“You like this guy in a way I’ve never seen you like anyone,” Adrienne said. “Maybe you should give him a chance. He does seem to really like you, too.”
“You think so?” Liz asked, starting to feel a glimmer of hope. “I just can’t tell anymore.”
“Look,” Adrienne said. “He told you he hadn’t seen this crowd for a while, that he was catching up with old friends. And it wasn’t like he was trying to keep you a secret.”
“That’s true,” Liz said, considering. Then she sighed. “But he did get all weird again when Isabelle showed up.”
“You don’t really know what’s going on. It could be innocent. Well,” Adrienne added with a laugh, “as innocent as anything can be with Isabelle around.”
“Yeah, that’s what worries me. Maybe he’s hanging with her because she’s happy to have sex whenever,” Liz said. “As I hear it, she’s happy to do it with any guy from Dudley.”
“Don’t even go there,” Adrienne said. “And if that’s all that Parker is after, you don’t want him anyway. Besides, he’s never pushed that, right?”
“Right,” Liz agreed.
“So even if there is something like that going on with Isabelle, it probably doesn’t mean anything.”
“You think?” Liz asked, desperately wanting to believe her friend.
“It’s not like you don’t turn him on,” Adrienne reminded Liz. “The heat between you is off-the-charts.”
Liz smiled. “You noticed?”
Adrienne laughed. “How could I not? So obviously he’s not pushing it because he takes you seriously.”
“We need some hard-core girl-time when I get back,” Liz said. “I see a lot of complaining, bitching, and moaning in our future!”
“Sounds like a New Year’s party to me!”
“Grumpus and I are ready to go!” David shouted as he barreled back into the room.
“Gotta go. Grumpus calls,” Liz said.
Liz was actually able to put the whole Parker question out of her mind and enjoy skating. The kids even got along well, though when Heather asked David if Grumpus was tired, Liz worried that the invisible-friend syndrome was contagious.
“I don’t know about Grumpus,” Liz said, “but I’m ready for a break!”
They ducked into the little rink café and Liz ordered a round of hot chocolates. Settling at a table, Liz had just taken a sip of her eight-dollar cocoa when a pair of hands covered her eyes. “Who is it?” Liz asked, though she knew.
The hands released, and a bouquet of stunning red roses appeared in front of her. An origami snowman poked out of the flowers and was holding a card that read, I’M SORRY.
“Parker—” Liz began.
“Just one more chance,” Parker said, coming around to face her. “It’s your last night in Aspen. Please let me take you out.”
“Let him!” Heather said.
“Yeah, let him,” David said.
“See?” Parker said. “I have allies who recognize my good qualities. I do have some, you know. Though they may not have been apparent last night.”
Liz sighed. He really was hard to resist. “Okay,” she agreed. “But only as a favor to the kids. I’d hate to disappoint them.”
“Oh no, you couldn’t do that,” Parker said with a grin.
“I’ll have to let Dr. Markham-Collins know,” Liz said. “But it shouldn’t be a problem. The kids are going caroling, and she plans to join them.”
The caroling was a major Aspen event, it seemed, and anyone who was anyone brought their kids, and if they didn’t have any, they tried to borrow them.
“Why don’t we plan for around eight o’clock, but call me so I know you’re ready to go.” He kissed her on the cheek and put the roses on the table beside her. “We’ll go someplace quiet and romantic. I promise I will make it all up to you.”
Liz touched one of the soft rose petals as Parker left. “They are pretty,” she said. “I do love roses.”
“Grumpus hates them,” David said matter-of-factly. “They have thorns.”
Liz snorted. “You know,” she said, “I think we could probably all learn a lot from Grumpus.”
Dr. M-C okayed the date, but asked Liz to deal with the kids until they were ready to leave for caroling.
David decided to occupy himself by skiing in and out of the house—back and forth, back and forth, back and forth. Liz had gotten nearly hypnotized just watching him, so she went up to her room to change.
“Not bad,” she murmured, admiring herself in the narrow mirror. She wore a black silk top from Etro that she had borrowed from Adrienne, a pale pink skirt she’d splurged on a few months back, and a beautiful pair of Jimmy Choos that Dr. M-C had broken and thrown out. Liz had had them fixed and kept them.
Determining she was ready, Liz went downstairs.
“You look very nice,” Dr. M-C said. “Kids, come say good-bye to Liz.”
Heather and David came into the enormous living room.
“I’m going out tonight,” Liz explained, “and I’m leaving really early tomorrow morning to go back to New York. I might be gone before you wake up, so have a wonderful Christmas.” She handed them each a big wrapped box to put under their Christmas tree. She had bought them toys they had pointed out during their last trip to FAO Schwarz. She had even gotten Grumpus a toy, too! That scored big points with Dr. M-C., Liz noted.
“Thanks,” Heather said. “Merry Christmas!” She gave Liz a tight hug.
“But who will stay with me and Grumpus?” David asked.
“Well, you’ll have Billie and your mom.”
“I’ll miss you!” David said, giving her an awkward hug since he was still wearing his skis. “And Grumpus will miss you too!” He skied back outside again.
Liz went into the kitchen to let Billie know she was leaving, when Dr. M-C came dashing in.
“Come quickly!” she shrieked. “There’s been a terrible accident!”
“What?” Liz gasped. She could hear David shrieking as if he were in agony. “Oh, no!” Liz ran after Dr. M-C and out the door that David had just skied out of, Billie following right behind them.
David was screaming and crying, pointing at the snow. Dr. M-C was hysterical, waving her arms and running around. Heather stared at the scene with horror.
“What’s wrong?” Liz asked, running over to David. She knelt down in the snow and grabbed his shoulders. “Are you hurt?”
“Grumpus broke his leg skiing!” David screamed.
Liz’s eyes nearly bugged out of her head. “You have got to be kidding me!” Liz said, turning to Dr. M-C. If these shoes and this skirt are ruined, I may have to kill someone, she thought.
“We all must go to the hospital now!” Dr. M-C ordered.
Liz stood up and brushed the snow from her knees. “What?”
“We have a child with a broken leg. Of course, we must find a doctor!” Dr. M-C said.
“But we don’t!” Liz said. “We have a child who—”
“NEEDS TO GO TO THE HOSPITAL, ELIZABETH!” Dr. M-C hollered.
I give up. The woman is insane.
Dr. M-C ran to where David lay, weeping on the snow. Billie had dropped a blanket on him. Heather sat nearby, transfixed. “Billie, you stay here with Heather. Liz, David, and I will take Grumpus to the hospital.”
“But I can’t go!” Liz blurted. “I have a date!”
“Grumpus needs you, Liz!” Dr. M-C said, hurrying into the house. She returned wearing her sable coat and helped David and Grumpus into the back of the Mercedes SUV. “Come quickly, Liz!”
Liz hesitated. She looked at her watch. Parker was expecting her to call soon.
Dr. M-C hurried over to Liz. “Elizabeth, we all need to cooperate at a time like this,” she said in a warning tone.
Liz sighed as she slid into the passenger seat, and Dr. M-C hit the gas. She might still be able to get back in time to meet Parker, she reasoned. After all, how long could examining an invisible kid take?
The attendi
ng nurse in the Aspen General emergency room was in no mood to play along with the Markham-Collins Family Circus.
“Lady, there ain’t no little boy with a broken leg. If you don’t get out of here, I will call Psychiatric to come and take a look at you!”
“I am a doctor of psychiatry,” Dr. M-C announced grandly. “And I assure you that I am well-known to the members of your—”
“I don’t care if you’re Dr. Phil!” the woman said, folding her arms. “You’re crazy, and you’re wasting my time! I’ve got plenty of really sick people who need actual help, and I don’t have time to listen to…”
Liz pressed her fingers to her temples. This whole stupid scene was giving her a headache. Everyone was staring at them as if they were freaks.
Liz glanced up. She just realized she hadn’t heard David giving Grumpus-related instructions for a while.
That’s because he wasn’t in the waiting room. Liz scanned the crowded space. David was gone.
“David?” Liz called, nerves making her voice quiver. Okay, don’t panic. He was with us when we arrived. He probably hasn’t left the building.
She ran around the corner and looked down a corridor. “David?” she called again and again. She leaned against the wall to try to figure out what to do.
Keep searching.
Liz ran up and down corridors, trying to figure out where David might have gone. She wound up back in Admitting, where Dr. M-C and the nurse were still arguing.
“Dr. Markham-Collins!” Liz shouted to be heard over Dr. M-C’s threats and proclamations. “I can’t find David!”
Dr. M-C paused with her mouth open, looked at Liz then turned back to the nurse. “This is all your fault!” she screamed. “If you had paid proper attention to the situation, he never would have run away!”
“You want to know why that kid ran away?” the nurse replied. “Look in the mirror.”
Dr. M-C reared back as if the woman had slapped her. Then her eyes narrowed. “We’re talking lawsuit now,” she hissed.
“Please,” Liz said to the nurse. “Do you think you could ask Security to look for him?”
The nurse smiled at Liz. “Of course, hon,” she said sweetly. It was as if she had become a different person.
“We must find David,” Dr. M-C cried. “He must think we don’t care about poor Grumpus!”
Liz began to search the halls again. She noticed the time on one of the hall clocks. She was already late for her date. She flipped open her cell phone. No service.
“Fine.” She glared at the phone. “Be that way.”
She tossed it back into her bag and raced down a hall that led to the cafeteria.
Of course. Contraband snacks. That’s got to be where David is.
She pushed through the door and there he was, staring longingly at a vending machine. “David,” said Liz. “Are you okay?”
“I’m hungry,” he complained. “And I don’t want you to go home.”
“Oh, David, I have to see my family for Christmas,” Liz said. “And I’ll see you the minute you get back to New York.” She kissed his head and ruffled his hair. “But you were very naughty sneaking away like this. You had me very worried.”
“I’m sorry.”
“Well, you’re going to have to apologize to a few other people, too,” Liz said. “So let’s get back to where your mom is and tell them to stop searching for you.”
“Okay,” David said, taking her hand. Liz wished she had brought some money with her to buy him a snack.
They returned to the admitting station, where Dr. M-C was demanding a private room for Grumpus. The attending nurse had gone back to work and was just letting Dr. M-C rant and rave.
“Everything’s fine,” Liz announced. “I found him.”
“Oh, David!” Dr. M-C gushed. “I know you were upset about poor Grumpus and that’s why you ran away. Don’t worry, Grumpus will be fine!”
“But, Mommy,” David said. “Grumpus doesn’t exist. I made him up. Can we go get ice cream now?”
Dr. M-C stared at David, straightened up to her full—and quite imposing height—shut her eyes, and took in a deep, slow breath. She looked as if she was trying not to faint. Or explode.
“Listen,” Liz said, before Dr. M-C dragged her into any more craziness. “I’m late for my date. Do you think you can drop me off at Parker’s? I’ll let him know I’m on my way.”
Dr. M-C opened her eyes and shook her head as if to clear it. She focused on Liz. “All right,” she said.
Once they left the hospital vicinity, Liz’s phone worked again. Only now, all she got was Parker’s voice mail. She left two messages, then finally tried the landline at the house.
“Devlin residence,” an older woman answered.
“Hi there, I’m Liz,” she said. “May I speak with Parker?”
“Master Parker just left,” the woman said. “He and Miss Isabelle Schyuler have gone to the Caribou Club. He said he had made reservations for dinner. Perhaps you’ll find him there.”
Liz shut the phone and sank back into the seat. Those were our reservations. Our romantic dinner. Only he’s having it with Isabelle instead.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
payback time!
Back in New York, Liz sat at the counter of the Salad Patch between Jane and Belinda with her head down. She sighed as she finished the tale of her Aspen misadventure.
“What a disaster,” Belinda said. “It must have totally ruined the rest of Christmas break for you.”
“It did,” Liz confided. “The day after Christmas, Adrienne and I went to Serendipity for frozen hot chocolate, and I just sat there.”
“You turned down chocolate?” Jane asked. “Now I know this is serious.”
“Didn’t Parker understand you didn’t mean to stand him up?” Belinda asked.
“I e-mailed him an apology after I got back, explaining the whole hospital mess, but all he wrote back was, ‘No prob. Stuff happens.’” Liz moved her uneaten salad around on her plate. “He should have gotten back into town last weekend, but I haven’t heard from him.”
Loud giggling grabbed Liz’s attention. She glanced down the counter to where a few girls from P-B sat staring at her. They immediately lowered their heads and giggled more quietly.
“What’s with them?” Liz asked her friends.
Jane and Belinda glanced nervously at each other.
“What?” Liz asked, tension creeping through her entire body.
“Uh,” Jane mumbled, her perma-cool completely ruined, “we didn’t really want to tell you,” she began.
“Because, of course, the rumors are, like, totally ridiculous,” continued Belinda.
“What rumors?” Liz asked.
“Well…” Belinda hesitated.
“Well, what?” Liz practically shouted.
“Calm down!” Jane said. “It’s no big deal, really. People are just kind of saying that you were screwing around with Parker because you’re a social climber.”
Liz’s eyes widened. “How can anyone think that?” she asked, her voice trembling.
“They’re also saying that the thing with Isabelle is serious, that Parker is just slumming with you.” Belinda studied her paper napkin.
Now Liz’s mouth dropped open.
“We know it’s not true,” Jane said.
“And that’s what we told everyone else!” Belinda nodded vigorously, her waves bouncing.
“Everyone?” Liz said faintly. “You mean, that’s what everyone thinks?”
Just then, the little bells over the door chimed, and Cameron and Mimi sauntered into the restaurant. All heads turned, then a buzz of gossip took over the room like a swarm of bees.
“What are they doing here?” Liz asked. “They NEVER eat lunch here.”
“But they know you do,” Jane pointed out. “This is totally calculated.”
The girls strolled to the counter and stopped directly behind Liz.
“Hi, Liz,” Mimi said. “I was sorry you didn’t
stay longer in Aspen. It would have been fun to see you at the Red and White Ball.”
“I’m sure,” Liz said. She pulled out her money to pay. She wanted to get out of there—fast.
“You would have loved Parker’s outfit,” Cameron said. “He looked totally hot.”
“And Isabelle!” Mimi gushed. “She looked drop-dead gorgeous.”
“They made the cutest couple,” Cameron agreed. “So perfect together.”
“Cameron,” Jane asked, swiveling around on her stool to face the girl, “are you this much of a bitch when you get up every morning, or do you have to do warm-ups first?” She stood up, and Liz stood beside her.
Cameron gave a smug smile and turned to Mimi. “Some girls have such a hard time with jealousy.”
“Some girls have an even harder time with their curtsy,” Belinda said. “I hear that not even your trainer can stop you from looking like a clown. The word is that Mimi’s is much better.”
Cameron looked wounded. Mimi looked smug. Liz and her friends strolled out of the Salad Patch, heads held high.
“My curtsy is totally fine!” Liz heard Cameron whine behind them.
Once they were outside, Jane, Belinda, and Liz burst out laughing. Clutching one another to keep from toppling over, they headed back to school, laughing the whole way. Finally they got control of themselves. Liz wiped her eyes, not sure if the tears were from laughing or from being so upset.
“Are you okay?” Jane asked gently.
“I’m better than okay,” Liz replied. “I’m seriously angry.”
“Why is angry good?” Belinda asked.
“Because when I’m mad, I go into action,” Liz said. “Instead of curling up into a little ball and whimpering.”
“What kind of action do you have in mind?” Jane asked.
“I’m going to find out once and for all what is going on with the whole ‘Parker and Isabelle’ thing.”
Rich Girls Page 12