Evening Stars (29 page)

She sat up and sipped. The sweet soft drink soothed her throat and felt cool as she swallowed. After a few sips, she gave him back the glass.

“I’m okay,” she murmured.

“Then you can take your antiviral.”

He measured out the dose, and she took it. Then she collapsed back on the bed. Dylan kissed her forehead. “Go back to sleep.”

The next time she surfaced, Dylan got her to drink some more soda and take a couple of spoonfuls of chicken soup. Hours later, Bertie was the one replacing the washcloths on her forehead.

“Dylan went to work,” the other woman explained.

“He must be tired,” Nina whispered. “Did he get any sleep at all?”

“He said he did. Now you rest. Don’t worry about anything.”

The day passed quickly, in disconnected bits. When it was dark again, she felt Dylan stroking her cheek. She opened her eyes.

“You need to get some rest,” she said. “I’m okay.”

“Who’s the medical professional here?” he asked.

“We both are.”

“One more night and then you’ll be rid of me.”

She nodded, unable to complain about having him nearby. She closed her eyes again.

“Talk to me,” she murmured, shifting on the bed to give him room.

“Sure.” He surprised her by lying down next to her and putting his arm around her.

Nice, she thought, relaxing against his warmth.

“My mother hates my new sofa,” he said.

“Is it black leather?”

“Of course.”

“Such a guy.”

“That’s close to what she said, but she sounded a lot more exasperated. Now she’s insisting on going with me to pick out a bedroom set. I gotta tell you, I’m not comfortable shopping for a bed with my mother.”

Nina managed a smile. “Remind her you got through medical school.”

“I don’t think that will help. She says I need color in my life.”

“Did she say which one?”

He chuckled. She felt the rumble in his chest. “No, but I’ll ask.”

He kept talking, but it was more and more difficult to listen and then there was nothing.

Chapter Twenty

THE NEXT DAY, Nina knew she was on the mend. She was able to sit up, eat toast
and
soup, and only napped for a couple of hours in the afternoon.

About four, she wandered into the kitchen and found Bertie putting a pork roast into the oven. The other woman studied her for a few seconds, then smiled.

“Yes, definitely better,” Bertie announced, then pointed to one of the bar stools. “Sit. I don’t want you getting light-headed. That was some round of the flu.” Bertie washed her hands, then walked back over to lean against the counter. “Kyle has been calling to check on you. Your mother had several rather long conversations with him.”

Nina groaned. “That can’t be good.”

“Probably not.”

“You don’t have to sound so cheerful about it.”

Bertie only smiled. “Tea?”

Nina nodded. “Thanks. You don’t happen to know what she said, do you?”

Bertie filled the kettle with water and set it on the stove. “Sorry, I don’t. For what it’s worth, Dylan was here for two nights and checked on you during the day. A doctor who makes house calls. So rare these days.”

Nina rested her elbows on the counter. “I’m still too weak to deal with guilt.”

“Why would you feel guilty?”

“Because of Dylan and Kyle. They shouldn’t both be worried about me.”

“And why is that?”

“Because it’s wrong.”

“Says who?”

Nina’s head still felt a little scrambled. “Kyle wants to take our relationship to the next level. I don’t even know what that would mean. Dylan is... I don’t know what he is. My friend, I guess.” Only there had been kissing. She supposed that simply asking what he was thinking would be a sign of maturity, but she wasn’t really there yet.

“I’m sure Kyle would have stayed if I’d asked.”

Bertie put a teapot on the counter then filled an infuser with lavender Earl Grey. “You don’t think he was worried about getting sick, then being grounded?”

Nina remembered how anxious he’d been to get away from her. “Probably, but it’s his job to stay healthy. He needs to be able to fly. Besides, I didn’t want him seeing me like that.”

Bertie smiled at her. “So Dylan is different?”

“Yes, but don’t read too much into that. We’re friends. I’ve known him forever.”

“You don’t have to choose right now. You can have them both.”

“I’m not ready for that,” she murmured, thinking Averil had pretty much said the same thing. “I’m going to go lie down before dinner.”

Bertie nodded. “I’ll bring you a mug of tea when it’s ready.”

“Thanks.”

* * *

By six-thirty, Nina had napped again and was feeling much more normal. She knew Bertie would say it was the healing powers of Earl Grey and maybe she was right.

She put on fresh sweatpants and a clean T-shirt before joining the others in the dining room, and only winced a little when she heard Barry Manilow on the sound system.

Averil rolled her eyes. “Tell me about it.”

Bonnie was already seated at the table and sniffed when she heard them. “I don’t care. I love him. And I will always love his music.” She turned to Nina. “I’m glad you’re feeling better. Kyle has been very worried.”

“I heard you two had been talking. Should I be concerned?”

“Only a little.”

Averil chuckled. “Just remember the truth is supposed to set you free.”

“I’m having my doubts.”

Dinner was the pork roast with scalloped potatoes and green beans. Nina wasn’t sure how much she could eat, so took tiny portions of everything. Her stomach had been quiet for the past couple of days, but she didn’t want to shock her system too much. There was a bottle of Pinot Noir, but she passed on the wine and stuck to her tea.

“I have a list,” Bonnie said. “I think we can become a chain.”

“Of antique stores?” Averil asked.

“Yes. We could branch out. Imagine how well we’d do in Sedona or New Orleans. I’m very excited.”

Nina got the sense this was an ongoing discussion. “You’re talking about the proceeds from the painting?” she asked. “What you’re going to do with them?”

“If we sell,” her mother told her. “That isn’t for sure.”

Nina felt the beginnings of a headache, but this one had nothing to do with being sick. “You still might keep it?”

How could they? A painting that expensive was a serious responsibility. None of them had the money to pay for the insurance, let alone a safe place to keep it. The bank vault fees alone were more than an average car payment, and what about Ambrose? He wouldn’t wait forever for his fees.

Not anything she could deal with right now, she told herself as she put down her fork and pushed away her untouched plate.

“You have to trust us,” her mother told her. “We’re not idiots.”

Bertie glanced at her partner, then turned to Nina. “What she means is we’re considering all our options and we’re going to make a sensible decision together. As a family.”

Averil shrugged. “I’m staying out of this,” she told Nina.

Bonnie picked up her wineglass. “No, she’s not. Everyone gets an equal vote.” Her brows drew together. “And no one gets to tell anyone else no.” Her expression brightened. “I was thinking we could buy a racehorse.”

Nina pushed back her chair and picked up her mug. “I’m not very hungry,” she said. “Excuse me.”

* * *

Nina checked email on her laptop. She was tired of being in her room, but wasn’t comfortable leaving it. She could hear the others talking and knew it was for the best if she didn’t know the subject matter. Restlessness stirred inside of her. Nothing about what was going on felt right, she thought. Not the painting or dealing with her mother or being trapped in this house.

Only the problem wasn’t any of them, she reminded herself. It was her.

Someone knocked on her door.

“Come in,” she called, closing her email program and turning in her chair.

Averil walked in. “How are you feeling?”

“Physically okay. Emotionally battered.”

“Mom’s being a bitch in that subtle way she has,” her sister said as she sank onto the bed and sat cross-legged. “A nip here, a jab there. Nothing direct but you get the message.”

Nina wasn’t sure if she was being comforted or set up. An unfair assumption, considering Averil was telling the truth.

“Sometimes I think she hates me,” Nina admitted.

“She resents how you handle things, but she won’t do it herself. She traps you and then complains when you’re in charge. It’s not fair.”

Nina looked at her sister. “At the risk of starting a fight with you, too, you’re being very evenhanded in all this.”

“I’m outside the fray. I think it’s worse now, because you’re not willing to simply let Mom screw up. There’s too much on the line, so you know you have to push her. She doesn’t want to be told what to do, but it’s millions of dollars. They could be ripped off or hustled and end up with nothing but a bunch of expenses.”

Nina sighed with relief. “Yes, and I don’t want that to happen.”

“I don’t, either. I honestly don’t know what to do about her.”

There was a second knock, then the door opened and Bertie walked in. “Can anyone join this conversation?”

“We were talking about Mom,” Averil said, shifting to make room for Bertie on the bed.

“I figured. She’s being difficult.”

Nina wondered if Bertie was here to try to make her feel better, too. And if the visit was spontaneous or planned. She was still tired enough not to care either way. As long as the problem got solved.

“Mom sees me as wanting to take the fun out of the situation,” she said. “I want this to be fun, but I also want it to end well. This is a massive disaster, waiting to happen. You two could be set up for the rest of your lives. You’d never have to worry about money.”

Averil’s mouth twisted. “Mom doesn’t worry about money now.”

“We make enough,” Bertie added.

Nina felt her temper rising. “No, you don’t. The roof needs replacing. Do either of you have the money for that, because I don’t. My savings account got cleaned out last year when the water heater exploded and all that plumbing had to be fixed. You two barely make enough in the store to cover the expenses. With Cindy’s new finds, there’s finally a chance you might be able to take a small salary. And wouldn’t that be nice? Because I’ve been supporting this household for the past ten years.”

She paused to suck in a breath, then exhaled. “Not you, Bertie. You pay your own way.” The other woman had a small inheritance and used her monthly checks to pay for her share of the mortgage, utilities and food.

Bertie’s dark eyes widened. “I didn’t know,” she admitted. “Bonnie’s offered to make me a partner in the store, but I always refused because I assumed you were all living off that money. I thought it was bringing income into the family.”

“It’s not,” Nina said flatly.

Averil shifted on the bed. “Nina’s the one who paid for my college,” she said quietly. “Mom didn’t contribute anything.” She turned to her sister. “Why didn’t you say something about the house? I would have helped.”

“It’s not your responsibility.”

“But it’s yours?” Averil’s mouth flattened. “So only you get to contribute? This is my family, too, and I would be happy to help out.”

Nina rubbed her forehead. “No. I didn’t mean it like that. You weren’t here. I didn’t want to bother you.”

“No. You want to be a martyr all on your own.” She turned to Bertie. “It’s not about helping, it’s about taking control.”

Nina stiffened, unprepared for the attack. “That’s not fair. I’m struggling here, and I didn’t want you to have to worry. How does that make me the bad guy?”

“I deserved to know what was happening, and you didn’t trust me with the information.”

“You didn’t want to know,” Nina snapped, knowing that being less than a hundred percent was weighing on her. But she couldn’t seem to keep her mouth shut. “All you care about is yourself. Look at what happened when you came here. You didn’t ask if your visit was convenient, you simply announced you were coming back for an unspecified amount of time and showed up. You can see what a shithole this place is, but did you once think to find out why?”

Averil scrambled to her feet. “That’s not fair.”

“Isn’t it? I’m the bad guy for wanting to make sure Bertie and Mom don’t get screwed out of a ten-million dollar painting, but it’s unfair to ask you to open your eyes and see what’s going on here?”

“I didn’t know you paid for everything,” Averil yelled. “You should have told me.”

“Girls,” Bertie said, also coming to her feet. “This isn’t helping.”

“And Nina’s all about the helping,” Averil said bitterly. “You know what she really hates about the painting? Not you and Mom getting cheated. That would make her happy, because she could be right and still be in charge. If you two have all that money, you won’t need her, and then she’ll have nothing.” She turned to Nina. “My God, you’re still living at home. Why don’t you have a life? You’re the one who’s allowed Mom not to grow up. She would have figured it out if you’d let her. But you couldn’t stand not to be indispensable.”

Nina stood and glared right back. “Sure. I’m the one with problems. You want to look in the mirror, Averil? What are you doing here? Don’t you have a husband who’s wondering where the hell you are? Don’t tell me what I’m doing wrong until you figure out your own life.”

The bedroom door flew open, and Bonnie stood in the doorway. “Stop it!” she yelled. “Stop fighting. We’re a family. Act like it.”

Averil brushed past her. “Give it up, Mom. It’s way too late for you to try to be in charge now.”

* * *

“What’s wrong?” Dylan asked, passing Nina a take-out bag.

It was her second day back at work, and he’d shown up just in time for her lunch break. Nina had been in the process of leaving a message for Kyle when she’d seen the other man walking toward the office. She’d hung up quickly, aware she didn’t do the “two man” thing well.

They settled on the picnic bench in Andi’s backyard. Nina knew there were plenty of windows facing their direction but didn’t think their meal would provide much entertainment. She and Dylan were going to eat and talk and nothing else.