One in a Million Read online

  One in a Million

  Kimberla Lawson Roby

  For Dr. Betty Price

  A wonderfully compassionate woman—

  a woman who has shown me and so

  many others such genuine love

  Contents

  Chapter 1

  Kennedi sat on the family room sofa, completely in a…

  Chapter 2

  Kennedi opened her eyes, glanced over at the digital clock…

  Chapter 3

  As Patrice turned her Mercedes E350 out of the subdivision,…

  Chapter 4

  Are you okay?” Patrice asked as soon as they sat…

  Chapter 5

  Kennedi stared at the huge wedding portrait of her and…

  Chapter 6

  If waking up with an excruciating headache was the real…

  Chapter 7

  I think the first thing we need to do is…

  Chapter 8

  It was Sunday morning, bright and early, and Kennedi lay…

  Chapter 9

  The big day had finally arrived, and Kennedi was somewhat…

  Chapter 10

  Well, if it isn’t Miss Moneybags herself,” Carson, Kennedi’s supervisor,…

  Chapter 11

  After arguing with Blake, ignoring a plethora of phone calls…

  Chapter 12

  It was three o’clock, and after arriving in her office…

  Chapter 13

  Four weeks had passed, but Kennedi was still tearfully thanking…

  Chapter 14

  Girl, it was a straight-up disaster.” Kennedi had just gotten…

  Chapter 15

  Kennedi flipped through the day’s mail but stopped when she…

  Chapter 16

  Patrice stretched her legs all the way in front of…

  Chapter 17

  Kennedi, baby, it’s so good to see you.” Aunt Rose…

  Chapter 18

  Kennedi’s eyes stretched wide open when the ringing phone snatched…

  Chapter 19

  Kennedi glared at Blake across the conference room table and…

  Chapter 20

  No matter how many times I think about Blake already…

  Acknowledgments

  About the Author

  Other Books by Kimberla Lawson Roby

  Credits

  Copyright

  About the Publisher

  Chapter 1

  Kennedi sat on the family room sofa, completely in a daze. This just couldn’t be, was all she could think. Of course, she’d only learned the incredible news less than thirty minutes ago, but still, it just wasn’t sinking in the way she needed it to. It didn’t seem real, and the more she replayed the entire scenario, over and over, the more it felt like some fantasy—like some crazy dream her subconscious had concocted.

  She was trying her best to accept what she now knew had to be the truth, but she wasn’t sure how to deal with it. She wasn’t sure what her next steps should be, although she guessed the first thing she needed to do was call her husband, Blake, on his cell phone. There was no doubt he’d be just as stunned as she was, and she couldn’t imagine telling anyone else before telling him, not when this was the one thing he’d been hoping for ever since they married ten years ago.

  Kennedi hurried into the kitchen, picked up the cordless phone, and dialed Blake’s number. It rang four times before going into voice mail, and she wondered why he wasn’t answering. He’d left for the health club more than two hours ago, but normally he only worked out for about an hour, meaning he should have been on his way home by now.

  Still, she left him a brief message.

  “Hi, honey, it’s me. I have something really, really important to tell you, so call me as soon as you get this, okay? Love you.”

  She ended the call but took the phone with her and headed back into the family room. She hoped he would return her call pretty quickly, because for some reason, she was finally starting to feel truly excited. She was starting to feel a lot happier as the seconds passed, and now she couldn’t wait to tell him everything. As a matter of fact, she was now so blissfully beside herself and so dying to tell someone that she considered calling her best friend, Patrice. And she would have, except she knew Blake would be livid if he learned he hadn’t been told first, so instead, she dialed his number again, and again, and again. However, it was all to no avail, and she was starting to get worried. Either that or her nerves were simply getting the best of her. She wasn’t sure which it was, but she knew she needed to try to calm down. She needed to focus on something totally unrelated to this remarkable news she suddenly couldn’t stop smiling about.

  Kennedi walked back into the kitchen again, pulled a glass from the cupboard, pressed it against the ice dispenser inside the refrigerator door until seven or eight cubes fell inside, and then set it down on the granite island. Next she opened the refrigerator, removed a pitcher of red grapefruit Crystal Light, and filled her glass to the brim. She loved this flavor, and besides the FDA’s recommended eight glasses of water a day, she hardly drank anything else. She did have an occasional caffeine-free soda every now and then, but never more than a couple times per month, thanks to the pact she and her mom had made a few years ago. They’d both agreed to forgo caffeinated drinks altogether and to drink carbonated drinks only once in a while, but this was after her mom had been diagnosed with breast cancer and Kennedi had read an article stating that caffeine had been suggested as a possible risk factor for her mom’s illness. Needless to say, her mom had given up her daily before-work vanilla latte from Starbucks almost immediately, and unlike Kennedi, she’d even given up drinks that contained artificial sweeteners. She’d quickly begun taking every precaution she could, trying her best to combat the horrible disease that was attacking her.

  But sadly, in the end, none of her new health-conscious efforts, the removal of both of her breasts, chemotherapy, or radiation had been enough. The doctors had done all they could do, and actually, for about a year or more she’d remained in remission. That is, until six months ago, when she’d slipped back out of it and then passed away three months later.

  Now Kennedi was looking through the patio doors in tears. She wasn’t weeping uncontrollably, the way she had the entire first month after her mom’s funeral, but right now she would have done anything, anything at all, to see her mother again. She’d have done anything to have her back with her, even if only for a short while, because she missed her terribly. She missed the woman who would have given her last dollar if it meant helping someone else.

  Although, as an only child, Kennedi couldn’t thank God enough for allowing her the chance to take care of her mom. At first, she hadn’t known what she was going to do, but Blake had made it clear that it was more than okay for her to take a leave of absence from work so she could spend as much time with her mom as possible. Needless to say, this was exactly what Kennedi had been hoping she could do, but she’d worried about their finances. She’d worried that, for the first time since they’d gotten married, they wouldn’t be able to pay their bills on time. But Blake had promised her they would be fine. He’d told her that they wouldn’t be able to spend money on unnecessary items, but that they also wouldn’t end up with credit problems either. He’d told her that he loved his mother-in-law no differently than if she’d been his own mother and that allowing Kennedi to take a leave without pay was the very least he could do. He’d insisted that living without two incomes was a sacrifice he had no problem making, and Kennedi loved him so much for what he’d done. She loved him because not every husband would have made such a loving and very selfless offer.

  Kennedi wiped the wetness from both sides of her face but the tears kept flowing. Oh how
she wished her mom was still there so she could witness the blessing she and Blake were about to have bestowed upon them. She could practically hear her mother screaming with great joy, and what comforted Kennedi was the fact that her mother would always remain cozily in her heart, that her soul was alive and well, and that knowing her, she was probably already moseying around in heaven, telling everyone who would listen about the good news.

  Kennedi sniffled and wiped her eyes, but then she smiled when she saw the door opening. She hadn’t even heard Blake drive into the garage, probably because she’d been so consumed with thoughts of her mother, but she was so glad he’d finally made it home.

  “Why didn’t you call me back?” she asked, walking toward her tall, muscular, exceptionally handsome husband.

  “Actually, I didn’t even think to check my phone.”

  “Well, you need to sit down for this one, because you’ll never believe what I have to tell you. It’s the best news ever.”

  “That’s fine, but there’s something I need to tell you first.”

  “But this can’t wait,” she declared excitedly.

  “Kennedi, please,” he said, locking both his hands together in front of his chest. “Please, just sit down before I lose my nerve.”

  Kennedi didn’t like the sound of his voice or the look on his face, and suddenly he was scaring her. “Blake, what is it?”

  He sat down at the island, across from where she was standing. “Please, just have a seat.”

  This time, Kennedi did what he asked. She gave him her undivided attention, but Blake sighed pretty loudly.

  “It’s taken me two weeks just to build up enough courage to do this, and I just can’t delay it any longer. I’ve waited too long as it is.”

  Kennedi tried to stay positive, but she didn’t know what she was going to do if something was wrong with Blake. He’d gone for his yearly physical maybe a month ago, and now she worried that when he’d told her all of his lab results were fine, he hadn’t told her the truth. She worried that some major illness had struck him and that she was about to lose him.

  Blake looked at her and then sighed again. “Okay, the thing is this. I haven’t loved you for almost two years now, I’ve been seeing someone else the entire time, I’m in love with her, and…I want a divorce.”

  Kennedi stared at Blake in a staggered yet deranged sort of way. She did this because, clearly, there was no way she’d heard him correctly. “What did you say?”

  “I don’t love you anymore, I haven’t for a long time, and I want a divorce.”

  These particular words were a bit different from the words he’d spoken the first time around—at least she thought they were—but still, they basically meant the same thing. They meant he wanted out of the marriage and wanted nothing more to do with her. And had he truly said he’d been seeing someone else for almost two years?

  “Kennedi, I’m really, really sorry about this,” she heard him say, but the rest of what he said was a total blur. She could hear him speaking, but she couldn’t make out what he was actually saying. It was as if she’d entered into oblivion and couldn’t snap herself out of it.

  But then she heard her name being called repeatedly and realized she’d only been dreaming. She realized that she’d merely been having a nightmare, and she was glad it was over with.

  “I’m hoping we can handle all of this like two mature adults, because it’ll make the entire process a whole lot easier.”

  Oh my God, Kennedi thought. She hadn’t been dreaming at all, and Blake seemed more serious now than she’d ever seen him.

  “Who is she?” Kennedi finally asked, her heart beating rapidly.

  “I don’t think that really matters.”

  “And why is that?”

  “Because it just doesn’t.”

  “Well, it does to me. As a matter of fact, I think it matters a whole lot.”

  “I disagree. Especially since she has nothing to do with our situation.”

  Kennedi frowned. “Excuse me?”

  “Look, I’ve told you how I feel, and if it’s any consolation, I didn’t go looking for this. It was never my plan to have an affair, but once it started, I couldn’t stop it. I tried, but the more time went on, the more I fell in love with her.”

  “I don’t believe this is happening.”

  “In all honesty, I wanted to tell you a few months ago.”

  “Oh really? And is there some great reason why you didn’t?”

  “Yes. Your mom.”

  “My mom knew about this?” Kennedi said, raising her voice.

  “No. Of course not. But when the doctors gave her only a few months to live, I just couldn’t burden you with all of this. I knew she was going to die, and I figured it was best if I just waited until afterward.”

  “Well, how wonderfully considerate of you.”

  “There’s something else you should know,” he pronounced without delay.

  “And what is that?”

  “I’m moving out this evening.”

  Kennedi’s heart skipped a beat, and her body went numb.

  “I’m sorry, but I’m now at the point where I can’t stand being without her.”

  “Wow. This is totally and ridiculously inconceivable. I mean, I just can’t believe you’re doing this. Not after all the years we’ve been together. Not after all the love we’ve shared since the day we met.”

  “I’m sorry.”

  “Will you stop saying that!” Kennedi screamed, and then stood up.

  “Fine,” he said, and then got up himself. “If that’s the way you want it. Fine.”

  “It is, because the more you keep apologizing, the more disgusted I’m becoming. The more I want to pay you back in a way I’ll surely end up regretting.”

  Blake looked at her for more than a few seconds and shook his head. “I think it’s best that I just get my things and go.”

  Kennedi gazed at him in silence, and he finally left the room. But when he did, all she could think about was how he’d never even given her the chance to tell him her good news. He’d never given her one opportunity to tell him that yesterday, she’d played the multistate Mega Millions game…that today she’d checked the newspaper…and learned she had every single number.

  He’d never given her a chance to tell him that this week’s jackpot was fifty million dollars.

  Chapter 2

  Kennedi opened her eyes, glanced over at the digital clock radio, and then looked toward the textured ceiling. It was seven a.m., only twenty minutes since the last time she’d awakened and checked to see what time it was, and she was terribly exhausted. Blake had packed a couple of suitcases and a garment bag and hadn’t said a word until he was ready to leave for good; even then, all he’d told her was that he’d be back for the rest of his things this weekend. Kennedi had wanted to talk to him, and as foolish as it probably sounded, she’d wanted to beg him not to leave her, not after what she’d considered ten wonderful years of marriage, but instead, she hadn’t said a word. What she’d done was watch him, from the upstairs window, backing his Cadillac SUV out of the driveway, and then she’d tossed and turned and cried her eyes out until the wee hours of this morning.

  Now she lay there wondering how she’d arrived at such a horrible place in her life. She wondered what she could have done differently and, more important, how she could have been a better wife to Blake. She wondered when he’d fallen out of love with her and in love with another woman. He’d claimed that this had all occurred about two years ago, but Kennedi wanted to know exactly when. She wanted to know when and where he’d met her, the first time they’d officially spent time together, the first time they’d had sex. She wanted to know all the specifics of this wicked affair Blake had gotten himself caught up in, and she wanted to know who this home wrecker was. Not that any of this information was going to make Kennedi feel any better, but her curiosity was starting to consume her and she couldn’t think about anything else, not even the lottery jackpot she’d so
on be the recipient of.

  Kennedi finally dragged herself out of bed and into the bathroom. Once there, she stood in front of the vanity, turned on the faucet, and waited for it to heat up. Then she gazed into the mirror at her scattered shoulder-length hair and broke into tears all over again. She stood there for a few minutes, trying to settle her emotions, and then she turned off the water and went back into the bedroom. There was no way she’d be able to face any of her coworkers today, so she sat down and dialed her supervisor’s direct number. As usual, he was already in his office.

  “This is Carson speaking.”

  “Hi, Carson, this is Kennedi.”

  “Hey, you don’t sound too well, is everything okay?”

  “Not really, but I’ll be fine. I was wondering, though, if you’d have a problem with me taking a personal day today.”

  “Not at all. We don’t have a lot going until next week, so I think the rest of us can hold down the fort while you’re gone.” His voice was cheerful, and Kennedi always appreciated that about him.

  “Thanks so much for understanding, and I’ll see you tomorrow.”

  “You take care of yourself.”

  With the exception of the three-month leave of absence she’d taken to spend time with her mother, she’d rarely missed any days of work the whole five years she’d been employed with Travis-Martin International. She’d been hired in as a human resources specialist, and her boss, Carson, who was director, had all but promised that she’d be the next human resources manager for salaried employees. She’d loved her job and the people she worked with from the very beginning, and it saddened her to know that she probably wouldn’t be seeing them on a regular basis much longer, not with her coming into millions of dollars the way she was. But at the moment, she didn’t want to think about any of that. She couldn’t think about it, because no matter how wealthy she was going to be, somehow it no longer meant as much as it had yesterday, now that she knew her marriage was basically over. It didn’t matter as much because what good was money or any other luxury if you had no one special to share it with?