut out of your life or something. I tell you damn near everything, Sam! I told you all about Roy Harrison from the health club, and that's not even anything serious. Well, not yet, anyway. And here you are having this outrageous love affair and you didn't bother to fill me in?"

"I'm sorry," Sam said. And she was—she felt like a jerk and hated the idea that she'd hurt Monte in any way. "I'd feel the same way if you shut me out of something like this."

"I'd never do that."

"OK, but please understand that this isn't just a love affair. I work for Jack. My kids' future is linked to whether I can pull off this very public deception I've got going. I'm being followed into toilet stalls by reporters hell-bent on finding the tiniest crack in our story, for crying out loud! And for a while, I wasn't sure what Jack and I had. I thought maybe it was just a fling that wouldn't last." Sam took a breath, seeing that her rationale wasn't impressing Monte. "I was going to tell you."

"Mmm-hmm."

"I'm sorry for shutting you out."

Monte nodded. "Well, I'm guessing this is another secret I'm supposed to keep?"

"If you wouldn't mind." Sam hugged her friend. "And you really do look wonderful, Monte."

"Don't you try to distract me by telling me I got it goin' on, even though I know I do."