Chapter 5
The Dayroom
The dayroom sat quiet compared to the rest of the mansion.
Floor-to-ceiling windows overlooked dark water in the distance while oversized leather sofas and polished wooden tables filled the space.
A stone fireplace stretched from floor to ceiling along one wall.
Bookshelves lined up on another. The room felt more like a private resort lounge than part of a home.
Vicky sat at one end of a long sofa wearing black spandex tights, sandals, and a short-cut sweater. Her phone rested in her hand as she stared at the screen. "No signal," she muttered.
"You still trying?" Sky asked. She sat nearby with an ice pack pressed against her ankle.
Vicky nodded. "I was talking to Rashad a few minutes ago and the call dropped."
"How's he doing?"
A small smile appeared on Vicky's face. "China increased orders and Brazil bought a large percentage of his stock." She shrugged. "He's moving on up, like George and Weezy."
Sky laughed. "Must be nice."
Vicky looked down at her phone. "It would be if I was with him."
Sky adjusted the ice pack. "You got Wi-Fi?"
Vicky shook her head. "Nothing here works for me." Her smile disappeared. "I'm ready to go home."
Sky sat up straighter. "Give it some time."
Vicky didn't respond.
"I'm serious," Sky continued. "Open up a little. Meet some people. Half these women know of you and don't even know you're here. Make some connections."
Vicky finally looked at her. "I'm not you, Sky."
"What does that mean?"
"It means I don't know how to walk up to strangers and entertain a room. These are your friends. Your classmates. Your people. My friends are back home in Georgia." Her voice softened. "That's where I need to be."
Sky glanced down at her own phone. The screen showed the same thing. No signal. "Damn." She raised it higher. "Mine just went out too."
A deep rumble rolled across the sky, drawing both women's attention to the windows.
The sound lingered, low and distant at first, then steadily grew louder, vibrating through the walls of the mansion.
An uneasy silence settled between them as the storm seemed to gather directly overhead.
Then—CRACK! A blinding flash exploded across the room, followed by a deafening blast of thunder that shook the entire mansion.
Somewhere above them, glass cracked sharply. Both women jumped.
Vicky gasped as Sky instinctively grabbed her, and Vicky clung right back. For a second, neither woman moved, frozen in place while their hearts hammered together in stunned silence.
Sky exhaled first. "I got you, baby." She laughed nervously. "It's just a little lightning."
Both women looked upward.
"Thank God it didn't shatter that window," Sky said.
The tension slowly eased and they released one another.
Vicky shook her head. "I've had enough of this place."
"What?"
"It's too big." She looked toward the windows. "It's creeping me out. As soon as my phone gets a signal," Vicky continued. I'm calling for a ride and getting the fuck outta here."
"We came together." Sky removed the ice pack and sat forward.
Vicky didn't respond.
"You can't just leave me."
"Watch me."
"Vicky— I wanted us to have our time together."
Something inside Vicky snapped. She jumped to her feet and shouted, "I'm tired of fucking being here!" Her words echoed through the dayroom. "I'm sorry you don't get it, but I'm leaving."
The huge dayroom fell silent.
Then Sky slowly stood. The hurt on her face arrived before the pain in her ankle. "Do whatever the fuck you want to."
Vicky crossed her arms and stood her ground.
"Bye." Sky turned and stormed toward the exit.
The doors swung open, and Celeste stepped inside. Sky brushed past her, clipping her shoulder hard enough to make Celeste stumble.
"Damn," Celeste said. "What the hell happened?"
Sky didn't stop walking. "Ask her." The doors slammed shut behind her.
Celeste looked across the room and found Vicky standing alone beside the sofa, breathing hard as she tried to steady herself after the argument. The silence that hung between them felt heavy, lingering in the air like the storm outside.
"Mind telling me why my best friend looks ready to fight a hurricane?"
Vicky let out a long breath. "Ask her."
"I did."
"And?"
Celeste shrugged. "She told me to ask you." She pointed toward the sofa. "Can I sit, or are you planning to throw something at me too?"
Vicky sat first then Celeste lowered herself onto the opposite end of the sofa.
"I come in peace. Besides, I left my riot gear upstairs."
That earned a small smile from Vicky, and some of the tension in the room finally eased—if only a little.
Celeste glanced toward the doors Sky had disappeared through. "You know she means well."
"I know." Vicky crossed her arms again and looked at nothing in front of her.
"Then what's really going on here?"
Vicky looked down at the phone still clutched in her hand. "I don't belong here. Everybody knows everybody." She looked around the massive dayroom. "They went to school together. Vacation together. Got history together." She shrugged. "I don't know any of these people."
"You know Sky."
"That's the only reason I came." She stared down at the floor. "I thought we'd spend time together."
Celeste nodded and Vicky continued. "Instead, she's running around being Sky."
"Yeah," Celeste said. "She's really something."
Outside, another low rumble rolled across the ground, but nothing shook this time. It simply lingered in the distance.
"I've got my mind made up," Vicky continued, "I'm going home as soon as I get a signal."
Celeste put her hands in her lap. "I got some bad news."
"Now what?" Vicky frowned.
"We're sitting at the edge of a hurricane; roads are shut down and it's gonna be a while before any of us have phone signals, but no need to be alarmed. It's passing us and this weather should pass us completely by tomorrow night."
"I should've stayed home." Vicky leaned back against the sofa.
"No." The response came quickly.
Vicky looked over and Celeste met her eyes.
"No, you shouldn't have."
"Why not?"
"Because you've spent your whole life taking care of everybody else."
Vicky frowned. "You don't know me."
"Maybe not." Celeste crossed one leg over the other. "But I know enough."
That got Vicky's attention. "What does that mean?"
Celeste hesitated, then smiled. "Sky talks highly of you."
Vicky groaned. "Oh really."
"A lot."
"She did?"
Celeste nodded. "Hard not to hear about him."
Vicky studied her. "You know who my son is?"
"I know exactly who your son is."
That surprised her.
Celeste continued. "I know about the Whitmores too."
Vicky sat up. "How?"
"Because I'm a detective."
Vicky blinked. "A detective?"
Celeste nodded. "Atlanta Police Department."
Vicky stared at her, then laughed once. "That explains a lot."
"What?"
"The way you look at people."
Celeste smiled. "I've heard that before."
"You make people feel like you're reading their thoughts."
"I'm usually just trying to figure out who's lying."
That earned another smile. The first genuine one since Sky walked out.
Vicky shook her head. "I would've never guessed."
"Most people don't. That's the art of being a good detective."
The conversation slowed comfortably and Vicky felt like someone was actually listening.
"Sky told me what your family went through."
Vicky's smile faded slightly. She took a breath. "We got lucky," she finally said.
Celeste shook her head. "No. No, you didn't."
Vicky looked at her.
Celeste touched her hand. "You survived."
The distinction landed differently and neither woman spoke for a moment.
Then Celeste smiled softly. "For what it's worth, I think you should stay."
Vicky raised an eyebrow. "You trying to solve my problems, detective?"
"No." Celeste smiled. "I'm trying to convince a beautiful woman not to leave before indoor golf."
Vicky laughed. "Bitch, I'm from the hood. We don't play golf."
Celeste was caught off guard with that line. She burst into laughter. "There she is."
"There who is?"
"The real Vicky." She laughed again. "For a minute I thought you was a saint."
Vicky smiled hard with her hand over her mouth, almost embarrassed and laughed. "Y'all say bitch so much, I thought it was a compliment, hell."
"Took you long enough." Celeste hugged her and she hugged back. "Are you coming or not?"
"I guess I can come watch."
Vicky and Celeste stepped into the hallway together.
"You know," Celeste said, "by the end of this weekend, I might have you playing golf."
Vicky laughed.
"Bitch, you'll be lucky if I don't steal one of them little golf carts and drive it back to Georgia."
Celeste threw her head back and laughed.
A few doors down, another door eased open. Sky peeked out and watched them walking side by side. Watched Vicky smiling and Celeste smiling back. A folded cocktail napkin slipped from Celeste's hand.
"Damn."
She bent to pick it up. The short red-and-black tennis skirt rode above her ass cheeks as she reached for it.
Sky rolled her eyes. "Hoe."
Neither woman heard her. The hurt in her chest returned immediately as she quietly closed the door.
Further down the hallway, Teresa rounded the corner carrying a clipboard beneath one arm and a ring of master keys in her hand and stopped in front of CC's suite. She was just about to unlock the door regardless of the sign, DO NOT DISTURB. The keys jingled as she reached for the knob.
"Hey girl," Celeste spoke first.
Teresa dropped everything in her hand and grabbed her chest. "Bitch you scared the shit out of me."
All three of them laughed.
"I'm sorry boo. I was just speaking. How are you?"
"I'm fine. Just checking on CC. I gotta wake her ass up. All these damn guests and she's still trying to sleep off a hangover." She looked towards Vicky. "Are you gonna introduce me to this lovely lady?"
Vicky smiled and held out her hand. "I'm Vicky."
She took her hand. "I'm Teresa. It's very nice to finally meet you. You've been so distant, I thought you was somebody's secret."
"Ok that's enough," Celeste said playfully. "Tell CC I said hello.
"Ok girls, y'all have fun."
Vicky and Celeste continued on their way.
The DO NOT DISTURB sign still hung from the handle. Teresa stared at it then rolled her eyes.
"Must be nice." She checked her watch. "Half the damn day gone and Sleeping Beauty still ain't moved."
The hallway remained silent. She looked toward Brenda's suite. Then back at the door.
"Let's see what excuse you got for missing breakfast."
The master key slid into the door. The lock clicked. She pushed the handle down. The door slowly opened.
Teresa froze…