A Family Affair Read online

  “Okay, okay,” Soraya said as she ran inside and headed for the steps, dropping her jacket on the floor.

  Trish clapped her hands and whistled between her teeth, an ear-shattering sound. Soraya stopped in her tracks when Trish pointed to the jacket on the floor.

  “Sorry!” Soraya ran down the stairs, picked up the jacket, and hung it on the clothes tree in the small foyer. “It won’t happen again, I promise.”

  Trish smiled as she headed for the kitchen to wash the pine sap off her hands. She then called Malik and shared the events of the afternoon with him.

  “Does the tree really smell?” he asked.

  “Divinely. We’ll bring it in tonight, when we get home, set it up, let the branches fall out more, and decorate it tomorrow. I’ll send pictures. I have to go now. I love you more than life itself.”

  “I love you more!” Malik said.

  “Impossible!” Trish laughed as she broke the connection. She galloped up the steps and headed for her shower.

  Her mind galloped as fast as her feet when she tried to remember where she’d stored all the Christmas decorations. Especially the ones that had belonged to her mother. Emma had said it was only fair to share them, so when they had split them up, she kept the childish ones she’d made in school and Trish kept hers. Little balls with painted macaroni glued to them, small sleds made out of Popsicle sticks, then painted with their names on them and the date. There was also a pomander ball made with a real orange, which was petrified now. She clearly remembered sticking the cloves in the sweet-smelling orange. Last year it had still given off a scent. She always cried when she hung those treasures on her tree. Emma said she did, too. But, Emma said, Jeff had always made her hang her treasures in the back of the tree because they were so tacky and interfered with his designer tree and his designer ornaments.

  At that moment in the shower, with her hair full of shampoo, Trish decided she didn’t just dislike Jeff Davis, but she hated him, and she didn’t care if the transplanted Mississippian had been named after the Jefferson Davis who had been the U.S. secretary of war, a United States senator from Mississippi, and finally, the president of the Confederate States of America. She hadn’t, for even one minute, really believed the story he told everyone about being a descendant of the famous Southern secessionist, though she had often wondered what kind of person would brag about being the however many times great-grandson of a traitor to the United States of America. She wasn’t sure if Emma believed it or not. Back at that point in time, perhaps. Today, not a chance.

  For some reason, Trish’s heart felt lighter now that she had owned up to hating her sister’s ex-husband. Later, when she had more free time, she was going to think long and hard about Jeff and how she could play a role in meting out his just deserts. She was going to think really, really hard.

  Ninety minutes later, Trish parked her car, and the two women got out just as Trish’s cell phone rang. She motioned for Soraya to get back in the car, out of the cold and wind.

  “Zack, thanks for calling me back. What do you know?” Trish listened, her face clouding over, then lighting up. “That’s great. Yes, yes, I can afford that. Four days to get it in shape, a day to drive it to the port and get it on board. Three weeks till it gets to Dubai. That’s perfect.” She listened again. “How much will that cost?”

  She listened again. “Okay, I can make that happen. I can send a check tomorrow by overnight mail. Color? Oh, I hadn’t thought of that. What do you guys think? Okay, black. You’re sure? Will you please tell your friends thank you for me? I will be sure to send pictures to you. Also, tell them I appreciate the free labor and that you’re just making me pay for the parts. This was so kind of you, Zack. Thank you again.”

  “What? What? Tell me!” Soraya cried.

  “Someone got it out of the junkyard. They put a new engine in it and a new starter. He said it purrs like a kitten. They got a break somewhere on tires, because the others were bald. They’re going to repaint it black and put a racing stripe on it. Someone else patched up the leather seats, and they look like new. And they’re throwing in the floor mats, which are almost new. They said the shopping at the junkyard was fabulous. Tobias will drive the car to the port and see that it gets put on board properly. All Malik’s friends chipped in for the shipping as their wedding present to Malik. How great is that?”

  “I don’t think anything could be more perfect. I am so jealous of Malik and the friendships he made here. He is so loyal to them. And it appears they are to him, too. He spoke of doing something for all of them, but then he didn’t say anything else to me. I hope he follows through. I didn’t mean that the way it sounds. I mean I hope whatever he does will be wonderful. Such friendship deserves to be rewarded.”

  “That is such a load off my mind. I was so worried we couldn’t pull it off, and yet we did. Zack was right. It’s all about networking. Come along, my dear sister-to-be, so I can welcome you to the world I lived in for lo these many years.”

  Soraya took a deep breath, then expelled it. “I’m ready, Trish!”

  Backstage it was bedlam, with the girls chattering, Nathan grumbling, parts of costumes missing, doubles of others.

  “Didn’t anyone check the Christmas costumes before today? Ernie! That was your job! What’s going on here?” Nathan whirled around when a page handed him a pink slip. His face turned red with anger. “She can’t do this to me! She can’t! It’s too late. Showtime is in thirty minutes. Where in the hell am I going to get an angel at this point? Ernie!” he bellowed.

  “Just stay here, Soraya. Tr y not to get in the way. I have to get dressed and put on my stage makeup,” Trish said.

  “Okay.” Soraya tried to inch her way to a wall where nothing was going on.

  Nathan, a bear of a man with a roar to match, spotted Soraya. His eyes narrowed. “Who are you?”

  Soraya licked at her lips. “A friend of Trish’s. I won’t get in the way, I promise.”

  “Ernie! Trixie was in a car accident. She’s okay, but she’s been taken to the hospital just to be sure. That means we’re short an angel. Young woman, how would you like to be a stand-in angel tonight?” Nathan didn’t bother waiting for a response but roared at Ernie again to get the angel costume, hook up the wires, and check them twice, then three times, to make sure nothing went awry. “Well, do you want to be an angel and fly across the stage for the grand finale or not? Speak up! Speak up!”

  Soraya almost fainted. “Yes,” she squealed.

  “Get her fixed up, Ernie!” Nathan roared. “We’re counting down now, girls! Let’s make this the best Christmas opening ever. Good luck.”

  Soraya followed Ernie in a daze and did just what he told her to do. Draped in the angel costume, with a gold halo attached to her back, Soraya danced around to see herself in all the mirrors. “Now what do I do?”

  “You fly.” Ernie laughed. “But first I have to put your wings on. Then I have to attach all the wires to the back of the wings. When the dance number ends, you’ll fly across the stage. You smile and hold your hands in prayer. Oh, crap, you don’t have any stage makeup on.” He looked at her with a critical eye, then said, “You know what? You’re pretty enough without it. By the way, does Trish know you’re doing this?”

  Soraya crunched up her lips. “No. I don’t think so. She went off to get into her costume. Then that man made it all happen so fast. Won’t she be surprised when I fly across the stage! Will you take my picture so I can send it to my brother when the show is over? Make sure you get a picture of Trish, too, in the same shot if you can.”

  “I’ll have one of my assistants sit out front and do it. Trish will have my hide. What’s your name?”

  “Soraya. I know yours is Ernie. That’s a nice name. What are those things on your face?”

  “Freckles. I hate them.”

  “I like them. They give your face character. I never met anyone with red hair before. Is it real, or do you color it?”

  “It’s real. People with
red hair usually have freckles. The kids used to call me carrot top in school. I got in a lot of fights.”

  “That’s terrible,” Soraya said, peering closely at Ernie’s face. She reached up and touched a freckle on his cheek. Then she leaned over and kissed the same spot she’d just touched. Ernie almost blacked out.

  “You are the most beautiful angel I’ve ever seen,” he said hoarsely.

  “Thank you for saying that.”

  “Three minutes!” came the announcement from the backstage speaker.

  Soraya watched as the girls scampered to get in line.

  “Two minutes!”

  Soraya craned her neck to see Trish, but in all the commotion and chaos, she could see only the top of her head.

  “One minute!”

  “Thirty seconds!”

  “Showtime!”

  “We have to hustle now, Soraya. Follow me. I have to attach the wires. I will be the one controlling the pulleys. Just relax, and everything will be fine. Are you nervous?”

  “Like a cat on a griddle,” Soraya said truthfully. “Are you nervous, Ernie?”

  “I wasn’t until you kissed me. Now I’m jittery as hell.” Soraya laughed. “I can do it again if you like. On the lips this time.”

  Ernie almost blacked out a second time. “Yeah, like you’d really kiss me on the lips. Girls don’t much like me, and my freckles and red hair.”

  “Well, I do. So there!” Soraya leaned over and planted a lip-lock on Ernie that made his spiked red hair move of its own accord. When she broke away, she giggled as she fluttered her wings. Ernie groaned. Soraya giggled again.

  Somewhere in the back of his mind Ernie heard his cue to start the countdown. His voice hoarse, his eyes glazed, he managed to say, “On the count of one, you’ll feel yourself being pulled upright. Just relax, and hang loose. Your body, your legs will be straight out. The mechanics do the rest. Just remember to keep a smile on your face and your hands steepled. Ready!”

  “I am so ready, you dear sweet person.”

  And up she went.

  Then across the stage she sailed. She saw Trish gaping in disbelief as she floated past her, then floated back again to the wild applause from the audience, all the while wondering if Ernie had captured her and Trish on film.

  The moment the curtain came down, Trish was at her side. “What the hell? How . . . Ernie!”

  “It was Nathan’s idea, Trish. Trixie was in a car accident on her way here this evening. There wasn’t enough time to find a replacement. Nathan saw Soraya just standing there, so he hired her on the spot. So if you’re going to yell at anyone, yell at Nathan. You’re going to find out sooner or later, so you might as well know, she kissed me. On the lips!”

  Trish didn’t know if she should laugh or cry. “On the lips, huh?”

  “Yeahhh. No one ever kissed me like that. My very own angel kissed me. She was great, wasn’t she?”

  “Soraya!” Trish thundered.

  “How’d you like my debut, Trish? It was meant to be! I was just standing there, and all of a sudden I was this angel! I actually felt like one. It was my debut, and I loved it. Mr. Nathan said I can do the other two shows this evening. Trixie will be back tomorrow. In a million years I have never been this happy. Oh, I so hope the pictures came out good. I can’t wait to send them to Malik.”

  “Didn’t you leave something out?”

  “Oh, you mean me kissing Ernie. Yes, yes, that was great, too. I’m going to do it again, too. He got all rubbery in the knees. I like his freckles. I never met anyone with red hair before. Why are you looking at me like that?”

  “You will not kiss him again. Your brother is going to kill us both. This had better be one of those girl secrets. Understood?”

  “No, I don’t understand. I liked kissing him. I think he liked kissing me, too.”

  “I bet he did. No more.”

  “I will tell Malik, so do not worry. I will not promise, Trish. I am here to experience life. Malik said so.”

  Trish gave in gracefully. “Come on. Let’s get changed and go get some supper before the next show.”

  Soraya whirled around when she heard her name called. Ernie handed her a camera and said one of his assistants was front-row center and managed to get all the pictures she wanted. “It’s his camera, so you have to give it back. You can download them to your phone and send them from there. I have to go now. See you at the next show.”

  Trish couldn’t believe her ears when she heard Soraya ask, “Do you want me to kiss you again or wait for the next show?”

  Ernie took one look at Trish and ran. Both women laughed.

  Half a world away, Malik bellowed for Rashid. “Come look at my sister. She is an angel. She just sent me a text explaining how that happened. And she tells me she kissed some fellow named Ernie. He’s the young man I tried to entice to get me to Trish, if I recall. That means I know him, so I can’t get upset that my sister kissed him. Do you agree, Rashid?”

  “Well . . .”

  “Cut the bullshit, Rashid. You have eyes for my sister no matter how much you complain about her being a pest. Do you think I’m blind to what I see? Maybe you need to kiss her. I see her looking at you when she thinks no one sees her. Aha! So I’m right. Blushing at your age, Rashid! Oh, golly, Miss Molly!” Malik cackled with glee.

  Rashid stomped out of the room, his face fiery red.

  Malik leaned back in his lounge chair and stared at the pictures of his sister and his betrothed. He smiled.

  Life was perfect.

  Chapter 9

  IT WAS JUST A FEW MINUTES SHY OF SIX O’CLOCK WHEN TRISH walked down the steps to the kitchen to make the first pot of coffee of the day. She looked out at the new day, still dark. She clicked on the television, turned it low so as not to wake Soraya. Last night’s weather report indicated snow today. In one way, for Soraya’s sake, she hoped it would snow as she hadn’t taken her to Tahoe as promised.

  Six o’clock was always a good time to call Emma. At nine in the morning, East Coast time, Emma was just getting ready to head to work. Talking to her sister in the past had always been a good way to start her day.

  Trish poured her first cup of coffee and swallowed a vitamin. She scribbled a note to buy extra vitamins to take with her to Dubai and stuck the note on the refrigerator. The list was getting longer. She’d probably need an extra bag just for things like that.

  Trish removed her cell phone from the charger and hit her speed dial. She heard her sister’s early-morning voice. “You guys freezing up there in Princeton?” were the first words out of Trish’s mouth.

  “It snowed during the night. Looks to be about four or five inches on the ground. I’m glad I have four-wheel drive. What’s going on in Nevada?”

  “Snow’s predicted for today. Have you heard from Missy?”

  “No. They leave today for Hawaii. Stop worrying, Trish. If she doesn’t call, my world won’t end. My heart will break a little more, but that’s okay, too. I can’t fight Jeff. He’s the one with the money. I’m done with that.”

  “It’s so unfair. We were never selfish like that, were we, Em?”

  “No, Trish, we weren’t like that. So, having said that, it’s my fault, mine and Jeff’s. We spoiled her. That’s the bottom line. I don’t want to talk about this anymore. How is your houseguest doing?”

  The two sisters talked then of Soraya, the Christmas decorations in Princeton, and Las Vegas. They laughed a bit, but the laughter was strained, as Trish kept trying to figure out how to work the conversation around to Jeff and his business in the Middle East. She finally gave up when she realized that her sister was babbling about everything and nothing in an attempt to steer her away from anything involving her ex-husband.

  Five minutes later, they said they loved one another and broke the connection.

  Trish shivered. Then she realized she hadn’t turned the heat up. She cranked it high and was rewarded almost immediately with the scent from the Christmas tree wafting through th
e house. Just for a minute, she felt like she was ten years old again, her eyes full of wonder at the sight of the tree and the gaily wrapped packages nestled beneath the fragrant boughs.

  Trish made her way back to the kitchen and her second cup of coffee. She called Malik, but her call went to voice mail. She looked at the clock. She had time to do some more research on her laptop before Soraya made her way downstairs. If it was the last thing she did, she was going to find out what her former brother-in-law was doing in the Middle East. Jeff Davis was slick. Jeff Davis was manipulative. Jeff Davis was known to balance on the fine line between legal and illegal. Emma had told her that once, then sworn her to secrecy. At the time, she had agreed, hadn’t given the words or the promise another thought.

  Trish tapped furiously, going to Google, then on to other sites. She was reading with such intensity, she barely had time to click off when she saw a sleepy Soraya standing in the doorway. She hoped she didn’t look guilty.

  “Tonight is your Christmas party! I can hardly wait. And tomorrow is your Christmas Eve. I can’t wait for that, either. And then it’s Christmas Day! Are you excited, Trish?”

  “I’m always excited when it comes to Christmas. I love it. But the best part is we are so ahead of schedule with my wrapping up all my business that we can now leave two days after Christmas. That’s what really excites me, Soraya. It’s going to snow today, and I’m really sorry I didn’t get to take you to Tahoe.”

  “It’s all right. Perhaps I will return someday and make the trip. I’m going to be sorry to leave, Trish. I’ve had the best time of my life, thanks to you. I truly feel as if you are my sister. But I’m not like Malik. I don’t belong here. Given a choice, Malik would have stayed here until my father called him home. I’m actually homesick, believe it or not. I can’t wait to get . . .”

  “Back to Rashid?” Trish’s eyes twinkled, and a big grin lit her face.

  Soraya flushed a bright pink as she poured herself a cup of coffee. “Yes, that, too.”

  Trish closed her laptop, got up to refill her cup, and carried it to the back door. Dark, angry clouds that looked like shrouds were scudding across the sky. It was light enough now to see the snow flurries swirling about. She called Soraya to the door. “Snow!” she said triumphantly.