Accidental Love

by BL Miller

  The woman in blue finally found someone else to talk to and Ronnie was once again standing by Rose's side. "That's Agnes, Frank's wife."

  "And Frank is…" She tried, but there were just too many Cartwrights to remember.

  "Cousin, car wash."

  "Oh, right. Is he the one who cheated on his taxes?"

  "They probably all do that, but he has it down to an art form." Ronnie gave her a quizzical look.

  "How'd you know that?"

  She smiled. "The man with the toupee and the one with the cigar were talking and I heard one of them comment on it." She gave a sheepish grin. "I was just sitting here and they were right there. I couldn't miss it."

  "So you're the one to go to when I want information, huh?"

  "I guess it depends on the information," she replied with a smile.

  "Okay," Ronnie put her hands on the arm of the wheelchair and knelt down so only Rose could hear her. "So, what are they saying about the party? I know what they've said to me, but what are they saying to each other?"

  Rose's smile grew even wider. "Everyone is raving about how nice it is, saying it reminds them of parties from years ago. You're getting lots of compliments." She did not miss the look of pride that crossed Ronnie's face.

  "So they're really having a good time?"

  "Yes, a fabulous time, actually. I heard more than one person say they wished you would do it every year."

  Ronnie looked around. "You know, it is nice to see the whole family here again. It's like when Dad was alive."

  Rose put her hand on the older woman's. "You really miss him, don't you?" Blue eyes regarded her seriously before she received an almost imperceptible nod.

  "He enjoyed these parties." Ronnie pivoted and looked at the tree. "Christmas was his favorite time. He'd get such a kick out of reminiscing with everyone or seeing the kids opening their presents." Her face took on a faraway look. "He used to drag out the projector and screen and show the old home movies." There was a long pause and Rose patted her friend's hand in silent support. "Yeah, I miss him." Ronnie stood up, withdrawing her hand from under the smaller one.

  "He would have liked this."

  A commotion near the door drew their attention. "Damn."

  Rose watched the transformation before her. Lips pressed tight, eyes narrowed to intimidating slits, jaw muscles clenching…everything about Ronnie's appearance spoke of being ready for trouble.

  Turning her head, Rose saw what had captured her friend's attention. "Is that Tommy?" At Ronnie's nod, she studied the man who dared to return after the fiasco the evening before. Good looks ran in the family, she decided, taking in his sandy hair, piercing blue eyes, and athletic body. It was hard for her to reconcile the image before her with the screaming maniac who had flipped over the mahogany coffee table.

  "I can't believe he showed up," she finally said after a minute.

  "It's an act, you know," Ronnie said. "Him smiling and being all nice-nice like that. He's just charming Mother and Susan…and anyone else who is foolish enough to fall for it."

  "What are you going to do?" She could not imagine Ronnie confronting him in front of the whole family at the Christmas party but Rose also could not see her putting up with his presence all night long.

  "I guess I'd better get over there and say hello to my brother." She held her glass out. "Keep an eye on this for me. I'll be back in a few minutes."

  "Ronnie…" she said, taking the crystal. "You okay?"

  "Part of being in my position is having to be nice to people I can't stand. If I don't get over there, Mother will think that I'm snubbing him."

  Rose watched her walk away, thinking how hard it had to be for Ronnie to be pleasant to her brother after last night's antics. She said a silent prayer for the evening to go well.

  As Ronnie headed toward her siblings, she felt a tugging on her dress. She turned and looked down to see a round face smiling up at her.

  "Hi cussin Ronnie."

  "Hi Tyler," she replied, kneeling down to his level. "How are you? Are you having a good time?"

  "Yeah." He held out a little cookie covered with red sprinkles. "There's lots of stuff to eat."

  "So you like the cookies, huh?" She reached out and wrapped one long arm around him. "That was very nice of you to give Rose a kiss." Tyler smiled shyly and put the holiday treat in his mouth.

  "Iff you kith the boo-boos, they get better," he mumbled, spewing cookie crumbs with each syllable.

  Ronnie pulled him close and gave him a hug. "I hope so." She stood up and tousled his hair.

  "You're a good boy, Tyler." She turned to go but he tugged on the velvet again. "What is it?"

  "Do you know where the baffroom is?" He grabbed himself to stress his urgency.

  "Yup, come on, you." She picked him up and quickly moved across the room, not stopping until she was in the office. "In that room." She pointed at the other door.

  While she was waiting to take him back out she noticed the Percocet sitting on the table next to the bed. Oh, I don't think that's a good idea, she thought to herself, snatching the brown plastic bottle. Once Tyler was finished, she sent him back out into the living room and put the prescription on the top shelf of the medicine cabinet, certain it would be well out of reach of any curious little hands up there. That task finished, she stepped into the living room and steeled herself to greet her brother.

  "Oh, here comes Ronnie," Susan said.

  "Good. I don't know where she's been all this time," the matriarch said in a disapproving tone.

  "Sorry. I had to help Tyler find the bathroom," Ronnie said as she approached. She nodded at her brother. "Hello Tommy."

  "Hi Sis, how are you?" He leaned over and kissed her cheek. " Bitch!" he hissed before stepping back. "That dress looks wonderful on you, doesn't it Mother?"

  "It's very nice, but too dark." She reached out and tugged on the velvet sleeve. "You should wear lighter colors, Veronica."

  "Well, I think she looks lovely," he said, sounding totally supportive of his oldest sister. "Ronnie looks good no matter what she wears."

  Oh that's right, lay it on thick, you son of a bitch, she thought to herself. "You look nice tonight too, Tommy. New suit?"

  "Actually, it is. I didn't think anything I had was good enough for tonight."

  "I'm sure of that." Blue eyes shot daggers at the sandy haired man.

  "After all, I do believe this is the first time that you've allowed the family in here since you took it over." He gave her a sinister grin, daring her to push it.

  "Well, I think it looks very nice here tonight," Susan chirped. "I like the way you hung all the ornaments around. Everyone's stopping to look at them. I want to see the one I made in the third grade. Ronnie, can you help me find it?"

  "Yeah. I think it's over here," she said, grateful for the escape offered to her.

  They walked through the crowd until a flash of golden hair caught Susan's eye. Immediately the redhead's direction changed. "Where are you going?" Ronnie asked.

  "To meet the infamous Rose Grayson," she replied. "Aunt Elaine said she was in a car accident."

  "Susan…"

  "Now what kind of hostess would I be if I didn't stop by and meet everyone?" Her eyes twinkled with mischief.

  "I thought I was the one hosting the party. It is my home."

  "Whatever," the redhead replied, obviously not interested in silly technical details like that.

  "Either way, I really should meet her." She felt a firm hand grab her upper arm.

  "Don't you dare put her through one of your famous inquisitions." Ronnie lessened her grip, but only slightly. "I mean, she's kinda shy."

  "How am I supposed to learn anything about a person if I don't ask them questions?" Susan teased, but the serious look on her sister's face made her reconsider. "I just want to say hello, I'm not going to ask her for every personal detail of her life."

  "Promise?"

  "I promise."

  The injured woman was finishing
her ginger ale when she saw the sisters approach. "Rose, I'd like to introduce you to my sister, Susan Cartwright."

  "Younger sister," the redhead corrected. She held her hand out. "I've heard a lot about you, Rose. It's nice to finally meet you." Truth be told, Susan had grilled both her mother and aunt in search of information about the mysterious woman. She looked at the row of stitches and tsked. "Such a shame, such a pretty face."

  "Susan, I think Alexandra is around here somewhere. You haven't seen her in a while."

  Ronnie's attempt to get her sister away failed. "No, you go ahead, Sis. I'll stay here and chat with Rose." She picked up the empty glass that Rose had set down on the coffee table. "That's going to leave a ring. Ronnie, don't you have any coasters?"

  "Of c…" Out of the corner of her eye she caught the ashamed look on her guest's face. It was only then that it occurred to Ronnie Rose might not be used to using coasters. "Actually, I think they're all being used."

  "Well, I suppose it doesn't really matter. Maria can get the rings out later." Susan crossed in front of the wheelchair-bound woman and sat demurely on the coffee table, a much more comfortable position from which to interrogate her unknowing victim. "So tell me, Rose, how do you know Ronnie?"

  "I um…" Green eyes looked up to blue, pleading for help.

  "She was a sorority sister at Pi Epsilon Gamma," Ronnie blurted.

  "Really?" Susan looked from Rose to her sister and back again. "But you look so much younger than Ronnie."

  "Um…I skipped a couple of grades in school," the young woman said.

  "Oh, that's nice. Still, you must have been a freshman when Ronnie was in her senior year."

  "I was," Rose replied, still exchanging looks of desperation with her friend. She was not sure the exact reason for the lie but understood that there was no way to go back now.

  "So where are you from?"

  "Oh, well…I grew up in and around Albany." She was afraid of lying and mentioning a city that the worldly redhead would be familiar with.

  "Really? Well, Ronnie and I went to Saint Sebastian's Academy."

  "Home of the Tigers," Rose offered, drawing a smile from Susan. She was now grateful for the hours spent at the library reading the local newspaper.

  "Yes. I was the head cheerleader the year we went to the state championships."

  "Which sport?"

  "Well, basketball of course," the redhead said, her eyebrows rising slightly. "I'm surprised you didn't know that. Ronnie played…" She looked at her sister quizzically.

  "I played guard," Ronnie said, silently wishing someone, anyone would come by to distract Susan.

  "Yeah, that's right. You were all-conference that year, weren't you?"

  "All-State."

  "All-State," the redhead repeated, not particularly worried about the details. "Anyway, enough about Ronnie. So what happened to you? I heard you were in a car accident."

  "Actually I was hit by a car."

  "You mean you were walking and got hit?"

  "Yeah."

  "Oh, that's terrible. So are you paralyzed or something?"

  "Susan," Ronnie admonished. "Her left ankle and both her legs are broken."

  "Oh, that must hurt quite a bit, huh?"

  "Well…yeah." Rose could not figure out why anyone would ask such a silly question. "My legs were broken very badly."

  "That's a real shame. Well, at least you're lucky enough to have Ronnie taking care of you."

  "Very lucky," Rose agreed. "I don't know what I would have done without her." She gave a smile to her friend, an action not unnoticed by Susan. The redhead stood up and smoothed her skirt.

  "Well, if you two would excuse me, I have to mingle. It was nice meeting you, Rose. I'm sure we'll see each other again soon."

  "Nice to meet you too."

  "Ronnie, can you help me in the kitchen for a moment?" Susan asked in a sing-song voice, the kind that always grated on her older sister's nerves.

  "Actually…"

  "It'll only take a minute." She grabbed the velvet-covered elbow and tugged Ronnie away from Rose and into the kitchen, leaving the younger woman alone to her thoughts.

  The caterers and Maria were occupying the kitchen, affording them no privacy. Susan spotted the laundry room door. "In here."

  "You don't want to go in there," Ronnie warned, but it was too late. Her younger sister opened the door to reveal an annoyed pile of orange and white fluff.

  "Mrrow!"

  "You have a cat?"

  "Well don't just stand there. She'll get out." She gave her younger sister a shove and shut the door behind them.

  "Does Mother know you have a cat?" Susan asked.

  "She will about twenty seconds after you leave this room," Ronnie said knowingly. "So what did you want to talk about, as if I didn't already know?"

  "She wasn't a sorority sister. I'd bet my Bentley she never even went to Dartmouth." Susan leaned against the closed door, a Cheshire-cat smile crossing her lips. "You know what I think, Ronnie?" She continued without waiting for an answer. "I think this is a repeat of what happened at Stanford."

  "You don't know what you're talking about. Rose is just a friend that I'm helping out. That's all."

  "Is it? You give her a job, insurance…is she living with you?"

  "She's staying with me while she heals."

  "Oh, so this is a temporary arrangement?" Susan looked down at the cat desperately trying to get Ronnie's attention. "So is it hers or yours? Or does it belong to both of you?"

  "Stop it, Susan. Tabitha is Rose's cat, there is nothing going on between us, and this discussion is over." She reached past her sister and grabbed the door handle.

  "Ronnie," She placed her hand on the taller woman's shoulder. "Say what you want but there is more to this than just helping a out a friend." She stressed the last word, making it clear that she did not believe that was the appropriate title for the blonde woman.

  "Think what you want, Sis, but right now there is a room full of people that I need to attend to. And Susan?"

  "Yeah?"

  "I don't think Jack would be too happy to hear about André, do you?" Ronnie said, playing the only trump card she had on her sister. There was silence in the laundry room for a moment before Susan nodded, accepting the unspoken threat.

  "This better not blow up in your face, Ronnie. You can not afford another incident like Christine."

  "I know," the black-haired woman said solemnly.

  Ronnie spent the rest of the evening keeping her distance from wherever her brother happened to be. Fortunately it appeared the vain young man had no interest in meeting the woman in the wheelchair. It allowed her to spend most of her time hovering around her guest. The time wore on and the liquor ran low. Ronnie had underestimated her family's ability to consume alcohol. Tommy seemed to be staying away from the booze, his smile and friendly manner remaining constant throughout the festivities. But every time he looked at her, the smile turned to a smug grin which she answered with a menacing glare. One such exchange of looks had her on the verge of exploding when she heard Rose quietly joining in with the rest of the carolers.

  "…fa la la la la, la la la la. Tis the sea-son to be jolly, fa la la la la, la la la la."

  "Don we now our gay apparel," Ronnie joined in, lending her rich contralto to Rose's alto

  "Fa la la, la la la, la la la," they sang together. "Troll the ancient Yuletide carol, fa la la la la, la la la la." The song ended far too soon for the black-haired woman as the grandfather clock chimed to announce the late hour. As expected, the music stopped and several guests began to say their goodnights.

  "I guess the party is winding down. I'd better go play hostess," Ronnie said, her feelings mixed about the evening. It was nice to see everyone so happy and to be reminded of the holidays past. Tommy's presence and her mother's comments however made her wish that she had insisted on them holding it somewhere else. Still…it would have been nice to share another song with Rose, she lamented as she took he
r place near the door, pasting a smile on her face and wishing everyone a safe ride home.