“Oh, yeah. With the long, blond pretty hair?” I sat up straighter as I tried to figure out why she was calling me.
“That’s me.” She hesitated. “I thought long and hard about whether I should tell you this, but my husband left me for another woman, and I just feel like . . . Well, I wish someone had told me. Everyone I knew covered it up.” She took a deep breath like she was trying to get up the nerve to continue. “Your husband was with someone that night.”
I inhaled sharply as I gripped the phone tighter.
“What?” Felise mouthed. “Who is that? What’s going on?”
I held up a finger for Felise to wait.
“Do you know who it was?” I managed to ask.
“I have no idea. But they were at the bar for a while. I noticed them when I went on my break because I thought he was attractive. Later, he came and got the room, went back to the bar, then went upstairs. She followed shortly after. They were trying to make it seem like they weren’t together, but I’ve been doing this job long enough to know when someone is creeping.”
I choked back tears, although I didn’t know whether to cry or scream.
“I really don’t want to sully your husband’s memory, and I hope that I don’t make things worse by telling you, but I remembered everyone trying to make me think I was crazy when I told them my husband was cheating, and I was right. I just wanted you to know that your instincts were right.”
“But you don’t have any details?”
“No, like I said, she didn’t come to the front desk with him.”
“What did she look like?”
“Honestly, I didn’t get a good look because her back was to me. But she was a tall woman, real pretty dark skin, beautiful hair. She was trying real hard not to be seen, which is why I noticed her in the first place.”
Well, that didn’t give me much. Based on her description, that could be practically anyone.
“Please don’t tell anyone I called you,” Lori said. “I could lose my job.”
“I won’t. Thank you so much.” I hung up the phone and fell back against the sofa.
“What’s going on?” Felise asked again.
“That was the hotel clerk at the Four Seasons. Steven was with someone.”
Felise’s mouth dropped open.
“I knew I wasn’t crazy.” I wiped away the tears that had once again started making their way down my cheeks. I hadn’t even realized I was crying.
“D-did she say who it was? What she looked like?”
I shook my head. “She didn’t get that good of a look at her.”
Felise was in as much shock as me.
“Hard to believe your perfect friend wasn’t so perfect after all, huh?” I managed to say, my voice a mixture of sarcasm and anger.
It took her a while to compose herself, but finally she said, “Why would that lady call you with that?”
“Because she knew I was going crazy and needed some answers.” I don’t know what good it did me, but I was grateful to at least know.
“So what answers do you have now?” Felise asked.
That was a good question. Yes, my suspicions were confirmed, but really, all I had now was more hurt.
“Exactly,” Felise continued when I didn’t respond. “Let this go and remember the man you loved and who loved you. That’s all that matters.”
Through tear-filled eyes I said, “I wish that it was as easy as that.”
This time she didn’t say anything. She took me in her arms and held me until the tears stopped coming.
33
Felise
I HAD TO PSYCH MYSELF up to step inside the rotating door. I hadn’t returned to the Four Seasons since that night, but Sabrina and her veiled comments were driving me mad. She sent me a text yesterday that said, How’s Paula? When I replied, asking her what she was up to, she didn’t respond. Just like she hadn’t returned my call the other day. I really think she was trying to make me sweat. I needed to get to the bottom of what she knew and what she wanted and I didn’t need to wait another day. Especially now that this hotel clerk had confirmed for Paula that Steven was here with someone else, I needed to nip this in the bud right away.
I pushed my shades up on my face and kept my head low. I didn’t want to take any chances on anyone recognizing me.
I’d already called to make sure Sabrina was working tonight. I spotted her immediately, giggling as she flirted with two men at the end of the bar. She was good at what she did. Too bad she’d dropped out of school and hadn’t taken her talents any further than this.
I slid onto a bar stool and waited until she noticed me.
“Well, well, well.” Sabrina strutted toward me. “I was wondering when you’d come.” She placed a coaster in front of me. “What can I get for the great Felise Mavins?”