Doublecrossed

by Susan X Meagher

  “Thanks. I’m not thinking clearly.”

  “That makes perfect sense. Don’t forget to call me back.”

  “I won’t. Thanks for being there for me. I could tell how tense this whole thing made you.”

  “You’d do the same for me.” That was undeniable. You could rely on people with morals.

  Chapter Nine

  During Regan’s move back to her parents’ house and the difficult weeks that followed, she called Callie almost daily for support.

  “My mom and dad are in town for my nephew’s birthday, and they’re making noises about having me committed,” Regan said one afternoon.

  “Committed? Are you joking?”

  “Yeah. Kinda. But they’re both hovering over me so bad that I’m about to lose my mind. Then they’ll really have reason to have me locked up.”

  “Doesn’t sound like fun in the Manning house. It must be hard on your parents too.”

  “Yeah, it probably is. But my mom knows I can’t take much supervision. We have a long history,” she added, chuckling.

  “So you’re still really sad?”

  “Yeah. Moody, too. And the smallest thing makes me cry…at work! I’ve never done that. That’s what makes them think I’m bonkers.”

  “Are they pissed at Angela? My mom wants to have Marina neutered.”

  “Nah. I didn’t tell them why we broke up. I don’t want them to dislike her.” She sighed. “It took me so-o-o long to get everyone to even act like they liked her. All for nothin’.”

  “You’ve mentioned something like that before. Why’s she so hard to like?”

  “She’s not. She’s actually really charming. But she’s a lot older than I am.”

  “Really? Hey! I have no idea how old you are. Or how old Angela is, for that matter.”

  “I was twenty-seven when we got together and she’d just turned forty.”

  “Ooo, my mom would have been suspicious of that too. Was your age difference a problem?”

  “Not for us.”

  “Really? I’d think it would be hard to combine friends.”

  “We didn’t do much of that. We made new friends from our neighborhood. We live…lived on a really nice block in Cambridge. We had barbecues and Christmas parties and all sorts of things. I’m gonna miss those guys,” she said, sniffling.

  “You can still see them.”

  “Nah. Wouldn’t work. It was a neighborhood thing. Usually pretty extemporaneous, you know? You’d see someone out and you’d ask them over for a beer. That kinda stuff. We babysat a lot and walked dogs when our neighbors were on vacation.”

  “Sounds nice,” Callie said wistfully.

  “It was. We had a great house.”

  “We had a great apartment. High floor, great views, nice pool. We were right in the middle of all of the action in Dallas. I could go running in a park that was really close.”

  “I could run along the Charles.”

  “You run?”

  “Yeah. I have since high school.”

  “Me, too. I ran cross-country.”

  “I ran the four hundred and the eight hundred when the coach was desperate.”

  “Oh, I bet you were great.”

  “You’d lose that bet,” Regan said. “I was only decent, but I loved being on a team.”

  “I always wanted to run cross-country in an area like you live in…you know, where they have hills and streams and forests. We usually ran on flat golf courses.”

  “Really? I don’t know much about the West. I’ve never been further west than New York.”

  “You’re not missing a thing in my humble opinion. Phoenix is a good place to generate solar energy. Other than that…”

  “I like where I am. But I can’t afford to stay in Cambridge by myself, so I’ve got to look for a place. I used to complain a little about driving to Scituate every morning, but I should have kept my big mouth shut.”

  “Is Cambridge nice?”

  Regan sounded like she was going to cry again. “It was perfect. Something about it was perfect for me. It was so vibrant and alive. Having all of the students around probably helped. But it’s got such great history too. You’d love it.”

  “I’ve never been east of New York, but I love history.”

  “What is it with New York? Why stop there?”

  “The buildings are so tall you can’t get over them. At least they looked tall to me when I was there. I was just a kid though, so everything might actually be five or six stories.”

  Chuckling, Regan said, “Why were you in New York?”

  “My dad took me on a business trip with him when I was young. My sisters were so jealous. It was wonderful.”

  “You have sisters? So do I. I’m the middle of three.”

  “No kidding? So am I. That’s pretty funny. Do you have brothers, too?”

  “No, just girls. You?”

  “Us too. That’s quite a coincidence, isn’t it?”

  “Yeah, it is.”

  Callie’s laugh had an evil edge to it. “Don’t you sometimes wish you were an only child?”

  Regan laughed as well. “Not very often now, but all the time when I was little. Are you and your sisters close?”

  “Yeah. They both live in Phoenix, so I don’t see them very often. How about you?”

  “I see mine more than I’d like to some days. We all work together.”

  “Oh, my God! We couldn’t do that in a million years.”

  Regan laughed. “Sure you could. You just have to get into the habit early on. My parents have owned a restaurant since we were born, and we always were either hanging out or working. It seems completely natural now. I can’t imagine working with strangers.”

  “That’s really cool. What kind of restaurant is it?”

  “It’s actually a restaurant and a banquet hall. Most of our business is from weddings. The restaurant side is small; we only seat thirty-two. But we can accommodate up to two hundred fifty for a party.”

  “Do you have a website?”

  “Sure. It’s not great, though. I should make it a lot better, but I can’t do it myself, and I haven’t taken the time to find anyone to help.”

  “I know this isn’t the ideal way to find business contacts, but you found me.”

  “You do websites?”

  “Yeah. I’m a graphic artist now, but I started out as a programmer. I’ve been designing almost exclusively, but I can still throw code with the best of them.”

  “We’ll have to talk about that. But I should get back to work now. Whatever work I’m allowed to do. My mother’s basically taken over my job until I’m ‘myself,’ whatever that is.”

  “I’ve been pretty productive. I feel better when I get into my work and really get lost in it.”

  “Are you comfortable staying with your friend?”

  “Yeah, I am. Pam’s a sweetheart. She’s even suggested we alternate nights on the sofa. But I can’t take advantage of her any more than I already am.”

  “Hey, my mom keeps telling me to take some time off. I think I might.”

  “You can come visit me. I’m sure Pam would love to have another person on her couch. There’s a little space the cats haven’t claimed.”

  “Sounds nice, but I’ve been dreaming about going somewhere warm. It was nine degrees this morning and we’ve got this dirty snow everywhere that looks disgusting after the dogs pee on it.”

  “Gosh, Boston does sound nice.”

  “It is. Trust me on that. But doesn’t the Bahamas have a nice ring to it?”

  “Hell to the yes! But I couldn’t manage it right now. I’m going to have to find an apartment and—”

  “My treat. I don’t want to go alone, so you’d be doing me a favor.”

  “Regan! That’s ridiculous! I can’t let you pay for me.”

  “Sure you can. I use a credit card for every possible business purchase, so I get zillions of miles. I get a voucher every month or so to fly anywhere our regional discount carrier
goes. We all use them whenever we fly, but we’ve got a couple that are going to expire soon. So the airfare wouldn’t cost me a thing.”

  “The hotel would!”

  “Yeah, it would, but no more than it would if I went alone.”

  “Damn, you know I’d love to…but I wouldn’t feel right mooching off you.”

  “How about doing me a favor?” Her voice grew softer and she sounded hesitant. “I…hate to admit it, but my mom’s right. I really do need to get away and get some of this off my chest. You’re the only one I can talk to, Callie. Really.”

  “No fair!” She laughed despite herself. “You’re guilt-tripping me into mooching.”

  The tone of Regan’s voice changed in seconds. She was almost businesslike when she said, “I don’t want to do that. Let’s drop it.”

  Don’t hurt her feelings. She wouldn’t have asked if it wasn’t important. Think of something! “I’ve got it! I’ll do your website for you. That’ll be a fair trade.”

  “Really? Are you sure? I want a pretty nice site.”

  “I can give you a site that’ll knock your socks off. Actually, you can see what I’m doing because I can work on it when we’re in the Bahamas! Woo-hoo!”

  *

  They weren’t able to leave for a week, and by the eve of their trip they were both desperate to get away. “I love my friend, but sleeping on her couch is hard for both of us. She hasn’t said a thing, but I know I’m wearing out my welcome.”

  “But she’s being nice to you, isn’t she?”

  “Oh, sure. She’s been a great friend. Still, I guess I should have stayed in Phoenix for a while. I could be bouncing off the walls at my mom’s. At least she’s related.”

  “You can bounce off the walls in the Bahamas.”

  “I can’t wait. Hey! You don’t know what I look like. How will we find each other in Nassau?”

  “Describe yourself to me.”

  “Oh, like that’ll help. There are a thousand women who look like me.”

  “Give it a try. Then I’ll tell you how good a job you did.”

  “Oh, all right. You can talk me into anything, you know.”

  “That’s why I’m good at my job. I always get dibs on the good stuff from my suppliers.”

  “You’re a smooth talker, Regan. Let’s see how your powers of observation are. I’m five feet seven inches, red hair…”

  “Red? No way!”

  “Yep. It’s red. Not Bozo red. A nice red, if I’m gonna be honest. I have good hair.”

  “Straight?”

  “I used to be but now I think I’m gay.”

  “Your hair, Callie.”

  “Oh. No, not real straight. It’s wavy. I’m telling you, I’ve got good hair. You’re gonna be impressed,” she said, laughing. “It’s thick and about shoulder length. It’s always moving around, so I’m usually putting it back where I want it.”

  “What else? Give me something more to go on other than moving red hair.”

  “I’m in pretty good shape. I weigh about one ten.”

  “That’s pretty thin.”

  Worried that she might have insulted Regan if she was overweight, Callie added, “I’ve got a fast metabolism. It’s just genetics.”

  “What else?”

  “Mmm…I must look friendly or non-threatening because people ask me for help and directions.”

  “Eye color?”

  “Are you going to go up to every red-haired woman and check her eyes?”

  “If I have to. But only the friendly-looking ones.”

  “They’re a fairly pale green. But a lot of people say they look blue depending on what I’m wearing.”

  “Wear something that makes them look green so my job’s easier.”

  “Now tell me what you look like.”

  “Ooo, wish I could but my sister and her kids just came over. It’s gonna be a riot in here when the kids find me.” Callie could hear a pair of voices yelling out Regan’s name. “They found me,” she said. “Gotta go. See you tomorrow. Can’t wait!”

  Chapter Ten

  When Callie looked out the window of the plane and saw the lush, green island they were heading for, she practically squealed. She liked nothing more than greenery, but the ocean was a close second. She’d never seen the Atlantic, save for a quick view of it from the Hudson River when she visited New York, but her parents had to forcibly wrestle her back into the car when they’d visited Los Angeles when she was a child—she’d been mesmerized by the Pacific.

  She was grinning from ear to ear when a tall, lean, lovely woman approached her and said with complete confidence, “If a thousand women in Dallas look like you, I’m moving.”

  “Regan!” She wrapped her arms around her and hugged her for a full minute. When she pulled away, she held onto her waist and looked her over. “Why didn’t you tell me how gorgeous you are?”

  “I was going to, but the boys interrupted me.” She pulled Callie into a desperate hug. “It’s so good to see you.”

  When they broke apart, Callie kept an arm around Regan’s waist while they waited for her bag. Since they were so close together Callie couldn’t do what she itched to do—get a better look at Regan. It was strange. She’d had a very clear view in her mind of what Regan would looked like. In fact, when she was scanning the crowd she was looking for her imagined image. But this woman was nothing—absolutely nothing like she’d imagined. It was like the woman she had her arm around was an impostor, and it was going to take a while to convince her brain this was the same person she’d been talking to on the phone. “You seem a little shaky. Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, I guess. I probably should have chosen a different country. Angela brought me here a few months after we fell in love. I have great memories.” Her voice was almost too quiet to hear.

  “Then we’ll have a terrible time and replace those good memories with awful ones.” Callie squeezed her tightly.

  Regan hugged her back, saying, “You’re the one person in the world who I actually want to be with. Thanks so much for coming.”

  “Thank you! I’m so happy to be here I could wet myself.” The bag cruised by and Regan reached out and grabbed it.

  They started to walk towards a long line of taxis. “I was a little worried that you’d be as depressed as I am, and we’d just sit in silence and think about ending it all.”

  Callie stopped abruptly, turned and grasped Regan by her biceps. “Are you…”

  “Kidding. I’m not that depressed. I promise.”

  Nodding, Callie started to walk again. “I assumed I’d be able to tell if you were. You seem like a normally happy person who’s had her heart broken, not someone who’s clinically depressed.”

  “That’s about right. I’m normally pretty lighthearted. I think that’s why my family’s concerned. I shrugged off my girlfriend troubles in the past.”

  “But this time it’s bigger than that.”

  “Yeah,” Regan said solemnly. “This time I was really in love.”

  Now that she’d listened to her voice for a couple of minutes Callie’s brain had started to accept the dissonance. When they got into the taxi, Callie sat as far away from her friend as she could, just so she could take more of her in. By the time they got to the hotel it was as if Regan had always been a tall, lean brunette, and the conjured image of her had been the illusion.

  *

  They entered their modest room in a decent, but by no means luxurious, hotel on the beach.

  Looking slightly abashed, Regan stood by the door and said, “I assumed we’d share a room, but I didn’t ask first. Is this okay?”

  “Absolutely. When I went to stay with my friend Terri, I slept in her bed so I’m clearly very flexible. I hate to waste money on hotels.”

  “Angela would say that’s something you stop doing when you’re an adult.”

  “Angela can kiss my ass. We don’t have to listen to those two anymore.”

  “I didn’t mind listening to Angela.” She wa
lked over to the bed and started to unpack. “She wasn’t a snob. But she’d been traveling for business for twenty years. She was long past the ‘bunk with a pal’ thing.”

  “I share rooms with my sisters, my mom, anybody I can convince to pay for half. I’ll never be past sharing with a pal.”

  “I think I’m at the midpoint between you and Angela. I will never share a room with my parents.” She laughed as she started to put her clothing into one of the dressers.

  Callie didn’t follow suit. She went to the window and stared out at the beach, filling her lungs repeatedly with the fresh, moist air. “I’m moving here. Actually, that’s not true. I already live here. I’ll just send for my things. I already checked and there’s no surcharge to use my phone, so I could work from here easily.”

  “I’d come visit you every winter.”

  “Then we’re decided. I’ll just troll the beach looking for someone to support me until I get on my feet.”

  “Let’s put our suits on and start looking.”

  *

  When Regan came out of the bathroom, Callie exclaimed, “I’m not going to the beach with you looking like that! Nobody’s going to look at me, and I’m the one searching for a sugar momma…or daddy. I’m really not picky at this point.”

  Regan actually blushed from the praise. “You look adorable. You’re very, very cute.”

  “Well, you look hot and hot always trumps cute.” Callie said cute the same way she’d say vomit.

  “The only good thing about this breakup is that I’ve lost weight.” She patted her flat belly, nothing but skin moving when she did.

  “Don’t lose another ounce. Everything’s right where it should be.” She smiled as she looked Regan over again. “Honestly, you are a fantastic-looking woman. In my mind, you weren’t nearly this pretty.”

  “Well, you don’t look anything like I pictured you. Nothing at all. How did you picture me?”

  “Mmm, I thought you’d be shorter than me, with light brown hair, brown eyes. You looked kinda like…Kelly Adams.”