Guests and Guilt

by Diana Xarissa

  “What about a hug for me?” Stephanie asked.

  Fenella forced herself to smile at the woman. “Sure,” she muttered.

  Stephanie hugged her tightly. “We’re going to be like sisters, I can tell,” she said happily. “I’ll see you later.”

  As Fenella slowly reversed out of the driveway, Shelly began to laugh. By the time they’d reached the corner, Fenella was laughing with her.

  “I take it he never mentioned he was bringing his girlfriend,” Shelly said when she finally stopped.

  “Never mentioned bringing her, never even mentioned that she existed.”

  “I can’t imagine how he could have forgotten about her. She’s incredible.”

  “That’s one word for her.”

  Shelly chuckled. “You didn’t like her? I thought she was great.”

  “I don’t know what I thought of her, really,” Fenella said. “She seems to truly think that James is a good writer, though. I’m sure he loves that.”

  “She does look a little young for him.”

  “She looks a lot young for him, but she was wearing too much makeup for me to be sure. She could be anywhere from twenty-five to fifty.”

  “I’d put her at thirty-five, if I had to guess.”

  “And she’s a free spirit who relies on the generosity of others to survive. She and James have a lot in common.”

  “I suspect these three weeks are going to be expensive for you,” Shelly said.

  “Yeah. I’m sure James maxed out his credit cards to pay for the flights, so he probably won’t have any money for food or anything while they’re here. I’m surprised how happy I am to see him, though. I won’t complain about treating him while he’s here.”

  “Too bad Stephanie is part of the deal, too.”

  “If she makes James happy, I can put up with her, too,” Fenella said firmly, trying to convince herself as much as Shelly. “Are you sure you can’t join us for dinner, though?”

  “I’m sorry. I would, but I truly do have other plans. Gordon is going away for a week for work, so we’re having dinner together tonight before he leaves.”

  “I suppose I can’t argue with that,” Fenella sighed.

  Back at home, Fenella curled up with a good book and tried to forget all about James and Stephanie. When Mona appeared a short time later, Fenella was happy to be interrupted.

  “Not enjoying the book?” Mona asked as Fenella put it on the table next to her.

  “I can’t concentrate. James is very much on my mind.”

  “I thought you might bring him here for a short while.”

  “He was tired and wanted a nap,” Fenella explained. “I’ll have to bring him and Stephanie here soon, though, whether I want to or not.”

  “Stephanie?”

  “Oh, yes, he brought his girlfriend with him. He forgot to mention her in any phone calls or emails, but her name is Stephanie Arnold.”

  “Tell me about her.”

  “She’s somewhere between thirty and fifty, although she dresses as if she were twenty-five. Her hair is bleached blonde and I’m pretty sure she’s had her figure artificially, um, inflated. She took a class where they read James’s book, and she started writing to him. That’s how they met.”

  “How romantic. Or odd.”

  “It is a bit odd, but they seem weirdly happy together. Maybe they just haven’t known each other for very long.”

  “Is she a writer?”

  “She’s a free spirit who travels wherever the wind takes her.”

  “Really? And how does she fund her travels?”

  “The generosity of friends and strangers.”

  Mona laughed. “I’m looking forward to meeting her.”

  “Since you owned the house they’re staying in, can’t you go over there and check her out?” Fenella asked. “I mean, you can appear in the car when I’m driving it.”

  Mona shook her head. “There are limits to where I can go. It’s complicated, but it’s basically to do with places that had significant meaning my life. I can go just about anywhere in this building, therefore, and into my car, but I can’t simply go to a house that I used to own but never even visited when I was alive.”

  “You never even visited?”

  “No. Max often gave me properties. I rarely visited any of them. Doncan took care of making sure they were well managed. As I didn’t have any intention of ever using any of them myself, there was no need for me to visit them.”

  “It’s a very nice house, actually. If I hadn’t already fallen in love with the views and the location here, I might be tempted to move into it after James is gone.”

  “It’s far too big for one person. Are you sure you aren’t just tempted because it is across from Daniel’s home? It would be a good place to be to keep an eye on him.”

  “I don’t need to keep an eye on him. He can do whatever he likes.”

  “No need to use that tone with me,” Mona said. “Anyway, you’d miss me if you moved there. And Katie would miss me, too.”

  “Merrooww,” Katie said.

  Fenella laughed. “That didn’t sound like agreement.”

  “You should work on your cat language skills. Katie definitely agreed with me.”

  “Meerrrrrreeeeeewwwww,” Katie said loudly.

  Mona shook her head. “I don’t know why I bother.” She sighed and then faded from view.

  Fenella went back to her book and managed to read a few chapters before she needed to get ready to pick up James and Stephanie for dinner. Not being sure what Stephanie would be wearing, Fenella opted to change into one of Mona’s casual dresses. It was a pretty autumnal shade of red that suited the weather and Fenella’s mood.

  As she drove back toward the rental house, Fenella found herself wondering why James had brought Stephanie along. The extra airfare wouldn’t have been cheap, and it wasn’t like James to do anything that cost money without a very good reason. Perhaps Stephanie had paid her own way. That made more sense.

  “Fenella, darling, do come in,” Stephanie said when she answered Fenella’s knock. “James is still sleeping, but I know he set an alarm, so he should be up soon. Come in and sit down. We can get better acquainted while we wait for James.”

  They sat in the living room on opposite ends of the couch. “James told me that you’ve never been married,” Stephanie began.

  “That’s right, I haven’t.”

  “I’ve been married four times, but you mustn’t let that worry you. I’ve never met a man as wonderful as James before.”

  Four times? Fenella wondered if she should doubt the woman’s sanity or admire her optimism. “I’m not worried. James can take care of himself.”

  “Do you think so? I find him endearingly incapable. He’s just on a higher plane, mentally, than the rest of us, so things like laundry and cooking are mundane challenges that are beyond him.”

  “He’s lived on his own for a great many years,” Fenella pointed out.

  “Yes, but he wasn’t truly living, was he? He was so consumed by his day-to-day chores that he wasn’t actually able to create. Now I take care of the cooking and the cleaning, and his mind is free to take its flights of fancy and imagine the people who will populate his next masterpiece.”

  “Great,” Fenella muttered.

  “Oh, and excellent news. I’ve spoken to one of my friends and they’re all going to meet us for drinks later. There’s a pub right around the corner from here, apparently. That’s what Annie told me, anyway.”

  “Yes, there is a pub nearby. I’ve never been there, but I’ve been told it’s nice.”

  “It’s within walking distance, that’s what really matters,” Stephanie laughed. “We can have dinner and then park here and walk to the pub. It won’t matter how much we drink, then.”

  “Except I’ll have to drive home eventually.”

  “You’re welcome to stay here. I mean, you found us the house, of course you can stay here. There are four bedrooms and James and I are only usi
ng one of them, after all.”

  “Yes, well, we’ll see. I’m more interested in dinner than anything else right now. I’m starving.”

  Stephanie glanced at the stairs. “It doesn’t sound as if James is awake yet. Maybe I should go and check on him.”

  “That would probably be a good idea.”

  “Yeah, it would, wouldn’t it?” The woman stood up and then sat back down. “Maybe we should give him another half hour. He was really tired.”

  “Maybe you should wake him and see what he wants to do,” Fenella suggested. “If he wants another half hour of sleep, I can go and get something from a takeaway and bring it back here. Then he can eat as soon as he gets up.”

  “The thing is, he gets really grumpy when he’s woken up. I try really hard not to wake him unless it’s an emergency. He does so much of his writing when he’s dreaming, you see. I don’t want to interrupt his next great idea.”

  “Whereas I’m happy to interrupt. That sounds better than sitting here and starving. Do you want me to wake him?”

  “Would you? I mean, I don’t want him angry at you, either, but maybe he won’t get angry with you. You’re his sister, after all.”

  Fenella nodded and then reluctantly got up and climbed the stairs. Before she’d even reached the top, she could hear her brother snoring away in the master bedroom.

  “James,” she called loudly. “James, it’s time to wake up.” She stopped outside the door and knocked loudly on its frame. “James, come on, big brother, rise and shine.”

  The snoring stopped and then James rolled over, his eyes still firmly shut.

  “James, wake up,” Fenella nearly shouted. “Come on. It’s time for some dinner and then drinks at the pub.” It was the word drinks that made him open his eyes, Fenella noticed.

  “Ah, baby sister, did Stephanie send you to wake me? She hasn’t left me already, has she?”

  “Left you? She sent me up because she didn’t want you to get angry at her. She said you don’t like to be woken up,” Fenella replied, surprised at how articulate the man was on first waking.

  “I don’t, but we’re on vacation. I couldn’t possibly have become angry with her under the circumstances.”

  “Yes, well, whatever. It’s time for dinner. Stephanie and I will be downstairs when you’re ready.”

  James nodded. “I won’t be long. I must say, I’m feeling a good deal better. That nap was exactly what I needed.”

  Stephanie was right where Fenella had left her, sitting in the living room, watching the traffic outside. “Was he very angry?” she asked as Fenella walked back into the room.

  “Not at all. He’ll be down shortly.”

  Stephanie blew out a breath. “Oh, thank goodness for that,” she exclaimed.

  “Is everything okay?” Fenella had to ask.

  “It’s fine. Why wouldn’t it be fine?”

  “You seemed awfully worried about upsetting James, that’s all. You mustn’t let him yell at you, you know.”

  “He doesn’t, not really. It’s all fine. Truly it is.”

  Fenella wanted to ask her more questions, but she could already hear James coming down the stairs.

  “Where are we going for dinner, then?” he asked when he reached the living room.

  “What sounds good?” Fenella asked him.

  “Oh, my, what about fish and chips or a good steak and kidney pie? I remember them from my childhood, but I haven’t had them since. Mum used to make cottage pie, but that was about the only traditional British thing she ever made.”

  “There’s a pub just around the corner that does food,” Stephanie said. “We’re going to be meeting my friends there later. Maybe we could just go there.”

  “I don’t know anything about the food there, but I’m willing to try it,” Fenella said.

  “You can’t imagine I’d say no to a pub,” James laughed.

  As the pub was so close by, Fenella left her car at the house and the trio walked over.

  The building was larger than she’d been expecting, with a separate dining room.

  “It’s dark,” she remarked as they were led to a table in the dining room.

  “Pubs are supposed to be dark. It makes the women more attractive,” James told her with a laugh.

  He went and got them drinks from the bar while they looked over the menus. After they’d ordered, Stephanie took James’s hand. “I should tell you about my friends,” she said. “You should know what to expect.”

  “Should I? Why?” he replied.

  “You told me so much about Fenella before I met her that I felt as if I were meeting an old and dear friend as soon as I saw her. I want you to feel the same about my friends. We were all inseparable once and they’re really the closest thing I have to a family anymore, even if I haven’t seen them in twenty years or more.”

  “Go on, then. Tell me about your friends,” James said.

  “I spoke to Annie Lawrence. She’s always been sort of the leader of our little group. She promised to call all of the others and make them come tonight. I met Annie when I was two and she and her parents moved into the cottage next door to ours. She was nearly three and I’ve been told that I idolized her from the moment I met her. We were both thrilled when we ended up in school together. We were more like sisters than friends, really, as we spent nearly all of our time together, in school and out of it.”

  “What is she doing now?” Fenella asked.

  “I’m not really sure. We didn’t talk for long, just long enough to arrange tonight. I’m really looking forward to getting caught up, though.”

  “Is she married?” James wondered.

  “She said she wasn’t. Neither is Maureen. That’s Maureen Rhodes. We met her in school when we were all around five or six. Her parents fought a lot, so Maureen used to stay over at my house whenever she could once she got into her teens. My mother used to joke that she never could remember how many children she had because Maureen and Annie were both usually staying with us.”

  “What a fun way to grow up, though,” Fenella remarked. “Do you have any siblings?”

  “No, which is probably why I bonded so tightly with Annie and Maureen. They were my substitute sisters.”

  “Is that it?” James asked.

  “Oh, no. Courtney Bridges will be here, too. Courtney’s family didn’t move to the island until she was around fourteen, so she arrived at school when we were in the middle of exams and everything. It was just her and her mum that moved here, actually. Her dad stayed in London and her mum filed for divorce once they were settled here. Annie and Maureen and I took Courtney under our wings and helped her find her way on the island. It was such a big change for her, moving here, but we were happy to help her.”

  “That was kind of you. Children aren’t always that understanding when someone new moves into their neighborhood,” Fenella said.

  Stephanie shrugged. “Courtney was cool. Her mum got a big divorce settlement. I think her father cheated. Anyway, Courtney had the nicest clothes and things and her father even bought her a car when she passed her driving test. She was a good person to be friends with.”

  “Is that everyone, then?” James asked.

  “That’s everyone. As I said, we were inseparable. We called ourselves Annie’s gang or sometimes CAMS, using each of our initials. Annie didn’t like that one, though, because it gave Courtney top billing, as it were.”

  “When did you move to the US?” Fenella asked.

  “Oh, after school, about twenty years ago or so,” Stephanie replied vaguely. “I didn’t intend to stay there. It was just meant to be a vacation, but then I fell in love with an American man and ended up marrying him and staying.”

  “So you haven’t seen your friends in over twenty years?” James asked. “I hope you recognize them.”

  “Oh, I’m sure I will,” Stephanie said as the food was delivered. “Our spirits are still intertwined, even if our lives have drifted apart.”

  4

&n
bsp; The food was better than Fenella had expected from a pub. The chocolate gateau was even better and the perfect end to the meal.

  “We should probably move over to the pub itself while we wait,” Stephanie suggested after Fenella had paid the bill. “The girls won’t know to look for us over here.”

  They moved over to a large table near the back of the main room of the pub. “I’m not sure I should stay,” Fenella said as James and Stephanie settled into their seats.

  “Please stay,” Stephanie replied. “I really want you to meet my friends. And once we start talking, I’ll probably be so busy with them that James will feel quite left out. If you’re here, you two can chat and he won’t even notice that I’m ignoring him.”

  Fenella laughed. She had to admire the woman’s honesty, at least.

  “Let’s get a couple of bottles of wine,” Stephanie suggested. “We should have done that with dinner, really.”

  “I’m driving, so I won’t be drinking,” Fenella said.

  “But I’m not, so I shall be drinking enough for two,” James told Stephanie. “Go and order two bottles to start with. Will your friends be driving?”

  “I suspect one of them will be, but unless they’ve changed a lot, they’ll all be drinking anyway,” Stephanie replied.

  Fenella frowned. When the other women arrived, she’d have to find out about the driving arrangements. She didn’t approve of anyone drinking and driving.

  “It looks like they’re late,” James said a few minutes later. He and Stephanie had already finished half of the first bottle of wine. He refilled their glasses as Stephanie jumped to her feet.

  “They’re here,” she squealed and then dashed to the door. Loud happy screams filled the pub as the foursome hugged one another in a flurry of excitement. A moment later Stephanie was back, dragging her friends along behind her.

  “Okay, okay, sorry, I’m crying,” she said when she reached the table. “Okay, these are my amazing best friends, slash sisters who I love dearly,” she said. “And this is James, who is an amazing author and a wonderful person, and his dear sister, Fenella, who is my dear friend.”