Chapter Twenty-Seven
MY FINGERS SHOOK AS I dialed the phone. If Ruby had told Bradley, my ship was sunk. Not only my lifeplan ship but my work ship, too. I’d built up a reputation as a professional, hard-working woman, and the rumor that I’d gotten married to some guy who I didn’t even know out in Vegas during a drunken party binge would destroy all of it. Poof! Six years, out the window. Back to square one with zero plan for the voyage and shame as my baggage.
I didn’t even wait for the receptionist to finish her introduction to the firm. “Jackie, can you pass me to Ruby? This is Andie and it’s kind of an emergency.”
“Sure, Andie, hold on a second for me.” I got no indication that she knew anything about what I was going through from her tone, but that didn’t mean anything. Jackie was as professional as they come. She could be in on who assassinated the president and she’d still sit there with a bland look on her face and act clueless.
I waited for what felt like forever before the phone connected again.
“Andie?”
My heart sunk. The voice was way too deep to be Ruby. “Yes…,” I squeaked out, barely more than a whisper.
“Andie, this is Bradley. Where in the hell are you?” He sounded both worried and angry.
I swallowed hard. “Pretty much in the middle of nowhere. Where are you?” I wanted to smack myself on the forehead. Way to sound confident, Andie!
“What do you mean, where am I? I’m at work, where you should be.”
“But what are you doing answering Ruby’s phone?”
“I heard it was you and I intercepted. I don’t know why you’re calling her and not me. Something’s going on, Andie, and I want to know what it is.”
I could hear Ruby’s voice in the background now, and she didn’t sound happy. Thank God for Ruby. “I just need to talk to Ruby about some paperwork and then I’ll call you. My phone was dead and my charger wasn’t available, so that’s why I haven’t called.” And I was with another man. Ahhh! This is horrible. I’m going to hell for sure. I need to confess. My ears burned with the idea of coming clean, but it was the only way to handle this now. Lying was wrong and unfair and not who I am.
Bradley was not happy. “Ruby’s threatening to impale me on her fountain pen, so I have to go. Call me immediately, Andie, I mean it. As soon as you’re done with her.”
“Okay, I’ll call you as soon as I’m done with Ruby. I promise. We have to talk.”
“You’re damn right we do. Here.” He passed the phone away and Ruby’s voice came on the line.
“I’m filing a complaint, Bradley. You hear me? An official complaint. You’ve gone too far.”
Bradley responded, but I didn’t catch the actual words.
“Ruby?”
“Yes, Andie, I’m here. Can you believe the nerve of that man? Picking up my calls on my phone and putting his nose in my business? He’s going to pay for that one. I’ve had it up to here with him.”
“Ruby, calm down. You can’t report him for that. He’s upset with me, it’s my fault.”
Ruby sighed heavily. “When are you going to learn that you are not responsible for the behavior of the men you date? He’s a big boy. He makes his own decisions.”
“I haven’t called him in over twenty-four hours. He was worried, especially when the first person I called wasn’t him.”
Her voice dropped lower. “Good for you! Does this mean you’re finally going to get rid of his sorry behind?”
“No. Maybe. Shit, Ruby, I don’t know. That’s not why I called.” My hands were shaking so bad, I clenched my free one in a fist and hit the bed with it a few times.
“Mmm-mmm-mmm, you still haven’t cleaned up that language, I see.”
“Stop. Seriously. Did you go into my computer and look at my files?”
Silence.
“Ruby, I know you did. I already talked to Candice. What did you see?”
“Well…” She stopped there.
“Come on, Ruby. I don’t have all day.”
“Fine. I saw your…,” she lowered her voice to a loud whisper, “...marriage license.” She raised her voice again. “Is it real? Did you really do that?”
Tears threatened. “Yes, I really did do it. I don’t know what the hell I was thinking, but I married a practical stranger two years ago at that stupid bachelorette party you made me go to, and now I’m out here trying to unwind the mess before my wedding to Bradley.”
“You’re blaming me for this?”
“No. I just put that in there to make you feel guilty.”
She snorted. “Huh, like that would work. I’m proud I did it. I’m glad I did it. Anything to get rid of that Bradley is a good thing.”
“Listen, Ruby, he didn’t do anything wrong, okay? He’s been a good boyfriend. I was set to marry the guy for … poop’s sake.”
“Were set to marry him? As in past tense?” She was back to whisper-yelling at me.
I shook my head and took a deep breath, ready to bawl again. “I don’t know what the hell I’m going to do. I have to talk to Bradley, and I have to talk to Mack. It’s pretty much out of my hands at this point. My lifeplan is swirling down the toilet as we speak.”
“Who’s Mack? Is he your husband?”
My heart lurched at the word husband. Mack is my husband. The idea gave me chills and brought gobs of fear along with it too. “Yes. He is.”
“Oh my dear Lord … this is a problem, isn’t it? Do you want me to start canceling things? Maybe we can get some of your deposits back.”
“No! No, don’t cancel anything. Just transfer me over to Bradley’s line, please. And Ruby? Please don’t say anything to anyone else. Candice is fine, but no one else can know. It’ll ruin everything at work.”
“Oh don’t worry, baby girl. Your secrets are safe with me.”
I rolled my eyes. “Yeah, right. Bye, Rubes. Talk to you later.”
“Please hold,” she said in her professional secretary voice, sending me over to Bradley’s line.