“So you started just wanting Erik’s money, but then...” She knew, but she was curious if Sandra would admit it.
“And then I did something incredibly stupid.” She dropped her gaze, took a deep breath. “I—”
“Fell in love with him.”
Sandra’s head jerked up. “How did you know?”
“Ha! It’s right up there.” Allie pointed over her head, then clenched and unclenched her fingers. “Flashing pink neon.”
“Damn.” Sandra drained a third of her glass. “So my delicious power play, my fabulous manipulation of the poor innocent man, officially backfired. And it gets worse.”
“Wait, how?”
Sandra sighed. “I don’t even want to admit how pathetically low I’ve fallen.”
“That bad?”
“I can hardly admit it.” She made a face, as if she’d eaten something foul. “I want him to love me for me.”
“Oh my God, you’re right.” Allie kept her face deadpan. “That is horrifying. You are totally screwed.”
Sandra burst into giggles. “You need to drink more. You are hilarious.”
“You mean now? Okay.” Allie half finished her champagne and held it out for more when Sandra offered. “So, now what? You marry him and live happily ever after?”
“Marry him? You have to be kidding me.” She poured unsteadily, nearly sloshing champagne over the top of Allie’s glass. “Men like Erik don’t want to get married. He’s playing at love. He will keep me around until I start looking old and then he’ll trade me in for a younger model.”
“No.” Allie shook her head. “That’s other women. He wants to get married. I bet he asks you.”
“Well, I don’t know if I want to get married.”
“Ha!” Allie gestured with her glass. She could see right through Sandra. “You’re just putting on your tough act.”
“What about you?” Sandra looked at her shrewdly. “Would you marry Jonas?”
“Marry him? I barely know him.” Her voice was an unpleasant shriek.
“Oh, I see.” Sandra jerked her eyes to a space above Allie’s head and pointed. “Hey, look! Flashing neon!”
“No, no. No, not me. Besides, I made him hate me.” For some reason that made her giggle. But then everything was getting funnier by the minute. “Because of how freaked out I was by his money.”
“You have to get over that. In fact, you should enjoy that. You should drink this champagne that costs a hundred fifty per bottle and say, ‘Thank you, gods on Olympus, for bringing me this man who is filthy rich enough to give me endless ambrosia.’”
“Except we’re stealing it.”
“Only somewhat.” Sandra lifted her chin. “They definitely owe us for mental trauma.”
“You know, I should have told Jonas sooner.” Allie whacked her forehead. “I should have—”
“What, been a different person? You can’t be.”
“No, you’re right!” She nodded enthusiastically. “Once I met Jonas I should have gone back in time and been born into an upper-class family! Why didn’t I think of that?”
“No, no, no.” Sandra ruined her stern lecture with a giggle she couldn’t hold back. “Our only mistake was in thinking of our lives as something that had to be kept secret.”
“Amen, sister.” Allie stood unsteadily and addressed her congregation of one. “You and I are not our pasts. We accept their roles in shaping us but we won’t let them rule us anymore.”
Sandra stood opposite her, equally unsteadily. “Nor will we let men rule what we say or do or feel.”
“We are whole whether we’re with them or alone.”
“No more hiding.”
“No more lies or cover-up.”
“Someone doesn’t like who we are?” Sandra signaled Allie to join her. They opened their mouths and shouted together.
“Screw ’em!”
A noise made them both turn abruptly. Allie nearly overbalanced.
Standing in the doorway, laughing at them much harder than was polite, were Jonas and Erik.
15
SANDRA FOUGHT DOWN PANIC, her giddy buzz nearly gone. Had Erik heard her all but admit she was in love with him? That she’d been after his money? God, she hoped not.
No, he couldn’t have. He wouldn’t be laughing.
“How long have you been standing there?” she demanded.
“Long enough to realize that we are evil oppressors and you like good champagne.” Erik walked toward her, his blue eyes still amused, dressed in a blue polo shirt that matched them and black shorts. Sandra wanted to retreat to the other side of the room. The emotions this man brought up in her couldn’t be healthy. Deep desire, growing love, fear, vulnerability and anger that he was making her feel all that. She’d probably have a heart attack.
Allie straightened resolutely. “We were thirsty. And didn’t think you’d mind.”
“It was my idea.” Sandra sent Allie a look of gratitude. Sweet kid. With a little straightening out she’d be good for Jonas. Though what had started out as a pep talk for Allie had turned into one for Sandra, too. She was glad she’d come up early. She was clear on what she wanted now. Clear about what she had to do.
Erik put his arm around her and gestured grandly to Allie. “Il mio champagne è il tuo champagne, mio amore.”
Sandra rolled her eyes, reluctantly impressed. Spanish, French and now Italian? “Language dropper.”
He tightened his arm around her. “Come for a walk with me?”
“I don’t do walks.” She let him kiss her on the cheek, and smiled at him because she simply had to.
“Then come lie down with me,” he murmured.
“A walk sounds great, thank you, Erik,” she said loudly. In a case of spectacular timing, a gust of wind and a boom of thunder let them know any walk undertaken at that hour would be a wet one. “Or maybe we’ll stay right here.”
“Allie?” Jonas stood stiffly in the doorway. Sandra glanced at Allie, who was standing almost as stiffly, and her heart squeezed. Those two needed to be alone.