The Best of Friends

Ten

“I’M NOT MYSELF,” REBECCA said dramatically, draped across the sofa, her eyes closed, her perfect face flushed.

“Then who are you?” Jayne asked.

Rebecca opened her eyes. “You know what I mean, and don’t pretend you don’t. I’m desperately depressed. Nothing about coming home is the way I thought it would be. I haven’t even been fighting with my mother, and you know how I was looking forward to that.”

“Then go see her. I’m sure the two of you could get into it. Then you’ll upset her and feel better yourself.”

“I’m not going to be the one to blink first. If I go there, she wins. I want to win.” She sat up and sighed. “But it’s not just that. You’re leaving.”

A topic that was bound to come up sooner or later. “Yes, I am.”

“You’re leaving me. We’re supposed to be friends.”

If Jayne didn’t know Rebecca better, she would swear that actual tears had filled her eyes and that her lower lip had quivered. But she did know her, and she understood every one of Rebecca’s self-absorbed tendencies, not to mention her tricks.

“I love you like a sister,” Jayne said calmly, “but no. My leaving is not up for negotiation. You went halfway around the world ten years ago, and I didn’t try to make you feel guilty. You stayed gone, and I was warm and supportive. I expect the same from you.”

“But this is different. I’m back, and I want you here.”

“Want some cheese with that whine?”

“You’re not being very sympathetic,” Rebecca complained.

Jayne leaned back in the club chair. “Probably because I’m not feeling sympathetic. There’s nothing wrong with your life. You’re young, beautiful, successful, and rich. You have a family who loves you, a best friend with the devotion of a search-and-rescue dog, and all the potential in the world.” She raised her left hand. “I, on the other hand, have a broken wrist and had to face telling your mother I was leaving.”

Rebecca grinned. “That was the best story ever. Tell me again.”

“I’ve already told you three times.”

“It gets better with every telling.” She sighed. “You’re very difficult these days. Very sure of yourself. Worse, you have a shiny new love interest, and all I have is an old, boring man.”

Jayne desperately wanted to squirm. “David isn’t a love interest. He’s a… complication.”

“A nice one.”

“Definitely.” A complication that kissed like the devil and charmed her and made her laugh. David was the best kind of trouble.

Rebecca sat up, her eyes wide, her mouth open. “Oh, no. There’s a party, for David. Now don’t get upset, but my mother plans to—”

“Have several perfect women over so he can pick the right wife. I know. We had lunch to discuss the details. Then I announced I was leaving, so I don’t know if I’ll be helping or not.”

“You can’t be serious.”

Jayne wasn’t sure. “I’ll do it if she asks.”

“But you’re dating David.”

“We’re not dating. We’ve been to dinner once. We talk and house hunt. We’ve kissed. It was no big deal.” At least not to him, which was what she would be reminding herself over and over again. “I’m offering my advice, such as it is, on the houses he’s looking at, and I think he’s asking me along only because the alternative is his mother. It’s nothing.”

“That bad a kisser, huh?” Rebecca asked, her voice teasing.

“I’m not discussing him with you because, hey, he’s your brother. Do you really want to know?”

Rebecca wrinkled her nose. “Right. I don’t. But this has to bother you. You don’t just go around kissing guys for the fun of it.”

“Only because they’re not asking.” Jayne wasn’t about to admit the truth. The crush made it beyond difficult to think about David falling for some rich, connected, beautiful woman. Not that his going after someone who wasn’t rich, connected, or beautiful was any better. The more she got to know him, the more she liked him. The crush had been fueled by what she thought he should be. The liking was based on who he actually was, and that was the problem.

“David’s great,” she said. “But so what? Are we going to get involved? Am I ‘the One’? You warned me yourself, he doesn’t do relationships.”

“Okay, but you’re wonderful. He could fall for you. You’re smart and funny and loving and pretty.”

“Not as pretty as you.”

Rebecca sighed. “So few are.”

“We both know the type David will marry. It’s not me, and I’m okay with that.” Mostly. “Besides, I’m trying to get away from your family. I’m relocating to another state to escape the stress of the Worden clan. Getting serious with David would make a real mess.”

“But if you like him…” Rebecca began.

“No, it’s not going to happen. This is nice. Fun. Nothing more.” She couldn’t let it be. For all her daydreams about the man, she understood reality. The rich really were different, and she was okay with that.

“And while we’re on the subject of men,” Jayne said deliberately. “How are things with Jonathan?”

Rebecca groaned, then rested her head on the back of the sofa. “Can you spell disaster?”

“What’s wrong with Jonathan?”

“He likes me.”

“The bastard.”

“You’re not taking me seriously.”

“I know. Part of my charm.”

Rebecca drew in a breath. “He likes me too much. I want a fling. He wants more.”

“You want to piss off Elizabeth.”

“That, too. He’s clingy and annoying. The sex is awful, but that’s more about me than him.” She slumped down into the corner of the sofa and folded her arms across her chest. “I miss Nigel.”

Which was the heart of the problem. “More or less than you did?”

“Less,” she admitted, “but not a whole lot less.”

“Still, it’s progress.”

“I guess. I just thought…” She sat up. Her expression turned fierce. “I can’t believe he chose someone else over me. I know he loves me. Our relationship was amazing. He won’t have that with anyone else. What does she have that I don’t?”

“Controlling interest in Australia’s second largest diamond mine.”

Rebecca slumped back against the cushions. “It’s not just the money. Obviously the diamonds were a big appeal, but there’s something else. I can’t figure out if I was too much for him, or if I wanted too much or demanded too much.”

“Why does it have to be you?” Jayne asked, annoyed. “This really pisses me off. Why do we, as women, assume it’s our fault? I do it, too. Take the blame. Try to fix things. Maybe it’s not you. Maybe you’re the ideal combination of exciting and sexy and fun. Maybe it’s him. He could have married her for the money or access to the diamonds he loves so much. Or maybe because she was easier or safer. Maybe he has a brain tumor that’s interfering with his frontal lobe. I’m not saying you’re perfect, I’m saying don’t assume it’s just you.”

“That was quite the rant.”

“I am passionate about a few subjects. I hate how women subjugate themselves to men, emotionally. Sometimes the woman is the problem, but sometimes she isn’t. Sometimes it’s both of them.”

“Are you projecting?”

“A little, which is my right.” Jayne leaned forward. “It’s not you. It’s Nigel.”

“I’m not sure knowing that will make it hurt less.”

“Maybe not, but eventually the information will help.”

“Maybe. I think I’m going to have to dump Jonathan. He’s not worth the effort.”

“You could consider finding a guy you want to be with because of how he makes you feel rather than how it will piss off your mother,” Jayne said.

“Where’s the fun in that?”

“Are you sorry you came home?”

“Not yet.”

Jayne considered her words carefully. “Is it possible revenge isn’t as much fun as you’d hoped?”

“I’m not even going to consider that. Elizabeth and I have just begun our game. I still plan to win.”

“Great.”

There were casualties in any battle. Jayne just hoped she could stay out of the cross fire.

* * *

Rebecca did her best to work through her bout of self-pity with a Pilates class and a double-shot energy drink. When that didn’t work, she curled up with a bottle of wine and all three Bourne movies. Matt Damon went a long way to making her feel better about herself, and she woke the following morning feeling ready to take on the world. She showered, put on makeup, and dressed, but before she could leave, someone rang her doorbell.

Immediately her heart jumped in her chest. She desperately wanted her visitor to be Nigel, coming to beg her forgiveness. He would tell her that he’d made a huge mistake marrying Ariel, that he was sorry and would spend the rest of his life making it up to her. If only, she thought as she crossed to the door and pulled it open.

It wasn’t Nigel, or Jayne, or even David. Instead, her mother stood in the hallway, looking as well groomed as ever, her mouth slightly pinched, as if she had a painful rash somewhere that chafed.

“Rebecca,” Elizabeth said, pushing past her and walking into the condo. She stopped in the middle of the living room. “This is nice. A little more public than I would like, but the view works.” She set her Louis Vuitton bag on the table by the sofa and crossed to the sliding-glass doors. “You’re renting?”

Rebecca closed the door. “Yes. I don’t know how long I’ll be in Los Angeles.”

“Long enough to be an annoyance to me, I’m sure.”

The harsh words created a slight twinge of pain, but Rebecca ignored it. “I look for my happiness where I can find it. What brings you here, Mother?”

Elizabeth turned to face her. “I thought you would have come to see me by now.”

“Why?”

“Because you’re my daughter, and you’re back in town. It was the least you could have done after ruining my brunch. But you were never one to apologize.”

Rebecca squared her shoulders. “I didn’t realize an apology was required for visiting my family. My mistake. I assumed you would be happy to see me after all this time. It’s been what? years? I guess a ‘Welcome home’ is too much to ask for.”

“Oh, please.” Elizabeth crossed to the sofa and sat. “Is that really what you want? You left without saying a word, without an explanation. Why would you care what we think after all this time?”

“I don’t,” Rebecca told her. “But to clarify your memory, I didn’t leave without an explanation. We had a fight. You were horrible. I ran away.”

Elizabeth sighed. “You were eighteen. One runs away when one is five or six. And the fight was because you had taken a very expensive necklace from the store. A willful bid for attention. You were always flashy, Rebecca. So low class.”

“Something I get from you?”

Elizabeth stiffened, then visibly relaxed. “I see time away hasn’t changed you at all.”

“Did you expect it to?”

“Honestly? Yes.”

Rebecca knew she was different, but not in ways that would matter to her mother.

She started to say that she hadn’t taken the necklace, but after all this time, what was the point? She would have, if she’d thought of it. Instead, taking the fall for Jayne had suited her. She’d used that fight as an excuse to leave.

“I am different, Mother, but I doubt you’ll believe me.”

“What are your plans, now that you’re back? Make more trouble? Is this about your brother? You’ve always resented him.”

The unfairness of the statement burned. David was the favorite, the wanted child. Rebecca had been angry and hurt, but she’d never resented her brother. She just wanted the same kind of treatment.

“You mean will I get in the way of your marrying him off?”

Elizabeth looked startled. “What are you talking about?”

Rebecca relaxed a little. “David tells me everything. We’re close. We have been for years. Didn’t he mention that? When I left, he’s the one I went to. Your precious son has been watching out for me. Someone had to. I knew nothing about being on my own. Not that you worried. Or bothered to get in touch.” Even Blaine had come to check on her, but not Elizabeth. “You must have been relieved to have me gone.”

Elizabeth stood. “I refuse to rehash our past. You may find it interesting, but I don’t.”

“That’s it? You don’t have an explanation? One of your children disappears and you’re fine with that?”

“What do you want from me?”

A little caring, Rebecca thought bitterly. A hint of maternal feeling. “Nothing,” she said. “Which is what you’ve been doing, so it will feel very familiar.”

Elizabeth pressed her lips together. “I see it’s still all about you. Very well. Tell me why you’re back.”

“No.”

Elizabeth crossed to the table and picked up her purse. “Very mature. Impressive. How proud we all are of you.”

“Jonathan doesn’t have any complaints.”

To her credit, Elizabeth’s calm facade didn’t even crack. “He’s been a good and loyal friend to your father and me. I hope you’ll treat him with the respect he deserves.”

“Did you? Did you like having sex with him, Mom? Did you talk to Dad about it?”

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. As to your reasons for returning, keep them secret if you like. My concern is your brother. David is ready to settle down. I want him to be happy.”

“With the right sort of girl.”

“Do you think he could be happy with the wrong sort?” Elizabeth crossed to the front door, then turned back. “The problem with you, Rebecca, is that you like to play at being just like everyone else, then you get angry when you’re treated that way. There’s nothing wrong with the world of privilege. There never has been. You could have had everything. Instead, you tossed it all away. Play whatever game you want. I don’t care.”

She left. Rebecca stared after her, refusing to feel the sharp pain in her heart.

“You never have,” she whispered to the empty room.

Jayne pulled the cookie sheet of mini taquitos out of the oven, glanced at the clock on the stove, and swore. She was running late. She set the taquitos on the cooling rack, then glanced around her kitchen to see what else had to be prepped.

David walked in and saw the cookie sheet. “Those look good.”

“Don’t even think about it. You can wait until everyone else gets here.”

“Bossy. I like it.” He winked at her.

“Then you’ll enjoy carrying in that bowl of tortilla chips and the salsa. Does everything fit on the coffee table? Will we have room for drinks?”

Instead of grabbing the food, he moved close and put his hands on her hips. After lightly kissing her, he said, “Relax. Everything will be fine.”

She let herself get lost in his eyes because the alternative was to panic, and shrill was not her best look. “You don’t know that. What was I thinking? These are my friends. And you’re… not who they’re going to be expecting. There will be awkward questions and knowing looks.”

He kissed her again, lingering this time until she was close to whimpering. “I live for awkward. We’re going to talk jewelry. They’ll love it.”

“ You’re going to talk jewelry. There’s a difference.”

“They’ll adore me.”

“Are you sure you can manage the chip bowl? Because that ego looks kind of heavy.”

He chuckled and reached for the two bowls. While he went to put them on the coffee table, she transferred the taquitos to a plate, then pulled the guacamole from the refrigerator.

“They’re all nurses, too?” he asked when he returned and swiped a taquito. “At the breast center?”

“Katie and Charlotte are. Gigi works up front, in the office.”

He leaned against the counter. “Why do you work there and not a hospital?”

“My mother died of breast cancer.”

“I’m sorry.” He frowned. “You were still in high school, right? That’s when you moved in?”

She nodded. “My mom wasn’t diagnosed until she was stage four. She never went to the doctor, probably because of money. By the time we knew what was going on, it was too late. She only had a few weeks to live. The radiology nurses were my favorite. They would answer all my questions. They didn’t pretend everything was going to be okay. It was scary, but knowing the truth was better than wondering.”

He moved toward her, then stopped. “You didn’t have any other family?”

“None. Rebecca helped, but she was in high school, too. One of the nurses, Sylvia, took me out to dinner a couple of times and told me what was going to happen with my mom. What the last couple of weeks would be like. She prepared me. She also told me that the type of cancer she had was random rather than genetic. Which also helped. I wanted to be like Sylvia—making a difference.”

She pulled a bottle of white wine from the refrigerator and handed it to him, along with the opener. She collected glasses.

“The night my mother died, Elizabeth invited me to come stay. When I got close to high school graduation, she and Blaine offered to pay for college. Blaine already knew I wanted to be a nurse, and he was very supportive.”

“More so than my mother,” David said, pulling out the cork. “She would be more interested in how it looks than for paying it.”

Jayne agreed, but didn’t want to say that. “They were both there for me.”

“And you’ll always be grateful.” He reached for the bottle of red on the counter.

“Life is nothing if not complicated.” She drew in a breath. “But I can’t keep doing it,” she said slowly. “Acting as Elizabeth’s assistant. Paying back the never-ending debt.”

David set down the wine. “Elizabeth does feel she has a claim on you.”

Jayne swallowed and stared into his amazing blue eyes. “It’s not just her. I’m as much to blame. I’ve let this situation go on too long. And it’s time to fix things.”

He drew his eyebrows together. “Why do I get the feeling I’m not going to like what you’re saying?”

“I don’t know. It’s not going to make any difference to you, that I can see.” She drew in a deep breath. “I’m moving to Dallas.”

David studied her. “Okay.”

She told him about the job she’d accepted. “I’m putting my condo up for sale and leaving in two months.”

“To get away from my family.” He wasn’t asking a question.

“To do a lot of things. It’s a great opportunity.”

“Sounds like it.”

She wanted to ask if he was mad, but that would be stupid. David might enjoy her company, but she was never going to be important to him.

“Does my mom know?” he asked.

She nodded.

His expression turned sympathetic. “I’m guessing it didn’t go well.”

“No. Rebecca wasn’t happy, either.”

He stunned her by moving forward and pulling her into his arms. As he hugged her close and kissed her, he murmured, “I apologize on behalf of Wordens everywhere.” He straightened. “I’ll miss you. I’ve enjoyed getting to know you.”

“I’ll miss you, too.” Desperately and with every breath.

“Can I come see you in Dallas?”

He was being polite, she told herself. He really didn’t mean it. But the words made her feel all gooey inside.

“You can,” she said.

“Naked?” he whispered in her ear. “Can I see you naked?”

Her mind went blank. Was he serious or kidding? How on earth was she supposed to respond?

Her doorbell rang. “Perfect timing,” she said, and escaped into the living room.

Her friends had arrived together. Charlotte and Gigi were both tall. Charlotte had dark hair and was model thin, while Gigi was more curvy and had a lot of gray in her blond hair. Jayne introduced all of them to David.

“I remember you from the hospital,” he said as he shook Katie’s hand. “Good to see you again.”

Katie grinned, looking him up and down. “Good to see you, too.” She looked at Charlotte and Gigi. “See?”

Jayne held in a groan.

“See what?” David asked.

“You don’t want to know,” Jayne said, glaring at her friends. “Behave.”

“I am behaving,” he said.

“Not you.”

“Katie said you were pretty,” Gigi offered. “Although my eight-year-old granddaughter says boys can’t be pretty. She’ll figure it out as she gets older.”

Charlotte sat on the sofa and reached for a handful of chips. “So you’re the new boyfriend.”

Jayne willed herself not to blush. “We had this conversation earlier. David is a friend, nothing more. He wants our help with his business. You’re all going to cooperate and not say anything that will embarrass me.”

Katie laughed. “Nice try.” She sat in the kitchen chair Jayne had pulled into the room. “Why aren’t you and Jayne dating? We love her. Why don’t you?”

Jayne tried to speak, but the words got caught in her throat. She gestured wildly at Gigi and Charlotte, both of whom ignored her and waited for David to answer.

“I’m getting to know her,” he said.

“And?” Katie prompted.

He grinned. “Impressive.”

“You are all totally out of control,” Jayne announced. “Now behave, or there’s no wine for any of you.”

“She looks like she means it,” Katie grumbled.

“I do. Now sit, all of you.”

She didn’t wait until they were settled, but instead escaped to the kitchen where she collected more glasses. But her hands were shaking and she had a bad feeling that her cheeks were bright red.

“They’re teasing you because you’re important to them,” David said, coming up behind her. “You okay?”

She nodded without turning. “I’m sorry.”

“Why? Because you have people who care about you? Isn’t that the whole point of life? They’re comfortable here, with you. And I like them.”

Somehow she was turning and facing him and he was standing really, really close. “They are good friends. I’m lucky to have them.”

“Yes, you are. Ready to go back?”

She would rather stand here, next to him, his hands braced on either side of her. She liked the heat of his body easing in hers and the way she felt safe. As if she could count on him. As if this were real. As if he really wanted to see her naked.

“I’m ready,” she whispered.

He stepped back and picked up the glasses. She took the two bottles of wine and they returned to the living room.

David had already laid out a couple of dozen pieces of jewelry. Several were from his trip to the mall, while others came from the Worden store. A couple were Jayne’s QVC purchases, and there were three pieces Rebecca had given her. He asked her friends to look over the jewelry and then tell him what they liked and didn’t like.

“These are yours, right?” Gigi asked Jayne, holding up a pair of faux-diamond hoops. “I love these. Sparkly and I don’t have to mortgage my house to afford them.”

Katie picked up a pendant from the Rivalsa collection. “I love this,” she said. “Look at the lines. It’s so beautiful.” She rubbed the curves. “It’s real gold, right? A couple of thousand dollars?”

Jayne shrugged. “It was a gift, but yes, it’s expensive.” She happened to know that pendant sold in the high five figures, but there was no point in mentioning that.

“What do you like about it?” David asked.

Katie handed it to Charlotte. “How it looks. The weight of it. I don’t know. I just like it.”

“Me, too,” Charlotte said. “Are there earrings like this?”

Jayne nodded.

“Would you like it in sterling?” David asked. “If you could buy it for, say, a couple hundred dollars?”

“I would,” Katie said.

“I’d want the earrings.”

David took them through the rest of the pieces. Of the mall jewelry, only two pairs of earrings were a hit. Everyone loved the Worden pieces, but it was like wanting a house on the beach—lovely in theory, but not in this lifetime.

“Unless the lottery comes through,” Gigi added.

He listened carefully, taking notes and asking specific questions, obviously interested in their opinions. Jayne watched her friends watch him, noting the looks they exchanged. There would be plenty of phone calls tomorrow, she thought. Mostly to ask if he had a brother.

David cleared off the table and asked the women to show him their favorite pieces from their own jewelry boxes. Katie held out a pretty sapphire-and-diamond ring.

“My mom adored Princess Diana,” she said. “Bought all the books when she got married. She even had a collector’s edition doll. The Christmas after Mom had me, my dad got her this. It’s like Diana’s engagement ring. A sapphire surrounded by diamonds. A couple of years ago, she gave it to me.”

“What do you like about it?” he asked.

“The stone is beautiful. It changes color in the sunlight. The ring is lovely, but what I like most is that it makes me think of my mom when I wear it.” She shrugged. “That’s probably not helpful.”

He made more notes. “Sure it is. The setting is classic. Do the rest of you like it?”

Gigi shrugged. “Maybe with an emerald.”

“I want diamonds,” Charlotte said. “In any form. If you have some loose ones you can’t get rid of, I’ll take them.”

An hour later, they’d gone through the rest of the jewelry. Jayne’s friends left.

“I am so calling you tomorrow,” Katie whispered on her way out.

“I already knew that,” Jayne told her and shut the door.

She turned back to face David, who stood by the table, still making notes.

“A lot of information,” he said when he’d finished. “Good stuff.”

“I’m glad it helped.”

“It did.” He put down his notepad and grabbed his glass of wine. “They were fun.”

“They thought you were nice.”

He grimaced. “Thanks.”

She held in a smile. “You don’t want them thinking that?”

“No guy appreciates that title. It’s usually followed by ‘Let’s just be friends.’”

She laughed. “Sure. Because that happens to you all the time. Poor David. Too rich and handsome to get the girl.”

As soon as the words were out, she knew she’d made a hideous mistake.

He put down the wine and walked toward her. His eyes had a dark gleam, and his expression was satisfied. “Handsome, huh?”

She took a step back. “Well, you know what I mean.”

“Not really.”

“You come from a great gene pool.” She took another step back.

He moved forward.

“It’s all a matter of luck,” she said, aware she should just shut up or at least change the subject. “And appearance is subjective. Culturally, what we find attractive here in this country is very different from what—”

He pulled her against him and kissed her. She melted into his embrace because it was better than babbling and because she wanted to. Kissing David was always the best part of her day.

But there was something different this time, she thought as he quickly deepened the kiss, stroking with his tongue. An insistence. A need. He moved his hands up and down her back, then slipped them to her hips. She found herself hanging on, as her legs began to tremble.

If she didn’t know any better, she would swear he had no plans to stop with just a kiss.

As if reading her mind, he straightened and looked into her eyes.

“I want to stay.”

Four little words that meant nothing apart but could be the whole world when strung together.

She had a moment of indecision. Even as various parts of her body sent up a cheer, her brain pointed out this could be a really bad idea. One that would leave her desperately in love with a man who was just passing time. It was a recipe for disaster.

Unless she was careful and kept her heart out of the process. Could she? Did she dare allow David into her bed? Or was the real question, Would she ever forgive herself for passing up an incredible opportunity?

She stared into his blue eyes and knew she had to find out the truth. Was David Worden as good as he looked?