And off they go.
Leaving me and Penley.
Chapter 55
FOR ONCE I DON’T wake up drenched in sweat and screaming from the dream. That’s because I never go to sleep that night.
No, I don’t hurt Penley, or even say boo to her in their bedroom. I hide behind the sofa, barely moving a muscle, for another hour until I’m convinced it’s safe to slip out undetected. Out of the apartment, that is.
Leaving the building is another story.
It’s a lot easier to sneak in than it is to sneak out. Hey, Adam, would you mind looking in the bathroom again for my purse?
I don’t think so.
So I hang out in the stairwell off the penthouse until morning. A new day, a new doorman – and if Louis pauses from his imaginary sword fight with Sean to ask why he didn’t see me come in, I’ll just joke about him going blind or having Alzheimer’s.
I try to sleep, Lord knows I’m exhausted enough, but concrete steps make for a lousy pillow. After an hour or so, I give up on the hope of catching any Z’s, choosing instead to plan in my head every detail of Michael’s and my honeymoon.
The Caribbean? Maybe the Bahamas and the One amp; Only Ocean Club? Venice and the Gritti Palace? The French Riviera?
All I know is that when we get back, Sean can sleep in our bed whenever he wants. In fact, maybe for our honeymoon we’ll take the kids to Disney World. Why not?
At about five-fifteen, I hear the first signs of life on the other side of the stairwell door. It’s Michael leaving for his office. Five-fifteen? That’s even earlier than usual. I suppose that’s what a night in the guest room will do to you.
At about a quarter to eight, it’s my turn. For the second day in a row, I’m early for work. If I keep it up, I might just get a raise!
I let myself into the apartment. Again.
“My, someone looks tired,” says Penley with an obnoxious grin as I greet her in the kitchen. “You must have had a late night.” Wink-wink, nudge-nudge.
It takes me a second to catch her drift. My blind date with Stephen seems like a week ago, or like it didn’t even happen.
“I want all the details,” she insists.
I’m too tired and in no mood, especially because there isn’t much to tell. “He was very nice,” I say.
Penley frowns, then she shakes her head. “You’re going to have to do better than that, Kristin.”
I thought as much. So I ply her with some mindless details about the dinner, and while I don’t come right out and say it, I make it clear that her gym friend is not “my type.” For sure, I don’t want her pushing for a second date.
Then she surprises me. “Yeah, Stephen pretty much felt the same way.”
“You spoke to him already?”
“Hope you don’t mind,” she says with a shrug. “He’s a friend, after all, and I was curious.”
I can see that.
She turns and pours herself another steaming cup of c-offee, which looks delicious, by the way. One day she might actually ask if I want one.
“You know, Stephen got the sense that you were already seeing someone.”
Thanks, pal!
“I tried to assure him I’m not,” I say. “It’s a little funny to hear that, though, given he still seems hung up on his ex-girlfriend.”
“You think so?”
“Absolutely. Did you know she’s a married woman, by the way?”
Her eyes go wide. Apparently not.
“He neglected to mention that,” she says with a smirk. “I apologize.”
Penley? Apologizing?
“For what?” I ask.
“Thinking Stephen was right for you. I don’t approve of that sort of thing. He should know better,” she says, frowning. “Don’t you agree?”
Oh, the irony.
Chapter 56
I STRUGGLE TO STAY awake while I walk the kids to school. I’ve got one eye just about closed, the other trained on Dakota, as I still wonder what’s going through her mind.
Indeed, she wasn’t quite herself yesterday, spending most of the time in her room. Her daddy and I were only talking behind those hedges out in Westport, but the whole vibe of the moment must have seemed a little less than innocent. Eventually, I take Dakota’s hand in mine, and she lets me.
“Hey, Miss Kristin, guess what?” chirps Sean as we march across the street at Madison and 76th. “You were in my dream last night!”
Oh, great…double trouble.
For the last couple of blocks before Preston Academy, I listen to Sean explaining his dream in great detail. Apparently he and I had a picnic on the moon.
“Or was it Mars?” he wonders.
The details are a little fuzzy, but what’s clear is that he has no recollection of my being in his room. Hallelujah. One less thing to worry about.
That leaves only about a dozen others. What’s bumming me out the most, I think, is that after all I went through last night, I wasn’t able to snap a shot of Michael. I was so spooked by nearly getting caught that all I could think about was escaping from the apartment as soon as possible.
“Okay, my angels,” I say, kneeling just outside the gates of Preston Academy. “Have a wonderful day, listen to your teachers, and I’ll be here this afternoon to pick you up.”
“Bye,” says Sean, and he kisses me on the cheek.
“Thanks,” says Dakota. “Just for being nice.”
As always, I watch their mad dash to join their friends and head inside the school. When Sean falls behind, Dakota stops and sticks out her hand, patiently waiting. My heart sighs.
It’s settled. Michael and I are definitely taking them to Disney World for our honeymoon!
I turn and head back toward Fifth Avenue, a different song – finally – playing in my head. “It’s a small world after all…”
Less than a block later, my cell phone rings. What’s this?
Serendipity! It’s Michael. I knew it was only a matter of time before he called.
“I was just thinking of you,” I say.
“Not as much as I’ve been thinking of you, Kris. I’ve missed you so much!”
Before I can say ditto, he apologizes.
“For what?” I ask. “That’s what I should be doing. I’m so sorry for what I did. I’m mortified.”
“No, it was wrong of me to cancel on you. Penley is such a bitch,” he says. “I should’ve never gone out to Westport.”
“That makes two of us.”
We laugh, and he simply couldn’t be any sweeter. It doesn’t take long for me to make the connection to the rotten night he had sleeping with Sean and Dumba in the guest room. If only he knew I saw it all firsthand.
It’s amazing, really. For everything I’ve said and done as part of my Dump Penley campaign, my efforts are no match for Penley herself. At this rate, Michael might even dump her by the Fourth of July.
Independence Day.
What fireworks that would be!
“I’ve got another business dinner this evening,” says Michael, “but I want to make sure we’re together tomorrow night. Anything you want, we’ll do it, okay?”
“You’ve got yourself a date,” I answer.
“God, I’m so lucky to have you.”
“Don’t you forget it!”
We say good-bye, laced with I love you s, and I put my cell phone away. Opening my shoulder bag, I see that the lens cap has fallen off my camera. As I snap it back on, I notice something else.
I loaded a new roll of film before sneaking into Michael and Penley’s apartment last night. Since I didn’t snap a single picture, the shot counter should still read 0.
Only it reads 1.
Chapter 57
MAYBE THE CAMERA JOSTLED in my bag, triggering the shutter. It could happen. Especially these days.
But there’s another possibility…
The thought immediately spins me around. Now I’m walking in the opposite direction.
Out comes my cell phone again, and I call Penley. Actually, I call her answering machine, since I know she’s still at the gym. Not that she’d pick up anyway.