The Champagne Sisterhood

by Chris Keniston

  Again, Trixie woofed softly and scurried off through another door. Liz could hear her paws clacking down more stairs. “How many staircases does this place have?”

  At the bottom of the steps, her new guide led Liz into a rear hall off the main entry. She could hear Dixie barking and the tapping sounds of her paws still dancing around the old woman in the kitchen.

  Liz was about to step into the main hall when the dog froze blocking her path. “Now what?”

  The front door creaked open. “Yoo hoo, Mrs. McAffrey.”

  Shit. Liz didn’t dare pop her head out to see. The voice was annoyingly warm, sweet, and high-pitched.

  “You should have rung the bell,” an irritated male voice scolded.

  Great! Flattened against the wall, Liz looked down at the watchful Doberman. Just what I need. A party.

  “Will you stop pacing?” Kat flipped the channel on the remote control. “If you’re that worried, call her.”

  “She’s not answering at her apartment and I can’t call her cell. It could put her in a compromising position. What if she’s still at Junior’s? Or worse.” She sighed, casually popping a handful of colored tablets from her pocket into her mouth. “In police custody.”

  “I’m sure if anything were seriously wrong you’d have heard by now. What I’m wondering is why she called you at all. I’d have thought Liz to be smarter than to phone from the crime scene.” Kat clicked off the TV and tossed the remote on the coffee table in front of her.

  “Actually.” Sitting in his favorite recliner, Mark leaned forward. “If Junior were a cold-blooded criminal and Liz were in any real danger, letting someone know her whereabouts and connection to Junior would be a very smart thing.”

  “Well, smart thing or not.” Kat stood up. “It’s been a long morning. I think I’m going to take advantage that Marcia’s napping, not that having me around would be any help anyhow, and head upstairs for a nice long soak. Let me know if you hear from Liz or Harrison.”

  Anna nodded. “Sure thing.”

  The way Anna rubbed her hand across the back of her neck showed the boulder-like weight of all her worries. Mark feared this most recent addition of whatever trouble Liz might have gotten herself into would prove to be too much for her. “That’s not a bad idea.”

  “What?” Her hand still gripping the back of her neck, Anna stopped her pacing and frowned at him.

  “A long soak.”

  “This is an old house. That tub is at least a foot too short to be much more than a torture chamber. I’ll just wait for Liz’s call.”

  He jerked a thumb over his shoulder. “Hot tub’s pretty big. Room enough for at least six people in that thing. I could have it fired up and warm by the time you got back with your swimsuit on.”

  “I didn’t bring a swimsuit,” she said curtly, returning to pacing.

  God he tried not to. He really really tried not to let the slow grin bloom across his face, but the mental picture of her coming down those stairs à la Lady Godiva was too vivid to ignore. “What about the suit you wore to the beach?”

  “In the laundry,” she said without looking at him.

  “Barb has more.”

  “I know.”

  He pushed to his feet. “Great, I’ll go turn on the heater.”

  “I don’t want to soak in any damn hot tub.” She whirled around, gesturing wildly. “Liz could be trapped by two foaming at the mouth guard dogs or cornered by some two-bit hooker in a urine-soaked jail cell. And I shouldn’t have to remind you that two totally insane people want custody of our goddaughter or that my fiancé thinks leaving Marcia with those lunatics is a great idea so long as I get on a plane to New York. And let’s not forget that my boss’ son, for some unknown reason, is plotting to end my career. Not to mention that ladder climbing, brown-nosing Steve Keller who’s been champing at the bit for years to replace me. He hasn’t missed a single opportunity to point out to said boss just how crippling my absence is to Nobel’s, and you,” her voice dropped to a near growl, “you want me to go play in some adult kiddie pool!”

  “What I want is for you to relax a bit before you have a stroke. You’re under a lot of pressure right now. We all are. I’m going outside to turn on the heater, then I’m going upstairs to put on my suit. I’ll let Kat know in case she’d rather soak outside. If you want to join us, come on out. If not, feel free to wear a hole in the damn carpet for all I care.”

  The fury in her eyes was raw and deep and laced with despair. He yearned to reach out and touch, to soothe, to console, to reassure. If he’d had any lapse of judgement, any inkling to respond to the instincts that had taunted him since she first sashayed down the hospital hallway, they were squelched by the sound of her cell phone ringing from it’s charger on the desk.

  “Oh, hi, Harrison,” she answered.

  Though her voice dripped with disappointment, there was something comfortable in its tone. The sound of a woman at ease with her man, no matter the circumstances. He envied that connection. He wanted it to be the sound of her name rolling off his tongue that eased her pain, not that creep who crawled out from under a slimy rock.

  “We’ve been over this already.” The muscles in her jaw flicked with tension. “You don’t understand. I can’t do that. I promised.

  “Yes, I know Desmond is a genius.” Her blasé expression suggested she thought otherwise.

  “Harrison, I’m having a hard day. I’m worried about Liz.”

  “Focus Anna,” Harrison’s booming voice exploded across the room. Mark wouldn’t have been surprised if the neighbors two streets away heard him.

  Jerking the phone away from her ear, she stopped her pacing, let her head fall back, closed her eyes and returned the phone to her ear. “I can’t do this. If you care about me at all. If you’ve ever cared about me. Don’t do this.”

  Whatever Harrison had to say, it must have been a near whisper, because straining as he was, Mark couldn’t hear a word.

  “I don’t care what he thinks. It’s not an option.” She resumed her steady path back and forth across the floor. Her free hand hooked around the back of her neck and hung on as though afraid if she let go her head might fall off. “You’re not listening.”

  He could almost hear the snap of her spine shoot ramrod straight. Shoulders squared, she jutted her chin out defiantly and let the hand previously biting into her neck fall to her side. The fingers slowly curled into a tight fist. All the color drained from her face and then erupted in a ruby red flush. If Mark thought he’d seen fury in her eyes moments ago, he could see the fires of hell in them now. General Patton was back.

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  “This is absurd,” Harrison barked in her ear.

  “You have no idea.” Every muscle in Anna’s body ached, stretched taught from stress, doubt, fear and borderline panic. She was tired of walking around wound tighter than a toy top. “I am not telling you again. I don’t care if Desmond is the Good Witch of the North. There is no way I am turning that little girl over to those demons.”

  “You’re being irrational. They’re Marcia’s grandparents. She’ll be fine. Now stop being stubborn and come home. There’s a lot of work to do.”

  “When the hell did you become such a jackass?” His silence was condemning. Among other things, Harrison didn’t approve of name-calling.

  “I understand you’re not yourself at the moment,” he said more calmly than she would have liked. “Losing one of your closest friends has to be difficult for you, so I’m willing to overlook that last comment.”

  “Oh puh-lease don’t.” A deaf man could have heard the acid in her voice. “Losing Babs hasn’t been difficult. It’s been hell. But then again, how would you know tucked away in your New York office planning the rise of the Edwards empire?”

  “Anna—“

  “Don’t bother,” she snapped. “And as for not being myself, quite the contrary. I’m very much myself. It’s about time we got a few things straight.” She turned around in time to
see Mark staring at her slack-jawed. The mere sight of him filling the doorway was enough to scramble her brain. For the first time since the funeral, she knew exactly what she had to do and couldn’t afford to let her thoughts short circuit now. Quickly, she turned back to face the window. On a foggy day like today she could barely see past the first ridge of the backyard, but the tips of green sprouting through the feathery layers of gray filled her with a calming sense of tranquility. She could do this.

  “Face it, Harrison, we’re poles apart when it comes to what’s best for Marcia. While I appreciate your efforts, we simply don’t want the same things anymore.” She took a deep breath and forced herself to keep talking before Harrison could stop her. “I think it’s time Desmond plotted a course for you to win this race without me.”

  Another short wave of silence passed between them. As calmly as if he’d been discussing the weather, Harrison’s voice broke the quiet. “I’ll have your things packed and sent to your mother’s. Unless you’d like them sent to California?”

  She blinked, unsure she’d heard him correctly. That was it? No argument. No ‘I can’t live without you’. No begging, persuading. No I need you. Just I’ll have your things packed?

  “Mom’s will be fine,” she finally said through gritted teeth.

  “Take care, Anna.” And as though they had just made plans to meet up for dinner after work, he disconnected the call and left her staring into the silent phone. Fuming with anger and completely baffled as to why she cared, she blew out a deep breath. It was over. Done. She was free - and alone.

  Mark watched the feelings play across her face like a performance on a Broadway stage. Determination, surprise, shock, anger. The one thing he dreaded seeing didn’t come - heartbreak.

  Was keeping her word to Barb enough for her to give up the man she loved? Or was Harrison’s lack of concern for Marcia the final flash of light that let her see what a slimeball he really was? She did, after all, call him a jackass.

  “I think a little time in the hot tub is exactly what the doctor ordered.” Anna slipped her cell phone into her pocket. “For all the miles I’ve put in today wearing a rut in the floor, it’s not going to make Liz call any faster.”

  About time she figured that one out, but he knew better than to say I told you so.

  “If you’ll heat up the tub, I’ll find a suit and get Kat.” Her eyes darted a moment toward the picture windows that lined the rear wall of the den before turning her attention back to the cozy room and taking in every corner. Rubbing her hands together, fingers splayed, she seemed to be ridding herself of some unwanted baggage. “I guess that settles that.” She gave a short quick nod and pushed away from the table she’d been leaning against. “When I get back we’ll do a little celebrating.”

  “I’ll have the champagne ready. Green of course,” he called after her.

  Looking at him over her shoulder, a dazzling grin swept across her face. “You read my mind.”

  Taking the stairs two at a time, she was gone. The sweet smell of her lingered at the base of the steps, filling his senses. His body ached with wanting to follow her to her room, scoop her up and take her for the ride of her life. Visions of her screaming his name as she flew over the edge of climax after climax had his blood burning and his pants feeling two sizes too small, again.

  “Careful, buddy,” he warned himself. “Remember the rules.” But damn if he didn’t want to throw the rule book out and touch her all over the way he’d imagined each night since that kiss on the deck. “Damn.”

  “Any word from Liz?” Kat called out from behind the bathroom door.

  “Not yet, but I just got off the phone with Harrison.” Anna opened a drawer looking for a spare swimsuit. “Mark’s turning on the hot tub, grab your suit and join us.”

  “No thanks. Nora and I are settling in for a long comfortable visit.”

  Opening another drawer, she pulled out two suits. “Honestly, I don’t think there’s another soul on this planet who reads as much as you do.”

  “It’s a tax deduction. Research. Have to keep up with the competition.”

  “Since none of your books have been published, and last time I looked, Nora Roberts doesn’t write travel articles, you may have a hard time convincing the IRS of that.” Anna shook her head at the closed door.

  “Patience, dahling.” Kat said with an exaggerated drawl. “Somewhere out there is an editor who’ll love my novels, and when I find her, move over Nora.”

  “For what it’s worth. I love what you write.” Not that she’d had much time to read her friend’s more recent efforts. Maybe now instead of attending museum openings and Bar Association cocktail parties, she could spend more time in the tub getting reacquainted with Nora herself.

  Damn. Her hands stilled. And exactly which tub would that be? Not the oversized sunken whirlpool she’d been used to for the last five years. Not that she’d had much time to use it. Blast. She’d need to start looking for a place. But where? With the shit waiting to hit the fan at work, she might not only lose the promotion, but be out of a job all together, long before she even made it back to New York.

  Strangling the bathing suits in one hand, she leaned against the dresser. Maybe losing her job wasn’t such a bad thing.

  Maybe she should consider moving to California. Then she wouldn’t have to take Marcia away from the only home she’d ever known. It wasn’t like San Francisco didn’t have department stores. Surely someone with her caliber of experience wouldn’t have a problem finding a job. Especially if she started looking before Nobel’s new line became a public fiasco.

  “Are you still there?”

  Anna could hear the sound of water slapping against flesh. “Yeah, just thinking.”

  “Oh. You didn’t tell me what Harrison had to say. Any good news?”

  “Sort of.”

  “Sort of? What?”

  “He’s sending my things to my mother’s.”

  “What!” Kat made more splashing noises, then the sound of thumping feet against cold tile grew louder until the door flew open. “What do you mean sending your stuff?”

  “I believe that would mean we broke up.”

  “You what?” Kat pulled one corner of the towel and tucked it in more snuggly against her breast. “Sit, spill.” She pointed to the bed.

  “Not much to tell. He wanted me to turn Marcia over to those people. Said there was too much at risk to his career if we fought them. Insisted she’d be fine.” Anna shuddered. “How can anyone be fine with people like that?”

  “So he said his way or the highway?”

  “Such prose.” She shook her head. “I told him he should have Desmond design a campaign plan that didn’t include me. He didn’t argue.”

  “You’re kidding?” Kat flopped on the bed beside Anna, tightening the knot on the towel again.

  “Nope. Just like that.” She snapped her fingers. “And you know the odd part?”

  “What?”

  “As mad as I am that he didn’t fight, argue, declare his undying love.”

  Kat nodded.

  “That’s all there is. Anger that he doesn’t really love me. That I wasted the best years of my life on that man.”

  Kat groaned, rolling her eyes at her friend. “Talk about overused prose.”

  “You know what I mean. My pride is screaming that I should have meant more to him. And I’m mad as hell I spent so much time with someone who could walk away so easily, but that’s it, it’s only my pride that’s hurt. My heart feels fine. Not even a little crack.” She sighed. “How do you spend five years living with a man and then the next minute realize you don’t give a flying fig about him?”

  “Wrong man.”

  Anna’s forehead folded into a frown.

  “Don’t look at me that way. Think how horrible it could have turned out if you’d married that jerk only to have him hook up ten years from now with someone ten years younger than you.”

  “Wouldn’t happen. Too risky to his ca
reer. He’d have stayed married to the devil if it could move him up the political ladder.”

  “Didn’t seem to be a problem for Giuliani.”

  “Maybe not.” She hitched a shoulder. This wasn’t what she’d expected of Harrison either.

  Kat patted Anna on the knee. “You sure you’re okay?”

  “Yeah. About Harrison I am, but I’m worried sick about Liz and now I not only have the prospect of being unemployed to look forward to, but homeless too. How the hell is that going to look in a custody battle?”

  “Ouch.”

  “I suppose moving in with my mom would provide live-in daycare.”

  “Courts would like that. Sort of grandma against grandma.” Kat grinned.

  Anna snickered with an unladylike snort. “Can’t you see it now. Two grandmas, side by side in the kitchen, a pair of commercial stoves between them. On your mark, get set, cook!”

  “Actually.” Kat stifled a grin. “I sort of pictured your mom beating that witch to death with her wooden spatula.”

  “Oh, I’d pay big bucks to see that.”

  Kat wrapped an arm around Anna’s shoulder and squeezed. “So would I.”

  “We’re ready.” Anna’s voice wafted across the den a full thirty seconds before she strutted through the doorway.

  A dip in the Arctic Ocean probably wouldn’t be enough to soften the hard on threatening to spring into view. Mark had seen her in a suit at the beach, but this little two piece number made his mouth water.

  With a towel wrapped loosely around her hips, his eyes had no choice but to focus on the full roundness of the two most perfect sized breasts he’d ever had the pleasure to hold, uh see. Oh shit.

  He was thinking like a horny eighteen-year-old. He had more sense than that, more control, more maturity. So why did he feel like all his brains had suddenly taken up residence in his dick? “I’d better get the monitor so we can hear when Marcia wakes up.”