“Not just the paper,” Vanessa responded. “Apparently, he’s told that to young Cindy, too. Karl’s slimy demeanor must have tipped your sheriff off, so he did a background check on him and found it terribly interesting when he discovered I am in fact alive.”
Janae propped her elbow on the table, using her fork to punctuate every word she spoke. “So, what exactly did Michael want? Karl is obviously an asshole, but that’s not your business anymore.”
“He wants me to come down and talk to his sister. To warn her off of Karl.”
“And your response?” Janae stabbed one of the oversized shrimp on her plate a little harder than was necessary to get it on her fork and slid it into her mouth. “Please tell me you agreed.”
Vanessa tilted her head to the side, slightly surprised by Janae’s response. “I could’ve sworn you were gonna tell me to leave the pettiness alone and move on with my life. Why aren’t you telling me that?”
Cree cackled loudly enough that if anyone else had been in the private dining room with them, they surely would’ve turned around to see what all the fuss was about.
“You do realize you’re talking to the queen of petty here, right? This is the same person who, when someone kept stealing her lunch out of the staff break room, she put a laxative in a homemade slice of chocolate pie to teach them a lesson.” Vanessa nodded asshe recalled Janae recounting this particular tale. “Of course she’s telling you to stick it to your ex any chance you get.”
Cree’s assessment of their friend resonated with Vanessa. If you pissed Janae off, she would not stop until she got you back.
“I bet you Dr. Glenn never opened a container with my name on it again after that. Never mind that, though. What did you say?”
“I agreed to come down.”
Cree narrowed her eyes as she shook her head. “You’re leaving out something. Like I said, Janae is the queen of petty. She would drive the almost one hundred miles between you and us to do this. That’s not your style. What aren’t you telling us?”
Damn Cree and her perceptive nature. It was why she was one of the best advertising executives in the business. She knew how to read between the lines and get to the nitty-gritty of the important, unspoken things people often left out.
“The ring Cindy’s wearing.” She took a breath, trying to fight the embarrassment attempting to climb up out of the pit of her gut to silence her. “It’s mine. Or rather, it was my grandmother’s. My father gave it to Karl to propose to me with. The judge awarded it to me in the divorce.”
Janae dropped her fork onto her plate and sat tall against the back of her chair. “How did he get it if you won it in the divorce?”
“He stole it. Because the last I remember, it was in a drawer in my walk-in closet.”
Janae’s left eye twitched, making Vanessa slightly afraid she’d do something rash like stalk out of there to find Karl herself.
“Get that motherfucker.”
Vanessa shrugged. “The only thing I plan to get is my grandmother’s ring. I’m gonna go talk to Cindy, and once I do, Michael will give me my ring. Whatever happens to Karl after that isn’t my business. Although I can’t lie and say I’d be disappointed if me coming down to expose him for the liar he is blows up whatever little scam he’s got going.”
Janae placed a warm hand on Vanessa’s, sensing her need for comfort. “You sure you’re all right with this? Just because I’m petty enough to do something like this doesn’t mean you have to be. Granted, after the way that jerk cheated on you, I can understand why you’d want to steer clear of him.”
The truth hung heavy on Vanessa’s tongue. She’d led her friends to believe the demise of her marriage was caused by Karl’s cheating. Sitting here, however, feeling the comfort they granted her once again, she knew she couldn’t tell them half-truths anymore.
“Karl’s cheating would be more than a good enough reason for me to stick it to him.” She swallowed hard, trying to push down the fear and embarrassment that threatened to overwhelm her. “But I’m doing this because after suffering from Karl’s emotional abuse, I can’t sit by and watch it happen to another unwitting victim without doing something to intervene.”
The room was quiet for a moment. The silence was so profound she longed to fidget under its weight until she felt Janae’s hand squeeze hers.
“I suspected as much,” Janae whispered. She must have sensed Vanessa’s rising discomfort. When people knew about something like this, they treated you differently. And more than anything, Vanessa didn’t want to be treated like a victim or pitied by the two women sitting with her. “It wasn’t noticeable to the untrained eye. I was a floor nurse for a couple of years. Domestic violence is something they train you to recognize. I didn’t know what kind of abuse, I simply suspected it was more than just Karl’s cheating.”
Before she could turn her eyes to Cree, she heard her voice. “Janae shared her concerns with me and we both agreed that it was your story to tell in your own time, if at all. It never mattered to us, Vanessa. The only thing we cared about was that you were safe and healing.”
“Good, because I’m not allowing my past to define me, and itwould kill me if you suddenly started treating me as if I’m delicate or breakable.”
The warm glow of their smiles covered her like a favorite blanket, reinforcing the trust and security she experienced. There was comfort in knowing she could open herself up completely to these two and she would always be safe.
“Thank you for not judging me.”
“Judging you?” Janae’s voice was tender yet strong. “Why would we judge you for surviving? You did what you needed to do tosurviveand worked your behind off to rebuild your life afterward. The only person we’re judging is that slimy ex of yours.”
Janae patted her hand. “Despite what I said before about getting Karl, if you don’t feel comfortable with seeing him again, if being around him makes you feel threatened, you don’t have to do this.”
Vanessa shook her head, squeezing Janae’s hand.
