"Easy. He"s hot and he worships me." Truth and lie rolled up together.
"You"ve always hated him. I don"t understand how this could happen."
"There"s a thin line between hating someone and finding the grand pa.s.sion of your life."
"Is that what this is about? s.e.x?"
"Definitely a big part of it. And I do mean big."
That was just plain mean. The fact that Lance wasn"t super-endowed had never bothered her, but it bothered him, and she should be ashamed of herself. She wasn"t. "Bram"s insatiable. I"ve spent so much time naked lately, it"s a wonder I still remember how to wear clothes."
He"d always refused to acknowledge any problems with their s.e.x life, and he turned his back to examine the Moorish carving on the mantel. "I don"t want to fight with you, Georgie. We"re not enemies."
"Think again."
"If you"d just called me back...I have enough guilt. I don"t know how he did it, but I know he coerced you, and I want to help. I have to help you get out of this."
"Fascinating. Except I don"t need help."
"The fact that you married him..." He turned to face her again. "Don"t you see? Not only is it bad for you, but it cheapens what we had together."
At first she was too stunned to respond, and then she laughed.
He puffed up, all injured dignity. "It"s not funny. If he"d been someone decent...Our relationship was true and honest. Just because it didn"t last doesn"t mean it wasn"t right at the time." He stepped away from the fireplace. "If you married Bram of your own free will-and I"m having a hard time believing that-but if you did, you"ve tainted our relationship and demeaned yourself."
"Okay, you have officially overstayed your welcome."
Lance plowed on. "He"s a player. He"s lazy, aimless. The guy"s a drunk and a drug addict, for G.o.d"s sake. He"s nothing but a b.u.m."
"Get out of here."
"You"re not going to tell me the truth, are you? You"re still too angry. Then tell me this...What would you have done if you were me? What if you"d met the love of your life while you were married to someone else? What would you have done?"
"Easy. I"d never have married someone who wasn"t the love of my life in the first place."
He flinched. "I know you think what I did was unforgivable, but I"m asking you to look at it a different way. Try to see that what happened with Jade and me could never have happened if you hadn"t shown me what it means to really love someone-with your whole heart."
His audacity made her want to laugh-scream-she didn"t know which. He pulled at his scruffy beard. "It"s hard to understand, I realize that, but without you, I wouldn"t have known what the heart is capable of." He started to reach out for her, then must have seen something in her eyes that made him think better of it. "Georgie, you gave me the courage to love Jade the way she deserves to be loved. The way I deserve to love someone."
A weird sort of fascination had taken hold of her. "Are you for real?"
"I"ve told you how sorry I am for hurting you. I never wanted to cause you so much pain." She"d witnessed that same haunted expression when he watched television news, read a particularly moving book, or even visited an animal shelter. Lance had always felt things deeply. Once she"d seen him tear up at a beer commercial.
"You can"t imagine how much courage it took for me to leave you," he said. "But my feelings for Jade...Jade"s feelings for me-they were bigger than both of us."
"Did you just say "bigger than both of us"?"
"I don"t know how else to explain it. You showed me the way to love, and I owe you everything. You won"t tell me how you got trapped in this situation with Bram. That"s your choice. But I"ll help you anyway. Let me do that for you. Please, Georgie. Let me help you get out."
"I don"t want out." Another crash of lightning, closer this time, rattled the windows.
"Jade and I have talked about it. She has a house on Lanai. It"s completely private. Leave him, Georgie. Go there for a couple of weeks to relax and then..." He held up his hand, even though she hadn"t said a word. "Hear me out, will you? I know it"s going to seem strange at first, but promise you"ll listen."
She stared at him. "I wouldn"t miss this for the world."
"I think we"ve found a way to turn what happened between the three of us into something good. Something really extraordinary that will put the polish back on your reputation."
"I didn"t know my reputation needed polishing."
"Let"s just say that it"ll make people forget you ever married Bram Shepard." He tugged on the bracelet again. "You and Jade and I...We have a chance to do something good. Something that will...set an example for the whole world. Promise that you won"t say no until you"ve given it serious thought. That"s all I"m asking."
"The suspense is killing me."
"We-Jade and I-want you to come with us when we go back to Thailand."
Thunder shook the house. "Come with you?"
"I know it sounds crazy. At first I thought so, too. But the more we talked about it, the more we both understood that we"ve been given a golden opportunity. We have the chance to show the world in a big way how people who are supposed to be enemies can live together in peace and harmony."
Georgie didn"t know whether to throw up or grab a c.o.ke.
Rain slashed at the windows. "The press will go crazy," he said. "You"ll look like a saint-everyone will forget about your crazy marriage. The causes that Jade and I are fighting for-good causes-will get more attention. But best of all, people all over the world will be forced to examine their own personal feuds and religious vendettas. Maybe we can"t change the world, but we can make a start."
"I"m...speechless."
The doors flew open and everyone on the veranda spilled inside. Obviously Bram and Meg hadn"t shared the news of Lance"s appearance because, one by one, they all stopped talking and stared. Finally Rory broke the silence. "You guys throw one h.e.l.l of an interesting party."
"I"ll say." Laura couldn"t take her eyes off Lance, who"d broken into a smile at the sight of Paul.
"Paul, it"s great to see you again." He strode across the room, hand outstretched. "I"ve missed you."
"Lance."
Georgie found it shocking that Paul merely shook her ex"s hand instead of falling on his knees and begging Lance to take her back. But then, he"d probably already done that.
A flush-faced Chaz came in from the kitchen carrying a tray of mugs and a plate of what looked like homemade chocolate truffles. Aaron followed with a coffeepot. Chaz couldn"t take her eyes off Lance and nearly tripped on the rug before she set the tray down. "Th-there"s somebody in the car outside," she said.
"It"s Jade," Lance said. "I"d better go."
"You brought Jade here?" A swarm of bees buzzed through Georgie"s head.
"I told you," Lance said. "I came right from the plane. And the car windows are dark. No one can see inside."
A thick silence fell over the room until Bram ambled forward. "Shame on you, Lancelot, for making your wife stay in the car." His eyes narrowed dangerously. "Grab an umbrella for me, Chaz, so I can invite her in."
Georgie froze. Surely she"d misheard. But she hadn"t. Bram was angry and reacting in his typical bullheaded, impulsive way.
Paul leapt forward. "Stop right there."
Bram"s jaw set in a stubborn line. "It"s a party. The more the merrier."
She hated him, but she was supposed to love him, and with so many witnesses, she couldn"t let them see how she really felt. Instead, she had to show how a happily remarried funny girl would react to meeting the woman who"d stolen her idiotic ex-husband. "Chaz, while you"re getting Bram"s umbrella, grab a gun so I can kill myself."
It was the right thing to say because Rory grinned. "This is the best party I"ve been to in years."
"Ever!" Laura exclaimed.
"Fluff your hair," Meg said to Georgie as Bram and Chaz disappeared, with Lance trailing behind. "And put on more lipstick. Quick."
"Don"t you dare." Rory"s hand shot out. "You"re fine just the way you are."
"Rory"s right," her kiss-up agent said. "Jade Gentry doesn"t have a thing on you."
Meg rolled her eyes. "Except the most beautiful face in the universe, a body to die for, and Georgie"s ex-husband."
"No, really," Georgie retorted as she sank down on the couch. "All I need is a gun."
Paul hurried forward. "Come with me, Georgie. You"re not doing this."
Her father"s ill-timed order made her determined to do exactly the opposite. "Sure I am. Jade"s not important to me." A lie. Just because Georgie had stopped loving Lance didn"t mean she"d ever forgive either him or Jade. She wanted revenge.
Moments later, Jade entered her living room while an invisible klieg light seemed to illuminate her stunning presence. Why did Jade have to be so exquisite? It was ironic...Most male movie stars looked better in person, but female stars tended to look vaguely encephalitic with heads too big for their sticklike bodies. Not Jade. She was even more breathtaking in person, an exquisite throwback to old Hollywood with Audrey Hepburn"s doe eyes, Katharine Hepburn"s cheekbones, and creamy Grace Kelly skin. A shiny sweep of straight dark hair framed a perfect valentine face without even a dab of makeup. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were generous but not vulgar. Her waist small and legs long. She wasn"t as tall as Georgie, but she carried herself with such commanding confidence that Georgie had to talk herself out of feeling as though she"d started to shrink.
Lance stood on Jade"s left and Bram on her right. As Paul stepped forward to greet Jade, he blocked her view of Georgie. Who knew whether it was deliberate or accidental? "I"m Paul York. I understand you just got off a plane."
"It seems like we"ve been traveling forever." Like Lance, she was rumpled, but her straight-legged black slacks and sleeveless black top still looked chic. Nothing about her signaled a woman who"d lost a baby less than a month ago. She shifted her weight, trying to see around Paul. She undoubtedly wanted to find Georgie so she could give her a big freaking hug. Fortunately, her cell rang before that could happen. "I need to take this. A couple of our people were deathly ill on the plane."
She slid her hobo bag off her shoulder, pulled out her phone, and stepped away from them. Laura filled a coffee mug, and Meg swiped a chocolate truffle. Bram drifted toward Georgie. She hoped he didn"t get too close because she"d never be able to resist the temptation to kick him.
Rory did her best to ease the tension. "Laura, I hear you"ve been pushing Georgie for the lead in Rich Greenberg"s project? It"s a cute script. I wish we"d had a shot at it."
"The movie about the bimbo vampire?" Meg wrinkled her nose. "Mom was talking about it."
"Georgie"s perfect for the part," Paul said.
"Georgie"s not interested," Bram said. "She"s tired of doing comedy."
He was right, but Georgie was angry and not the only immature person in this marriage. "Laura"s set up a meeting for me with Greenberg."
Jade was growing agitated, although none of them could make out more than a few words. Finally, she snapped her phone shut and returned to Lance"s side, her perfect brow knit in distress. "Bad news about Dari and Ellen. Remember that outbreak of SARS in the Philippines? The doctors are afraid they both might have it."
"SARS? My G.o.d..." Lance took her hand, the two of them against the world. "Are they going to be okay?"
"I don"t know. They"re in isolation right now, being shot full of antibiotics."
"We"d better get over to the hospital right away."
"That"s not possible."
"Sure it is. We"ll go in through the back."
"That"s not the problem." She shoved the phone back in her purse and flipped her hair over her shoulder. "We can"t go anywhere."
Lance stroked her fingers. "What do you mean?"
"That was the head of the county public health department on the phone. The hospital alerted him. Ellen"s and Dari"s test results won"t be back for forty-eight hours, and until they know for sure whether or not it"s SARS, everybody who was on the plane is under quarantine." She looked around the room. "Along with anyone we"ve come into contact with since."
Dead silence fell. Georgie felt dizzy, and Bram went still at her side.
"You don"t mean us," Paul finally said.
"I"m afraid so."
Bram didn"t move. "Are you saying we"re all supposed to stay here-in my house-for the next two days? We"ve barely had any contact with either of you."
"Until Tuesday morning," she said tightly. "Ironic, isn"t it?" Her gaze drifted to Georgie.
"Impossible," Laura said. "I have back-to-back meetings on Monday."
Meg frowned. "Mom and I are going riding tomorrow."
"If I have to be quarantined, I"m doing it in my own house." Rory glanced around for her purse. "I"ll go out through the back gate."
"You"d better clear it with Public Health first," Jade said. "These guys mean business. I"m sure you"d have to send your staff away first."
Rory paused in her search for her purse, apparently remembering the filmmakers she was housing.
Chaz had taken the coffeepot from Aaron and turned to Bram. "What"s SARS? I don"t know what that is."
Aaron answered for him. "Severe acute respiratory syndrome. It"s a serious disease. Very contagious. There was a pandemic a few years ago that killed hundreds of people and made thousands sick. A pandemic is like an epidemic, except a lot bigger."
"I know what a pandemic is," Chaz retorted so defensively Georgie knew she was lying.
"This is bulls.h.i.t," Bram said. "Lance hasn"t even been in the house fifteen minutes. And, G.o.d knows, n.o.body kissed him."
Jade flipped her hair over her shoulder. "I explained that to Public Health, but they won"t budge."
Laura whipped out her cell. "Give me the number. I"ll make them budge."
But she wasn"t the only alpha dog in the room, and the others-Bram, Paul, and Rory-already had their hands on their own phones. Aaron took one look at Georgie and grabbed his, too. Lance glanced around. "Everybody can"t call."
"I"ll do it," Rory said. "I have contacts."
For the next half hour while Georgie sat silently, the rest of them listened in on Rory"s conversations as she spoke to officials in the county"s Public Health Department and then the mayor himself. Finally, she conceded defeat. "Pulling strings isn"t going to work. This is political. Because celebrities are involved, n.o.body wants to be held responsible if this thing gets out of hand. It"s definitely overkill, but it seems as though we"re trapped."
People began looking in Georgie"s direction, judging her reaction to being cooped up with her ex and his new wife. Scooter Brown would have known how to handle this. Scooter always came through in tough situations. Fine. Fine. Let that perky little b.i.t.c.h deal with it. Let that perky little b.i.t.c.h deal with it.
She pushed Scooter up from the couch. "We"ll make the best of it. Like a big house party. It"ll be fun."