Always You (A Magnolia Falls Novel) (3 page)

Diana felt as if she were in an alternate reality where her evil stepsister had been taken over by someone human.

***

Liz closed her bedroom door behind her as she entered her childhood room. It was still painted the hideous yellow she had chosen just to spite Diana when she first moved in. Once she figured out yellow gave her headaches, she was too proud to change it back to the pretty blue Diana had painted it. Gosh, what a spoiled brat she had been. She had given the wicked stepsisters in Cinderella a run for their money, tormenting Diana every chance she got. Why had she done that?

It was her own fault she missed out on having a sister and a best friend. During the few months after Liz’s mother had married Diana’s father and Liz had her whole life turned upside down, having to leave her home in Texas to move to a small town in the middle of nowhere Connecticut, Diana had tried to be both a sister and a friend. Liz stubbornly rejected Diana’s attempts. By the time Liz figured things out and wanted to be a sister, it was too late. The damage was done. In all these years she had never figured out how to undo that damage and have a relationship with her sister.

She knew the final blow had been kissing Zack at Senior Prom. She hadn’t even liked Zack. She was just jealous of Diana and wanted what she had. He had never shown any interest in Liz. He only had eyes for Diana. She had orchestrated the whole kiss when she saw Diana heading toward them. Zack had been as shocked as Diana at the kiss. Of course she didn’t believe him. She always had low self-esteem, something Liz never understood because not only was she pretty with big green eyes, thick wavy hair, and full pink pouty lips. She also had brains and a personality someone had once described as the most pleasant they’d seen in a long time. Diana was the whole package. All Liz had was beauty, so she’d learned to use it to get what she wanted at a very early age. It had been easy to make Diana believe Zack preferred Liz to her.

They say something good comes out of tragedy. Maybe the something good would be that she and Diana could build a relationship now that their parents were gone. For Jessica. For their parents. And for them. She could use a friend, better yet a sister, in her life right now.  Her messed-up life either just got much worse or would get better with this move back to Magnolia Falls.

At least the townspeople had warmed up to her in the last few years. She had been coming home at least once a month and had finally begun to prove she was no longer the selfish, spoiled brat she had been as a child.

Secretly, she had yearned to belong. She’d wanted to walk into Ray’s Diner after school on a cold day and have a cup with her name on it for hot chocolate, since he refused to serve coffee to anyone under the age of eighteen. She’d wanted her first recital picture proudly displayed at Mrs. Betty’s, and she also wanted a partner for the annual Build a Snowman Contest. Her friends were other girls who despised small town life and wouldn’t be caught dead participating in any town events.

Now she would have Jessica. Ironic that her baby sister felt like her savior at the moment. Because of Jessica, Diana would have to accept her, too.

With that thought in mind, Liz lay down on her purple coverlet and fell asleep.

CHAPTER THREE

Two days later they were on a train, headed to New York City. Jessica bounced up and down in her seat. Although she had been into the City several times, this was her first train ride.

“Jessica, you are going to spill your drink. Can you please sit still until you finish it,” Diana scolded, hating to correct her. Today was the first time she’d seen her little sister smile since the accident.

Jessica complied, took two drinks of her soda and set it aside. “I’m done.” She promptly began bouncing up and down again. Diana and Liz shared a smile and rolled their eyes.

“Are you sure each of us staying in our own place is going to work?” Liz asked.

“You said yourself you don’t have anything going on for the next week, so you can keep Jessica. The following week when you have to start rehearsing for the fashion show I will adjust my schedule to yours. After that I won’t be working anymore since I’m giving the firm my two weeks’ notice tomorrow. So you see, we have it all planned out.” Diana did not want to stay in Liz’s place, and there was no way Liz would stay with her.

“If you say so.”

“I do. Here, try some of this, it’s delicious.” Diana held out her fruit and yogurt parfait to Liz, hoping she would take it, disappointed when she just shook her head and turned away. In the last few days Liz had hardly eaten. It could be the stress and trauma of losing their parents, but from the look of her, this had become an ongoing problem. Against her will, Diana was beginning to worry about her. Maybe moving back the Magnolia Falls was exactly what all the Mathison sisters needed.

***

After refusing the food Diana offered Liz closed her eyes and pretended to sleep. Diana was always eating. It was disgusting. How could a person eat that much food? She felt like she’d eaten a whole cow since being back in Magnolia Falls. She would have to go on a serious diet when she got home to get ready for the fashion show. This could be her last appearance for a while so she needed to look her best.

Considering she would soon be burying herself in Magnolia Falls she wanted to go out with a bang. Thanks to her parents, this could be her last job ever. She should be angry at them. She even tried to be, but a part of her was grateful. She had been quickly reaching the point where a decision needed to be made, about Steve, about her career, and her life. Somewhere along the way she had lost herself. Maybe going home to stay was the answer.

A cold wetness landed in her lap, pulling her out of her reverie. Her eyes snapped open to find Jessica had spilled her drink all over her lap.

“Jessica. I told you if you didn’t sit still you were going to spill your drink. Now Liz is all wet,” Diana scolded.

“I’m sorry.” Jessica’s little face crumpled, and she started crying. “I didn’t mean to.”

“It’s okay, squirt. They are just an old pair of pants, and I happen to have another pair in my bag. I’m a model. I never leave home without a change of clothes.” Liz winked at her little sister, picked up the bag, and went to the nearest bathroom to change.

***

After getting Jessica settled in at Liz’s loft, Diana went to her own, small apartment. She looked around the old, dingy place. There were stains on the ceiling where it had leaked. The brown carpet was starting to fray. She had moved in there straight out of law school because it was all she could afford. She’d wanted to be independent and did not accept money from her father. For the last few years she had made enough money to move into something better, but never had the time to look because she was always working. She would not miss the eighty-hour work weeks.

Setting her luggage down in her room, she decided there was no time like the present to start sorting what she would take with her and what would stay behind. While she did, she thought about Liz. As much as she disliked her they were family, they were all the family each had left. Eating disorders were the norm for models, but many of them died. Once they were back in Magnolia Falls she would have to take steps to get Liz some help. If she had to use Jessica as a guilt tool she would. After what they had been through the last week, Jessica did not need to lose anyone else she was close to.

***

Diana rushed out of her office at five-thirty the next day. It had been a grueling day, the senior partners tried everything to get her to stay. Finally, they had accepted her decision, but they weren’t happy about it. They’d gone so far as to hint strongly she would be making partner soon. That’s what she had been working so hard for, the offer was tempting, but her little sister was more important. Her parents’ will left little room to make her own choices. That still irked her, but she would not be mad at them. They loved all their girls. The choices they made were what they felt was best for them.

Diana stepped into the elevator and punched in the code Liz had given her the night before to get into the loft. When the doors opened Diana heard Jessica’s laughter coming from the living room and smiled. That was a wonderful sound, one she vowed to hear more often. She could never replace their mother, but she would love and care for Jessica as if she were her own child.

“You guys are having way too much fun without me,” she said before she saw the man flying Jessica around like an airplane.

Jessica looked up at her with a wide grin on her face. “Look, Diana. I’m a 747.”

‘‘I see that.” She smiled back at her baby sister as she sat down next to Liz on the black leather sofa. “Who’s the launch pad?” She asked. How was it that Liz could even manage to look good in baggy sweats and a t-shirt with her hair pulled up in a ponytail? Diana felt overdressed in her navy pinstripe pantsuit. You’d think she would be used to Liz after all these years, but she still felt like the ugly duckling when around her.

“That’s my boyfriend, Steve Barnes. He was in Chicago for a gallery show and just got home a few hours ago. He’s an artist.”

“Really. Is any of this his work?” Diana gestured to the paintings on the walls. She’d noticed them the day before because they didn’t fit with the rest of the decor. She loved Liz’s loft with its walls of windows, the mixture of black leather and plush, purple velvet chaise and armchairs. The white shag rug and rich cherry tables. Ordinarily those furnishings wouldn’t go together, but Liz had made it all work, as much as Diana hated to admit it. The art paintings, on the other hand, were hideous.

“Yeah, that’s all Steve’s. Aren’t they great?”

“
Umm
, yeah. So, what did your agent say when you talked to him today?” Diana hurried to change the subject.

“It wasn’t good. For one, he got the date of the fashion show wrong. It’s at the end of next week and rehearsals start this week. Second, he’s lined up so much work for me I’m booked solid for the next six months. I promise, Diana, when I called him two days ago I told him to start clearing my schedule. Instead he’s been adding to it.” Liz looked genuinely contrite.

“What are you going to do?”

“I’m meeting with him tomorrow after rehearsal. I’ll make sure he understands the situation.” Liz picked up a glass of water from the table and sipped. She poured another one and set it in front of Diana.

“Okay. What do we do with Jessica tomorrow while I’m at work and you are at rehearsal?” Diana picked up the glass and took a drink.

“I can watch her,” Steve chimed in, now that Jessica had finally come in for a landing. He sat on the other side of Liz. Jessica ran to Diana and threw her arms around her neck in greeting, almost upending the glass in her hand. “Oh yes, can he
please
? Uncle Steve is a lot of fun.”

Diana smoothed back the hair on Jessica’s head. “Uncle Steve just got back from a long, business trip. We need to let him get his rest.” To Steve she said, “Thank you for the offer, but we wouldn’t want to impose. Besides, with everything we’ve been through it would be best if Jessica were with either Liz or me for now.”

“I understand. I’m very sorry for your loss. Your parents were wonderful people. I’m sorry I couldn’t make it to their funeral, this show was planned months ago and could not be changed.”

“When did you meet my parents?” Diana wondered what her father had thought of Steve.

“A few months back when they came out to visit, we all went to dinner. I think you had to work that night.” He put his arm across the sofa behind Liz and leaned in closer to her.

“Probably, too bad I missed it.” There was something about him she did not like at all. He reminded her of a used car salesman. Pretty on the outside, sleazy on the inside.

“Funny that we hadn’t met before now, you being Liz’s sister and living in the same city.”

“That’s the life of an attorney, all work and no play.”

“I wouldn’t think that having dinner with your own sister once in a while would be considered play.”

Whoa
, who did this guy think he was? With his shoulder-length brown hair, pearly white smile, and piercing brown eyes, he gave Diana a bad feeling. Something in her parents’ letter clicked. Maybe they wanted Liz in Magnolia Falls to get her away from Steve and all the men just like him in the City. Men who wanted nothing more than a pretty girl on their arm who could provide their next meal ticket.

“What time is your rehearsal tomorrow, Liz?” she asked, ignoring Steve’s comment.

“Eight in the morning.’’ Liz looked at her, sheepishly. It seemed as if she were embarrassed by Steve’s comments.

‘‘I’ll take Jessica with me tonight and work from home tomorrow.” Standing up she took Jessica’s hand, “show me where your stuff is so we can pack up and go to my place.”

“Does your house have a swimming pool on the roof?” Jessica asked.

“No, honey, it doesn’t. But the best ice cream in the City is right around the corner. We can stop there on the way home,” Diana said as Jessica led them to Liz’s room.

“Yay. I love ice cream.”

“I know.”

When they were packed and ready to go Liz walked them to the door. Thankfully, Steve was nowhere to be seen.

“How about we go shopping this weekend, just the three of us, to find you two some dresses for the fashion show. I’d love it if you were both there.”

“Can we go Diana,
please
?” Jessica pleaded.

Diana looked down at Jessica’s adorable face and knew she couldn’t deny her anything right now. Later, she would learn to put her foot down, but there was time for that.

“Sure. It sounds like fun. Thanks for inviting us.”

“Of course I want my sisters there.”

Diana smiled and pressed the button for the elevator door. Before they could step in Liz put a hand on Diana’s arm. “About what Steve said earlier, he didn’t mean to sound rude, he’s just very protective of me.”

“Don’t worry about it. He’s right. I should have been a better sister.”

“That makes two of us. I’m sorry for all the things I did when we were kids. I wish I could take it all back and have my sister instead.”

Touched by her sincerity Diana pulled Liz into her arms and hugged her: “Let’s start over,” she said softly. “Not just for Jessica, but for us, too. I really need my sister now.”

“Me, too.” They pulled apart and both wiped tears from their eyes.

“Are we going? I’m getting hungry,” Jessica said. Diana and Liz laughed.

“Okay, Okay. Let’s go before you starve.”

“Don’t forget you promised ice cream.”

“After dinner,” Diana said. She rolled her eyes and shared a smile with Liz as the door closed.

***

As soon as they were gone, Liz stomped into the bedroom she shared with Steve. “What the hell was that all about?” She shouted at him.

He flicked a look at her and went back to hanging up his clothes. “What are you talking about, Liz?”

“You attacking my sister for no reason. She didn’t like it, and neither did I.”

With deliberate slowness he put down his pants and turned to her. They were now eye to eye, her five-foot-eleven height slightly towering over his five-foot-ten stature.

“I don’t give a damn what ‘Princess Diana’ likes or doesn’t like. As for you, you should be grateful to me for defending you. Or maybe now that you have your sister back in your life you don’t need me anymore. Perhaps it would be best if I pack my things and leave now.”

“No, don’t do that.’’ She threw herself at him. “I’m sorry. You’re right. I was ungrateful.”

He wrapped his arms around her and stroked her hair. “You know I’m the only one who looks out for you, and I will never let anyone hurt you.”

“I know, baby. You’re the only one I can count on”

“That’s right, Lizzie. Don’t forget it.’’ He continued to stroke her hair.

While he was gone Liz felt strong, as if she didn’t need him anymore. The moment he returned her strength crumbled, and she felt as if she couldn’t survive without him. She didn’t like the control he exerted over her, yet she didn’t know how to break it.