Twisted By Love, Reincarnation Tales, Book 1 (14 page)

“Are you okay?” Livie’s voice was high,
anxious.

Toni smiled, then wiped that off her face
just as she had the wine. She turned, the tears overflowing and
rolling down her cheeks. “No.” She sobbed.

Livie was wearing her baby blue sweats.

“I thought you said you came from work,” Toni
accused.

Livie looked down at herself. “I did. But I
changed in the gym because I wanted to be comfortable while I was
finishing up some work on a spreadsheet.”

How bogus could you get? “Why didn’t you
bring your clothes home?” Toni felt gleeful inside as she drove the
knife deeper. Let’s see how many lies her sister could come up
with.

“I didn’t feel like going back down to my
locker.” Her sister lied smoothly, not even a blink.

“Here, I poured you some wine.” Toni held out
the glass.

Livie took it, sipped.

“I’ve never seen this one here before.”

Livie glanced up into the corner of the
kitchen as if the perfect lie was written there for her to read. “A
coworker mentioned it, and I thought I’d try. It’s not all that
good, so I wouldn’t spend the money again.”

Toni retrieved another glass from the
cupboard, filled it.

Livie held out her hand. “Let’s sit down and
you can tell me what got you so upset.”

Toni hadn’t thought through everything she
wanted to say. She’d been too pissed. Now that she was thinking
rationally, she wished she’d done things a bit differently on the
phone. But no matter, she could just change the story slightly.

In the living room, she set her glass on the
coffee table, then flopped dejectedly into the corner of the couch,
curling one leg beneath her. “You’re not going to like what I
did.”

Livie lowered her eyes, but Toni recognized
her mental groan. “Go ahead, tell me. I promise not to say anything
negative.”

Hah. Livie couldn’t help being negative. Toni
hung her head, pulled at a stitch on the hem of her pants. “Well, I
was upset on Sunday. And you weren’t around.” She glanced up to
make sure Livie felt the jab. “Since there was no one to talk me
out of it, I, um”—she sounded suitably hesitant—“went over to his
place.” She sniffed quite effectively.

Livie touched her knee, then withdrew. “Go
on. Tell me everything.”

“We made love.”

“Oh, Toni.”

“And he hasn’t called me since.” Toni put her
hand over her eyes and sobbed. Once. Choked it back. It was an
award-winning performance. Especially since inside she was feeling
quite murderous. The satisfaction she’d get when Livie discovered
who Reese really was would be the payoff. Because honestly, she
didn’t think Livie knew. Here sister was clueless. Toni wasn’t even
sure Reese knew. That didn’t make her hate either of them any less.
Reese had still been two-timing her, then the asshole had chosen
Livie
.

“He had sex with me,” she said. “Then he
dumped me again. I’ve texted him. And I called him just before I
called you, after work, so I wouldn’t be interrupting anything. But
he ignored me. Why is he doing this?” She gave a pitiful moan,
sniffed.

Her plan was brilliant. Livie soaked up her
misery, handing her the box of tissues, murmuring soothingly as she
blew her nose, then handing Toni the wineglass.

“He isn’t worth it,” Livie said. “Don’t go
back.”

“But how could he love what we did so much,
but that very night stop taking my calls all over again?” How could
he do her in the afternoon and Livie in the evening? That’s what
her sister would be asking herself when Toni chose the absolute
perfect moment for the big reveal. She added insult to injury.
“That’s why I think he’s got someone else. He went into the other
room to make a call and when he came back he hustled me out of
there. Like he had someplace better to go.” She blew her noise
violently for effect. God, she was good.

“Didn’t you follow him to find out where he
was going?” Livie asked softly.

“Nooo,” Toni wailed the denial, drawing out
the sound. “I thought of what you’d say, how dumb that was. How
badly it ended the last time I did that.” She wasn’t feeling bad
anymore. In fact, she felt quite good. Thrilled. Planning Livie’s
downfall almost made up for what they’d done to her. It was
actually fun.

“You have to forget about him, move on. He
isn’t good for you.” Livie thought she was so good at dispensing
advice.

Toni hung her head dejectedly. “I know.”

“I’m so sorry,” Livie commiserated, but she
didn’t ask why Toni hadn’t come to her last night. Oh no, Livie
wouldn’t want to open that can of worms because then she’d have to
explain exactly what she’d been doing. “I don’t know how to make
you feel better.”

Toni suddenly wanted to scream at her:
Stop stealing my lovers and that will make me feel better
.
But it was too soon. The timing for this had to be perfect. The
situation had to be just right. Livie needed to learn the truth in
the worst way possible. So that she’d doubt him, no matter how he
tried to explain. She’d keep hearing the things Toni had told her,
and anything
he
said would sound like the lie.

“You’re not going home tonight,” Livie was
saying while Toni plotted and planned. “I’ll run you a bath, and
you can have a good soak. You’ll feel better.”

Oh, she’d feel better all right, after she’d
ruined whatever was going on between them. They would never have
each other, never.

Chapter Thirteen

Just before noon the following day, Livie
marched into Julia’s office, closing the door behind her. “I bought
you lunch.” She plopped a deli bag on the desk and set two bottles
of spring water next to it.

Julia’s office was smaller than hers, but the
desk and credenza were neat, no papers overflowing her inbox. Julia
did absolutely everything online. Paper was anathema to her.

Julia removed her speckled purple reading
glasses. The computer screen was hell on the eyes. “What on earth
happened to your nylons?” She stared aghast at Livie’s bare legs.
To Julia, a woman without pantyhose was practically naked.

“You wouldn’t believe my morning, and my
nylons are the least of it.” She’d had not one but two nightmares,
and she was still pissed that Toni hadn’t woken her up when it was
obvious she’d slept through the alarm. In rush mode ever since,
she’d snagged her nylons on a sliver on the side of her credenza,
actually drawing blood. The hose were irreparably damaged, and
she’d thrown them away. She didn’t have time for a lunch break
because she still hadn’t figured out what was wrong with the sales
numbers, but she simply couldn’t concentrate until she got this off
her chest.

“Aren’t you going for your walk?” Julia
asked, eyeing the deli bag.

“Not today. I need to talk to you instead,”
Livie said adamantly. “And I brought a piece offering.” She pointed
at the bag.

Julia tipped her head. “Hmm, that sounds like
you’ve done something bad.”

“Take out the sandwich first.” She tapped the
bag toward Julia, then took the seat opposite. “We’ll need
fortification.”

“Oh God, this must really bad.” But Julia’s
lips twitched as she emptied the bag and unwrapped the monstrosity.
Then she groaned. “You’re evil.”

“I know.” The massive pastrami on rye from
the corner deli was to die for. She’d waited in line for fifteen
minutes she couldn’t afford. But she hadn’t finished her wonton
soup last night and she’d skipped breakfast. She couldn’t
concentrate when she was starving, and she didn’t indulge this way
often. “But at least we’ll be sharing.”

“My hips are still going to hate you.”

“Not to mention your arteries.”

“That, too.” But indulge they did. Livie felt
better after the first two bites had gone down. “So here’s the
thing. I have to apologize to you because I lied.”

Julia licked a smudge of mustard from the
corner of her mouth. She didn’t say anything, just raised a
brow.

“That man I told you about, I saw him on
Friday night.”

“You didn’t tell me this while we were
shopping? You let me think he hadn’t called?”

Livie nodded her head. That’s what she had to
apologize for. She hadn’t shared. She’d even lied. “And I invited
him over to my place on Sunday evening.” She set down her sandwich
half. “He spent the night.”

“Why you little slut,” Julia said in a soft,
amazed voice.

“I know it’s fast”—Livie counted on her
fingers for emphasis, one, two, three, four, five—“five days, but I
don’t care.”

Julia didn’t say a word. She simply
chewed.

“Say something. Are you mad I didn’t tell
you?”

Julia pursed her lips thoughtfully, as if she
really had to think about it. “No.”

Livie waited. “That’s
all
?”

Then Julia smiled. “I’ve known you long
enough to understand exactly what you’re like. Me”—she put a hand
to her ample bosom—“I have to talk it over ad nauseam in order to
make a decision, at least where men and relationships are
concerned. You”—she pointed a finger at Livie—“have to think it
through before you can even start talking about it.”

That was true. Livie kept things close, while
Julia put it all out there. “It felt like a lie. Because, um, I did
a few things with him on Friday, too.”

Something glittered in Julia’s eyes.
“
Sexual
things?”

Livie nodded.

“My, my, you really
are
a slut. I love
it.” Julia clapped her hands. She didn’t have any hang-ups about
sex. “And you’re telling me now because you’re finally ready to
talk.”

“Exactly.” Livie smiled. Julia was the best.
No censure, just acceptance. “I’ve been telling myself not to get
involved, that it’s happening too fast. This isn’t like me.”

Julia nodded her agreement as another
mouthful of pastrami disappeared.

“And there’s Toni, of course.”

Julia rolled her eyes. Enough said.

“But I’ve been wondering if he might actually
be someone special. I can’t stop thinking about him.” Livie picked
up her sandwich. “I don’t
want
to stop thinking about him.”
She took a bite of pastrami, as if to say,
There, that’s it
.
She didn’t want to fight her emotions anymore.

“Which is why you didn’t tell me on Sunday.
Because you knew I’d say you should go for it, and you had to think
it all through first.”

Right. She’d needed to make her own decision
without any influence. “I know Toni’s going to be a problem.”

Julia snorted. “She always is. But you can’t
let her stop you.”

“She’s got some problems of her own right
now. So I’m not going to tell her about him.” Maybe it was the
coward’s way out, but Toni was in misery over her own failed
relationship. It would only make things worse if she knew Livie had
met someone.

“She’ll find out. That girl has a nose for
it.”

“I’ll deal with it then. But I want this now
and I’m going to have it.” This was really why she’d come to Julia.
Beyond the apology, she’d needed to declare her intentions
aloud.

Julia raised a hand over the desk. “You go,
girl.”

Livie high-fived her. “You are the absolute
best, Julia.”

With the vow made, she felt oddly free. She
could actually tackle the issues on her desk and find a solution.
The lunch break with Julia took less time than her walk, and when
she was back in her office, she picked up the phone to call
Bern.

He answered with a simple greeting, and his
voice did something to her deep inside.

“It’s Livie.”

“I know.”

She laughed. “How could you
know
. I’m
calling from my desk phone and it won’t show on caller ID.”

Humor laced his tone. “I just know. Like a
sixth sense.”

He made what was happening between them sound
mystical. “I called to say I’m sorry I had to cut our evening
short, and I wondered if you’d give me another chance.”

“It’s more like you giving me another
chance.” There was something in his tone, an added seriousness that
hadn’t been there before. “And the answer is yes.”

That was the difficult thing about new
relationships, you wondered what every subtle nuance
really
meant. “It’s our quarter-end and I have to work late, but I can
come to your place afterward.” This morning Toni had said she’d see
Livie on Wednesday for their usual dinner, no mention of coming
over tonight, but Livie wasn’t going to run the risk of her sister
showing up without notice. For now, Bern was her secret.

“I’ll wait for you. I’ve got plenty of
work.”

“But I’ve got my car.”

“I’ll follow you to my place. Unless that
makes you nervous.”

For some reason, it was a delight to know
that he’d be waiting for her, that he’d walk her down to her car,
follow her. As if he were the proverbial knight in shining armor
watching out for her. “That sounds perfect.”

“Livie,” he said before she hung up. “I’ll
make this right for you. You’re not making a mistake.”

She wasn’t sure if he was talking about sex,
or referring to something more, Toni, perhaps. She’d made it plain
she had problems with her sister. “It’ll be fine, Bern. I’m
fine.”

She could say that now because Toni didn’t
know anything yet, but Livie knew she’d pay the price for it
later.

* * * * *

Livie had called him at seven and said she
had about another hour to go. He’d gotten a lot done on the prep
work for his trip north to the Gillespie plant. He’d also had
plenty of time to decide what to say about her sister. He had to
tell her in plain and simple language. He already had a good idea
that Antonia had trashed him. He should have seen the possibility,
but he hadn’t wanted to. That was the long and short of it. He
hadn’t wanted anything to interfere with Livie, so he’d written it
off as coincidence.