Guests and Guilt

by Diana Xarissa

  “Argh,” she said as Katie patted her nose. “It can’t be morning yet. I just closed my eyes.”

  “Meerreew,” Katie replied.

  Fenella opened one eye and squinted at the clock. It was seven and she really needed to get up.

  “Meerroooww,” Katie said.

  “Yes, okay, I’ll get you some breakfast,” Fenella told her.

  She did that before she took her shower and then got dressed. “I want to look the way he remembers me,” she told Katie as she pulled clothes out of her wardrobe. “That means jeans and a sweatshirt, rather than any of Mona’s fancy clothes.” Katie shrugged and then left the room.

  Along with the apartment and the car, Mona had left behind an enormous wardrobe full of gorgeous and very expensive clothes. Fenella loved going through Mona’s things and selecting outfits for dates or special occasions, but she often wore her old and comfortable jeans for everyday. While seeing her brother again might be considered a special occasion, looking like her old self was more important than ever today.

  She combed out her hair, admiring the highlights that had been added a few days earlier, and then applied her makeup with care. While she didn’t want James to think she’d changed, she did want him to think she looked good.

  “Okay, I’ll just spread everything out in the guest room, shall I?” Shelly asked a short time later.

  “Yes, please. Try to make it look like you’ve been here a day or two,” Fenella replied. “I’m going to try to be vague about your stay, but I want him to think you’re already entrenched before he gets any ideas about suggesting you move.”

  A short while later, it looked as if Shelly had truly taken over the guest room. Smokey was settled on the bed, looking as if she belonged there.

  “And now we have just enough time for a quick lunch before we have to get to Ronaldsway.”

  “Why is the airport called Ronaldsway?” Fenella asked a short time later as they dug into the large pizza they were sharing.

  “I think the original name was something in Norse,” Shelly told her. “It was the name of the area before the airport was built.”

  “I really should study some Manx history,” Fenella said. “I’ve all the time in the world to do so, after all.”

  “I’m sure everyone at the Manx History Institute would love to hear you say that. You should talk to them.”

  “Someone suggested that I should talk to a woman called Marjorie, actually. She works at the Manx Museum, I think.”

  “Marjorie Stevens is the librarian and archivist there. She’d be a great person for you talk to if you’re serious. Don’t talk to her if you aren’t sure, though. She fiercely dedicated to the island and she expects everyone else to be as well.”

  “Maybe I’ll wait to talk to her after James has gone, then.”

  “That’s probably wise.”

  The drive to the airport didn’t seem to take long enough to Fenella. She was feeling increasingly nervous as she parked her car.

  “It’s a nice car,” Shelly said. “It’s just a bit dull, especially compared to Mona’s.”

  “Yes, but I still have Mona’s for when I want a bit of excitement. I’d rather James not know about Mona’s car, though.”

  “I’ll try not to mention it.”

  Fenella sighed. “It probably doesn’t matter. It won’t take him long to realize that I’ve inherited a good deal more than a nice apartment and a bit of furniture.”

  They walked into the building and headed to the small arrivals area. From there they could see the baggage claim carousels through huge windows.

  “His flight is on time, anyway,” Shelly said after they’d checked the arrivals screen.

  “Oh, goody.”

  A few minutes later, Fenella found herself smiling affectionately at her brother as he strolled up to the baggage claim. “There he is,” she told Shelly. “The man with the full head of badly dyed brown hair.”

  “Has he always dyed his hair?”

  “No, actually, he went grey quite young, and he never seemed to mind. He was still grey the last time I saw him. He was about twenty pounds heavier as well.”

  They both watched as James pulled several bags off the baggage carousel. A moment later a woman in a tight and short dress, with badly bleached blonde hair and what appeared to be an artificially enhanced figure, walked over and said something to him. James laughed and then pulled the woman into an embrace that was far too intimate for their surroundings.

  “Who is that?” Shelly hissed.

  “I’ve no idea,” Fenella said, trying to ignore the sick feeling in her stomach.

  3

  “Baby sister,” James said loudly as pushed his luggage cart through the sliding doors into the arrivals hall. “I’ve missed you so much.”

  “It’s great to see you,” Fenella said as the man pulled her into a tight hug. Tears welled up in her eyes as she realized she was telling the truth. It was really great to see the man who was a link with everything she’d so impulsively left behind. While she didn’t exactly miss her old life, she was suddenly nearly overwhelmed by a rush of emotions she hadn’t been expecting.

  “You know you can come back any time you want,” James told her. “You can even come and stay with me in Pennsylvania if you don’t want to go back to Buffalo.”

  “Thanks, but I’m really happy here. I’m just happy to see you.”

  “And I’m happy to see you, too. But you must meet Stephanie. Fenella Woods, this is Stephanie Arnold. Stephanie, my baby sister, Fenella.”

  “It’s nice to meet you,” the woman said. She offered her hand and squeezed a few of Fenella’s fingers for a moment.

  Fenella studied her curiously. She didn’t look much over thirty, but she was wearing enough makeup to make it difficult to be sure. “I didn’t realize you were bringing a friend with you,” she said to James.

  “I wasn’t planning on it, exactly, but, well, I didn’t want to leave Stephanie behind. Knowing her, she’d have replaced me while I was away.”

  Stephanie laughed and then nodded. “I probably would have.”

  “This is my friend, Shelly Quirk,” Fenella said quickly, pulling Shelly into the group. “She lives next door to me, but she’s actually staying with me at the moment, as her kitchen flooded and it’s taking ages to get everything replaced.”

  “I thought you said we could stay with you,” James said.

  “I said you could stay with me,” Fenella replied, trying not to put too much emphasis on the word “you.” “But that was before Shelly’s emergency. I hope you won’t mind that I’ve made other arrangements for you.”

  “What sort of other arrangements?” he asked.

  “A friend of mine has a house in Douglas that he rents out fully furnished. It’s between tenants at the moment, so he said you could use it while you’re here.”

  “A friend? What sort of friend lets strangers stay in his house?” James asked.

  “As I said, it’s an income property for him, not his actual home. He was one of Mona’s friends, actually. She had a lot of friends and admirers on the island,” Fenella replied, improvising wildly.

  “I came over to spend time with you,” James frowned. “I was looking forward to having lots of late-night chats about things.”

  “And if it were just you, maybe you could crash on a couch or something, but the house will give you and Stephanie a lot more privacy,” Fenella said, suddenly quite happy that he’d brought his unsuitable girlfriend with him.

  “She’s right. I don’t want to sleep on a couch,” Stephanie said with a giggle. “I’m too old to try making out on one, too.”

  James laughed. “Yes, okay. We’ll stay in your friend’s house. I hope it’s nice, though. Stephanie has very high standards.”

  What exactly does she see in you, then, Fenella stopped herself from asking. She glanced over at Shelly and could almost see the same question on her friend’s face.

  “Let’s go and take a look at th
e house,” Fenella suggested. “If you don’t like it, we can talk about finding you a hotel or something.”

  “I suppose that’s fair enough,” James agreed.

  Fenella led them all out to her car. “Here we are,” she said, opening the back. “I hope everything fits.”

  “It’s a good thing you didn’t bring Mona’s car,” Shelly whispered as James struggled to load their many bags into the car.

  “I probably brought too much stuff,” Stephanie said with another giggle, “but I wanted to be ready for anything. I’m going to be seeing a lot of old friends and I want them to see how happy and successful I am.”

  “Old friends?” Fenella echoed.

  “Oh, yes. Like James, I grew up on the island,” Stephanie told her. “I left not long after I finished school, and I haven’t been back since. I’m really happy that I’m getting this chance to reconnect with the girls I was best friends with back then. It’s going to be wonderful.”

  It took a minute to get everyone into the car. Stephanie wanted to sit in the front and James wanted to drive.

  “I’m sorry, but you aren’t driving my car,” Fenella said firmly. “You weren’t driving yet when we left the island, were you? Have you ever driven on the other side of the road?”

  “No, but how hard can it be? You manage it, right?” He laughed loudly.

  “You and Stephanie can fight over the front seat,” Shelly said. “I’m happy in the back.” She climbed in while Stephanie and James had a whispered conversation.

  When it ended, Stephanie laughed and then climbed in next to Shelly. “I’m going to hold you to that,” she told James after they were all in the car. “And a few other kinky things, too.”

  “Right, so how did you two meet?” Shelly asked quickly.

  “I’m a huge fan of his writing,” Stephanie said. “I’d just recently gone back to school, and when we read his book, I was sure I recognized the Isle of Man as the protagonist’s original home. I loved the story and I think I started falling in love with James before I even met him.”

  Fenella rolled her eyes and then started the car’s engine. She loved a lot of books, but she’d never felt attracted to their authors simply based on what they’d written.

  “Did you meet at a book signing, then?” Shelly wondered.

  “No, not at all. James doesn’t do book signings. No, I wrote him a long letter, telling him how much I loved his work. He sent it back with a bunch of corrections, telling me where I’d misunderstood things and also correcting my grammar, punctuation, and spelling.”

  “Oh, that’s, um, interesting,” Shelly said.

  Fenella would have rolled her eyes again, but she was busy driving.

  “It was amazing. I couldn’t believe he’d taken the time to respond. Of course I had to send him another letter and this time he actually wrote a reply. The rest is history.”

  “How long have you been seeing each other, then?” Shelly asked.

  “Only a few months,” James said, “but they’ve been some of the best months of my life. Stephanie inspires me in a way I’ve not felt in a great many years. I’ve been working incredibly hard on my new book ever since I met her.”

  “How much have you written, then?” Fenella asked.

  “Oh, you can’t measure art in those sorts of terms,” James replied airily. “Actually writing the book is the easy part, anyway. I’ll get to that. What matters now is that I’m feeling the book. It’s all coming together in my head.”

  “Too bad you can’t sell your thoughts until you put them on paper,” Fenella said dryly.

  “Oh, they’ll get to paper eventually,” James told her. “For now I’m just so exhilarated that I can’t be bothered to sit down and type.”

  “How nice,” Fenella said.

  “And I’m crazy about your brother,” Stephanie added. “When I found out he was coming to the island, I simply had to come along. It’s the place that we both sprang from, after all. It seemed the perfect place to celebrate our love.”

  This time Fenella did roll her eyes, in spite of the traffic. She simply couldn’t stop herself.

  “What do you do?” she asked the woman.

  “I’ve done just about everything in the course of my life so far,” Stephanie replied. “I’m a free spirit. I travel and I experience the world. Sometimes I have to take a job in order to pay for food or clothing, but mostly I survive due to the generosity of both friends and strangers.”

  Fenella could only imagine that most of her generous friends were men. “But you said you went back to school. What are you studying?”

  “Everything,” Stephanie sighed. “There’s so much knowledge in the universe. I simply want to absorb all of it.”

  Shelly began to cough violently. Fenella looked at her. “Are you okay?”

  “Yeah, sorry, just a little tickle,” she said. Fenella could see repressed laughter in the woman’s eyes.

  “Where are you studying?” she asked Stephanie.

  “Wherever the wind takes me,” was the reply that Fenella didn’t find unexpected. “I was in LA when I took the class that led me to James. Now I’m learning from him.”

  “And I am learning from you,” James said.

  Stephanie laughed. “I doubt that, but you’re kind to say so. I mean, I do know a few tricks in some areas, but, well, beyond that I’m simply an eager student.”

  “I’m sure you’re both tired from the trip,” Fenella said. “I thought it might be best to drop you off at the house and let you get some rest for today.”

  “I’m energized by travel,” Stephanie said. “Moving from one place to another ignites my spirit.”

  Fenella glanced at James. He looked completely exhausted. “James, are you feeling ignited?” she asked.

  He shook his head. “I’m a bit tired, but if Stephanie wants to do something, we can. I’ll manage for a short while, anyway.”

  “Oh, no,” Stephanie said quickly. “You need your rest. I’d forgotten how difficult traveling must be for you. As a writer, you’re constantly watching and soaking in everything that is new and different. I’m just floating through life, but you are experiencing it with a writer’s eye. You must rest.”

  “Maybe just a short nap would be good,” James agreed.

  “I must start making phone calls, anyway,” Stephanie said. “I want to see my old friends as soon as possible. Perhaps they’ll be able to meet us all for dinner tonight.”

  “I don’t want to be in the way of your reunion,” Fenella said quickly.

  “Oh, no, you’re more than welcome. Everyone on the planet is part of the same family, anyway. I want you to experience knowing the people from my past, as James is part of my present and you are his sister. It will be a very special meeting of minds, personalities, and spirits.”

  “I’m afraid I’m going to have to give it a miss,” Shelly said.

  “But you are Fenella’s partner, are you not? You are part of her life now and should be part of James’s life as a consequence,” Stephanie argued.

  “I’m Fenella’s friend,” Shelly replied. “She’s being kind enough to let me stay in her flat while my kitchen is being remodeled. Even if I didn’t feel as if I would be in the way at your reunion, I have other plans for tonight.”

  “I thought you and Fenella were a couple,” Stephanie said. “You seem perfectly suited for one another.”

  “We may be, but unfortunately we’re both attracted to men and not one another,” Shelly replied. Fenella could tell that her friend was trying not to laugh again.

  “This is the house,” Fenella said a moment later as she pulled into the driveway. “I hope you like it.”

  “It’s huge,” Stephanie exclaimed. “I wasn’t expecting anything this large. I grew up in a tiny cottage in Ramsey. I just assumed that was what most of the houses on the island were like. All of my childhood friends had the same sort of cottages, anyway.”

  “This is a fairly modern development,” Shelly told her. “
As more and more people in banking and insurance moved over here in the late nineties, housing estates like this one started appearing everywhere.”

  “It looks nice,” James said.

  Everyone climbed out of the car, and then James and Fenella unloaded the suitcases. Shelly offered to help, but James insisted that they could manage. Stephanie stood off to the side, staring at the house.

  “The energy is good,” she announced as Fenella headed for the front door. “It would be better if the door were more central, but it isn’t too bad. Is the house usually rented out? It feels slightly sad, as if it feels as if it isn’t properly loved.”

  “It is a rental unit,” Fenella told her, “but it’s very well looked after.”

  “It wants a family,” Stephanie told her.

  Fenella didn’t bother to reply. She unlocked the door and then stepped back to let James and Stephanie go in first. Shelly winked at her as they followed the couple into the house.

  “It’s the nicest place I’ve ever stayed,” Stephanie announced, “or maybe not the absolute nicest, but it’s very nice.”

  “I’m glad you like it. I’m sure you’ll be more comfortable here than you would have been in my spare bedroom,” Fenella replied.

  “I just hope we have enough time to get to know one another,” Stephanie said. “That’s very important to me.”

  “You’re here for three weeks. I’m sure we’ll have plenty of time,” Fenella replied, feeling as if she already knew the woman quite well enough. “There’s bread, milk, coffee, and a few other things in the kitchen, just in case you need a snack. I can take you grocery shopping tomorrow, once you’re over your jet lag.”

  “Thanks for finding this for us,” James said. “It’s really nice. Now I think it’s time for my nap. Maybe you could meet us back here around six and we could go and get dinner somewhere?”

  “That sounds good,” Fenella told him. She gave him a hug and then she and Shelly headed for the door.