The Scale (Martha's Way) (3 page)

“Come
on, darling,” her father addressed Minka in his calm, gentle manner. “Let’s go
say hello to the happy couple.”

For
a brief second, Minka toyed with the idea of declining, but as she looked into
her father’s smiling brown eyes, she had to remind herself, like everyone else here
today,
her
parents were completely oblivious to her
suffering.

The
disconnection she always felt from her family was never greater than at this
moment. It had started on their tenth birthday when Minka was dressed in baggy
jeans and a tank top while Keely wore a beautiful jeweled flare dress. A dress
Minka had openly admired and discussed with her parents in great detail. But,
in the end, her mother had gently explained it was better suited for Keely’s
build.

At
that moment, Keely was established as the beautiful one.

“
I
don
’t think I’ve
seen you with your sister all day,” her mother observed, but her voice didn’t
sound too concerned to Minka.

That’s
because deep down, I don’t want to be here. I’
m hurting.

Instead,
Minka rose to her feet and ran her hands down the skirt of her dress. She
wished she had done without the Spanx underneath her dress. It was one thing to
wear figure-flattering shapewear for a couple of hours, but all day was
torture. At this point she wasn’t sure how long she could ignore the pressure
of the corset against her ribs. Maybe she could excuse herself and escape to
the powder room to remove the damn thing. But before she could conjure a
believable escape strategy, she found herself standing next to the happy
couple.

Keely
and Blake were engaged in conversation with another couple. Quick introductions
were made before the couple excused themselves.
 
Blake turned to Minka with his bright
smile before leaning forward to take her hands into his just as his lips
touched the side of her cheek.

Her
heart sank once more.

“How
are you, Minka?” Blake’s deep, masculine voice cut through her like a sharp
knife.

In
spite of herself, she smiled at her soon-to-be brother-in-law. “I’m well.
Congratulations again,” she said calmly. Minka was surprised by the composure
in her voice. How did she manage to sound so warm and sincere when she felt so
defeated and broken? Her acting ability never ceased to amaze her.

“Of
course, you will be my maid of honor.” Keely’s tone was a little higher than
usual with excitement.

“Keely,
you have so many wonderful friends who are dying to play that role,” Minka
objected while hoping her voice sounded calmer than she felt. “Just because we
are sisters—”

“Twins.”
Keely corrected with a smile.

“Yes,
fraternal twins,
still,
that
doesn’t mean I have to be your maid of honor.”
Please don’t make me do this.
Please change your mind.
“
Besides,
”
Minka added with a shaky laugh, “did you ask Claire?” Claire was a famous
singer and Keely’s BFF.

Even
as she spoke the words, Minka couldn’t help but feel she was losing the battle.
Her sister didn’t look one bit convinced.

Keely
smiled brightly. “Twins are twins. Besides, if it wasn’t for you, Blake and I
would never have been a couple.”

Nausea
pained her stomach; the reminder she was the reason they were celebrating their
engagement sickened her. Had it not been for her, “Blake and Keely” would not
exist.

Just
as she mentally started to pick up the scattered pieces of her heart and tried
to put it together at least for the duration of their conversation, her sister
dropped the clincher. “When we exchange vows, I want my sister next to me. You
are my better half.”

Minka
swallowed. She needed to wave the white flag and surrender. Keely had the power
to get everyone to capitulate to her charms.

“Of course.”
It wasn’t what she wanted, but how could she say
so?
 
Keely was her sister. And once
upon a time, Blake used to be her best friend.
 
To accept would kill her of course, but
what other choice did she have?

She
smiled wanly as Keely let out an ecstatic squeal.

Blake
reached over and kissed Minka on her cheek. “
Thanks,
Minx. You
’ve made us
both very happy.”

She
forced a smile, desperately trying not to let the term of endearment affect
her. It wasn’t as though she really had a choice in the matter, not when she
was up against one of the most beautiful, most beloved couples who ever walked
the earth.

“I’m
sure we will have a ball,” she added dryly.

“Of course!”
Keely answered brightly.

Damn
it! How did one person manage to always be so upbeat? Whatever Keely was
putting in her water, Minka made a mental note to get some.

She grinned.

Keely grinned. “And don’t fret,” she continued, “you
won’t have to do much while on the island. Use the time as a vacation.”

“
Thanks.
”

An
uncomfortable silence fell between them until their parents chimed in, talking
about the event planned the next day for the bride and groom and their guests.

“Jason
is here,” Blake said
,
his voice filled with delight.

Minka
followed Blake’s attention to the entrance and rested her gaze on the imposing
figure. He stood tall, lean with muscles but not overly so, with blond hair
resting at the nape of his neck. His eyes were so striking and mesmerizing they
could leave one breathless. Even standing several feet away, they captivated
her.

Her
gaze drifted across chiseled cheekbones, full lips that looked alluringly soft,
but she guessed could be firm and stubborn. His face wasn’t bad either, she
mused. The man practically oozed sexuality.

Minka
had to be dead to not be drawn to him. Amused, she noticed how many women
glanced appreciatively in his direction. Dressed in fitted black slacks, a
button-down shirt and a blazer, he looked daunting, bad, and sexy all at once.
His strong square jaw was covered with a layer of barely tamed beard that only
made him more mysterious and fascinating.

All
the women seemed to have forgotten they were either on the arms of their
husbands or boyfriends. The single ones shifted their already tight dresses to
accentuate their assets.

“He’s
gorgeous,” Keely whispered in her ear. “Don’t you think?”

Minka
nodded in agreement. It was one thing for her heart to belong to Blake, but she
always noticed an attractive man. Too bad they rarely noticed her.

That
realization hit Minka like a hard brick on her chest. Why, she wasn’t so sure.
It wasn’t as if she was expecting this handsome stranger to notice her. No,
things like that didn’t happen to her and somewhere along the way she’d
accepted that little reality check.

Jason
looked around the room before finding Blake. He took long easy strides toward
his friend. Within seconds, introductions were being made. Minka found herself looking
into a set of blue eyes so pale and vivid they made her think of electricity or
a laser beam. Everyone else around him faded away as she became all too aware
of him in the crowded space. Feeling suddenly naked under his gaze, she turned
away to break the connection and flashed her sister a forced smile. She felt
the room close in on her as her lungs tightened. Oh God, she needed air
desperately.

“Excuse
me,” she heard herself say before the room went entirely black.

Chapter Two

“If you don't scale
the mountain, you can't view the plain.”

Chinese Proverb

Jason
placed the empty bottle of beer on the table and scanned the kitchen—mainly the
freshly-painted, empty walls. A smile curved his lips; soon his vision would
come to life. For the past week, most of his time had been spent in this
kitchen, removing dust, dirt, and grease spots with water, a little mild
dishwashing detergent and a cellulose sponge. Well, many sponges. Now he walked
over to the window overlooking the sink and removed the last of the blue painter’s
tape on the trimmings. Light from the sunset gleamed through the window onto
the shiny utensils on the granite counter top. He ran the knife and fork under
the water and put them in the automatic drawer, one of the many modern
appliances that fit in with the traditional kitchen. In a day or two, the paint
would dry and he could move to the next task on his list. Jason crossed the
room to the burlap-covered sliding pin-board chalkboard he had designed himself
and erased
Paint kitchen on birthday
.

His
eyes moved to the aged paper pinned on the board.
Happy Birthday, Forever
Always, Mom.
A photo of a waif-like figure with long, corn silk hair
smiling into the camera stared back at him. His muscles grew tense as blood
boiled in his veins.

He
reached into the back pocket of his jeans to retrieve his cell phone, scrolled
to Rita’s name and texted,
I’m coming over in a couple of hours.
He
didn’t wait for her to respond. He placed the phone on the granite counter and
walked out of the room. On his way up the stairs the doorbell chimed, forcing
him to change direction. He glanced at his silver Rolex. He had been
preoccupied with finishing the kitchen and completely forgotten about Blake and
Keely’s plan to stop by.

“Hi.”
He hugged his childhood friend and placed a light kiss on Keely’s cheek. It was
good to have Blake back on the island. More so, he was happy his friend had
found love.

Jason
gave them a quick tour of downstairs, pointing out the upgrades he had made thus
far before circling back to the kitchen.

“You’ve
done a great job, man.”

From
the refrigerator he retrieved a chilled bottle of wine, filled a glass for
Keely,
then
grabbed two beers, handed one to Blake and
one for himself.

Pictures
of the old, shaggy house that had been deserted after his mother’s death still
lay on his desk somewhere and he nodded with appreciation. “It’s a lot of
work,” he admitted.

“Are
you going to sell it after you turn it around?” Keely asked.

Jason
shook his hair, twisted the cap off his beer and welcomed the cold taste of the
brew down his throat. “This is going to be home.”

“What
about that big mansion where you grew up?” Blake asked.

The
two men exchanged a knowing look. His friends were all privy to his
relationship with his father. It was non-existent, and that suited him fine.

Broad
shoulders shrugged. “The old man can have it. By the way, how’s your sister?”
he asked Keely and changed the topic to a less irritating subject.

Her
sister had fainted right into his arms last night. At first, he had found the
situation amusing but once it became clear she was out of commission, he
carried her to one of the vacant rooms and called Forrest, his friend and the town
doctor. In the end, all turned out well but he couldn’t get her face out of his
mind.

Blake’s
pretty fiancée’s eyebrows drew together as if she was mulling over his question
before flashing him one of her dazzling smiles. Jason didn’t buy the act. She
was worried about her sister.

“She’s
well,” Keely answered. “She’s resting. By the way, Claire arrives tomorrow,”
Keely continued. “We’ll celebrate your birthday tomorrow night? And you can’t
say no. Not an option,” she finished with a smile, determination written all
over her face.

If
it had been up to him, Jason would have rather spend the night painting a room
while enjoying a cool beer, but his friends had insisted they go out and since
it wasn’t often all of them were on the island at once, he had relented.

“Will
Minka be joining us?” The question was unexpected.
Where did it come from?
But he already knew the answer, although he
had not given it much thought, something about Keely’s sister had affected him.

Keely
shrugged. “I’m not sure, but I can ask.”

* * * *

Jason
reached out for the redhead’s tiny waist, bringing her close to him. With as
much strength as she could muster from her little frame, Rita shoved him away
before walking past him. He wasn’t in the mood to play games; that was one of
the reasons he didn’t do relationships and was still hanging around Rita. They
had an understanding. They got
together,
they had sex,
then went their separate ways. So, why was she pouting her beautiful bright
red-colored lips now?

“What’s
wrong?” He was going for calm and gentle, but the way her green eyes rolled at
him told him he had failed.

“What are you doing here?”
                                                         

Jason
raised a quizzical eyebrow, amused by Rita’
s question.
Wasn
’t it obvious?