All Dressed in White

60

“Shhh! Everyone on the floor can probably hear us.”

Jeff Hunter didn’t care if the entire state of Florida heard them fighting. He had never been this angry with Meghan before. Worse, he felt betrayed.

The phone call he received while Meghan and Kate were at the spa had been from Mitchell Lands, Amanda’s estate lawyer. At first, Jeff assumed he was calling to express his condolences. The news of Amanda’s body being found was all over the news.

But that wasn’t the only reason the attorney called.

Jeff was so angry now he could barely recognize his own voice. “Amanda’s body was found only hours ago, and Lands was already calling to explain the process for moving her estate into probate. I told him I never wanted Amanda’s money,” Jeff said, “and then came the bombshell. Imagine my shock when he told me you called him this morning to ask about my inheritance. Why in the world would you call Amanda’s lawyer behind my back asking how to get the money from her trust fund? You know I’ve never had any interest in one penny of Amanda’s money, not even when we were supposed to get married.”

“Marrying Amanda is what you always really wanted, wasn’t it? I knew this day would eventually come, the moment when you realized that she was the only one you ever loved. You only married me because I was her best friend, the next closest thing to your beloved Amanda.”

Jeff couldn’t even recognize the woman who was sobbing on the hotel bed. Did she really doubt his love for her? Is that why she called the lawyer? Was she planning to leave him and take half of the inheritance? He would give her every cent if she wanted. He just wanted her to act like the wife he thought he knew better than anyone on the planet.

“Meghan, talk to me. Why did you call that lawyer? You should have told me. Do you realize how horrible this will look now that they’ve found Amanda’s body?”

Meghan buried her head in the pillow, leaving mascara stains on the crisp white cotton. “It was just one phone call. I wasn’t thinking about the show, and I certainly had no idea they’d find Amanda’s body, today of all days!”

“They found her rings. Amanda’s dead. All these years, you said you thought she was out there living a happy life. You must feel something.”

Now her volume outmatched his. “Of course I feel something. She was my best friend. You know how the producers asked me about that stupid fight we had over X-Dream workout clothes? I couldn’t have cared less about Amanda taking that idea. I was looking for an excuse to lash out at her because she was marrying you. Don’t you realize, after all these years? I’ve loved you since college, and I had to sit there and pretend to be happy for Amanda while you fell in love with her. I’ve always been your second choice.”

Jeff had never seen his wife this emotional. “That’s not true, Meghan. Amanda was-we were so different. And people change. I’ve never felt as right with someone as I feel with you. But you’ve got to tell me why you called that lawyer.”

“I promise, it’s not what you think. I can explain. You just have to wait.”

There was a knock at the door. Meghan looked through the peephole, then wiped her face with her palms.

“It’s Kate. I told her to swing by here before dinner. Now can you please stop yelling and have a little faith in me?”

In an instant, her outburst was over, and she was back to her cool, levelheaded self. At this point, Jeff had no idea where to place his faith.

Five years ago, when he was about to marry Amanda, he had nagging doubts about how well he really knew her. Now after the bewildering rush of today’s events, he found himself questioning how well he knew his wife.