“Language, lady!”
“Sorry,” I reply, wondering if this white-haired lady has known me for quite a while. The way she speaks to me makes me believe so.
I say goodbye and head out of the kitchen, but I have no clue where I’m going. Max follows me, but when white-haired lady calls him, he goes trotting off in her direction. I head for the front door and notice a side door close by. If that’s not an entrance to a garage, then I’m completely lost.
I open it and to my relief it is a garage. A garage big enough to fit a whole apartment in. My mouth agape, I glance around. There’s a red Ferrari—of course it has to be red—an orange Dodge Challenger, a beautiful yellow Lamborghini Urus, and a black, very shiny Bentley. Wiping this Bentley down is someone I believe must be Craig. When he spots me, he smiles, placing his cloth on the side.
“Lunch with Alyson, Ms. Banks?”
I nod my head, stepping down the two steps into the garage and shutting the door behind me. “Please,” I answer, causing him to frown slightly. Is that a rare word from me? Nothing surprises me at this rate.
Craig springs into action, opening the back passenger door for me. I slide in, taking in the cream leather smell. My, these seats are comfortable.
Craig gets into the driver’s seat and starts the car. “Are you okay, Ms. Banks?”
I glance up to find Craig looking at me through the rearview mirror. “I’m fine, thank you. Why do you ask?” I deliberately don’t ask defensively—I’m genuinely curious—but his shoulders stiffen slightly causing me to wince. I’ve scared him. “Don’t be afraid to tell me. I really want to know.”
He shrugs his shoulders. “I don’t know. You seem… calmer than your normal self.”
Calmer as in I’m not being a bitch? That’s what I want to ask him, but I have a feeling he would never answer it truthfully.
“I want to change. I woke up yesterday morning feeling like a different woman. I want to explore that. Hopefully become a better person?”
I don’t see his face, but the crinkles by the sides of his eyes show me he’s smiling. “It’s never too late to better yourself. I must admit, it’s nice not to listen to Eleanor chew your ear off like she does every morning,” he chuckles.
So that’s what her name is.
“She doesn’t take any prisoners,” I answer back, hoping he’ll give me more information.
He laughs louder. “That’s certainly true of Eleanor. She never takes any crap from you, no matter how much of a bitch you’re being to her.” I snap my eyes in his direction, his face panicking. “Sorry.”
I sigh. “Seriously, don’t be. I needed to hear it.”
And I do. I’m not sure who I am, but I’m certainly getting some unwanted clues lately.
With sympathy in his eyes, Craig puts the car in drive. “We better go, or else Alyson will go crazy. She doesn’t like tardiness.”
I nod my head, settling in for the journey, my head bobbing and turning, taking in all the sights like it’s the first time ever. As we drive through Wilshire Boulevard, my mouth agape at the wide street and the tall buildings, I wonder how on earth I got here and how I can get to know my husband all over again. We obviously have deep issues that need resolving, but I’m wondering where to start. I guess an apology for last night would be a good place as any. That’s if he’s even talking to me.
Thinking on that, I remember my cell. I grab my purse, pulling out the phone and starting it up, praying to God it doesn’t prompt me for a PIN. I sigh my relief when the home screen comes on straight away, but my relief is short lived as a barrage of messages and alerts of voicemails come through. My mission before dealing with any of these things is to see if Eli has tried to contact me. My shoulders sag when there’s not one missed call or message from him. But then again, why should I even expect that after what I did last night? I’m about to go through the rest when the phone buzzes in my hand and the name “Natalie Agent Calling” flashes up. I immediately answer, but before I can even say hello, she’s hollering in my ear.
“You better have a good explanation as to why you’ve been AWOL these past twenty-four hours. Have you even seen TMZ this morning? What were you thinking, Kendra?!” Her voice is so loud that even Craig looks back in the mirror at me, a sympathetic look in his eyes.
“Sorry, Natalie. I haven’t been well, and after last night I just needed time to destress.”
“Destress?” she responds, questioningly. “We need damage control, not destress. The man’s barely out of prison for trying to put your husband there and you’re having drinks with him? What were you thinking?”
“I was at the bar all by myself and he approached me. It all looks worse than it really was.”
There’s an audible sigh down the line. “Why you didn’t throw your drink at him and walk away is beyond anything I can comprehend.” Another exhale. “But, the damage is done. I’m going to have to speak with Lizzie about how we can control the damage. Maybe we can get some dirt on another celebrity so that it takes the heat off you for a while.”
Wait… what?! Did I just hear correctly?
“I think I need to own my mistake.”
“Okay, who are you and what have you done with Kendra Banks? The Kendra Banks I know wouldn’t own anything unless it’s worth over ten thousand dollars.”
Oh jeez, I really do sound like the most shallow person on earth. How is someone like Eli Prescott still married to me?