E. J. lifted her hips. “Get me out of this robe?”
*
Jinx filled a plate with an assortment of gourmet finger foods from the buffet while she and Tiffany listened to Mandy’s story of the time she and E. J. had gotten stuck in an elevator during one of their biggest fights of Mandy’s adolescent-angst-years.
“I’m not sure we ever would have made up if we hadn’t been trapped together,” Mandy said with genuine amusement. “Mom’s always said it was Divine Intervention.”
Jinx laughed as she slipped a couple of crab cakes onto the plate amongst the canapés and a few caviar puff pastries. She loved hearing the stories about E. J. from Mandy and Jacob that E. J. would never share, although she’d certainly heard plenty from E. J. as well. As she turned to take the plate to E. J., she caught a glimpse of Andrea disappearing through the kitchen doorway. She’d been trying not to watch her throughout the evening.
Andrea’s note had nagged at her all morning, niggling in the back of her mind. The more she tried to forget about it and simply let everything be, the more annoyed with the tone and the superiority of it she became, until finally, she had to admit she was just pissed. Who was Andrea to say things were complete between them? There were two of them. Andrea didn’t get to make a unilateral decision about their relationship. And yet, Jinx realized, she had been letting her do so since they were thirteen years old. But did she have the right to force the issue?
As she handed E. J. the plate, Jinx noticed Andrea return to the party and greet one of her husband’s business partners, one of Jacob’s bosses, with that practiced smile that never reached her eyes. Who was this person? And where had Andi vanished to? Jinx might never know. Should she, at least, say thank you to Andrea for giving her the money before everything that’d once been between them completely slipped away as well?
When Andrea returned to the kitchen, Jinx followed.
She waited until Andrea finished with the head of the catering staff. “Andrea?” she said from behind her.
Andrea turned, her expression hardening at the sight of Jinx.
“I wanted to—”
“We have nothing to say to one another. I thought I made that clear in my letter.” Andrea tried to move past her.
“Letter?” Jinx had to laugh. “You call that a letter?”
“I’m not going to argue semantics,” Andrea said. “It said everything I have to say.”
Jinx tensed. “Well, maybe I have some things to say.”
“I don’t want to hear them.”
Jinx sighed. “I just want—”
“I promised Tiffany I would be civil to you,” Andrea said, cutting her off. “I was forced to, in order to continue to see my daughter. You’ve insinuated yourself into my family by conning her, and somehow managing to seduce her husband’s mother, for God’s sake. But it’s only a matter of time before they see you for who you really are.” She kept her voice low, but its tenor held a rage that, if unleashed, could have brought down the house.
The words sparked Jinx’s own long-pent-up hurt, confusion, and anger. “I didn’t insinuate myself into your family,” she said, her jaw clenched. “I am your family.” It felt good to say it, to claim it after all this time. “Whether you like it or not.”
Several members of the catering staff looked their way.
They’d both been careful to hold their volume in check, but the energy between them apparently couldn’t be contained. They inched away from one another.
The last thing Jinx wanted was to cause a scene at this celebration. All she’d intended was to thank Andrea and maybe leave the door open for something more at a later date.
“I’m finished with this conversation,” Andrea said. She grabbed a key from a hook above a built-in desk and turned away. “I promised Tiffany I would oversee the details tonight, and we need more wine from the cellar.” She stalked across the kitchen and through a side door.
Jinx glared after her.
“Aunt Michelle?” Tiffany said, coming up beside her. “Is everything okay?”
“I don’t know how you came from that woman,” Jinx said. She released a breath in exasperation.
“Awww, that’s the nicest thing anyone’s ever said to me.” Tiffany looped her arm through Jinx’s. “Come back to the party. Mandy remembered another story she said we’d like. Something about Jacob, a brand new pair of E. J.’s Manolos, and a fish pond.”
Jinx laughed. “That has to be good.” She glanced at the door Andrea had disappeared through. She frowned. “I wish I could either get your mom to listen to me, or forget all about making things right with her.” She thought of Mandy and E. J. needing to be trapped together to work through their argument. “Where’s an elevator when you need one?”
Tiffany followed Jinx’s line of sight. “Why don’t you try one more time?”
“I just did,” Jinx said with resignation. “Besides, I don’t want to upset your party.”
Tiffany shrugged. “She went to the wine cellar. Talk to her down there. She can yell all she wants. No one will hear her up here.”
Jinx pondered it.
“It’s important to you,” Tiffany said. “One more try. I’ll go with you.”
As Jinx stepped into the wine cellar, she saw Andrea toward the back, examining the label on a bottle.
Tiffany held back.
“I’m almost done,” Andrea said. “I just want to make sure your guests…” Her gaze swept over Tiffany, then landed on Jinx. “I told you, I’m finished.”
“You owe her an explanation, Mom,” Tiffany said before Jinx could speak.
“What I owed her, you gave her this morning.” Andrea fitted the bottle she held into a crate on the table in the center of the room.
“Then you need to listen to what she has to say. Here’s your elevator,” Tiffany said to Jinx. She stepped back and slammed the door.
Jinx heard a scrape on the other side, then a thump. “Tiff?” she called through the panel. She tried the handle and pushed. Nothing happened. “Tiffany?”
In an instant, Andrea was beside her. She pounded on the door. “Tiffany, you open this door this minute.”
“You two need to talk.” Tiffany’s voice was muffled from the outside.
“Tiffany Nora Stanton,” Andrea yelled and slapped her hand against the door.
Jinx jerked her head around to stare at Andrea. “Are you kidding me? You named her after Nora?”
“My last name’s Bastien, now, Mother,” Tiffany said sweetly. “I’ll check back with you two in a bit to see how things are going.”
“Tiffany, don’t you dare leave.” Andrea’s pitch was frantic.
No answer.
Jinx still stared at her. “Nora? Really?”
Andrea whirled to face her. “What I named my child is none of your business.”
“But seriously. Nora?”
“This is your fault. You put her up to this.”
“I did not. I was just trying to talk to you.”
“We have nothing to talk about. How many times do I have to say that?” Andrea rattled the handle.
Jinx leaned against the door. She took in a deep breath. “Maybe until it makes sense.” She looked around the wine cellar.
Andrea slammed her fist on the door again. “How did she even do this? This doesn’t lock from the outside.”
“A chair,” Jinx said simply.
“What?”
“She wedged a chair under the handle.” Jinx felt a smile tug at the corners of her mouth. “Don’t you remember when we locked Nora in her wardrobe closet?” She chuckled.
Andrea glanced at her, her expression still stony. “She beat you until you could barely walk. You missed two weeks of school while the bruises healed.” She spun around and slumped beside Jinx, her arms folded across her middle. “It wasn’t funny.”
“It was so worth it.” Jinx grinned. “The sound of her bellowing for Emmy.”
Neither one spoke for a long moment.
&
nbsp; Andrea pushed off and strode across the small room. “I’m not going to do this with you.”
“Do what?”
Andrea glared at her. “Walk down memory lane. Wax nostalgic. Visit the past. Whatever it is you’re trying to do.”
Jinx looked at the ceiling. “Why are you so mad at me?”
Andrea laughed sardonically. “I’m not doing this.”
Jinx walked toward her. “C’mon, you don’t have to tell anyone else. We’re locked in here. It’s just you and me. What did I do, all those years ago, that was so bad you still hate me today?”
When Jinx reached her, Andrea turned away. Her shoulders trembled.
Jinx softened. “What did I do, Andrea?”
Andrea didn’t answer.
“Andi?”
“Don’t call me that.” Her attempt at defiance was evident, but there was a tremor in her voice.
Jinx brushed her fingertips over Andrea’s shoulder.
Andrea whirled around and slapped her hand away. “Don’t touch me.” Her voice rose, cold and sharp again.
Jinx didn’t flinch. “What did I do?”
“You know what you did,” Andrea yelled.
“Say it.” Jinx fixed a hard stare on her. She didn’t know. “I want to hear it.”
“Fine.” Andrea straightened. “You started messing with drugs, and you ran away. I didn’t know where you were. I didn’t know how to find you. Then you robbed a bank. You got shot. You went to prison, and you were just gone.” Tears filled her eyes. “You left me.” She balled her fists and swung at Jinx.
Jinx caught her wrists.
“You left me with her.” Andrea began to cry. “We were supposed to be there for each other, and you left me alone.” She choked on a sob.
Jinx pulled her in.
Andrea tried to fight, but Jinx hugged her tightly, pinning her arms to her sides. “Shhh,” she breathed in her ear. “I’m here, now. I’m right here.”
Andrea broke free and shoved her away. “I don’t need you, now. I needed you then, and you left.” She retreated to the other side of the table.
Jinx stared at her, confused. “Andi, you left way before that.”
Andrea clenched her eyes shut. “Stop calling me that,” she screamed.
“Okay,” Jinx shouted above Andrea’s rage. “Andrea! But you did. You left when we were thirteen—not physically, but just as completely as if it had been—and I couldn’t get you back. I tried to talk to you, but you wouldn’t tell me anything. You wouldn’t have anything to do with me. And when Dad died, I didn’t have anybody.”
Andrea buried her face in her hands. “Stop it!” She backed away until she was pressed against the far wall. She was crying again. “Stop it.” She slid to the floor. “I’m sorry.”
Jinx blinked. Had she heard correctly? Andrea was sorry? She waited.
“I’m sorry,” Andrea said again, crying into her hands.
Jinx crossed to her and sat beside her on the floor.
They were close but didn’t touch.
Andrea cried for a long time.
Jinx leaned her head against the wall. This was it, the moment she’d wanted with Andrea for so long, and yet, she didn’t know what to say. Maybe there was nothing to say. Or, maybe what there was to say, wasn’t hers. She’d always thought she needed to explain how she’d ended up in prison, what’d made her walk into that bank that day. But what explanation was there—really? Andrea had said she was sorry. Sorry for what?
Finally, Andrea lifted her head. She stared at the opposite wall. “My mother hated that I spent all my time with you, that you were my best friend. She said she expected better of me. She said if I was going to spend all my time with…Well, you know what she called you…”
Jinx nodded.
“She said she’d treat me the way she treated you.” Andrea sniffed. “I knew I couldn’t take that. I wasn’t as strong as you. I was afraid of her. And then when I started hanging out with other girls at school and they started coming over, I was so ashamed. I couldn’t face you.” Tears spilled down her cheeks again. “I couldn’t stand the sadness in your eyes, so I just stayed away from you. And it was easier, but I missed you so much. I always thought if we could just make it through high school, and we could graduate, maybe we could move out, get an apartment or something—just get away from her, so she didn’t control everything. But then one day, you were just gone.” Andrea’s voice broke, and sobs overtook her again.
Jinx shifted and enfolded her in an embrace.
Andrea fell against her.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Jinx whispered.
Andrea gripped the lapel of Jinx’s blazer. “I felt so guilty for not choosing you, for not standing up for you. I couldn’t even look at you. How could I tell you what I’d done?”
Jinx hugged her more tightly.
“Then, once you were gone and I found out what had happened to you, that you’d been shot and were arrested, and then you went to prison…” New sobs racked her body. “The guilt consumed me. And when you showed up at the door when you came home…I don’t know…I think I dumped all my anger, all my self-loathing, on you. I’m so sorry, Chelle.”
The name washed Jinx’s soul like the moonlit tide caresses the seashore. The sound of it coming from Andrea, the name from her childhood used only by those who’d truly cared about her and loved her, healed ancient wounds. “It’s okay, Andi,” she murmured. “It’ll be okay.”
They sat there on the floor, holding onto each other until Andrea had calmed, and Jinx wondered if this was only a moment in the elevator, so to speak, or if they could carry it out into the world. Before she could broach the subject, she heard a scraping sound from outside the door and the rattle of the handle.
Andrea straightened abruptly and scrambled to her feet.
“Is everything okay in here?” Tiffany asked tentatively as she entered the cellar.
Andrea scrubbed her face. “Of course. We can be civilized, but I don’t appreciate your stunt, young lady.” Andi was gone.
Tiffany stared, wide-eyed, at her mother’s tear streaked mascara. “Are you all right, Mom?”
“I’m perfectly fine,” Andrea said, adjusting her dress. “If you’ll excuse me, I’d like to freshen up.” Without so much as a glance at Jinx, she left the room.
“Wow, what happened? I’ve never seen Mom like that.” Tiffany looked to Jinx with a hopeful expression. “Did she hear you out?”
“We talked,” Jinx said, getting to her feet.
“Are things better?”
“We’ll have to see.” Jinx wrapped an arm around Tiffany as they headed back to the party. “However it turns out, though, thank you for giving me that opportunity. You’re amazing.”
Back upstairs, many of the guests had gone, leaving mostly family still lingering in conversations. After downing an entire glass of juice, Jinx came across Jacob trying to manage Ryan, a bottle, and a dignified good-bye to one of the senior partners of his firm. She liberated him from the baby and relaxed into a chair in the corner of the living room. She eased back and began feeding Ryan. Her eyes met E. J.’s, who sat outside at a table with Marcus, Susan, and Andrea’s husband, David.
E. J. lifted an eyebrow.
Jinx was sure Tiffany had filled her in on where she’d been. She offered a reassuring smile.
Tiffany stood in the archway between the living room and the family room, talking with her cousin, Harold—the paste eater—and his wife Sylvia, and Russ picked over the remnants of the buffet table. Mandy sat on the couch with Jacob, where he’d flopped down after his farewell to his boss. They were using rock, paper, scissors to determine the outcome of some important sibling decision. Andrea was nowhere to be seen.
All of them were part of Jinx’s family now, all of whom she hadn’t even known a year ago, with the single exception of Andrea. She looked down at Ryan and made a mental note to talk to E. J. about throwing their own party and adding Reggie and Sparkle, Trisha, Pablo and his fam
ily, and Taylor and Gwen to the guest list. She winked at Ryan. “That gives us a pretty darn good family, don’t you think?” She smiled.
“Are you about ready to go, sweetie?” E. J. eased onto the arm of Jinx’s chair and kissed the top of her head.
“Yup. My great-nephew,” Jinx said proudly, “just finished his late night snack and is due for a diaper change, so it’s the perfect time to hand him off to Aunt Mandy.”
E. J. laughed and took the baby. She pressed her cheek to his and held him close. “Come see us soon, okay,” she said softly.
They made their way through all the good-byes and were in the foyer hugging Jacob and Tiffany when Jinx noticed Andrea off to the side.
Her expression was hard to read.
Jinx gave her a hesitant smile.
She didn’t respond at first. Then the corners of her mouth lifted ever so slightly. “See you later, alligator,” she said quietly.
A rush of emotion flooded Jinx. Suddenly, she was back in the tree house, in the gardens, in a world where all things are possible. Her eyes filled with tears. “After while, crocodile.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-ONE
Jinx woke in the pre-dawn hours to find herself alone in bed. She knew she’d find both E. J. and Pete in the kitchen. Party snacks, no matter how rich and elegant, never stayed with E. J. long, and Pete could always be found where there was food. After they’d left Tiffany and Jacob’s place, Jinx had shared her conversation with Andrea in the wine cellar with E. J., as well as their quiet good-bye that simultaneously held the depth of their connection from the past and the promise of its return for the future. She smiled to herself and blinked back a fresh batch of tears as she replayed it one more time in her mind before dragging the comforter off the bed. She wrapped it around her and headed downstairs.
“You’re just in time,” E. J. said the instant Jinx walked through the doorway.
“For what?”
Pete looked at Jinx from where he sat attentively beside E. J. at the counter.
She moved up behind E. J. and pressed her naked body against her thinly robed backside, then enfolded her in the warmth of the blanket.
E. J. shimmied against her and sighed. She held up a slice of bread covered with peanut butter.
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