Page 115 of Turning Back
“What the fuck is happening right now?” I look at Rochelle. “Did Bric find you? Did he tell you to come home? Did you lie to me?”
“Listen,” Chella says. “I’m sure this all a misunderstanding. Rochelle came home because she missed you, Quin. Right, Rochelle?”
I look at Rochelle and she’s pale. So fucking pale. That’s not why she came home. I can tell. I can read her mind.
I look at Smith and he’s leaning up against the wall near the revolving doors, his arms crossed, big smug smile on his face. “There’s more,” he says. “Isn’t there, Rochelle?”
“Smith,” Chella barks. “Would you shut up! You’re not helping.”
Rochelle snaps out of her shock and comes up to me, taking Adley right out of my arms. “We need to go clean up. Excuse me.”
Everyone, and I do mean everyone in this tea room, watches her walk away. As soon as she disappears into the restroom, the whole place explodes in whispers.
Bric appears behind me. “I’m so sorry, everyone. Please, continue to enjoy your tea. Helen will not be back, so if you’re in her party…” He stops, like he’s thinking. “Well, just get the fuck out now. I have no tolerance for this kind of bullshit.”
He waits, but not a single woman gets up to claim that Helen woman as a friend.
“Good,” Bric growls at them. “If any of you think you’re going to come in here and start some catty bullshit, you’re mistaken. You know the rules.”
Everyone turns away from him, pretending to be interested in their tea and not the complete scene we’re making here in the back of the room.
“Well, that was quite a show,” I say. “You wanna fucking explain what the hell just happened in here?”
“No,” Bric says, combing his fingers through his hair. “We can have that discussion at home.”
“I think we should have it now,” Smith says, walking over to us.
“Smith,” Chella cautions him.
But Smith is not deterred. He’s risking Chella’s anger because he’s got something to say to me. So I put a hand up to stop her. “Just let him talk, Chella.”
“Not here,” Bric growls at us.
“Here,” I say back. And then I look Bric in the eyes. “Now.”
“Rochelle has a lot of explaining to do, Quin,” Smith says. “Do you really think I’d pay her ten thousand dollars a month to stay away for the fuck of it? Why did Rochelle leave so suddenly, Chella? You told us she took off unexpectedly. Why?”
I look at Chella. “Do you know what he’s talking about?”
She shrugs, looking confused. “Rochelle did leave unexpectedly, but—”
“But that’s not even the worst of it,” Smith says. “The worst of it is…” He stops. Like he’s got a lot more to say, but he’s not sure if he should say it.
“You might as well keep going,” I say.
“I know why she left and it’s got nothing to do with you.”
I look at Chella again. “What’s going on?”
“She doesn’t know anything,” Smith says. “I didn’t tell her. And I wasn’t going to tell you either, but I cannot let you continue this farce of a relationship, especially since you’re dragging your mother into it. There’s a very good chance Adley doesn’t belong to either of you,” Smith says.
“What?” Bric and I say together.
“She was cheating on you guys,” Smith says. “I saw her in a very heated argument with a guy on the street the day before she took off.”
“You must really hate me,” Rochelle says in a small voice from behind us. She’s standing just outside the door of the restroom. “That is some kind of hate, Smith Baldwin.” Then she looks at me. “I don’t have any idea where he’s getting this.”
“So I didn’t see you with another man the day before you took off?” Smith looks at me and shakes his head. “Don’t believe her. Don’t believe a single word she says. She comes from a long line of liars. I looked her whole family up that spring I stopped coming by. I always knew you were someone, Rochelle. You had no cares. You had no worries. You had no commitments. I looked your family up. I even made a special trip out to Palm Springs to meet your father once. What a guy. So, yes, Rochelle Bastille, you absolutely do have some idea of what I’m fucking talking about.”
