Sisters Like Us

by Susan Mallery

  “I will always hate you,” Jordan screamed after her. “We’re all laughing at you, Becca. Nathan especially. Stupid, ugly Becca, who thinks she can get a boyfriend. Nobody wants you. Not even if you’re giving it away.”

  There was probably more, but Becca was outside and couldn’t hear it. She started walking toward her house, then running. She made it all the way home without throwing up, then raced into the house.

  Luckily, her mom wasn’t home so she didn’t have to worry about answering any questions. Jazz and Thor greeted her, both dogs circling her happily, wanting attention. She gave them each a pat as she headed for her bedroom.

  Once inside, she dropped her backpack on the floor and crawled into bed. Only then did the tears come.

  She hurt everywhere, as if Jordan had beaten her with more than words. She couldn’t breathe very well and sobs racked her body. She pulled her knees to her chest and tried to make herself as small as possible. Then the bed shifted. Both Jazz and Thor jumped on. Thor stretched out against her back and Jazz settled in front of her. She stuck her nose under Becca’s arm until she could lick her face, then inched closer until Becca had to roll onto her back to give her room.

  She stared at the ceiling, tears running down into her hair. Thor and Jazz stayed close, their bodies warming her.

  She told herself that Jordan had been mad and scared and reacting to that as much as what Becca had told her. She told herself that Jordan hadn’t meant all the horrible things she’d said, only she wasn’t sure if she was telling the truth. Because that was her greatest fear—that for once, someone had been totally and brutally honest. And then what?

  * * *

  Harper made notes as Valerie talked. The city of Mischief Bay was a dream client. The work was interesting, there was no drama and rarely any rush work. Things were organized, planned in advance and she never had to follow up to get paid.

  Harper looked over the hand-sketched postcard Valerie had given her. “Okay, that’s very doable. I’ll have a couple of options to you by Monday.”

  She’d been hired to design their summer mailer. It went to all residents and highlighted various city-sponsored events. After Harper had design approval, she would get the postcards printed, apply the labels and get them in the mail.

  “I can always count on you,” Valerie said with a smile. “I wish my other vendors were as efficient.”

  “Maybe I should hold a class,” Harper joked.

  “If only you would.” Valerie flipped through the papers on her desk. “Okay, here’s the other project. We’re just playing with this one, so I’m not totally sure what I want. And isn’t that ridiculous?”

  “Not at all.” A lie, but for the right client, Harper would say almost anything. “Tell me what it is and I’ll figure out a way to make it work.”

  “It’s for the website. We want some short, snappy videos showing different parts of Mischief Bay. You know, to attract tourists. Eventually we might work them into a TV campaign, but that’s way down the road.”

  Harper had never worked with a video camera in her life, and the only actual videos she’d ever recorded had been with her phone and of her daughter.

  “For television quality, you’re going to need a professional,” she said, trying not to sound reluctant. Yes, she would work her butt off to satisfy a client, but there was no way she could set herself up to fail by overpromising something she couldn’t begin to deliver.

  “See, this is why I love working with you,” Valerie told her. “You tell me the truth. You’re right, for TV we would hire a video company, but for the website, let’s see what happens. Want to give it a try?”

  She would have to buy a decent camera. With the price of electronics dropping, that might not be too much. Becca knew how to work one—she’d taken that class last summer through the city park’s department. In fact...

  “Absolutely. Let me shoot two or three short videos and you can have a look at them. If you like them, we’ll figure out exactly what you want and I’ll do them. If you hate them, no harm.” Not counting the expense of the camera, but the city account was worth the investment.

  “We have a plan. Yay.”

  They chatted for a few more minutes, then Harper left. By the time she got home, she figured out what she thought was a workable plan.

  She spotted a plate of cookies on the center island and couldn’t help smiling. She and Bunny were speaking again, albeit in short sentences. But the leaving of food signaled the frost was over. Yes, when in doubt, bake.

  Harper went into Becca’s bedroom and saw her daughter was on her computer at her desk and the dogs were on her bed.

  “Hi, honey,” she said, shooing Jazz and Thor to the floor. “How was school?”

  Becca didn’t bother looking up. “Fine.”

  Harper wasn’t convinced. Had her daughter been crying? Tension joined hands with anxiety. Dealing with one more thing was not her idea of a good time, but if Becca needed her... She sat on the bed.

  “Are you okay?”

  Becca hesitated, then turned in her chair. “Just thinking about stuff. I still don’t know what I’m going to study in college.”

  Thank God. College was easy. “You’re not going to be applying until the fall, sweetie. It’s okay to change your mind between now and then and even after you apply. You can take a lot of your general ed classes at first. Most freshmen do.”

  “I guess. Ashton is studying mechanical engineering. I guess I wish I was that sure of stuff.”

  “You will be.” Ashton had been through a difficult time with his mother and living situation. No doubt that had matured him. Not that she was going to say that to Becca. “I have something that might be a fun distraction and solve a problem all at once.”

  Becca barely smiled. “Sure. What is it?”

  Harper explained how the city wanted short videos for the website. “You took that media class last summer and really liked it. Do you think you could help me out by shooting the videos and editing them?”

  There was a beat, then Becca smiled for real. “That would be cool. I could do the carousel and the beach, of course, but maybe something about all the parks. Especially the dog park, The Barkwalk. I could even download some music. There’s plenty in the public domain and then if the city wants something better, they can license it.” Becca’s expression turned serious. “You don’t ever want to just copy a song without licensing it. That’s stealing.”

  “Good to know. So here’s the thing. I’ll pay you for the time you’re working and we’ll put the money toward your half of the car insurance.”

  Her daughter’s eyes widened. “Really? You’d do that? Thanks, Mom.”

  Becca got out of her chair and threw herself at Harper. She hugged her daughter and was surprised at how the teen hung on.

  Finally Becca stepped back and took her seat. “Okay, let me get the specifics. You’ll want them short. Maybe twenty or thirty seconds. Any longer than that and people lose interest. I might try them with a host. Ashton could talk about the town and what’s fun. I wonder if he’s relaxed in front of the camera.” She glanced at her mother. “Some people freeze up and it’s not pretty.”

  Harper nodded, but what she was thinking was that at some point, when she hadn’t been paying attention, her little girl had gone and grown up.

  Chapter Fourteen

  LEXI HOVERED AT Stacey’s shoulder. “You have your meeting with Karl,” she said, reminding Stacey for the third time in as many minutes.

  Reluctantly, Stacey pulled her attention away from her computer. She was in the lab all week, a rarity for her these days, and she hated to have that time interrupted for something as ridiculous as a meeting. But Karl had insisted.

  “I’m going,” she said, slipping off her lab coat and reaching for her blazer. “Don’t let anyone touch anything. I have a system working here.”


  Lexi grinned. “No one would dare touch anything, not even me, and you know I like to rearrange your desk for sport.”

  Stacey walked down the hall. Her back hurt a little, no doubt from her center of gravity shifting as the baby grew. There were other changes. Her feet were starting to swell a little and she was having trouble concealing her condition. Kit was more delighted by the day, while she continued to wrestle with ambivalence.

  When she reached Karl’s office, she was shown in by his assistant. He waved her to a chair.

  “Good morning, Stacey. How are you feeling?”

  Not a question he would have asked before she’d told him about her condition, she thought, trying not to be irritated. “Fine. Are you feeling well?”

  He appeared slightly startled, before he answered. “Yes. Ah, thanks for asking.”

  She offered a tight smile, then shifted in her chair, wishing they were already done. She had important work to do—something he was aware of, so she didn’t bother pointing out the obvious.

  Karl pushed up his glasses, leaned back in his chair, then shifted forward. “I want to bring in someone to help you,” he said. “You have a lot of responsibility and with everything happening, that might not be a good thing. It wouldn’t be permanent, of course. Just for a couple of months while you’re dealing with...” His voice trailed off as he waved at her midsection.

  “My pregnancy?” she asked, just to be clear.

  He nodded without looking at her.

  She slid to the front of her seat and squared her shoulders.

  “What an interesting idea, Karl,” she said, careful to keep her voice low and controlled. “Confusing, of course, but interesting. After all, I’m ahead of schedule, my team is the most productive in my division and per my employment contract, I can’t be removed from my position, except for cause.” She paused. “Unless you’re telling me that pregnancy qualifies as cause.”

  Karl stiffened, and then went pale. “No. No, of course not. I never said...”

  “Good, because I know an excellent employment attorney and while I’m sure she would appreciate the business, neither of us want to take it that far, do we?”

  “No,” he said, his voice slightly strangled.

  “Let me be clear. If you take away any part of my project, I will sue you. If you demote me, I will sue you. Not just the company, Karl. You personally. And then I will go to the media. One of the reasons I was brought in was because I have an excellent reputation and the company had gone through some difficult times. Did you know it’s already a problem to find and hire women here? With the Federal contracts requiring diversification, do you really want the world to know you’re the kind of person who assumes a woman can’t do her job simply because she’s pregnant?”

  “I didn’t say—”

  “You didn’t have to.”

  “But your maternity leave will be—”

  “Three weeks. Judd took off that long to go to Europe last year and you were fine with it. So Europe is okay, but pregnancy is a problem? Oh, and while we’re discussing parity, I believe Ron took three weeks of paternity leave when he and his wife adopted their baby and you didn’t have a problem with that, either.”

  She rose and stared down at him. “If I ever don’t perform my job at my current level, we should absolutely have this conversation, but until then, don’t ever bring it up again with me or any other woman in the company. Is that clear?”

  She didn’t wait for an answer. Instead she swept out of his office and into the hall. Once she got there, she realized she was shaking and could barely stand. She managed to get back to her lab, where she collapsed in the closest chair.

  Damn him, she thought as she did her best to slow her breathing. Damn him for acting like this. Karl wasn’t her manager but she still had to work with him. While they’d never exactly been friends, she’d assumed he respected her and her abilities. She’d assumed he saw her as an important member of the team. She’d never once thought the word woman in any way defined her.

  She pressed her hands against her belly. Everyone tried to warn her that the baby would change everything. That having a child meant being different, but she hadn’t listened. She’d gone on as if she were nothing but the vessel, believing that if she saw herself as the same, so would everyone else. But she’d been wrong about all of it. And that wasn’t the worst of it. The worst was she still had to tell her mother.

  * * *

  Becca did her best to stay calm, at least on the outside. Calm and casual, because the last thing she wanted was for her mom to figure out she had a thing for Ashton. She didn’t think her mom would mind her going out with a boy—Becca was sixteen and considered responsible. No, her bigger concern was what her mother would say. Out loud!

  Even though her mom was always busy with work, every now and then she noticed stuff and when she noticed, she spoke out. Sometimes it was funny, but when the subject was Ashton, Becca didn’t want to take a chance.

  So she hovered by the front door and saw when he drove up. She had the door open before he’d climbed the porch steps. Jazz immediately came to investigate. Ashton let her sniff his fingers, then rubbed her ears, but his gaze was on Becca.

  “Hey,” he said.

  “Hey, back.” She smiled, hoping it was a cool smile and not some goofy grin like she’d just been introduced to Ed Sheeran.

  He walked with her into the family room and took a seat.

  “I got the job,” he told her as they sat on opposite ends of the sofa. “At the farmers’ market. I stock produce.”

  “Good for you.” She knew he wanted to save as much money as he could for college. Not to pay for tuition or board—he had a partial scholarship and Stacey and Kit would cover the rest—but for his own spending. He’d talked about not wanting to be a burden for them. A concept she’d had trouble with, but then she wasn’t depending on anyone but her parents and she was their responsibility.

  Thinking about how different their lives were was a nice distraction from his hazel-gray eyes and handsome face. Just looking at him for too long was like staring up at the sky. She got dizzy and couldn’t keep her thoughts straight.

  “I start at five in the morning,” he added.

  She winced. “That’s no fun. At least it’s close.”

  “Less than a five-minute drive. I figure I can shower the night before, sleep until four-thirty and eat a protein bar on the way.”

  She laughed. “That is one serious plan.”

  “Planning is the key to success.” His voice was teasing as he spoke.

  “I have news, too,” she said, suddenly not sure where to put her hands. On her lap? They seemed too weird just resting on the sofa. Inspiration struck and she patted the cushion so Jazz jumped up and snuggled next to her.

  “My mom wants my help with some videos for the city. Promotional stuff, you know, to remind people what they can do for free and maybe to attract tourists. They’ll be posted on the city’s website.”

  He angled toward her, his eyes wide with interest. “You know how to do that? I can take a video on my phone, but they’re not website worthy.”

  “I was in a summer program last year that focused on different kinds of media. We learned about filming and editing, so yeah, I can do something easy like a twenty-second video. Mom’s going to buy me a camera and I’ll take it from there.”

  “Impressive.”

  “Thanks. I was wondering if maybe you’d like to, um, help.”

  She forced herself to keep looking at him when she really wanted to duck her head. But her aunt Stacey was always talking about how it was important for women to ask for what they wanted, otherwise they weren’t going to get it.

  “Sure. What do you need? Me to carry your equipment and help you set up?”

  “I thought maybe you’d be willing to host.” She swallowed. “I’d write
up a whole script. You’d only have to memorize a few lines, but easy stuff about the POP or the dog park or whatever.”

  His expression turned quizzical. “Me?”

  She felt her cheeks burn. “I think you’d do well on camera.”

  Her mom walked into the kitchen, saw them and came to a stop.

  “Ashton, did I know you were stopping by?”

  Becca did her best not to roll her eyes. “I told you this morning, Mom. Remember?”

  “Oh, right. For the videos. I hope you’re willing to help Becca. I’ve seen her work from last summer and she’s really good. The city is one of my bigger clients, so the work’s important.”

  Becca felt a flash of pride at her mom’s words. The flash was quickly followed by hurt and annoyance. Yes, she was being trusted with something that mattered, but shouldn’t she matter as much as a job? Why was her mom always too busy to talk to her? She still didn’t know about Jordan and the fight, not that Becca would tell her because that would mean explaining about Nathan and she didn’t want to go there, but still!

  Ashton met Becca’s gaze. “I’m happy to help out, Mrs. S. Becca just has to tell me when and where and I’ll be there.”

  “Oh, good. All right, you two, have fun figuring it all out. I have T-shirts to ship to Misty and gift bags to put together. Why aren’t the days longer?”

  She filled her water bottle and hurried out of the room. Becca waited until she was gone to say, “Are you sure you want to be in the videos?”

  “Are you kidding? This is LA, baby. Everyone wants to be in the movies.”

  She laughed. “You’ve been here long enough to know that’s not true. Can you see Aunt Stacey in a movie?”

  “Only if she got to play a scientist.” He looked at her. “Want to start this weekend? Are you going to be around or do you spend the weekends with your dad?”

  An innocent question that had her stomach tying itself in knots that had nothing to do with the beauty of Ashton’s eyes.

  “Nah,” she said, trying to sound casual. “He’s really busy. He’s getting married in a few weeks and he always has stuff to do with Alicia.”