Then & Now (33 page)

To her the whole thing was boring and brought her to tears every time he dragged her to one of the events.  She was only to stand there and look pretty.  Not this time. “Yes, of course.”

His dark green eyes landed right on her. “Alright. Do what you have to do.” Turning back to his computer he dismissed her without a second look.

  Colin had always been very intimidating; it was what made him such a successful business man. Though, to her it had just become annoying.  “Great.” She gritted her teeth as she turned on her heel and left. 

This weekend was exactly what she needed.  She headed down the hall towards her room with a new sense of herself. As she shut her bedroom door she found herself thinking over Colin’s question about when she would return.  She couldn’t help but think that she might not ever come back.

Making sure she had everything Ella glanced out the window once again. Amy’s limo was to arrive at any given minute. Unfortunately, it wasn’t soon enough. She listened to Matt as he barreled down the stairs and into the living room.  Their chocolate colored Labradors greeted him with soft whimpers and whines as they rubbed up against his legs.

Paying no attention to either one of the dogs Matt’s eyes went from her face to her luggage then back. “So, you are going?”

For the past few weeks Matt had been taking his sweet time getting home, and it seemed as if each day he kept getting later.  She didn’t even get the chance to tell him about her sister’s invitation in person she had to leave a message on his work phone. His response was coming home starting a fight with her and leaving once again.

“I’ll be back on Monday.”  She stated simply.

With a snort he turned away from her, heading for the kitchen. “I leave on Wednesday for that job assignment.”

Taking a deep breath she accepted each dog as they returned back to her side. She massaged both sets of furry ears before she
glanced at the decorative wall clock. “I’ll be back in time.” She reassured softly.

“And if you’re not?” He barked from the kitchen as he slammed the door to one of the cupboards, “The dogs will be left alone for too long.” 

Ella slowly walked into the kitchen. “Matt, I don’t see my sister that often.  It will only be for the weekend.  If something happens then I’ll call Cassie to come and check on the dogs.”

He grunted as he set his glass down. “I guess I wouldn’t be much of a husband if I told you not to go to Hawaii.”

Her vision blurred for a moment as she looked down at the floor. Taking in a deep breath she knew this would be the only good-bye she would be receiving from him. Amy never would have put up with him.  Her sister would put him in his place without thinking twice about it, while she stood there fiddling with a button on her coat.

A car’s horn blared from the outside letting Ella know that her ride had arrived. Walking into the living-room she began to gather her luggage, while Matt made his way over to the bay window.

“A limo? Well La-De-Da.” Matt’s deep voice boomed over the small living area.  “I guess you must go. Especially if you’re going to ride in style.”

His mocking tone set her teeth on edge.  He usually won their arguments knowing she wasn’t very good at
confrontations. But this was going too far.  He was being disrespectful and rude.  Balling her fist she turned and faced him fully. “I need to leave Matt.  I need time to think about us.”

He said nothing as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. Clicking his teeth together he eyed her carefully. “What do you need to
think
about?”

“Come on Matt.”  She started as she threw one of her bags over her shoulder. “You come home whenever you like. Which is actually a blessing some days, because when you are home all you do is complain. You complain about my cooking, the way I do
your
laundry, how I clean the bathrooms.”

Breathing out slowly
she realized that once the truth was out there wasn’t any stopping it. Though, God help her, it felt good to finally say it out loud. Shaking her head Ella slowly grabbed the rest of her luggage right as the limo blasted its horn once again.  With more calm then she felt she simply stated.  “I know I’ve been falling out of love with you, but now I’m not sure if I even like you.”

Matt stumbled back as if she had slapped him. “What?”

“I’m sorry. But it’s true.” With that she left, without turning back.

Hawaii was more beautiful then Ella thought it would be.  Warmer then she thought as well.  As she stepped off the plane she wished she had worn a lighter shirt under her coat. The humidity alone had her felling like a steamed turkey, and she only just stepped into the door of the plane.

“Hey, Ella!”
  Her sister’s voice called to her over the commotion of the airport.

Ella waved as she saw her twin standing next to a stretched out SUV. The strange looking limo did little to take the attention away from her sister.  Amy looked prefect in her soft flowing sundress, floppy hat and designer strappy, sandals.

“How have you been?”  Amy smiled as she met Ella at the bottom of the boarding stairs. “Oh, I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about the weather.”  She laughed while she tugged on Ella’s bulky sweater. “Sometimes I screw up on the details.”

Ella shook her head.  “It’s alright.”

“No it’s not!  You’re dying of heat!” Amy stated as she took her sister’s hand.  “Come on let’s get you into a nice cool limo, with a nice cool drink.”

“That sounds wonderful.” Ella agreed while she let Amy escort her towards the limo.

Once inside Amy handed her a peach colored drink. “So, was Matt okay with you coming?” 

“Yeah, something
like that.”  Ella answered under her breath. Not wanting to go any further into it she quickly asked.  “So, what’s up?  How’s everything?”

“Oh, well you know.  My life is a constant go.”  Amy laughed. “That’s actually why I needed this vacation. I just need some down time and I wanted to spend it with you. We don’t spend any time together anymore.”

No, they didn’t.  Not since she married the man Ella was in love with. Playing nervously with her glass she thought of what she had said to Matt right before she left.  She might not have the man she wanted, but the man she did have wasn’t cutting it either. “Yeah, I think this trip was a great idea.”

“Oh, Ella!
  I can’t wait to show you all the shops here.”  Amy sighed. “Are you sure your husband was okay with this?”

Breathing in deep through her nose, Ella answered honestly. 
“Yeap. I’m sure he won’t even miss me.”

Swishing the wine around the bottom of her glass Ella watched the crystal chandelier as it seemed to sway back and forth. She propped her head up on one of Amy’s expensive looking pillows while she dangled her feet over the arm of sofa. After the cocktail in the car, another one after a few hours of shopping, one more at the beach and a few glasses of wine, Ella doubted she had ever felt this relaxed. 

“No, no, no…” Amy reprimanded as she tried to lean forward. “You are not doing it right!
Not at all.”  A small hiccup escaped her as she tried swishing her own wine.

Ella sat up slowly when she realized it wasn’t just the chandelier that was swaying. Okay maybe she was more inebriated then relaxed. “I think I’ve had enough.”

Taking one big gulp from her glass Amy nodded. “Me too.” She picked up the bottle they had opened and looked in through the top.  “Wait, maybe not.  There’s still some in here.”

Ella couldn’t help but laugh out loud as she watched her sister take a pull right from the bottle spilling some down the front of her new, very luxurious shirt.
“Red wine on a white shirt…That’s never coming out!”

Amy lifted one shoulder as she wiped her mouth down the sleeve. “Who
cares!  I know Colin won’t.”  She laughed without humor.  “He doesn’t care what I do as long as I stand by his side and look pretty.” Batting her eye lashes she gave her best fake smile.

The comment took a moment to register. “Wait…What?”  Ella asked leaning forward.  “What do you mean?  I thought you and Colin were happy?” She remembered what Cassie had said about their body language and nearly choked at the memory.

Amy barked out a laugh that filled the whole room. “Sure if happy means I look good by his side and leave him alone when we get home.” She shook her head viciously. “I really wish I would’ve figured out what I really wanted before I went after Colin.”
 

Ella couldn’t say anything.  This wasn’t a conversation she should be having with her twin. Colin had been the man she had run away from.  He had raised so many questions that had made no sense to her. It took only one meeting, only one hello and she had been hooked.  She had always been the sensible one; the one who thought things through and acted only on logic.  It hadn’t been that way with Colin.  He had been more, so much more.
  

“Oh, Ella.”
  Amy sighed while she rolled the wine bottle between her hands. “I wish he would take me seriously. It would be so funny if I just popped out something really interesting right in the middle of his exhibit opening next week…Ha!  I would render him speechless.”

Ella swallowed hard. She remembered when Colin had first come back from Egypt. Her father had been ecstatic to see what he had found. Of course she stood outside of her father’s den straining to hear what they were saying over Matt’s consistent yelling at a game on television. Although, the way
Colin had described each relic she could’ve sworn she had been on the dig with him.

“Hey, wait a minute.” Amy shot up off the couch. “You wanted to be an art dealer, right? I remember dad saying you had a great eye for detail. You two used talk about being a curator in Greece. Dad is always telling Colin to talk to you about the history behind each piece of art he studied.”

The comment nearly knocked Ella off of the couch. “What?”  The single word was barely audible. Her father talked to Colin about her?

Sure, when she was younger Ella had big plans. She wanted to travel the world. See all the wonderful sights of all the big cities. Then Matt came into the picture and everything changed. She had skipped out on exciting and traded it in for safe. All because one man, who didn’t even belong to her, raised so many scary questions.

“Ella, you can be me…” Her voice was low and focused. “Oh my God! It would be perfect! You go home to my house pretending to be me and go to this stupid exhibit! Hell, you could spout out all kinds of stuff on the Egyptians!”

Giving her sister a long look, she laughed. “I think you’ve had too much wine.”

“No, I haven’t—” Giving note to Ella’s questioning glare, she quickly clarified. “Okay, maybe a little.  Just hear me out on this. You go to the opening pretending to be me. You know about all the artifacts…Hey, maybe you could even impress this woman from Egypt Colin has been trying to grab the attention of…”

“Holy, crap!
  You’re really serious about this!” Ella breathed, feeling suddenly light headed.

“Yes, I am.” Her response was eerily composed. 

“No, Amy.  This is a bad idea. What about Colin?”  She could hardly say his name without her pathetic heart skipping a beat. “I don’t know if I could pull off being you.  He would see right through it.”

“Actually, I hardly ever see him.
Since he started this whole exhibit thing he’s been gone or stays in his study. I highly doubt he’ll notice anything other than the comings and goings of the art.”  Amy confessed, as her mood became more somber.

Ella leaned back into the sofa as she rubbed her forehead. “
That might be true, but I’m pretty sure he will know it’s me. I’m nothing like you, and he’s a very smart man.”

She sighed noisily as she set the bottle on the coffee table. “You hold him too high! Trust me on this.
Money, looks, and brains are nothing but fluff.  It makes him look awesome, even prefect…but he’s not.”

Ella tried to think.  “So, what are you saying? While I’m playing you, you just go to my house and
be me?  For how long?”

“Just
until after the exhibit.”  Amy shrugged lightly. “I would only have to pretend to be you for two days.”

It took Ella only a second to realize her sister was completely serious.
“Amy, I don’t think my life will suit you very well.”

Coming right up to her sister, Amy dropped to her knees. “I don’t know…It might be nice to be a normal house wife.  Hell, I would even be able to cook for someone for once. Two years of Culinary school and I’ve never cooked for anyone. Colin never eats at home.  If he does, then I’ve never seen him.”

Oh man!
  Ella thought as she looked deep into her twin’s eyes.  Amy could always talk her into doing things. Shaking her head she tried to clear her thoughts.

“Come on, Ella…Please?” Pouting out her bottom lip Amy took both of Ella’s hands
into her own. “You can go shopping, eat out at really nice restaurants.  You can even see that really ritzy art exhibit that only a few rich members can attend.  I know you’ve wanted to do that since we were little and Colin has a VIP to any exhibit you would like.”