Authors: Kimberly Lowe
Then & Now
Then and Now
By Kimberly Lowe
All Rights Reserved
To Allen, the love of my life
Table of Contents
n
Ella Hall pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant fighting the urge to drive right back out. She had been looking forward to the l
unch with her longtime friends. They only met once a month, except this time her twin was taking time out of her ever busy schedule to join them.
Turning off her car Ella rested her head on the steering-wheel. She loved her sister
dearly; she just couldn’t listen to how fabulous her life was anymore. Trips to Paris, dinning in Spain, dropping hundreds of thousands of dollars on designer clothes, all with a husband who Ella couldn’t even think about without having heart complications.
She once
believe that she would grow out of crushing on her sister’s boyfriends. Unfortunately, her sister was saving the best for last. Colin Russo, the man who matched Ella’s definition of the perfect man down to the letter, married her sister. Ironic, really.
Sitting up Ella plastered on her best fake smile while she opened her door and stepped out into the warm summer sun. Just like any gathering when it came to her sister, Ella knew she would have to just grin and bear it.
She walked casually into the dinner, gave the waitress a small smile and headed back to the booth they had claimed every month since high-school. Two of her friends were already waiting with their heads close together as they read over some papers.
“Hello.” She greeted. “Oh, is this for your class?” She asked her friend
Alethea Eneas, who was to teach high school the upcoming year.
Alethea
smiled shyly. “Yes, Maddie was just looking it over with me.”
Madeline
Tunner grinned up at Ella. “Thea is so nervous.”
“This is my
fist year. I want to make sure I get it right.” Thea protested as she gathered up her papers.
“You’ll do g
reat.” Ella reassured her while she slid into the vinyl covered booth. “If anyone can teach a bunch of high school kids it would be you.”
“Thanks.”
Thea smiled with appreciation.
Ella always wondered if
Thea knew how pretty she was when she smiled. Alethea had always lived in her sister’s shadow, feeling less than equal. Ella could relate all too easily. Even though her sister was identical in the physical appearance, Amy had always been more. More outgoing, more flirtatious, more…just more.
“Hey, ladies!”
Leya Davis greeted loudly as she approached the booth. Turning to her body guard Jasper Kelley, Leya lifted a hand. “I’m going to be awhile, so go get a cup of coffee or something.”
Ella had to hide a smile. Even though
Leya’s tone was harsh and annoyed, her eyes said something else entirely. She had been in love with Jasper since she was sixteen. Ever since the first day he came to work for her. Why he was hired was beyond any of them. Ella never saw any initial threat. She figured Leya’s parents were just extremely protective of their only child. After their tragic deaths she wondered if Leya’s butler and guardian left Jasper on as extra hands, seeing how wild Leya had become after graduation.
Though if Ella was placing bets, her money would be on Jasper having mutual feelings towards
Leya, being the real reason why he stayed. She had witnessed a few occasions where he had let his guard down, when he thought no one was paying attention, the admiring look.
“Sorry we’re late.” Amelia Steel beamed. “I had to pick up Sophia.”
Sophia Rhodes nodded as she came up behind Amelia. “John needed my car today.”
“You’re not that late.”
Maddie reassured. Getting up she gave each friend a hug. “Why did John need your car?”
“I’m not really sure.” Sophia answered honestly.
Leya let out an exasperated huff. “He probably didn’t want to show up to work with the piece of crap he drives.”
“What does that have to do with anything?” Sophia asked while she slid in next to
Maddie.
“He didn’t tell you? The owner of John’s work is coming.
All the way from Scotland.” Leya announced with a mischievous grin.
Sophia rolled her eyes.
“Oh, yeah. I’ve heard. Hell, that’s all he’s been talking about.”
Ella remembered the conversation she had with Sophia on this very same subject. Apparently, John was all worked up about th
e head honcho arriving sometime within the next month.
“Oh! Nice car!” A man from the booth next to theirs
expressed as he sat up a little further to get a better view.
“Holy crap!
Is that a Porsche Carrera GT? That’s a one-hundred thousand dollar car!” Another man exclaimed.
Ella didn’t have to look to know it was her twin. Amy always had to have the best of everything.
Everyone stopped as Amy made her grand entrance. The whole dinner seemed to turn and watch her as she sashayed her way towards them. Her perfect hair, designer clothes with matching handbag, manicured nails, and an ego that was the size of Texas; no wonder she won Colin.
Coming right up to their table, Amy slapped a newspaper article down. “You will never believe it!”
Oh, here we go
. Ella thought. Someone probably printed a story, or took an unflattering picture of her twin and now she was on a rampage. Being married to one of the youngest billionaires, Amy had to be presentable at all times.
“Mary Young
left her husband yesterday!” Amy announced, startling everyone.
Ella felt herself fall back against the booths tall seat
as everyone else leaned forward.
“Are you sure?” Sophia gasped as she reached for the paper.
“Mary? I thought her and her husband were doing so well…I mean she just published her book, and he started teaching at that new college.” Maddie stuttered.
“You mean the book about a man who cheats on his wife? Yeah, the whole thing was true! Her husband was sleeping with one of his college students!” Amy informed
them as she took a seat next Ella. Pointing at the paper she continued, “The article is about the student he had slept with. The really sick part about the whole thing was when he was asked about his wife he said, and I quote, ‘She always knew I never really loved her.’ What a dick!”
“I saw Mary last week.” Ella’s voice barely made it past her lips and yet the whole table fell silent turning their attention to her. “She seemed fine. I would have never guessed she was hurting that bad.”
Mary and her husband’s relationship, in Ella’s opinion, was the one that was going to make it. They had met in their senior year of high school and everything changed. Mary had given up everything for David. Just like Ella had for Matt. Mary’s story was too close to Ella’s. A little too close.
“This all makes you really rethink things, doesn’t it?”
Leya stated quietly. “I mean life has a strange way of throwing curves at you.”
“That’s for sure.”
Thea shied while she played with her straw.
“Life is just so short.”
Maddie said under her breath. “If you’re not careful it will pass you by.”
“You do you mean? You’re getting married in two months.” Sophia countered. “Are you having second thoughts?”
“Oh, no!” Maddie waved her hand in front of her. “Nothing like that. It’s just we’ve never slept together. And everything moved so quickly…”
“You haven’t slept with him?!”
Leya gasped. “Why in the hell not? What are you waiting for?”
Maddie
shook her head with slight embarrassment. “I wanted to wait. My first wasn’t that great and I told myself that the next time would be special.”
“At least she has someone, instead of crushing on her boss who has no idea you exist.” Amelia laughed without humor.
“You’re crushing on your boss!” Some of them said at once.
“I don’t blame her.”
Leya giggled. “I’ve seen the man. And when I say damn, I mean
damn
.”
Amelia’s cheeks reddened slightly. “What about you? That bodyguard of yours is pretty hot.”
Leya laughed nervously. “Please.”
“Please nothing!
He is quite handsome.” Amy teased. “Why don’t you explore what you have right under your own roof?”
Leya
glanced over her shoulder to her bodyguard. “Yeah, well that will never happen. He’s too professional for that.”
“You’ve tried?”
Maddie asked with a raised brow.
Shaking her head,
Leya tried to hide her blush. “No. It’s one of those unspoken terms.”
“Hell with ‘unspoken terms’, speak up girl! Tell him how you feel!” Amy demanded.
“Maybe I will.” Leya lifted her chin with valor.
“Yeah, right.”
Amelia giggled. “And I will go to work tomorrow and hit on my boss.”
“I think you should. You have just as good of chance as anyone.”
Leya protested.
Amelia only shook her head with a small skeptical smile.
“Maybe I should sleep with him before we’re married.” Maddie declared triumphantly. “Right?”
Leya
lifted a shoulder. “Well, yeah. I mean if he sucks in bed then you’ll know beforehand.”
Everyone let out a whoop of laughter that shifted mood. Friendly banter carried on throughout their lunch making the time move faster than Ella had wanted it to. By the time their lunch was over everyone was back to their original conversation.
“You know Maddie, I really do think you should sleep with your man.” Leya said seriously. “I mean this isn’t the fifties, you won’t be shunned.”
“That’s not the point.” Amelia frowned. “She wants it to be special.”
Amy and Leya both let out a chuckle.
“You’re getting married.” Amy began. “Check out the goods, hon. If you love each other
then…” Dropping off mid-sentence, Amy cleared her throat. “Yeah, anyway. I say go for it.”
What was that about
? Ella thought as she gave her sister a questioning stare.
Maddie
nodded slowly. “I think I’m going to.”
“There you go!”
Leya clapped her hands together. “You sleep with your man. Amelia will go after her tasty boss. While we’re at it maybe Sophia can get her man to finally propose.”
Sophia’s head snapped up. “Yeah, that will be the day! Tell you what. You go after Jasper,
then I’ll get John to marry me.”
“Why would you bring that up again?”
Leya asked starting the friendly banter back up.
As they all got up to leave the banter between each friend slowly ended. Everyone gave good-bye hugs and the “call me” waves, and before Ella knew it she stood alone with her twin.
Heading towards her car, Ella turned back to her sister who was following close behind.
“
Already leaving?” Her identical twin giggled as she met Ella at the trunk of the car.
“It’s a long drive. I should start heading back.” She answered lamely.
Her sister let out another chuckle while she flipped her well groomed hair over shoulder. “Well if you didn’t live out in the middle of nowhere. I mean really. What possessed you to live up the mountain?”