Scandalous Truth

by Monica P. Carter

Genres: African American; African American Christian

Synopsis

Nikki Broussard hasn't always been saved, but she is now, and that's what counts. Happily married and raising an active young daughter, her past is tucked safely away—until a tragic turn of events threatens to unravel her idyllic life. When their daughter is diagnosed with a life-threatening condition, Nikki and William worry about how they will afford her treatment. Nikki's faith is tested as she considers returning to her old ways in order to pay for it. To add to their stress, William is thrust into the spotlight when he decides to run for mayor after a candidate—his pastor and mentor—winds up dead. Suddenly, every detail of their life is under scrutiny. As William struggles to live out the commitment he feels to his dead pastor, Nikki wonders if the details of her past will emerge and damage their relationship. When life spins out of control, the scandalous truth can be too much for anyone—even a Christian family—to bear.

Release date: August 15, 2012

Publisher: Urban Christian

Print pages: 304

Sample

Nikki Broussard nuzzled her young daughter’s stomach and the child returned the favor, tickling her mother’s midsection with slender fingers. Nikki swatted at the four-yearold and raced across the shiny, hardwood floor in the spacious living room, which was warmed by the glow of the late afternoon sunlight that washed through the wide front window. Psalm broke out into a peal of laughter as she chased her mother, who pretended to fall to the floor, just short of the decorative fireplace, and let the girl catch her. The two were tickling each other right there when William stepped into the living room, dropped his briefcase and stretched his arms wide, a smile showing off the dimple in his left cheek.

“Give me some love, y’all!” he said as mother and daughter peered up from their game.

Psalm scrambled to her father and he scooped her up, her ponytails and yellow ribbons swooshing from side to side. He kissed and hoisted her to his right side, then pulled his wife close with his other arm. He gave Nikki a deep kiss, and a sexy groan escaped her upturned lips.

“I’m glad you’re home,” she said and let her tongue trail his lip.

“You and me both.” He put Psalm down, then grabbed his wife’s rear.

Nikki winked at him, the look in her eye hinting toward later, and sashayed to the kitchen. William followed, and Nikki knew his mind was already on the possibilities.

“I fixed spaghetti.” Nikki lifted the top off the stainless steel pot.

“Smells good,” William said, and took a bite from the spoon she held out to him. “Mmm, tastes good, too. I don’t know how I got so lucky to be married to you.”

Nikki was five-foot-three-inches tall, barely 112 pounds, with her natural hair in a fluffy, curly halo that flirted with her ears and slender neck. Her warm brown skin shone under the lights, radiant even without makeup. The toes on her bare feet were painted pink, while the nails on her hands were naked. She wore a fitted, sleeveless sky blue T-shirt over frayed jeans.

“I think I must have bumped my head or something,” Nikki joked.

“Well, I believe it was God’s blessing all the way,” William said. “The Word says a man who finds a wife finds a good thing. And I know my wife is good—through and through.”

Nikki’s skin grew warm as she let her husband’s love radiate throughout her entire body, but she swallowed hard. A niggling thought challenged her husband’s assertion that she was a good wife as visions of her past flashed in her mind’s eye. She quickly pushed those thoughts away. She was saved now, and that’s all that mattered.

“We’re both blessed,” she cooed to her husband.

“Well, feed your man, woman!” William bellowed with mock sternness.

“You are so silly.” Nikki rolled her eyes and began spooning the food onto blue plastic plates. William wasn’t done with her, though, as he bent and nuzzled her neck, letting his tongue trail lightly down her nape. Nikki giggled and twisted, ending up leaning into his chest.

“Psalm is in the next room,” she whispered, “stop it.”

William acted as if he couldn’t hear, and Nikki’s body awakened. The plate slid to the counter and William pushed her against the refrigerator, letting his hands roam under her shirt. “William, we really shouldn’t . . .”

But her words died in her throat as he sucked them into his kiss. Nikki could feel her husband pressing into her through their clothes and her own body responded. She couldn’t tell if the heat was from the stove or the Shreveport July, but she was on fire. William pulled at the strap on her tank, yanking it off her right shoulder.

“Mama, I want some juice.”

Nikki heard the tiny voice from very far away. Her eyes flew open as reality assaulted her. She pushed William away and stepped around him, moving to the doorway, quickly jerking her strap back into place. She saw that Psalm was playing with dolls and trucks on the floor.

“Okay, baby, we’re going to eat in just a little while,” Nikki said. “Why don’t you go wash your hands?”

William took this as his cue and went up the stairs to change out of his dark blue suit, squeezing Nikki’s rear again as he went past.

The previous old one-bedroom apartment they had lived in down in New Orleans had been barely enough for one, let alone three people. The baby had often slept with them—except for when they felt like getting as naked and hot as the Louisiana night. Then they let her fall to sleep in their bed and later moved her to the rollaway in the living room. Psalm was an infant then. Now, four years later, in Shreveport, they were living in a four-bedroom house with more than 3,000 square feet. Nikki knew three of their old apartments could fit in it. Hurricane Katrina had wiped away so much of their lives, as it had thousands of others. They fled to the northern part of the state where William was from originally. It was only five hours from New Orleans, but felt like a different world in so many ways.

William’s first computer business had been washed away with the rising waters of Hurricane Katrina, but they were now doing even better than before the natural disaster. He had started a new computer company, and had slowly built his clientele. Their income had taken a hit lately, though, as William was spending more time working on a political campaign for his pastor, and that meant less time finding clients. Nikki looked around the kitchen with its glass-top stove and double refrigerator and smiled. Yes, life was good.

That slightly unsettled feeling gnawed at the pit of her stomach, stealing her smile, and she tried, as she had over the years, to shrug it off. Her jaw tensed as she fought to bury the secrets that mocked her. There were things about her that would shake up her very existence if they were ever to come out. Panic bubbled in Nikki’s throat as for a brief moment, she imagined her husband learning of the things she had done. But she closed her eyes and leaned against the refrigerator, willing her thoughts to settle. She knew there was a time when she wasn’t living right, but she was trying desperately to live a better life now, and that just had to be good enough. Everyone has a past, she often reminded herself.

There was no way William could find out about her life before he entered the picture. Her secrets were safe. Yet, as she tried to assure herself of this fact, the knot in her stomach grew.

Nikki shoved away from the refrigerator and righted herself, letting out a tiny breath. A smile again creased her lips. Hers was the perfect life. Her husband adored her. He was her protector and her friend. That’s why she had married him. She had known, even at 20, he would always be there for her. And she had worked hard to create the Nikki she knew he wanted. Now, seven years later, she had succeeded.

“Baby, I’m going to hop in the shower right quick,” William called down the stairs.

“Okay,” Nikki called back.

“Want to join me?” She could hear the hopefulness in his voice.

Nikki grinned. “I don’t think so,” she said. “And hurry up. We’re hungry.”

“Okay,” William replied. “I just thought you wanted to have a taste of—”

“Will!” Nikki interrupted him. “Psalm is right here.”

The start of the shower drowned out William’s laugh and Nikki chuckled. Her husband could be so silly sometimes. They often bantered like this. They had been married seven years and there was no sign of an itch anywhere on the scene.

Nikki pulled out a carton of juice from the refrigerator for Psalm. She hummed as she thought back to how she and William had met. They became inseparable her sophomore year at a New Orleans private college, meeting at an off-campus fraternity party Nikki hadn’t even wanted to attend, but had let her best friend, Danielle, drag her to one night.

Danielle had actually spotted William first. “You see that tall, goofy dude?” Danielle had pointed. “You see how he’s dancing, like he has springs in his shoes? Looking like the Jolly Green Giant on crack? Why is he practically jumping up and down like that?” Danielle had whispered to Nikki behind her hand, laughing. “He keeps looking at me, but I keep ignoring him,” Danielle said. “I know he’ll be over here before the night is over, trying to get my number. Like I’d want to go out with some nerdy-looking goofball like him.”

And he had come over. Only it was Nikki’s number he was after.

“Hi, I’m William,” he had said, extending his hand.

“I’m Nikki.”

“I’m Danielle,” Danielle asserted. “Did you come over here to buy us a drink or something? I saw you looking at me all night.”

“Actually, I was looking at your friend, and no, I didn’t come to buy you a drink,” William said, then added, “though if your friend here wants one, I definitely will.”

Nikki shook her head. “No, I’m cool. I don’t need a drink.” She surreptitiously pinched Danielle in the side. “And Danielle is just kidding.”

She could tell Danielle wanted to protest, but she didn’t. Danielle spotted one of her many boyfriends and disappeared into the crowd, and that conversation ended. Nikki turned back toward William, smiling up at him, still shocked that he had been checking her out. Guys never seemed to notice her if Danielle was around, and the attention caught her off guard.

“You don’t seem like you’re enjoying yourself very much,” William surmised. “You want to go outside and sit in my car? We can talk for a while.”

“What, so you can kidnap me?” Nikki gave him a sidelong glance and a smile.

“Nah. I’m not going to kidnap you. But I am going to steal you away from here.”

They ended up sitting in his car for the next two hours, talking and listening to old school music, while Danielle danced the night away. But Nikki hadn’t minded. She and William seemed to click. William was the first man to make her feel safe and taken care of, and she had been drawn to him instantly. The fact that he had picked her—even with gorgeous Danielle standing there—made Nikki feel like maybe she could be beautiful too, that maybe she could be more than . . . well, just more. Even in that first meeting, she felt that way. He hadn’t looked like much—he was tall and skinny, and told goofy jokes—but there was something about him that touched her.

Nikki shook her head at the memory, bringing herself back to the present as William came downstairs, the smell of soap enveloping him.

They sat down and bowed their heads in prayer before digging into their food. Husband and wife sat at the table, while Psalm sat on a Dora The Explorer blanket on the floor, just to the right of where the last of the July afternoon’s sun bathed the floor. Sometimes they allowed Psalm to play on the floor while she ate—it seemed to make for a more peaceful dining experience. And today, Nikki needed peace. She wanted to discuss something with William.

“A magazine called today,” she said carefully, watching her husband’s reaction under lowered lashes.

“Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah. They saw some of the photos I’ve taken and want me to interview for a photographer’s position.”

“You told them you weren’t interested, right?” William glanced at her then took a gulp of tea.

“Well, I was thinking that maybe now would be a good time to go back to work,” she said, looking down at the spaghetti strands she was twirling around her fork. “Psalm can get in the pre-kindergarten class and—”

“Nikki, haven’t we talked about this? You’re a stay-at-home mom.”

“Yes, baby, I know, but—”

“So what’s to discuss?”

Nikki’s shoulders slumped in disappointment. She nodded and jammed a piece of bread into her mouth. “You’re right.” She drew a deep breath and tried to smile brightly. “I’m a happily married woman, able to stay home and take care of my husband and child. What else could I want?”

William leaned over and kissed her. “Exactly.”

Danielle stepped into her condo and icy air embraced her. She slammed the door against the heat of the oppressive summer evening. Tiny beads of perspiration dotted her nose on her otherwise perfectly made up face. She dropped the shopping bags to the floor, letting the box of sexy pumps in one spill open as her keys fell next to them. She kicked off her red Prada pumps, walked to the refrigerator, snatched a cola and took a swig.

Reaching for the cordless phone, she scrolled through her caller ID. Nope, Troy hadn’t called. The message indicator was solid—no blinking light—but she pressed the talk button on the phone anyway, just to see if maybe . . . nope, he hadn’t left a message. Danielle rummaged through her Fendi purse until she found her cell phone and looked at it again. Maybe it rang while she was shopping. But no, there was no missed call from Troy there either.

They’d had a fight the night before and he had slammed out of her condo as she flung razor sharp curses at his back. She spent all morning at work, trying to wait him out. She had been certain that he would call. But he hadn’t. By afternoon, Danielle was alternating between seething and wondering. “He had better call me,” she had railed to a coworker, but doubt gave her pause.

Not able to take it anymore, Danielle feigned a migraine and begged to be excused from work. She hopped into her car and zipped to her favorite in-town shopping spots. Buying beautiful, expensive things always made her feel better. She lunched at the Boardwalk, then cruised to Line Avenue to see what items the specialty boutiques offered. By the time she reached an upscale shopping center on Youree Drive, she had already spent more than she earned in a week. But she didn’t care. She’d make Troy give her some money.

But now, that high was gone, and in its place was the blue Danielle had been wearing all day. She picked up the telephone and dialed her boyfriend’s number, but quickly hung up. “I’m not calling him!” She hissed the words at the silent phone in her hand. “Danielle Esperanza doesn’t chase men. Men chase me.”

Male attention was nothing new for her. In fact, if Danielle went somewhere and didn’t get hit on, then that would be news. “Every man wants me,” she reminded herself. “And old silly Troy is no different. He just has a little attitude because I cussed him out last night.”

Danielle dropped the cell phone onto the couch and flipped on the television. A reality show filled the screen, showing a woman with what looked like an artificially enhanced bust, whining to a man who then sloppily kissed her on the mouth. “What’s so special about these people?” Danielle lamented. “How is it that they can get a show and I can’t?”

She had tried to break into Hollywood, but couldn’t seem to get a toehold. She even went to Los Angeles one summer, expecting to be immediately signed up to star in a show, but found no work at all, save for one solitary role as an extra. Now that Shreveport was becoming a budding destination for Hollywood producers, she was hopeful she could finally get going on her television or movie career.

Danielle felt that acting had to be her destiny. Why else would Shreveport have landed several high-profile Hollywood productions following Hurricane Katrina, as producers moved their projects from New Orleans? It seemed to Danielle that fate was bringing the opportunity for fame right to her doorstep. Shreveport had even developed a nickname as “Hollywood South.” It was just a matter of time before some big-time producer spotted her walking through the mall or eating out somewhere.

“I know I could be a better star than these stupid people,” Danielle muttered, flicking off the television. She wasn’t in the mood to see someone else skyrocket to stardom while she wasted away as a nurse in a psychiatric clinic.

With the television off, her mind returned to Troy. She reached for her cell phone again.

“I know he’s there, waiting for me to call him,” she reasoned. “I’m going to call him, but I’m still going to make him beg me to take him back.”

William’s rebuff silenced Nikki. He works hard to provide us a good life so I can stay here and take care of Psalm, Nikki chided herself. Many women would love to be in her position, she knew. “You’re just being greedy,” she muttered to herself.

“You say something, baby?” William asked.

“Oh. No,” Nikki assured with a quick smile. “I was just agreeing with what you said earlier. We have a really good life.” She craved a career, but she knew their plans couldn’t be changed. They had agreed that Nikki would give up her work and raise their daughter—William had always wanted a home life like that.

“Daddy, I met a new friend at the park today.” Psalm jumped into the conversation.

“Did you, now?” William glanced at Psalm with a wide smile.

“Yeah, we played on the swings,” the four-year-old said, then scrambled up from her food and raced across the floor to William.

“Look at the polish Mommy put on my nails.” Psalm showed off her pale pink manicure.

“Anything to keep from eating,” Nikki said of her daughter’s cunning escape from dinner.

William laughed. “Psalm, eat your salad,” he said, which made his daughter wrinkle her nose.

The telephone rang and Nikki hopped up to answer it. “Hello?” She listened for a moment, licking butter from her fingers.

“Oh. Hi, Danielle,” she said, holding up her index finger so William could see she wouldn’t be long. “How are you?”

There was a pause, as Nikki listened, then she interrupted. “Hey, chick, I just sat down to dinner with Will and Psalm, so can I call you back in a minute?”

There was another pause, then Nikki held up her free hand, as if to stop the flow of words coming through the phone. “Okay, okay,” Nikki said. “Let me call you back. Bye.” She hung up.

Nikki returned to the table. “Danielle,” she said by way of explanation, and William nodded.

“How is she doing?”

“Oh, fine, I’m sure,” Nikki said and took a sip of tea. “She was trying to tell me about some man drama, but I told her I’d call her back.”

“That Danielle always has a good story to tell,” William grinned.

“Yeah,” Nikki said. “One thing is for sure, it’s never boring with her around. So, how was your day?”

William sighed and raised his eyebrows, letting out a long breath. “Baby, it was rough,” he said. “The campaign is getting pretty heated and we had to fight off some crazy rumors.”

William spent long days working on the mayoral campaign of Oliver Chance, a candidate he believed in fiercely, though the polls weren’t too favorable to Chance at the moment. Chance was a pastor who had decided to run for office after becoming frustrated with the way many of his church members were too often treated by city government. This was his first political run and the incumbent, Lo Dark, had two terms behind him, money and a good support base.

William, who was a year older than Nikki, spent his first two years out of college building a computer services firm with a college buddy, but the company went under after a key investor pulled out following Hurricane Katrina. He now had another company and helped people with computer problems, though lately he was working less at his computer business and more at the campaign. Reverend Chance promised William a job in his administration if he should win. William liked the idea, because he wanted to hold public office himself one day.

Nikki had interned as a photographer for the local paper in Shreveport and had worked there briefly after fleeing New Orleans, but William did not want her working. He said she had her hands full taking care of their home, their daughter and finishing up her master’s degree in art. Nikki knew he told her not to work out of concern so she wouldn’t be unduly stressed, but she also knew this was a matter of pride for him. William felt more like a man when he could afford for his wife to stay home. Except now, bills were mounting and money was growing harder to come by.

Neither of their parents had wanted them to marry so young—her at twenty, him at twenty-one—after knowing each other for barely six weeks, but Nikki and William hadn’t cared. Now, seven years and one child later, they had weathered a lot—struggling through college, building a business, seeing a business fail, having no money.

“Well, you know the Bible tells us that the enemy will come at you from all sides when you are working for good,” Nikki said. “And the pastor is running for office so he can make some real changes in this city. So I’m sure there are a lot of unhappy people out there.”

“Yeah, it gets hard sometimes,” William said.

“But I’m sure it will all work out. The Word tells us that no weapon formed against us shall prosper. And that’s a promise. No weapon formed against us, you or Reverend Chance will prosper.”

“I wish I could be as sure as you are,” William sighed. “It’s rough out there.”

“Well, I’m certain you did an excellent job handling the situation.” Nikki beamed at her husband.

“I tried.” William rubbed his eyes. “Did I tell you Spencer Cason is working in the opposition’s camp?”

Nikki’s eyebrows shot up. “Spencer?”

“Yeah,” William said. “It seems like I can’t shake that dude. Every time I take one step, he takes two.”

Spencer and William started off as friends their freshman year in college, but that soon changed as it became evident to William that Spencer seemed to covet everything William had.

“Are you serious?” Nikki regained her composure. She wrinkled her nose and tore apart a buttery piece of garlic bread. “I thought he had moved or something. Don’t tell me he’s still hanging around, chasing you.”

“Well, I can’t say for certain that he’s still chasing me,” William said, winking at Psalm, who picked at her salad with her hands.

“Well, didn’t you start working on the Chance campaign first?” Nikki asked. “I bet you Spencer found out you were there and then went to work on the other side. What’s that guy’s problem? Seems like he would just get a life.”

“My tummy hurts,” Psalm said, pushing away her plate.

Nikki raised a brow. “Really, sweetie? Come, let Mommy make it feel better,” she said, smiling knowingly at William. “Is it because you don’t want to eat the rest of your salad?”

Nikki hoisted the child onto her lap and rubbed her stomach for a moment, but before Psalm could even get settled, she caught sight of her favorite DVD and bounced out of her mother’s arms and raced to the TV stand. “Let’s watch!”

Nikki smiled. She knew she had a good life. Why should she want anything more? William was right, she tried to assure herself. She didn’t need a photography career.

But the longing remained.

Danielle pressed the end button on her cell phone and slumped against the back of the black leather couch. Tears streaked down her cheeks and she bit down hard on her thumb to keep more from coming.

“I need to talk to Nikki!” she fumed. But she didn’t call her friend back. When Nikki had asked if she was all right, Danielle had said yes, in a shaky voice. “I know she could tell something was wrong. But she was too wrapped up in her own stuff.” Danielle forced herself not to feel let down by her friend’s hurry to get off the phone. Nikki had been her first real female friend ever since their meeting freshman year. Theirs had not been an instant friendship, however.

Danielle, a year older than Nikki, had been forced to attend a mandatory tutorial session after she failed yet another English test. Nikki had been her tutor, though they were both freshmen.

“How are you going to tell me what to do when we’re both starting out?” Danielle had groused, rolling her eyes.

Nikki shrugged. “Well, I’ve just always been really good in English, and I scored really high on my college entrance exams in that subject. I needed a job and this was what was available. I don’t know everything, but I’m here to help you as best I can.”

“Well, why don’t you just do my papers for me and we can let it go at that?” Danielle shot back.

“Because, that’s dishonest,” Nikki reasoned.

“So!” Danielle laughed. “Are you some goody-two-shoes or something?”

“No, I’m not a goody-two-shoes, but I know cheating on a paper is wrong and can get us both in a lot of trouble,” Nikki had told her. “So, let’s get to today’s assignment. Let me see what you’re working on in class. I know you can get this. I’m sure you’re pretty smart.”

Danielle had cut her eyes at Nikki before pulling out her notebook. “I don’t want to do this mess. I’m wasting valuable time fooling around with this junk. I have a date tonight that I need to get ready for.”

“Well, look, you have to master this first,” Nikki insisted.

“Whatever. I have to do my hair, find something to wear, get my nails done—”

“It won’t take you but a moment to get read. . .