Sway

Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

I pulled up to my sister’s house, parking the BMW convertible in the driveway. Aunt Rose had graciously lent me one of her cars since I’d sold mine before I left for New York eight years ago. Nobody sane drives anywhere in New York. Grabbing my favorite red Botkier bag and hefting one of my suitcases from the back seat, I went to the door and rang the bell.

Ten minutes of toe tapping later, Mari answered.

“Why didn’t you just let yourself in?” She shuffled ahead of me through the front entrance. “It’s not good for a sick person to be out of bed.”

“I wouldn’t do that. This isn’t my house.” I set my suitcase on the hardwood floor, my bag on top.

Mari eyed my suitcase, her eyes gleaming with envy. “Since when do you have Vuitton luggage?”

“Christmas present from Dad.”

Mari snorted. “Figures. Since I got married I never get anything good.” She forced out a few sympathy coughs.

“Go back to bed. I’ll bring the rest of my stuff inside and then come see you, okay?”

“Okay, Mom,” she mumbled, walking through the archway into the living room. I rolled my eyes as she flopped onto the couch, arm over her forehead like a Southern belle who had caught the vapors.

After taking my luggage to the guest room, I joined Mari on the couch, putting her feet on my lap. “So?” I asked, eyeing her. She didn’t have any makeup on and her short hair lay limp and greasy against her head. “What’s wrong?”

She groaned loudly. “I told you, I’m sick. I think it’s gotten worse. Couldn’t you have come sooner?”

“I came as soon as I could.”

“What if it’s something life-threatening?”

“It’s not.”

“How do you know?”

“Because no disease is going to take out Marilyn Musgrove. Well, maybe ebola.” I grinned when she snorted at that. I was just glad she didn’t take the joke seriously.

“I’d have thought you would want out of Kellynch as quick as possible before Eric’s sister arrives.”

The thought had crossed my mind. Sophia was a lot older than Eric. She’d been in nursing school when Eric and I were in high school. She’d sent money to her brothers, but had never come around to visit. Eric’s older brother, Evan, had taken care of them. I’d never actually met Sophia. I had no desire to now.

“Where’s Charlie?” I asked, changing the subject.

“In the den playing video games, as usual.” She shook her head. “You’d think since I’m sick that my husband would have the decency to take care of me. Make me chicken noodle soup or rub my chest with VapoRub. At least be with me. But no. If I died, he probably wouldn’t even notice, he’d be too busy playing Call of Doodoo, or whatever it’s called.”

“Mari, it’s his job.” Charlie was a video game tester. It meant he could work from home. It also meant he rarely did anything but play video games all day long.

Mari mumbled about being neglected so I tried to distract her. “Where are the boys?”

“They’re in the yard with the nanny.” She waved her hand. “Aiden kept knocking Landon over and making him cry and it was giving me a headache so I sent them outside.”

“I can’t wait to see them,” I said.

“That’s because they’re not yours,” she said. I shot her a look. “What? You don’t know what it’s like. How exhausting raising two boys can be.”

So said the woman with a nanny. I squashed that thought, it was a bit unfair. A whole lot true, maybe, but a bit unfair. “You’re right, I don’t know. Are you managing? Is everything okay?”

She raised her head off the pillow and glared at me. “Aside from the fact that I’m sick?” Her head slumped back down. “I’m fine, I guess.”

“Good.” I patted her leg, my worry dissipating a little. Mari tended to feign or at least exaggerate sickness every month or so for attention. We’d obviously reached that time on the calendar. I knew my sister and she just needed a distraction. “Is Lacey here?”

“She’s at work.”

“Oh? Does she still work at Forever 21?”

“No, she works at this little boutique in Huntington Beach called Cinnamon.” Lacey was Charlie’s younger sister and Mari’s best friend. The three of them and the two kids shared a house in Laguna Beach that their parents, the Musgrove’s, bought for them. It was a nice set-up, one I could easily be jealous of. My sister had it all—marriage, kids, a beautiful home. Yet it was hard to be jealous when these low moods were such a usual occurrence for Mari.

“Why don’t you take a couple of Advil, have a shower and then we’ll drive over there?” I said. “I’d love to see her store.”

She raised herself up off the couch. “Maybe I will,” she said, brightening. “I need a new pair of sandals anyway. I’m starving though, I need to eat first.”

Mari bounded from the couch and left the room without a hint of shuffling. Just like that, she was cured. But then, I had a knack for it.

* * * * *

Cinnamon, the boutique where Lacey worked, was wedged in a strip mall across the street from the beach. I had to park a couple of miles away, but Mari and I had fun checking out the shops and catching up on each other’s lives. By the time we walked into Lacey’s store, Mari had lost all traces of her “sickness”.

Lacey stood behind the counter, ringing up a customer. “Hey, Mar.” She did a double-take when she saw me. “Ava?” I smiled and waved. “Give me a sec, okay?”

I strolled through the racks, my eye catching on a pale pink blouse. It would be perfect for a job interview. I grabbed a size small.

“Ava,” Mari called. “Check these out.”

Mari wobbled past me on a pair of towering platforms. “What do you think?”

“I think those are Lady Gaga shoes.” She spun to face me and almost toppled over. “Besides, didn’t you need sandals?”

Lacey joined us, her customer toting at least six bags past us out of the store. Mari’s mouth gaped open. “Wait. Was that—?”

Lacey grinned. “Yep!” She turned to me. “We get tons of celebrities in here. It’s the best job ever.” Mari stared after the so-called celebrity, a woman I didn’t recognize.

“How are things?” I asked Lacey.

“Oh, you know, same old.” She shrugged. “Chris Evans hasn’t asked me to marry him yet. Leaves me something to live for.”

I laughed. “Well, you look great. If he walked in here, I bet he’d propose on the spot. Or at least ask you out.”

“Guess I just need to get him in here, then.” Lacey towered over me, but that was due mostly to her six-inch stilettos. Her hair fell in perfect blonde waves, she had a nose that could only be described as button-cute, and she was California skinny with a chest that looked enhanced but actually wasn’t. Any man would drool over her. Despite all that, she had an innocence about her that caused even the slightest twinges of female jealousy to run screaming. I could sooner hate a puppy.

“Mari, you cannot buy those shoes,” Lacey said. “I forbid it.” Mari scowled but sat down to undo them. Lacey scanned the shelves, finally grabbing a pair of polka-dot wedges and handing them to my sister. “How long are you here for?”

“What?” I stopped mouthing the words to the Taylor Swift song playing over the sound system. Lacey repeated her question. “Oh, I’m back for good.”

“That’s great!” She glanced at the blouse in my hand. “I’ve got the perfect skirt to go with that.”

I followed her through the store. “I’m actually staying with you guys for a bit, I hope that’s okay.”

“No prob.” She held up a silver sequined mini. Not really my style. Lacey must have seen it on my face because she said, “Come on, just try it.”

I shrugged and took the skirt from her. Why not?

“You’re so tiny, Ava, you really should play that to your advantage. Here, try this.” I followed Lacey through the store, and the two items of clothing in my hand soon became ten, then twenty. Lacey didn’t stop chattering as she kept handing me different pieces to try on. “Are you still into the whole piano thing?”

What a way to sum up my life’s passion, like I was collecting Pokémon or something. “I’m performing with the California Philharmonic this summer.”

“Wow! That’s awesome.” Lacey looked impressed. “No breaks for you, huh? Straight from Juilliard to the Philharmonica.”

I pressed my lips together and didn’t correct her. Little did she know that performing a handful of times for an orchestra was considered taking a break in my world.

“As if Ava wants a break,” Mari said, giving the wedges a test drive. “I don’t know how you don’t get sick of it.”

Getting sick of the piano was unthinkable. Music was the blood in my veins. Ever since Mom signed me up for my first lesson, my fingers tingled with songs unplayed. Later, when she died, it became an obsession. A release and a comfort. It was my connection to her, if only a thin one.

“I wish I was that good at something,” Lacey said with a wistful sigh. “Although I think I would have gone more the popstar route. Like Katy Perry.”

As if it was that easy. She started singing “California Girls” while doing a weird dance.

Mari and I burst out laughing. A couple of girls walked into the store but Lacey didn’t stop. “Where did you learn those moves?” Mari asked in between peals of laughter. “That’s not what she does in the music video, is it?”

Lacey continued to dance, her hips and hands shaking together. “Just Dance! You know, the game?” When she caught sight of Mari’s face, she finally quit her routine and went to help her new customers.

An hour later, Lacey was ringing me up while I cringed at the mounting cost. I would have to avoid my mail for a long while. Lacey had excellent taste; almost everything she had chosen looked amazing on me. Narrowing down my choices proved very difficult.

When Lacey quoted the price, I frowned. “That can’t be right? I was watching the totals add up and it was almost double that.”

“Employee discount!” She leaned forward and lowered her voice. “Don’t worry, I give it to Mari all the time.”

“Are you sure?” I didn’t want her to get in trouble.

She waved away my concern. “Of course. You’re practically my sister.”

With “California Girls” stuck in my head, and a smile over my lips, I left the store, knowing I had made the right choice. Staying with Mari and Lacey was going to be fun.