Secrets in the Marriage Bed(13)

How could Vicki fight that?





Seven



T he next morning, Vicki made Caleb some coffee and passed him his  toast, munching on a piece of bread as she worked. She wasn't feeling  particularly wifely but it had seemed petty to make breakfast for  herself and ignore him, notwithstanding the tension that thrummed  between them like a high-voltage wire.

Caleb ate quickly and stood. Picking up his coat, he headed out but  stopped before he got to the front door. "I better get an early start-I  had to let a lot of things slide yesterday."Not happy at the reminder  that the firm had a grip on him stronger than any woman's, she forced  herself to say, "Have a good day," as she walked him to the door. Still  feeling bruised from their altercation, she was finding it very hard to  act as though everything was fine.

He paused with his hand on the doorknob. "I'm not ignoring what you said  last night. I'll be home for dinner but I might have to go back to the  office afterward." His eyes met hers. "I can't change the habits of a  lifetime overnight."

Her heart warmed. At least he was willing to try to see things from her  point of view. She didn't mind if he worked late sometimes, but the  problem with Caleb was that he was so driven that sometimes could easily  turn into always. She'd learned that the hard way. "Think of it as  practice for being home at bath time and bedtime." If he was willing to  try, so was she.

The strain on his face lessened at the acceptance in her voice. "Do you want to go out for dinner?"

She shook her head. "I'd rather spend some quiet time alone. You?"

"Home. I'll aim to arrive around six."

"I'll be waiting."

After he left, Vicki quickly tidied up the house, haunted by the same  issue that had so angered her the night before. She still had no idea  what she could do for self-improvement. It depressed her how unqualified  she was to be anything other than a society wife.

She knew how to mingle, how to be the perfect hostess, how to make  people laugh and feel good about themselves, how to create contacts for  Caleb and ensure the right people met at dinners or parties-she even  knew how to soothe the worst of tempers without making a big deal of it.  What job did that qualify her for?

The harsh jangle of the phone interrupted her pity party sometime around  mid-morning. She picked it up, surprised to find Caleb on the other  end.

"I've set up an appointment for you to talk to someone," he said, sounding harassed. "She'll come by the house at eleven."                       
       
           



       

"Who?"

"Her name's Helen Smith. I've got to go, sweetheart. One of our major  client's sons got picked up for underage drinking. Imbecile. If he  wanted to drink, why didn't he ask his father? The man has a wine cellar  the size of Texas."

"I didn't know you handled things like that."

"We don't, except as a courtesy to our commercial clients. Everyone else  is tied up today so I have to make the court appearance on junior's  behalf in twenty minutes."

He hung up without further goodbyes. Surprised and mystified, she saw  that she had half an hour before her guest's arrival. Deciding her jeans  and pale pink shirt would do, she set about preparing a fresh pot of  coffee and some quick biscuits. She was pulling them out of the oven  when the doorbell rang.

She opened it to find a woman of around Caleb's age on the doorstep.  Dressed in jeans and a navy sweatshirt, she had long auburn hair pulled  into a ponytail.

"Ms. Smith?" Vicki held out her hand.

The other woman shook it. "Just Helen. You must be Victoria."

"Please come in."

In the living room, Vicki served coffee and biscuits before saying, "I'm sorry, but my husband didn't tell me much … "

Helen nodded. "He sounded very busy when he called. I'll explain. I met  Caleb a year ago when I approached Callaghan & Associates for free  legal representation in a messy case involving one of my clients."

Vicki knew that taking on pro bono work was an accepted part of Caleb's practice. He said it kept everyone honest. "I see."

"Kent Jacobs handled the case, but I believe your husband oversaw it."  Helen put down her cup and loosely linked her hands together on her  knees.

"I'm afraid I still don't see where this is going."

"I'm involved with several charities," Helen explained.

Vicki's heart sank. Was this what Caleb thought she should be doing-sitting on some charity board giving away his money?

"We have a position up for grabs. To be honest the pay sucks, but it is a paid job."

Her attention snapped back to the redhead.

"We're looking for a dedicated fund-raiser for all the charities under  an umbrella organization called Heart, someone whose sole focus will be  to continuously raise money for us."

Vicki nearly stopped breathing as she recalled her own list of accomplishments.

She knew how to mingle, how to be the perfect hostess, how to make  people laugh and feel good about themselves, how to create contacts and  ensure the right people met, and how to soothe the worst of tempers  without making a big deal of it.

Hope had scarcely started to blossom when she noticed the look on Helen's face. "What is it?"

"I'm going to be honest." The woman's expression was professional. "I'm  here as a courtesy because of the help Callaghan & Associates gave  us. This job is flexible but it's full time." She frowned, then seemed  to opt for brutal truth. "I'm leery of offering it to you. Frankly, it's  not a position created to help a bored wife fill in a few hours. We  don't need you to organize a thousand-dollar-a-plate dinner for us, then  stand back and bask in the applause. We need our fund-raiser to  constantly generate funds, to come up with new ideas month after month."

Caleb, Vicki realized, had really dropped her in it this time. This was  serious, nothing like a ceremonial board position. She wanted it so much  she could hardly breathe but Helen was right. She had no experience or  qualifications. Could she really do it? Then she remembered why Helen  had come to see her in the first place. Because of Caleb. That he  thought she was capable of this meant a great deal.

"I understand your concerns," she told Helen. "There's something else  you need to know. I'm pregnant." She was a lawyer's wife-she knew it  wasn't something she had to disclose, but she wanted every single fact  on the table.

"That wouldn't matter if you were qualified. Like I said, it's a  flexible position. And-" the other woman shrugged "-we don't have spare  office space anyway so you'd be working from home."

"I want to do this." Vicki leaned forward, speaking with all her heart.  "I know I'm not qualified and I know that to you I look like a spoiled  wife, but I'd like to be more. Give me a chance."

Helen's eyes widened. "You're serious?" She continued to gaze at Vicki for another long moment. "Yes, I can see that you are."

"Could you give me a trial period? A month? If I can't cut it, I'll walk away and you don't even have to pay me."                       
       
           



       

"Tell you what. If you deliver, we'll pay you retroactively." Helen  stood, clearly amused. "I should have known a man like Caleb Callaghan  wouldn't be satisfied with a trophy wife. You're not what I expected."

"Thank you … I think."

"Thank me after you've seen the job you've taken on. We bleed money. I'll e-mail you the relevant details."





Victoria hugged Caleb the second he walked in the door for dinner."Hey," he said. "What's this?"

She looked up into his surprised face. "For being smart enough to help  me out." Blinded by years of insecurity, she'd been fumbling in the  dark.

Instead of taking advantage of her vulnerability to push his own agenda,  Caleb had done something that showed her he was comfortable with her  developing independence. It was the vote of confidence she'd barely  dared to hope for. "I know you're busy so thank you for taking time out  for me."

He shrugged and looked a little embarrassed. "It was just an idea. My way of apologizing for being such a fool last night."

"You're forgiven." She should have known he'd speak with actions, not pretty words. "How did you think of Heart?"

"You're so good with people I figured they could use you. So, did you take it on?"

Adoring him for his belief in her, she nodded. "They're taking me on for a trial period. Let's see if I can do it."

"You can. You can focus that stubborn will into work rather than on straightening me out."

Laughing, she led him into the dining room, where she'd set up a quick  and healthy meal. "I'm going to keep working on that whether you like it  or not."