“Three votes for three different people.” Bobby stated the obvious.
Shannen resisted the urge to rush him and snatch the remaining card from his hand.
“This is the last vote, and the name I read will be the person who will extinguish their flashlight and leave the island,” Bobby intoned solemnly.
Dragging out the moment with agonizing slowness, he studied the card. Finally, finally he read it: “Lauren.”
Shannen and Lauren each drew in a short, sharp breath, then simultaneously schooled their expressions into smiles of acceptance.
Ty watched, his eyes darting from sister to sister, fascinated by their identical responses.
One camera lingered an extra few moments on Lauren, but her smile didn’t falter. Ty filmed Cortnee hugging Rico and then Konrad in turn.
“I’m sorry, sweetie,” Ty whispered to Shannen.
She shrugged. “We were lucky to make it this far. And Lauren will win five thousand dollars for being the fourth of the Final Four. That’s great!”
She gave him such a sunny smile, he felt perversely glum. Would five thousand dollars after taxes be enough to even fix their grandmother’s roof, let alone cover the diner’s expenses?
“Anyway, Jordan can keep on buying those powerball tickets,” Shannen said, even more brightly.
“Shannen, it’s okay to express disappointment,” Ty murmured. “You don’t have to put on a front with me.”
The camera recorded Lauren extinguishing her flashlight and then turned to focus on the others. Immediately afterward, Lauren rushed over to Shannen and began to cry.
“Oh, Shan, I’m so sorry! I should’ve given you the immunity thing instead of keeping it for myself. You never would’ve fallen off the post. And nobody would’ve voted against you, either. I’m such a flop!”
“Lauren, no! You are not!” Shannen hugged her sister and rocked her in her arms. “You played a good game. We both did. It was even fun, in a hellish kind of way, wasn’t it?”
“It was horrible!” Lauren wept. “I wish we’d never come here, I wish I hadn’t dragged you to the audition. Oh, Shannen, I just want to go home!”
Heidi approached, giving Ty an apprehensive look. “It’s time to get Lauren’s things and for both of them to leave the island.” Heidi addressed Ty instead of the twins.
“I’ll take them,” offered Ty and stepped between the sisters, holding a twin with each arm. “Let’s go.”
Everyone’s eyes were upon them.
“The crew is looking at you like you singlehandedly tamed the shrew,” Shannen said as they walked along the path to the camp. “Was I that scary when I yelled at Clark Garrett? The heartless boor could run the ice concession in hell,” she added fiercely.
“You made an impressive show of fury unbound,” Ty allowed, his eyes gleaming. “But you didn’t scare me. It takes a lot to scare me, Shannen.”
“I’ll keep that in mind, Tynan.”
“Are you two ever going to tell me how you know each other?” Lauren had stopped crying and was watching them.
Shannen and Ty exchanged glances.
“We’ll get back to you on that one,” said Ty, speaking for them both.
The network executives were impatient to leave the island for the resort and insisted that Clark Garrett hurry the twins along. He did, but with obvious trepidation.
“All of a sudden I feel like we’re moving at warp speed,” complained Ty as he walked with Shannen to the boat.
Lauren, clutching her few possessions, was a few feet ahead of them with Clark. The network bosses and the driver were already in the boat.
“While we were filming the immunity contest, time crawled by,” Ty continued to gripe. “Why do some hours have sixty thousand minutes in them and other hours are only sixty seconds long?”
“If you don’t mind me quoting Gramma again, ‘Time flies when you’re having fun,’” said Shannen. “Although I’m not sure if it applies here. Watching Lauren collapse into the water and then get voted off the island wasn’t fun.”
“No, but being with you is,” Ty countered huskily. “Even under these less-than-ideal circumstances.”
“I’m glad I came today,” she said.
Her words, her tone, were almost perfunctory. Ty sensed her withdrawal increasing in direct proportion to their nearness to the boat.
The frustration within him soared to this morning’s high, before Shannen’s appearance on the island. Maybe even higher, because he knew there would be no surprise visit by her tomorrow. She couldn’t play the twin separation card because Lauren would be with her.
When was he going to see her again? Not knowing was intolerable!
“Come onboard, young lady!” Ed, the network executive in the pale-peach shirt, shouted from the boat.
Clark Garrett and Lauren had just boarded, and the driver revved up the engine.
“I’ll get the crew boat and come to your room tonight,” Ty said quickly.
“Ty, you can’t.” Shannen gazed up at him, her blue eyes wide. “You won’t be allowed to go—there’s no film to take to the network bosses. They’ve been here all day.”
“I won’t be marooned on this stupid island simply because I don’t have an official okay to leave.”
“But, Ty, if you don’t have permission to take the boat, you—”
“Permission?” Ty repeated scornfully. “I’m taking the boat, with or without permission.”
“That’s Tynan Howe talking, not Ty Hale,” reproved Shannen. “You might’ve been able to do as you pleased when you were rich, but now you have to…”
“…take orders from idiots like Clark Garrett and those network stooges?” Ty was incensed. “I could buy and sell all three, many times over!”
“Not any longer.” Shannen laid her hand on his arm. “That was then, Ty. This is now,” she reminded him gently. “Now you work for them and—”
“Shannen, they’re ready to go,” called Lauren.
Ty exhaled sharply. “Shannen—”
“Ty, even if you did manage to come to the resort tonight, I wouldn’t let you in my room,” Shannen’s voice was low and urgent. “Because—”
“Oh, of course, there’s Lauren,” Ty said. “We’ll get her a room of her own. Don’t worry, I’ll pay for it myself.”
“It’s not because Lauren will be sharing my room, Ty. I’ve done a lot of thinking since last night and I…I decided that I can’t go to bed with you again.” She expelled her declaration in a breathless rush.
“What?” Ty felt as though he’d been clubbed over the head.
Maybe he had been. Maybe Konrad had sneaked up and whacked him with the immunity totem.
He must’ve sustained a substantial blow, because he seemingly had lost the powers of comprehension. Shannen couldn’t have said what he’d just heard.
“Last night we went too far too fast, Ty.” She sounded tense and edgy. “We have to slow down, to back up and…and get to know each other.”
“Shannen, one thing we can’t be accused of is rushing things. We’ve known each other for nine years!”
“When you put it like that—”
“It sounds ridiculous? That’s because it is, Shannen!”
“No, it sounds like a twisted argument. We knew each other nine years ago, Ty. That’s a big difference from knowing each other for that long. We parted on bad terms and we certainly didn’t keep in touch. When we remet here on the island, it was like two strangers meeting for the first time.”
“Keep in touch?” echoed Ty. “Is this retaliation for not calling you on your twenty-first birthday? I explained why I thought you wouldn’t want to hear from me at that time. Or any time after. As for being strangers to each other—”
The boat horn blasted, sounding as loud as the start at the Indy 500, drowning him out.
“The very fact you assumed I wouldn’t want to hear from you simply proves my point about not knowing each other very well,” Shannen said urgently. “Not th
en or now. And I have to go before they break the sound barrier again with that awful horn.”
Ty gripped her shoulders. “Shannen, we can’t leave things this way.” He wondered if he sounded as desperate as he felt. “I won’t let you end it and just walk away.”
“Ty—”
“Which is what I did nine years ago,” he admitted grimly. “And even knowing that I took the high moral ground back then is no consolation now, Shannen. If you wanted revenge, baby, you’ve got it.”
“Will you stop jumping to stupid conclusions and just shut up and listen to me for a minute?” Shannen’s temper flared. “I’m not out for revenge, and if you actually believe that, you’ve once again proved that you don’t know me.” Her voice softened. “But I want you to, Ty. Let me put it into TV terms you’ll understand. I’m putting sex on hiatus, not canceling our relationship. If you can’t accept that…”
The ear-splitting boat horn blared again. Shannen pulled away from him and ran to the boat.
“It’s about time,” grumbled the other network executive, the one who wasn’t Ed. “What was going on, anyway?”
“I was thanking Mr. Hale for being kind to me today,” Shannen replied demurely. “I’m most appreciative, especially after Clark Garrett’s attitude toward my sister’s fall. His lack of concern bordered on negligence!”
“I wasn’t—” Clark started, but Shannen cut him right off.
“Just thinking about it made me furious all over again, and Mr. Hale was trying to persuade me not to commandeer this boat on the way back and kick Clark Garrett overboard.”
“Oh,” both network execs chorused. They glanced uneasily at the driver, who paid no attention to the conversation going on.
“Don’t worry, Mr. Hale convinced me not to do it.” Shannen was all smiles and reassurance. “You really ought to think about giving him a raise, if you value Clark Garrett. Because Ty Hale saved him from being shark food.”
“What were you and Ty really talking about back on the beach, Shannen?” Lauren asked as the twins entered the hotel lobby. Clark and the bosses were far ahead of them. “And don’t give me that lunatic story that he convinced you not to hijack the boat and throw Clark Garrett to the sharks.”
“Actually, he told me to go ahead and do it. That I’d be making the world a better place. And then we could toss Slick Bobby overboard tomorrow night,” Shannen said flippantly.
“Shannen!”
“Lauren!”
The twins held one of their familiar face-offs, then grinned at each other.
“I’m so glad you’re here, Lauren.” Shannen gave her sister a small squeeze. “You’ll like our room. It’s pure heaven to take a long, hot shower, and the bed is king-size and like sleeping on a cloud. Tomorrow we’ll go to the pool and—”
“Shannen, look, there’s Jed!” Lauren exclaimed. “He’s over there with the others by the entrance to that hallway. Let’s go say hello.”
Shannen saw the nervous excitement light Lauren’s face, and gulped back an exclamation of dismay. “Why not wait till tomorrow, Lauren? After you’ve had a shower and a good night’s sleep.”
And I’ve had a chance to try and talk some sense into you, she added silently.
Jed was standing among the other ousted Victorious contestants and hadn’t seen them yet, but Lauren was quick to change that. She bolted across the lobby.
Shannen felt she had no choice but to go after her. “Lauren, just play it cool,” she whispered as they approached the group.
Lauren made no reply.
Shannen watched her sister closely and proceeded to duplicate her every move and every nuance of expression. It was a skill they’d perfected back when they were kids, and confusing people was a fun game.
Right now it was a necessity, Shannen decided grimly. If Jed couldn’t tell who was who, she doubted he would risk making a play for Lauren. The rat would be too afraid he might be hitting on the Scary Twin, the one who’d had “homicide in her heart” last night.
“Hi, Jed,” Lauren said, slightly breathless.
“Hi Jed,” Shannen imitated her twin right down to the appealing head tilt. She wanted to laugh out loud at the look of sheer panic that crossed Jed’s face as his eyes darted from one sister to the other.
And then he smiled directly, confidently at Lauren.
“Well, hello there, Lauren. And welcome! Can I help you with this?” Jed offered to take Lauren’s things, which she’d almost dropped while hurrying across the lobby.
“Thanks, Jed.” Lauren gave him a dreamy smile.
For a moment Shannen was too stunned to react at all. How had Jed known which one of them was Lauren? He certainly couldn’t tell last night when he’d drunkenly barged into her room.
She looked at her sister, who was handing her bundle of belongings to Jed. And realized how he’d suddenly acquired the ability to differentiate between them.
Lauren was wearing the shorts and triangle top she’d worn during much of the Victorious filming, Shannen was in a sundress. Nobody wore dresses at camp on the island.
And while Shannen had enjoyed the luxury of a leisurely shower and shampoo in her private bathroom this morning, Lauren had to make do with the meager spring on the island.
A moment later Miles joined the group, no longer the effervescent lad who had greeted Shannen yesterday. He was subdued and sullen, the result of a scathing lecture from his uncle Clark and the network bosses, Shannen assumed.
“I’ll take you to your room,” Miles said flatly, making none of yesterday’s grandiose offers. “You’re sharing it with your sister. You can order something from the room service menu as long as it costs under twenty-five dollars, tip included.”
“I know where the room is. I can take her there,” Shannen volunteered.
“I have a better idea,” said Jed. He turned to Shannen and dumped Lauren’s things in her arms. “You take these to the room, and I’ll go with Lauren to the coffee shop where she can order something—under twenty-five dollars, Miles.” He winked at the production assistant. “Then I’ll show you around the hotel, Lauren.”
“That sounds wonderful!” Lauren beamed up at him.
“No, it doesn’t!” Shannen snapped. “Lauren, you—”
“It’s okay, I’ll come up later, Shan. Don’t worry, I’ll find my way.” Lauren took another small step closer to Jed. “Oh, and thanks for taking my stuff to the room, Shannen.”
Jed slipped his arm around Lauren’s waist and whisked her off. “She’ll see you later, sis,” he called, shooting Shannen a look over his shoulder.
A you-lose look, Shannen thought furiously. A triumphant ha-ha look.
Lauren didn’t look back at all.
What should she do? Shannen wondered. Would Lauren be terribly upset if Shannen chased after them? Shannen was torn. She glanced up and saw Lucy eyeing her with sympathy.
“Hey, hon, why don’t you join us in the Tikki Lounge?” Lucy asked. “Ron—you remember him, don’t you? We voted him off right after the tribes merged—has a credit card and is buying everybody a round of drinks.”
A pity invitation! They thought she couldn’t bear to be away from her twin. Never mind that she’d played along to get to the island today. Shannen was humiliated.
“No, thanks,” she murmured. “I, uh, don’t really remember Ron. Sorry.”
“I’m Ron, and it’s okay.” Ron stepped forward. “Nobody remembered me. I’d love to get better acquainted with you, though. Let me buy you a drink.”
Shannen thought how much she didn’t want to get better acquainted with Ron or any of the other guys in the group. There was only one man she wanted to become better acquainted with, and that was Ty.
She wondered if she’d made a major mistake by telling him that she wanted to put sex on hiatus. Not that the hiatus was a mistake—she was certain she was right about that—but saying so the moment before she had to leave him might not have been the best timing.
Maybe she should’ve said
a simple good-night and left it at that.
Shannen trudged to her room carrying Lauren’s things. Timing. A crucial element in any game. The timing had been wrong for her and Ty nine years ago, but now…
Timing Is Everything, the saying went. Was it wrong for them all over again?
Ten
Shannen put on her one-size-fits-all West Falls University nightshirt and studied the list of movies available for viewing in the rooms of the resort. For a fee, of course. If she ordered Russell Crowe, would the cost be deducted from her food allowance?
She wasn’t tired, and though she wouldn’t have minded something to eat, she wasn’t about to call room service. After the network decree, there was probably a block on the phones of all Victorious guests, anyway. Raiding the little fridge in the room wasn’t worth it, either. There was nothing in it she wanted.
All she really wanted was Ty.
And to have Lauren come to their room saying she hated Jed’s womanizing guts, that she hadn’t slept with him and had never wanted to.
If she were given a choice, whom did she want more, Ty or a Jed-hating Lauren, to appear at her door? Shannen debated her hypothetical options. At least it was something to do.
Ty was her first choice every time.
When she heard a light knock, she opened the door without bothering to look through the peephole. She was sure it was Lauren, of course. Shannen could only hope it wasn’t the under-Jed’s-spell version of her twin.
Instead, Ty stood in the doorway, holding a bag.
“Room service. This is the alternate version provided by me and the coffee shop. I have sandwiches, fruit and cake. And wine from the infamous Parrot Room,” he added, deadpan. “Not to get you drunk, of course, since that might lead to sex, which you’ve put on hiatus.”
Shannen’s heart beat very fast and very hard. “What…how…” She couldn’t seem to find the words to ask the obvious questions.
“What am I doing here and how did I get here?” Ty supplied them for her, and she nodded mutely.
All in the Game Page 15
