Holly's Heart Collection Two (65 page)

“Does he really have to work such long hours?” I asked.

She shook her head. “He’s entirely his own boss, but that doesn’t change his tendency to overwork.”

“Can’t you make him slow down?”

She smiled wistfully. “That would be nice.”

“Well, maybe if I talk to—”

“No,” she interrupted. “I don’t want you to say anything about this to your father. He doesn’t need the additional stress. And maybe if he thought you knew, he might be concerned that you’d be worried.” She smiled a sweet, comforting smile. “You know how that goes.”

It was obvious she knew Daddy well. But I wondered how his recent conversion to Christianity had affected their relationship. From listening to her, I could see there wasn’t any change for the worse. That was good, because it sounded like Daddy needed someone very supportive now.

My next question was about his lab results. But I wasn’t able to ask because the phone rang. Saundra caught it on the second ring.

“Meredith residence.” A short pause. Then, “Yes, Andie’s here, but she’s resting.” Saundra turned to me, covering the mouthpiece. “It’s Rico Hernandez; he asked to speak to you.”

“Me?”

What did Andie’s guy friend want with me?

LITTLE WHITE LIES

Chapter 15

“Hello?”

“Yeah, Holly, this is Rico. I thought you and Andie might wanna know about my beach party tomorrow night.”

“Oh? What’s the occasion?”

“Just some people getting together for a good time.”

“What people?” I sounded like an interrogator, but I didn’t care. I wanted to make things tough for him.

“Some of my college friends will be hangin’ out. You know, just a bunch of kids.”

Yeah, right. Sounds like a party I can’t wait to miss!

“Andie and I have other plans,” I said quickly. “Sorry. Bye.” I was getting ready to hang up.

“Uh, wait, Holly. Is Andie doing okay?”

“Why wouldn’t she be?”

“Well, uh, oh, nothing. Just tell her I said hi, and I’ll see you two later.”

See us later? Hadn’t he listened? And why was he asking about Andie as though she were sick or something?

I dashed downstairs. “Andie, wake up!” She moaned and groaned when I shook her awake. “C’mon, sleeping beauty. My stepmom’s got some great plans for us.”

“I’m sleeping,” she said, her throat raspy.

“You’d better shake a leg if you wanna go with us to Marcie’s.” I told her it was some expensive salon in Beverly Hills.

She carried on like she was too tired. “Do I have to go?”

“You’ll be fine once you wake up,” I assured her, now playfully pulling on the covers.

“Holly, I’m tired,” she snapped at me. “Leave me alone.”

I stood back, surveying the rumpled pile of covers billowing around her. “Are you kidding, you actually want to miss this?”

“I’m telling you to just go without me. I’ll stay home and sleep. Have fun with your wicked stepmother.” With that, she rolled over.

“Okay, have it your way.” I left the room, purposely keeping the beach party invitation a secret. Closing the door behind me, I wondered how fast Andie would have snapped to it if I had mentioned Rico’s party.

Saundra and I did the town, all right. I managed to get by with just getting my cuticles soaked, pushed back, and trimmed. After my nails were filed and shaped properly, I chose a pale pink polish that matched my shirt.

Several hair stylists went a little over the edge about my hair—especially the color and the length. No matter where I went, my hair seemed to attract people.

Afterward, Saundra and I headed for lunch in another posh area of Beverly Hills. During the drive there, and later after ordering our entree, I unsuccessfully tried several times to return to our former conversation about Daddy. I was still curious about the lab results, but Saundra was talkative about other things. Mostly the travel plans she was secretly making for their wedding anniversary in August.

“I tell you, Holly, your father is going to be so surprised.” She looked happier than I’d ever seen her. “He’s been talking off and on about Tahiti for years. What a wonderfully beautiful place for him to rest.”

“When will you tell him?”

Her face glowed with anticipation. “I must plan a very special way to present the tickets to him.” She gushed about the luxurious anniversary gifts he’d presented to her other years. Everything from cashmere sweaters to diamond bracelets. You would have thought, listening to her talk, that material things ranked highest on her list of important things in life. I wondered where simple words or deeds of kindness and affection came in.

By the time the dessert tray came around, I had decided I never wanted to be rich, and I was anxious to leave. The black-coated waiter held the gleaming silver tray with a variety of delicacies for us to choose from. His accent was French or Italian—I wasn’t sure which. For Saundra, it was chocolate mousse, slightly chilled; for me, the most familiar dessert I could find: strawberry cheesecake.

We arrived home long before Tyler, and I rushed downstairs to Andie’s room, expecting to find her up and reading in bed. The big surprise was that her bed was made and her room picked up.

“Andie,” I called, even searching outside on her private balcony. “We’re back!”

I checked her bathroom and found that she’d taken a shower. A pile of dirty clothes was left lying on the floor in the corner near the sink. Her makeup bag was unzipped, with mascara and blush shoved into it sloppily.

And then I spotted a clue to her whereabouts. Above the sink, on the flat piece of glass running across and below the mirror, I noticed a business card with the words
BEACH BUZZ, The Band
. Under the words were Rico’s name and phone number.

“Oh, so she stayed home to see Rico,” I muttered angrily, remembering the tired, worn-out-and-desperate-to-sleep charade she’d put on for me earlier. Talk about lies. Andie was the master of deceit!

Not sure what to do, I ran upstairs to the deck and scanned the beach area. She was nowhere in sight.

I headed to Tyler’s room and focused his telescope, aiming north toward Rico’s parents’ estate. No sign of Andie.

Then I looked toward the ocean, turning the black knob, bringing a rectangular white speck into view.

Bingo! There she was. Way, way out—past the breakers—and floating on an air mattress built for two with her cohort. Quickly, I cranked the view in even closer. I could almost reach out and touch them, which is exactly what Rico was doing to Andie. Touching her hair, her face. Why was she letting him get so close?

Not only had Andie decided the first day we’d come here that Rico was husband material, but here she was acting like they were married already! Well…not exactly married like on a honeymoon or anything, but getting terribly close. I almost felt guilty watching the two of them carry on this way. I held my breath, scared he was going to kiss her.

Tyler came bursting into the room. “Having fun?” He came over to me. “Who’re you spying on today?”

I backed up, moving away from the telescope. “I, uh, hope you don’t mind.”

“Go for it.”

“You sure?” I inched forward, almost afraid to look again.

“Go ahead and watch them,” he said, grinning. “They don’t know it, but last night I caught them outside together.”

Andie was with Rico in the middle of the night?

Tyler kept talking. “Man, would my mom have a cow if I did that!”

“Of course she would,” I said, trying not to overreact to the shocking news. “You have no business sneaking out of the house with a girl.”

“I didn’t mean
that,
” he said. “I meant leaving the house in the middle of the night. You never know what’s lurking around out there on the beach.” He sounded for real, but I didn’t know what he was talking about.

“Are there prowlers or something?”

“Drug dealers, prowlers, you name it—we’ve got it going on up and down the beach. And the parties. Sometimes I have to put earplugs in my ears.”

Now my heart was pounding out of control. Was Rico’s party going to be one of those wild ones? And if so, was Rico involved with drugs or alcohol?

I got brave right then. I asked Tyler if he’d ever seen Rico drinking. “Oh sure. Some of his college friends come up from San Diego almost every weekend. They have some rock band; I forget what it’s called. All I know is there’re tons of beer bottles scattered around the next morning.”

I shuddered to think about Andie and her dreams of Rico becoming her future husband. If she only knew!

LITTLE WHITE LIES

Chapter 16

I shouldn’t have been surprised.

Andie refused to believe me when I told her what I knew about Rico, his band, and his wild parties. I cornered her as she came into her room to shower and dress for supper.

“Holly, get a life!” she yelled. “I wouldn’t think of butting into your time with Sean.”

“Nothing’s happening between Sean and me.”

“Right.” She threw her wet towel at me. “I’m sick of your holy-schmoly routine, Holly Meredith.”

“You didn’t have to lie to me today,” I accused her.

“I didn’t lie, just changed my mind.”

“What? About sleeping in? Come on! You pretended to be tired so you could stay home.”

She shook her head defiantly. “That’s not how it happened, but it’s really none of your business, anyway.”

“Okay, fine,” I said, throwing her towel down on the carpet.

“But the next time your mother calls, I’m telling her the truth.”

“See if I care!” She slammed her bathroom door, punctuating her words.

Jittery and upset, I went to the sitting room. Things were so far out of control. Andie couldn’t even begin to see the truth about Rico. And worse, there seemed to be no way to get through to her. What could I do to make her see who Rico really was
before
she did something she might regret forever?

At supper, Daddy announced that everything was set for our trip to Universal Studios.

“Cool,” Tyler shouted.

“Tyler, please,” Saundra reprimanded him. “We’re having supper.

“Sorry,” he said, but I could see his enthusiasm was oozing right out of his pores.

“What about the rest of you?” Daddy asked.

“Fine with me,” Saundra said. I agreed, too.

Andie, however, looked a little nervous. “How long will we be gone?” she asked.

“Why? Got a date?” Tyler piped up.

Andie shrugged. “Just wondered.”

“I thought we could have dinner somewhere special and then drive up the coast and see the sunset.” Daddy pursed his lips, waiting for her response.

“Sure, sounds fine,” Andie said eventually, even though I was sure Rico had told her about his beach party.

As it turned out, Andie refused to discuss anything about Rico later that night. We’d reached a standstill, Andie and I, and to push things with her would only bring more hostility between us. So I made the decision to back off, let her do her thing, and pray for her. Mom had always said that prayer was more powerful than anything you could ever do or say.

So I prayed before going to bed, and later while trying to fall asleep—every single time I thought about Andie or began to worry over the situation.

One thing for sure, the trip to Universal Studios would keep her from Rico most of the day. That was something to be thankful for.