Contingency (Covenant of Trust) (6 page)

“Very good. Your hard work paid off. Let’s see, Gina assisted on that one, correct?”

“She handled everything on this end while I was in Kansas City.”

“I’m glad to see you finally found someone who measured up,” Walter said, with just a hint of sarcasm. “After Eva and Jeanette refused to work with you again, my list was getting short.”

Walter leaned forward and folded his hands. “We had a personnel situation while you were gone. Tracy Ravenna gave notice in an e-mail and took her vacation.”

“She resigned?”
Why would she ...? Because of their ... whatever it was?
“When?”

“Yesterday. Her office is empty and I found her files outside my door yesterday morning. Did she have any personal issues you know about?”

There was the rope. Walter sat, watching, waiting for him to hang himself. Chuck shifted in his chair.
Say it. You have to tell him.
“Tracy and I had ... we had an affair, Walter. It blew up in the last couple of days.” An uncomfortable silence squeezed him. He was dead.

Walter tipped his chair back, but his eyes stayed fixed on Chuck. “Your personal life is your business, but ...”

The tension in the office intensified, so Chuck went on the offensive. “Since you brought it up, I need some time to try and put my life and my marriage back in order.” Walter’s expression didn’t change. Chuck tried not to stammer, annoyed that he let Walter intimidate him. “If you can give Blackburn to Pete and Will, and Ryder to Gina, I can handle the rest of my load.”

“What about Burke county, though? You and Tracy were handling that one.”

“You have her files. I can finish it up.”

Again, unnerving silence settled over the office and Walter glared at him a moment too long. “I don’t care what society says these days, this kind of behavior is despicable.” Chuck bristled at the lecture. “Your father was such an honorable man, a man of integrity, a good man. How could you do this to your wife?” As the indignation in the old man’s voice grew shriller, Chuck could feel the heat rising on the back of his neck.

“I can’t justify this.” Chuck matched Walter’s tone and volume. “I’m not trying to, and I’m not trying to get your sympathy. If you won’t give me the time I need to make this right with Bobbi ...” Chuck hesitated, then lowered his voice, negotiating the way Walter taught him. “Then I’ll get my resignation letter together.”

When Walter didn’t respond, Chuck feared he’d miscalculated, and his resignation was exactly what Walter wanted.

“Tuesday after Labor Day,” Walter said, running his finger down his calendar. “I want to see you in here, with some progress on the home front to report.” He leaned back in his chair, scowling. “Now, are we facing any liability in this situation?”

“You’d better make sure.” He made several notes in his appointment book. “Get this straight. I don’t care if it takes your last dime to keep her quiet. I will not have this firm’s name, my name, dragged through the muck because of this. Do we understand each other?”

“Completely,” Chuck said as he stood to leave.

“I can’t tell you how disappointed I am.” Walter glared over the top of his glasses at him. “I cannot tolerate men of low character. If it weren’t for your father, you’d be at the unemployment office right now. Is that clear?”

“Have her meet with me in fifteen minutes.” He leaned back in his chair again. “Chuck, I’m giving Gina Homebuilders and Missouri Securities to Cary Morgan.”

“Did you look at the numbers for ServMed?” Chuck jabbed a finger at the sheet lying on the desk in front of Walter. “That’s more than Gina, Pete, and Cary have brought in put together. I have never been anything but a consummate professional. You can’t penalize me for what’s going on in my personal life.”

Chuck couldn’t get out of the building quickly enough. How could Walter ... how could he even think something so ridiculous?
Can we just stick with the real sin, and not some intangible, worst-case scenario?

The real sin. With his leave of absence following on the heels of Tracy’s resignation, the wags would soon put two and two together. Maybe they would forget in the five weeks he was out of the office. Right now, though, it was eight fifteen, and he had nowhere to go.

*******

“
This was a
great idea, coming to the lake, Mrs. Molinsky. We’ve both been working way too hard.” Chuck dumped the charcoal in the grill, and carefully touched a match to the corner. “I don’t feel like we’ve had a decent conversation in months.”

“
Yeah. Graduate school’s nuts. Project after project.” Bobbi wore his old, faded Missouri sweatshirt. Just one more thing that looked great on her. “Can you believe how warm it is? It’s almost November.”

“
And Missouri’s playing Oklahoma State today. Just so you know what you’re worth to me.”

“
You’re taping the game, though, aren’t you?” She crossed her arms and raised an eyebrow.

“
All right, yes, I’m taping the game, but I’m here.”

“
As long as your brain’s here, too.”

He took her hand and they walked down to the lake while the charcoal heated. “I know I’ve been ...”

“
A jerk.”

“
That bad?”

“
Yes. Your fuse is about this long.” She held her thumb and forefinger an inch apart. “Chuck, nobody expects you to make partner the first year after you pass the bar exam.”

“
I know. It’s just ... I want to make it on my own. I don’t want people to think I just got my spot because of my dad.”

“
But you’re a very good attorney, very conscientious, thorough.”

“
Thanks.” He knew she was trying to help, but she couldn’t begin to comprehend what his days were like. He sat down on the ground and steadied her as she nestled in beside him. “So, you picked out any school systems yet?”

“
Good grief, no. They won’t know what openings they have until spring anyway.”

“
But you’ll have your master’s. You’ll be all set.”

“
I’ll have no experience, though. That could hurt me. They’d have to pay me more.”

“
Good. You should be paid more.”

She leaned her head over on his shoulder and sighed. “You know, we’ve never had a break.”

“
What do you mean?”

“
From the stress. School, the wedding, more school for me, law firm for you.”

“
Honey, that’s the way life is.”

“
I just ... I don’t know ... I don’t want to lose ‘us’, you know?”

“
Never happen.” He squeezed her close and they sat for a long time, not saying anything. No one ever needed him, needed to connect, the way she did. Maybe that came from losing her mom so early. She craved security, and he was doing his best to provide that. That’s what the long hours, the lunches, the dinners, the golf games were for. Building their future.

He leaned over and kissed her neck, inhaling deeply. The vanilla scent of her shampoo fit her. He kissed her again, and again, following her jaw line around to her lips, when she pushed away. “What’s wrong?”

“
My stomach’s upset.”

“
Since when?”

“
I don’t know, all day.”

“
You never said anything before now. Maybe you’re just hungry. Did you have breakfast?”

“
No.”

“
There you go. Let’s go check the grill.”

“
Chuck, I don’t ...”

He pulled her to her feet and walked her back to the grill. The coals were white hot. “I’ll have the steaks ready in no time.” He opened the cooler, and threw two T-bones on. They sizzled as flames licked around them. “I love that smell, don’t you?”

Bobbi was backing up toward the car.

“
Where are you going?”

“
I can’t ... the smell ... it’s making me nauseous.”

“
You’re kidding.”

“
No ...”

Before he knew it, she rounded the bumper, and threw up in the weeds. “Bobbi!” He stood by, not sure if he should help, or what exactly he could do. “Why didn’t you tell me you were sick? I thought when you wanted to come out here ...”

“
I did,” she said weakly, then heaved one last time. “I’m fine. Really.” She pulled a tissue from the pocket of her jeans, and wiped her mouth. “It’s ... it’s nothing.”

“
It’s not nothing. I need to get you home. As soon as the steaks finish, we’ll get out of here.”

“
No, I don’t want to go. It’s over now. It’s got to be over now.”

“
What’s over?”

“
The morning sickness. Sometimes it lasts all day.”

He spun around in front of her and took her shoulders. “What? What did you say?” A grin spread across his face and tears welled up in his eyes. “Morning sickness? Are you ...? Are we ...?”

She nodded, tears streaming down her face. “May, I think. Possibly June.”

“
That’s ... that’s fantastic!” He hugged her, kissed her, hugged her again. “A baby ... I’m gonna be a daddy ...” He laughed out loud, but saw she was still crying. “Honey, what’s wrong?”

“
I wanted it to be ... I didn’t want to tell you like this. I wanted it to be special.”

“
It is! Bobbi, this is ... this is ... Wow! I can’t wait to tell Mom and Dad!” He hugged her again. “I love you. I’ll be a good dad. I promise.” He put a hand on her belly and spoke to the baby. “You hear that? I promise you, I’ll be the best daddy I can be.”

*******

Bobbi drove to
Rita’s house, her eyes glued to the taillights of her sister’s car, making the turns without ever engaging her brain. She felt like the executioner, preparing to put innocence and idealism to death. She had to admit to her sons that she and their father were frauds, keeping up appearances while their marriage languished. Now that marriage was dying, it was going to take the boys’ security and stability with it.

The parenting books never dealt with this one. No sermons, no small group studies, no daily devotionals could walk her through it. She’d have to wing it.
You can’t fall apart in front of them. Be strong, and they’ll be strong.
Simple, straightforward, honest ... You can do this. You have to do this. They have to hear it from you ... and not Chuck.

Rita’s husband, Gavin, opened the front door before Bobbi got out of her car. She checked herself in the rearview mirror, took a deep breath, and strode up to the porch with as much calm control as she could fake.

Gavin, God bless him, didn’t have any sad pity in his eyes. He reached out and hugged her the way he always did, but he whispered, “Don’t choke him yet.” She had to smile.

“It’s about Dad, isn’t it?” Brad asked, slumping onto the sofa. “I knew it when I heard you on the phone. I knew something was up.”

“Yeah.”
He couldn’t know. If I didn’t know, Brad couldn’t.
She pulled the ottoman close, taking a seat on it as Joel slid in beside his brother.

“This is just like when you told us about Grandpa Jim,” Brad said. “Has Dad got cancer or something?”

“No, if you’ll let me talk ...” she said in mock aggravation. Bobbi swallowed hard and looked into Brad’s eyes and then Joel’s, lingering over that last moment of ‘before.’ “Yesterday ... your dad ... I mean, I found out ... your dad has had an affair.”

“What!” Brad jumped to his feet. “With who?”

“Sit down!” Bobbi said, with a sharpness she never intended. “That’s irrelevant.” She laid a hand on Joel’s knee. “Honey, do you understand what I’m saying?”

“Yes, Mom.”

“Of course you do,” Bobbi whispered. “You’re not a baby anymore, are you?” She patted his knee, giving him a half smile. Joel inherited his dad’s unruly, dark blond hair, his square jaw, and his blue eyes that sparkled with just a hint of mischief.