Chapter 6

In the end, there wasn't much that needed taking care of, and there were no loose ends to tie up except for the floral arrangements, which I took care of, but I did Venmo some cash to the assistant for working on their day off.

That day was busy with hair and makeup, as well as my stylist who came by to show me a few dresses to choose from. I went with something a little bit risqué, which I had asked to be added to the lineup.

For years, Cynthia, my stylist, had been trying to talk me into trying new styles, anything except the Jackie-O-inspired style I was prone to. The embroidered crepe couture Valentino evening dress was completely backless with floral double spaghetti straps and a deep vee in the cleavage.

I chose a shawl to cover myself in the chauffeur-driven car on the way to the venue because I wanted Mark to be just as surprised as everyone else was sure to be. His colleagues and associates have become more accustomed to my matronly style over the years and though I could care less what they thought, I was very interested in my husband's reaction to this drastic change.

He stood next to me as I passed my shawl to the coat check person or, in this case, cover-up checker because the evenings were still cool enough for a spring shawl but not cold enough for a mink.

"Wow!" I looked over my shoulder at his exclamation and saw the appreciative look in his eyes. "I'm not letting you out of my sight this evening. Stay close." His hand was warm on my back as he led me into the room where the party was being held.

We weren't the first ones here, but neither were we the last. As the hosts of the evening, it wouldn't have been good etiquette to be too fashionably late. We made the rounds greeting the guests who had already arrived before I stepped away to check in with the catering staff to ensure that all was well on their end.

As more and more people arrived, I started to relax with the help of a glass of champagne that helped calm the nerves in my tummy. I saw Jessica arrive and surreptitiously watched Mark out the side of my eye for his reaction. He didn't even seem to notice.

It wasn't long before she made her way over to us, which wasn't unusual in itself, but what was was the nervousness I detected in my husband. I couldn't quite put my finger on it, but when he placed his hand on the small of my back possessively and, the way he kept addressing me as his wife during the five-minute conversation left me confused as hell.

The night did not produce the results I was looking for other than the fact that Jessica seemed fixated on me throughout the evening, and Mark seemed to go out of his way to avoid her. Not in the sense that he had something to hide, but there was something that I couldn't quite put my finger on.

As promised, he never left my side, not even when someone tried to draw him away. He kept me with him at all times, which I noticed seemed to frustrate her. And she didn't seem too pleased at the attention I was getting from the rest of the staff, some of whom I have known for years and had been in and out of my home for celebratory occasions.

One of the junior colleagues made a comment during a conversation that caught me off guard. "I'm sorry, what did you say?"

"I said the boss must've really liked this place after our lunch meeting here a couple of months ago."

"Oh? Lunch meeting?"

"Yes, it was a meeting for all the new hires that was supposed to take place weeks earlier but kept being put off from time to time. It was our first time here, and everyone was wondering why we had to come all the way out here, but I have to admit the food is top-notch."

"Whose idea was it, do you know? To come here, I mean."

"I'm not sure exactly; I just never asked. But I'm glad to be here again. It has a kind of old-world ambiance to it."

"Hmm, I like it myself. So you're one of the new hires. Who else is new? I see some familiar faces, but there are a few that I don't know, and I'm terrible with names."

"Oh, they're not that many of us. There's me, Jessica, Stacey, and Ralph."

"You were all at the meeting that day."

"Yes, we were." Mark was busy speaking to an acquaintance next to me while I carried on the conversation with the young man, who gave me food for thought.

If he was here on a business meeting, how did he end up with just him and Jessica? And what the hell was the hug about? I was beginning to feel like that eyes wide shut movie that I have yet to understand. Nothing seemed to fit, and I was back to square one.

But there were those messages and the fact that she was living in one of our buildings. Something was not adding up. I waited until Mark was engrossed in conversation with a couple of his colleagues to excuse myself under the pretense of going to the restroom and made my way across the room in her direction, giving her the perfect excuse to approach me.

I hid my smile when I saw her out the corner of my eye make a beeline in my direction as I carried on to the restroom. Since I don't use public restrooms, I was standing in front of the mirror fixing my makeup when she walked in.

She seemed startled to see me standing there but quickly plastered a smile on her face when she saw me watching her in the mirror. "Jessica, right? I'm so sorry we haven't had a chance to talk this evening. How are you liking the company?"

"Oh, it's great; I couldn't have asked for better."

"That's good. And the area? How are you settling in?"

"Oh, I'm still looking for an apartment, but with the prices and everything, it's a bit hectic right now."

"Surely we're paying you enough to afford a nice place? Do I need to have a talk with my husband?" I laughed jokingly.

"Oh no, no, it's fine. I'm sure I'll find a place soon."

"Okay, so where are you staying in the meantime? Don't tell me you're in one of those long-term hotels. Those things are ghastly."

"Oh no, I'm staying with friends in the meantime."

"Oh, that's good then. Well, enjoy the rest of the evening." She lied about where she was staying, and as a new hire, our company does have a policy of putting them up, which is not something to lie about, though that particular building has never been used for that purpose.

"Excuse me!" She headed into one of the stalls, and five seconds later, the phone in my purse vibrated. I had the clone on vibrate while mine was set to ring, so I knew it was hers. I walked to the last stall furthest away from her and opened the phone.

Mark?: Where are you?

Jessica: In the restroom, I just ran into the wife.

Mark?: Did you run into her, or did you follow her in there? I told you not to make any stupid moves. One wrong move and this whole thing will blow up in our face.

Jessica: Don't be so nervous. Besides, the evening is a bust. I haven't found an opening.

Mark?: Just get out of there.

Jessica: Fine, I think she's gone anyway.

* * *

What the hellam I reading here anyway? Why is it so confusing? I sat there staring down at the phone until something jogged my mind. There was something strange, but what was it? No way. Don't rush to conclusions, Britt; lots of people use out-of-town area codes on their phones these days.

I pulled my phone out of my evening purse with my heart racing and turned it on. I went to the recent calls, and there it was. What the hell is going on?