The Prince Charming Hoax (30 page)

“
Sure, I
’
d love talk to Debbie.
”

Leah waited a moment, listening to the sound of the babies crying in the background, while Ronnie gave Debbie the phone.

“
Aunt Leah! I
’
ve been meaning to call you, but every time I have a minute when no one needs changing or feeding—Wait! No! Don
’
t do that. Ronnie...

Oh God, hold a sec, Aunt Leah…
”

Debbie covered the phone, but Leah could hear her giving terse orders to her husband.

“
I
’
m back. I want to tell you—watch the baby
’
s head, Ron! I
’
m sorry again, Aunt Leah, what was I saying?
”

“
You wanted to tell me something.
”

“
Oh yeah. Ali, she
’
s such a big help. A lifesaver, really. I don
’
t know what I
’
d do without her.
”

As Debbie rambled on, interrupting herself constantly to give directions to Ronnie, Leah could hear the tremor in her voice building.

“
Debbie, take it easy. You sound like you
’
re going to break down any minute.
”

“
Oh, don
’
t pay attention to me. I cry all the time. The doctor says it will pass.
”

“
What doctor?
”

“
My obstetrician.
”

“
Is your obstetrician male?
”

“
Yes.
”

“
Figures. Listen, Debbie. It is a big deal if you
’
re unhappy. It
’
s true your hormones are a mess right now, but that doesn
’
t make what you
’
re feeling less real.
”

“
Hold on a sec, Aunt Leah. It
’
s really hard to concentrate in here. Wait, I
’
ll go into my bedroom. Let me— Ron, call me if you need me.
”

Leah heard footsteps on a wood floor and the sound of the babies crying becoming fainter and a door close.

“
Oh, Aunt Leah, what have I done?
”
Debbie wailed.
“
All I wanted was to be a mom, and now all I want is to be alone. I love these babies, but sometimes I just want to run away. I don
’
t have a moment to myself. Every time I think I
’
ve finally got some kind of routine or schedule established, one of them changes when they want to eat or sleep—something I never get to do.
”

“
Are you letting people help you? You
’
ve got your mom, Ali, Ron, and your dad. You should be able to squeeze out little time for yourself. You have to eat and sleep, Debbie.
”

“
I guess. You know what? It
’
s quiet now. Ron
’
s either got them all asleep or maybe he took them outside in the stroller. I
’
m going to lie down. I
’
ll tell Ali to call you when she gets up.
”

“
Of course, sweetie. Take care of yourself. I love you.
”

“
Love you, too. Bye.
”

Leah sat on the couch, looking out over the ocean and thought about when Ali was a newborn. Unlike Debbie, she had no one to help her. Her mother and her in-laws, who came to visit from Florida when the baby was born, went home after a week. She had thought she would never be able to shower, get dressed, and go out again. In the beginning, she
’
d stay in her nightgown until evening when Richard came home. Only then would she be able to spend time on herself. She would look at him like he was crazy when he asked about dinner. How could she make dinner when she was taking care of a baby who never slept?

And Debbie has three. Poor thing.

The phone rang. Leah looked at the call screen and saw her niece
’
s number.
“
Is everything all right, Debbie? I thought you were going to sleep.
”

“
Mommy, it
’
s me.
”

“
Ali!
”
Leah felt a rush of happiness.
“
Oh, it
’
s so good to hear your voice. I miss you.
”

“
I miss you, too.
”

“
You
’
re up early. Did the babies start crying again?
”

“
No, Ronnie has them all in this swing contraption, and they
’
re quiet—for now. He said you called before?
”

“
Yeah, I was thinking about you and took a chance that maybe you
’
d be up with the babies.
”

“
You know me. I can sleep through anything.
”

“
Yes. But, it sounds like a three-ring circus there. Debbie said you
’
re a big help, though.
”

“
I try. We all do, but I don
’
t think Debbie
’
s doing too good.
”

“
What do you mean?

“
She cries a lot, a real lot. Aunt Carol tries to talk to her, but she
’
s having a hard time.
”

“
Ali, what about you? Do you get a chance to go out? As much as Debbie needs help, you
’
re going to be going back to school soon. You need some time to go have fun.
”

“
Why don
’
t you come here, then? You could help out, and we could all take turns getting out for a while. I
’
m all right, I really am, but I think Debbie will go crazy if she doesn
’
t get a break. Please come, Mommy, please.
”

“
Are you making that cute face that you put on when you
’
re wearing me down? You know I can
’
t resist you! Well, I
’
m dying to see those babies. Let me see what I can arrange, Ali. I have to check flights and figure out what I
’
d do with Mitzi.
”

“
Mitzi! Why don
’
t you bring her?
”

“
Just what that loony bin needs—another living thing to take care of! Are you crazy?
”

“
Mitzi could stay with Uncle David and Aunt Carol. They have Simone, so what
’
s another dog?
”

Leah had forgotten about her brother
’
s poodle.
“
You know, that
’
s not a bad idea. All right, let me make some calls, and I
’
ll let you know when I
’
m coming.
”

“
Great. Mom, Ronnie
’
s calling me. Talk to you later.
”

Leah clicked the phone off and looked over at Mitzi who was curled up next to her on the couch.
“
Looks like we
’
re going to be traveling companions, Mitzi.
”
The dog perked up at hearing her name. She jumped off the couch and ran to the elevator, reminding Leah that she needed to be walked.

“
Poor Mitzi. Let me put on some clothes and I
’
ll take you out. You
’
ll love going to my brother
’
s house in Philadelphia. I bet they never forget to walk Simone.
”

After Leah took Mitzi out and fed her, she tried to go back to sleep, but her mind was still racing from the morning
’
s events.

Restless, she took out her journal and sat with her pen hovered over a blank page. After about five minutes of doodling, Leah put her journal and pen on the coffee table and leaned back on the couch pillows. She closed her eyes, leaving her mind open for story ideas to come to her as she sorted out the events of the past few days.

Instinctively she felt that what had taken place between Friday and today, her journal entries, and the stories the women told in her interviews were clues in a puzzle she was meant to solve. All the elements were there: conflict between woman and woman, man and woman, circumstance and woman. Leah knew the key to resolution of the issues was within her grasp. She just needed to look at things from a new angle.

That thought caused her to sit up abruptly. Energized by her flash of inspiration, Leah took her laptop to the kitchen table and began outlining her new book.

Chapter
25

Leah sat on the bed and shook Roxie gently.
“
Rox, wake up. It
’
s almost three o
’
clock.
”

Her friend moaned and rolled over, pulling the pillow over her head. Leah lifted the pillow.
“
Come on. I
’
ve been a busy girl while you were sleeping, and I want to tell you all about it.
”

Roxie rolled over, stretched, and rubbed her eyes. She looked questioningly at Leah, as if she didn
’
t know where she was or why. Her face turned solemn, and she seemed to remember the events that brought her to Leah
’
s apartment. Her stomach growled.
“
Is there anything to eat here?
”

“
Yeah, and I waited for you to eat lunch. So get up, splash some water on your face, and meet me in the kitchen for my famous grilled cheese and a big salad.
”

Roxie stretched.
“
I
’
ll be right in. But skip the salad for me. Do you have any chips?
”

The phone rang. Leah shook her head.
“
No chips, sorry,
”
and raced out to answer it. It took several rings before she could locate the receiver, which had slipped between the couch cushions.
“
Hello,
”
she said, hoping she had caught it before the call went to voice mail.

“
Hey, Leah. I was just about the hang up and try your cell.
”

“
Hi, Jonathan. No, I
’
m here. What
’
s up?
”

“
I want to check on a time for tonight.
”

Leah smacked her head lightly with her hand. She had forgotten about their dinner plans.
“
You know what, Jonathan? There
’
s been an unexpected turn of events here with Roxie, which I
’
ll tell you about later. The thing is, we
’
re going to eat lunch now, so I doubt I
’
ll want dinner. Why don
’
t you come by around seven, and we can go out for a drink or something at Caribbean Café?
”

“
How
‘
bout we go to one of the places on the beach that have a band?
”

“
I have some things I want to talk over with you and I
’
d prefer not to compete with the music. Tell you what. Let
’
s start at Caribbean and we can head down The Strip to hear some music afterward.
”

“
That
’
ll work. See you later then.
”

She hung up and walked into the kitchen, where Roxie was already seated at the table, helping herself to the spread Leah had put out for them. Leah poured cold water into their glasses.
“
Sorry, all I have is water. Although we could get something else from one of the vending machines at the pool if you want.
”

“
Water
’
s perfect. I think I
’
m dehydrated from all the drinking and dancing I did last night.
”

“
Feeling better now that you slept, Rox?
”

“
Physically, much better. Emotionally—I don
’
t know. It
’
s going to take me a while to sort all this out.
”

“
I suspected that might be the case, so I went ahead and made some plans for us for the next couple of weeks.
”

“
Couple of weeks? What are you talking about?
”

Leah told Roxie about her phone calls with Debbie and Ali.
“
I called my brother and arranged for us to go up to Philly with Mitzi. They have a dog, so it
’
s not a problem. And they have two empty bedrooms. We have plenty of time to see the babies, help Debbie out, and maybe take a train into New York for a weekend shopping spree with Debbie and Ali—just the girls. Sound good?
”

Roxie looked stunned.
“
You want me to come to this family thing? I don
’
t know anything about taking care of babies, Leah. And what about work?
”

“
What about it? You haven
’
t taken a vacation in…forever. They won
’
t close down without you. And, more importantly, we
’
ll get you away from here for a while.
Come on, we both need a break from this place. Say you
’
ll come, because I
’
m not taking
‘
no
’
for an answer!
”

Roxie sat silently for a few moments, looking at Leah while she thoughtfully munched on her sandwich.
“
I
’
m not sure triple doses of baby poop will be a welcome change, but some time away and a weekend in New York is appealing. When do you want to leave?
”

“
Tuesday. And I was thinking about driving up. We could have a real adventure, Rox. You know, like
Thelma and Louise.
”

Roxie
’
s eyes widened, and she began to choke on her lunch.
“
Leah,
”
she gasped,
“
they drove off a cliff at the end!
”

Leah handed her a glass of water.

“
So, maybe that
’
s not such a good idea. We
’
ll fly.
”

The two women broke into gales of laughter.

After Roxie recovered, she nodded her head at Leah.
“
I should be able to pull it together in one day. Listen, I don
’
t want to go back to my place tonight, even to get my things. Drop me off there tomorrow. I need some time to get packed and clear up some things at work. I
’
ll meet you back here tomorrow night.
”

“
Great. I
’
m going out for a while tonight with Jonathan, though. Will you be all right by yourself for a couple of hours, or should I call him and cancel?
”

“
Don
’
t be ridiculous.
”
Roxie motioned to Leah
’
s laptop, which was open on the counter.
“
You know, the other night you started to tell me about some project you
’
re working on, and I didn
’
t want to listen. I
’
m sorry. Tell me about it now.
”

“
Actually, Rox, I had a major breakthrough this morning after you went to bed. I did a rough draft, an outline or sorts, for a new book—a novel, this time. Same subject matter as
Sexcess,
but from a different perspective. Maybe you could take a look at it later and tell me what you think. It
’
s pretty radical.
”

“
You know me. I like radical. Sure, I
’
d love to see what you
’
ve done.
”

Leah pointed to a stack of papers next to the laptop.
“
It
’
s all printed out, ready for you to read, whenever you get a chance.
”

“
Let me get my glasses, and I
’
ll start right now.
”
Roxie got up and looked around.
“
Where
’
s my purse, anyway?
I should check my phone to see if I got any calls.
”

“
I put all your things on the chair in Ali
’
s room.
”
Leah caught Roxie
’
s arm as she headed out of the kitchen for her purse.
“
Rox, do you mean, check to see if D.J. called?
”

“
I get calls from clients, too, you know. But, I do want to see if he called. I
’
m not sure how he
’
s going to react to all that happened. I
’
m hoping I
’
ve overreacted and the whole thing will blow over. But I won
’
t know until I hear from him.
”

“
And what if there
’
s a message from him saying he
’
s sorry? Will you see him again?
”

“
No way. I have a bad feeling about this, Leah. I want to know that he
’
ll leave me alone.
”

“
If you feel that scared, then I won
’
t go out tonight.
”

“
Stop it. First of all D.J. doesn
’
t know where I am, or where you live, even if he wanted to come looking for me.
”

“
Even so. I
’
m really glad you
’
re coming with me to Philly.
”

“
Look, I
’
m going to check my messages, then curl up in bed with your manuscript. Go out with Jonathan. Just give me all the juicy details when you come home.
”

“
Believe me, after your experiences, my love life will hardly seem juicy.
”
Leah smiled coyly.
“
But, it
’
s been nice the last few times with Jonathan. I want to take things slow, though. It
’
s just that he
’
s so good to me and good in bed, too. Kind of hard to resist, you know?
”

“
You deserve some TLC, Leah. Don
’
t deny yourself loving from a good man.
”

“
I think it
’
s more about getting love from ourselves. I
’
m tired of molding myself to accommodate someone else
’
s expectations—real or imagined. I think that once I
’
m happy with who I am, I
’
ll be able to attract the right man. Or, maybe there is no Mr. Right. But, I think it
’
s more important to be Ms. Right for Me than Mrs. Right for Him.
”

“
And you think you can be truly happy without a man in your life?
”

“
Look, at the end of the day, we all want a warm body to curl up next to. But I want that warm body to respect me as much I love and respect him. I won
’
t settle for less again, even if it means being alone.
”

“
What do you think Jonathan wants?

“
I
’
m not sure. But I
’
m going to tell him what I want tonight. I
’
d like to see my agenda at the top of the list for once.
”

“
Go for it.
”

“
Listen, Rox, I
’
ve been up since five this morning. I want to take a nap, and then shower before Jonathan comes. Can you walk and feed Mitzi?
”

“
Sure, go ahead. You
’
ve done enough babysitting for one day.
”

Leah hugged Roxie.
“
One more thing. Wait here a sec—
”
She disappeared into the living room. When she returned, she held out a small box to Roxie.
“
This fell out of your purse when I was gathering up your stuff. What the hell is it?
”

Roxie took a look in the box in Leah
’
s hand and sighed. It was the cock ring she had bought for D.J.
“
It
’
s a sex toy. I thought it would be fun to try at the club, but now... I don
’
t want anything to remind me of last night.
”
Roxie started down the hallway to the guest suite with Leah
’
s manuscript in hand.