Ever After (47 page)

“Shelly, what do you want?”

She gave a great, dramatic sigh. “I can see that nothing has changed; you're still hostile. All right, I will tell you. I honestly didn't think you'd mind if I took on the responsibility for this old house. You're always saying that I never help you with anything, but when I did offer to help, you acted like I'm a criminal. I thought you liked where you lived. You never hid the fact that you've always been madly in love with Braden. It's all I
heard while I was growing up. It was embarrassing watching you make a fool of yourself over him.”

Hallie knew that what Shelly was saying about Braden was true. It was quite possible—probable even—that if she'd received the package from Jared first, she would have sold the Nantucket house unseen.

Shelly opened a container of olives and nibbled one. “I really thought you and Braden would end up together. That's what his mom and you plotted, didn't you?”

Hallie sat down at the table and looked at her stepsister. Shelly continued. “Never in my life would I have believed that you'd ever leave Braden. I thought you'd die in that house, just waiting for him to return and notice you.”

“So you're saying that you wouldn't have tried to steal this house if it hadn't been for my caring about Braden?”

“Caring!” Shelly said. “It was more like an obsession. Face it, Hallie, you're not exactly the adventurous type. You lived in one house all your life. Even after all that schooling you had, you got a cheap job nearby just so you wouldn't have to leave him. You just sat there and waited for Braden to return and sweep you away to some future you dreamed about.”

Hallie had her head down. Shelly's words were so true that she was beginning to feel awful. But then this was the way it had been since her father came home and announced that he'd married a woman who had a daughter. Her dad said Shelly was going to become Hallie's best friend.

But that had never happened. Instead, she'd found herself “talked to” by Ruby, lectured about how Hallie should give Shelly more and more and more. When Shelly was older, she'd done her own talking, turning things around so that Hallie was always in the wrong.

Yes, Hallie had been obsessed with Braden, but now she realized that she'd needed that dream of a happy future in order to survive.

Sometimes there are moments in people's lives when they suddenly see things differently. Call it an aha moment, an epiphany, whatever. It's a time when a person breaks. As Hallie looked at her stepsister, she decided that she'd had enough. She was no longer going to be afraid of her stepsister. If Shelly turned on whatever she did to attract men and if Jamie followed her like all the other males did, so be it. Hallie had had
enough
!

“You're right,” she said to Shelly and there was a tone in her voice that she knew she'd never before used with her stepsister. It was the one that made reluctant patients get on the table. There was kindness, but it was backed by an unbreakable firmness.

“You're right that I was afraid of…adventure, as you call it. After you and Ruby took over my family, I was scared of leaving the only security I'd ever known. In your drive to win no matter what, you and your mother made what had once been a peaceful home into a battlefield. You drove my grandparents away and made my father hate to return.”

Shelly was looking at her in surprise. Hallie didn't usually fight back. Ruby had taken all that out of her. But Shelly quickly recovered. “It's this guy who's turning you against your own family, isn't it? I guess he's the one you lost all the weight for.” Her words were sly, as though she knew something Hallie didn't. “I saw him outside. He's so torn up most women wouldn't want him. But he's rich so I don't blame you for going after him.”

Hallie didn't lose her temper at the accusation, and most important, she didn't go into defense mode. “If that's what you want to believe, go ahead.”

A wave of anger went across Shelly's perfectly made-up face. Hallie knew that in the past that look meant her stepsister would take some revenge. A toy, a computer, a new piece of clothing, something would be ruined—and of course Shelly would deny having done it.

“Look, Hallie,” Shelly said in a voice that others would hear as caring, “I'm younger than you are, but I've seen more of the world. Do you think this guy with his messed-up body will want you after his leg heals? You think his rich family won't snub you? One thing I've learned is that wealthy people only marry other rich people. Believe me, I've
tried
to change that, but it doesn't happen.”

“And if someone who looks like you can't get a rich man, there's no hope for me, right?”

Shelly glared at her. “You always twist whatever I say, don't you? You're always so clever! But I know more about men than you do and I'm just warning you, that's all.”

Hallie was calm. “Shelly, I don't know what's going to happen in my life, but I'm not worried about it. You see, I'm finally beginning to realize that I'm worth something. I'm good at my job and I've met people who genuinely like me, and that's made me feel the best about myself that I have since I was a kid.” When Shelly started to speak, Hallie put up her hand. “And as for Jamie, I'm in love with him. Deeply and totally in love with him.”

“You think that matters to a man as rich as he is?” Shelly was very angry. “I don't care how much weight you lose, he'll still leave you. When his leg heals he'll walk away and you'll never see him again.”

Hallie stood up and looked down at her stepsister. “That's his choice and if he does, I'll survive it. It'll take me a long time to recover, but I will. And the next time I won't be afraid that you're going to show up and take a man away from me. Shelly, you may be beautiful on the outside, but the inside of you is quite ugly.” She took a breath. “Braden is on the island and I'm going to ask one last favor of him. I want him to come get you and take you someplace far away from me. I've had all I'm going to take of your belittling me. And I am never again going to be afraid of what you can do or say to me.”

Turning, Hallie walked out the back door into the garden.
She was shaking all over, but she felt very good. Right now, all she wanted was to see Jamie.

She was almost to the gym when he came up behind her and picked her up. She clung to him.

“I heard it all,” he said, holding her tightly. “The ladies locked me in the tea room, but I'm glad because I saw you, heard you. You were wonderful. Stupendous. I am so proud of you.” He was kissing her neck. “Deeply and totally in love with me, are you?”

Hallie laughed. “You weren't supposed to hear that.”

He pulled her away to look in her eyes. “I understand things now, and I'm glad you didn't believe all that about me. Let's go out to dinner and drink champagne and celebrate.”

“What about your meds?”

“I haven't taken a pill in two days.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, but don't tell my doctor that. I'm sure I'll be back on them again.”

“And who is your doctor—and so help me, if you tell me it's Raine, I'll start screaming.”

“It's not. It's his—”

“I've had all the surprises I can take in one day,” Hallie said as she kissed him.

“Then let's go eat, drink, and be merry.” He took her hand in his.

“Wait!” Hallie said. “I have to call Braden and tell him to come get Shelly.” Suddenly, she halted. “I don't have to take care of Shelly anymore, do I?” She looked at him in wonder. “Since I was eleven years old, I've had to look after her. In my household, she came first in everything. Even when she was in California trying to become a movie star, I had to send her money. Once I had to—” She broke off. “But all that's over. I don't know how to describe it. Nothing has changed but everything has. I'm done.”

“Good,” Jamie said, “but rather than leave her alone in the house, I already called Braden. He'll know how to take care of everything.”

“You think so?” Hallie was surprised. “I want to hear what you two talked about this morning. What made you go from being jealous every time his name was mentioned to singing his praises?”

“We just talked is all. Where is that ring you had?”

“Last time I saw it, it was on the coffee table in the tea room. You want me to get it?”

“No!” Jamie said. “I just got out of being locked in that room and I saw Shelly go in there. Hallie?” His face turned serious. “I don't mean to be a scaredy-cat, but let's turn this house over to the Kingsley branch of the family. I think they're more used to ghosts than my side is.”

“Yes, let's,” she said. “Now, where are you taking me for dinner?”

“A picnic in bed?” he suggested.

Laughing, Hallie put her arms around his neck and looked at him. “Is any of this for real? You, your family, all this talk of us and we and the future? Will it last?”

“Yes,” he said. “It's very real. I'm not going to run off as soon as my leg heals, and you've seen that my family adores you. Your stepsister certainly has a backward view of the world. She doesn't seem to consider that her mercenary attitude is what gets her tossed aside. Let's go to dinner and talk about our future. Like that idea?”

“Yes,” she said, “I do.”

“Interesting choice of words,” he said and they laughed.

B
y the time Braden got to Hallie's house he was in a seriously bad mood. Jamie had called him and told of the encounter Hallie had with her stepsister.

“I've never heard anything like it,” Jamie said, his voice loud and angry. “She tried to make it sound like she was stealing in order to
help
Hallie.”

“Yeah, that sounds like her. Ruby used to do that. She told Hallie's dad she had the garden bulldozed because the grandparents were getting older, the garden was too much for them, and they needed to take up swimming for their health. Shelly's just doing what her mother taught her.”

“Yeah, well, she's not going to do it to Hallie ever again. Next time—if there is one—I'll be there.”

“So why did you stand back and just listen this time?”

“It would take too long to explain,” Jamie said. “I have to
go find Hallie. But come get that girl or I'll throw her in the street.”

“What am I supposed to do with her?” Braden asked, annoyed.

“Get her to sign papers saying she'll stay away from Hallie. And Braden?”

“Yeah?”

“Thanks again for all you did for Hallie when she was growing up.”

“You're welcome,” Braden said. “But I warn you that if you don't take her to visit my mother often, she'll put a curse on you.”

“Gladly,” Jamie said and clicked off.

For a while Braden sat in the chair by the pool and thought about not going. He was staying in a house that belonged to a man named Roger Plymouth and he liked it very much. He'd never tell Hallie, but he hated that old house she'd inherited. He liked new and modern.

For a moment he allowed himself to imagine not going to pick up Shelly. Just leave her there, let her find her own way off the island. She got here by herself, so she could get herself back to the mainland.

But Braden knew he wouldn't do that. He'd take care of Shelly for Hallie and for his mom.

Slowly, he got up and went into the house to change into jeans and a shirt. The bad thing about having put on his act to turn Hallie off was that he'd alienated the entire Montgomery-Taggert family. There were half a dozen of them staying in the house for a few days after the wedding, but they wanted nothing to do with Braden. He'd been left alone while they went to beaches and shops and all the other delights of the glorious island of Nantucket.