Double-Crossed Read online

  DOUBLE-CROSSED

  Written by

  Kate William

  Created by

  FRANCINE PASCAL

  Copyright © 2015, Francine Pascal

  To William Benjamin Rubin

  While Jessica watched incredulously, Jeremy pulled out a small midnight-blue velvet box from his pocket. He set it on the table between them and opened the lid.

  Jessica stared, feeling faint. Her face flushed, then paled, and when she looked up at Jeremy, her pupils were almost black.

  "Wha—wha?" was all she could manage.

  Inside the velvet box was a ring. It was a gold band with a large blue sapphire as dark as the sky at night. A sparkling diamond glittered brightly on each side of it. It was the ring that Jessica had shown Jeremy almost a month ago at Bibi's, the ring she had said was her favorite. Her engagement ring.

  Slowly Jeremy took the ring from the box and slid it onto the third finger of her left hand, which was suddenly ice-cold. Then he clasped her hands in his and said very solemnly, "Jessica, will you marry me? Will you be my wife?"

  CONTENTS

  Chapter 1

  Chapter 2

  Chapter 3

  Chapter 4

  Chapter 5

  Chapter 6

  Chapter 7

  Chapter 8

  Chapter 9

  Chapter 10

  Chapter 11

  Chapter 12

  Chapter 13

  Chapter 14

  Chapter 1

  Jessica Wakefield shut her eyes tightly, trying to block out the hazy sunlight filtering through the bedroom curtains. It was far too early to get up, she decided. Rolling over onto her side, she bunched up her pillow and snuggled her head into it.

  The next instant she sat bolt upright in bed, her hand to her mouth. A quick glance around the room brought reality crashing down on her: She was at Lila's, in the guest bedroom. It was Sunday morning. Slowly Jessica sank back against the pillows, her long blond hair fanning out behind her head. "Thank heavens yesterday is over," she muttered. "Today's a whole new day. I can start again."

  Groaning, she buried herself under the covers, but she couldn't hide from the memories that swirled insistently in her head. Just the day before, Jessica had committed what was perhaps the most outrageous act of all her sixteen years. Which was why she was staying at Lila's: She wasn't ready to face her parents, and she doubted whether her parents were ready to face her. Thinking about it, she flopped onto her other side and rubbed the sleep out of her blue-green eyes. When she opened them again, she was greeted by the sight of a pale-pink dress thrown carelessly onto the back of a chair. Jessica winced. Her bridesmaid dress.

  Yesterday she had worn that horrible dress as she walked down a rose-petal-strewn path at Moon Beach, not far from Sweet Valley. A smile plastered insincerely on her face, she had preceded her twin sister, Elizabeth, down the center aisle formed by two groups of white folding chairs that had been set up on the beach for the wedding.

  Wedding. Ha! She had stood next to Elizabeth at the front of the gathered crowd as the bride began her slow, almost regal procession. Friends had turned back to smile at the young woman in white while Jessica had gritted her teeth and fidgeted so much that Elizabeth had nudged her with her elbow twice.

  Sue Gibbons's dress had been lacy and fitted, with long, sheer sleeves to her wrists. The small incident of Jessica's "accidentally" throwing it under the wheels of a truck didn't seem to have left a mark on it. Tiny white and pink rosebuds were woven into a crown on her chin-length dark hair, and a short veil covered her face. But her beaming smile and glowing, happy eyes as she walked down the aisle on the arm of her stepfather had been apparent to everyone. Especially Jessica.

  The beautiful southern-California sun had shone down on the sparkling ocean waves, and the bouquets of roses that surrounded the gathering had released their sweet, heady scent into the morning air. Jessica's eyes had wandered around the area, gazing at the short wooden pier in the distance that she and one of her boyfriends had fallen off once. She couldn't even remember his name now. Several times in her life she had been convinced she was in love—and she knew that what she had had with Sam Woodruff had been deep and real. Since Sam's tragic death in a car accident earlier in the year, Jessica had dated only one other boy—the young English lord Pembroke. And that had lasted only a few weeks.

  Sighing, Jessica rolled over in bed again. She examined her nails, which were still polished a frosty pink to match the dress. Her memories drifted back through the summer. . . .

  Just a little while ago Jessica had thought her love life was over for good—then she had met the man she knew she was destined to be with for all time. Like a bronze Greek god, he had risen out of the ocean at Sweet Valley's beach. It had been fate. She and Elizabeth had just returned from their terrifying experiences during their apprenticeship at The London Times. Elizabeth, and her best friend, Enid, and Jessica and her best friend, Lila, had all gone to the beach for some therapeutic sun and water. She and Lila had gone for a jog along the shore. Then—wham!—Jessica had gotten bonked in the head with a Frisbee. As she had crouched on the sand, rubbing the bruise on her head, her fantasy man had come up, apologizing profusely. His warm hands had examined her injury. Their eyes met, ocean-blue looking into coffee-brown. Her breath had stopped, her heart had slowed its steady beating pulse.

  He was a god, her dream come true, someone too gorgeous to be believed and much, much too tempting to be available. As if in a dream they had moved away to sit alone on a covered lounge chair. Barely speaking, they had held hands, had kissed. Then he had jumped up and run off without a word of explanation. She hadn't even known his name.

  Since then Jessica had found out who he was. Since then they'd met secretly, stealing forbidden kisses that they both knew were wrong—not only because Jeremy was so much older, but because he was engaged to marry another woman. Sue. Sue Gibbons, the orphaned daughter of Mrs. Wakefield's college roommate Nancy, and the Wakefields' houseguest. And yet Jessica had known it was meant to be, known there was no use fighting it. She was his and he was hers, and she would defy anyone—her parents, her sister, her friends—to be with him.

  As she had stood before the wedding party in that hateful pink dress, her small bouquet of pink roses and baby's breath in her hands, she had looked across the aisle and watched the sunlight glint off his tawny golden hair. For just an instant his piercing dark eyes had met hers, and she had twitched, as though shocked by a current of electricity. Glancing away quickly, she was left with a fleeting impression of his broad shoulders, his strong arms that had clasped her against him, his firm chin over his bow tie. She forced herself to look away as the radiant bride came up the aisle, smiling and nodding to people she knew.

  Then the love of Jessica's life stepped forward, took the bride's arm in his, and together they stood before the minister. Jessica felt nauseated, faint. Heat was buzzing around her head, the scent of the roses suddenly cloying, sickly sweet. When the man she loved said, "I, Jeremy, take this woman . . .," Jessica had bit her lip until it bled. She had ignored Elizabeth's startled, concerned look.

  Then Jessica had stepped forward, had spoken out, had said the unthinkable in a loud, clear voice.

  A gentle tap on her door roused Jessica from her reverie. She sat up in bed and brushed her hair away from her face. "Yes?"

  The door opened and Lila walked in. "Good morning, sunshine," she said flippantly. Jessica winced as her friend threw open the curtains, flooding the room with harsh sunlight. Then Lila flopped down onto the overstuffed easy chair that matched the curtains. "And how are we this morning?"

  Jessica regarded Lila. They had been best friends, and sometimes best enemies, almost as long as she could remember. In some ways their competition with each other had strengthened their friendship, added spice to it. Lila kept her on her toes.

  "I'm not sure how you are, but I feel totally weird," Jessica admitted.

  "You did cause quite a scene yesterday," Lila said, her eyes glowing at the memory. "I've never been to a wedding where someone actually stood up and objected when the minister asked if anyone cared to."

  Jessica groaned and sank deeper into the bedcovers. "I don't know what came over me. Jeremy told me that he had to go through with the wedding—especially after we found out that Sue has the same blood disease that killed her mother. But when I saw him take her hand, and it really hit me that they were going to be husband and wife and that I would lose him forever . . ." She trailed a hand across the seam of her pillow, remembering.

  "I know how you feel," Lila said sympathetically. "I would have done the same thing if it had been Robby up there marrying someone else." On the same day that Jessica had met Jeremy Randall, Lila had met Robby Goodman, who had been with Jeremy playing Frisbee that afternoon. Lila and Robby had been dating steadily ever since.

  "Really?" Jessica asked hopefully.

  Lila considered it. "Well, I might not have actually stood up in front of everyone and shouted that the bridegroom was totally in love with me and not his fiancée, but yeah, I would have tried to stop it." A mischievous smile played around her lips.

  Jessica groaned again and pulled her pillow over her head. "Oh, Li," came her muffled voice. "How will I ever live this down? How will I ever face anyone again? I've never seen my parents so angry." Jessica sniffled under her pillow. "My mother said she was ashamed of me." Her voice broke. "She actually said she was ashamed I was her daughter. And what are they going to do to me? I'll be grounded fore
ver, I'll never get an allowance again—nothing they can come up with will be bad enough." Sounds of crying escaped from the lump huddled under the covers.

  Lila pulled a few tissues from the box on the nightstand and pushed them beneath the pillow. "Now, now, Jessica," she soothed. "It's not so bad. It will all blow over in no time, you'll see. Another week or two, and no one will even remember it happened." She patted the lump through the covers.

  Jessica pulled her pillow away, revealing a tear-stained face. "Do you really think so?" She sniffled and blew her nose again.

  Lila couldn't lie to her. "Well, no, maybe not," she admitted. "But you did what you had to do for love. Like Romeo and Juliet. How could anyone stay angry about that?"

  "I have the feeling my parents can, and they will." Jessica sniffled again. "And I don't even know what Jeremy must think. What if he hates me now? I haven't talked to him since he left after the wedding. Maybe he's totally mortified by what I did. I'm so stupid—such an idiot. I wish I could disappear." Tears began rolling down her cheeks again; then she jumped as the phone on the nightstand rang.

  "Maybe it's Robby," Lila said, pouncing on the phone. "I'm supposed to meet him for lunch. Hello?" She listened for a moment, then said, "Sure. Just a minute." Handing the phone to Jessica, she mouthed, "Lover boy."

  Jessica sat up in bed and took the phone, feeling a twinge of fear. Lila smiled at her, then turned and left the room, closing the door behind her.

  "Hello?" Jessica said hesitantly.

  "Hey, sweetie," came Jeremy's husky voice.

  Jessica melted with happiness. He didn't sound angry. He didn't sound as if he hated her. "Hi," she said.

  "How are you, babe? Are you OK?"

  Jessica sank back onto her pillow with relief. "I am now that I'm talking to you," she said. "How are you?"

  Jeremy sighed. "Well, things are a little messy right now. I'm just trying to straighten everything out."

  "I'm sorry," Jessica said softly. "I really screwed it up, huh?"

  "No—don't say that. I'm glad you brought the whole wedding to a screeching halt. It was wrong of me to go through with it—to pretend that I felt something for Sue. I mean, I feel bad for her—I want her to be happy." His voice sank lower. "But it's you I love, Jessica. Always."

  A blissful smile spread over Jessica's face. This was why she had objected to the wedding yesterday. She had done it all for the love of her life—Jeremy.

  "I'm so glad, Jeremy," she breathed. "When can I see you?"

  He chuckled. "I'll pick you up at seven—how's that? We'll sneak away to a little restaurant I've heard of, up the coast. It'll be just you and me. OK?"

  A pang of disappointment shot through Jessica. She had pictured Jeremy rushing to her side, unable to keep away from her for even one moment now that he was free. . . . How could she ever wait that long? But then she realized there was no hurry—after all, they had the rest of their lives to be together. "That would be great," she agreed happily. "Why don't we meet in back of the Beach Cafe? That might be better than your picking me up here."

  "Good idea. I can't wait to see you."

  After she hung up, Jessica luxuriated in bed for a few moments, reliving their conversation. Everything made sense to her now. She and Jeremy were going to be together, no matter what. As for Sue—well, it was too bad. But she would go back to New York soon and get on with her life. That would be the best thing for everyone.

  Jessica glanced over at the clock on the nightstand. Eleven thirty. Flinging back the covers, she leaped out of bed and headed toward the bathroom. There was no time to lose. She had only seven and a half hours to get ready for her date with Jeremy.

  In the hallway outside Sue's room, Elizabeth Wakefield paused and took a deep breath. She shifted the tray she was holding onto her hip and straightened her shoulders. Then she tapped at the door.

  "Come in," came a wavering voice inside. Sue Gibbons had been in Sweet Valley almost a month now. Her mother, Nancy Gibbons, had recently died. When Sue had announced her engagement, Mrs. Wakefield had invited her to California to plan her wedding. She had felt it was the least she could do for the daughter of her college roommate.

  Good going, Mom, Elizabeth muttered silently, opening the door.

  "Hi, Sue," she said lightly, setting the tray on the nightstand. During her visit Sue had been staying in the room that belonged to Jessica and Elizabeth's older brother, Steven, since he was away at Sweet Valley University. "I've brought you some tea and some more tissues."

  "Thanks, Elizabeth," Sue said weakly, taking a tissue. She blew her nose, then pitched the tissue into an already-full wastebasket by the side of the bed.

  Elizabeth smiled at her and went to open the curtains. Southern-California sunshine flowed into the room, instantly making it look less gloomy. Then she opened a window. "You need some fresh air and sun," she said matter-of-factly. "It's not good to stay cooped up in the dark like this."

  "It doesn't matter," Sue said listlessly. She glanced up at Elizabeth, winced, and looked away again.

  Elizabeth frowned. Because she and Jessica were identical twins, Elizabeth would, of course, remind Sue of Jessica. They both had long golden-blond hair and blue-green eyes. They were the same height, five six, and had the same slim, athletic build. They even had identical dimples in their left cheeks. But looks were the only similarities they shared. From the time Elizabeth had been born, four minutes before Jessica, she had been the more reliable twin, the more reasonable one. She was studious at school and made good grades. The Oracle, Sweet Valley High's newspaper, depended on her writing and editing. Her boyfriend, Todd, and she had gone out steadily for as long as anyone could remember. Fun loving but not reckless, sensitive but not stuck-up, Elizabeth preferred the company of a few good friends to a buzzing, noisy crowd.

  Jessica, on the other hand, had always enjoyed being at the center of every wild party, the leader of any crazy prank, the flame that drew helpless boys like moths. School was merely a place to socialize with her friends and show off how cute she looked in her cheerleader's uniform.

  Elizabeth sighed. There was nothing she could do about her outward resemblance to Jessica, the cause of Sue's heartache. "Sue," she suggested, "why don't you get up now and take a nice hot shower? That always makes me feel better."

  Sue sniffled. "I think I just feel too bad for anything to help right now, Elizabeth. But thanks." Sue wriggled farther underneath her covers, pulling them up so that only her face and one hand holding a tissue stuck out. "The only thing I really want," she said, her voice quivering, "is for Jeremy to call me and say the whole thing was a mistake, it didn't happen." Sue started crying again. "And that he still wants to m-m-marry me!" A fresh torrent of sobs broke free, and Sue cried harder than Elizabeth had ever seen anyone cry. Quickly she came to sit beside Sue, putting her arm around the other girl's shoulders.

  Jessica, you have really done it now. And Jeremy! What a loser. Engaged to one woman and fooling around behind her back with a high-school student. What a creep. And poor Sue, left at the altar and living with the weight of a life-threatening disease hanging over her.

  "There, there, Sue." Elizabeth went to get a wet washcloth from the bathroom. Sue took it and wiped her tears away. Her hair was tangled and messy, her face flushed and shiny, and her nose swollen and red. Elizabeth thought she had never seen anyone so miserable in her life.

  "You know, Elizabeth," Sue said after she had calmed down a little. "At first I was so happy when Aunt Alice asked me to come to Sweet Valley for my wedding. But now I wish I had never come." Her voice shook.

  "I don't blame you," Elizabeth said sincerely. "I just wish there was something I could do to help."

  Sue managed a watery smile. "Thanks, but I just want to go to sleep now and not wake up for twenty years. If ever." Her face crumpled, and she began to cry again. Elizabeth sat by her helplessly. She has to stop crying—she'll make herself sick. Poor Sue—what if this whole disaster causes her disease to come out of remission? It's just a romance for Jeremy and Jessica, but this could mean life or death for Sue.

  Frowning, Jessica held up the black tank dress and regarded herself critically in the mirror. "I don't know. What do you think?"