“I hope so. It’s been a lot of work. When we moved it here and I properly examined it, I wasn’t sure I could preserve it, but I found a guy locally who helped me repair the wood and recreate the spiral designs in a few places.”
“You’re so talented.” She smiles at me. “Mom is going to love this.”
This sideboard has been in Olivia’s family for generations, and she cried tears of joy when we found it in the old attic of the only outbuilding that survived the fire all those years ago. We didn’t even realize there was an attic until the kids were messing around in there and threw a ball up at the ceiling, leaving a hole and evidence there was stuff stored up there. The original hatch had been sealed and covered, but we managed to reopen it and discovered a whole treasure trove of antiques Olivia thought had been lost.
“Thanks, Abby. Do you want to sit outside? I have iced tea I made earlier.”
“Sounds perfect.” Abby opens the glass doors to the small patio I built a few years ago. It’s on the other side of the garden and private. When I need to think, I often come here. She takes a seat on the wicker couch while I get the jug from the mini refrigerator and glasses from the shelf. I set our drinks down on the circular coffee table before sinking onto the couch alongside my best friend.
“Is there news about Oli?” I ask in between sips of the refreshing drink. Maybe I’m presumptuous, but many of the times Abby has needed to talk to me this past year it’s been about the situation with her eldest son. I don’t think this time is any different unless something else has cropped up.
“He got arrested,” she says, and my mouth trails the ground. “It was a couple weeks ago. He got in a fight, and when the cops were called, they found oxy on him. He swears it isn’t his, and we want to believe him, but…”
“Yeah.” I squeeze her hand. “It’s hard when you feel like you don’t know your kid anymore.”
She nods. “I know he’s still my Oli inside, but he’s changed so much, and I’m beyond terrified, Demi.”
“It’s natural. I would be too.” Henry is a moody little shit at times, and Charlie is entering his tween rebellious stage, but we’re lucky we haven’t had any major issues with our kids. At least not yet, and I hope it stays that way.
“Drew, Thena, and Arlo are the only other ones who know,” she explains. “It’s not that we want to keep it a secret, but we don’t think Oli would appreciate everyone knowing.” She toys with the material of her dress. “He still won’t talk to us.” Tears prick her eyes, and I slide my arm around her slim shoulders. “He seems to have two settings these days. Broody and angry, and he’s shutting us all out. I’m imagining all kinds of things, and now Kai is talking about checking his cell and computer and actively monitoring the tracking devices on his car and phone. He even mentioned siccing a PI or bodyguard on him and…” She bursts out crying, and my heart hurts as I pull her into a hug.
Our kids have been super close growing up, and her kids are like an extension of my own. This hurts us too as does the massive fallout Oli and Henry have had, which is clearly connected.
“Sorry.” She swipes at the tears still falling down her face while grabbing a tissue from her purse. “I can’t stop crying. I’m so worried about him, and I hate the thought of spying on my son, but we’re desperate.”
“Let me try Henry one final time. If I have your permission, I’ll tell him about the arrest; that might prompt him to come clean. He’s got to know what’s going on.”
“It’s like you’re a mind reader.” She smiles sadly. “I came here to ask you that.”
“Don’t get your hopes up, Abby. I mentioned Oli yesterday, and he clammed up and got angry as usual. But I’ll ask. I’ll try to get him to tell me what’s going on.”
Chapter Seven
Vanessa
All the blood drains from my face as I stare at the headline displayed on one of the online gossip sites. Not this again. A solid weight sits on my chest, and I rub at the ache building there. It’s no wonder my phone has been pinging like crazy. I had switched it off while I was at my appointment this morning, and I forgot to turn it back on while I walked for hours through Central Park in complete and utter shock, trying to digest the news. All the euphoria I was feeling is gone in a flash, superseded by this crap.
Fuck. I hope the kids haven’t seen this yet. Ren is in The Hamptons this week, and Danielle is on an overnight camping trip with the girl scouts, so I won’t be on hand if they discover it before we get a chance to tell them.
While I know the report is bullshit, it still hurts. I skim through the first couple paragraphs. They have direct quotes from Jackson’s assistant supposedly confirming their “affair.” Conniving bitch. I knew she was trouble the minute I met her, and I warned my husband she’d make a play for him. I click out of the article, X out of the site, and shut down the internet. No good will come from going down that rabbit hole.
I press play on the message Jackson left on my phone. It’s short and sweet. Telling me it’s bullshit, he’ll handle it, he loves me, and asking me to warn the kids. He ends with saying we are all to stay off the internet. I try calling him back repeatedly on his cell, but it goes straight to his voicemail every time. I’m tempted to call the office line, to speak to that little witch directly, but I’ll probably end up saying something I regret.
This isn’t my first rodeo, and I won’t make the same mistakes I made the last time some ho tried to damage Jackson’s reputation, ruin his career, hurt his marriage, and upset his kids. It’s all too easy for these women to twist things to suit their agenda, and the court of public opinion isbrutal.
My cell vibrates with an incoming call, and my heart plummets when I see it’s our son calling and not Jackson. This can only mean one thing. “Ren. Are you okay?”
“Areyou?” he asks in a clipped tone.
“I take it you’ve seen the stuff online.”
“Yes,” he says through gritted teeth. “I can’t believe this is happening again.” He was only ten the last time, a year younger than Danielle is now, and while we were able to shelter him from a lot of it, it still devastated him.
“I warned your father about her, but she’s the daughter of one of their sponsors, and he didn’t want to ruffle feathers by firing her.”
“Dad needs to learn to listen to you. That’s exactly what he should’ve done.”
“He tries to see the best in everyone.” It’s one of the things I admire most about Jackson. Despite everything that’s happened in the past, he looks to see the good in people. It takes courage to trust people, and I hate how some gold-digging bitches consistently test that trait.
