by Terri Garey
“Quit grilling her, Cindy,” Erik said irritably. “She brought you a present.”
“Of course you’d take up for her, wouldn’t you?” For a second we were back in high school, missing only Cindy’s cheerleader uniform. “Forgive me for thinking that my husband’s ex-girlfriend might just be here to cause trouble. Kind of like when your last girlfriend showed up at the Martins’ garden party.”
I looked over at Violet, ready to kill her for getting me into this. Of all the things that had happened in the last month, sitting in the morning room of my ex-fiancé’s mansion with him, his wife, and her dead grandmother seemed by far the most bizarre.
Hello, Ms. Styx, and welcome to the Twilight Zone.
Violet spoke, though no one heard her but me. “Tell Cindy you know what our fight was about.” She flicked her hands at me, urging me on. “Tell her.”
Sure, why not?
“You and your grandmother had a fight over your idiot husband.”
Cindy’s mouth fell open. It wasn’t a good look for her.
“Hey, now,” Erik protested, “there’s no need for name calling, is there?” He gave a little laugh. “For all you know, I’m a great husband.”
“I’ll never know, now will I?”
Erik’s smile vanished.
Proud of my self-control, I smiled sweetly and added, “I’m just repeating what Violet said, Erik, so that Cindy will know I’m telling the truth.”
Cindy stared at the box, saying nothing.
I waited while she untied the ribbon, trying to ignore Erik’s hairy knee, so close to my own. I’d thought that knee would one day bounce my children.
The little noise Cindy made when she saw the bracelet told me a lot. Her mask slipped, and for a moment I saw genuine grief on her face.
I glanced toward the window seat to see Violet smiling, obviously pleased by Cindy’s reaction.
Cindy lifted the bracelet, turning it so the lacquer gleamed and the amethysts caught the light. “If my grandmother bought this from you a couple of weeks ago, why do you still have it?” I thought her voice shook a little, but it was hard to tell.
“It came back to me.” I’d decided a partial truth was easier to sell than a total lie. “My partner and I own a vintage clothing store, and he went to an estate sale last weekend. This bracelet was in a box of costume jewelry, wrapped and ready to mail…that’s how I knew your address.” Not entirely true, but good enough. “I remembered the bracelet, and I remembered your grandmother, and I thought giving it to you was the right thing to do. I didn’t make the connection about who you were until you came to the door.”
Cindy’s eyes flew to Erik. “An estate sale? You must be joking.”
Gee, Cindy, you’re welcome.
“My grandmother’s only been gone a little over a week…her service was just last Thursday.” She stood, clutching the bracelet. “Erik?”
Erik was surprisingly relaxed for someone whose wife looked ready to eviscerate him, and whose ex-fiancé was looking at him like he was the scum of the earth.
Which he was.
“You were in Myrtle Beach, hon,” he said, shaking his now nearly empty cocktail so the ice rattled. “Recuperating. I just got the ball rolling, that’s all. Got rid of the junk so the appraisers can come in.” He tipped his glass, searching for that last sip. “It’s our house now, after all. No big deal.”
“No big deal to you!” Cindy’s voice was rising. “You let total strangers come into my grandmother’s house and paw through her things? I can’t believe you!”
Cindy didn’t seem to care that I was listening to every word. I looked at Violet again, unsure what to do, but she wasn’t paying any attention to me. She was looking at Erik and nodding her head, a satisfied look on her face.
“My grandmother was the only person in the world who really loved me!” Cindy shot to her feet, still holding the bracelet. “You know how hard this has been on me!”
“For God’s sake,” Erik said irritably, rising from the couch, “stop being such a drama queen, would you? If you hadn’t insisted on going to the beach house for the weekend we could’ve gotten a lot more of the estate paperwork taken care of by now. I was just getting a head start on things.”
“My things!” Cindy was nearly shrieking now. “My grandmother left that house and everything in it to me. Me! How could you be so insensitive, you selfish bastard!”
“Um…” I got up, mumbling, “I’m gonna go now.”
And I did, scooting out of the morning room and heading for the front door. Nobody tried to stop me. Erik and Cindy were both yelling now, their anger echoing through the foyer.
“You hated her because she saw you for who you really are!”
“For God’s sake, Cindy, go take a Valium or something! You’re making a total ass of yourself!”
“I’m an ass? At least I’m not a…”
I shut the door behind me with relief, practically running down the steps.
Violet was standing by my car. A faint aura of brilliance surrounded her, an aura I’d seen once before, with my Yiddish friend Irene. “I’m sorry you had to witness that, dear,” she said, “I do hope you’ll forgive me.”
My shoulders slumped a little as I unlocked my car door. I wanted to get out of there, get another cup of coffee, and get my head straight. “Violet, it’s time for you to go. I did what you asked, and as you said, a promise is a promise.”
“Oh, I’m going, dear.” She smiled at me, a sweet smile that made my heart stop, just for a second. “I just wanted to say thank you, and tell you that you did a good thing.”
I smiled back, feeling lighter. That was nice to hear. Straightening my shoulders, I opened my car door, ready to get in. “Enjoy the Light, Violet. It’s pretty amazing.”
“So are you, dear.” Violet turned, her aura getting brighter. A single step, into the brilliance, and she was gone.
I felt my spirits lift. I sucked in a deep breath, appreciating the rush of air in my lungs, the smell of wood smoke and wet leaves.
Time to move on.
“Nicki.” The front door opened and Erik came out, nearly tripping down the front steps in his haste. Either that or he’d had one too many Bloody Marys.
“Don’t rush off,” he said, hurrying over to my car. “We haven’t had a chance to catch up yet.”
“You’re kidding, right?” I stared at him, really looking at him for the first time since I’d arrived.Those bags under his eyes made him look like he had a permanent hangover, and his hair was already thinning.
“I know the timing’s bad.” In five years he’d be chubby and bald, and in ten he’d be a total fatty. “I’d love to see you again…how about you give me your number?” He smiled at me, the same boyish smile that used to make me weak in the knees when I was seventeen. “We could meet for lunch.”
“Erik!” Cindy threw open the front door and stood there, mascara streaming down her cheeks. “We’re not finished! Tell your girlfriend to leave!”
What the hell? I slid into the front seat and tried to slam the door closed, but Erik’s hand was on the handle.
“I’ll take the kids and go, Erik, I swear it! Get back in here!”
“She’s such a bitch, isn’t she?” Erik’s tone was casual, as if the sight of an hysterical Cindy didn’t bother him in the least. “You see what I have to put up with?” He leaned in, so close I could smell the tomato juice and vodka on his breath. “I should’ve chosen you, Nicki.”
I briefly considered spitting in his face, but this was Buckhead, after all. I’m sure they had their standards. I put a hand on his Polo-clad chest and shoved him out of my car and out of my face.
“Violet was right, Erik. You are an idiot.”
“You won’t believe what just happened.”
I called Evan on my cell phone as soon as I pulled out of Erik’s driveway.
“Hang on a minute.” I could hear the beep of the cash register in the background, so I waited until I heard Evan giv
e a cheery, “Thanks so much. Come back and see us.”
“I was just at Erik Mitchell’s house,” I blurted. “Erik and Cindy. They got married. They live in a mansion in Buckhead and she’s a total bitch. She’s the woman Violet bought the bracelet for.”
“No way,” Evan breathed. The phone would be glued to his ear.
“She’s one of those phony, pinch-faced society types.” If I wanted to exaggerate the situation to get some sympathy, I considered myself perfectly within my rights. “Instead of being grateful that I brought her the bracelet her grandmother left her, she accused me of being Erik’s girlfriend! She actually thought I was there just to cause trouble!”
“What about Erik? What’s he look like these days?”
“He’s a bloated playboy-wanna-be.” I was fuming, barely paying attention as I drove. “Stupid jerk actually tried to hit on me.”
Evan burst out laughing. “Did he have to pick his balls up off the floor?”
I grinned in spite of myself, eyeing an impressive French Colonial mansion as I passed. “He probably has a maid to do it for him.” I couldn’t wait to get out of this neighborhood and back into the safe, comfortable haven of Little Five Points. If I’d ever needed a lesson in how money couldn’t buy happiness, I’d had one today.
“I can’t wait to hear all the juicy details,” Evan said. “Are you on your way back?”
A girl in a white convertible pulled up next to me. She had blond hair, just like Cindy.
“Yeah, I’ll fill you in when I get there.” The image of Cindy shrieking at Erik from the doorway, mascara dripping down her cheeks, was seared in my brain. “You won’t believe it.”
The light turned green, and the girl in the car next to me took off with a squeal of tires. I shot her a nasty look, her air of wealth and privilege reminding me of Cindy, too.
“Are you okay?” Evan asked.
“I’m okay. It was just so strange.”
“I’ll fix us some tea,” Evan said. “Chamomile, maybe…it’s supposed to be soothing.”
Right then the white convertible veered into my lane. She flashed her brakes, forcing me to slam on my own.
“You can handle this, Nicki.” Now Evan’s voice took on a comforting note. “You’ve been dealing with zombies and voodoo and dead people…you can handle this.”
“Huh.” I gave the girl in the white convertible the finger as she made her turn. Thanks for using your blinker, asshole.
“Dead girls are easy. It’s the live ones who give me trouble.”
CHAPTER 18
“Man, it’s good to be home.”
Evan wiggled perfectly manicured toes free of his leather slides and plopped down on the couch.
The fact that he was talking about my home made no difference. It would always be his, too. We’d both grown up in this house.
“I thought you loved playing ‘wifey’ out there in the burbs,” I teased. “I’ll bet all the neighbors called you Mrs. Carson.”
I’d missed this; just the two of us unwinding with a glass of vino after a long day’s work, the store locked up tight and the day’s receipts already in the night deposit.
“Adored every minute of it,” Evan said, “except Butchie’s snoring.” He smiled, clearly not even minding that too much. “Sometimes my big ol’ teddy bear sounds like a cave bear, hibernating.”
“How romantic.” I turned on the CD player and put on some Concrete Blonde. I loved those soulful tones. “I take it things are still going well.”
“Blissfully. He’s such a sweetheart—I’m in heaven.” Evan took the glass of wine I handed him. “What about you and Joe, hm?” His voice took on a sly note. “How’s the good doctor going to handle it now that you’re back in your own bed?”
“He’s okay with it. It’s not like we were living together or anything.” Surely that touch of defensiveness didn’t come from me? “He asked me to stay, but I needed to come home.”
Evan’s radar was finely tuned. “Trouble in paradise?”
“No. I just wanted my house back.”
Evan glanced uneasily toward the darkened windows. “You’re sure it’s safe? Caprice is gone?”
“Yep.” I hadn’t felt that nagging sense of fear, that feeling of something evil peering over my shoulder, since the night Granny Julep performed her ritual. “I think it’s over.”
“Hallelujah.” Evan’s fervent comment went down even better with a clink of wineglasses and a sip of chardonnay.
“So what’s with Joe?” Trust Evan not to leave well enough alone.
I sank down on the couch, tucking my feet beneath me. “Nothing.” A sip of wine. “I just don’t wanna get too used to depending on him. The ‘maiden in distress’ thing is getting old. I can take care of myself.” Another sip of wine. “I like taking care of myself.”
“I thought you liked him.”
“I do.” Too much. “I’m telling you, there’s no problem. He’s coming over for dinner later.”
Evan’s eyebrows went sky high. “You’re cooking?”
The way he said it might as well have been, You’re poisoning someone?
“No, I thought I’d just jump naked into some Jell-O and call myself dessert.”
“Don’t forget the whipped cream and cherries. You do remember what a cherry is, don’t you?”
I nearly choked on wine and laughter, appreciating as always how easy it was to be myself with Evan.
“Vaguely.”
Evan put his feet up on the old chest I used as a coffee table. We sipped our wine and listened to music in companionable silence, letting the knots that bound us loosen.
“You’re different these days.” Evan was uncharacteristically serious. “Is everything okay, Nick?”
I wished I knew myself as well as Evan did. Then maybe I’d have an answer for him. I put my feet up next to his and reached for his hand.
“I think so. For now, anyway. It’s been quite a month.”
“You said it, sister.” Evan nodded solemnly, squeezing my fingers.
“Seeing Erik today was so weird, but what’s really weird is how little I cared. I’ve got so much other stuff going on, and then there’s Joe…every-time I looked at Erik I felt nothing but contempt.” I shook my head. “What was I thinking?”
“You should never have let him near the secret garden,” Evan said complacently. “Women tend to romanticize the first guy who plucks their fruit.”
“You should know,” I teased him, well aware of his fond memories of a certain Manny Vittoro.
Evan grinned, not bothering to argue. “The guy swept you off your feet with that puny little promise ring?I told you never say yes to anything less than a full carat, didn’t I? But did you listen to me? No.”
I still had that puny little promise ring in a corner of my jewelry box. It was so outta there.
“He and Cindy deserve each other,” Evan added.
“After what I saw today, I think Cindy’s paid a pretty high price for what she did. Despite the mansion and the money, I almost felt sorry for her. I would have, if she hadn’t been such a bitch.”
“Then why so thoughtful?” Evan was still holding my hand, solid as ever.
“Do you remember when I told you about my near death experience, and how it felt like everything in the world—everything in the universe—was somehow connected?” I took another sip of wine, trying to find the words for what I was thinking.
“You mean like ‘Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon’?”
I squeezed his fingers, knowing humor was a defense. Evan didn’t like to talk about my dying.
“Yes, actually.” I grinned at him. “Exactly like that, only on a mind-boggling scale.”
“And your point?” Evan lay his head back on the couch, moving his bare feet in time to the music.
I let go of his hand to tuck my toes beneath me again.
“I can’t believe it’s just a coincidence that I would end up at Erik’s house because I sold a woman a bracelet.” I touche
d the tiny tattoo on my left breast.
“It wasn’t because you sold the bracelet, it was because you were doing a good deed.” Evan was always a stickler for detail.
“So I end up at their house because I was doing a good deed for a dead woman?” I shook my head. “What if I hadn’t decided to help Violet? Would I have spent the rest of my life thinking I’d missed out on a good thing by not marrying Erik?”
“Oooh, I get it.” Evan’s head came off the couch. “It’s like that butterfly thingie.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m not talking about sex toys, Evan.”
“No, no.” Evan flapped a hand in my direction. “The ‘butterfly effect’ or whatever. They made a movie about it, with Demi Moore’s boy toy. Chaos theory, ripples in a pond kind of thing.”
I looked at him with new respect. “By Jove, I think he’s got it.”
“So that’s why you’re cooking dinner for Joe!”
I blinked at the sudden leap of logic.
“You’re finally over Erik, and you’re taking it to the next level.”
“The next level?” I unfurled my legs and sat up straight. “Don’t get carried away.”
“Of course, I see it all now,” Evan said, holding his wineglass aloft. “It was your destiny to be in Joe’s E.R. that night. It’s a match made in heaven.”
“That’s not it at all.” Or was it? How was I supposed to follow my own convoluted thoughts if I couldn’t follow Evan’s? “And what do you know about heaven?”
“Oooh, and what about the whole karma thing?” Evan was really getting into it now. “You do something nice for someone, something nice comes back to you. Maybe Joe’s your ‘something nice.’”
Nice didn’t seem a big enough word to describe Joe. He’d brought me back to life, in more ways than one, but it was a different life than the one I’d known, and I was still having trouble figuring out how to navigate it. Evan’s theories were making my head spin.
Was it okay to have a different life? Was it okay to have one with Joe?
“Joe hired a private investigator to find his wife. He wants to finalize their divorce.”
Evan’s feet hit the floor with a solid thunk.