Love Hurts (2 page)

Anna laughed and gently pulled her arms away. “You goof.”

Mel’s face turned serious. “I mean it, Anna. You downplay your looks, but I think the gala will be good for you.” She grabbed Anna’s hand and headed into the dress section of the small boutique.

“Yikes!” Mel said when she picked up a random price tag.

Anna brushed her hand away. “Don’t worry about that, I can afford it. I want to get a dress for you, too, and no arguments.”

Mel flashed a bright smile. “No worries there. I have no intention of arguing.”

After pawing through racks of dresses for half an hour, Anna slumped onto a plush chair near the changing rooms. “I don’t see anything here—” She stopped when Mel gasped.

“I found it!”

Anna followed Mel’s voice and found her holding up an exquisite red silk dress.
Oh no
. How could she tell Mel she didn’t want this dress? Mel would love it. She would insist it was perfect. But this was the last dress Anna wanted to wear.

She had spent twenty years wearing the wrong colors. She wore browns and creams and blacks. She almost never wore bright colors, especially red. Mamma nearly always wore red. She drew looks everywhere she went, and everyone said Anna looked just like her. For Anna to put on a brightly colored outfit and look in the mirror was like stepping into Mamma’s skin and allowing her a place in Anna’s life. She couldn’t do it. So she wore colors which gave her olive skin and dark hair a sallow appearance.

Mel dragged her into the change room. Anna put the dress on from fear that, if she didn’t, Mel would hold her down and stuff her into it.

Anna stood alone in the cubicle with her back to the mirror. She refused to look at herself. She already knew how the dress looked. When she stepped out of the change room, the look on Mel’s face confirmed her fears. Mel stared, speechless for once. She stared until Anna became fidgety. Finally Mel shook it off, yelled and grabbed Anna around the waist, squeezing until Anna gasped a protest. Even the sales clerk and a customer turned and insisted the dress had been made for her.

Mel stood back, a huge grin on her face. “I didn’t even realize how gorgeous you are, girl. If I wasn’t completely straight, I’d take you home.”

Anna’s cheeks grew hot. She wanted out of the damn dress, but she could see she wouldn’t get out of the store without it. Anna purchased the dress and the one they found for Mel. All the way back to Hope, Mel talked about the gala and their new dresses, while Anna kept her gaze on the road and tried not to think about how she’d feel when she had to put the dress on again. At least Mel didn’t seem to notice her mood.

The time had come for Anna to wear the dress, but even that paled in light of having to face Mamma’s painting. She slipped the dress off its hanger, both hating and loving the feel of the expensive silk.

Steeling herself, Anna slipped the dress over her head. She couldn’t deny the pleasure as it glided across her skin and settled in a swirl around her calves. She smoothed her palms down her stomach and, bracing herself, turned toward the full-length mirror. Her breath caught in her throat as she stared into the image of Mamma. She turned away, unable to bear the pain. She found herself longing to see Mamma again and, this time, receive her approval. Why did she still need it? Mamma had never been proud of her, but as an adult now, married ten years, she still felt that childish desire to hear the words,
I’m proud of you, Annabella
.

Anna tore herself away from her thoughts to search for stockings and shoes. Funny, she’d always worn flats even though her husband towered over her. Tonight she’d wear the three-inch stilettos Mel had pushed her to buy. Rob would still have a good five inches on her.

Anna turned at a chirp. Her cat peered up at her with a hopeful expression. Figaro’s black and white fur would cling to her outfit. She couldn’t risk his claws on the delicate silk either. She gave him a quick pet and headed for the kitchen where she kept his favorite treats. Anna chatted to him as she opened the little plastic container, while Figaro twirled around her legs, already purring.
 

“Here you go, sweetie,” Anna said with a smile. She held the treat just high enough for Figaro to stand on his toes and reach it with his paws. He took it from her hand gently and pulled it to his mouth. The treat disappeared in a flash and he gave her another hopeful chirp.
 

Anna treated Figaro like her little child. She’d gotten him after five years of uselessly trying for a baby. Rob didn’t like cats, but would rather put up with one than have his wife in tears all the time. They’d gotten him as a tiny kitten, and he looked exactly like Geppetto’s cat in Pinocchio.
 

Figaro helped give Anna somewhere to lavish her love and attention. Rob didn’t seem to appreciate how much love she’d stored up from a mostly arid childhood, so she gave it all to the cat and her nephew, Matty.

After Figaro had gobbled up his quota of three treats, Anna rubbed his head and scratched his neck, laughing as his purr got louder. She patted his head and then went to her bedroom to finish getting ready.

She’d just spritzed on some perfume when the front door opened. She smoothed down her long hair with a slightly shaky hand. She hoped Rob would appreciate how she looked. He had always loved her hair loose around her face, but lately she seemed to always have it pulled back. Anna aligned a couple of already straight towels, switched off the light and headed downstairs to the living room.

“Anna?”

“I’m all ready, Rob, so I’ll just have a drink and wait while you shower.”

Rob’s tux lay on the guest room bed, all ready for him. He liked everything perfectly organized. It kept Anna’s life free from conflict to keep things the way he wanted.

Anna poured herself a scotch on the rocks and stepped to the window. The sun just peeked over the mountain and sent streaks of light across the town. It would be dark soon. She reached down and minutely aligned a pillow on the couch. Everything in her house was clean and neat, and yet she still couldn’t stop feeling like something was out of order.

Anna’s insides jumped and quivered, and she hoped the smoky scotch would calm her nerves. As she sipped, she planned how she would intercept her sister before Mel revealed the painting. There was no way she could allow Jilly to see it without warning.

Anna took a large sip of the drink. It burned on the way down and then spread warmth throughout her insides. Mamma didn’t drink much, mostly wine or champagne, and usually only at a party. The dress seemed to have conjured up her mother’s spirit, and now it haunted her. It had been years since they’d spoken, yet tonight it felt like only yesterday. She remembered Mamma’s silences, her harsh words, her hospital stays that had been hidden from the art world in order to protect Mamma’s reputation.
Why didn’t anyone try as hard to protect her daughters?

Mamma only showed emotion when she painted or when she went into one of her despairs, as Anna called them. During those dark periods, Anna and Jilly never knew what Mamma would do. As the oldest, Anna would try to take care of Mamma and her little sister, but she always felt inadequate. She told herself that she’d only been a little girl, but it didn’t make her feel any less guilty. No matter what she tried, she could neither fix her mother nor keep her little sister from falling into the same despair.

No matter that Mamma is the great Catarina di Rossi, an acclaimed artist. At home, she was just Mamma. No one on the outside ever saw her true self. They only saw the elegant, perfectly coiffed, beautiful woman. They raved over her paintings, saying she painted like some of the most famous Italian masters. Mamma told them she’d never taken classes, that she’d been trained by her father. The same father she never spoke of to her own children. Anna didn’t even know her grandfather’s name. She knew he lived in Italy, but nothing more. When she and Jilly were younger, they had discussed going to Italy and trying to find Mamma’s family. As they got older, they decided they didn’t want to know what Mamma was hiding.

They both moved across the country to this small town. She had long ago given up thinking the name symbolic. It was just another promise that later revealed itself as fool’s gold. She now secretly called the town False Hope.

When Rob’s hands smoothed over Anna’s silken shoulders, she jumped and the ice rattled in her glass.

“Is this my wife I see in front of me or some impostor?” The smile in his voice gave her the courage to turn around.

Rob’s eyes widened as she faced him. She looked down, unable to meet his gaze.

“Wow. Who are you and what have you done with my wife?” He leered at her.

His words unaccountably hurt. She didn’t want her looks to matter so much that for the first time in months, no years, he actually saw her. The scotch turned sour in her stomach. She moved away and set her empty glass on the bar. She looked at it for a minute and thought about taking it to the sink to wash it when Rob interrupted her thoughts.

“Want to stay home instead?” he asked in his ‘sexy’ voice.

“We better get going. I need to be there early to help Mel with a few last minute things.” Anna glanced at her husband and felt a little shame at the disappointment in his face.

Rob moved in front of her and opened the closet door, pulled her jacket out and then handed it to her. He slipped his coat on, opened the front door and, without a word, headed to the car.

Anna watched him go, wishing they could go back to the beginning of their relationship and start over. She twisted her wedding ring, and one of the claws surrounding the large diamond pricked her finger. The diamond was loose. She hadn’t taken it in for cleaning and maintenance in a long time. It had probably been a couple of years. Anna stared at it for a few moments, remembering the day Rob had given it to her. Then she left the house and locked the door.

Anna walked to the car, where no gentleman held the door for her. She pretended it didn’t matter, while her thoughts turned to Jilly. She had no idea how to intercept her without causing a scene. Jilly could be very emotional, especially if the subject had anything to do with Mamma. Anna stepped into the car, buckled her seatbelt, and leaned her head back. They drove to the gallery in silence.

Chapter 2

Mel had strung what seemed like a thousand lights both inside and outside of the gallery. Anna smiled to herself, proud of her best friend’s artistic ability and passion.

Rob pulled up to the curb in front of the gallery and, without turning his head, said, “You go and help Melanie. I’ll head to the Legion and have a drink. There’s no point in me waiting around for an hour.”

Anna said quietly, “You could come in and help us.”

Rob didn’t respond.

Without another word, Anna got out of the car. She glanced back at Rob, but he didn’t even look at her. She closed the door and he took off a split second later. Anna stared at the car’s taillights, her tears blurring them into red streaks. How had they gotten to this place when she hadn’t even realized they had taken a turn down the wrong road?

Rob often went to the Legion for a drink even though he was decades younger than most of the men there and not even a member. Anna figured the respect the men gave his family spilled over into respect for Rob. It didn’t matter that half of it depended on the money flowing out of his wallet and into their glasses. Rob had never learned that a bought friend is a fickle one. Rob proved time and again that looking too far into the future didn’t suit him. He never considered that he might one day have a need for true friends, the kind that can’t be bought.

Anna dashed away the tears, stepped off the sidewalk and moved up the path toward the glass door.

“Anna!” Mel launched through the door and came to a dead stop in front of her. “You look incredible. Wow, girl. I should make you the hostess.”

Anna laughed, grateful to her friend for bolstering her sagging spirits. “Thanks Mel, but you’re every bit the perfect hostess. You look wonderful. That dress really is perfect on you.”
 

Mel thrust a hip out, tossed her hair and posed. Then she dropped the act and giggled, her eyes sparkling. “Thanks, Anna. I really appreciate you buying it for me.”

“No thanks needed,” Anna said.

Mel grabbed her hand. “Come on. Let’s put the final touches on before people start arriving.”

Anna stepped through the door Mel held open. Her breath caught in her throat like a bird in a snare. Her rapid pulse made her feel a little faint.
The painting
. She couldn’t see it, only its shape hidden under a purple silk drape, but she could feel its presence like a snake hidden in the grass, waiting for the right moment to strike.

Why am I here?

“Come, I’ll show you around. You can let me practice on you.” Mel didn’t seem to notice Anna’s tension. Mel led her through the exhibit, explaining how she came to set up the theme.

“This piece,” Mel said as she pointed out a sculpture that at first glance looked like a woman holding a jug, “is a perfect example of ‘The Faces Within’” She stood back and let Anna study the sculpture and laughed in delight when Anna gasped. The sculpture also looked like an old man’s face.