Chapter 65 RUN AWAY
Vivienne sat at her kitchen table, coffee going cold in her cup, staring at the suitcase she'd pulled out of the closet and left open on the floor.
Running shouldn't be complicated. She would only have to buy a bus ticket, pack a few belongings, and get out of the city before anyone noticed.
Simple, right?
Except nothing was simple.
Money was the first problem. She had maybe three thousand dollars in savings. Maybe. Enough to get them somewhere, rent a cheap motel for a few weeks. But then what? She'd need a new job. A new identity, probably. And that cost money she didn't have.
Noah's school was another issue. He loved Westbrook Elementary. Loved his teacher, his friends, the routine of it all. Pulling him out mid-year would be irresponsible. And even if she found a new school wherever they ended up, there would be records. Transcripts. A paper trail.
Then there was CrossLight. Her agency. Marcus's agency too, really. If she ran, it would all collapse. Marcus would lose everything. The building. The clients. Years of work. And it would be her fault.
She couldn't do that to him.
Vivienne picked up her phone and scrolled through her contacts. Stopped at Marcus's name. Her finger hovered over the call button.
What would she even say? "Sorry, I'm leaving the city because someone's blackmailing me about my secret identity and illegitimate child with a billionaire?"
She set the phone down.
"Mom?"
Noah's voice made her turn. He stood in the doorway in his dinosaur pajamas, hair sticking up in three directions.
"Morning, baby. Sleep okay?"
"Uh-huh." He padded over and climbed into the chair next to her. "What's the suitcase for?"
Vivienne's brain scrambled for an answer. "I was just checking if it still worked. In case we ever want to take a trip."
"A trip?" Noah's eyes lit up. "Where?"
"I don't know. Nowhere specific. Just thinking."
"Can we go to the beach? Jacob went to the beach last summer and he said there were crabs everywhere. Real ones. Living in the sand."
"Maybe," Vivienne said.
Noah swung his legs. "Are you okay, Mom? You look sad."
"I'm not sad."
"You have your sad face on." He pointed at her. "The one where your mouth does the thing."
"What thing?"
"This." He made an exaggerated frown, pulling the corners of his mouth down.
Vivienne laughed. "I don't look like that."
"You do sometimes. No. All the time." Noah hopped off his chair and went to the fridge. "Can I have the leftover pizza for breakfast?"
"Sure."
While Noah ate cold pizza at the table, Vivienne closed the suitcase and pushed it back against the wall.
Running wasn't an option. Not really. Too many people would get hurt. Too many loose ends.
"Mom?" Noah said through a mouthful of cheese. "You know how Rebecca said you're going to a fancy party?"
"Yeah?" Vivienne leaned in.
"Why aren't you getting ready yet?"
"Getting ready for what?"
"The party. Won't you have to dress up?"
"Sort of. There's going to be speeches and dinner and lots of people there. I guess I should dress up a little."
Noah considered this. "Will there be dancing?"
"Probably."
"Do you know how to dance at fancy parties?"
Vivienne smiled. "I think I can manage."
"Can you show me?"
"Show you what?"
"How to dance at fancy parties." Noah wiped his hands on his pajamas and stood up. "So when I go to one, I'll know what to do."
Vivienne's chest loosened. "You want me to teach you fancy party dancing?"
"Yeah! Then maybe someday I can take someone to a fancy party and I won't look stupid."
Vivienne's eyes widened at her son's confidence. Then she stood up and held out her hand. "Alright. Come here."
Noah took her hand and let her position his other hand on her waist.
"Okay, so the basic step is pretty simple. You step forward with your left foot while I step back with my right. Then side step. Then bring your feet together. Like this."
She guided him through the basic box step, counting softly. "One, two, three. One, two, three."
Noah concentrated hard, his tongue poking out between his teeth. He stepped on her foot twice. They just laughed and tried again.
"See? You're getting it," Vivienne said.
"This isn't so hard." Noah looked up at her. "Is this what you'll do at your party?"
"Something like this."
"Will you dance with someone?"
The question caught her off guard. "I don't know. Maybe."
"You should," Noah said seriously. "It's more fun when you dance with someone. That's what they always say in movies."
They continued the simple steps around the kitchen floor, Vivienne humming a melody she half remembered from somewhere.
When they finished, Noah bowed dramatically. "Thank you for the dance, madam."
Vivienne curtsied back. "You're very welcome, sir."
Noah grinned and went back to his cold pizza. "You should wear something sparkly. All the fancy party ladies in movies wear sparkly stuff."
"I'll keep that in mind."
After breakfast, Noah settled on the couch with his mythology book while Vivienne cleaned the kitchen. She washed dishes slowly, methodically, trying not to think about the last message from the blackmailer.
She had until tonight to give an answer.
But there was only one answer she could give, really. She couldn't run. Running would be stupid. And she couldn't hide. And the last thing she wanted was to let Marcus lose everything because of her problems.
She'd have to go to the gala. Yes, even if it meant facing Victoria and whoever was blackmailing her.
And hope she survived it.
The doorbell rang.
Vivienne dried her hands and went to answer it, expecting Rebecca or maybe a package delivery.
She checked the peephole first. Force of habit.
Marcus stood on the other side, holding two coffee cups and wearing his most popular happy face.
Vivienne opened the door. "What are you doing here?"
"Saving you from yourself." Marcus pushed past her into the apartment. "We need to talk."
"About what?"
Marcus set the coffees down on the table and turned to face her. "About the fact that you've been ignoring my calls all week. About the gala that's happening in six days. About the dress you're supposedly wearing that I know for a fact you haven't bought yet."
"How do you know I haven't bought a dress?"
"Because I know you. And I know that look." He pointed at her face. "That's your 'I'm going to avoid this until the last possible second' look."
"I don't have a look."
"You absolutely have a look." Marcus crossed his arms. "So here's what's going to happen. You're going to get dressed. We're going shopping. And we're finding you something to wear to this gala whether you like it or not."
"Marcus, I can't just..."
"Yes, you can. Rebecca's on her way over to watch Noah. I already called her. She'll be here in twenty minutes."
Vivienne stared at him. "You made plans already?"
"Someone has to." Marcus softened slightly. "Look, I know you're stressed. I know this whole project has been a lot. But you can't show up to the biggest night of your professional career wearing something you grabbed off the clearance rack at Target."
"What's wrong with Target?"
"Nothing. But this isn't a Target event." He picked up one of the coffees and handed it to her. "So drink your latte, get dressed, and let's go find you something that makes everyone in that room forget their own names."
Vivienne took the coffee. "You're pushy, you know that?"
"It's one of my best qualities." Marcus smiled. "Now go. We're burning daylight."