“Oh, my darling, what a marvelous birthday gift! No one told me.” She and Elizabeth hugged, and then Ned and Alice Wakefield greeted their daughter, and everyone else took turns hugging and kissing Elizabeth, simultaneously being introduced to her friend, Liam.
Jessica and Todd stood back, just outside the excited, fussing circle. It was obvious that everyone, save them, was delighted to see Elizabeth.
Despite her nervousness, her guilt and apprehension, there was a part deep inside Jessica that tingled with the thrill of seeing her sister again. It was an involuntary response deep in her DNA. But that thrill was well hidden; she didn’t dare show even a hint of it.
Finally, the chattering, loving group began to drift back to the table, and then there was no one but Todd and Jessica left standing with Elizabeth and Liam.
Some of the awkwardness was deflected by the need to introduce Liam. Meeting a new person gave everyone a chance for a moment’s normal behavior.
“Nice to meet you.” Todd shook Liam’s hand.
Elizabeth introduced Jessica without looking at her. In fact, she hadn’t looked straight at her since she walked in the room. But when Jessica said, “Hi,” and put out her hand to Liam, Elizabeth looked, watched to see her reaction. There was no noticeable Jessica response to this gorgeous man.
Relief washed over her. Jessica appeared to be passing the test. And that made Elizabeth’s heart sink involuntarily, because it meant that maybe Jessica’s love for Todd had changed her.
Okay, Will Connolly, you were wrong.
But when the gorgeous man, Liam, touched Jessica’s hand, he almost lost his breath.
Elizabeth was stunned. For a moment it took her mind off the betrayers and a sick feeling greased around in her stomach. This was something she had never expected. It was not possible. Jessica was her identical twin. You’re not turned on by one, you’re certainly not turned on by the identical other. Right?
Wrong. Fortunately (or unfortunately), it didn’t seem to register with Jessica, who smiled politely and backed off toward the table where the other guests, essentially the audience who had been silently watching the action and holding their breath, were able to turn back to the dinner table with an almost audible sigh of relief.
The twins’ parents visibly relaxed, too. The first hurdle had been surmounted.
There was a little more awkward shuffling, and the four went to their assigned seats at the table. And well assigned they were, thanks to Alice Wakefield, who knew just how far apart to seat the principals—not easy with only ten people.
The easiest one, Liam, was between Steven and Aaron Dallas, Steven’s now-accepted partner. Elizabeth was between her grandmother and Bruce. Jessica was tucked safely beside her father and her brother and Todd was on the other side of Alice Wakefield.
For a moment no one sat. Then Ned Wakefield held out the chair for his mother-in-law and everyone took his or her seat.
But when Elizabeth looked up at Liam, he had switched seats with Steven and was sitting next to Jessica.
Elizabeth looked away. Oh, shit.
It was a small dinner party, and the only way not to see each other was by purposely not looking. There was a lot of purposely not looking going on.
Oblivious, Marjorie Robertson took her granddaughter’s hand and kissed it. “I couldn’t be more delighted,” she smiled. “I know they say time flies by when you’re older, but these eight months away from you took forever. We all missed you terribly.”
“I’m sorry, Grandmommy, but I had to get away. Had to get started on my life, and I think I did.”
“Liam?”
“Oh no, he’s just a friend who happened to be out in L.A. this week, so I invited him.”
Jessica heard Elizabeth’s words because her mind was programmed to pick up only Elizabeth’s voice. Liam was only a friend. With those words her expectations collapsed. There wasn’t going to be any easy way.
Todd too picked up on it and shared Jessica’s disappointment.
But from across the table Bruce inhaled the information and suddenly the dinner was beautiful.
“Tell us about Show Survey, Elizabeth,” Steven said. “We’re dying to know.”
“Well, it’s really not that big a deal. I mean it’s sort of a blog with a throwaway print component, kind of like Zagat for restaurants, only this is for the theater. Off Broadway mainly.”
“Elizabeth is being modest,” Liam said. “It’s new, but it’s catching on, and Elizabeth is the star writer. She’s doing a piece on a new author whose play is opening next month.”
“Who’s that?” her grandmother asked.
“His name is Will Connolly. You don’t know it now, but you will in about a month.”
“Liz, that’s awesome,” said Bruce, still in the throes of delight from learning that Liam was not competition.
“I guess,” said the slightly embarrassed Elizabeth. “But what’s been happening here in Sweet Valley? That’s what I want to know. What’s the gossip?”
“Lila and Ken are kaput,” said Steven. “My office is handling the divorce.”
“What happened?” asked Elizabeth.
“He moved out,” said Aaron, “and she didn’t notice for two weeks.”
“What about Enid? How’s she?”
This time it was Bruce who answered. “Dr. Rollins, the eminent Aesculapian, is having a secret affair with A. J. Morgan.”
“No way!”
“You’re right,” said Bruce. “No way it’s secret in this town.”
“Is he still the bad boy with that dirty long blond hair and the Mustang?”
“The hair is still long, still blond. Maybe a little blonder than before and not so dirty. But the Mustang? The one that used to look like a piece of junk? Now it’s a classic. Outside of his doctor friend, that’s his prize possession.”
“What does he do?” Elizabeth was hungry for home talk.
“Works in the sporting-goods store in the mall right down the street from her office.” Bruce couldn’t resist. “Convenient for checkups.”
“Isn’t she a gynecologist?”
“Okay, everybody,” Ned said, hands up for the stop signal. “Can we class this up a notch?”
“Oh, Daddy,” Jessica said. “Gossip is the best part of Sweet Valley. If we don’t dish, what are we going to talk about? Our opera company?”
“Sweet Valley has an opera company?” Elizabeth was truly surprised, and even though she hadn’t planned on talking to Jessica, it just came out.
“Right, Don Giovanni does the mall.”
And everyone, including Elizabeth, laughed. For an instant, they were family. There were possibilities.
The joy Jessica felt when Elizabeth laughed kept her going.
“Besides, Daddy, we have to entertain her. She’s our guest, right?”
Elizabeth bristled. A guest? In her own family? Elizabeth responded quickly and just as Liam advised, the rage bubbled underneath her words.
“If you don’t mind, I am not exactly a guest in my own family. In case you forgot, it is my family, too.”
This was directed at Jessica, who was taken aback by the attack. She had only meant to be friendly. She used to be able to say anything to Elizabeth. Obviously not anymore.
For the first time Elizabeth looked directly at her sister. In that look she saw a difference. Older? No, but more mature. You could still see the sparkle, but there was something else. Something that she couldn’t put her finger on.
Though Elizabeth never could really see the resemblance between them, she could see the obvious. My God, she thought, She had her hair cut exactly like mine. How is that possible? She couldn’t have known.
Lawyer Steven, exercising his newly honed negotiating skills, jumped in before Jessica could respond. “You’re right, Dad. Let’s class things up a little. How about Betsy Martin’s Nobel?”
Betsy Martin was the wild loser sister of Steven’s early love, Tricia.
“If I remember correct
ly…” Grandmother Marjorie started.
“You do, Mom.” Alice nodded to her mother. “Perfectly.”
“You mean there is no Nobel?” Elizabeth smiled, joining in with her brother. She was not going to let the real fight deteriorate over a dumb but trivial thing like Jessica calling her a guest. It didn’t deserve any space when the true offense was a vile, premeditated treachery.
“Not unless you mean Sam Nobel.” Bruce used his pleasure as an excuse to squeeze Elizabeth’s hand affectionately, who smiled back at him.
At that moment the soup came and the conversation dropped to chatter between neighbors. Todd had not said a word, but now he was saying something to Jessica that seemed to relax her a bit.
Liam interrupted and asked Jessica a question that Elizabeth couldn’t hear. Jessica gave a rather long answer. Maybe a little too long for Todd. And no wonder: one look at Liam’s face as he listened to Jessica and his passion was obvious.
It made Elizabeth edgy, but she told herself it wasn’t going anywhere. Dinner would be over in a couple of hours, and she and Liam would head back to the airport.
And again, why should she care if Liam acted like an ass? Only because she didn’t want to be any part of it. It had nothing to do with her plan. This guy was screwing up everything, and she couldn’t do anything to stop him. No matter whether Will was right or wrong, she couldn’t have it happen on her time.
They had just finished the roast beef and things were comfortable enough. The wine was very good, a 2001 Amarone, and they were down to the bottom of their third bottle. Jessica and Elizabeth had managed to avoid each other with conversation split into twos and threes according to where people were sitting.
“Why are you hurrying back?” Bruce asked Elizabeth.
“I just took off a couple of days for my grandmother, but I have this piece I’m writing on the playwright that’s due next week.”
“And Liam, what about—”
Bruce’s question was interrupted by a huge explosion. It being California, everyone jumped up in horror, then laughed with relief at the fireworks outside the dining room. The waiter told them it was a Sweet Sixteen party taking place in the large dining room.
The fireworks were brilliantly colored, no expense spared. Everyone stood and went to the window to watch.
Instead of the fireworks, Elizabeth watched Liam. Admittedly, she didn’t know him very well, but he did seem a bit out of line, glued as he was to Jessica’s side.
Steven and Aaron walked outside to the balcony to get a better view. Jessica followed, accompanied by Liam. But Todd stayed in the room.
Elizabeth was afraid that he would try to talk to her, so she walked out to the balcony, too, taking Bruce with her.
The evening was clear and the explosions covered the sky with lights like dripping bracelets and simulated palm trees. There was music playing, and the fireworks gracefully moved in the air in time to the sweet rhythms of “American Girl.”
Truly, no expense had been spared. The fireworks, so extraordinary that they had to be watched, went on for almost fifteen minutes.
At some point Elizabeth caught sight of Liam and Jessica walking down the steps toward the putting green. Should she call out to Liam?
Out of the corner of her eye she could see Todd watching, too.
Jessica and Liam stood at the edge of the green, their figures silhouetted against the exploding sky, talking. Though Jessica seemed to be standing in a natural pose, Liam’s body was almost devouring hers.
No, Elizabeth wasn’t going to call Liam. I’m not my sister’s keeper, she thought.
The bouquet, the grand finale of the fireworks where everything left goes up at once, was upon them. Now everyone else came out to watch. Elizabeth could see Jessica turn her face to the sky, but Liam never stopped looking at her.
The last notes of music followed the last lights as they slowly fell far out over the golf course in the distance. Everyone headed back to the table.
“If this is only a Sweet Sixteen, what are they going to do when she gets married?” Ned, a true father of the bride, asked.
“They’ll have to go nuclear,” Aaron said, and almost everyone laughed. It would take a lot more to make Todd laugh right now.
Elizabeth walked back to her seat, all the while sneaking glances at Todd. He wasn’t aware of her, so intent was he on watching the French doors, waiting for Jessica to come back.
Finally she did. Jessica—and Liam.
As soon as Todd caught Jessica’s eye, he spread his hands, palms up, and asked silently with his eyes and slightly open mouth, What was that?
Jessica, surprised and confused, shook her head and just as silently asked, Huh?
Todd made an annoyed gesture with his head and sat down a little too hard. Heads turned to see what had made that sound, and it was immediately obvious that a drama was building.
Alice Wakefield, who was on high alert, called for the birthday cake, and even though it wasn’t there yet, announced, “Here it comes!”
That did it for the moment.
But the cake didn’t show.
“What’s your problem?” Jessica whispered to the sour-faced Todd. Everyone listened for his answer. Also whispered.
“Guess.”
Elizabeth never meant to smile. In fact, she didn’t even know she was doing it.
But Jessica did.
“You think something’s funny?” she shot at her sister.
Elizabeth thought for a second and then said, “Well, yeah.”
“Did you see that, Mom?” Jessica turned to Alice Wakefield, who was frantically motioning to the waiter.
“The cake! Bring the cake!”
One poke from Alice and Ned got up quickly and headed to the kitchen.
Steven, the negotiator, spoke. “Hey you guys, let’s cool it, huh?”
“Why are you always sticking up for her?” Jessica’s voice was no longer anything close to a whisper.
“I’m not. I’m just trying to cool things.”
“It’s okay, Steven,” Elizabeth said. “There’s nothing to cool.”
“Well, I think there is.” Jessica stood, poised for action. To Elizabeth she said, “I don’t like your attitude.”
Now Todd joined in. “Hey, Jess, that’s enough,” he said.
“Don’t tell me what’s enough. You started the whole thing with that nasty face. What was that about?”
Todd was losing his cool. “Well, I don’t appreciate—”
“Who cares what you appreciate?” Jessica had already lost hers.
“You’re out of control.”
“Are you going to stick up for her, too?”
There was no way Elizabeth could let that pass. “I don’t need anyone to stick up for me, and certainly not him!”
“Elizabeth…” Bruce tried the calm, quiet voice.
But it was too late. “It’s okay. I can handle this.”
Since his father was hunting the cake in the kitchen, Steven felt he had to exert his older brotherly position. “Jess, come on. This is a birthday party.”
“You just mind your own business. I’m tired of you always blaming me.”
“Like it’s not your fault?” Steven shot back.
“You can go to hell!”
“Hey,” Aaron said, more or less to both of them. “Take it easy.”
Jessica turned on Aaron. “You shut up. This is family business.”
“Don’t talk to Aaron that way.” Steven was no longer the negotiator. Jessica had stepped on his territory.
“Kids, everybody, please…” Alice tried, but Jessica couldn’t be stopped.
“Then tell him not to butt in. It’s not like he doesn’t already hate me.”
By now the shouts and insults were flying over the table. There were only two other groups in the small dining room, and there was no way they could pretend they weren’t listening.
Everyone was in it now. Shut ups and stronger pejoratives were shooting back and forth
. Everyone except the birthday girl, Grandmother Marjorie, whose sensible voice was lost in the shouting, was standing. And there were no attempts to lower voices.
Alice kept calling for quiet, but she couldn’t break through. Even Liam, who by now had figured out why Todd and Jessica were fighting, tried to step in to defend Jessica and was one of the first recipients of a “Shut up!” Bruce didn’t like the way Jessica was talking to Elizabeth and told her so and was rewarded with another “Shut up!”
“I think you’re horrible to come back here and ruin Grandmommy’s birthday!” Jessica said, looking straight at Elizabeth.
“Me! Who are you to talk about ruining anything? You betrayer! You liar! You horrible thief!” Looking right at Todd, Elizabeth let go a barrage of eight months’ worth of fury.
“And you! All that time pretending to be so honorable. You’re worse than she is. You’re nothing but a miserable bastard, you…” There was nothing left to bubble underneath. “… shithead!”
Barriers had been crossed and it became a free-for-all. The well-mannered and normally courteous Wakefields were totally out of control, shouting at a decibel level that might well have been heard at the Sweet Sixteen party.
It continued with no sign of letup until Alice Wakefield threw down her napkin and louder than anyone, in a voice few had ever heard, stunned them all into silence.
“Ned!” she shouted. “Bring out the fucking cake!”
15
Sweet Valley
Silence, black and mean, as sharp as a slab of night ice, froze Todd’s car. Jessica sat so far away from him that part of her back leaned against the door and her head was twisted uncomfortably toward her side window, staring out into the darkness.
Turning back to Todd, Jessica finally broke the silence. “I don’t like what’s happening.” It was too dark for him to see her glare.
“And I’m supposed to like it?”
“What are you talking about?”
“The way you acted with that guy.”
“How was that, exactly?” She bit out the words with fury.
“Flirting. In front of everybody.”
“I think you mean talking.”
“No, Jessica. I mean flirting.”
Sweet Valley Confidential: Ten Years Later Page 19
