by Delia Latham
Kylie had chosen an old film, one of her favorites, with Vincent Price. No matter how often she saw this one, it never lost the power to ice the blood in her veins. She shivered with dread and a touch of morbid anticipation. Her heart pounded like a broken bongo drum.
“You OK?” Rick touched her arm.
Kylie screeched and leaped to her feet. She’d kept the large plastic popcorn bowl in her lap after the two of them emptied it. Now she hurled it across the room in startled reaction. It bounced off the wall, raining yellow kernels onto the carpet.
“Don’t do that!” Kylie dropped back onto the sofa, her heart threatening to burst through the walls of her chest.
“I’m sorry.” A little hitch in his voice brought Kylie’s head up with a snap. Was he laughing at her?
Not out loud, but it took her about ten seconds to see that keeping a straight face was costing him a tremendous amount of self-control. His round eyes fixed on her with forced innocence, and not a chuckle escaped his tight lips—but they twitched.
“Aha!” She pointed a reproving finger, but the gesture lost any semblance of sternness when a giggle burst from her own lips. Rick chuckled. And the movie was forgotten. Each of them collapsed onto their end of the sofa, breathless with laughter.
“You looked like a kid in a circus fun house.” Rick clutched his stomach, howling.
Kylie threw a cushion at him as embarrassment heated her cheeks. “You were supposed to be watching the movie, not me!”
Rick caught the pillow and sat up, grinning. “So cute, all wide-eyed and gasping. For a few minutes there, you didn’t look a day older than Lea.”
She plopped back onto the sofa and wrapped her arms around a plump cushion. “Well, since you obviously weren’t watching the movie, Mr. Dale, I’m glad I could provide some entertainment for you.”
Rick laughed. “I’ve been watching the movie, really. Come on, rewind it a little.” He scooted close enough to drop one arm over her shoulder and pull her close against his side. “I’ll keep you safe.”
Kylie snatched the remote off the coffee table and did as he asked. But the rest of the movie was lost to her. She knew only the warmth of his arm around her. He meant nothing by the gesture, she knew that. It was simply a playful attempt to comfort her, just as he would his little girl.
She hoped he never guessed what a valiant effort it required on her part not to snuggle closer and rest her head on his broad chest. A few dark hairs peeked out over the V-neck of his pullover, and Kylie’s fingers itched to touch him there.
Oh, mercy. What had she gotten herself into?
****
Rick hadn’t been gone ten minutes when Kylie’s new home phone rang. She paused halfway across the living room, where she’d been picking up popcorn kernels and dirty tumblers, to stare at it. It had to be her mother. Until tonight, when she gave it to Rick, she’d given the number to no one else. Everyone she knew had her cell phone number, and she was still trying to figure out why she even bothered with a house phone.
But standing there gawking didn’t stop the strident jangle. She hurried to the counter dividing living room and kitchen and slid onto a barstool before picking up the receiver.
“Hi, Mom.”
No one answered.
“Hello? Mom, is that you?”
“It’s me, Ky. Shay.” Her sister sighed into the phone. “I hope you don’t mind. Mom gave me your number.”
Kylie trapped her bottom lip between her teeth until a slight coppery taste touched her tongue. A glass of water stood on the counter, and she grabbed it, gulping down half the contents in a single drag. She wasn’t sure whether the glass had been hers or Rick’s, but at this point, she didn’t really care.
“Kylie?” Shay’s voice was hesitant. Unusual for her perfect, confident sister, the famous actress.
“I’m here.” She drew a deep breath and blew it out. This was ridiculous. She loved her sister. Why was every contact with her such an ordeal? “I’m sorry I haven’t called. I’ve been meaning to.”
“It’s all right.” Shay laughed softly. “I can’t say I blame you much for avoiding me, sis. I’m not always easy to take, am I?”
“You’re fine.” Kylie picked up a napkin and began pleating it between her fingers. “Look, I’m sorry. I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”
“Nothing is wrong with you.” The vehemence in Shay’s voice startled Kylie. She stopped destroying the napkin and cocked her head to the side. “You’re convinced there is because Mom and I have made you feel that way for so long. I’m the one who’s sorry, Kylie.”
Silence reigned for a full thirty seconds, while Kylie attempted to sort out her thoughts. Were those tears she heard in her sister’s voice? Something was wrong. Shay must be sick. Maybe she had some horrible disease. Was she dying?
“Shay, are you, uh—are you OK?”
“Better than I’ve been in a long time.” She was definitely crying. “I’ve just finally realized what an awful sister I’ve been to you, and I had to call and say I’m sorry. I do love you, Ky, you know that, don’t you?”
“Well, yeah.” Kylie swallowed a pesky lump in her throat. “I love you, too.”
Shay sniffled. “I miss you.”
Kylie sighed, suddenly unable to play whatever weird game her sister had in mind. “Shay, I’m sorry, but…what’s going on?”
“I’m coming to Castle Creek tomorrow, Ky. I have a business matter to attend to there. Can we have lunch or something? I have so much to tell you.”
She hesitated, still not sure she was ready to deal with being around her perfect sibling. The comparisons, the feelings of inadequacy, the hurtful memories…
“Kylie?” Shay’s small voice interrupted her thoughts. “Please?”
Something in those uncertain words—so not typical of Shay—broke Kylie’s resistance. For whatever reason, her sister seemed to need her. Maybe there really is a first time for everything.
“OK. I guess I can take an hour for lunch. Where do you want to meet?”
“Creekside?”
“Then you go early and order for both of us. Otherwise I’ll be late getting back to work.”
“I can do that. See you tomorrow.”
“OK.”
“And Ky?”
“Hmm?”
“Thank you.”
Kylie dropped the receiver onto the hook, but did not move from her perch on the barstool. What was Shay up to now?
Kylie's Kiss
11
The dreaded lunch date loomed darker in her mind with each passing moment.
A half hour before she was to meet Shay, Clay’s voice startled her from the intercom. “Can you come in here for a sec?”
She jumped up and hurried down the hall to his office, hiding a grin at the picture he made with his hair pointed in ten different directions. He also wore a suit and tie, which he usually did only when he was seeing an important client. Most of the time, her boss was happiest at his casual best.
“What’s up?”
He ran a hand through his hair, adding a few more spikes to the mess he’d already created. “I don’t suppose you have time to help me with this blasted PowerPoint presentation, do you? I’ve been working on it all morning, but something’s not quite right, and I’m having the devil of a time figuring out what it is.”
“Sure, boss. I’ll take a look at it. Just e-mail the file to me.”
“Well, the thing is…” Clay looked up, a crease marring his broad brow. “I’m in a bit of a rush, and I know your lunch hour’s coming up.” He sighed, sending her a hangdog expression that made him look about twelve years old. “Is there a chance you could take lunch a little later today?”
“Well, I—” Kylie hesitated. She wanted to help Clay. She really did not want to go to Creekside. But she’d promised, and she rarely had an opportunity to be with her sister. Still, Clay needed her.
“You have plans. Hey, don’t worry about it. I’ll do what I can, and you do the
same—after lunch.”
“No! Really, Clay. I don’t want to leave you in the lurch. Look, I’ll just call and postpone with my sister.”
“You’ll do no such thing!” Destiny’s voice surprised them both. She’d managed to sneak in without a sound. “What’s going on here? Anything I can help with?”
The relief on Clay’s face was comical. “Oh, baby! Are you serious? Do you have time to help with a presentation?”
“Yep.” Destiny tossed her purse onto the credenza behind Clay’s desk and grinned at Kylie. “You go on and meet your sister. I’ve got this.”
Kylie’s gaze moved uncertainly to her boss, who waved her away with a huge grin. “This woman is the slideshow queen, Kylie. She’ll have this little situation fixed in no time. You keep your lunch date—in fact, go on now if you want to. Take an extra half hour today. You deserve it.”
So she found herself standing outside the rotating door at Creekside earlier than she’d planned. Pulling in a few cleansing breaths, she smoothed her skirt and ran a hand over her hair. Why hadn’t she thought to check her lipstick before she got out of the car? Oh, well. Whatever she did, her sister would find something to criticize. She lifted her chin and pushed the door open. Might as well get in there and get this over with.
A smiling girl who looked not a day over sixteen greeted her as she stepped inside. “Hi! Welcome to Creekside. Will you be dining alone today?”
“No.” Kylie scanned the tables within her range of vision. “I’m meeting my sister.”
The girl’s eyes lit up. “Oh, wow! Are you Shay Matts-Hughes’s sister? I can’t believe I actually got to meet her!”
Her chest tightened and almost stole her breath away. Finally, she nodded. “Yes. Ms. Matts-Hughes is my sister.”
The young hostess giggled. “This is so exciting! Follow me. She said you’d be coming.”
As they wove their way between linen-draped tables, Kylie struggled with bitterness. The hostess hadn’t even bothered to ask her name. But then, why should anything change now? It had been this way since they were children. Any time the two girls were together, Shay so far outshone her little sister that most people never realized she was even in the room.
“Kylie!” A small body barreled into Kylie and wrapped her in a smothering embrace.
“Hey…” She laughed nervously, not sure how to react. What on earth? Shay was usually so elegantly sophisticated. She couldn’t remember her ever acting with such spontaneity in a public setting. To say nothing of the fact that she actually seemed overjoyed to see Kylie, which was another first.
“Oh, honey, you look beautiful!” Shay grabbed her hand and pulled her toward a nearby table. “Come sit down.”
They slid onto the cushioned seats and the hostess slipped away, casting admiring glances back at Shay. To her sister’s credit, she seemed unaware of the girl’s adoring gaze. She reached across the table to take both of Kylie’s hands in hers. “Thank you for coming, Ky. I wasn’t sure you would.” The shine in Shay’s eyes looked suspiciously like tears.
Kylie allowed the unexpected display of affection for a moment, too shocked to protest. A tiny part of her also hungrily absorbed the approval in her sister’s expression—an approval she had sought her entire life and never achieved.
Well, they couldn’t just sit here holding hands all day. She gently extricated herself from Shay’s grasp, patted her sister’s hand, and slipped her own into her lap, out of reach.
Might as well address the elephant in the room right up front.
“Look, I have to admit I’m a little confused. Who are you, and what have you done with my sister?”
Shay laughed and brushed moisture from her cheek, verifying Kylie’s suspicion. Those had been tears in her sister’s eyes! A knot began to form in Kylie’s tummy. What could possibly be wrong? The two of them were far from bosom buddies, but she certainly didn’t wish anything bad for Shay.
“You’re crying. Shay, what’s going on? What’s wrong with you?”
“No, no!” Silky strands of raven hair swung around the exquisite face when Shay shook her head. “Nothing’s wrong. Please don’t be frightened. For the first time in my life, something’s finally right.”
A hoarse bark of weird laughter escaped Kylie’s lips before she knew it was coming. “For the first time in your life? Shay, your entire existence has been ‘right.’” Try as she might, a bitter bite tinged her next words. “You are, after all, our mother’s perfect child.”
A cloud of sadness passed over Shay’s features. She opened her mouth, but before she could speak, a waiter appeared. Conversation ceased while they placed their orders. As the young man hurried away, Kylie realized she hadn’t a clue what she had asked him to bring her.
A brief, uncomfortable silence hung over them like a pregnant cloud. Then Shay took one of Kylie’s hands again. She’d forgotten to hide them after looking at the menu.
“Kylie, I’m so sorry for the way I’ve treated you.”
Kylie looked away and bit down hard on the inside of her lip. The last thing she’d expected from this meeting was an apology, and she couldn’t quite believe it was happening. What was her sister’s agenda? And how was she supposed to react to this kind of shock treatment?
A little tug on her hand made her raise her gaze. “Look at me, Ky. You have to know that I am sincere—more than I’ve ever been in my life. I have caused you so much pain, and made you feel inadequate and less than acceptable. I’ve done it all your life, and the truth is…sweetie, there’s nothing wrong with you. Nothing.”
Kylie narrowed her eyes and studied Shay’s face. Her sister seemed sincere, but it simply made no sense. She shook her head and huffed out a sigh. “Look, Shay, I really don’t want to play games. What are you up to?”
Shay’s unflinching gaze met hers, and a shadow of sorrow passed over her face. “Have I really hurt you so deeply you can’t even trust an apology from me?”
“It isn’t easy.” At least one of them should be honest.
“I guess that’s…well, fair, anyway. I want to tell you what’s happened to me. Later, when we have more time. For right now, please just believe this. I love you, and I want a chance to be the older sister I’ve never tried to be. Please…” Shay’s voice caught on a sob and she paused for a moment. When she spoke, the huskiness in her voice tugged at Kylie’s heartstrings. “Please try to forgive me.”
Shay could be putting on a show. It was certainly within her abilities as a professional actress. But something made Kylie believe otherwise—probably her ridiculous longing to believe things could be right between them.
As a little girl, she had adored her sister, just like everyone else. Despite the barbed comments about her body, her hair, her shyness—which became “lack of personality” when Shay talked about it—she wanted to please her perfect sibling. Kylie tried so hard for so long to live up to the expectations of a mother and sister whose focus on appearance was nothing short of obsessive.
And then one day, she simply gave up. The things that Shay and her mother held in such high regard were not all that important to her. Not that she didn’t want to be pretty—wasn’t that a dream shared by every girl in the world? But she was smart enough to understand that she hadn’t been born with the same dramatic beauty Shay possessed. Kylie had a larger body frame, a plainer face, less luxurious hair, a quieter persona than her sister. But she was who she was, and she was tired of striving for something beyond her physical ability to achieve.
The waiter returned with their food. Neither woman said a word while he placed it on their table. Kylie vaguely registered his comment before he disappeared. “Enjoy your meal, ladies!”
Wonderful. Time to eat, and maybe Shay would turn into her old self in the meantime. Kylie reached for her fork, and her sister squeezed the hand she still held. “Let’s say grace. Do you mind?”
Kylie’s fork dropped with a clatter onto her plate, and a wave of heat flooded her face. Shay? Praying before a m
eal?
“Sure,” she muttered. “You go ahead.”
Her sister smiled and bowed her head. Kylie followed suit, while her thoughts churned with a million and one questions.
“Father, thank You for this day with Kylie. You alone know how much I love my sister, and how I long to somehow make up for all the pain I’ve caused her through the years. Only You can break down the barriers and help us find our way back to each other. Now Lord, we thank You for this wonderful meal, and the opportunity to be together while we partake of Your bounty. Please walk with us through this day.” She gave Kylie’s limp hand a squeeze and released it. “In Jesus’ name. Amen.”
Kylie picked up her fork. Apparently, she’d ordered a salad. It looked wonderful, and despite the bombshell her sister dropped on her, she found that she was hungry. “Mmmm.” Around a mouthful of greens and dressing, she mumbled her appreciation. “This is great!”
Shay delicately spooned hot minestrone between her pink lips and smiled. “Good. So is mine.”
Kylie found herself offering her sister a tentative smile. It was nice to see her, despite all her own reservations. Maybe they could make it through this one lunch without any painful repercussions.
Maybe.
Kylie's Kiss
12
Rick stood outside the door to his office, surprised at the racing of his heart and the slight tremble of his hands. Officiating a meeting had never unnerved him in the past. But then, he’d never attended a gathering whose outcome could have such an effect on his personal dreams.
Six potential staff members for Looking Glass Ranch waited inside. Six people with the necessary skills, education, and desire to work with scarred teens. Half a dozen highly trained individuals who could make it possible for him to get the counseling center up and going while he pulled in the remaining staff he would need to run the facility. Not one of the scheduled interviewees had opted out, not even the actress.
