The Contingency Plan (The Lonely Heart Series) (13 page)

“Okay,” Charlie said, smiling at Frank.  “212-555-7842.” 

“Great. I’ll text you in just a minute,” Sully said, happy about the interaction.  “And Charlie, thanks for calling.”

“Welcome,” Charlie answered.  “Thanks for a
n
swering.”  As she hung up the phone, she literally jumped up and down.

Frank walked over to her. “Thanks for answe
r
ing?” he taunted. “What are you guys in the fifth grade now?  Next thing I know you’ll be passing
do you like me: yes or no
notes.”

Charlie hit him on the shoulder. “Shut up,” she laughed. “Oh my God, this is great.”

“Yes, it is.  Sounds to me like I have some a
r
rangements to make,” he said, winking at her.  “And you have to tell Alex that you are going out of town on business.”

Charlie suddenly stopped smiling. “He won’t be happy about it.”

“When is Alex Mendoza ever happy?” he asked, turning around to leave her in the office. 

“Oh, before you go, could you send an email to the board to let them know that we have a confirmation on Sully’s attendance to the benefit?” Charlie said, returning to work mode.

“On it,” Frank said, walking out of the board room. “Go home, Charlie. It’s nearly ten o’clock at night.”

“What?” Charlie looked at her watch. “Shit!” she said, grabbing her notebook and running out of the office.  “Alex is going to be pissed.”

131

The Contingency Plan

Chapter 8

Charlie was still searching for a handle on the moment when she finally arrived at home.  She pulled up into her driveway in a mad dash and suddenly felt nervous again, but not because of the children.  It was eleven o’clock at night, and she hadn’t spoken to Alex all day. 

It was not intentionally, but she doubted very ser
i
ously that he would believe that.  She had just gotten caught up in all of the action.  Maybe if he knew the truth of what was going on, he might cut her some slack
or he might just cut her
.

Leaving her briefcase and papers in the back of the car, as to not irritate Alex any further with her job, she headed into the kitchen from the garage and closed the door behind her quietly. 

Looking around the house, she surveyed the situ
a
tion.  Strangely enough, the house was a wreck and all the televisions were blasting sports or cartoons. Cereal boxes were on the counter in the kitchen.  The milk carton was left out by the microwave and newspapers were on the table. 

As far as family interaction, there was no need to say hello.  She was sure that the kids were in bed by now, but she did look around for Alex. 

Rounding the corner, she found him in the den watching television and eating finger sandwiches.

“Hi,” she said, leaning on the doorway.

He looked up from the television slowly, still che
w
ing on his carrot. “Hey. You’re finally home?”

“Today was my board meeting, remember?”  She walked into the room.  “It ran late.”  Her voice was calm as to not incite a riot as she had done the last few nights. 

Alex turned back to the television after he gave her a once over look that made her think that he was possibly checking her out. “Want some?” he asked, pushing the bowl over on the table. 

“No,” she said, sitting beside him on the sofa. “How was your day?”  She looked over at him and noticed that he had shaved, showered and he smelled like cologne.  Maybe he was trying to offer an olive branch, and all she had to do was take it.  The thought gave her hope.

“Same old thing,” he said, covering his double meaning.  There was no need in fighting. 

She curled her fingers into her hand.  “Do you want to have that discussion tonight? I could take off tomorrow, and we could pal around the house,” she said, kicking off her shoes.

“Sorry, baby. I’ve got plans.  I’m supposed to meet the guys in just a little bit.”  He scooted away from her just a little bit. 

“Again?” she asked disappointed.  She stared at him while he kept his eyes on the television, obviously not paying attention to a thing on the screen. 

He could feel her glare but refused to look over.  “Yeah.”  He stood up and scratched his head.  “I…uh…I fixed you something to eat.  It’s…” His eyes darted around. 

Charlie cut him off.  “In the microwave.”

Alex smirked. “Yeah, you know the drill.”

“Alex, I really want to make this work,” Charlie said, looking up at him. 

Alex looked back down at her and paused.  Then without saying a word, he bent and kissed the top of her head. “I listened to what you said last night, Charlie.  And you’re right.  You work your ass off for this family, and so do I.  Maybe that’s not the pro
b
lem.”

“Well, what do you think the problem is?” she asked, putting a pillow on her lap. 

Alex grabbed his keys off the end table and his coat off the back of the chair.  His voice was low and solemn.  “We’re just two different people,” he said, looking at his watch. “I don’t want to be any later than I already am.  I told the guys that I would catch up with them after you got off work. They’ve been out for about two hours.”

Charlie felt bad about holding him up, but she tried again. “Maybe you could be a little later,” she said, biting her lip suggestively. “It’s been a month.”

For you
, Alex thought to himself. Guilt hit him and he could barely look at her.  Some things were Cha
r
lie’s fault, but some things weren’t.  And he couldn’t blame her for him being a bastard at the moment.  “Baby, you’re tired.  Get some rest, okay?  I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Well, before you go, I just wanted to let you know that I need to go to Virginia on business this Sunday.  I’ll call Ms. Washington to see if she can help with the kids.”  She didn’t know why she had to say it right then.  Maybe it was so that he’d turn and talk to her more, even if it was just to argue.  Or maybe he would realize that this was one of their last times to talk before she left. 

She was sorely disappointed. 

Charlie’s face was unreadable.  “That’s fine. You know I’m on duty from Friday until Tuesday morning straight, so I’ll be at the firehouse.  You could call Mom too.  She loves seeing the kids.” 

Charlie gave up. “Okay, I just wanted to give you a heads up,” she said, watching him slip on his coat. While the act was so simple, it seemed to hurt her to the core. 

“Consider my head
up
,” he said sarcastically. Chiding himself quietly about his last statement, he rolled his eyes.
Now, he was really being an ass.
  

Charlie took it that he was rolling his eyes at her, but she didn’t snap at him.  Instead she sank further into the sofa.  He caught her sudden hurt and only felt worse.  Turning to head out of the door, he stopped for a minute and spun around.  “Charlie, can I ask you a question before I go?”

“Sure,” she said, perking up.

His face went through a range of emotions as he was reaching into the deepest depths of himself to find the right words.  “Would you be happier if I was a more high profile guy who did what you did or worked like you work?  You know, if I was one of those corporate guys in the back of their town cars with the
Wall Street Journal
in one hand and a Blac
k
berry in the other?”

Charlie frowned. She wasn’t expecting that.   “I don’t think that matters.  Do you?”

Alex shrugged his shoulders. “Yeah, I think it does.  I think it always has.”  Tapping the door with his hand, he turned around. “Think about it. Okay, we’ll talk later. I’m out of here. Get some rest.”

“I love you,” Charlie called out.

“Yeah, love you too,” Alex said sincerely. 
But I just don’t know if I’m in love with you anymore
, he thought to himself. 

Charlie sat alone as she heard the front door close and lock.  Looking around, she realized that this was the second night in a row that Alex had gone out.  A strange melancholy came over her as her thoughts drifted off to the possibility that he was having an affair.  But she stopped herself before she could play the scenario of him and another woman out in her head. 

For goodness sake, this was Alex she was talking about, her husband. He had been faithful for their entire relationship.  True they were going through a rough patch, but he would never do anything like that. 
Would he?
 

She frowned and shook her head as if that would push the thought out of her mind. 

Would he? 

Then she heard the little voice in her head chastise her for her own actions. 
But look at you
, it said.
You’re running off to be with your ex-boyfriend and your secret kids.  You passing judgment is like the pot calling the kettle black.
 

With that reality in perspective, she could see why and how Alex could do just about anything. Only, she knew that she was just going to see the kids and catch up with Sully. Nothing was going to happen.

Was it?

Normally, she would have insisted that Alex stay to talk things out, but tonight she was just happy that they hadn’t argued.  Did that make her a pushover?  She wasn’t sure anymore.  She wasn’t sure of an
y
thing.  It was like she had a phobia of arguing with him, not because she thought that she’d lose but because she was afraid of what the damage might be to their already fragile relationship.

Plus, Alex deserved time out. With her working late, what choice did he have but to go out with his friends after hours?  And not all of his friends were married; some of them were
very
single and didn’t know the first thing about what a decent hour was. 

Throughout their relationship, Charlie had always worried that if she held the reigns too tight about what was okay and what was not then it would just sour things, because neither of them liked constraints.  So, she had to walk carefully with this, but she didn’t like walking on eggshells.

“Ughhhhh!” she screamed out, burying her head in the sofa cushion.  “I need a fucking break!”

***

After an hour long sex session that had depleted every ounce of energy that he had, Alex rolled over in Lola’s bed panting for air and sweating from every pore in his body. 

Grabbing the bottle water off of her nightstand b
e
side the picture of her son, he took a large gulp and looked back at the naked woman lying beside him smiling. 

In disbelief, he shook his head. 
What in the hell was he doing? 
This wasn’t him.  He didn’t do this.  A few conversations with her about his marriage and his problems had led straight to sex and while the guilt was killing him, he couldn’t stop himself.  He had tried to fight it, but the flesh was fucking willing.  The selfish need in him had overtaken all reason, and now he was an adulterer.  Finally, after so many years, he had done what he said that he would never do and it was all because he was weak. 

But this woman beside him looked at him like a superstar, like Charlie used to look at him before she got thoroughly familiar with his shortcomings. 

“That was wonderful,” Lola said, rubbing a small hand down her flat stomach.  Cocking her legs up in the air, she looked over at him and bit her lip. “Was it good for you?”

Great, she just had to ask
, Alex thought to himself.  “Oh yeah,” he said, moving back over to her in her modest full-sized bed.  He wasn’t used to such small quarters after so many years of living in Somerset.  She had a two-bedroom apartment that barely qualified at 1200 square feet from window to door in the middle of the Bronx on the fourth floor of shitty complex in an even shitter neighborhood.  Still, it was hers and he respected her for it.  He was sure that anything that he could do for her, she would be grateful for.  In fact, his income would be well received in this house, unlike his own. 

Oblivious to his thoughts, Lola cuddled under his large arm and looked up at the ceiling.   “Please tell me that this is more than just sex, Alex.”  Her voice was sincere and begged to be comforted.

“Of course, it is more than just sex,” Alex said, asking himself at the same time why they had such a strong connection. Lola drove him crazy from her body to her spirit.  She was a simple woman from simple, humble beginnings and that she wanted to do was be loved.  He knew it the moment that he had one real conversation with her.  She wasn’t interested in playing games, and she didn’t believe in drama. 

“I know it’s only been a day, and I don’t want to scare you off.  It’s just that I don’t normally do this sort of thing.  I mean bringing a man back to my house where my son and I live after one night…it’s risky you know?”  She prayed that he believed her. 

Alex wanted to laugh. When he was a playboy, that would have been his cue to exit, but now as an older man, he understood.  “I don’t normally do this sort of thing either,” he said, kissing the top of her head.  “I’m just confused right now.”

“Me too,” she answered, reaching over and touc
h
ing his chest.  “I normally run from married men. You know that it can’t lead anywhere. They go home to their wives and kids after a while and forget all about you.”  She spoke from experience that seemed to take her back to a dark place.

Alex was quiet.  To say that he planned to leave Charlie for Lola was a big statement to make at the moment, but to say that he was going to leave Charlie sounded reasonable and possible.  They were just in two different places right now.  He craved attention and companionship, and she was still chasing the dream –
whatever the hell that was
. 

“I hate her for it,” he said aloud before he knew it.

“Hate her for what?” Lola asked, sitting up a little.

Alex looked over at Lola and clenched his jaw tight.  “For leaving me.”  He licked his lips and then looked away. “We were supposed to be together forever, but somewhere in our marriage, we just drifted apart.  She left me for Sophie’s Choice and a corner office.”

“It has been my experience that men don’t like for women to be more successful than them.”  She hoped her comment wouldn’t anger him but lying to him didn’t seem to be a reasonable choice either.

Alex grunted. “It’s not the success of her job.”

“Well, what is it?”

Alex put his hand on his forehead and smirked. “Shit, I don’t know.”

Lola laughed. “Exactly.”