Chapter 22 -- Showers of Happiness
After my encounter with Emma and her shoes, the next two weeks were quite uneventful. The women were extremely preoccupied putting the final touches on the baby shower that they were throwing for Monica this coming Saturday. They were hustling about and constantly on the phone ordering everything they could think to buy. It was quite a scene to witness, though it did allow me to fly under the radar while I sorted myself out further.
Things at home had changed a little. Penny had basically scraped her own rules and was spending every night with that Vivian didn't. She would even sneak in and snuggle with me some mornings when Vivian got up just to steal another 15 or 20 minutes. I was really moved by her dedication and motivation. Plus, I was massively in love with her; there was no avoiding that truth at all.
The game activity had been put on the back burner as the women worked on making sure the shower was perfect. I didn't mind at all. This was important to all of them and it really meant the world to Nikki, who, despite her false bravado, was still very nervous about being a mom. I was feeling really good about things until that Friday afternoon when the phone rang at my desk.
"Adams and Cartwright," I answered professionally.
"Hey kid," Bill greeted me. "How's life in Burbank?"
"Things here are well, Bill," I assured him. "How are you and Bonnie doing?"
"We are just fine," he admitted. "Bonnie keeps asking for you."
"She is too sweet," I complimented. "Please send her my very best. To what do I owe this call?"
"I need you to get everyone together and call me back," Bill instructed me. "I have some very concerning information for you all."
"Ok, give me ten minutes," I said clearly.
"Great," Bill declared as he hung up.
I bolted out of my chair and headed for Nikki's desk. She looked up at me quickly.
"Who's here," I asked her bluntly.
"Everyone," she disclosed cautiously. "Penny is in with Emma and Brooke is in with her sister."
"Ok, I need everyone in the conference room, now," I informed her. "You get Emma and Penny."
I didn't wait for a response. I turned and headed right for Leslie's office. I burst into the doorway and told both of them that we had an emergency meeting in the conference room. Brooke jumped up immediately and moved past me with a smile. She was as charming and delightful as ever. Leslie, however, sat there and waited. I stared at her, wondering what she was doing.
"Is something wrong," I asked gently.
"Not at all," she replied, not looking at me. "I will be right there."
"Not good enough," I declared.
I walked over to her desk and grabbed her hand. I helped her stand and then guided her around her desk. She stopped in front of me, our hands still together.
"I'm sorry about what happened in Vegas," she said softly.
"Don't worry," I responded playfully. "I will make you pay for that next time we are alone."
Leslie laughed at my response and finally started to begin to get past it. We left her office hand-in-hand and made our way to the conference room. Everyone was waiting on us and all of the women were staring at me. I grabbed the speaker phone and dialed quickly as Leslie took a seat.
"Hey kid," Bill greeted me again.
"We're all here Bill," I informed him over the box. "What's going on?"
"I have some interesting information for you all," he informed us. "I had some of my best people do a background check on Miss Kylie Samson."
"This doesn't sound good," Leslie commented.
"Well, you tell me," Bill continued. "Kylie Alison Samson, age 37. She divorced multi-millionaire Edwin Samson, a Texas oil-man, last year after 4 years of marriage. She hammered him in the divorce, citing that Edwin had seduced her sister."
"That's fucked up," Penny declared. "But, I still don't like her."
"You shouldn't," Bill agreed. "Edwin's attorneys argued that Kylie and her sister were setting him up to gain a large settlement. You're all gonna love this part. Edwin has sued Kylie twice, losing both times, in an effort to make her return to using her maiden name, Deville."
That information just hung out there for a moment as each of us tried to make the connection. The light bulb went on for several of us, including Leslie.
"So Sienna is her sister," Leslie clarified.
"Bingo," Bill confirmed.
"Now that's fucked up," I noted.
"There's no way she was in Vegas by accident," Brooke suggested.
"I would guess not," Bill concurred. "I don't know how this is going to play out, but you all be careful. Get Mindy and Vivian up to speed as soon as you can. This isn't going to stay a secret very long."
"Bill, thank you," Emma said softly.
"Anything for you, blondie," Bill replied. "Ok, I am off to take Bonnie to dinner. Talk to you all soon."
The line on the speaker box went out and Bill was gone. We all just sat there, no words were exchanged, we just sat in silence.
"We have a shower to finalize for tomorrow," Penny announced as she stood up from the table. "There's a lot to do so let's go do it."
"Penny's right," Emma agreed. "We have this information and they don't know we have it. The next move is theirs. Right now, let's just go about our business."
"I will call Vivian and Mindy," Nikki volunteered. "They should know."
I nodded in agreement as I rose from my seat at the table. The rest of that day was a blur. I couldn't help but wonder where they might take this. Sienna was a piece of work, but her sister seemed to be worse, with a lot more money. My own thoughts drove me crazy until I reached home that night. I am not sure what time I fell asleep, but when I opened my eyes during the night I found Penny curled up under my left arm and Vivian curled up under my right. I did a double-take to make sure I was not imagining this but it was very real. These women were certainly something.
The ladies were out of house early on Saturday morning, to help setup for the shower. They wanted everything to be perfect which left me all alone at home. I slept in and tried to keep my mind off of Kylie and Sienna. I got up after 11am, feeling great. I had a cup of coffee and played some online poker to distract myself. I had a small sandwich for lunch and then sat down to watch a movie. I knew this was one of few opportunities to watch something the ladies wouldn't like, so I grabbed a western. This was shaping up to be a great day until my cell phone rang. It didn't matter who it was, this phone call was going to keep me from watching my movie, and I just knew it. I didn't even bother checking the caller id.
"Hello," I answered in a disgruntled tone.
"I need help," Leslie whined on the other end of the phone.