Sweet Little Lies ~ Abbi Glines

by Abbi Glines

  If Stone was trying to give me a distraction from my thinking about Jasper being my cousin, and my sister not being my sister but Jasper’s sister, then he had just accomplished it. But only for a moment.

  I laid my head back and closed my eyes as I soaked in the large claw-foot tub.

  This morning I had woken up in a dream. It was a fantasy that dissolved abruptly when I realized I loved a man I shouldn’t love. I’d had sex with Jasper, my cousin. I guess when I looked at it that way, what I had done was so much worse than Stone and his stepsister. Jasper and my mother were sisters. My stomach turned at the thought.

  Just as quickly as I’d been handed happiness, it had been snatched away. And there was Heidi to think about. She’d never know the truth. Even if she did, I wasn’t sure she’d understand. My mother was our mother. I didn’t care who gave birth to my sister. Portia Van Allan may have brought her into this world, but it was my mother who loved her, protected her, taught her, and raised her. Heidi missed Momma, but it didn’t weigh on her every day like it did me. She found happiness in life so easily. I had always envied her that. Being around her made me happy. Even if it was for a short time.

  I wouldn’t fight Jasper if he wanted to pay for Heidi’s care. I knew it was his way of helping. After all we’d learned, she was his sister too. Their biological relationship would change things. I couldn’t expect it not to.

  Then there was my heart—would it always ache when I thought of Jasper? Could I one day see him and not hope for the impossible?

  The ringing of my phone interrupted my thoughts and I sat up to see where I had left it. When it rang again, I turned my head toward the sound to find I’d put it on the vanity. I didn’t want to get out of the tub yet, but it could be Heidi calling. That was the only reason I hadn’t turned my phone off.

  Jasper didn’t come find me today. He didn’t come looking for me. I’d left him at his house begging me to forget the truth. When he didn’t even understand the truth himself. I couldn’t forget. My heart may wish I could but my head wouldn’t allow it.

  Standing, I grabbed the towel that was on the white and gold stand beside the tub and wrapped it around me. It was even more lush than the towels at the Van Allans. Hurrying over to the vanity I reached for my phone only to see Jasper’s name on the screen. I jerked my hand back as if it were a snake. I couldn’t talk to him. He had thought through Portia’s lie by now and realized things didn’t added up. I wouldn’t be the one to tell him the truth though. Hearing his voice . . . I wasn’t ready. Stone would have to tell Jasper and show him what he’d found.

  We had nothing more to say. Did we? What could we say? Sorry we committed incest? I cringed even admitting that word to myself. I didn’t like to think of it that way. I still couldn’t believe it was true. Falling in love with Jasper would have been the best memory I’d ever made, but now it had become the most twisted.

  Fate didn’t like me much. I was beginning to accept that it intended to beat me up continually.

  I stepped away from the phone as the ringing ended. He’d get my voicemail. I prayed he didn’t leave a message because I couldn’t listen to it. I was convinced that would only make our current situation worse.

  I waited to see if the voicemail alert would ding. I knew hiding from my phone wasn’t possible. Turning it off and trying to disappear wasn’t possible. I had to find a way to accept this. I needed strength to not fall apart at the sound of his voice.

  Moments passed and no email alert. Nothing. I sighed, relieved that I wouldn’t be taunted by a voicemail I couldn’t listen to. The sound of a slamming door echoed down the hall and I jumped. Holding my towel tighter around me, I walked back into the bedroom expecting to hear Presley crying and screaming. But it wasn’t Presley’s voice I heard. It was Jasper’s.

  My eyes flew to the door to make sure I’d locked it. What was he doing here?

  The thick, huge doors muffled their voices, but Jasper was loud. He was shouting. I couldn’t understand exactly what he was saying but I heard my name. With each pause of his shouting I strained to hear Stone. He wasn’t speaking loud enough if he was even responding to Jasper at all.

  Footsteps started down the hall and right before they got to my door, I heard Stone’s voice say, “Don’t.” The command was clear but the door handle for my room began to wiggle.

  “Beulah! Talk to me. Please, I can’t . . .” he paused. “I can’t lose you completely. What Stone found out about my parents . . . I’m sorry. It’s so fucking twisted. Don’t hate me because of my last name. Talk to me. There’s got to be more to this. We need each other.”

  I backed away. I wasn’t ready. It’s possible I might never be ready. Tears burned my eyes and I blinked, forcing them to fall freely. No one was here to see me break apart.

  “She needs time,” Stone told him.

  “Beulah. Listen, I don’t even know what to believe. The one thing I’m sure of is I love you. Don’t shut me out. We need each other.”

  I sank down on the edge of the bed and held onto my towel tightly. Hearing the pain in his voice was crushing. I didn’t want to hurt him. But the truth had hurt us both.

  “For once, stop being so goddamn selfish.” Stone was angry. I didn’t want him to fight with Jasper because of me. This wasn’t his problem. I wasn’t his to protect.

  “Beulah—”

  “LEAVE!” Stone shouted, stopping Jasper from saying more.

  There was silence.

  Finally, I heard Jasper speaking to Stone. “Why are you doing this? Why are you keeping her from me? You saw me happy and you hated it!”

  At first there was a pause. I didn’t think Stone was going to respond. I prepared myself for Jasper to say more to me. Glancing toward the bathroom from my perch on the bed, I decided to walk back inside and close that door. It helped to muffle their voices and gave me some privacy to pull myself together.

  “Beulah’s been through enough. She’s not like you. Her world is vastly different. Give her time to work through this. She needs to find her ground without this added drama.”

  I froze listening to Stone’s words. They weren’t flattering but they were factual.

  “She’s not like us. Isn’t that what you mean? Because you’re from the same world I am. Look around you.” Jasper wasn’t yelling anymore but his anger was still obvious.

  “No. My world has always been different from yours. Don’t kid yourself. Now, leave. I’ve had enough bullshit for one night. I need a fucking break.”

  I waited to see if Jasper would walk away. I wondered if he’d do as Stone asked of him, or if they’d continue to fight. I’d get dressed and walk out there to stop them if they did. I couldn’t let them ruin their friendship because of me. It wasn’t fair to either of them.

  “When you’re ready to talk, call me. I’ll always be here,” Jasper said with his voice raised for me to hear inside the bathroom, but his tone didn’t sound as harsh.

  I bit my bottom lip to muffle a sob as tears began to roll down my face again. Their retreating footsteps meant this interlude was over. He was leaving. I listened for more shouting but I heard nothing. After several moments, I went to the closet and found my clothing hung up instead of in my travel bag. They looked lost inside the massive closet complete with a full-length mirror and chandelier.

  Tomorrow I had to leave. Stone was right. This wasn’t my world. I needed to stop living in it. So far it had only brought me sorrow.

  THE APARTMENT WAS QUIET. I never heard Presley return last night and I had fallen asleep the moment I got into bed. I had taken my time getting dressed and packing up my things. I’d hoped to hear someone moving about in the apartment this morning, but it was after eight and no doors had opened or closed. There was no sound at all. It was silent.

  I opened the bedroom door slowly and glanced down the hallway. The lights were off. The sunlight from the large windows throughout the apartment provided enough light to see where I was going.

  I felt weird lea
ving without saying anything to Stone.

  At the end of the hallway the smell of coffee met my nose. I figured I would encounter either Stone or Presley. If it was Presley, maybe she’d be nicer when she saw me carrying my duffle bag. My leaving should put her in a good mood.

  I turned, walking in the direction of where I smelled coffee and found the kitchen. Stone’s back was to me as he stood watching the news on a large flat screen television on the wall opposite the doorway. He was wearing a dress shirt, tie and jeans. He held a cup of coffee in his hand and frowned as the news reported about some Senator liking a porn website on Facebook that had gone viral.

  His shoulders were broad, but his size seemed pronounced in the fitted oxford dress shirt. The guy at the pool who laughed and drank with friends wasn’t the same man in front of me. This man held secrets. He was important—or he appeared to be. I’d thought he was an elitist snob and spoiled. After yesterday, I wasn’t so sure about either of those things. He wasn’t homeless. I was wrong about that for sure.

  I thought about the pool party and wondered why Presley hadn’t been there. Did he keep her separate from his friends? Why did she live here? Their story wasn’t my business but I was curious. Stone had gotten under my skin since the moment I met him. He was helping me and had even stood up to Jasper to keep him away from me—that had changed my perception of him. His actions over the past twenty-four hours made me want to know more about him.

  “There’s coffee and some pastries from the bakery in town. You’re welcome to both, or you can continue to stand there and check me out while my back is turned.”

  He turned his head just enough for me to see his smirk, then he pointed with the hand holding his cup toward the coffee and pastries he’d just mentioned. “Help yourself. There’s some of everything.”

  I was embarrassed to have been caught staring at him but I was about to leave. I doubted I’d see him again any time soon, if ever. That thought shouldn’t bother me. But it did.

  His eyes dropped to the duffle bag in my left hand. “You’re not leaving, Beulah. You have nowhere to go.”

  “My presence here is causing problems. Presley, then Jasper—” I began but was interrupted.

  “Presley will be over it today. Jasper was expected. I expect more from him. He has been spoiled the majority of his life and that leads one to believe they can have whatever they want. When they’re told no, they react without thought. Now, have some breakfast, and afterward put your things away. Then I have somewhere to take you.”

  He spoke as if his orders were law. My opinion was of no consequence. I didn’t like being controlled or handled, but on the other hand, I wasn’t ready to say no. Walking away from the only security I had at the moment seemed foolish. I battled with what to do mentally as he went back to watching the news.

  I opened my mouth twice to say something. No argument or quirky response came. Finally, I sat my duffle bag down and put my purse on top of it. I gave in and walked over to fix myself a cup of coffee from a very ordinary coffee pot. I didn’t expect that of Stone. Especially not coming from his world of wealth. The Van Allans had several fancy machines that produced coffee, espresso, cappuccinos, and then that French press I hated to use.

  “This is a regular coffee pot,” I said glancing back at Stone.

  He didn’t look at me when he spoke. “Coffee is meant to be simple.”

  I couldn’t argue with that. “Did you go to the bakery this morning?” I asked wondering when he could have gone. I had listened for the door. If he was quiet when he left, I knew the thick walls in the apartment would have muffled the sound though.

  “Presley has the bakery make daily deliveries,” he replied still watching the television.

  That seemed odd. I wouldn’t have thought Presley ate pastries. She was so thin. Eating this every morning would put weight on anyone. I picked one that looked like a croissant with chocolate glaze. I wasn’t positive it was a croissant, but it looked delicious. I didn’t eat lunch or dinner yesterday and I was starving. I wondered if he’d mind if I ate two. Or more importantly, if Presley would mind.

  Once the news went to a commercial, he turned to watch me as I stood at the bar with my breakfast. “You can have a seat at the table if you’d like. And eat more than one of those. There are too many.”

  I reached over to pick up the strawberry muffin, placed it on my plate, and then headed for the table. “Thank you. I woke up hungry,” I admitted.

  He took a sip of his coffee and studied me. I found myself hoping the news would come back on so I could eat without his laser focus on me. Stone made me nervous because you couldn’t tell what he was thinking. His expressions were always serious. He always seemed closed off, brooking no discussion.

  “How are you with elderly people?”

  That was the oddest and most random question I’d ever been asked.

  “What do you mean exactly?”

  The news returned after the commercial and he turned it off by touching something on his phone. I’d never seen that before.

  “You handled Portia and she’s a high maintenance bitch. You’re patient, hard-working, and trustworthy. I would assume you’d be good with an elderly slightly senile lady.”

  When I didn’t say anything right away he continued.

  “Geraldine Mayweather is a friend of mine. She’s at the point in life where she needs help with her daily activities. Cleaning, cooking small meals, reminding her to take pills, and at times where the bathroom is or what year it is are a few things she could use assistance with. I think you’d be a perfect fit to work with someone in her situation.”

  Oh. A job. One that I knew I could do. Stone said it just like that.

  “That sounds great,” I replied quickly. “Thank you. I don’t know how I can repay you for all you’ve done.”

  “Don’t thank me yet. I’m going to introduce you to Geraldine. She’ll have to approve of you of course. It’s her decision.”

  I nodded. “Of course. When can we go?”

  “As soon as you’re finished eating and put your bag back in the closet in your bedroom.”

  “Thank you,” I repeated.

  He sat his cup in the sink and left the room without another word.

  I finished the chocolate croissant and strawberry muffin then rinsed my dish and both cups. After I dried the dishes, I located the correct cabinets so that I could put them away.

  As I was walking to pick up my duffle bag, the front door opened. I froze hoping it was Stone opening the door.

  Heels clicked on the marble floor and were headed toward the kitchen. There was no way I was going to escape her. Bracing myself, I picked up my duffle and faced the door just as Presley entered the kitchen.

  She was in the same clothes she’d worn last night. Her face had been washed clean of makeup, and her eyes appeared slightly bloodshot. She strutted past me. “Leaving already?” she asked in a bored tone.

  I didn’t want to answer her but I couldn’t just walk out of the room without acknowledging her. That would be rude. “No, not leaving yet. I was, but I’m not now. I will be soon.” I added the last to hopefully avoid a screaming fit.

  “Why are there pastries here? Jesus, who eats these calories in the morning?” she turned and looked at me with horror. “Your hips will only get bigger eating like this.”

  She didn’t eat the pastries. Which meant she didn’t order them.

  “I didn’t, I mean those aren’t—“ I wasn’t sure how to respond to her.

  She rolled her eyes. “Well, they aren’t Stones. He only eats egg whites and whole wheat toast for breakfast. I make it for him.”

  The fact she’d talked to me as if I were a child caught in a lie wasn’t what left me speechless. It was that the only explanation had to be . . . Stone ordered the pastries.

  For me.

  HE DIDN’T WANT ME TO know he’d bought me pastries, so I didn’t tell him about my conversation with Presley. I’d gone back to the bedroom, unpac
ked my bag, and then waited at the door for him. He came out of the kitchen wearing an annoyed expression.

  “We’ll take both cars in case Geraldine decides you’re a good fit and hires you. You’ll need your car to get back here this evening.”

  My keys were already in my purse, so I nodded and followed him out the door. Before he could lock the door behind us, the sound of heels clicking echoed through the front foyer as Presley ran toward him.

  “Have a good day, baby!” she said as she threw herself into his chest.

  The stepsister thing was all I could see. It was disturbing, but I forced myself not to think about it. I didn’t know the whole story. He didn’t return her hug, and that made her more desperate. She began kissing his face.

  He took both her arms in his hands and set her back from him. “Presley, please.”

  She stuck out her bottom lip in a pout. “When will you be back?”

  “When I’m done with my day. Goodbye.” And with that, he left.

  I didn’t look at her as I followed behind him. That had been awkward. And a little sad. Stone wasn’t cruel to Presley. He also didn’t give her the affection she wanted or expected, which I gathered at some point he must have.

  We walked silently down the stairs and out the doors to the parking lot. Only one other car was parked there—the red Porsche. It looked like something Presley would drive.

  “Follow me,” he said. His voice was commanding and invited no nonsense.

  I stumbled behind him as he walked to his vehicle.

  It wasn’t until I was in my car driving that the previous day’s events began to replay in my head. The heaviness in my stomach and the ache in my chest that hadn’t gone away were constant reminders. I thought of my mother and how she must have felt when Portia came to her with Heidi. I knew my mother would never have turned her away even without the money. But how exhausted and scared she had to have been at times. With two little girls, no help, and one who needed the extra care that Heidi required. The money they’d given her had only lasted for a short time. Heidi’s medical bills added up fast in the beginning.