Accidental Love (17 page)

"What are you doing here at this hour?" she scowled, having no doubt her younger brother was quite drunk.

"What the hell are you trying to do to me?" Tommy pushed his way past her and through the foyer into the living room. "I don't show up to work ONE day and you order a fucking audit?"

"This is not the time to talk about this, Tommy. Go home and sleep it off." Ronnie moved between him and the office, trying to guide him back toward the door. She put her hand on his arm only to have it shoved off.

"Fuck you, Ronnie!" He paced to the other side of the room and punched the wooden front of the entertainment center cabinet. He turned to face her and she could clearly see several days growth on his face as well as the unkempt hair and clothes. Tommy had obviously been on a bender and had only now heard the news. "What do you think I'm doing? Stealing from my own company?"

"I don't know what you’re doing, but I am not going to let it continue," she shouted back, her own short temper showing. "What is it, Tom? Drugs? Gambling?"

"Go to hell, Miss High and Mighty God of everything!" His fist slammed into the cabinet with enough force to knock a tiny vase off the top. Only the thick plush carpet kept the antique from breaking.

"Get out of my house, Tommy."

"Your house," he scoffed. "I grew up in this fucking house. What gives you the right to tell me to get out?"

"I bought the house fair and square from Mother and you know it." Her eyes narrowed at the wild, almost inhuman look in her brother's eyes. Tommy was strong enough on his own, but if he was on drugs…

Ronnie's suspicions were confirmed a few seconds later when he lifted the end of the heavy coffee table and upended it. "You act like you're an angel but you're not, Ronnie." For the moment, he was standing still so she kept her distance. Her heart pounded as the adrenaline pumped through her. "You sit in that office day after day. You have NO idea what it's like to work for a living," he spat, "I can't just snap my fingers and make your wallet bigger."

"No, but you can forge my signature on a loan," she retorted.

"What?"

"You defaulted on a loan and they had my name on it as a cosigner. Why would you need a cosigner, Tommy?"

The sandy haired man blinked a few times as the information sunk in. "Shit. That's all you're ever worried about, isn't it? The fucking money?"

"Someone has to worry about it. You certainly don't. Now get out of my house!"

"This is not over! I don't care what your damn audit turns up, you can't kick me out of the company." A thought occurred to him. "You may own the most stock but you don't have controlling interest. You think anyone is going to vote with you to get rid of me?" He gave a short laugh, his energy fading as the high he had been riding began to wear off. "Face it, Ronnie. You can't do a thing about me. You think Mom is going to vote with you to toss me out? Frank?

Susan? You can't win this battle." He made his way toward the door. "Any fool can see that. Leave me alone, Sis, or you will regret it." Tommy slammed the door behind him, the sound reverberating throughout the room. Ronnie's heart was pounding and she could only guess how scared Rose was.

"You okay?" Ronnie asked when she entered the room. She noticed the pallor of fear on the blonde woman's face. "Hey, it's okay."

"He was pretty angry. What went crashing?" Rose's demeanor was calmer now that she knew Ronnie was safe. She patted the empty place on the bed next to her. "Here, have a seat."

"Nah, thanks," the tall woman continued to stand, although the soft pillow was beckoning her.

"He flipped the coffee table and knocked something off the top of the cabinet. Nothing broken." She looked at the TV, still on but with the sound muted. "Hey, there's one of those news magazine shows."

"Yeah, they're supposed to have a thing on those rental trucks and how unsafe they are." She patted the bed again. "Come on, I've got the heat and the massager on. This has got to be more comfortable than that chair." She turned on the small lamp on the table next to her just before Ronnie shut off the overhead light. The softer glow was preferred by both of them for television watching.

"You'd be surprised how comfortable that chair is," Ronnie replied, kicking off her sneakers and reluctantly accepting the offer. She sank into the vibrating warmth and closed her eyes with hedonistic delight. "Oh! That is nice. I've got to get one of these for my room." She adjusted the pillow behind her head, slipped her feet under the covers, and opened her eyes. Rose pressed the button and they began watching the show. With the tall woman right next to her, she felt a sense of safety and her rapidly beating heart returned to a more normal level.

Rose used the remote to shut the television off once the late news began. "Wasn't that interesting?" Receiving no answer, she turned her head to see her companion's eyes closed.

"Ronnie?" No response, just the rhythmic rise and fall of the sweatshirt covered chest. Rose shut lamp off. The bed was plenty big enough. There was no reason for her to wake Ronnie up just to send the older woman to her own bed. "Good night, Ronnie," she whispered, closing her eyes and letting the even breathing of the woman next to her lull her into a sound sleep.

*********************

Blue eyes fluttered open shortly after six and looked around, trying to get her bearings. "What the…oh," she mumbled, realizing she had fallen asleep on Rose's bed. Taking a moment to wipe the sleep out of her eyes, Ronnie propped herself up on one elbow and looked down at her sleeping companion. The morning rays highlighted the upturned nose, the rust eyebrows, and the full lips parted slightly in sleep. The seconds ticked by as she watched the slumbering woman. It amazed her how easily she had fallen asleep next to Rose. With the exception of Christine, Ronnie had never slept with anyone. She had done it then only because it was expected by her lover. Truthfully, she never did feel comfortable sharing a bed and would often slip away and sleep in the unused bed in their dorm room. Yet obviously she had no problem curling up and sleeping next to Rose. It was a curious mystery Ronnie knew was not safe to ponder over. She felt the slight hum of the massager beneath her. That was it. It had to have been the massager. It relaxed her enough to put her to sleep regardless of the presence of someone else in the bed. The executive smiled to herself with the logic of her explanation, even as she chose to ignore the fact that she was still laying there next to Rose. She contemplated playing hooky but the voice of responsibility won out. With a disappointed sigh she slowly slipped out of bed, careful not to disturb her companion, and padded off to the bathroom.

A vigorous workout and a refreshing shower prepared Ronnie for the day. She inhaled the cup of coffee Maria made for her while putting on her floor length wool coat. The temperature had dropped significantly overnight, bringing it down to single digits. She was headed for the door when the phone rang.

"Cartwright residence," Maria answered. "Just a moment. Ronnie, it's Susan. She sounds upset."

She took the cream colored phone and nodded at her housekeeper. "Susan."

"Ronnie, we have a problem."

"I'm sure we have more than one. What has you so bugged that you couldn't wait until I got to the office?"

"Both Ricky and Timmy came down with chicken pox."

"So? Susan, your kids being sick isn't the end of the world. It's only chicken pox."

"Ronnie, the family Christmas party is tonight."

"So?" She unbuttoned her coat, deciding it was not going to be a quick and easy phone call after all. "I'm too busy to go. Why would you plan the party for a Wednesday night anyway?"

"It was the best date we could come up with. People always have parties to go to on the weekends. Putting it on a Wednesday guaranteed everyone would show up, but that's not the point. The point is we can't have the party here."

"So. Rent a hall somewhere." A thought dawned on her. "Oh no you don't, Susan. I am not having the party here."

"Ronnie. It's too late to rent a hall and get directions to everyone."

"You're not having it at my house. No, no, no." The coat now found itself draped across a nearby stool. "Sis, I can't have the party here. Do you have any idea how much work that would take?"

"It's perfect. Everyone knows where you live and they'd love the idea of a good old fashioned party at the Cartwright House."

"I've told you before. This is my house now and I don't want every relative in the world trampling through here." She watched Maria preparing eggs for Rose's breakfast. "Sis, I've got company staying with me. It's really not convenient to have people here." The call waiting tone beeped. "Hang on, Susan, I've got another call." She pressed the flash button. "This is Veronica."

"Ronnie, it's your mother."

"Hello Mother." She rolled her eyes, drawing an amused look from her housekeeper.

"I'll be there after I go to the airport to help with the caterers and to make sure you don't put up any of those gaudy decorations."

"What, did Susan call you first? I have her holding on the other line."

"Yes. She did. We decided that the house would be the perfect solution."

Perfect solution for everyone but me
, Ronnie thought to herself. "Mother, I can't have the party here. Couldn't we just reschedule it or get a hall somewhere?"

"No. We can not," Beatrice Cartwright replied. "Now Veronica, we don't have time for all this selfish nonsense. I have to pick your Aunt Elaine up at the airport by three. Send a car for me at two and make sure I don't get that incompetent boob like last time. It took him over an hour to get there."

"Mother, it was a snowstorm and the traffic was backed up for miles. It wasn't his fault."

"He should have taken an alternate route. He couldn't even get in front of the terminal. You just make sure I get someone else this time."

"But…"

"No buts from you, young lady. Now I have to get to my hair appointment. You talk to your sister and don't forget to call for my car."

"Mo…"

"Goodbye dear. Nice talking with you."
Click
. Ronnie took the phone from her ear and stared at the receiver for a moment before hitting the flash button.

"Susan? You still there?"

"I'm here. I assume that was Mother on the other line?"

"You assume correctly. Nothing like bringing in the heavy artillery."

"I'm sorry about that." Ronnie doubted her sister's sincerity. "I'll bring some ornaments that the boys made. Ooh, they're so cute. Ronnie, you'll love them. Ricky made this one with green glitter…"

"Sis, I need to get going here." She gave a defeated sigh. "I guess I have a party to get ready for."

"Oh. Sure. Jack and I will be by around six. I'll let the family know."

"I'm sure Mother's already called them," Ronnie said in a dry tone. "You deal with getting the decorator and caterers over here. Oh, and Susan?"

"Yes?"

"This makes us even."

***********************

Rose was surprised to see Ronnie walk in and turn on the computer. "Good morning."

"Morning, Rose," she replied, setting her coffee cup down and typing in her password. "Maria will be bringing your breakfast in a few minutes." She clicked on her mail file and quickly scanned the unread ones.

"Is something wrong?"

"Wrong? What could possibly be wrong? My mother and sister have decided the family Christmas party is going to be held at my house, tonight."

"Oh." A momentary pause, then "What are you going to do?"

"What can I do? I guess I'm going to get this place ready for them." She began tapping the pencil in her left hand on the desk. "At least a third of them smoke. I put those carpets in three years ago and they're still perfect. You think they'll stay that way? Ha. I bet you there are gonna be at least a half dozen burn holes in it before the night is over." Ronnie stopped ranting long enough to take a swallow of coffee. "I have to rearrange all the furniture, have Maria clean the game room and set up the bar in there, have the liquor store make a delivery…" The tapping increased.

"And on top of all that, I have to go get both of us something to wear."

"U-us?" Rose swallowed hard at the implication.

"Well, yes of course." Ronnie looked at her quizzically. "You don't want to greet everyone wearing my Dartmouth shirt, do you?"

"What? Uh…" The shock had not worn off yet and the blonde woman was at a loss for words.

"I…well…"

"Rose, I'm not trying to punish you by making you meet my family, but I'm not going to lock you up in a room all alone for the evening while there's a party going on." The pencil found its way to her perfect white teeth, and they began gnawing at the eraser. "Actually," she mumbled around the yellow writing implement while looking around the room. "Think we can both hide in here all night?"

They chuckled for a few seconds before the seriousness of the situation took over. Ronnie set the pencil on the desk and moved her chair closer to the bed. "As much as I'd like to let you stay hidden away, everyone knows there's a bathroom in here." The women found their conversation interrupted by Maria, as she entered the room with the tray of food and a decanter of coffee.

"Where are you going to want the tree?" the housekeeper asked.

"In someone else's house," Ronnie wisecracked, drawing a snort from her companion. "I don't care. Rose and I are going to hide out in here all night."

"Don't even think about it, Veronica Louise." Maria set the tray over Rose's lap and began pouring coffee into the ceramic mug. Ronnie held her own cup out expectantly. "There isn't enough time to get the carpets cleaned."

"Vacuuming will be fine. Thanks." She pulled the cup to her lips and took a grateful sip. "Do you want me to call somewhere and get extra help to get the place ready?"

A look akin to hurt flashed through the brown eyes of the housekeeper. "Just because you don't run around like your mother checking for dust doesn't mean that I've let this house go unattended. I polish the silver regularly even if you don't use it. Except for a quick run of the vacuum and moving the furniture, we're all set for company. Of course, I can't put that coffee table back the way it should be."