The Best of Friends (18 page)

She might have David’s attention now, but for how long? Eventually he would realize she wasn’t a long-term relationship. That everyone knew he was going to marry the “right” sort of woman. Then he would break her heart. Better for both of them if she didn’t admit that what had once been a crush had grown into a life-changing love that she would carry with her forever.

* * *

Rebecca turned off the CD player. She’d just finished the second CD of Tony Robbins’s
Get the Edge
program and could already see how she was totally screwing up her life. She took plenty of time for herself, but not in a way that mattered. She wasn’t focused, didn’t have goals. She floated through life, thinking she was entitled, which left her with plenty of fawning but no fulfillment. Except for Jayne, she didn’t have friends. On the surface, she had it all, but underneath, she was totally empty and devoid of happiness.

She poured herself a glass of wine, then walked to her laptop and turned it on. Maybe she could find some seminars to go to and be healed. Or try a meditation retreat.

She felt on the brink of an important discovery. Having her father and David take care of Jonathan and Nigel had somehow freed her. The need for revenge had faded. She almost didn’t care that her mother was upset with her.

While her laptop booted, she crossed to the kitchen table, where she’d started working on her ideas for the stainless steel jewelry. She’d been reading about the process, and while it was challenging, she knew her creations would be beautiful. To think she could bring happiness to millions of women just by making pretty jewelry. It was almost too much to take in.

Her doorbell rang, followed by someone pounding on her front door. The rhythm was frantic, as if something was really wrong. She set down her wine and hurried to unfasten the lock.

Big mistake. Elizabeth burst in.

“You’re home,” her mother said. “I was afraid you’d be out, and I didn’t want to call first because you’d just leave. We have to talk.”

Rebecca’s good mood bled away. “Hello, Mother.” There was a lot more she wanted to say—like ordering her out of her house. But now she was conscious of a greater good, of the universe moving all around her. She could afford to be gracious.

Elizabeth picked up Rebecca’s glass of wine and drained it in a single gulp. “Your brother is sleeping with Jayne.”

Rebecca breathed deeply and let a feeling of calm flow through her. “It’s all right. I know, and I think this is good for David. Jayne’s lovely. He’s back, having a little fling. She’s leaving town in a few weeks. It’s all right. I know it delays his finding the bride you’re so eager for, but you have to trust this will work out the way it’s supposed to.”

Elizabeth glared at her. “Are you on drugs?”

“No, I’m calm and focused. I’ve been practicing breathing. You should try it.”

“I should have you committed. This isn’t a situation I can ignore, and neither can you. David isn’t just seeing Jayne. I think he’s in love with her.”

Rebecca drew in another breath. David in love with Jayne? “You’re overreacting. He’s having fun, nothing more.”

“I tried to talk to him.”

Rebecca walked into the open kitchen and found another wineglass. “Big mistake. You’ll make him feel trapped. He’ll push back.”

“He already did. He said that if I tried to come between them, he would turn his back on me. His own mother. He’s choosing Jayne over me. He’s in love with her. I don’t know if he’s realized it or not, but he is.”

Hearing the words was like being plunged into an icy pool. At first Rebecca felt nothing. Then there were sharp, cold knives slicing her everywhere. She wanted to throw up, to scream, to protest to the universe that this couldn’t be happening!

David in love with Jayne? Sweet, sensible, funny Jayne? Jayne was
her
friend. David couldn’t have her. Couldn’t. She wouldn’t allow it. It was impossible. Jayne already had Katie. If she had David, too, if they were together, what would happen to Rebecca? Who would love her best? Who would take care of her?

“No,” she breathed, hanging on to the counter, half afraid she would pass out. “They can’t.”

David had been there for her whenever she needed him. The same with Jayne. But if they had each other, they would be too busy. They would talk about her together, take each other’s side. She would be left alone, with nothing. No one.

“You have to do something,” Elizabeth told her. “You have to stop this. Do you know what a disaster it would be if they got married?”

Married? Together always? Forever shutting her out?

“I won’t let them.”

“Can you stop this?” Elizabeth asked.

“I have to.” Rebecca had never been more certain of anything in her life. She straightened. The pain receded, but the panic remained. “I’ll go see him. Talk to him.”

“He’s not going to listen.”

“He’s my brother. He’ll listen.” She walked into the bedroom and picked up her purse.

“You have to be delicate,” Elizabeth said, following her. “You have to say it the right way, or you’ll push them together.”

“I know that.”

“I should come with you.”

“Because your last conversation with him went so well?” Rebecca asked, moving toward the door. “I’ll do it. I’ll make him understand this isn’t possible.”

Then she was running down the stairs because the elevator would take too long.

She got in her car and started the engine. Thoughts swirled in her head as she drove east on I-10, then exited and drove north to the Four Seasons. Traffic was a bitch, as usual, but she didn’t mind the delay. It gave her time to think.

The knot in her stomach didn’t go away. No matter how she considered the problem, there was no good solution. David and Jayne together meant she was abandoned. They were the two people she loved most in the word—how could they do this to her?

“I trusted you,” Rebecca whispered, wiping away tears. “I trusted you to be my friend.”

She pulled into the hotel and gave the keys to the valet. “I won’t be very long,” she told him.

He flashed her a smile. “I’ll have your car right here.”

She nodded and walked into the cool, elegant lobby.

The elevators were to her left. She pushed the up button, then rode to the fifth floor and turned left again. When she was outside of David’s door, she knocked loudly.

It opened seconds later. David, wearing jeans and nothing else, was already talking. “That didn’t take long. Are you sure those steaks are… Rebecca?”

His hair was mussed, and he didn’t have shoes on. Those should have been clues. Later she would remind herself she hadn’t been thinking. Or maybe she had known exactly what she was doing.

“What the hell is wrong with you?” she snapped. “Dammit, you know better. Dating Jayne and sleeping with her is one thing, but falling for her? You fuck the help, David. You don’t marry them.”

There was a sound. Not quite a gasp, but a sharp intake of breath. Rebecca looked past her brother and saw Jayne standing in the doorway to the bedroom. She wore David’s shirt, a diamond necklace, and nothing else. Her cheeks were red, as if she’d been slapped, her brown eyes wide.

For the second time in a week, Rebecca felt shame.

Jayne closed the bedroom door. David grabbed Rebecca’s arm and shook her.

“What’s wrong with you?” he demanded. “How could you do that? She’s your best friend.”

“Not anymore,” Rebecca whispered. “Not anymore.”

Seventeen

JAYNE SCRAMBLED TO GET into her clothes. There was something wrong—she couldn’t see very well. When she wiped her face, she felt dampness. From what? Tears? She couldn’t be crying. Not over anything to do with the Wordens.

She pulled on her panties, then ripped off David’s shirt and grabbed her bra. There were voices coming from the living room, but she didn’t bother listening. Neither of them could say anything she wanted to hear.

She knew this wasn’t David’s fault. His only sin was being a Worden. He had a biological connection to the insanity. But there was no way to separate him from them. No way to have one without the other. And as she’d teased earlier, he simply wasn’t worth it. Later, when breathing didn’t hurt so much, she would tell him.

She stepped into her shoes, then tugged at the necklace around her throat. She couldn’t get the clasp to open at first. There was a sharp pain as she scratched herself, but finally it came free, then tumbled into her waiting hand.

The diamonds winked up at her, all sparkly and perfect. She would never own anything like it, probably never even see one like it again up close. Which was fine. Like with David, the price of the necklace was too high.

She pulled open the door to the living room. Rebecca and David stood close together, obviously having a heated conversation. Jayne looked at the beautiful blonde standing next to him. Tall and lovely, the kind of woman who stopped traffic.

Jayne knew everything about her. She knew her moods, what she found funny, what annoyed her. She’d seen Rebecca happy and sad and sick and exhausted. They’d traveled together, had endured the flu together. They’d shared hopes and dreams and clothes. They’d grown up together. Jayne had thought they would always be friends.

She’d been wrong.

She and Rebecca weren’t friends—they’d
never
been friends. Theirs was a relationship born of proximity and loneliness. Under ordinary circumstances, they never would have met. And if they met now, they would have nothing in common. They weren’t friends, and it had been Jayne’s mistake to assume they ever could be.

They’d used each other. That wasn’t friendship. That wasn’t anything.

“Jayne, wait,” David said coming up to her. “Please, don’t go. I don’t know what shit my sister has going on, but it has nothing to do with me. Don’t go.”

He was so beautiful, she thought sadly. Everything a man should be. Not perfect, but perfect for her. She could have loved him forever. Maybe she would, but he would never know.

She held out the necklace.

“No.” He backed up, tucking his hands behind him. “I won’t take that back. I want you to have it. Dammit, Jayne, don’t do this. Don’t listen to her.”

“She knows I’m telling the truth. Jayne, I care about you, but this is impossible.”

David turned on his sister. “Shut the fuck up,” he yelled. “What are you doing here anyway? Why are you doing this?”

Jayne didn’t know why Rebecca had turned on her. Jayne’s relationship with David had been amusing before. Something that could be used to annoy Elizabeth. Except Jayne had told the woman she was dating her son, and Elizabeth had panicked. Did she know about the diamond necklace? Had she talked to her son and realized that maybe this was more than a game?

Jayne wanted that to be true, wanted a moment to hold the thought inside. But there was no point. Whatever David felt for her didn’t change the fact that he was indelibly connected to the rest of the Wordens.

She couldn’t do it anymore. Not the drama, the hysterics, the assumptions. She just wanted normal. She dropped the necklace onto the coffee table.

“Good-bye,” she said to both of them. She picked up her purse, then walked out.

David came after her. He grabbed her arm and spun her to face him. “Don’t,” he pleaded. “Rebecca’s leaving. I want you to stay. Jayne, please.”

“This isn’t about you,” she told him. “I’m sorry. I can’t do this anymore. I thought I could. I thought we had a chance. We don’t.”

“I love you.”

It was a perfect moment. If this were a Lifetime movie, Rebecca would burst out of the room, eyes filled with tears. She would apologize and admit she’d been wrong. She would tell them both that she wanted them to be happy. David would sweep Jayne up in his arms, and they would kiss.

But this wasn’t a movie. It was her life, and she’d been avoiding reality long enough.

She thought about telling him she loved him, too. That he was everything she wanted, but there was no point. So she simply turned her back and walked away. David was a proud man—he wouldn’t come after her a second time.

And he didn’t. She made it to the elevator without hearing another word.

Elizabeth hovered in the hallway, listening for the sound of Blaine’s arrival. Normally, she waited in her office or in the family room. Not that she was ever excited that he was home, but it did mean the rest of the evening could begin. Usually he ran late, meaning she had to usher him through getting changed for whatever event they had on the calendar.

Tonight was a quiet evening. Just the two of them. For the best, she thought as she glanced at her watch again. They needed to talk, and interruptions wouldn’t make the conversation go any faster.

Finally she heard the door to the garage open, then close. She moved into the kitchen and waited until Blaine had entered.

“We have to talk,” she announced.

“Hello to you, too,” he said.

She flicked her wrist. “Yes, yes. Hello, I’m fine. I’m sure your day was excellent. Is that enough?”

He put down his slim briefcase. “As always, your romantic declarations make me love you all the more.”

She did her best not to glare. “Are you being funny? Is this humor?”

“Apparently not.” He walked into the butler’s panty and opened the liquor cabinet. “Scotch?”

“Yes, please. Then we can talk.”

“About?”

“David and Jayne. They’re together.”

Blaine stepped back into the kitchen. “They’re going out?”

“Yes.” She finally had his attention. Talk about a miracle. “Apparently it’s serious. They’re sleeping together, which today doesn’t mean anything. But they’re also involved. David seems quite taken with her. I can’t imagine why.”

“Why not? She’s a bright young woman. Hardworking.”

“Which is an excellent characteristic for a housekeeper, but not how I want my future daughter-in-law described.”

“You’d rather she was lazy?”

Elizabeth forced herself to breathe slowly. “Blaine, I swear, you look for ways to annoy me.”

He retreated to the butler’s panty, then reappeared with two drinks. He handed her one. “I don’t plan. Sometimes the opportunity presents itself, and I succumb to temptation.”

“Resist,” she snapped. “We have to talk about what to do. Jayne is nobody. There’s no family, no money, no connections.”

Blaine sipped his drink. “David has enough for both of them.”

“You can’t seriously expect me to believe you approve. If your son walked in right now and said he wanted to marry Jayne Scott, you’d be fine with it?”

“He could do a lot worse.”

“Yes, perhaps someone from the local prison population.”

“You’re a snob.”

“And you’re naïve. This is important. We don’t want him marrying a nobody. If we’re not careful, she’ll trap him, and we’ll all be stuck.”

Blaine’s blue eyes darkened. “We wouldn’t want our son being tricked into marriage, would we?”

Elizabeth stiffened. “If you’re going to take that tone with me, we’re not having this conversation.”

Blaine picked up his briefcase and started out of the kitchen. “Then this might be an excellent evening after all.”

*   *   *

The reception was held at Worden’s Jewelry in Beverly Hills. Rebecca hadn’t really listened when Elizabeth had said something about a reception “launching” her as Rivalsa, but as she entered the normally quiet and elegant space, she was greeted by a tall, handsome man in a tux. He offered her a martini, “shaken, not stirred,” then guided her into a transformed store.

There were white lights everywhere, competing in brilliance with a room filled with diamonds. The display cases held the usual beautiful pieces, along with hundreds of loose stones Rebecca assumed were fake. No one’s inventory was that impressive. Armed guards in tuxedos stood against the walls, watching everyone. Music from various James Bond movies played in the background, and several faux roulette wheels had been set up for the guests.

On top of the display cases reclined scantily dressed young women wearing Rebecca’s designs. Beside each model was another armed guard. These looked beefy and quite capable of taking out anyone willing to risk stealing something shiny.

Rebecca took it all in, then sipped her martini. She’d been reluctant to attend Elizabeth’s reception, but she had to admit, her mother had done a great job pulling it all together.

She scanned the crowd. There were the usual collection of the very rich, a few Hollywood types, and the serious jewelry collectors. Now that word was out as to who Rivalsa really was, she’d been getting calls from people asking about custom pieces. Business had always been good—now it was excellent.

She should have been thrilled, and she was. Sort of. The only minor annoyance was that David still wasn’t speaking to her. She’d left several messages, which he hadn’t returned, and she had even stopped by his office two days ago. He’d walked out on her.

She also hadn’t seen Jayne, which was more upsetting than she would have thought. When she’d lived in Italy, she could go several days without talking to her friend, although they always kept in touch through e-mail. Now there wasn’t anything.

Rebecca hadn’t made any calls there. She knew Jayne needed time to get over being angry. The truth was Jayne knew she wasn’t right for David. She would be the first one to admit it. However, it was possible that Rebecca’s crude assessment of the situation had been a little over the line. Accurate, but more hurtful than she would have liked.

Still, Jayne knew she was in the wrong, so she could take the first step.

“Ms. Worden.”

Rebecca watched a heavyset Russian man approach. “I see you are as beautiful as your pieces.”

“Thank you. Call me Rebecca.”

“And I am Aleksei. I am buying that necklace.” He pointed to a woven chain with three large pink diamonds.

“For your wife?”

Aleksei smiled. “For my mistress. My wife doesn’t appreciate fine jewelry.”

“Perhaps if you gave her more of an opportunity,” Rebecca murmured, then took a sip of her martini.

“Perhaps,” he agreed, sounding amused. “I would like to commission matching earrings, also in pink diamonds. The larger stones, of course. As the necklace is eight hundred thousand U.S., the earrings will be close to that price, yes?”

She thought about her diamond inventory. “I have two pink diamonds that are similar. They’re a perfect pair, three carats each. The earrings will be one-point-two million.”

“I see you are as strong as you are beautiful.”

“I could easily sell the stones to someone else.”

“Very well, one-point-two million. How long will it take you to make them?”

“About two weeks. If you’ll give your card to my brother, he’ll write up the order.”

Aleksei nodded, then reached for her free hand. He kissed her knuckles, then excused himself.

A man from China and his translator were next, followed by a representative from the Sultan of Brunei, asking about her inventory of yellow diamonds. The fawning attention made her feel better about pretty much everything. She replaced her empty glass with a full one and went searching for David.

She found him finishing an order. When he’d shaken hands with both the businessman from China and his interpreter, she moved next to him.

“Still not speaking to me?” she asked in a teasing voice. “You can’t stay mad at me forever.”

“I’m not mad,” he said, barely looking at her. “I’m disappointed. There’s a difference.”

Her good mood deflated like a punctured balloon. “Wait a minute. What did I do except tell the truth?”

He slipped the order forms into a concealed drawer and locked it. “Because none of this could be your fault? Hide behind the truth, if it makes you feel better. We both know you were a complete bitch. Not a real surprise, you’ve always had the tendency, but your target was unexpected. I thought Jayne was your friend.”

“She is. We’ve been friends for years. You know that.”

“With friends like you, I can see why she’s moving away.”

Rebecca stared at him. “Jayne isn’t moving because of me. She’s moving because of Mom.”

“Keep telling yourself that. Maybe it will be true.”

“No, I’m not the reason. Jayne is probably a little pissed right now, but her being sensitive doesn’t change facts. She’s not someone you can be with, David, and you know it. The truth is, you’re the one playing with her heart, not me. Leading her on, making her think she can win you.”

“I’m not a prize to be won or lost,” he said, glaring at her. “Neither is she. We had a relationship, one you’ve done your best to ruin. I care about her, Rebecca. I’m in love with her.”

She swallowed. “You’ve never said that about anyone before.” Her chest tightened. Love? He couldn’t love Jayne. He had to see that.

“I’ve never been in love before.”

“She’s totally wrong for you.”

“Why? Because she’s not rich?”

“Partially.” Partially, because if they had each other, they wouldn’t need her.

“I’m rich enough for both of us.”

“Fine,” she grumbled. “There’s more. She doesn’t have any connections. She wouldn’t fit in with your friends.”

“She’d fit in fine with mine. You’re saying she wouldn’t fit in Elizabeth’s world of charity events and parties. She doesn’t know the right people. You think I give a damn about that? I don’t need her to introduce me to anyone. I have plenty of connections on my own. What I want is a woman I can respect. Someone who challenges me and sees me for who and what I am. I want someone to call me on my bullshit. Someone who makes me laugh. I want to be excited about growing old with her. Jayne is special. I would expect you to be telling me I don’t deserve her, but you’re not really her friend, are you? You’re just like Mom. Using Jayne because it’s convenient and makes you look good.”