Deceived 5 - New Beginnings (11 page)

I gave Patrick an apologetic look and followed, though I wasn’t entirely sure I had a choice. Maybe Elyse wasn’t the only one who’d been drinking too much already. Nina walked me over to an area where the caterers had set up a fully stocked bar on the outside patio.

“Virgin Mary, right?” she asked.

“That sounds great,” I said, trying to regain my composure. “Except no Tabasco sauce. That would give me heartburn.”

“Oh, of course not. I’ll tell the bartender to leave it out.”

I nodded and thanked Nina as we stepped up to the bar. “Oh, and no Worcestershire sauce either.” I placed my hand on the top of my stomach and frowned. “Heartburn.” I sighed. “I guess I’ll just have a glass of plain tomato juice.”

I listened as Nina gave the order to the bartender, including another Martini for her. Once finished, the bartender handed us our drinks and Nina took me by the elbow. “Now that we have a drink, how about a tour of the house?”

“Okay. Shall we get Patrick? Or Ricky?” I paused, then added, “I guess he’s already seen the house, with you two being cousins and all.”

“No, let them talk. They have business to discuss, blah, blah, blah, so boring. Let’s just us girls go for the tour.”

It seemed like Nina was a little disinterested in talking to her other guests or maybe her Martinis were just getting the better of her, but I didn’t feel it was my place to say. Besides, I was dying to see the rest of this gorgeous house. She took me to the dining room and then kitchen, which had a breakfast nook that opened to the water view and then out onto the lanai. After she showed me the downstairs, we went up the grand staircase to the second floor.

Upstairs there were mostly bedrooms and baths, all filled with more marble and stone than you’d see in the Grecian baths, every ceiling lined with crown molding. As we walked into a library with bookcase-lined walls and hardwood floors, I asked, more than a little awe-struck, “How large is it?”

Nina stopped walking and asked, “The south wing?”

I chuckled. “No, I mean the entire house.”

She shrugged. “Nine thousand square feet, give or take a few.” She laughed. “I don’t know, exactly. It’s just really big.” She took another sip of her Martini and rambled on about the entertainment center in another wing.

Nina’s voice faded into the background as a painting hanging on the wall caught my eye. I walked over and stood in front of it. It appeared to be a picture of two happy young girls, arm in arm, on a bright summer day, possibly on vacation somewhere. Their long hair was tied up in pigtails and they wore sandals with brightly colored shorts and tops. Their outfits were color coordinated, and they were dressed the same, almost like the way some people dressed twins in matching outfits. Their mouths were wide open in laughter and the painting captured their enthusiasm, depicting eternal youth.

“Nina? Who is this in this painting?” I asked, mesmerized. I couldn’t tear my eyes from the canvas. Something about it tugged at me.

“Oh, that’s me and my sister when we were kids.” Her voice was suddenly tight.

“Oh. You never told me you had a sister.” All those times we had lunch together and coffee at the corner café, I was surprised she’d never mentioned her. In fact, now that I thought about it, other than Ricky, she’d never told me about any of her family.

“I never told you about her? We were very close as children, even though she’s older than me.” Something in Nina’s mood had shifted, as if my mentioning her sister had stirred up unpleasant memories. “Let’s go back downstairs,” she said abruptly. “The ice has melted in your drink, and I need another Martini.” She held up her empty glass, as if she had to show me the evidence and her cheery mood was back as quickly as it had left.

I followed her out of the library, still a little perplexed and wondering if I had touched a raw nerve. I wasn’t going to push her. If there was something she wanted me to know about her sister, she would tell me when she was ready. No family’s perfect. I supposed we all had someone in the family we didn’t want to talk about. I brushed it off and figured I’d check with Ricky later on the subject to see if it was something I should avoid bringing up in future conversations with Nina.

We went back down the elegant staircase and joined the party. Nina was immediately absorbed into the crowd of chattering guests, making her rounds, and this time she made sure to talk to each one. Whatever had prompted the earlier behavior had apparently disappeared. I found a comfy lounge chair on the patio where I could put my feet up and, a few minutes later, Elyse joined me. I was glad the caterers came around with trays of hors d’oeuvres so I didn’t have to get up, and they were more than happy to help me out with my non-alcoholic drinks as well. That was great since my feet were starting to pinch in my shoes.

I didn’t mind not mingling, though. Watching the other guests was fascinating. After a while, more people came, each one more glamorous than the next, the women dressed in typical South Beach style, dripping in gold jewelry, and soon the party extended out onto the yacht. But, still there was no sign of Ryan and Liam.

Patrick came to my chair with a fresh drink in hand and said, “Let’s go take a look at the yacht. I might want to get one someday.” He winked at me.

Ricky followed behind him, shaking his head. “You need a yacht like you need a hole in the head. Patrick, may I remind you, you live in a penthouse in New York. Where are you going to keep a yacht?”

“In my backyard,” he jokingly replied. “Look, Ricky, you never know, Chloe and I might have to buy a summer home down here in Florida one day.”

My eyes widened. “Really?” My mind began to race with ideas. “We could buy a house right here next to Nina’s. We could be neighbors. That’d be great fun.”

Ricky laughed and then his face became more serious as he looked at Elyse’s empty lounge chair. “Where’s Elyse?”

“I don’t know.” I shrugged. “She said she had to use the restroom.”

“Oh, okay,” Ricky said.

I was grateful he didn’t press any further since I knew exactly why Elyse was in the bathroom. I didn’t want to lie and I definitely didn’t want to be the one to tell Ricky that his girlfriend was probably hugging a toilet because she’d drank too much.

Patrick held out his hand to help me up. “Come on, babe. Let’s go for a tour of the yacht.”

I took his hand and hoisted myself up, but once on my feet, I didn’t feel much like walking down to the dock and standing around on a boat. I was awkward enough on land. Besides, I had to pee – again.

“Oh,
hon
, why don’t you and Ricky go.” I made a face. “I have to find a bathroom.”

“I really want you to see it,” Patrick said. “They have more room than you’d think and usually have lots of burled wood. You have to see it. I’ll wait here until you come back.”

I blew out a breath, feeling the pressure on my bladder even more now that I was on my feet. I wasn’t going to argue with him. He’d just have to put up with me leaning against him if my sea legs gave out. “Okay,” I agreed. “While I’m gone, go inside and get me another one of those little chocolate desserts. And a pickle. I think I’m craving pickles now.”

Patrick shot me a deadpan look. “Oh, really? Pickles? And you’re pregnant.” He shook his head. “Your pregnancy hormones are really messing with your sense of humor. That joke was lame.”

“Thanks, babe. I love you, too,” I shot back with a grin. “I have to go find a bathroom now, if you don’t mind.”

We all walked back inside the house. I headed for the downstairs bathroom while Patrick went to the end of a long buffet table, loaded with delicious desserts.

When I got to the bathroom, however, the door was shut. I knew with a house this big, I could easily find an available one, but I didn’t remember any others on the first floor and I didn’t want to go up all those stairs again. Waiting around wasn’t really an option, either. I tapped lightly on the door, just in case it was shut but no one was in there. I heard a moan.

Someone on the other side of the door slurred, “
Jus
a minute.”

I knew that voice. “Elyse? Is that you in there?”

All I could hear was a barely audible groan.

“Are you okay? What’s wrong?” I asked the questions even though I already knew the answer.

“A-a-ah, I don’t feel so good.”

“Open the door. Let me in.”

“
Noooo
…I think I’m gonna be…
oooh
…”

“Elyse,” I said her name sharply.

Silence. And then the sound of running water. Good. She was putting water on her face. That would help her, but the sound of gushing liquid just made me have to pee all the more.

“Elyse, sweetie. I’ll be right back. Just splash some water on your face and…I’ll be right back.”

There wasn’t anything else I could do. I couldn’t get her to open the door right now, and I didn’t have time to stand outside and wait. I’d seen Elyse like this before and I knew that she just needed some time to sit it out in the bathroom until her stomach settled, or she heaved. I didn’t really feel bad for her since she’d done it to herself, but I wouldn’t abandon her, either. As soon as I was done, I’d go let the guys know I was staying with Elyse and to go on without me. I didn’t enjoy holding my drunk friend’s hand, but on the plus side, it would get me out of going on the boat.

I headed for the stairs and made my way up to the second floor. Once I got to the top of the stairs, I noticed a door halfway open. Logic said it was mostly likely a bedroom, and since all these bedrooms probably had their own separate bath, there would be a toilet.

I pushed open the door further and poked my head in to make sure I wasn’t interrupting anyone. Just like all the others in the house, the room was beautifully decorated. I stepped inside and walked past the canopy bed, searching for an adjoining bathroom, and – hallelujah, there it was.

I went on in and did my business. As I was washing my hands, I took the time to look around, first noticing the beautiful faucets on the sink and then I realized that this wasn’t just a guest room. Someone was living in this room. I flushed, embarrassed, and hurriedly dried my hands. As I started to turn away, my eyes fell on a tube of expensive lipstick sitting on the marble countertop. It was Nina’s brand. I stepped out into the bedroom, seeing what I hadn’t before. Clothes hanging on a hook and a walk-in closet filled with women’s clothes. Nina’s clothes. This was Nina’s bedroom. I wondered why she hadn’t shown me this room on our tour of the house. I had assumed the master bedroom was hers since this was her house.

As I walked towards the door, something sparkling on the floor near the nightstand caught my eye. Curious, I stopped, and bent down to examine it. It was Nina’s diamond tennis bracelet, one I’d seen her wearing at lunch one day. She must’ve dropped it. I was sure that it was made of real diamonds, and very expensive ones at that, so I picked it up to put it away. It would be awful to have something this beautiful stolen or lost.

I opened the drawer and dropped the bracelet in. As it landed, I heard a clinking sound, like metal hitting glass. I opened the drawer farther to see what had made the sound and saw a photograph in a frame. I lifted the frame out of the drawer to hold it under the light for a better view.