Newton Neighbors (New England Trilogy) (45 page)

“Ely, why is Jessie fussing over you so much?” They walked into the front room of the house together where the fire was already ablaze.

“Oh, you know her. She’s a worrywart—a heart of gold but a worrywart, just the same.”

“So you’re okay?”

“Me? Never better. Jessie was just fussin’.”

“Yes, she’s a very responsible young lady. Works hard—too hard, I think. Like you always say, you only got one life.”

It made Ely smile. “I get the feeling you live a fairly full life, Mrs. Palmer.”

The old lady chuckled. “How many times have I told you to call me Noreen? Mrs. Palmer sounds so old.”
 

Fifi, the Grants’ dog, trotted into the room with Rusty.

“Hey, what’s she doing here?”

Noreen patted the sofa, and both dogs jumped up and settled themselves next to her. “I think Fifi has moved in with us. I opened the door this morning and she was sitting on the front step.”

“Is it my imagination or does she look slightly bigger on one side than the other?”

“Funny you should say that. Fifi got a shot of Botox in her hindquarter last night. I think it’s perked her up a bit on one side.”

“No way!”

“Oh, don’t worry. She was well sedated at the time. Jessie told me she’d been drinking eggnog in the kitchen. Poor Fifi was plastered.”

“That can’t be good for her.”

“Oh, I don’t know. We always give Rusty a little whiskey at Christmas, but the Botox is a new one, even for me.” She looked at the two dogs. “You know, I think she’s taken a shine to Rusty.” Noreen rubbed her bulldog’s head.

“Hey, Rusty’s a boy and Fifi’s a girl. If they get together . . .”

Noreen chuckled. “Yes, we’ll have little bull-shits! Wouldn’t that be fun? If Cathi Grant keeps them, I can tell her in all honesty, once and for all, that I really am allergic to her bullshit.”

Ely exploded into laughter, which made the dogs start to yap. “Oh wow, I do hope Rusty gets his way with her.”

“I’m sure he’ll give it a good shot, if you’ll pardon the pun.”

“Poor Fifi.” Ely waved her finger at the small dog. “You stay away from that big bad boy.”

The landlady focused on the fire. “Life would be very dull if we all stayed away from the bad boys.”

“Is Hugo a bad boy? I heard him come in last night.”

Noreen glanced at Ely. “I wasn’t going to tell you this until after the holidays, but now that you mention him—I’d like to clear something with you.” Noreen petted the dogs while she talked. “You see, Hugo has asked me to go on a Valentine’s cruise with him in February, and I think I’ll say yes. Would you girls be okay here on your own? I checked and I’ll be able to take Rusty with me, but I’m worried about you two. Would that be all right?”

“Sure. We won’t do anything wild. We’ve learned our lesson. You have my word.”

Noreen stood up and went over to fuss with the fire, even though it didn’t need it. “I’m not in the slightest bit worried. It’s an utter pleasure having you stay here. If you want to throw a party, knock yourselves out. This house was made for parties. The one thing I ask is that my room be locked. I don’t want any young people getting down in my boudoir.”

“Mrs. Palmer!”

“Noreen.”

“Sorry. So are you and Hugo dating seriously?” It felt odd to say the words to an old lady, but Noreen didn’t seem to think so.

“Well, dating might be too strong a word for it, but we’re having fun together. There are so many wonderful new drugs on the market these days. Who knew?” Her eyes were bright.
 

Ely’s mind whirred. Was Noreen talking about Viagra or Ecstasy?

“I turned eighty last July and I didn’t celebrate it in any sort of remarkable way. Of course, my son took me out for dinner with his wife and kids and that was all very nice, but Hugo was thinking of something a little more exciting. He wants to take me to Tuscany next summer, but in February he wants to go on a cruise around the Caribbean, and then head down to his place in Jamaica. I gather it’s more of a complex than just one house. It used to belong to his big brother Jimi.”

“Oh my God, you’re dating Jimi Hendrix’s little brother, Hugo Hendrix? I never made the connection.”

Noreen nodded like it wasn’t anything big. “Hugo was telling me Mick Wolf is eager to celebrate his seventieth from a few months back. If memory serves, he’s a July baby, too. We’re twins, only I’m a decade older. Then again, Mick always did prefer older women.”
 

Her eyes took on a glazed look, and Ely wondered if any of this was for real. Greg had warned her and Jessie about Noreen’s overactive imagination and her lapses into senility. This had to be one of them. She wondered what she should do.

Noreen continued, oblivious. “Anyway, we might all get together down in Jamaica.”

Ely decided to play along and check in with Greg after the holidays. “You’re going to party with Wolf? You know, they say he’s slept with four thousand women over his life.”

“Do they now? Better make that four thousand . . . and one.” She gave Ely a dazzling smile.
 

“Mrs. Palmer, you didn’t!”

Noreen gave a guilty nod and then changed the subject. “Now, tell me more about your shampoo idea. I think it’s terrific. Hugo is a friend of Richard Worthington, that billionaire entrepreneur, you know. Imagine if he bought it from you. It’s just the kind of thing he’d go for, I believe.”

“I don’t know what to believe anymore. That’s the problem, Cathi.” Michael didn’t sound angry. He looked tired and sad. He was sitting at the table in their kitchen, and she was pacing the floor.

“You have to believe this. Fifi was here a few hours ago and now she’s gone. I searched everywhere.”

“Maybe it was the fireworks.”

“She didn’t run away last night. It was this morning.” Cathi tried not to sound annoyed, but how could she help it? “That dog is like a baby to me.” The words were out before she could stop herself. Michael gave her a nasty look.

“Yeah? Well, you know—easy come, easy go,” he said with contempt.

“Oh, Michael, how many times can I say it? How many ways? I’m sorry I hurt you. That wasn’t my intent. I got carried away in the moment.”
 

“I want to move.”

“What?” She sat down on the chair next to him at their kitchen table. It wasn’t a great match with her new kitchen, but that didn’t matter just now. Michael was what mattered.

He didn’t sound happy. “You heard me. I want to move. I don’t want to live in this pretentious house. You knew I didn’t want it. And what the hell are we going to do about the smoke and water damage?” Michael glanced around the kitchen. “Have you even thought about that?”

Cathi followed his gaze, but the kitchen was unharmed. “Oh, it’s not that bad, and I’m sure it’s covered by insurance.”

He ran his hands through his hair. “That’s not the point. The point, Cathi, is you’ve been on your own little personal crusade for I don’t know how long. You haven’t given a thought to the girls’ or my needs. It’s all been about you and your manic ambition to live on this dumb road. Do you have any idea the hurt you’ve caused me? The embarrassment? But I don’t even care about that. It’s the fact that you’ve lied so easily. God, do I even know you anymore?”

Cathi reached across the table and tried to take his hands. “Michael, it wasn’t just for me. It was for you and the girls, too.”

He pulled back and stood up. “No. No more mind games. Listen to yourself. Hello? I never wanted this. You’ve been on your own agenda for a long time. Jesus, Cathi—you faked a pregnancy!”

Michael swore under his breath. She had never seen him this furious.
 

“Cathi. You’re still in complete denial of all the damage you’ve done and, quite frankly, you’re still doing. I know we had something real—
had
. We both still love the kids, but you and me? I really am lost about what the hell is going on here. First the house, then the baby. When did you shut me out?”

“No, I never.” She stood up alongside her husband. “Please, Michael. I never meant to do that.”

“You know the money we got from our own house? That would have been enough to buy a nice place in a less expensive town. I could’ve taken a year off to write that book I’ve been promising myself I’d do someday.”

Cathi panicked inside but tried to stay composed on the surface. “What about the girls? They’re already settled in school, and it’s a great school.”

“You’re not gonna change are you? You’re not even sorry. You’re just sorry you got caught—not that I have any idea how you were going to fake a birth. I have to get away. I’m sorry. I just need some space to figure out what the heck is going on with us.”

“You don’t mean that.”

“What do you think?” Michael looked at her with tired, miserable eyes.

She tried to hide her panic. “For God’s sake, it’s the twenty-second of December, Michael. Be realistic.”

“Realistic? Ha! What the heck do you know about reality? You’re delusional, Cathi. I’m packing my things. I’m sorry. Jesus, why am I apologizing? I just can’t go on like this. Life is gonna have to change around here. So you better buckle up, because it’s gonna be a bumpy ride.”

Chapter Thirty-One

Up, Up, and Away

“Are you buckled in? It’s getting a little bumpy.” Bruce leaned over and checked Jessie’s seat belt.

“Tell me about it,” Jessie said.

“Oh? Everything okay?”

She’d been thinking of Ely and worrying over leaving her back in Boston. Telling her about Tristan had been emotional but worth it. She snapped back to reality now. It had been a happy coincidence to discover that Bruce was on the same plane as her, regardless of what Ely had said. He was fast becoming one of her best friends in Newton.

“I’m sorry, Tristan. It’s been a manic few days with schoolwork, late nights, and I have a lot on my mind at the moment. I’m distracted.”

“So it would seem.” Bruce brushed imaginary dust off his shoulder lapel. “My name’s not Tristan. I’m Bruce—nice to meet you.”

She slapped her hand over her mouth, horrified. “Oh God, I called you Tristan? I’m so sorry, Bruce.”

“Was it Tristan who gave me that right hook last night?”

“Um, no. That was Dan.”

“Ah.”

“Dan and I were together for a while but he—well, it appears he’s married, actually.”

Bruce raised an eyebrow at her and pretended to be shocked.

“I didn’t know. I assumed he was single. He sure acted single. So that’s it. Now you know why I don’t want to have anything to do with him ever again.”

This time Bruce looked more sympathetic. “That must have been hard.”

“To be honest, it hurt like hell at the time, but I’m a strong girl. I’ll get over it.”

“I’ll help you,” Bruce said and pressed the call button. “Best way to get over anything is with champagne. What do you say? We served enough of it last night—I think we need to celebrate Christmas. Yeah?”

Jessie didn’t have that kind of money, but it appeared Bruce did. “That sounds like heaven,” she said.
Why can’t I find a nice guy like this one?
she wondered and looked out at the darkening sky.

“What time do we land?” she asked when he’d placed the order.

“About two a.m. Boston time, seven a.m. in London town.”

“Will somebody be meeting you?”
 

“No. I’ll catch a cab. Can I offer you a ride anywhere?”

“Bruce, you’re so kind. My mum will be there and maybe a few brothers and sisters, too. I’ve never been away from home before. I really hope Tristan comes out.”

“Tristan? So I’m guessing he’s the man in your life now.”

She decided to have some fun. “Yes he is, Bruce. I love him with all my heart, and I hope we’ll be together forever.”

“Lucky guy.” Bruce drained his champagne glass and refilled it from his little bottle.

“I’m joking.” She nudged him gently with her elbow. “He’s my kid brother. Tristan is only eight, and he’s the love of my life. I’ve missed him so much.”

Bruce nodded that he understood. “Ah, your little brother? I thought he was your boyfriend.”