Jessica's Secret Love Read online

  "Real Women, Bad Men," Enid read the title. "What's it about?"

  "It's about why we get involved in unhealthy relationships. The author gives examples of different kinds of behavior patterns, and there are little quizzes at the end of each chapter to see if you have any of them. Then she explains how these patterns affect your relationships."

  "That sounds really, um, interesting," Enid, said, looking skeptical.

  "Yeah, it is. I really recommend it. I've already learned some stuff about how Todd and I interact. And it's pointed out a few things about why I was attracted to Luke."

  "Well, as long as it's helping," Enid said, pushing her sunglasses up on her nose. "Maybe I'll read it when you're finished."

  "Hey, guys." Jessica trudged up to them across the sand. Her hair was dripping and her bathing suit was wet. "The water feels great," she said morosely.

  Elizabeth looked up from her book. "What's the matter? You look bummed. Where's Lila?"

  "Lila met a hunk and went off with him." Jessica flopped down on her towel on her stomach and rested her head on her hands.

  "Jessica, what's wrong?" Elizabeth persisted. As always, Elizabeth could read her sister's mood in a second.

  "I just met the most wonderful guy in the world," Jessica moaned. "That's what's wrong!"

  "Oh," said Elizabeth, laughing in relief. Jessica met a new wonderful guy practically every week. "So where is he?"

  "Don't ask. He was fabulous, Liz. More than fabulous. As soon as we met, something clicked. And I could tell it was like that for him, too. It was as if we had always known each other. But then out of nowhere he jumped up, said we couldn't see each other anymore, and ran off. Leaving me alone and brokenhearted," Jessica finished dramatically.

  Elizabeth and Enid exchanged glances. "So let's get this straight," Elizabeth said in a businesslike tone. "You met, it was love at first sight, and he left? That's the whole story?"

  "Uh-huh." Jessica closed her eyes.

  "Well, maybe your radiance was too much to take in a large dose," Elizabeth said. "He'll probably come crawling back as soon as he cools off, since you're the love of his life and all."

  Enid stifled a giggle behind her hand.

  Jessica sat up, her eyes blazing. "Liz! I'm serious! This was the man I was supposed to marry, and now he's gone. I'm destined to be an old maid forever now. It isn't funny."

  "I'm only kidding, Jess," Elizabeth protested. "I really do think he'll be back sometime. What was his name?"

  "I don't know," Jessica admitted. "But I know that we were meant to be together."

  "Uh-huh. And how many times have I heard that?" Elizabeth said playfully. "How about two weeks ago, with Lord Robert? It says right here in this book that falling in love all the time is a symptom of low self—"

  "Liz, for your information, Robert was just a holiday fling. This is the real thing. Not even Sam made me feel this way."

  Elizabeth gazed at Jessica in shock, her book slipping from her hand. Enid's mouth dropped open.

  Before they could speak, Jessica gathered up her belongings into an untidy lump. "I have to get out of here. I want to go home. Are you coming?"

  "Sure, I'll come with you," Elizabeth managed to get out. "Just hang on a minute." Jessica stalked away toward the parking lot, and Elizabeth got her things together.

  "Wow," Enid said in an awed tone. "I can't believe she said that. She adored Sam."

  "I know. It's really weird. It's a good thing I'm reading this book—maybe I can help her sort out her feelings. I'll talk to you later."

  Elizabeth started to run across the sand after Jessica, her arms full of her towel, her mini-cooler, and her thick book. "Jess, wait up!"

  As they drove home in the black Jeep that they shared, Elizabeth darted concerned glances at Jessica. "Are you OK?" she said finally.

  Jessica sighed. "Yeah. I'm sorry I snapped at you on the beach. It's just that I feel so weird about this guy."

  "Jess," Elizabeth said gently, "I learned the hard way in England that even when you think you know someone, you might not, really. After all, you don't even know this boy's name."

  "He's not a boy—he's a man. He's older than us by a couple of years, I think. I know you're still shaken up by that crazy Luke, but this is different, Liz. When he kissed me it was as if—"

  "You kissed him?" Elizabeth practically shrieked. "Jessica, are you crazy? Can't you learn from my bad example? You can't go around kissing total strangers!"

  "I keep telling you, Liz. He wasn't a stranger. He was my dream guy, the guy I never thought existed." Jessica looked at the passing scenery as Elizabeth headed the Jeep toward Calico Drive, where they lived. Elizabeth gave her a worried glance, but didn't say anything more.

  At home Jessica showered and changed into black shorts and a hot-pink tank top, then flopped on her bed. In her mind she replayed every instant of the meeting with her dream man over and over again. Her skin tingled and she wrapped her arms around herself as she remembered their kiss. Then she pulled back and pictured his eyes, so dark, so full of unexpressed emotion. "Not now," she heard him say again, and shivered. Did he have some terrible secret?

  The telephone rang, and Jessica jumped. He's found my number. He's changed his mind, she thought for one split second. After all, he knew her name. Her first name anyway.

  "Jessica! Phone for you," Elizabeth called. Jessica leaped off her bed and sprinted into the hall. Her heart pounding, she picked up the extension and heard Elizabeth hang up the other phone. "Hello?" she said breathlessly. Please, oh, please . . .

  "Jess? Li. You'll never believe what happened. Talk about a match made in heaven," Lila gloated.

  "Oh, hi, Lila," Jessica said, carrying the phone into her room. She pushed some dirty laundry aside with her foot and made her way back to her bed.

  "Well, don't act too excited to hear from me," Lila said sarcastically. "Never mind, I'll forgive you. Jess, Robby is the most amazing guy. You won't believe how well-suited we are. This is it, I'm telling you. He's the one. And we have a date for tonight, too."

  "Tonight?" Jessica repeated.

  "Sure. What's wrong with tonight?" Lila asked. "The best part is, he's of my social strata. I'm not a snob or anything, but it's just so much easier to talk to someone when they know where St. Moritz is."

  "Oh, definitely," Jessica said, rolling her eyes. "I've always said so. So how could you tell he's rich? Was he wearing a gold-plated swimsuit?"

  "No," Lila said with exaggerated patience. "He was wearing a gold watch. And not plated, either. And he drives a Lamborghini. And he has the most adorable little Scottie. I just love expensive dogs, don't you?"

  "Wow," Jessica said. Lucky Lila. She had her dream guy, while Jessica had only a broken heart.

  "Uh-huh," Lila said happily. "It was parked right next to my Triumph in the parking lot. Like it was fate or something."

  "Yeah, fate or something," Jessica parroted absentmindedly. Then a thought occurred to her. "Say, did he mention anything about his friend?"

  "Yeah, what's-his-name."

  "Uh-huh?" Jessica said eagerly.

  "No, I mean, what is his name, Jess?"

  "I don't know," Jessica had to admit. "We never got around to that."

  "Hmmm. I guess you had better things to do." Lila laughed knowingly. "But you'll find out when he calls you, right?"

  "He's not going to call." Jessica filled Lila in on the whole heartbreaking story.

  "How weird," Lila said when Jessica was done. "I guess I know more about him than you do."

  "Tell me everything Robby said about him," Jessica begged.

  "He said that his friend was staying with him while he was in town on business, and that they had gone to college together. I think your mystery man is from the northeast somewhere—maybe Boston or New York. Let me think."

  Jessica paced her room anxiously while she waited for Lila to remember more. Boston or New York? She imagined herself walking the streets of the two major cities, sear
ching for a blond Adonis. Where would she start?

  "He works for some nature organization. Yeah, that's it. Robby said his friend was a real conservation nut, very dedicated to his job." Lila paused. "Come to think of it, Jess, Robby did say something odd about him."

  "What? What?"

  "Well, I was just joking around, and I said something like, 'You two are best friends, and Jessica and I are best friends. Maybe we'll all double date or something.' You know. And he suddenly looked serious, and said something like, 'Maybe Jessica should just forget she ever met him.' Or something like that. That you should just forget him."

  "I don't get any of this. What's the big mystery? Oh, Lila, this is going to make me crazy!"

  "Hmmm, maybe they're spies or something." Lila laughed. "Listen—I'm seeing Robby tonight. I'll try to pump him for information, OK?"

  "Oh, thanks, Li. You're a real friend," Jessica said gratefully. "Find out his name, where he lives, anything."

  "I'll try, though I have to warn you—I'm sure Robby and I will be talking mostly about ourselves!" She laughed again.

  Jessica smiled wrly into the phone. Of course! Lila Fowler's favorite subject was Lila Fowler. "Anyway, thanks, Li. Have a good time."

  A conservation nut, Jessica thought after they hung up. How sexy. Jessica threw herself back on her bed and pictured her mystery man slashing his way through a jungle, on his way to stop some illegal lumber company from stealing trees from the rain forest. She was beside him, wearing a really cute safari outfit that showed off her legs.

  "I got an interesting letter today," Mrs. Wakefield told her family that night at dinner. "From Sue Gibbons. Nancy's daughter."

  Elizabeth looked at her mother with concern. Nancy Marest Gibbons had been Alice Wakefield's college roommate and had died not too long ago. Alice had cried for three days straight, saying that Nancy had been like a sister to her.

  "What did she say, Mom?" Elizabeth asked gently.

  "Well, she wrote to tell me that she's engaged and she's always wanted a California wedding, just like her mother had. She was asking for my advice." Mrs. Wakefield helped herself to some salad and continued. "I was thinking, instead of just giving her advice, I'd like to ask her to come stay here with us while she plans the wedding. In a way, I feel I owe it to Nancy—and I feel bad that Sue doesn't have a mother to help her at such an important time. What does everybody think?"

  "That's really nice of you, Mom. It sounds like fun," Elizabeth said enthusiastically, thinking that being able to help Nancy's daughter would help Alice get through her grief. "I love weddings. But isn't eighteen awfully young to be getting married?"

  Mrs. Wakefield nodded. "I imagine that, because of her mother's illness and untimely death, Sue's probably feeling a little lost. One way for her to feel secure again would be to get married and have her own family. Of course, I'm just guessing."

  "When would she come, and when would the wedding be?" Jessica asked, interested despite her preoccupation. Maybe planning a wedding would be just what she needed to take her mind off her mystery man. If anything could.

  Alice Wakefield smiled at her twin daughters. "She would come in a few days, and I guess it would take almost a month to get the wedding organized. Her stepfather would fly down right before the wedding and stay in a hotel. So what do you say, girls? Shall I call her and tell her it's OK?"

  "Yeah," Elizabeth said, thinking it would be good for her mother, and good for her to see a healthy, committed relationship. "Tell her to come."

  "I think it's a good idea, Mom," Jessica agreed.

  "You're the boss," was Mr. Wakefield's vote.

  "Good. I'll call her tonight," Mrs. Wakefield said.

  Chapter 3

  "Look, girls. I think that's her." Mrs. Wakefield pointed to a dark-haired girl in the middle of the crowd. It was Friday morning and they were at the airport to pick up Sue.

  She looks so young to be getting married, Elizabeth thought as she watched the girl with dark, wavy shoulder-length hair came closer. She was very pretty, although Elizabeth thought she detected a slightly forlorn air about her.

  When Sue saw the Wakefields, a smile lit up her pretty face, making her appear a little older. "Aunt Alice?" she asked hesitantly.

  "Yes, my dear." Mrs. Wakefield stepped closer to her and enfolded her in a warm hug. "How was your flight? Goodness, you've grown up to be a lovely young woman. You look just like your mother did at your age." The girl's warm brown eyes shone back at her.

  "Sue, do you remember my husband, Ned? And this is Jessica and Elizabeth. You all were very young the last time you saw one another."

  "Sue, glad to have you stay with us," Mr. Wakefield said, shaking her hand.

  "Hi, Sue. Welcome to Sweet Valley." Elizabeth gave the older girl a broad smile.

  "We can't wait to hear your plans for the wedding," Jessica said. "And we can't wait to show you all the hottest spots in Sweet Valley!" Even though Jessica wanted to be friendly to Sue, she couldn't help feeling a twinge of jealousy—here this girl was just a little older than Jessica, and already planning the rest of her life with her husband.

  Sue Gibbons laughed. "That sounds great. I knew I was doing the right thing in coming to Sweet Valley for my wedding."

  Elizabeth smiled to herself as she followed her family and Sue through the airport. Sue seemed really nice and down-to-earth. And Jessica seemed to be cheering up. Elizabeth could tell already that Sue's visit would be good for everybody.

  By late morning, Ned and Alice Wakefield had seen that Sue was settled, then they headed off for work, leaving Jessica and Elizabeth to entertain their guest.

  "So, what should we do first?" Jessica asked. She was lying on her stomach on Steven's bed. Steven, the twins' older brother, was away at college and came home only on weekends sometimes. Sue was going to be staying in his room during her visit.

  Sue turned around from where she was hanging up clothes in Steven's closet. Jessica had noticed that Sue's clothes were the latest in New York chic. "I'm completely open to suggestions," she said cheerfully. "I'm sure you two know the best things to do." She shut the closet door and came to sit beside Jessica on the bed. "If it's OK with you guys, I thought maybe the first day or two we should just hang out, and you can show me all the highlights of Sweet Valley. Then we can settle down and really start planning the wedding. I'm depending on you both to help me figure out what to do. I mean," she said with a laugh, "I've never gotten married before!"

  Elizabeth came over to pat Sue on the shoulder. "We helped plan our next-door neighbor's wedding not too long ago," Elizabeth said, referring to when Mona Whitman had gotten married, "so we'll put our heads together and come up with something really special for you."

  "Thanks," Sue said warmly. "Jeremy—my fiancé—and I really appreciate it. He was so glad to hear I'd have help doing this." Her face clouded over for a moment. "It's kind of hard, not having my mother with me for my wedding. I have some good friends in New York, but they can't really help me from three thousand miles away. So you two and Aunt Alice are real lifesavers."

  "We're glad to do it," Elizabeth said. "Now, Jess—what should our first stop be? The beach, the mall, Dairi Burger?"

  "It's almost lunchtime, so let's hit the Dairi Burger," Jessica decided.

  "Lead the way!" Sue said, laughing.

  The next few days passed in a whirlwind. Even Jessica cheered up as they showed Sue all their favorite places—Miller's Point, Sweet Valley High School, the Beach Cafe, Guido's Pizza Palace, the beach . . . . Sue was definitely fun to have around, Jessica decided. She liked to do pretty much the same things the twins did, and wasn't snobby at all. Every once in a while, Jessica had to remind herself that Sue wasn't just another teenager: she was engaged to be married.

  On Sunday morning the twins went to the beach with Sue and some of their friends for a little sun and girl talk. Elizabeth and Jessica had different friends and didn't usually end up doing the same things, but they wanted Sue to feel really
welcome in Sweet Valley.

  "I'm so jealous, Sue," Amy Sutton was saying. She carefully adjusted the straps of her bikini top so that her tan would be even. "You're only eighteen and already getting married. It's so romantic."

  Sue smiled without opening her eyes. She was lying on a towel, completely covered in a heavy sunscreen so that she wouldn't be peeling by the wedding. "Well, as soon as I met Jeremy, I knew he was the one for me. It was love at first sight, you know?"

  "Yes," Jessica said softly. All too well . . .

  "As soon as I looked into his eyes, I fell in love, and he says it was the same for him. It was like a force we couldn't control. I mean, finally we decided we had to get married before we got into trouble." Sue blushed and gave a girlish giggle. "He's just the sweetest guy. I like the fact that he's older than me—he's twenty-three. And it really helps that we share our work, too."

  "What's your work?" Enid asked.

  "We both work at Project Nature in New York."

  "Project Nature?" Jessica asked, her heart racing. What if Sue knew her gorgeous stranger?

  "Yeah," Sue laughed. "That's where we met, actually. I had decided to take a year off between high school and college, just to get a taste of the real world, you know? So I interned at Project Nature. Jeremy was already working there. He specializes in computer programs that track deforestation around the world. Lately we've been traveling all over together, doing some fund-raising for our cause. We went to New Mexico, and to Michigan . . . ." She sat up suddenly, her unread magazine falling to her side. "It's just so amazing, being with him, being committed to the same thing. I feel as if my whole life is finally falling into place. Right after my mom died, I felt so lost, so alone—even though I still have my stepdad and tons of friends. It's just not the same. But now it seems like heaven to be able to spend the rest of my life with Jeremy, traveling all over the world, trying to educate people to the needs of conservation, doing what little we can to make the world a better place." She looked off into the distance, her love glowing on her face.