Queen of Hearts

by Sheryl Wright

  Stunned, Erin sat immobilized, then raced to the ornate oak desk, pulling the phone from the drawer. Was this really such a good idea? She didn’t know. Then decided she didn’t care.

  * * *

  Ally stood leaning against the outdoor café railing at the Colonade on Bloor Street, the two large bags from Brooks Brothers dumped at her feet.

  “There you are,” Pam called, impatiently. “Connie’s setting up for you…” She shook her head at the shopping bags. “Two hours and that’s all you have to show for it! I thought at least you would have found some decent footwear.” When Ally didn’t immediately answer or offer a retort, she asked with more concern, “What’s happened? Did KC dump one of your precious whirlybirds in the lake?”

  “What?”

  “Good God, Allyson. You get denser every year. Please tell me you have a pair of shoes stuffed in those bags?”

  “I…no. I’m fine with my Blundstone’s.”

  “Ugh. I swear you’re like a caveman. At least let me take you over to Browns and get you something plainly respectable when Connie’s done shooting your segment in Cartier’s.”

  “Are you done there?”

  “Of course, and don’t even think of pulling a ditto and rushing through the whole thing. This segment is important to Connie.”

  Ally was in no mood for Pam’s bullshit. She’d always been on the pretentious side, but it was getting old and more than that, wearing on her nerves. “Where are you going?”

  “Well, since I’m here and my dollar goes so much farther, I thought I’d head next door to Michael Kors then Prada. Oh, I have to stop at MAC too, and I want to hit Holts for some basics. Can I pick anything up for you?”

  Ally shook her head. “I’m happy getting my gitch at the Bay.”

  Now it was Pam’s turn to feign shock. “I swear KC has been a terrible influence on you. I don’t know which I find more shocking, your use of the word gitch to describe your intimate apparel, or the fact you shop at the Hudson’s Bay.”

  “You know, you get worse and worse every year. And just so you know, I happen to like the Bay.”

  Pam rolled her eyes, then waved off any retort. “Go pick out your engagement rings. I’m going shopping. Get inside and take your time. I plan to take mine.” She spun around on her Alexander McQueen heels and Ally watched her march her skinny ass into Michael Kors.

  Inside Cartier’s, Ally followed Connie’s direction, letting the representative introduce himself and lead her up the circular stairs to the private sales room dedicated to serving clients like the Parkers. While the stylish young man went through the whole presentation schtick, Ally tried to pay attention.

  She hadn’t been expecting a call, at least not from Erin. Putting aside the fact that Jarvis, bless his intrepid soul, had broken the rules and Pam’s orders to prevent it from happening, she wasn’t sure what to think, what to feel. After all the heartache and crying, the longing and desire, was it possible that Erin cared? It was easy to imagine her in the family library, drinking Granddad’s scotch and baring her soul. That view from his library had been enough to send more than one woman into her arms and declaring her everlasting love. But Erin didn’t say she loved her or anything like that. She said she was sorry. That she never imagined she would meet anyone, fall for anyone, especially under such circumstances as these.

  “CUT!” Connie called, pulling Ally aside roughly, a look of impatience plastered across her face. “What the fuck, Ally. We don’t have the place all day. I need you to work with me here. I get you’re not into this, but I can’t have you looking like you’re ready to bury your best buddy! Now either get in the game or… Oh Geez! You’re not going to cry on me…” Aware there was more behind the sudden rush of emotion, she pulled Ally out of hearing range. “What’s going on? Did Pam say something stupid to…”

  “Erin called me.”

  That stopped her instantly. “Ahh, guys…” she called to her crew. “Five-minute break and Deb, can you go grab the makeup bag?” The crew filed out, one by one, down the stairs while the clerk locked away the extravagant display of diamond engagement rings and followed suit.

  Connie inspected her. “Are you okay?”

  “I…I don’t know. I mean, I feel relieved, confused, and upset all over again.”

  “Can I ask what she said?”

  “Pretty much what I just said, ‘I’m relieved, confused, and upset.’ Oh, and she was sorry for the subterfuge, she has feelings for me, which she never expected.”

  “Holy cow!”

  Ally tried not to bite her lip. “I want to believe her, but I’m also freaked out that she’s sitting at Granddad’s while she’s saying this.”

  Nodding, Connie had to ask, “Worried she might be another money grubbing bitch like Janette?”

  Ally nodded, but didn’t trust her herself to say more.

  “Okay…” It was Connie’s go-to word. “Okay, tell me this. If she wasn’t at home and saying these things, what would you be thinking?”

  It was all she could do to hold back the tears, while at the same time a crooked smile crept across her face. “I…I would say, she, it was real, what we shared, what I feel, that she feels it too.”

  “And what about that gut of yours? It’s never failed you in business or flying for that matter. What if Erin was an airplane…”

  “Really?”

  “Cut me some slack here, I’m working to a deadline. Just think about it logically. Forget the house and all that stuff, what does your gut say?”

  Ally rocked back and forth weighing what she did know, what they had shared long before Erin set foot in the Parker home. “She doesn’t know anything other than I’m a charter pilot with a wealthy family. Even Pam is cautious about sharing the details of just how comfortable the family is and she sure as hell wouldn’t bother telling anyone, much less her assistant, how well I’m doing.”

  “That’s true. She’s way too jealous of your successes. And she’s been a total bitch with Erin since learning you two were into one another and that was before she figured out you two slept together. I won’t be surprised if she downright threatened Erin’s job over this. It must have taken some serious balls for her to call you. By the way, how the hell did she pull that off?”

  “Jarvis.”

  Connie nodded. “I always loved that guy. Boy, that alone should tell you something.”

  Nodding, she had to agree. “Still, do you think…”

  “Ally, for me you have always been the voice of reason. I know this has been killing you. Fuck, when I found you bawling in the chopper, my heart broke for you. If there’s a chance, even a little one, don’t you want to find out?”

  Ally closed her eyes to think, but the image of Erin forced her to open them. How could she not remember the feel of her in her arms, the scent of her hair, the touch of her skin? “If I’m wrong…”

  “And if you’re right?”

  She smiled. “If I’m right, Pam’s head will blow.” She mimed an explosion with her hands, adding “Kaboom!” Connie laughed as her equilibrium returned. “You’re right. It’s worth the risk just to see Pam’s face.”

  Giving her cousin a big hug, she counseled, “Now just remember, that’s my big sis you’re talking about. Also, secretly, she could do with a big serving of crow these days. I swear she gets worse, year after year. Now, the big question is how do you want to do this?”

  Ally nodded as she pulled together a plan. “Here’s what I’m thinking…”

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Everything was set. The crew, along with the household staff, had decorated the garden, adding to the already well-designed and discreet lighting with decorative torches and well-placed spotlights. In the few places where flowers were not in bloom, huge arrangements had been added. Candles floated on the lily pond, and all the seating had been removed to make the three areas where the stars of the final show, the queens and the host, would stand. This wasn’t how Connie had originally scripted the finale, b
ut with the loss of Virginia on the very first day, or more importantly, her investment in the production, corners had to be cut. Still, this would actually be better. Instead of taking each queen to her own finale or eliminating either Pam or Ally, the show would seem a showdown, setting one against the other to see which if not both would go all the way and get down on one knee and propose.

  The tension was high in the house as Connie led the six remaining contestants through their rehearsal, showing them their marks and preparing them for the night ahead, but it was not nearly so palpable as the pressure between Pam and Ally as host Tommy Proulx led them through their rehearsal. Ally was silent and stone-faced while Pam was full of herself and quipped at her cousin with ease.

  Before the contestants joined the two remaining queens in the garden, Connie shot the ring choice scene with Pam. She hammed it up, picking one then another, then the last, changing her mind several times. Connie knew this would be a hard scene for Ally and simply recorded a static display of the three rings she had chosen at Cartier’s and left the selection to the last moment when Ally would take the stage, so to speak.

  Connie had a bad feeling, a premonition Pam would let her down and forego the proposal in favor of asking her choice to commit to getting to know one another more. Or Pam might yet surprise her. There was no telling with her big sis. She always had a plan. One that no one, not even she herself would see coming. It was what made her such a success in the courtroom and a pain in life.

  Connie knew she could count on Ally, but whose hand Ally would ask for was still a mystery even after yesterday’s revelation. She had spent her overnight date with Bobby Ann. Connie couldn’t for the life of her guess what was going on with them, but the two looked happy together as the cameras followed them through the evening, departing when it was time for them to retire for the night. She had filmed them walking hand-in-hand to Ally’s master suite. After that, she had packed up her crew and headed to Highland Creek to join the other crew, compare notes and plan out the following final day of production.

  With the rehearsals complete it had just been a matter of waiting till evening to shoot the final sequence. Now tensions were high as she took supper with the crew and the six final contestants. She had ordered Pam and Ally sequestered separately to be sure Pam didn’t trounce what was left of Ally’s nerves or heart. The last thing she needed was an all-out fight between the cousins and goodness knew they were on the brink. Lifelong friends, having grown up together, there had always been healthy competition between the two, but Connie had never imagined their relationship could get this bad. She also had to question what the hell was driving her big sister. Pam could be an arrogant ass at times, but lately she was over the top. She’d have to talk to their mom about it or maybe Granddad. Connie worried for her, but right now her priority was getting this program into post-production. The network was already airing promos and had scheduled the first episode for next week. They were freaking out that she hadn’t delivered it to them yet, but she couldn’t finish the final edits until she was sure she had an ending, a big ending, and a down-and-out fight between Ally and Pam was not the one she wanted to shoot.

  After dinner, she slipped outside to be sure everything was perfect. She caught Sandy and a few of the crew smoking a doob. Normally she would have gone all Rambo on their asses but fuck it, it was legal now, so she joined in, hoping a few drags of pot would calm her frayed nerves.

  This had to work. Her reputation, her savings, and Ally’s and Pam’s investments were on the line.

  Ally paced the library. She started to pour herself a finger of Granddad’s scotch, then thought better of it, choosing the Bombay Sapphire and adding tonic. She paced herself drinking it, knowing she couldn’t handle much and she couldn’t get drunk. She didn’t want to let Connie down and she sure as hell wasn’t going to propose to anyone while she was half in the bag.

  KC, at her side for moral support, didn’t hesitate where the scotch was concerned. “I gotta hand it to Pops.” It was her nickname for the elder Parker and one he got a kick out of. “He sure does keep the best hooch in his house.”

  That made Ally laugh, remembering their first contract flying in Newfoundland. “Oh my God. Do you remember that Screech?”

  “Newfie Screech. Oh fuck, I thought we would die! I have never had a hangover like that but man oh man what a night. I could not live there full time. Fuck, those people sure know how to party and have fun…”

  “I know, great folks, great fun, but God I was so worn out from that trip I thought we’d need a month just to recover.”

  “More like a month drying out. Man, they can handle their booze, and did they ever get a hoot out of us. I thought my family was wild but nothin’ like those folks. I thought the Aussies were bad, and even what’s his name spends half his year there.”

  “Russell Crowe,” she furnished. “Remember his band was playing at the pub? It’s like partying in Ireland, but with cheaper booze. Even the accents are almost the same.”

  KC raised her glass. “Here’s to hot babes with funny accents, and the stamina to party all night and get up the next day and go to work.”

  Ally clinked her glass. “I am so glad we’re too old for that.”

  “Hey, speak for yourself!”

  She laughed, for the first time in days. “Have I told you lately…”

  “What, that I’m an ass or the best pilot in town?”

  Ally topped up KC’s scotch and waved her over to the old nail-head chesterfield. “You’re my best friend and the second-best pilot in the world.”

  KC groaned, but accepted the compliment. “Speaking of which, we’re gonna have to train someone to cover me on the traffic patrol, you know, just in case.”

  “I do, but I think we should bring in two or three pilots. We need one, probably two to handle the fire contract for the Huey and yes, I think we need to consider having you only cover the morning or afternoon report. I think we need to take over the management of the airline. Those financials you brought tell me it’s in the details where we’ll get screwed.”

  “I was thinking that too, but I had to run it by you to be sure. We seem to have a lot of fat cats sitting on their hands collecting big bucks for a whole lotta nothin’. I was thinking about something, though. Maybe we should go the West Jet way, and empower the employees. Make it their job to take care of the little things. Well, make it everyone’s job.”

  Ally nodded emphatically. “I like that. We’ll have to create a bonus structure or consider handing over a share of ownership. Either way, if the employees feel like they have the power to make things better for the passengers, everyone wins.”

  “Agreed,” KC said, clinking her glass with Ally’s again. It was that simple with the two of them, and what had made their partnership so profitable. “You know, I was thinking. Instead of recruiting pilots to fly the helos why don’t we look for aircraft maintenance engineers who have some flying experience or are hot fired to learn to fly? Most of the crap we run into is attitude from the AME’s about working all night when the pilots are sleeping—like they don’t get how tough that part of the job is. We could hire two for the fire contract and work them in shifts, you know, one week on maintenance and one week flying.”

  Considering the suggestion, she nodded. “It doesn’t give us much time to get them trained but you’re right about it solving most of the personal fights that go on when people are pushed like they are during fire season. Maybe we need three. That way we can rotate them out for breaks and reduce the risk of burnout.”

  “It’ll cost us more but, hell, if they’re low time or if we’re footing the training bill, we could pay them the minimum. Of course, they could screw off to a better paying job once they get some time in and there goes all our investment.”

  “Maybe not. We could use a training contract, you know like the airlines do. If they quit before a certain time, they have to pay all the training dollars back.”

  “That would be a hell of a
bill, but I get it. There’s no better incentive to stick with it and make it work than a fifty grand training bill hanging over your head.”

  The library door opened and Deb, Connie’s PA, walked in. “How are you ladies doing? Ready to rock?”

  KC was on her feet, “We are definitely ready for that. The show, well that’s another thing. Ally?”

  Returning to the drink cart, Ally set her half-empty glass down. “Good to go.”

  While KC slipped outside to find her seat beside Jarvis, the household staffers and the production team members not currently operating cameras or monitoring sound, Ally joined Pam waiting by the garden entrance for their introduction. Their marks were chalked on the patio stones, and they were ready.

  Pam, looking as nervous as Ally, turned to her, wrapping her arms around her cousin’s neck. “I’m so sorry for the way I’ve been acting these last weeks. Sometimes I just get so competitive. Truth be told, I’ve always been jealous of you, Al.”

  “Jealous of me? Why the hell for?”

  She shook her head, hugging Ally again before confessing, “You’re always so calm and cool. Even your flying. It’s like nothing’s a challenge for you. You see something, you do it. Even when Aunt Patsy freaked that you wouldn’t go to business school and get your MBA the way she wanted, even when she threatened to have Granddad cut you off, you just did what you knew you were meant to do. I didn’t get that before, I didn’t get that flying isn’t something you do but part of who you are. I’m so sorry.”

  “Never apologize, never explain. Just be who you are. I live by that, and I wish you would too.”

  She nodded, giving Ally another hug. “No matter what happens tonight, remember I love you.”

  Ally returned the hug letting some of the tension fall away. “I love you too, you pain in my backside.”

  “There’s my girl!” Pam was laughing as was the PA who joined them, “Shush now, you two. It’s time.” She rechecked their wireless mics and the sound transmitter packs taped to their backs. “Okay, you’re set.”