Jealous Lies Page 4

  Elizabeth smiled. Poor Steven was getting the treatment, all right. He didn't seem to know how to react to his family's sudden decision to let him do whatever he wanted—and even to back him in his plans. "Liz," he said now, looking earnest, "I'm glad Mom and Dad see this thing my way and are going to let me go."

  "Well, as you said last night, Steve, you're really old enough to do what you think is best. I think Mom and Dad may have been a little disappointed at first, but you've convinced them that this really is the opportunity of a lifetime. Why wouldn't they support you?"

  "Well," Steven said, swallowing, "it really is a great opportunity, you know. Except I'll hardly ever see any of you guys. I'll be gone for eight or nine months at a time.

  "Oh, eight or nine months is nothing," Elizabeth scoffed. "We can always write each other letters! And think how exciting it'll be. You'll get to see the Far East, and Europe—all kinds of exotic places."

  "Of course," Steven said thoughtfully," there's my future to consider. I guess I'm kind of surprised Mom and Dad caved in so easily."

  Aha! Elizabeth thought. It was working already! And once Cara got to him that night. . . . Elizabeth could have wept for Steven, he looked so confused. But she reminded herself the plan would work only if they all kept it up. "Well, I think you convinced them that this is what you really want," Elizabeth said earnestly. "I mean, not everyone wants a college education, Steve. For some people it's just the wrong thing. If you really feel you're wasting your time—"

  Steven stood up abruptly. "It isn't really that I feel I'm wasting my time, Liz. I just feel I want to get started, you know? Like so much of my life so far has been preparing me for the next step. Now I'm eighteen, and I don't know. I just want things to happen!"

  Elizabeth was quiet for a minute. "Well, that's why I think you're doing the right thing," she said at last. "You know what Daddy always says about short-term and long-term goals. It sounds as if your goals are pretty much all directed toward right now. So what's the point in going through all that school?"

  Steven paced around his bedroom, deep in thought. "Cara won't understand at all," he said at last. "She's been completely hysterical about it. She acts as if we'll never see each other again."

  "Well, you can't blame Cara if she decides she can't wait eight or nine months to see you each time," Elizabeth said reasonably. "Look, Steve, every decision has advantages and disadvantages. I think you're excited enough about this new job and all the places you'll see to offset a little thing like missing Cara."

  Steven didn't respond to this. "I haven't seen her yet," he mused aloud. "I'll bet she flips at her party tonight and starts begging me not to go, the way she did on the phone last week."

  Elizabeth smiled to herself. Jessica had been on the phone with Cara for almost an hour that morning, and from the report Elizabeth had heard, there wasn't much chance of Cara's making a scene.

  Cara thought the Wakefields' plan was a great idea, and she was all set to act as though Steven's decision were absolutely fine with her. In fact, she was going to add an extra little twist, Jessica said, though Cara wouldn't tell her what it was.

  Elizabeth had a feeling that it was going to be some party!

  Six

  Jean looked anxiously at herself in the full-length mirror in her walk-in closet. She wished someone were at home to tell her if she looked all right, but her parents and all her brothers had left almost an hour earlier for a movie downtown. She thought the new narrow skirt, oversize shirt and soft leather hip belt suited her, and she knew her hair was behaving itself. It was even shinier than usual, and the kohl pencil under her eyes looked pretty sexy.

  Who would ever have guessed she would be looking forward to an evening with Tom McKay this much? It wasn't that Tom wasn't cute. It was just that she wasn't very experienced and still tended to make snap judgments about boys. She had decided ages ago that she had had it with most guys. Growing up in a household of brothers, there had been endless talk about sports and camping trips. She wanted to meet a sophisticated, urbane guy, maybe a little older, who knew about theater and music. Someone she could really talk to.

  Tom hadn't impressed her as that kind of guy. He was much more like her brothers—good-natured, frank, down to earth—the sort of guy she would never have really paid attention to if she hadn't been assigned to him by the Pi Betas.

  All the same, she had enjoyed every conversation they'd had, and she found herself thinking about him a great deal. He really was good looking. Maybe he didn't know that much about theater, but to be honest, neither did she. She found Tom refreshing and easy to be with. It was like being with a friend, only with—her heart beat a little faster, thinking about his broad shoulders and crooked smile—something more.

  She dabbed a little of her best perfume on her wrists and throat, wondering what that evening was going to be like. She wondered if there would be dancing at Cara's. She wondered what it would feel like to have Tom's arms around her. She stared at her face in the mirror, feeling her cheeks going hot. Would he kiss her? Would he—?

  The chime in the clock downstairs sounded, and Jean paused to count. It was seven-thirty already. Tom should be there any minute now! He had said he'd come by in plenty of time to get something to eat before the party. Jean put on earrings and applied on a little more makeup. To her surprise, the minutes went on, and there was no sign of Tom. That's funny, she thought. He made a point of calling to see if I could be ready early. And now he's half an hour late.

  By eight-fifteen Jean was beginning to worry. "Maybe I should call him," she said aloud, pacing back and forth downstairs with her jacket in her arms. She didn't want to make him think she was overeager, but the truth was, she was starving. And she didn't want to be late to Cara's. That night was a big part of the pledge period, and she wanted everything to go perfectly.

  Pi Beta Alpha meant even more to her now than it had a few weeks before. She had always thought it would be fun to belong, but lately her desire to get in had multiplied. She was convinced it would allow her to spend more time with Sandra and make them even closer than they were. Lately Sandra had been acting strange. Jean felt they were beginning to drift apart, and the thought of losing her friend made her feel terrible. She hoped joining the sorority would help close the gap between them. Sandra's friendship meant more to her than anything in the world. If something were to happen to jeopardize that friendship . . .

  Jean was deep in thought when the telephone rang. She hurried to the phone, glancing at her watch as she did so. It was twenty minutes to nine.

  "Jeanie? It's Tom," a familiar voice said.

  "Tom, where are you?" Jean shrieked. "I've been really worried."

  Tom cleared his throat. "I'm sorry," he said, sounding rueful, "but I wasn't feeling well when I got back from work, so I lay down for a few minutes and just woke up. I'll be over in a couple of minutes. I guess you'd better grab a sandwich or something, Jeanie. I'm really sorry."

  "That's all right," Jean said. As long as you're OK, I don't mind. See you soon, then."

  "See you soon," Tom agreed, hanging up the phone.

  Jean made herself a sandwich, her eyes on the clock. She was definitely going to be late to Cara's. Was Tom playing games with her, or had he been telling the truth?

  On an impulse she dialed Cara's number. It was nine o'clock and the party was apparently in full swing. It was almost impossible to hear Cara's voice over the pulsating music in the background.

  "Jeanie, where are you?" Cara asked. "We've all been waiting for you!"

  "Tom's late. He says he'll be here any minute," Jean said apologetically. "Tell everyone I'm really sorry, OK?"

  "He isn't standing you up, is he?" Cara said, then laughed.

  Jean bit her lip. She didn't think that was anything to joke about. She had been wondering the same thing herself.

  By nine-thirty Jean was beginning to panic. They were going to be embarrassingly late, even if Tom did show up. What could he possibly have been doing all this time? Her face burned every time she imagined having to explain this to Lila, Cara, Jessica, and the other Pi Betas. Sandra, of course, would understand, but everyone else would think she was the biggest loser who ever lived.

  At quarter to ten the phone rang again. "Jeanie, I feel terrible," Tom croaked into the phone.

  "You sound terrible," Jean said glumly. "Tom, where are you? What's going on?"

  "I think I have food poisoning. I'm in Fowler Memorial Hospital, in the emergency room. I tried to drive over to your place, but I couldn't make it. I felt like I was going to pass out, and I kept getting sick."

  Jean's brow wrinkled. "You really must be sick!" she exclaimed. "You're honestly in the hospital?"

  Tom sighed. "Yes, and I'm afraid I'll be here for a few hours. They think they may have to pump my stomach. I guess I ate something bad at lunch."

  "You poor thing," Jean said sympathetically. "Do you want me to come over and keep you company?"

  Tom paused. "No," he said. "Go ahead. Go to Cara's. I'm sure I'll be fine."

  Jean thought it over quickly. "Well, I'll call you tomorrow morning, then, to see how you feel. OK?"

  Tom didn't answer, and apparently they got disconnected because Jean heard a click and then a dial tone. Oh, well, she thought philosophically. If he's sick, he's sick. At least she had a good excuse for being late!

  "Jeanie, Jeanie, Jeanie," Lila said, shaking her head. "You're the last person we would have expected to show up without a date tonight. All the other girls managed to drag their assignments here!"

  Jean felt terrible. She could see the crowd in the living room, talking and dancing to the music playing on the stereo. Amy Sutton was dancing dreamily in the arms of Aaron Dallas, her assigned date. All the other pledges had manage
d to make things the way they should. All but Jean.

  "Tom was planning to come, but he got food poisoning," Jean defended herself. "Wasn't he, Sandy?" she asked, turning to Sandra with an imploring look on her face.

  Sandra looked away. "I guess we really ought to check out Jeanie's story," she said at last. "I mean, this is one of the biggest tests in the pledge season, and Jeanie's the only one who hasn't succeeded."

  Jean reddened to the roots of her hair. She couldn't believe Sandra was the one pointing that out!

  Lila and Jessica looked surprised, too. "I'm sure Jeanie's telling the truth," Lila said, staring at Sandra.

  "But," Sandra said calmly, "Tom might not be."

  "OK," Jean said quickly. "What should I do? You want me to call the hospital?"

  There was a brief pause, and then Lila said, looking hesitant, "Well, maybe you should, if you don't mind, Jeanie."

  Still blushing furiously, Jean called directory assistance, got the hospital's number, and then called the emergency room.

  "I'm sorry," the nurse said. "No one by that name has been here this evening. Did you say McKale?"

  "McKay," Jean repeated. This, she decided, was the most humiliating thing that had ever happened to her.

  "No, " the nurse said. "No McKale or McKay."

  Jean hung the phone up and turned slowly to face the others. "Well," she said, ready to burst into tears, "Sandra's right. He was lying. He isn't there."

  No one said anything for a minute, and Jean felt her tears spill over. "Does that mean I can't get into Pi Beta Alpha?" she blurted out.

  Lila put her arm around her. "Poor thing," she said. "That guy must be a total idiot, standing you up. He doesn't know his head from a hole in the ground!"

  "Pledge period isn't over yet," Cara chimed in. "Maybe we can figure out some way for you to do something else to make up for tonight. Something easy," she added, smiling fondly at Jean as she handed her a tissue.

  Jean took it gratefully. "I've got an idea," she said, her eyes beginning to shine. "I think I've got a plan that just may make Mr. McKay sorry he pulled this little trick on me tonight."

  "What is it?" Jessica asked, intrigued.

  "Let's say I act as though I believed him tonight. As though I really like him and want to get to know him better," Jean said. "I'll get my hooks into him this week and make sure he starts to care about me. And then I'll ask him to be my date at the dance on Friday. Remember, Dana and I are supposed to start the dancing. Each of us is supposed to ask a guy to dance because it's our birthday." Jean's eyes glowed. "And I'll ask someone else to dance. Tom McKay will be sorry he was ever born he'll be so humiliated!"

  Jessica and Lila burst out laughing, and Cara gave Jean a big hug. "That's a great idea," she said warmly. "I think that'll do for a substitute pledge task, don't you guys?"

  Sandra cleared her throat. "That isn't fair," she said quietly.

  Everyone stared.

  "What do you mean?" Lila demanded, irritated.

  "A rule's a rule," Sandra said. "It isn't fair to let Jeanie off when all the other pledges had to do it."

  Jean's eyes blazed. "Sandy Bacon, how dare you say something like that!" she cried. "You're supposed to be my best friend!"

  "Hey, calm down," Cara said. "Sandy," she added, "we've already reached our decision. I don't know what's going on with you two," she added, "but I don't want you arguing over this!"

  But as far as Jean was concerned, it was too late. The minute the two girls were alone she exploded. Her emotions had been stretched to the breaking point that night, and she couldn't help feeling Sandra was being disloyal.

  "How dare you make a fool out of me in front of everyone!" Jean exploded. "I can't believe anyone would do a thing like this to me, least of all my very best friend!"

  "You don't understand," Sandra protested, looking stricken. "Jeanie, I—"

  "I don't want to talk to you," Jeanie said furiously, her face pale with anger. "I'm telling you the truth, Sandy. Just keep away from me!"

  "Jeanie, I'm sorry," Sandra said, putting her hand on her friend's arm. "Please . . . can we at least talk about it?"

  Jean glared at her. "I don't really see what there is to talk about," she said coldly. And the next minute she had pushed her way past Sandra and into the crowded living room, leaving Sandra alone, staring miserably after her.

  Across the Walkers' crowded living room, Steven and Cara were deep in conversation, ignoring the noisy party around them. "You mean you're really not upset?" Steven asked, staring at Cara.

  Cara's dark eyes widened in surprise. "Steve, why should I be upset? I think it'll be a fabulous job. You'd be crazy to give up the opportunity!"

  Steven looked at her thoughtfully. "But you were so against it when I first told you about it," he reminded her.

  Cara waved her hand dismissively. "Oh, that," she said. "Honestly, I was just kind of surprised. Now that I've had a chance to think it over, I really don't mind at all." She stood on tiptoe to brush Steven's cheek with her lips. "I'm going to miss you, of course," she added truthfully, "but I'll get used to it." After a pause she added, "Anyway, it's probably all for the best."

  "What do you mean?" Steven demanded.

  Cara shrugged. "Well, I don't think long-distance romances are very healthy in the end, anyway. If you stuck around here, we'd probably have dragged on for a long time. This way it'll be a good, clean break. We can both meet other people, become more independent—"

  Steven looked horrified. "You mean you think that just because I'm going away for a while we should stop seeing each other?"

  "How can we 'see each other' if you're in the middle of the Pacific? No," Cara said, "this is the best way. Believe me, Steve, you won't regret it."

  Steven felt his eyes misting over with tears. "It doesn't sound like you're exactly heartbroken at the prospect," he said sarcastically.

  Cara shrugged. "Well, I've got to be realistic, Steve. After all, you didn't ask me what I thought of your plans when you called. You just told me what you were going to do. That means I've got to get used to the idea."

  "Well, it sounds like you've gotten used to it a lot faster than I would have expected," Steven said bitterly.

  Cara smiled at him. "Come on, Steve. Don't be so dramatic. We'll still be friends!"

  Steven's eyes burned with anger. "Like hell we will," he said, storming out of the room and slamming the front door behind him as he left the apartment.

  "Wow," Jessica said, coming up behind Cara. "Never a dull moment around here tonight. What's with him?"

  "Oh, Jess," Cara said, her eyes shining with tears, "I just hope you and Liz are right about this scheme of yours. Because if it doesn't start working fast, something tells me Steve and I are never going to talk to each other as long as we live!"

  "Oh, dear," Jessica said uneasily. "I hope we're not just driving him away by acting like none of us care."

  "You're not the only one," Cara said miserably.

  Feigning nonchalance had been the hardest thing she had ever done, Cara thought. If Steven took the job on the Bellefleur, she felt her entire world would end. She was willing to do anything to keep him from going.

  She just hoped that the Wakefields were right and that this was the way to keep him here.

  Seven

  Jean woke Sunday morning feeling confused and unsettled, as if she had dreamed something terrible that she couldn't quite remember. All at once the memory of the previous night's party came flooding back to her. The humiliation of being stood up by Tom, and the terrible way Sandra had treated her. . . .

  Jean couldn't believe how Sandra had acted. For as long as she could remember, she and Sandra had been like sisters. They had shared everything. Jean depended on Sandra as she did on no one else. And she had always assumed Sandra was completely trustworthy. Until the night before.

  Now she didn't know what to think. Her eyes filled with tears as she remembered the sharp words she had exchanged with her best friend. Surely there had to be some explanation for Sandra's behavior. The sorority wasn't very important, and Tom McKay certainly wasn't, after the way he had treated her! But Sandra mattered more than anyone.