Trouble in High Heels

Chapter Three

Lori sat on her bed with Kenny by her side as she looked at the contents of the package she’d received earlier that afternoon. She couldn’t remember being this angry in her life.

She snatched another Oreo from the plateful on her bedside table, then lifted the nearly empty bottle of Cristal champagne and guzzled it straight from the bottle. She’d smashed her crystal champagne flute against her closet a couple of minutes ago.

Her personal line rang, and she was so disgusted she almost didn’t answer. Glowering, she snatched up the receiver. “Hello,” she said in a voice that sounded both slurred and cross to her own ears.

“Lori Jean? Is that you?”

Lori immediately recognized her sister Delilah’s voice, and something inside her eased. “It’s me. I am so angry at my father I could scream.”

“What’s wrong? You don’t sound like yourself at all.”

“Probably because myself is so furious I can’t stand it.”

“I know Harlan had almost as much money as the devil himself, but what could he do from the grave that would piss you off this much?”

“It’s not what he did from the grave. It’s what he did before,” she said, scooping up a pile of letters from her long-deceased mother. “Did you know Momma sent me at least three letters a week until she died? He kept them from me. Even after she died, he didn’t let me see them.”

“I’m sorry, sweetie. If it helps any, my father wouldn’t let me read them, either. He was actually worse, though. He burned them right in front of me.”

Lori knew Delilah’s father had been downright harsh. He’d even been known to beat Delilah. It was a miracle Delilah had turned out as loving and successful as she had. No one would have predicted she would marry one of the Houston Huntingtons and start having babies right away, but Delilah had always been one for the unexpected.

“Your father was a toad. He was worse than a toad,” Lori said.

“Lori, sweetie, you sound very strange. What are you drinking?”

“Cristal, but I’m balancing it with Oreos since you’re not supposed to drink on an empty stomach.” She glanced around her room. The decor hadn’t changed much since she’d first moved here as a frightened young girl so many years ago. Once Harlan had learned that his quick affair with her mother, Sunny Collins, had yielded a daughter, he’d smeared Sunny’s reputation in court and won custody so fast it made heads spin. He had been a doting but controlling father, determined that Lori not go the way of her slutty mother.

Delilah snickered. “I approve the champagne, but you’re gonna feel horrible in the morning.”

“I’ve felt horrible for the last few days, so it won’t be anything new. I knew my father was controlling, but this, this just takes the cake. Between the will and the letters, he was-”

“What about the will?” Delilah asked.

Lori winced. She hadn’t wanted Delilah to know about the will and the trust. “It’s nothing, really. He was just being his regular controlling self, wanting to control my entire life. I swear if he could have put strings on me to make me dance like a puppet, he would have done that.” She picked up another letter addressed to her in her mother’s flowery script and felt a dull pain behind her ribs. “I don’t know if I’m going to be able to forgive him for this.” She felt so betrayed, so horribly betrayed. She had longed to contact her mother, but Harlan had prevented every effort. All because he was terrified that she would end up a floozy like her mother.

“Lori? Lori Jean, are you still there?”

“Yes, I’m still here,” she muttered, picking up the bottle of Cristal and swallowing the last drops.

“As much as I can sympathize with your anger and your desire to tie one on when you found out about the letters, you’re gonna pay for this big-time in the morning. Trust me. I want you to promise me that you won’t drink any more champagne tonight.”

That was easy. The bottle was empty. “I promise,” she said, smothering a burp. “No more champagne tonight.”

“You promise?” Delilah repeated skeptically, as if she knew she’d extracted the agreement too easily.

“I promise. I not only promise. I promise to keep that promise.”

“You’re really loaded, aren’t you?”

“Don’t worry. I’m not driving.”

Delilah chuckled. “I may have one of my Dallas managers check in on you tomorrow,” she said.

Delilah had expanded her spa business so that she now had an additional location in Dallas. Lori could feel the haze of alcohol closing over her brain, but she didn’t want Delilah worrying about her. “I’m fine. I’ll be fine. Remember, I’m surrounded by people eager to do my bidding.”

She slumped down against her pillow and yawned, closing her eyes.

“If you’re sure,” Delilah said.

“I’m sure. I’m really sure,” Lori said, absently stroking Kenny.

“Well, I doubt you’ll remember this, but the reason I called is to tell you that I’m pregnant.”

Lori’s eyes popped open. “Again? That’s three times in three years!”

Delilah gave a low chuckle. “What can I say? Benjamin inspires me.”

Lori felt the slightest stab of envy but pushed it aside. She knew Delilah had suffered before she’d found her dream man. “Is Ben excited?”

“Of course, and he’s so sweet about morning sickness. He brings me crackers, caffeine-free soda, and a prenatal vitamin every morning before he leaves for the office.”

“Must be nice to have a man so crazy for you.”

“The feeling’s mutual, but I don’t want to gush too much. Something tells me you might be dealing with a queasy stomach in the morning for a totally different reason.”

“Well, I won’t need any prenatal vitamins, that’s for sure.” She closed her eyes again. “Congratulations on the new baby, sis.”

“Thanks, Lori. I’ll call you tomorrow afternoon. Don’t forget to wash off your makeup and take an Advil before you fall asleep.”

“Absolutely,” she said, wishing her voice didn’t sound so slurred. “’Night, Dee.”

As she began to fall asleep, she muttered to herself. “I’m going to fix my father. I don’t know how, but I am really going to fix my father good.”

The next morning, Lori awakened to the sound of Kenny barking and a pain in her head that felt as if she were being hit with one of her father’s ten irons. She opened her eyes with effort, recalling that she hadn’t washed her face. Her makeup felt as if it were cracking on her skin.

Lori made a face and lifted her head. Her stomach turned and her head pounded. “Oh, I should have taken that Advil. Why didn’t I take the Advil?”

Kenny continued to bark, no doubt wanting to relieve his little bladder. The sound abraded her senses. Her fingers holding either side of her head, she gingerly made her way to her bedroom door. “Hang on, Kenny. It’ll be just a minute. Just a minute.” She turned the doorknob and he rushed down the stairs.

The only way Lori could imagine getting downstairs was either crawling or throwing herself over the railing. She fumbled for the button for the intercom. “Mabel?” She paused and waited, hearing Kenny’s staccato yips jab at her brain like knives. “Mabel?” she repeated, hearing the desperation in her own voice.

No answer. She walked down the hallway and covered her eyes to shield herself from the bright, offensive sunlight streaming through the half-circle window above the front door.

Peeking down at the ominous grand stairway, she adjusted her peach sundress, bit her lip, and sat down. Her head throbbing with each movement, she scooted her feet forward and followed with her bottom, step by step, until she reached the foyer, where Kenny danced on the tile floor.

The doorbell rang. “Where is Mabel?”

Glancing through the peephole, she caught sight of Jackson James. Lori scowled. This early? She looked at the grandfather clock and was shocked to see the time was 11:00 a.m.

Looking down at her mussed self, she shook her head. He couldn’t see her like this. He already had a superior attitude toward her. This would only make it worse. “Oh,” she groaned as the pain shot through her skull. “Kenny, you’re just going to have to pee in the backyard. C’mon,” she said, lightly clapping. “Back door.”

But Kenny continued to bark and dance in the foyer, even though she gestured for him to follow her. “Kenny, c’mon.”

The doorbell rang again. Kenny raised his leg. “Oh, no. No, no, no.”

She opened the door and set the dog outside, where he proceeded to take a leak on Jackson James’s black shoes.

“Oops.” Lori cringed, noticing that Jackson moved quickly for a man his size. “I’m really sorry. Kenny rarely has accidents, but I couldn’t get Mabel and I didn’t realize how late it was and-” She broke off when she noticed him staring at her face. Oh, God, she hadn’t even glanced in the mirror, but she could well imagine what she looked like, mascara under her eyes and her hair a rat’s nest. Lori shuddered.

“Please take off your shoes and I’ll get you some new ones in no time. When I find Mabel, I’ll ask her to take the shoes out to the garbage. I apologize for running late for our appointment, but I have a few things I need to do.”

“I don’t need to throw away these shoes just because your dog sprinkled a little on them. I just need to clean them off. It won’t take me but a minute, and we can go ahead and get to work.”

Except I’m not ready. “Fine. Let me find Mabel,” she said, heading down the hallway. “Mabel? Mabel?”

“Yes, ma’am. I was just emptying the trash in the backyard.”

Lori pulled her housekeeper aside. “Kenny had a little accident on Mr. James’s shoes, so I was wondering if you could get someone to clean them. I also need to shower, so I need you to occupy Mr. James with something,” she said, searching her foggy brain for possibilities. “Food. Just give him food, please, and I’ll be down as soon as I can.”

Her head still pounding, she dragged herself up the back staircase, so she wouldn’t run into Jackson again. She ate a couple of leftover cookies and downed the Advil she should have taken the night before, then stripped and got into the shower. Although she would have loved to linger, she knew the clock was ticking. Quickly lathering herself from head to toe, she rinsed and got out of the shower. She rubbed herself dry, put some gel in her hair, slapped moisturizer on her face, and applied lipstick, concealer, and mascara. After brushing her teeth twice, she pulled on a red cotton sheath and stepped into red heels. Red made her look more confident, even if she didn’t feel it.

Sometime in the middle of her Cristal-enhanced sleep, Lori had dreamed the solution to her problem. She would beat her father at his own game of control, and Jackson James was going to help her. Despite her headache and queasiness, she felt completely resolute, and all she had to do to turn her conviction to concrete was to look at the box of letters Harlan had kept from her.

She walked down the front stairway with a clearer head and entered the parlor, where Jackson James was reviewing some papers. A tray of food that Mabel had left him appeared untouched. The man must have the self-discipline of a priest. No one could resist Mabel’s cinnamon rolls.

He glanced up at her, his gaze sliding over her in quick neutral assessment. “Nice of you to come,” he drawled, standing.

She nodded. “I already apologized.”

“Too much partying last night?” he asked.

“I’m not sure I would call it a party,” she said. “Please sit.”

He shrugged and sat down. “How does your head feel?”

“Like hell,” she said with a smile. “But you already knew that. I need to discuss something else with you. I made a decision last night, and it will impact your duties.”

He raised an eyebrow. “What decision is that?”

“I’ve decided I want to get married, and I want you to help me find a husband.”