Stay Tuned

Chapter 49

My husband is having an affair. With his brand-new boss. Oh, I am such a fool.

I locked myself in the dressing room of the station to blow off some steam. I paced, I ranted. I cried a little.

At one point, Rick knocked on the door. “Melissa, what’s wrong?”

I didn’t answer. Like he was going to make it better.

“I know you’re in there. Your car is in the parking lot. Besides, Drew is bound to ask where you are, so

I need to be able to invent something that’s going on.”

I still didn’t answer.

“Melissa, don’t force me to come in there and make a scene. I’ll break the door down if I have to,” Rick threatened.

The thought of Rick ninja-kicking anything humored me slightly. I reached over and twisted the lock.

“Come in,” I mumbled. A quick check in the mirror showed my face was blotchy. Great. Now, I’d need a freezing-cold shower and a slab of makeup to look halfway decent.

“You know I’m seven steps away from being a black belt,” Rick added.
 
I opened the door. “You are a terrible liar, Rick.”

“Worked, though, didn’t it?” He slipped in and shut the door behind him. He clicked the lock into place.

“What in the hell is the matter with you?” He frowned. When I didn’t answer, he continued. “Well, whoever it is, I’ll hire Chuck Norris to hurt them.”

I held up my hand for him to stop asking questions. “I can’t tell you,” I snuffled and blew my nose into a tissue.

“I’m not leaving without a good explanation.”

I leaned back in the chair and pressed my fingertips onto my head. “Everything. It’s everything.”

Rick shifted his weight against the door. His voice was soothing. “Can you be more specific? It can’t be everything. Did you talk to Drew about the anchor job?”

“Not yet.”

“Did you tell Chris about the other night? About me?”

“Oh, Lord, no!” I sat up, my back ramrod straight. I’d actually thought about coming clean to Chris about the Rick situation, but now I wasn’t sure I’d ever breathe a word. What was the point, if our marriage was over?

“Right, right.” Rick nodded vigorously. “Okay.” He thought for a moment. “It’s not work. It’s not me. It’s not your daughter?”

I shook my head.

“Chris has a girlfriend?” he guessed.

The word rattled me. I clenched my hands into fists to keep from shaking. I couldn’t look Rick in the face.

“I’ll take that as a yes. Do you know if it’s true?” he asked. “Do you have any proof?”

That stopped me. Well, I didn’t know for sure. He had been working late, though that wasn’t unusual.

And Chris hadn’t lied about Tyler, but he hadn’t told me the whole story either.

And they were at a hotel. Today.

“Melissa, listen to me,” Rick urged. “I don’t know what’s going on, but I can speculate on a few things.”
He pushed away from the door, took a step closer, and crouched down to eye level. “All I’m going to say is find out for sure what’s going on first. You go home early tonight if you need to, I can handle the ten. But for right now, pull yourself together, especially if you want this job.” Rick emphasized the words for effect.

I swallowed hard and squeezed my hands together as tight as I could. He was right. I had to get composed and be professional. “We’re supposed to have dinner tonight after the six. I guess I can talk to him then.”

Rick nodded.

If Chris left, I had to have a job. Kelly’s tuition, a house payment, the car. Mother. My mind zigzagged with dizzying speed.

How can I face him at dinner tonight? What will I say?

Rick patted my shoulder. “Melissa, I’m not telling you what to do. But if you don’t want every single person at the station knowing your business, figure out a way to keep your feelings in check until after the show. You’ll have plenty of time this weekend to figure it all out.”

He paused at the door and looked at me for a long time. “Pull yourself together. You can do it.” He checked the clock on the wall. “You’ve got an hour. I’ll see you downstairs.”

“Thank you.”

“Hey Melissa?” Rick paused.

“Yes?”

“Maybe it’s not what you think.”