The Best of Friends

by Susan Mallery

  “Why not? It’s true. Jayne is special. She’s sweet and funny and unassuming. I like who I am when I’m around her, and I hope she feels the same way about me. I want to hear her opinions on everything. I want to show her the world and take care of her.”

  “You’re not in love with her,” she commanded, as if her words could make it so.

  “I am. Not that it matters. She’s giving up her life here because of this family. She’s better than all of us, and we’ve been damned lucky to have her in our lives. And now she’s leaving.” He moved closer to Elizabeth. “Back off, Mother. Stay out of Jayne’s life. Do you hear me? That’s what I came to tell you. Stay the hell away from her.”

  Elizabeth had seen David in every mood imaginable, but she’d never felt such rage directed at her. She dropped to the sofa, suddenly afraid, although she couldn’t say of what.

  Then he was gone, and the room was still.

  She felt sick inside. Hot and cold, with her stomach roiling.

  Blaine set down his drink. “I don’t know if this is a good time or a bad time,” he began.

  She drew in a breath. “I swear, I can’t face another inane conversation with you right now.”

  “Then I’ll make this quick. I’m leaving you, Elizabeth. My lawyers will be in touch with you in the morning.”

  He was speaking, but all she heard was a buzzing sound. Then she was gasping, as if all the air had left the room.

  “W-what?”

  “I’m done here,” he said. “I want a divorce.”

  Nineteen

  REBECCA TRIED TO UNDERSTAND the words, but it was impossible. All she knew for sure was that she’d never once seen Elizabeth cry, let alone hysterically. Her mother covered her face with her hands and rocked back and forth on the sofa, keening sharply between high-pitched cries of distress.

  “What happened?” Rebecca asked again, hovering. “Where’s Dad?”

  Apparently the wrong question, she thought as her mother exploded into deeper sobs that seemed ready to rip her apart.

  An hour earlier Rebecca had been eating takeout, ready to watch that adorable Anderson Cooper on CNN. Then her mother had called and asked her to come over. At least that’s what she thought she’d said. It had been hard to understand the exact words. Now she knew why.

  “Do you want a drink? Should I call a doctor?” She’d already brought in a box of tissues and didn’t know what else to do.

  Elizabeth sucked in a breath. Rebecca braced herself for another round of tears, but her mother finally pulled herself together.

  “It’s Blaine,” she managed, wiping at her dripping mascara. “He left.”

  “You mean to get you something?” Drugs seemed like a good idea. Something to calm Elizabeth down.

  “No, you fool. He left me.” Elizabeth sprang to her feet and crossed to the open cabinet by the window. She poured scotch into a glass and gulped it down. “Your father left me. He wants a divorce.”

  Rebecca felt her mouth pop open as she let her handbag fall to the carpet. “What? Daddy’s gone?”

  “Apparently. I didn’t see him actually leave, although I heard the door close. He said…” She pressed her lips together and poured more scotch. “I’m sure it’s some type of crisis. Something hormonal.”

  A divorce? “But you’ve been married forever.”

  “Thirty-five years.”

  “I don’t want to be from a broken home.” It wasn’t right. “Everything will change. I don’t want that.”

  “This isn’t about you!” Elizabeth yelled. “Can’t you think of someone else for once? Your father left me. Do you know what that means? I’m ruined.”

  Rebecca shifted in her seat. “Maybe he’ll change his mind.”

  “I doubt it.”

  “Is there…” She cleared her throat, not sure she wanted to know. “Is there someone else?”

  Elizabeth just looked at her.

  “Oh, God. Is she really young? Is she younger than me?”

  “Oh, no. That would be understandable. That would allow people to take my side of things. But would Blaine do the reasonable, normal thing? Of course not. He has left me for Marjorie Danes.”

  It took Rebecca a moment to place the woman. She lived down the street, in an even larger house. “But she’s old. She has grandchildren and doesn’t color her hair.”

  Elizabeth gulped more scotch. After pouring a third drink, she returned to the sofa. “It’s a disaster. That stupid cow of a woman. It’s ridiculous. Have you seen her in a sleeveless dress? Her arms sag. I’m sure her breasts hang to her knees. She’s done nothing to keep herself looking young, and yet she’s the one he claims he wants.”

  “Did he say why?”

  “Does it matter?”

  Rebecca thought it might. There had to be a reason Blaine would leave his wife of thirty-five years to be with someone who was practically interchangeable.

  “She’s a tedious little woman who never has anything to say for herself,” Elizabeth went on. “This couldn’t have happened at a worse time.”

  She leaned back against the cushions and closed her eyes. “I’ll lose everything. The house belongs to your father. I tried to get on the deed, but he wouldn’t have it. Without this house, who am I? My friends will all abandon me. My social standing is linked to Blaine. Without him…”

  Without him, Elizabeth was another abandoned middle-aged woman. A former secretary who had gotten pregnant with her boss’s baby, Rebecca thought. There would be money. She knew her father would be more than generous. But actual cash only bought so much. There were rules in Beverly Hills, and one of the most unbreakable was the partner with the power kept the friends. In this case, that was Blaine. Elizabeth would only be a threat to her married friends. Worse, she would be a reminder that it could also happen to them.

  “I’ll have nothing,” Elizabeth said, tears leaking out of her eyes.

  While part of Rebecca felt badly for her, what she most noticed was that her mother never mentioned missing Blaine or being sorry she’d lost the man. She had a feeling that if he’d simply moved out and left Elizabeth without letting anyone know, her mother would have been perfectly happy.

  “And with David acting the way he is…” Elizabeth murmured.

  “What about David?”

  Elizabeth opened her eyes and straightened. There were lines on her face Rebecca had never seen before. A droop to her mouth. Her hair had lost its shine, and her chin seemed to sag a little.

  “He is in love with Jayne. He stood right in this room and told me.”

  That was nearly as shocking as hearing her father had moved out. “He can’t be. He can’t love Jayne.”

  If he did, she wouldn’t have anyone. She would be completely alone.

  “That’s what I said. I don’t know how it happened, I just know that bitch is to blame. For all of this. She’s given him ideas.” Elizabeth began to cry again. “I won’t have anyone. I’ll be all alone.”

  The exact echo of her own words made Rebecca want to jump out of her skin.

  “He can’t see what he’s doing,” her mother continued. “He’ll ruin everything.” She stretched out her hands to Rebecca. “You’re all I have left. It’s just the two of us.” Her fingers shook with her sobs. “Promise me you’ll never leave me.”

  Rebecca stalked into David’s office the following morning. She was bleary-eyed with exhaustion and out for blood. Her mother hadn’t let her sleep more than an hour at a time. Elizabeth kept coming into the guest room, where Rebecca hadn’t wanted to stay at all, but her mother had insisted, going on about how everything was ruined.

  Her brother barely looked up when she entered. “You’re not my favorite person right now,” he told her.

  “You think I give a damn? Thanks to you, our family is disintegrating. Do you know Dad moved out?”

  That got David’s attention. He turned from his computer screen to look at her. “What?”

  “Last night. After your performance, by the
way. He announced he was leaving her. They’re getting a divorce.”

  She collapsed into one of the chairs in front of his desk and removed her sunglasses. “I haven’t slept, and I feel like crap. Mom’s a total mess. Crying and drinking. I thought she was going to start pulling out her hair. I’ve never seen her like this. It’s scaring me. You have to do something.”

  “What can I do? It’s their decision.”

  “Do you want them to split up? Do you want to be from a broken home?”

  “I’m nearly thirty-three. I can handle my parents getting a divorce.”

  “I can’t. This is all your fault. You’re making trouble, and it’s spilling over into everything.”

  “I had nothing to do with it, and you know it.”

  Possibly, she thought, wishing she’d stopped for a latte. “David, this is serious. Dad says he’s leaving Mom for Marjorie Danes.”

  David barely looked surprised. “I can see why he would.”

  “What? She’s nobody. Okay, she has money, but he doesn’t need that.”

  David’s expression turned pitying. “You think this is about money?”

  “What else matters?”

  “I don’t know. How about being with someone who makes you happy? Who acts as if she’s happy to see you when you show up? Think about it. Would you have stayed with Elizabeth if you were Dad? Weren’t you always going on about how he should leave her?”

  Rebecca didn’t like the question, so she ignored it. “You have to go talk some sense into him. Explain how bad this will look and how it hurts us.”

  “We’ve been out of the house for years,” David told her. “I’m not going to ask one of my parents to put his happiness on hold because you’re not uncomfortable.”

  She straightened. “What about Mom? What has she done to deserve this?”

  “You’re defending her? How about tricking him into marriage, having an affair, and belittling him every chance she got? I’m not sure she even likes him. He’s a way into the lifestyle she enjoys, but is there anything else?”

  “Not the point,” she said. “I don’t want my parents getting a divorce.”

  “Then you have a problem.”

  “David! You have to fix this.”

  “I can’t, and even if I could, I won’t. This isn’t about you, Rebecca. It’s something difficult for you to comprehend, but try. People have to be responsible for their own lives and decisions.”

  “This is all because of Jayne,” she grumbled.

  David stood and pointed to the door. “Get out,” he told her, his eyes cold and his mouth pulled into a straight line. “I’m not discussing Jayne with you anymore.”

  She blinked at him. “What? I didn’t say anything.”

  “Sure you did. What have you got against Jayne? What has she ever done to you?”

  What was it with all the hard questions?

  “She’s been like a sister to you,” he continued. “Loving, loyal.”

  “She’s been well paid for her loyalty.”

  “Nice,” David said sarcastically. “I always knew you were selfish, I just didn’t know you were a bitch, too.”

  She stood and clutched her purse tightly to her stomach. “David, don’t,” she whined. “Why are you being mean? It’s just Jayne. She’s been around forever, and you never bothered to notice her before. Don’t go all righteous on me just because you’re screwing her now.”

  “I won’t listen to this,” he said, and started for the door.

  She went after him and grabbed his arm. “Wait. I don’t get it.”

  “Exactly,” he said contemptuously. “You’ve never gotten it. You say Jayne doesn’t fit in our world, but you’re wrong. She fits in just fine. More impressive, she fits in anywhere. She has a level of class you can only aspire to.”

  “Oh, please. Have you seen what she wears to work? Those disgusting scrubs?”

  “She’s a nurse. Do you want her in Armani? But it’s not about her clothes. It’s about who she is.” He paused, and his expression changed to almost… pitying.

  “You’ll never get it,” he said. “You can’t. Neither can Mom. But I see Jayne for who she is, and I’m not going to let either of you ruin the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

  He left then, walking out of his own office, leaving her feeling abandoned and oddly embarrassed, although she couldn’t say why.

  She stood there a second, not sure what to do next, then saw her father enter his office.

  “Dad!” she yelled, racing after him. “Dad, wait. I have to talk to you.”

  While Elizabeth had looked old and haggard that morning, Blaine looked rested and happy. “Good morning, Rebecca.”

  “Not for me. I spent the night at the house.”

  “I’m glad your mother had someone there for her. I thought she might call one of her friends to be with her.”

  “As if. Do you know what they would be thinking? She’s humiliated. How could you do this? How could you destroy our family?”

  “The family you’ve ignored for ten years? This is between your mother and me. I’ve spent the better part of my marriage knowing I was a disappointment to my wife. I gave her everything I could think of to make her happy, but it was never enough. Eventually, I realized it would never be enough because I don’t matter to her. She wants what I can provide, but she doesn’t want me.”

  “This is too much information,” Rebecca murmured. “Just go talk to her.”

  “We have talked. I’m not getting any younger, Rebecca. I don’t think it’s unreasonable to ask to spend the years I have left with someone who actually likes me. I hope your mother can find the same.”

  “But I—”

  “No.”

  “Daddy! I don’t want this.”

  “You would rather I was unhappy and living with your mother than happy somewhere else?”

  “Yes.”

  “You’ve never cared about Elizabeth’s feelings before.”

  “She says we only have each other. There is no way I’m going to be responsible for her. That’s your job.”

  His face took on the same expression David’s had held. A combination of disappointment and pity. “Not anymore. Now you should leave. I have a lot to do today.”

  “But you have to go back.”

  “No, Rebecca. I don’t.”

  Despite having grown up within spitting distance of Beverly Hills, Jayne had never been to Bel Air before. As she drove through the faux gates separating the exclusive neighborhood from the rest of the city, she told herself everybody got to be stupid now and then. It kept a person grounded and in touch with reality. This was her day for that.

  David’s real estate person had called the previous night to set up an appointment to see a house. Jayne had done her best to explain that she wouldn’t be going on the house-hunting trips anymore, but the agent had insisted. This house was special. She felt it was “the one” and wanted Jayne to see it.

  “In my next life, I’m going to have an actual backbone,” Jayne murmured as she checked the address, then turned onto a side street.

  The homes were nice. The deeper she went into the neighborhood, the more normal they seemed. There were big lots and tall trees. She turned another corner, then saw the FOR SALE sign in front. Imagine—a neighborhood where one actually put a sign in the front yard. Scandalous!

  After she did a quick tour of the house, she would go by the movers and pick up more boxes. The guy who had given her the estimate had promised to tell her when they had used boxes in. Those were free to customers and, given the cost of new boxes, much more to her liking. She’d already packed up her spare room and would be starting on her kitchen that afternoon.

  Jayne parked and walked toward the front door. It was only after she rang the bell that she realized the real estate agent’s car wasn’t in the driveway. Had she gotten the time wrong?

  The door opened, but instead of a stranger or the agent, she saw David standing inside. She took a step b
ack.

  “What are you doing here?” she asked, trying not to be happy to see him.

  “Waiting for you. Please, come inside.”

  She didn’t want to. She should run in the opposite direction. Seeing him would only make a difficult situation worse. He looked too good in jeans and a leather jacket. She had to resist. Only she was weak where he was concerned, and five minutes in his company couldn’t hurt anything, could it?

  She walked inside.

  The house was large but homey, with hardwood floors and pale walls. The entryway led into a big living room with French doors that opened onto a huge backyard. David put his hand on the small of her back and guided her toward the open French door.

  “There’s a dog run on the side, and the swing set stays,” he said, pointing to the built-in play area. “There’s a pool around the corner, and it’s completely fenced.”

  He grabbed her hand, pulling her back inside. “The kitchen has double ovens, just like you said you wanted, and a pantry. There are his and her closets, a media room. Built-ins in the dining room. The schools are great, or we can go private. There are plenty of those around.”

  He was talking too fast for her to follow what he was saying. “I don’t understand. Why are you looking at this house? I thought you wanted to live in Malibu?”

  Still holding on to her hand, he moved closer. “I want to be wherever makes you happy, Jayne. You said you wanted a family house. A place for kids and a dog. I remember everything you ever said you wanted, and it’s here. In this house.”

  He looked happy and hopeful, while she felt sick to her stomach. “David, I—”

  “Don’t,” he said, lightly kissing her, then releasing her hand. “Don’t say anything.”

  They were in the kitchen of a strange house. It was a Tuesday. Things like this didn’t happen on Tuesdays. Unbelievably, David Worden pulled a small box out of his jacket pocket. A ring box. Then he dropped to one knee.

  “Jayne, I love you. I never thought I’d find anyone as wonderful as you. You’re everything I ever wanted and more. I want to spend the rest of my life making you as happy as you’ve made me. I want us to grow old together, raise a family, live each day for all it’s worth. Take a chance on me, please. Take this journey with me. Jayne, will you marry me?”