by Louise Guy
‘Okay, but once those aches are gone, you’re all mine. Deal?’
Leah forced a smile. Nicola wasn’t someone she could imagine spending time with, but she was Eve’s best friend. She was trying to do something nice.
How Leah wished it was Jackie sitting across from her. She’d be making her popcorn, renting movies and refusing to get out of her pyjamas. Pure comfort pampering.
They finished their drinks, but she had to force the green tea down. It was an aspect of Eve’s life she doubted she’d ever embrace. To her relief, when Nicola finished her coffee, she made motions that she’d better get on with her day.
Kate arrived while Leah walked Nicola to the front door.
‘Kate, would you mind doing me a favour?’ Leah asked.
The nanny nodded.
‘I was hoping you might change the sheets on the bed in the master bedroom. They feel a bit grotty after sleeping in them straight from the hospital.’
‘Of course, Eve, I’ll head straight up and do it now.’
She thanked Kate and turned back to find Nicola had walked the short distance from the front door to the drive. She stood next to her car, hand on the door handle.
Her eyes bulged, unblinking. ‘It’s not a favour, Eve! It’s her bloody job. Have you forgotten that too? And what’s with this Eve stuff? She’s hired help, it’s Mrs West.’
Leah forced a smile. Nicola’s voice was loud. No doubt Kate had heard every word. ‘We’ve dropped the formalities around here. And on a public holiday, when she’s not even supposed to be here, it’s a favour.’
Go, you spoilt-rotten bitch. She stood and waved with her good hand as Nicola backed down the driveway.
She’d never be able to be the Eve Nicola knew. To avoid suspicion, she only had one option. To keep well away from her.
Leah was grateful Kate had taken the girls out to the park shortly after her parents arrived. The weight of their sadness was stamped clearly on their faces, and even her mum’s best effort to be cheerful for the twins’ sakes had failed dismally.
Harriet had rushed to show her grandparents Lewis, and chatted on like nothing had happened whereas Ava had held back. Her grandparents’ sadness was mirrored on her little face.
With the girls out of the way, Sean brought the coffees Kate had made for everyone to the living room with a plate of freshly baked scones.
Leah guessed the scones would most likely go untouched.
Her sister’s husband handed around copies of her Will. ‘Leah’s lawyer, Douglas Parker, emailed this through. He said he’ll be contacting each of the beneficiaries separately by mail, but seeing the Will is very straightforward he’s emailed it through so, we can have a look at it and ensure we follow Leah’s instructions.’
Her mother’s hand shook as she took the document. ‘Why don’t you read it to us, Sean? You’re a lawyer, so it will seem official that way.’
He began reading. It only took a few minutes. He looked up at the end. ‘Very straightforward. She’s basically left everything to Eve, other than twenty-five thousand dollars for each of the girls to be put away in trust until they turn twenty-one. Her only other instruction is, if her parents have survived her, they’re to be allowed to take any personal items they might like to keep. She’s asked to be cremated, and she’s pre-paid her funeral and made some basic requests with Greyson’s Funeral Homes. The rest she’s leaving up to Eve, as her executor.’ Sean addressed his in-laws. ‘I’d assume from this Will, Leah thought she’d outlive both of you.’
Leah turned to her parents. ‘I’m happy for you to have anything at all you like, and we can sell the apartment and anything else and split the money. I’m sure Leah would’ve wanted you to have a share if she’d realised she’d be gone so early.’
Her father spoke for the first time since they’d arrived. ‘I’d like the chess set she bought especially for her and I to play on, but other than that, we don’t need her money.’
Her mother agreed. ‘If you don’t need it, then put it away for the girls’ future. Leah would love to know she’d helped pay their school fees or contributed to their first cars or a deposit for a house once they leave home.’ She wiped her eyes. ‘She loved those girls so much.’
‘There’s probably not a lot we can do regarding her funeral, until we talk to the funeral home tomorrow,’ Sean said. ‘Although, you might want to give thought to the personal touches you’d like that Greyson’s won’t know about.’
‘Dad, did you want anything in particular at the funeral? Bible readings or anything?’ How religious would her father expect the service to be?
‘No, whatever you and your mum think’s best. Nothing will bring her back, so it really doesn’t matter. She wasn’t religious, so we’ll do it how she would have wanted.’
Leah leaned back in her chair the finality of his words sinking in. He was right. Nothing would bring her back. She watched her father rise and walk out to the backyard.
‘He needs time, love,’ her mother said. ‘We all do. It’s only been two days. We don’t all have your resilience.’
That was a dig at Eve, at the way she was behaving. What her mother didn’t realise was she was so pre-occupied in ensuring she was behaving like Eve, not like herself, at times it was easy to forget her sister was dead.
Planning her own funeral was also quite surreal. She couldn’t plan the funeral as if it were for Eve, because their tastes were so different people would think it was strange. She’d never hear the end of it…thinking about herself and not her dead sister.
So instead, she made suggestions for the personal touches she’d like at the funeral.
They still had several people to contact. While Leah and her mother discussed the funeral arrangements, Sean took on the difficult job of making the phone calls.
‘He’s been amazing,’ she said ‘I only called Jackie, and that was hard enough. He’s called everyone else.’
‘He’s a good man,’ her mother said. 'A very good man. I sometimes worry you take him for granted.’
Leah agreed. Eve had taken him for granted. ‘Everything’s different now.’
Her mother nodded, as if understanding that the enormity of their loss would have an impact on Eve. She had tears in her eyes when she took her hand. ‘It’s terrible that it’s taken this, but if something good comes out of it, then that will be a blessing.’
She pulled her mother to her and held her. The older woman stiffened in her arms at first; this was a very unlike-Eve thing to do, then eventually she relaxed and the tears flowed.
‘Oh, Eve, I’m going to miss her so much,’ her mother said. ‘She was such a lovely girl. So generous, so loving. I’m not sure your dad and I will ever recover.’
Leah squeezed her mother; there were no words to help her.
They went back to their planning and by the time Sean finished with the phone calls, her dad returned to the living room and declared it time to leave.
He hugged her. ‘Sorry love, I can’t deal with all this today. Thank you for taking charge. You always were good in a crisis.’
Sean closed the front door when they were gone and turned back to face her. ‘You okay? You look done in.’
Leah nodded. ‘They’re a mess.’
‘Particularly your dad.’
‘They were so close.’ She and her father had had a special bond. How she would miss that closeness.
Harriet and Ava came racing down the stairs. She hadn’t even realised they’d come home. ‘When did you—’
‘Lewis has gone mad, Mummy,’ Harriet cried cutting her off. ‘He’s at the top of the curtains; I think his claw is stuck. Kate tried to get him down, but he hissed at her.’
Ava’s face crumpled when Harriet relayed the news. ‘Please don’t send him away, Mummy. I know he’s been bad, but we’ll teach him not to climb the curtains.’
Leah swallowed. Eve would’ve had a fit if a cat had scaled her curtains. ‘Lewis isn’t going anywhere. Aunty Leah would want us to look a
fter him, and forgive him when he’s naughty.’ She suppressed a smile, thinking of Eve who was probably shooting daggers at her from the afterlife. ‘Come on, let’s go and rescue him.’
Her body ached as she moved up the steps.
Sean was staring mouth-opened from the bottom of the staircase.
‘I’m not going to be able to get him with my arm in a cast. We’ll need your help.’
He grinned and raced up the stairs, slowing when he caught up. He took her by the good arm. ‘Bet you’re not so calm when you see the holes that giant fur ball’s put in your designer drapes.’
Leah glared. Giant fur ball. That was hardly any way to talk about Lewis. No doubt Sean would interpret her display of displeasure as being angry about the curtains, which was good.
Definitely more Eve-like.
11
Leah had two jobs on the Tuesday following the accident. She was grateful for Kate’s early arrival to help get the girls off to school. She’d registered the surprise on the nanny’s face when she’d arrived to find her in the kitchen helping the girls get their breakfast and organising their lunches.
Sean had already left for work. He’d offered to take the week off but Leah had told him to go. It would give her some time to herself, which she desperately needed.
She still had to call Fitzy and tell him the news. It was the one call she’d insisted she make, not Sean. She also wanted to ring the funeral home and make an appointment to see them. Her mum wanted to go with her but her father had decided it was too hard.
‘I can do the lunches, Eve,’ Kate said. ‘I thought you’d be in bed resting?’
She shook her head. ‘No, I can go back for a rest once the girls are at school. I wanted to spend some time with them first.’
‘At least let me finish the lunchboxes. It’ll take you forever with one arm,’ the nanny had said, taking over before Leah could object.
She’d taken her coffee to the table instead, and sat with the twins while they spread their toast with the avocado she’d managed to slice with one hand.
‘You put sugar in your coffee.’ Harriet giggled as she pointed at Leah’s cup. ‘That’s poison.’
She smiled. She’d done it automatically, not even thinking about Eve’s aversion to sugar. The fact she even drank coffee was surprising. Leah pointed to her head, which still had the gauze strip on it. ‘I’m doing all sorts of strange stuff,’ she said. ‘It must be this bump on the head. You’re right though, it is like adding poison.’ She took a sip and moved her head closer to the girls. ‘Don’t tell anyone, but it actually tastes better.’
Ava stared. ‘That’s how Aunty Leah has her coffee. White with one sugar. You normally have it black.’
She swallowed and took Ava’s hand. ‘You know what, I seem to be doing a few things Aunty Leah did. I guess it makes me feel closer to her. I miss her, hon.’ Tears welled in her eyes. She’d never get to talk to her sister again and it was still overwhelming.
Ava’s little face crumpled. ‘Don’t cry, Mummy, I didn’t mean to make you sad.’
‘Oh darling, you didn’t make me sad. You and Harry are the very things that are keeping me going. Don’t ever think that, okay?’
The little girl nodded.
‘Now, why don’t you finish your toast and go up and brush your teeth. Kate will take you to school this morning, as I can’t drive for a few weeks.’
‘And you don’t have a car,’ Harriet said.
‘That’s true. I guess we could drive Aunt Leah’s car once my arm’s better.’
The girls looked at each other. Of course, Eve wouldn’t drive her car. Eve in a Prius, even a new one? No way.
‘I mean, until the insurance pays us some money and we can get a new Audi or BMW. What colour do you think we should get?’
‘Blue,’ Harriet said immediately.
‘Purple,’ Ava said. ‘I’ve never seen a purple car. I wonder if they even have them?’
‘We’ll do our research and find out. Now off you two go and brush your teeth. Be back down here in ten minutes. Okay?’
The girls rushed off to get ready.
Kate immediately moved over to the table and started clearing the dishes.
Leah was about to tell her she’d do them, but stopped herself. Eve’s practice had been to go to work, ignore her daughters and allow the nanny to do everything house-related.
She had plans to change that over time, but she didn’t need to start now. Instead she stood and took her coffee to the living room. She paused at the fireplace, scanning the photos Eve had selected for the room. Tears fell looking into her sister’s eyes on her wedding day and holding the twins in her arms in hospital. Photos of the girls on their second and fifth birthdays had been framed and put on the wall.
It was the photo of Eve and Leah, their arms around each other on their thirtieth birthday, that Leah paused at for the longest. Eve had organised an extravagant event, inviting both her own and Leah’s friends. It was much flashier than anything she would’ve organised, but it’d been a wonderful night, topped off with a speech Eve had given when the giant cake had been brought out.
Her twin had made a point of saying how important her sister was to her; how they’d always been there for each other. They always knew what each other was thinking. What the other needed. She’d said how lucky she was to have a sister like Leah.
Leah had raised her glass, tears filling her eyes at her sister’s uncharacteristically emotional speech. She’d mouthed ditto. It was all she’d needed to say.
Looking at the photo now she thought back to those words. That they always knew what each other needed. Eve had been right, and it gave Leah comfort. Right now she was doing exactly what her sister needed her to do.
The call to Greyson’s Funeral home had been easy. An appointment had been arranged for the following morning, and the funeral booked for Friday at 11am.
Leah had called her mother and asked her to pick her up on the way to the funeral home the next morning. Once those arrangements had been made, the next call she needed to make was to Barry Fitzpatrick.
She took a deep breath and dialled his direct number.
‘Fitzpatrick, make it quick.’
‘Barry, it’s Eve West here. I’m Leah’s…’
‘Yeah, I know who you are. Real Estate agent. Better dressed version of Leah. Can you rub some of your dress sense off on her do you think? It’d make working here more bearable. What do you want?’
God, he was so offensive. It was certainly one benefit of her new identity, not having to deal with Barry Fitzpatrick ever again.
‘Leah was involved in an accident on Friday night.’
‘Oh great. Let me guess, she’s got you to ring in and pretend she’s sick? Tell her she’ll need a doctor’s certificate, and if she’s off at job interviews, tell her not to bother. No one will employ her.’
She was silent for a moment and then she spoke. ‘Leah told me what a prick you are. A rude, crude, sexist pig and now I hear it for myself.’
Laughter erupted from the other end of the phone. ‘Got a bite to you, that’s what I like to see. Tell you what, Eve, if you are ever looking for a job, let me know. With your straight talking you’d go a long way in my business. And another gorgeous face around here wouldn’t hurt either.’ His laughter boomed down the phone again. ‘Now, tell your sister her hangover, or whatever’s really wrong with her, had better be gone by tomorrow.’
‘Not possible. She’s dead.’
There was silence at the other end of the phone.
‘Leah was killed in a car accident on Friday night. She won’t be in tomorrow. She won’t be in, ever. If you could pass the message on to the staff she worked with, it would be appreciated. Her funeral is at eleven on Friday at Greyson’s on High Street in Prahran.’
‘Oh, Eve.’ The arrogance had been replaced by sadness in Fitzy’s voice. ‘I’m really—’
Leah didn’t want to hear it. She ended the call. If the only time he co
uld show any sympathy or compassion was when someone died, she didn’t want to know.
Sean’s hand shook as he attempted to do up his cufflinks. He took a deep breath and exhaled. He’d tried, unsuccessfully, to get rid of the feelings of guilt he had over the accident.
Eve had assured him she wasn’t distracted by his words. That the moment she’d picked up Leah, the two of them hadn’t even talked about him. That they’d joked and laughed all the way to the party. That they were singing along to ABBA, without a care in the world. She’d tried to lighten the situation. Even told him he had tickets on himself assuming she’d have wasted so much energy on him.
He knew his wife well enough to know that could very possibly be true. She was good at blocking things she didn’t like, and moving on pretending they’d never happened. Maybe she had done so the night of the accident?
If she had, and if he believed her, why did he still feel so guilty about Leah?
The more he’d allowed himself to think about his sister-in-law, the more the truth dawned. His guilt went back a lot further than the accident. It went back to the night he and Leah had gone on their first date.
The night Eve had hijacked it—him. The night his wife had decided he was for her, not for Leah. His guilt went back fifteen years. To a night he’d sat through a movie with Leah, butterflies in his stomach, itching to kiss her. To a night when he’d been swept away by Eve’s energy. By her obvious attraction to him.
It was a night where he’d got a lot further than just kissing his date. Eve had done things to him that had him push all thoughts of Leah out of his mind. She’d been able to convince him he’d made the right choice. He’d only second-guessed his decision many months later at a dinner at Eve’s parents' house.
The moment his eyes connected with Leah, he’d felt it again. The butterflies. The attraction. It’d been too late.
He and Eve had been there to announce their engagement. He’d never apologised properly for that first date. For the way he’d abandoned her. With the cufflink finally secured, Sean took a last look at himself in the mirror.
