Jen raised her eyebrows at Rebecca’s unexpected outburst, but took the paper anyway.
The room was quiet as Jen scanned the column. When she was finished, she laid the paper back on the table and sighed. “Well, it certainly sounds like he’s thinking about getting married,” she said. “But, if you’ll notice, he never says who he’s chasing after. He could very well have meant you.”
“Of course he didn’t!” Rebecca snapped. “You don’t understand what he’s saying. ” Rebecca pressed her fists to her eyes, trying to keep from crying.
“You seem awfully cut up by this. I thought you didn’t care what Elliot Winters did anymore.”
“I don’t.”
Jen looked at her steadily. “Stop lying to yourself. It’s very unbecoming.”
Rebecca stared at her hands, trying not to think about Elliot being engaged. “I do care,” she said finally. “I thought I’d moved past this, but I haven’t. I don’t want him to marry anyone, especially not Nicole.”
“Why not?”
Rebecca raised anguished eyes to her friend. “Because I love him,” she whispered. “I don’t know why, but I do. And now he’s engaged to someone else, and I’ll never have the chance to tell him.” She laid her head on her arms and let the hot tears run onto the table.
She didn’t hear Jen move, but suddenly she was there, her arms around Rebecca’s shaking shoulders. “It’ll all work out,” she said, almost crooning. “I promise, it will.”
They stayed like that for several minutes until the initial panic had worked itself out of Rebecca’s system. When she sat back up she rested her head on Jen’s arm. “I’m sorry,” she said. “I didn’t mean to break down like that.”
Jen chuckled softly. “That’s why you have a best friend. Now tell me about this article. I think I’m missing something.”
“Back in high school we argued endlessly about which Shakespearean character we were most like, and Elliot insisted that I was Hero to his Claudio. I didn’t want to be her; she was too gullible and naïve, but he swore that was who I was. Now he’s found himself a Beatrice and is going to marry her.
Jen thought about this. “It’s been seven years. I didn’t know you back then, but I would hardly call you gullible or naïve. Maybe he sees a different Rebecca and that’s the person he’s after now.”
Hope bubbled unchecked into Rebecca’s blood. Then she remembered Michael’s parting words. “As much as I’d like to believe that, the fact is that Nicole’s engaged,” she said flatly. “Who else could she be marrying?”
Jen leaned back in her chair and stared thoughtfully at the ceiling. “What about that friend of yours, the one who lost a fiancée in a boating accident?”
“Locke? He’s too smart for that.” At least, I hope so, she added silently.
“And Elliot’s not?”
“You didn’t see the two of them together. Locke was different; all he did while we were in Michigan was mock her. He even called her ‘Pinkie’.”
Jen laughed. “I think you would have been better off dating him. He sounds more your type than Aaron does. And certainly less dangerous.”
Rebecca gave her a half-smile. “You may be right,” she admitted, “but unfortunately Aaron is what I’ve got. And I could never see Locke that way; he’s like a brother to me.” She paused. “There really isn’t anyone else it could be,” she said hopelessly, her voice dead. She crumpled the newspaper and stood up. “I’ve lost my chance.
“I’ve got to run,” she went on a few seconds later in a voice that wasn’t quite as steady as she would have liked. “I have to be at the Mayfair branch in forty-five minutes. Tell Scott I hope he’s not watching too much daytime television.” She grabbed her bag from the table, shot a weak smile at Jen, and hurried down the hall, page three of the paper still clutched in her fist.
The day passed in a blur, and Rebecca hardly knew how she got home that night. She threw her bag on the kitchen table, made herself a sandwich, and sat on the couch, still in her work clothes. She flipped on the television and watched, motionless, as the Cubs beat the Cardinals. It’s about time, she thought wearily. This is the first good thing I’ve seen all day.
The local news followed the game’s broadcast, and her mind started to wander as the usual reports of corrupt Chicago government and random stabbings flashed across the screen. She had just decided to turn the thing off and head for bed when she jerked to attention, her eyes refocusing on the television.
“It seems that columnist Elliot Winters is finally tying the knot,” the chirpy anchorwoman was saying. “After a month of columns about a lost love that threw him to the wind, it appears that he’s found someone new. When asked about his future plans, Mr. Elliot said that he’s glad his readers are so interested in his love life but to please stop sending him messages that tell him what to do. He’s a grown man, after all.”
The young woman’s eyes twinkled as she looked into the camera. “Believe me, Mr. Elliot, the bachelorettes of Chicago know you’re a grown man. We’ve seen your picture in the paper, and we’re waiting to see what you do next.”
With fumbling fingers, Rebecca turned off the television. Couldn’t she even watch the news anymore without being reminded that Elliot was getting married? She stood abruptly, walked into her bedroom, flung herself on her bed, and screamed into her pillow until she was breathless. It didn’t help.
***
Rebecca threw herself into her work over the next few days, determined to forget all about newspaper columnists and men in general. Jen watched her with worried eyes, finally cornering her at lunch on Thursday.
“How are things going?”
Rebecca shrugged and focused on her peanut butter and jelly sandwich. “Fine.”
Jen stared at her for a long moment. “I think you’re lying to me.”
Rebecca ignored her.
Leaning over the table, Jen tilted her head to one side. “How have you been sleeping?”
Rebecca shrugged, not wanting to admit that most nights she tossed and turned until the sheets were a tangled mess on the floor.
Jen made an annoyed sound in her throat. “You look like you need a nap. Do you have anything scheduled for this afternoon?”
“No, but I need to–”
“You need to go home and sleep for a few hours before you see Faye tonight. You know she’ll take one look at you and know something’s wrong. Do you want to tell her about Elliot?”
“No!” Rebecca’s head snapped up. “No, of course I don’t,” she went on more calmly. “These parties are ghastly enough as it is. The last thing I need is for Faye to give me the third degree.”
Jen started to peel her banana. “Have you heard anything from Detective Stiff Upper Lip?”
Rebecca felt a reluctant smile tug at the corners of her mouth. “No, I haven’t. He told me I shouldn’t cancel on Aaron tonight, so I guess I’m stuck. What do you think, is Miss Done going to be killed in the garden with the candlestick?”
Jen shot her an amused look. “You never know,” she said. “It wouldn’t hurt to pay attention to Aaron’s reaction when he sees Adrianna. It could give us some clue as to their real relationship.” She paused, her fingers playing absently with her napkin. “Have you heard from anyone in Michigan lately?”
Rebecca’s face grew a shade paler, making the dark circles under her eyes more pronounced. “No. I haven’t heard from anyone since Monday.”
“No one? Not even Cassie?”
That was strange, Rebecca realized. Cassie usually called her every few days to chat. “No, she said slowly. “No one’s called since Monday.”
Jen’s eyes narrowed. “Did you turn your phone off?”
“No. It just hasn’t rung.”
“Hm. That’s awfully strange.”
“What, now you think Aaron has sabotaged my phone, too?”
Jen tapped her fingers on the table impatiently. “That’s ridiculous. I just meant it was strange that no one’s tried to talk to you,
that’s all.”
Rebecca could feel the yawn coming and tried to hide it behind her hands, but Jen noticed and cocked a finger at her. “You, young lady, are to go home right now. Take a nap, get dressed in some nice spring color so the dark shadows under your eyes don’t make you look like a vampire, and have fun at the party tonight.”
Rebecca rose to her feet reluctantly. “I’m not that tired.”
Jen waved her out of the room. “Just do as you’re told. I don’t want to see you until tomorrow morning. And keep an eye on your date. You’ve never seen him with Adrianna before.”
Rebecca laughed to herself as she left the library, and was slightly surprised that she still could. Maybe, once Elliot is married I’ll be finally able to move on. And maybe someone else is around the corner. She shook her head, knowing that was most likely the worst lie she’d ever told.
Rebecca had the foresight to set her alarm before falling into bed that afternoon, and three hours later, she awoke to the sound of the seventh inning stretch at Wrigley Field on the radio. She blinked sleepily and stretched her arms over her head sighing in contentment. She must have been more tired than she thought, although she’d never admit that to Jen.
She took a long, hot bubble bath and emerged from the tub wrinkled and red. Padding over to the closet, she looked at the dress Cassie had purchased for her at the mall. It really was beautiful, but Jen was right. This was a garden party, after all. She rummaged through the clothes she’d bought with Cassie during the ‘make over your sister’ outing and found a white dress that swirled softly around her knees. It made her feel pretty, and she smiled at herself in the mirror when she combed her hair, leaving it down for the first time in weeks. It felt strange to have it brush her back where the dress left her skin exposed. Strange, but good.
Cars were parked all along Faye’s street when Rebecca arrived, and she spent ten minutes finding a parking space and then walking through Faye’s neighborhood. A block away from the house she spotted Aaron, who was leaning against his car. He was dressed in a light suit that fitted him very well, Rebecca noticed. His shirt was open at the neck and his arms were folded across his chest. He seemed to be waiting for someone.
Rebecca hesitated on the curb across the street, wondering if she should call out to him. As she opened her mouth, Aaron straightened up and walked swiftly toward a car driving toward him. After it stopped, he bent over to talk to the person behind the wheel, one hand gripping the doorframe and the other in his pocket. He could be in a fashion magazine. It’s too bad his interior doesn’t match the outside more closely.
Instinctively Rebecca ducked behind a tree and watched as Aaron talked to the person in the car. His voice was too low for her to hear anything, but his body language spoke volumes. He was clearly upset about something. A minute or two later, he let go of the car with a frustrated gesture and pulled his hand out of his pocket. He shoved it through the window, giving something to the person inside. He said a few more words and then turned and walked away, his movements stiff and angry.
As the car sped down the road, Rebecca retreated further into the shadows of the tree and stared at the woman driving.
It looked like Adrianna Sawyer.
Rebecca stood there for several seconds, wondering what she should do. Should she call Detective Patterson? She couldn’t tell him what Aaron and Adrianna had talked about, and she hadn’t even been able to see what he’d given her. Patterson would most certainly just tell her that she was overreacting. She wished, not for the first time, that Aaron could be boring, gorgeous and normal. She didn’t think she could handle weird, gorgeous and confusing.
She followed Aaron until he turned the corner and then she cut through several backyards, just like she’d done as a kid when she was late getting to her aunt’s house. It felt funny to be sneaking around in high heels; the last time she’d done this, she hadn’t owned heels, high or otherwise.
She met Aaron in the front yard, only slightly breathless. His eyes were still narrowed in annoyance but he quickly smoothed his expression. “Rebecca! See, I can be on time.”
“No apartment emergencies today?” she asked, taking his proffered hand.
A look of irritation flashed across his face briefly before he answered. “No, not this time. Shall we go in and face the grandmas together? I’m counting on you to make me look as masculine as possible, so be as clingy as you like.” He raised his eyebrows at her and she laughed before letting him lead her under the flowered trellis and into the garden behind the house.
Faye spotted them at once and hurried over, leaving one of her friends speaking to thin air. “Rebecca! Aaron! I’m so glad to see the two of you.” She leaned her head close to Rebecca’s and said in a loud stage whisper, “Isn’t he perfect? If I were thirty years younger I’d be chasing after him.” She winked at Aaron. “Although I don’t think he could keep up with me. Get a drink, both of you, and start mingling. So many people have been asking about you.” She smiled at Rebecca in a very self-satisfied manner, then patted her on the arm and hurried off when someone called her name.
Several women were eyeing them speculatively, and Aaron groaned. “I can’t believe I let you talk me into this. I know I was late the other day, but really, this is above and beyond any kind of torture you could have imagined. I think you might owe me another dinner date after this.”
Rebecca smiled faintly, wondering why he was so intent on seeing her again. It wasn’t like she was giving him something he couldn’t get somewhere else. “We’ll discuss that later,” she told him as a group of heavily scented ladies approached them. “Right now we should be figuring out an escape plan.”
Two hours later, Rebecca had to admit that she might, in all honesty, owe Aaron something pretty big. He’d emerged from the last horde of people with his cheeks red with fingernail marks from some over-zealous guest intent on telling her friends that she’d touched a beautiful man–and he hadn’t been able to run away. Aaron even had lipstick smudged on his collar where some poor infatuated soul had tried unsuccessfully to peck him on the lips.
Aaron grabbed her arm and marched her toward the house. “That’s it,” he hissed. “I think someone pinched me on the rear. No one deserves this, no matter how late they were.”
Rebecca tried not to laugh at his obvious exasperation. “You might be right,” she conceded. They entered the kitchen and Rebecca grabbed a paper towel and started to scrub at his collar. “I think I may have been a bit harsh on you.”
“A bit? I promise, on the soul of my dead mother, that I will never be late for a date again. Cross my heart.” He looked down at her hand on his collar and kissed it. He had just started to lean in, his gaze on her lips, when a waiter walked in and busied himself at the kitchen island.
Her hand still in his, Aaron tugged her toward the door. “Let’s get out of here,” he said with a meaningful gleam in his eye.
Rebecca followed him outside but stopped before he could pull her across the lawn. “I need to say goodbye to Faye,” she explained. “If we just take off I’ll never hear the end of it.”
Aaron rolled his eyes, but followed her around the edge of the party, his hand still locked firmly around hers. She knew he was trying to tell the women at the party that he was straight, but she was starting to get a little irritated. It wasn’t like they were dating, and she didn’t much like the fact that he was acting like they were.
When they found Faye, she was standing with William and Elisa. William was obviously displeased about something; he kept looking at his watch and sighing. Elisa took one look at Aaron and adopted her most flirtatious smile.
“There you are, Aaron,” she cooed. “I’m so glad you could make it. The party wouldn’t be the same without you.”
“Aaron hasn’t come to Faye’s garden party in years,” Rebecca pointed out.
“Oh, Rebecca. When did you get here?” Elisa glanced at her before refocusing her attention on Aaron.
He grinned at her and tightened
his hold on Rebecca’s hand. “We came together, actually.”
William sat heavily in a chair next to Faye and sighed loudly. “William, is something wrong?” Faye asked him.
“I thought you invited Adrianna to the party.”
“I sent an invitation to all of you. Didn’t you tell her about it?”
William looked affronted. “Of course I did. But she’s not here.”
Before Faye could say anything, Aaron cut in. “I don’t think she’ll be attending tonight.”
Rebecca looked at him in surprise. “What makes you say that?”
Aaron blinked at her for a few seconds, as though unaware that he’d spoken aloud. “What?”
“How do you know Adrianna isn’t coming?”
A panicked expression flitted across his face so swiftly, Rebecca wasn’t sure she’d seen it in the first place. “Oh, I saw her on my way to the house and she asked me to give her regrets,” he said with forced nonchalance. “It seems she had some sort of situation to manage.”
Her eyebrows lifted in disbelief, Rebecca asked, “Another emergency?”
Aaron shrugged, clearly uncomfortable. “I don’t know her very well, so I really couldn’t say. I’m sorry to give you such bad news, Mr. Done.”
William pouted and got to his feet, muttering about getting a drink. Aaron cleared his throat. “Rebecca and I were just coming over to give our farewells, Faye. Thank you so much for inviting us,” he said as he kissed her on the cheek. “I think we’re going to head off now. It was a delightful evening.”
Rebecca tried not to laugh at his expression as he embraced her aunt. “Don’t expect me back next year,” she warned Faye when she stepped forward to embrace her.
“Oh, next year I’ll be throwing you a shower.” Rebecca just rolled her eyes and followed Aaron as he strode toward the street.
Rebecca pulled her hand free when they reached the sidewalk. “Thanks for coming tonight. Just think… you won’t have to make an appearance at another of Faye’s parties for the next decade.”
The Ex's Confession Page 26
