Associated Talent was celebrating its quarter century mark with a cocktail hour followed by a sit down dinner. Since the focus zeroed in on Kellen, Juliet was content to stand at his side and enjoy watching him. She took hold of his arm and slid her hand downward until their fingers laced and went snug. He wore a dark suit with a pop of color that came from his burgundy tie and matching pocket swatch. It was his eyes that captivated her, though. Always had. Presently they sparkled with warmth and the pleasure he found in being with people. His charisma was a powerful force because it stemmed from a point of sincerity that naturally drew people in.
As one of the newest members of the AT family, Chloe Havermill would be in attendance at tonight’s event, and Juliet expected to meet her for the first time. She owned up to being curious about the woman. Also, while she and Kellen moved deeper into the banquet room, Juliet regarded her high-heeled shoes with the rueful thought that she had deliberately dressed to impress and had taken great pains with her appearance tonight. Her hair was a free-falling tumble of curls. She reached up to adjust the shoulders of her black, short-sleeved sheath. She had purchased the garment a few weeks back, when the party invitation arrived, drawn by its neckline embellishment of tiny, sparkling crystals. Yes—she was
definitely
aiming for the confident, chic look.
Kellen continued to make the rounds, and eventually she broke away, taking up conversations with folks she knew from Associated Talent. Kellen returned to her side a short time later to deliver a ginger ale and chat with Juliet’s group for a few minutes.
The drink was chilly, sweet, and deeply appreciated. While she sipped, Juliet smiled a secretive, private smile.
The matter of pregnancy loomed larger and larger on the horizon, and she knew her evasion of the topic needed to end. The signs were becoming irrefutable. Each morning, and now even during the early hours of the afternoon, a dizzy-hot sickness would overwhelm her. The lack of a monthly cycle continued, and so did a growing, all-over sense of being drained and exhausted. She could almost feel her body expending every ounce of energy on the process of creation and sustaining not just one life, but two.
The more time that passed, the more her fears about being pregnant evaporated. She finally allowed herself to embrace the truth her body telegraphed in the slight thickening of her waist, the added fullness of her breasts. Irrational, perhaps, but she still refused to confirm her condition via a pregnancy test. Instead, she had scheduled an appointment with her gynecologist for Monday morning, and she prayed fervently about the outcome.
Confirmation would be the answer to so many longings…
Bursting on the inside, Juliet sipped her drink again, absorbing the burst of spice against her tongue. She slid a glance toward Kellen, wishing she could tell him the news—but no way would she do that until after Monday’s doctor appointment offered verification. Tonight she intended to relax and enjoy a lovely episode of mixing and mingling as she caught up with friends and Kellen’s colleagues.
After a dinner of broiled salmon, fluffy wild rice and fresh fruit, Juliet excused herself from the table to pay a visit to the ladies’ room.
Standing at one of the empty marble pedestal sinks, she opened her evening bag and pulled out a tube of lipstick along with a hair comb. She started to re-fluff her hair.
A set of doors separating a sitting area from the bathroom stalls swung open and in strode two young ladies she didn’t recognize. They both offered her a polite nod. Juliet smiled and finished with her hair. Despite the press of bodies and humid warmth, it had held up pretty well.
The new arrivals lined up next to Juliet and began to primp as well.
“I love these parties.” The woman closest to Juliet offered that verdict to her friend while she brushed on some face powder. Her cheeks were a bit too red, and she propped a hip against the sink, as though wanting to steady herself. Juliet wondered if the woman hadn’t perhaps indulged in a bit too much alcohol. “They’re always so rife with drama and gossip.”
Her friend perked up, arching a brow while she styled her hair. “Oh? What have I missed?”
“Jason just introduced me to that new singer he’s producing for. Chloe Havermill.”
Juliet uncapped her lipstick, but froze for an awkward second or two when the conversation turned to Chloe. She had not been formally introduced to her yet, but she had watched the artist from a distance during the course of the night.
“Oh...yeah…I know the girl you mean. What a knock-out. She’s going to be mega.”
Juliet grabbed hold of enough grace to keep from sinking on the inside. Knock-out and mega were appropriate terms. Statuesque, brimming with confidence, Chloe presented a polished image. She was decked out in an appealing pale blue satin dress that covered modestly, but emphasized a perfect figure.
“No doubt. Jay’s really excited to be working with her, for sure, but man did he have some scoop!”
“He better be careful about scoop mongering—he’s just entered the big leagues. He’s so lucky to be producing at Summit.”
“No doubt—but I know I can tell
you
.”
“Of course!”
They laughed...a little too loud. “Well, it’s like I said, non-stop drama. Apparently Chloe is getting way too friendly with her agent.”
Juliet froze.
What?
She clung to the edge of the sink and squeezed hard. Obviously these two had no idea they were standing next to the
wife
of Chloe’s agent. They continued to freshen up and never even looked her way.
“What makes him say that?”
“He
saw
them together! He actually
caught
them—
kissing
.” Juliet’s neighbor turned fully toward her friend, apparently enjoying the moment of revelation. “He said it was pretty steamy, too. Kicker is Jay tells me the guy is
married
! And a
Christian
!”
“Wow.”
More giggles followed as they disappeared behind stall doors. Juliet’s world rocked back and forth—then back and forth again. She kept carefully still, trying to right her equilibrium, but it was no use. Meanwhile, the two twenty-somethings continued chatting.
“Yeah, amazing, huh? I mean, can you believe that? Getting caught in the act?”
Juliet sagged against the wall to her left. Cool ceramic tile chilled her bare arm. She swallowed hard. Her head felt heavy as a boulder, and her chest had gone way too tight. She hitched a gulp of air that did nothing to nourish her lungs.
“Clandestine trysts aside, the one I feel sorry for is his wife. I wonder if she’s with him tonight. Seriously, the poor thing.”
“Yeah—I mean, once a cheater, always a cheater, you know?” Juliet heard a tongue cluck and sigh from inside the second stall. “I’ll have to notice who she is when we get back to the party.”
The enthusiasm of these two gossip girls threw Juliet over the edge of reason. She covered her mouth with a shaky hand, pressing her fingertips against her lips to keep from screaming. Silence and a couple of flushes passed by. The women washed and nodded once more to Juliet, not detecting her discomfort whatsoever as they left.
Ambushed, Juliet wished she could tumble out of this hideous nightmare, grab Kellen, and run away. Her legs refused to budge. Suddenly, they were the consistency of hardened cement.
All at once, her stomach rolled violently and clenched, beginning a severe rebellion against the fish dinner she had consumed. She dashed into the nearest stall, thanking God for the small mercy of a now empty facility. She slammed the door closed, locked it and crumpled, dropping to her knees the instant before her stomach emptied.
Agony swept through her, escaping on a weak, broken groan.
Being completely honest with herself, she had to admit: she had known something was wrong all along. She had known since that dinner at her parents’ house.
Kellen. Chloe. A kiss. Perhaps even
more
. Her
husband
. The man who held her heart in his hands, who knew its every dip and curve and had sworn, before God, to love and honor her forever and always…
A cheater. Betrayer.
The heaves that followed went dry and only served to jolt her body, sending her head into an explosion of intense, pounding pain. She needed aspirin, immediately. Juliet rose on trembling legs and exited the stall, stumbling to the closest sink. She dry-swallowed a pair of aspirin caplets and did her best to clean up, wishing like crazy she could splash cold water across her face—anything to cool the fever she felt. That wouldn’t do, of course. For now, she had no choice but to choke everything back and put on a brave—utterly false front. She had no choice but to somehow deal with the world that lurked beyond the doors of the bathroom.
As a fool.
Precious Juliet—I hold you in the palm of My hand. Go forward in My love…the love that surpasses all understanding and destroys all boundaries, all limitations.
On one level, the affirmation of those holy words lit her soul and helped her remain tethered to reality. On another, she raged.
Oh, yeah, God?
She wanted to scream.
Then
prove
it! Take me out of this nightmare! Lift me away and make it all go away! How could this possibly happen? Please, I beg of you, Lord Jesus, please don’t let this be real.
She straightened, and made the mistake of looking at her reflection in the mirror. She nearly lost it all over again. Her skin was splotchy; her eyes were way too bright and tinged by red. Hurried and scrambling, she brushed at the lines in her soiled makeup to blend it back into place; she swiped her fingertips beneath her lashes to eliminate the runny traces of black mascara.
One labored step, then another…and another. She pushed herself to keep moving, shoving open the door of the restroom to rejoin what now felt like an over-loud, over-done gathering of people with only one goal in mind: ego, fame, power-mongering and monetary gain at the expense of everything else.
The glitter-drenched world Kellen inhabited suddenly felt like the threshold of darkness and evil and held within its grip the worst form of heartbreak she could possibly imagine.
****
Where was Juliet?
Kellen scanned the room, missing the natural fit of her at his side. Intending to reconnect as soon as he grabbed some dessert, he paused at the buffet line, in front of a gurgling fountain of waving chocolate. Nice thing was that Juliet had always been comfortable mixing with the people at Associated Talent. She befriended people easily, and he was so proud of his wife. He was grateful to return to even footing in their relationship. Tomorrow would be a restful Sunday wherein he could attend church services then spend an entire day in peaceful quiet with Juliet.
One of the worst mistakes he could have ever made had transformed into a means by which to change, and reassert the best parts of his soul.
He lifted a bone china plate and plucked a foursome of strawberries from the towering display. One-by-one he coated the fruit chunks with chocolate, intending to offer a few to Juliet. The idea left him to smile; he knew she’d love the treat.
The idea of sampling one of the morsels prompted him to coat an additional berry and pop it into his mouth right away. Kellen savored the bittersweet flavors.
“So, here’s something I never knew about Kellen Rossiter. He’s a bit of a slob.”
Kellen flinched at the sound of Chloe’s light, teasing voice, but he turned politely, giving her an inquiring look.
She moved close enough to stroke a fingertip against his chin, right beneath his lower lip. Apparently, a droplet of chocolate had ended up decorating a spot just beneath his mouth. The ease of Chloe’s gesture caused alarm bells to ring. Before he could react, she swiped the droplet away.
Her gaze remained steady and probing.
Kellen moved away by two generous steps. “Chloe, don’t.” In deference to their surroundings, the command came out soft and discreet, but no less emphatic.
Chloe turned away as well, to swirl a pair of fresh berries beneath the chocolate fountain and settle them on the plate she held. Seeing her, being in her company, filled Kellen with steel-strength resolution. An instant later, he made a decision that would lead him even farther from Chloe. Weiss McDonald could assign someone else to handle her career development from now on. Kellen would make it official as soon as possible, but in a more appropriate setting.
A slice of precious, scripture-based encouragement came alive in his mind from the book of James.
Submit yourself to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you.
“What does your schedule look like on Monday?” Kellen asked.
“I’m open.”
“Let’s plan to meet in the morning. Nine-thirty or ten o’clock would be good—my office. We need to talk.” Her gaze tagged his, her eyes soft and expectant. Kellen shook his head. “Nothing has changed, Chloe. The meeting is about your career, and where it needs to go. Nothing more.”
Chloe gave him a speculative look and tossed her head to shake a wave of shimmering jet hair across her shoulder. “I’ll be there.”
Kellen gestured toward a nearby group of AT executives Chloe needed to meet. Introductions would also bring about separation. “I want to find Juliet, but first let me introduce you to—”
“Kellen?”
From behind, Juliet’s summons stopped him in his tracks. He turned, smiling at the sound of her voice—but then he got a good look at her. His smile froze on his lips and his pulse started to thunder and push. She was pale. Although she hid it well, she trembled. Kellen quickly set the plate of fruit aside.
“Juliet?” Alarm skyrocketed once he crossed to her.
“I need to leave,” she whispered. “Now.”
He took hold of her arm, because she looked as though she were about to collapse. He nodded his understanding and slipped an arm around her waist. She went taut and unyielding against him. Kellen had no idea what to make of that reaction.
Chloe stepped up just as Kellen made the first step toward leading Juliet away; his client was openly curious. “You must be Juliet Rossiter. I’ve been looking forward to meeting you.” Chloe smiled and extended her hand, likely unaware of Juliet’s quiet and desperate plea to leave the party. Kellen cringed when Juliet’s complexion faded further, if such a thing were even possible.