The Unknown Sister

by Rebecca Winters

  “You’re a lifesaver.”

  “I only wish I could be. CC’s put you through the wringer. I’ve never seen her like this in my life. Trying to figure out women is impossible.”

  “You’ve got that right.”

  “I thought everything was great with Melanie until lately. Now she has this crazy idea that we can’t get married until I’ve built my formula one car and can pay a crew to man it.

  “Hell—I don’t even know if that’s going to happen, but she’s dug in her heels because she’s afraid a wedding and babies might interfere with my career. I’m about ready to quit this racing thing altogether.”

  “No, don’t do that, Jack. Have you ever wondered if maybe she’s just saying that because she knows you’re worried about Catherine?”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You and your sister have always been close. It’s possible she doesn’t think this is the best time to be talking about a happy future with you, while the situation between Catherine and me has our families upset.”

  “Man, that could be it!”

  “Just a thought.”

  “But it makes a lot of sense, David. Especially after the conversation I had with Mom last night.”

  “What was that about?”

  “Melanie’s insistence that we wait to get a ring made me angrier than usual. Mom picked up on my bad mood, so I told her what was going on. She sounded surprised because just last month Melanie came to her and asked if she’d do the flowers for our wedding. Mom’s a natural at it.”

  “I met your sister a little over a month ago, Jack. The time frame fits.”

  “You’re right.”

  “I’ll be there in ten minutes. We’ll talk about it then.”

  It would be a relief to discuss someone else’s problems for a while. Melanie and Jack were perfect for each other. She put his happiness above her own; he was willing to give up his racing dreams for her. Theirs would be a solid marriage.

  Right now, David couldn’t see how his problem with Catherine could be resolved. For her twin’s happiness, Catherine had turned her back on David. She was willing to throw away the great love they shared because of some false idea that it would ease Shannon’s pain.

  “What took you so long?” Jack called to him from the front seat of his car, his face deadpan.

  David smiled. “Traffic!”

  He parked his Mercedes and climbed into the Porsche. Portland was enjoying a few days of hot summer weather between spells of rain, and he relished the sun on his face.

  Jack turned to him. “How soon do you have to be back?”

  “To be honest, I hadn’t thought beyond finding you.”

  “That’s fine with me. I’m in the mood to take a swim.”

  They headed west.

  “So tell me about this new development that’s made you look so grim.”

  “Shannon caught me with your sister at the condo a little while ago.” After he explained what had happened, Jack whistled.

  “Well, what do you know? The deed is finally done, no thanks to my crazy, mixed-up sister. Thank God for your courage! I’ll bet CC didn’t know what hit her.”

  “I left while they were both still sitting there in shock.”

  “I’d love to have been a fly on that wall. Listen, David—I realize you’re feeling pretty bad, but let me tell you something. This is exactly what was needed to bring CC to her senses. Trust me.”

  David undid his tie and tossed it in the back. “I figured I didn’t have anything to lose.”

  “Hey, you did the right thing. There’s going to be some change—nothing will stay static now.”

  “I’m glad you have so much faith. I’m afraid I’ve lost mine,” David muttered in a bleak voice. “Your sister despises me on all counts.”

  “She wishes she could. Her anger’s going to pass.”

  “In the next life, perhaps.”

  “That’s where you’re wrong. CC’s in love with you. In order to counter the effect you have on her, she deliberately sabotaged your relationship by asking Shannon to share the condo with her.”

  “I’d like to think that, Jack. But let’s not forget she’s a twin who’s probably been missing her twin connection.”

  “I don’t know about that. We’ve been a close family all our lives. She’s had girlfriends, but she never seemed needy. Just the opposite, in fact.”

  “Maybe you’re right.”

  Jack slanted him a glance. “I know I am. It’s a joke around our house that the day CC met you, no one saw her again.”

  Those words were a balm to David’s aching heart.

  They drove the last five miles to the coast in companionable silence. When they came in view of the ocean, Jack continued on until they arrived at a turn-out and could park.

  By tacit agreement, they got out of the car and walked to the rock wall, where they could sit and watch the surf.

  David followed the line of waves breaking into curls at intervals before they frothed and foamed onto shore. “If this were the old days, I’d kidnap your sister and take her to someplace where she’d have to stay put until she saw reason.”

  Jack grinned. “I’ll grab Melanie and join you.”

  “If only it was that easy.” He sighed. “I don’t want to do anything that might exacerbate Catherine’s fears.”

  “Fears about what?”

  Maybe talking about this to the brother who had known Catherine all her life would help. Heaven knew, David was grasping for solutions from any source. Who better than Jack?

  “Did I tell you my mother is a twin?”

  Jack stared at him. “No! Uh-oh. When you and CC get married, that means you might have twins.”

  “If we do get together, I’m counting on it,” David said. “Anyway, like you, I recently had a talk with my mother. According to her, identical twins are complicated creatures.”

  By the time David had explained everything, a half hour must have passed, with dozens of cars stopping to enjoy the view.

  There was a lot to absorb. Leaving Jack to his thoughts, David wandered to the water. He removed his shoes and socks, rolled up his pants and began walking through the wet sand. Before long, Jack joined him.

  They found a huge rock and hoisted themselves to the top. Following each ebb, the water swirled around the base, tossing up spray. David enjoyed feeling the cool droplets on his face.

  “Your mom was right when she said you should believe in the power of your love. CC may have invited Shannon to live with her, but it’s all a big front because, deep down, she’s dying to be with you. Anyway, whether you dropped your bombshell or not, they weren’t destined to remain roommates much longer.”

  “Why do you say that?”

  “Because they’re as different as night and day,” Jack theorized. “I’ve been waiting for the newness to wear off. I’ll bet they got on each other’s nerves from day one.

  “I already know Shannon’s a perfectionist. CC’s the opposite. If she’s in a hurry, she leaves everything a mess. Her creative side keeps her from obsessing about the small stuff. In that regard, she’s easy to get along with.

  “Shannon, on the other hand, is high-maintenance. There will come a point when CC has to walk on eggshells to get along with her.”

  In spite of his anguish, David chuckled. “Even though I’ve told them I’ve bowed out of the picture, you think there’ll be a parting of the ways?”

  “Oh, yeah. Definitely. For one thing, Shannon’s been an only child. She’s spoiled but doesn’t know it. CC’s spoiled, too—since she was the only girl—but it’s been in a different way.

  “Another thing, Shannon is used to being in charge of other people. She’s probably been over-compensating because her dad always dominated her mother. Shannon is determined that won’t happen to her, therefore she runs the show.

  “She’s probably done too much of that with the guys she’s dated and it turned them off. She has to fall for some guy who won’t take any of her
guff—and who won’t leave her, either. Somebody who gives as good as he gets. I think she may have met her match with Phil.

  “Except for Dad, CC doesn’t take well to authority. She runs according to her own dictates, no one else’s.” Jack let out a bark of laughter. “I’ll bet the first time Shannon tried to manage her, the sparks flew.

  “You know what’s funny? CC had the idea that Shannon is this poor, lonely little creature without a friend in the world. I’m pretty sure she’s already found out that Shannon can roll over you like a bulldozer.

  “Mark my words. Now the truth about you and my sister is out, there’s going to be double trouble in paradise.”

  “You’re right about that,” David muttered. “I promised Catherine I’d never tell Shannon.”

  “You and I both know that’s one promise you should never have made. CC’s all mixed up right now. So’s Shannon. They don’t know which way they’re going—neither one of ’em. They both needed help. Today you gave it to them.

  “All you have to do now is stand back and wait for the fallout. I predict you and CC will be back together before you know it.”

  David’s eyes closed tightly. Listening to Jack was like inhaling a lungful of invigorating ocean air. It seemed to clear his mind and breathe new life into his tortured soul.

  THE SILENCE in the condo had become unbearable. Catherine hadn’t dared move, let alone speak. Shannon was still sitting there, her head bowed. When the phone rang, neither of them stirred.

  Catherine heard the familiar static, then a male voice on the answering machine. “Hello, Shannon. It’s Phil. I don’t know when you get home from work, but I’m hoping you hear this message in time to go out to dinner with me tonight. Be brave and give me a call back on my cell phone. I promise you won’t be sorry. Talk to you later.” He clicked off.

  Phil’s call broke the stalemate for Catherine.

  “Shannon?” she ventured in a small voice, tears streaming down her face. “I’m so sorry.”

  Shannon got up from the chair, her back to Catherine. “So am I.”

  Catherine wiped the tears away with her hands. “It’s finished between David and me. Do you think we can put this whole experience behind us and start over again?”

  Her sister turned around with an incredulous look on her face. “You’re not serious!”

  “Of course I am!” Catherine cried. “We’ll make this a brand-new beginning.”

  “That would be impossible.”

  “Why?”

  “Surely you don’t need me to answer that question! If you’ll give me a few days to find myself an apartment, I’ll move out of here. It’ll be better anyway. I don’t have your flair for design, but at least my place will be mine. I’ll be able to surround myself with my own things.”

  “I don’t want you to go, Shannon. Please. I’ll do anything to make this work.”

  She shook her head. “It could never work. He wants you, not me.”

  “But you heard him. We’re never going to see each other again.”

  “Oh, please… Spare me the rhetoric. He chose you. I can see why. Let’s face it—you’ve got the advantage over me.

  “The thing is, I’m never going to forget that you both lied to me. I forgive you, I guess. But that doesn’t mean I can live with what’s happened.

  “You didn’t tell me the truth, and because of that, I changed jobs and moved down here. My parents’ home is going to belong to someone else in another few weeks. I left my friends, my career, my life, everything, just to be with you. Little did I dream I’d find betrayal at the end of the road.”

  The words were bitter, and they scorched Catherine.

  “It’s funny, you know?” Shannon went on implacably. “After Mother told me I had a twin, I used to fantasize what it would be like to be united with a brother or sister. I assumed, oh, so naively, that if my twin existed, he or she would be the one person on earth I could trust, the one person who would never hurt me.”

  Catherine rushed toward her and put her hands on Shannon’s arms. “You can trust me. I didn’t want to hurt you. Don’t you realize that? You’ve got to give me another chance. I love you. We’re sisters!”

  “You don’t know the meaning of the word love.” Shannon wrenched herself away. “When your brother talked to me that day, he told me not to wait for you to look me up. He knew you couldn’t care less about me. You think I’m so stupid that I don’t understand why you finally relented?

  “You were curious to meet the woman David was attracted to first! That’s the only reason we ever got together. And it didn’t take him long to make up his mind which twin he wanted, did it?

  “That elaborate explanation he came up with about fear was ludicrous. Why couldn’t the coward just admit I don’t have any sex appeal and you do?

  “You have this incredible power over men. I know, because I went to the track with Jack and Melanie. For a few minutes I found out what it was like to be inside your skin. I learned how it felt to be Catherine Casey, the woman all those men fantasize about.

  “Phil wanted you first, but you weren’t interested. The only reason he’s calling me is because I look like you. Half a loaf is better than none, right?

  “Your brothers are crazy about you. And your dad—his eyes light up like neon signs when you walk into a room.

  “Below that degree of yours hanging on the wall of his study, he’s hung the Cossutta award you won at the Harvard Graduate School of Design. I understand it’s given annually to the one student who shows the greatest promise.

  “That’s my sister, Catherine.”

  Catherine shuddered at the relentless anger in Shannon’s voice. Before she could speak—not that she knew what to say—Shannon forged ahead.

  “Is it any wonder David took one look at you and proposed? As long as we’re being honest here, tell me the truth. Did he ask you to marry him before or after he slept with you? I only got as far as a kiss before he ran away from me as fast as he could.”

  Help me.

  “Answer me, damn you!”

  “Don’t do this,” Catherine begged. She felt so ill she wanted to die.

  “Do what? Demand a little honesty? I think you owe me that after all your treachery.”

  Catherine’s breathing had grown shallow. “We’ve never slept together,” she whispered.

  The shock on Shannon’s face was more disturbing than her rage. “Don’t tell me— Besides everything else about your picture-perfect life, you’re a virgin, too? My dad adopted the wrong girl.”

  In a sudden rush of insight, Catherine said, “I thought you had a good relationship with your father.”

  Her face closed. “It might have been—if I’d been perfect like you. But I could never quite measure up, no matter how hard I tried. Pretty soon it didn’t seem to matter what I did because it was never good enough.”

  She started for the door.

  “Wait, Shannon!” Catherine cried in panic. “Where are you going?”

  “It’s none of your business.”

  “Please don’t say that! Don’t leave. I know you’re in pain, but we have to talk this out.”

  “No, we don’t. It’s twenty-eight years too late. I was warned that getting together with you might not be a happy experience. I didn’t want to believe it. It’s the story of my life, you know—rushing in, only to find disappointment.” Her white face was the last thing Catherine saw before Shannon disappeared from the condo.

  Catherine felt a sorrow and helplessness that went beyond tears. Shannon needed to be with someone who loved her, but everyone she knew in Portland had betrayed her. Who could blame her for running away like a wounded animal?

  Putting herself in her twin’s place, Catherine imagined Shannon had gotten into her car and was driving around blindly, not knowing where to go or what to do.

  Furious with David for destroying her sister’s life, Catherine was determined to talk to him. She tried reaching him on his cell phone. When he didn’t pick
up, she grabbed her purse and left for his office. In breaking his promise not to say anything, he’d done the unforgivable.

  No matter what my wants are, they’re not important enough to destroy the love between two sisters who’ve been miraculously united.

  How dare he stand there and blithely say those words, then announce they’d never see him again unless it was by accident? Well—that accident was going to happen a lot sooner than he’d anticipated.

  Outraged by his behavior, she reached the institute as fast as possible and swept into the reception area. The secretary behind the desk eyed her with speculation.

  “Mr. Britton’s not here,” she said before Catherine had a chance to say anything.

  That did it! “Why don’t you let me be the judge of that?”

  She strode past the other woman and entered David’s office without knocking.

  He wasn’t there!

  She spun to find the woman at her heels. “Where is he?” Catherine demanded.

  “He’s gone for the day, Ms. White.”

  “But I’m sure he’s told you where you can get hold of him. He was at my place all of one half hour ago—and my name’s Ms. Casey. I’m not leaving until you tell me where he is.”

  “Oh! I thought you were your sister! If I could tell you where he is, I would. Don’t you have his cell phone number?”

  “Yes. But he’s not answering.”

  “I’m sure he will as soon as he can.”

  “If you talk to David before I do, tell him I’m looking for him. Ask him to phone me immediately.”

  “Of course.”

  Full of adrenaline, she hurried to her car and decided to pay Mitch Britton a visit. On the evening David had taken her to her parents’ place, he’d driven past his stock-trading office and pointed it out. She knew his brother still worked there.

  The two of them had an extremely close relationship. Mitch would know where to find David. Maybe she could persuade him to let her inside his brother’s home, where David would be unable to avoid her.

  David had met Shannon first. His cruelty today had provoked this crisis. As far as Catherine was concerned, he owed it to Shannon to try to repair some of the damage. Her sister was still in love with him; she would listen to David. He was probably the only person who could get through to her and convince her to give Catherine another chance.