Part 21 (1/2)
”Stay here with the baby.”
She didn't protest. If CJ was hurt...if Duane was there...well, Poppy knew she was better off in the car.
She watched Manny walk to the front door. She wondered why his wife hadn't loved him, or, according to what he'd told her last night, had stopped loving him, the way Poppy was pretty sure now that she'd stopped loving Duane. It was hard to believe that Manny was a scoundrel or a louse. It was hard to believe he was anything but a really nice guy and a really good kisser. It was hard to believe he wouldn't take good care of anyone that he loved.
He rang the bell and waited. No one came to the door. He rang again. Nothing.
A few seconds later, Manny left the door and followed the Italian stone sidewalk across the front of the house, to the side. Then, he disappeared around back.
Poppy held her breath.
Belita woke up.
”Mommy,” she cried, or something that sounded like ”Mommy.”
Poppy turned around in her seat. ”It's okay, honey. Poppy is here. Uncle Manny will be right back.”
The little girl who, just a few hours ago, had savored her fun time with Poppy now took another look at her and let out a wail.
”Oh, h.e.l.l,” Poppy muttered and did not know what to do. Then she remembered the bottle of apple juice Yolanda had tossed in the bag. She climbed over the front seat into the back, where Belita still bawled as if she were the one being blackmailed.
In less than a minute, Poppy got the bottle all set, unbuckled Belita, and took the child in her arms. Vaguely aware that something in her lap felt rather damp, she inserted the nipple into Belita's little mouth, Poppy was pondering how on earth one changed a diaper when Manny finally reappeared. Malcolm was walking alongside him.
”Poppy,” Malcolm said. ”I was out in the garden.”
He was supposed to have been in Was.h.i.+ngton. He was supposed to have been in Was.h.i.+ngton and CJ was supposed to be there at the house. Poppy couldn't very well ask what had happened, if the blackmailer had shown up and if it had been Duane.
”But where's your car?” Poppy asked, as if Malcolm was the one who needed interrogating.
”I flew up last night. Took a cab from the airport. Hey-is that a baby you're holding?”
”It's my friend's baby, yes. I see you've met her brother, Manny?”
”I told him we stopped by to see Elinor,” Manny jumped in with a quick lie. ”I said she wanted to see Yo's little girl.”
Poppy forced a smile. ”Right,” she said. ”Well, here she is.”
”Very cute,” Malcolm said and gave a childlike wave to Belita, who studied him carefully but kept sucking the juice. ”Elinor's in Philadelphia,” Malcolm continued. ”At the seamstress or something. Having her dress fixed for the big party Sat.u.r.day.”
”Oh, yes, well, you'll have a good time. I know she's excited.” Poppy wanted to say she was still upset that they weren't invited, but she supposed the whole thing was irrelevant now.
”Well,” Manny said, ”we'd better get going. Nice to meet you.” He shook Malcolm's hand, got into the car, and they drove off, with Poppy and Belita in the backseat, and Manny acting like the chauffeur in front.
Thirty-five.
CJ hadn't wanted to talk to Elinor until she'd returned home, changed out of the polyester, and poured a gla.s.s of wine. She'd decided to tell her she was done with the charade.
Sitting on the sofa now, her feet propped on the footstool and Luna stretched out, with her chin on CJ's lap, CJ took a long drink and turned on her phone. There were seven messages, which she chose to ignore. Elinor, no doubt, whining for help.
Slowly, she dialed. If she was lucky, Elinor wouldn't have reception.
”Where the h.e.l.l have you been?” her twin's voice bellowed before CJ had even heard the other end ring.
”I've been trying to clean up your messes, E.”
”Don't start, CJ. You're not attractive when you're mean.”
”And you're not attractive when you're a train wreck. Are you still coming home tomorrow?”
”If you mean, did I get the money, the answer is yes. All in untraceable debit cards. Has there been any word from my...friend?”
CJ told her that Malcolm had come home, that she'd stolen the handsets, that she was back at the cottage and not at Elinor's.
Her sister paused for a long time, because it was so rare for anything she'd planned to go so awry. ”Well, that's great,” she finally said.
”Sorry. I did my best.”
”What about Alice? Did she learn anything at the hotel yesterday?”
”No.” Even as done as CJ was, she couldn't bring herself to tell Elinor about the debacle that had ensued, and that she'd gone today and been mistaken for Elinor by the housekeeper. Some things would keep until Elinor was home.
”E,” CJ said, ”have you given any more thought to telling Malcolm about it?”
”No, and I won't.”
”It's just that he's a lobbyist, E. He understands give and take. Maybe he'd have some ideas.”
”About how to shake up the current administration?”
”No, Elinor. About how to get out of this with grace and dignity.”
”I'm afraid it's too late for that. I've called Remy three times, but now I can't get through. His a.s.sistant says he'll let me know when he can schedule a meeting, but I think Remy's angry that I'm being pushy.”
In spite of her annoyance, CJ felt a twinge of sorrow. ”Oh, E, I'm so sorry-”
”Don't be sorry. You know it's my own fault. What did I expect? I'll tell you what I expected. I expected not to be treated like somebody's wh.o.r.e. I expected not to be tossed out like yesterday's champagne gone flat.”
It was a lousy a.n.a.logy, even for Elinor. Still, it reminded CJ of the gla.s.s in her hand, so she took another long drink. After she swallowed, she asked, ”What will you do, E?”
”I will fly home tomorrow, and you will pick me up. I will act as if nothing happened, because so far, nothing really has. And I will go to Was.h.i.+ngton on Sat.u.r.day for Jonas and Lucinda's big party. And when I see Remy, I will be polite, even reverent, because he is the vice president, and that's what Daddy would expect.” Then Elinor started to cry.
CJ teared up as well, because that's the way CJ thought it worked with identical twins, as if both of their hearts were simultaneously pierced. She'd never been sure, though, if Elinor had ached when CJ had. She'd never been sure because she hadn't dared ask.