Читать книгу Catching Her Rival - Lisa Dyson - Страница 11
ОглавлениеALLIE COULDN’T STOP staring at the other woman in the mirror as she finished washing her hands. She finally swallowed and formed words. “You must be Charlotte.” Allie reached for a paper towel from the pile on the counter.
The woman’s eyes grew round and her lips trembled. “You know my name?”
Allie smiled, unable to comprehend their resemblance. “I was just dancing with your date. He told me your name.”
“You danced with Jack?”
Allie quickly said, “Don’t worry, he thought I was you at first.”
“No, don’t misunderstand.” Charlotte’s hands shook when she reached for a paper towel without breaking eye contact. “Jack and I are friends. He’s been trying to find you since he first ran into you. We thought you’d left.”
“I’ve been running around all day. I’m the sister of the groom. Do you want to sit for a minute? This is all so unbelievable.” Allie gestured to the lounge area of the ladies’ room. She was at a loss for words until she realized she hadn’t introduced herself. “I’m Allie Miller.”
Charlotte took a seat on the sofa. She hadn’t taken her eyes off Allie. “I’m very glad to meet you, Allie. This is definitely unreal.”
Allie smiled. “Isn’t it?” She sat in the chair that was at a ninety-degree angle to the sofa. “I can’t get over how much we look alike.”
“I was adopted as an infant, so I’ve never seen anyone who looks even slightly like me.”
“Me, either,” Allie said. “I was adopted, too.”
“You were! Do you think we’re related?” Charlotte shook her head. “What am I saying? I mean, we must be related. This is too crazy.”
Allie nodded her head. “There’s obviously some connection between us. People weren’t lying when they said we look alike.”
“I should go find Jack,” Charlotte said. “If that’s okay with you. He’s pretty invested in finding out our connection. Besides, I’ve been gone quite a while.” She explained her unsuccessful expedition to find another bathroom on the lower level of the building. “Man, my shoes are killing me.” She reached down to adjust the strap over her pinkie toe.
Allie laughed. “Yeah, I gathered from our conversation that he has as many questions as we do. Not that any of us have any answers. Wait—” she bent down to unbuckle one of her shoes and then the other “—go ahead.” She looked up at Charlotte. “We’ll both take off these painful things.”
Charlotte laughed and did the same. “Ohhh, that feels so good!”
“Oh, yeah!” Allie hadn’t realized how much her feet hurt until she removed her shoes. “I can see how people thought we were the same person. Our clothes and even our hairstyles are nearly identical.”
Charlotte touched her hair. “I don’t usually curl mine, but I decided to since this was a special occasion. Even our feet look the same. Size 8?”
“Exactly.” Shoes in one hand, Allie held the door for Charlotte to leave first. Charlotte toasted her with her own shoes as she passed, and Allie noticed they were the same height, too. She had to give Jack credit. Their dress color was very similar. At least until they were right next to each other.
Allie and Charlotte kept glancing at each other as they walked down the hall to where Jack sat with his drink. The looks from the few people they passed were hysterical. Even some open mouths and gasps.
Jack stood as soon as he saw them coming, a wide grin on his delicious mouth. At least Allie was pretty sure it was delicious. Her tongue wet her bottom lip.
She glanced at Charlotte, wondering if she’d ever kissed Jack. They both claimed to be merely friends, but were they friends with benefits?
She shoved her thought aside. She barely knew the man. Besides, she’d sworn off men for good.
Though she couldn’t deny the instant connection she and Jack had made.
The seating area was comprised of two matching Louis XIV chairs across from a straight-backed sofa, and an ornate black and gold-leaf coffee table that sat in the middle. Charlotte took the chair next to Jack’s, and Allie sat across from them on the sofa. Perfect spot to view this exact replica of herself. She perched on the edge of her seat, anxious to figure out this mystery.
“Tell me—”
“—about yourself.”
The two women laughed when they asked the same thing at the same time.
Jack looked from one to the other. “You’re speaking in stereo. This is really strange.”
Allie said, “You can say that again.”
Charlotte wiggled in her chair.
“What do you know about your adoption?” Allie’s heart was beating furiously.
“Nothing, actually. Yet. I only started thinking about searching for my birth parents a few days ago.” Charlotte told Allie about losing her adoptive mother to cancer and wanting to know her medical history. “My mom was older when she adopted me, in her early forties. She never married, so it was only the two of us.”
Allie saw the sadness in her eyes. “You must miss her terribly.”
“I do.” Charlotte brushed at a tear that escaped from her watery eyes. “Sorry.” Jack patted Charlotte’s arm, and she smiled wanly as she spoke to Allie. “Jack’s doing his best to cheer me up, but I do miss her every day.”
He put an arm around Charlotte’s shoulders and squeezed. Allie approved of how good a friend it seemed he was being to Charlotte.
“What do you know about your adoption?” Charlotte brushed away another tear. “Sorry. It’s still tough talking about my mom.” She sniffed.
“I’ve never looked into my adoption,” Allie said. “My mother doesn’t like to talk about it. When I was younger and asked questions, she’d say, ‘All you need to know is that we chose you and we love you.’ By the time I was an adult, I didn’t feel the need to find my biological parents. Maybe in part because I already had more family than most people.”
“Then you don’t know any more than I do.” Charlotte dabbed at a lone tear on her cheek. “You said you had a big family? Tell me about them.”
Allie smiled. “I’ve got the opposite situation from you. I’m one of five adopted children.”
Charlotte’s eyes grew round.
“My parents lost their only biological child to a rare but fatal genetic disorder that they both carry. He was only a few weeks old when he died. Instead of trying again, they opted for adoption. That’s where I came in. I was their first.” Allie brushed at a lock of hair tickling her cheek. “Shortly before I started kindergarten, they adopted a brother-and-sister pair from China. They were one and three when they came to live with us. Scott—the groom—is my brother.” She looked at Jack. “And you met my sister, Rachael. They were both born with heart abnormalities and were sent to an orphanage so their parents could have a perfect child. Little did they know, a few surgeries later and their children were as good as new.”
“So you have four younger siblings?” Charlotte asked.
“Not exactly. I was the oldest until I turned nine. That’s when my parents adopted my older brothers, Grigory and Nikolay, from Russia. They were also biological brothers. Gregory and Nicholas—Greg and Nick—came here when they were twelve and ten.”
“So you’re the middle child of five?” Charlotte’s eyes—an exact replica of Allie’s—widened.
Allie forced a smile. “That’s right. I’m sure there are hundreds of psychologists out there who would like to study me. ‘Oldest child becomes middle child. Where does this adoptee fit?’”
“At least you can joke about it,” Jack said.
Allie shrugged. “Not always.”
He seemed to be considering her response before he said, “You two are obviously related. Let’s get down to the pertinent stuff. When and where were you born?” He looked to Charlotte first.
“I was born on April 17—”
“1986?” As soon as Allie heard the month and day, she knew the year would be the same.
“Yes!” Charlotte said excitedly. “You, too?”
Allie nodded vigorously, but her excitement wouldn’t allow her to speak for a few seconds. “I was born right here in Rhode Island, but I’m not sure where.”
Jack asked Charlotte, “You were born in Rhode Island, also?”
She shook her head, her confusion evident by her pursed lips. “No. I was born in upstate New York.”
* * *
“HOW CAN THAT BE?” Jack verbalized the question that had to be on all of their minds. “You look so much alike, you sound alike and you were born on the same day. But in different states?”
Jack had been sure from their birthdays that they were twins. But now he didn’t know what to think.
“Coincidence?” Charlotte suggested.
“It’s more than coincidence,” Allie said. “We’re obviously related. Now we need to figure out how we’re related.”
“Maybe we’re cousins?”
“That’s a possibility, but it seems unlikely. Siblings giving birth on the same day in different states... Anyway, I don’t think we’d look this much alike if we were cousins unless both our birth mothers and fathers were twins.”
“Wouldn’t that make you genetic twins?” Jack asked.
“I think you’re right,” Allie said. “But what are the chances that both sets of parents would put us up for adoption? There must be more to it.” She stuck out her hand, palm down, and said to Charlotte, “Put your hand out next to mine.”
As soon as Charlotte did, the resemblance was remarkable. Just like their matching feet.
“You can’t argue with proof like that,” Allie said, “but only a DNA test will tell us for sure.” The other two nodded their agreement. “There’s nothing more we can do tonight.”
“What about your mom?” Jack suggested. “We could ask her some questions and see if she can fill in the blanks.”
Allie shook her head. “I’d rather keep her out of this, at least for tonight. She had pretty bad bronchitis six weeks ago, and between that and the wedding prep, she hasn’t quite regained her strength. Besides, she should just be allowed to enjoy the rest of her son’s wedding day.”
“Of course,” Charlotte said. “And it is getting late.”
Allie jumped up from the sofa. “You’re right. I didn’t realize how late it was. I need to help pack up. Mom’s probably looking for me. Let’s exchange information,” she said to Charlotte, “and we can get together soon.”
Charlotte and Jack stood up, too. “We can help,” Jack said.
“Yes,” Charlotte agreed. “Tell us what needs to be done.”
“Oh, wow, thanks, but I’m sure we’re fine. Huge family and all.”
“I understand completely,” Charlotte said, and Jack nodded his agreement. Allie must really want to keep her mom from seeing Charlotte.
Charlotte retrieved her cell phone from her silver clutch. “Give me your number, and I’ll text you so you have mine.”
“Good idea. I left mine in the car.” Allie recited the number.
Jack was trying to be cool. He could get Allie’s phone number from Charlotte, he supposed. He really wanted to see her again, but she was in the middle of some big family stuff with the wedding and now meeting Charlotte.
And he didn’t want to appear overeager.
“Where are you staying in town?” Jack asked Allie, trying to play it casual.
She named a popular downtown hotel. “I’ll be checking out in the morning.”
“Where do you live?” Charlotte asked before Jack could. “We never talked about that.”
“In Providence,” Allie said.
“Oh, good!” Charlotte was giddy with excitement. “I was afraid you flew in from halfway across the country. Jack and I both live here in Newport.”
“My office is in Providence,” Jack said, pleasantly surprised. “We should get together, maybe grab coffee or lunch this week.” He made the suggestion before thinking it through. Cool, Jack. Real cool.
Allie smiled, and he took that as a good sign. “I’d like that.”
Me, too, he mouthed.
Jack glanced at Charlotte and saw her satisfied grin—she’d obviously not missed his exchange with Allie. “You ready?” he asked Charlotte.
At her nod, he stepped back so the two women could say their goodbyes.
* * *
CHARLOTTE’S MIND WAS RACING as she sat in the passenger seat of Jack’s car on the way home. Amazing! There was someone else in the world whom she must be related to. She wasn’t sure yet how, but they’d soon find out. She was positive they were connected.
“You’re pretty quiet,” Jack said as they drove up Bellevue Avenue. “Are you okay? In shock, perhaps?”
Charlotte turned toward him and grinned. “I’m better than okay.” She was definitely more excited than she’d been in a while. “I’m really glad you asked me to come to the wedding with you.”
“I’m glad, too.” He gave her arm a pat. “Talk about a coincidental meeting.”
“I know. I’m not sure how Allie and I would ever have met otherwise.”
“And she lives so close,” Jack said. “It didn’t hit me until I asked where she was staying that she could have come in for the wedding from anywhere.”
“I’m sure that makes you very happy, too,” Charlotte teased.
“Of course it does. Now you two will be able to get together.”
“Uh-huh.”
He glanced at her quickly before returning his attention to the road. “What does that mean?”
She smirked, but it was too dark in the car for Jack to see her. “It means I’m not blind. I saw how attracted you are to her.”
The muscles in his jaw tensed. “Do you have a problem with that?”
She chuckled. “I think it’s great.” She paused a few seconds. “We are just friends, right? Nothing romantic going on?”
“Of course. I don’t mean that to sound harsh, but even I’m a little confused. You and I are friends, and I never considered you anything more.”
“Gee, thanks.”
“That wasn’t meant as an insult,” he said quickly. “I value friendship, probably more than any romantic stuff I’ve ever been involved in. So if I see you as my friend, then take that as the compliment it is.”
“Got it. Are you considering Allie as another friend?” She already knew the answer.
“Maybe.”
“Hah!” She was enjoying making him squirm.
“Okay, I’m attracted to her. A lot.” He stopped at a red light and looked at Charlotte. “I don’t get it. She looks almost identical to you, so why am I attracted to her and not you?”
“Again, gee, thanks.” Then she laughed because she really was teasing. “Good thing I’m not attracted to you, either, friend.” And that was the honest truth. She sobered and asked the question she’d wanted to ask for a while now. “Why are you so afraid of getting into a relationship, Jack?”
“With you?” His tone was teasing, but his resistance to answering honestly was blatant.
“No. And I don’t mean to pry. It just seems like you have a successful job, a newly renovated house. You’re what, early thirties?”
“Thirty-two.”
“So what’s keeping you from settling down? Not necessarily married, but in a committed relationship?”
“Simple. It’s an allergy.”
Charlotte laughed. “Allergy?”
“I’m allergic to relationships. I inherited it from my father.”
“He never settled down, either?”
“Just the opposite,” Jack told her. “He settled down over and over and over again.”
“And that’s what caused your allergy to commitment?”
“Yep.”
“Well, I think that’s ridiculous. We’ll have to work on that. Give me your cell phone.”
He pulled it from his pants pocket and gave it to her. “What are you doing?”
She took out her own phone, too. “I’m programming Allie’s phone number into your phone so you have no excuse for not calling her. In fact, I think you should call her as soon as we get home so you can make it clear that you and I are no more than friends.”
* * *
IT WAS WELL after midnight when Allie finally collapsed, fully clothed, on her hotel bed.
“What a day,” she said aloud to the ceiling, wiggling her bare toes to bring back the circulation.
She heard a noise that sounded like her cell phone vibrating from under the pile of things she had brought in from her car. She hauled herself up off the bed, hoping it wasn’t someone asking her to do something. Her energy was depleted.
She finally dug her phone from the bottom of a reusable tote bag where she’d put her shoes, makeup bag and anything else she’d thought she might need during the day while away from the hotel.
The phone number was unfamiliar. She opened the message, and a warmth went through her as she read it.
This is Jack. Got your number from Charlotte. Hope that’s okay. Hope to talk to you soon.
She immediately wrote back, careful not to sound too eager. After all, she was off men.
Of course it’s ok. Nice to meet you.
She hesitated before hitting Send. “Nice to meet you?” she said out loud. “How formal.” She erased it and tried again.
Of course it’s ok. Call me anytime.
Again, she hesitated. Now she sounded desperate. Or at least easy. She deleted it and considered what to say.
Maybe she should ignore his text until tomorrow morning. Pretend she was asleep when it came in.
No. She really wanted him to know she felt something with him, without actually telling him that. Even though she really was off men.
She took another approach. She texted Charlotte.
Hope this didn’t wake you. It’s Allie. I need advice. Jack texted me. I want to answer, but don’t want him to get the wrong idea.
She only waited a minute or two before Charlotte replied.
It’s obvious you like each other. Why play hard-to-get?
Charlotte had no idea about Allie’s poor decisions when it came to men. She typed quickly.
I’ve made wrong choices before. Don’t want to repeat mistakes.
Charlotte wrote back.
Give him a chance. He’s been a good friend to me.
Allie considered that. She had seen firsthand how comforting Jack had been to Charlotte in the short time she’d known him.
But she barely knew Charlotte. How could she know how good the woman was at judging character? Should she take Charlotte at her word that Jack was a good guy? She looked exactly like Allie, but what if she was also as bad at judging people as Allie was?
She wrote back to Charlotte.
Thanks. Will think about it. Talk to you soon.
Charlotte replied.
Looking forward to it. Call or text me tomorrow after your family stuff. You could come over to my house so we can talk more.
Allie thought about how much work she still had to do. She really needed to drive back to Providence, but getting to know Charlotte better had become a top priority.
Sounds good. I do have to get work done before Monday morning, so I can’t stay too long.
Charlotte wrote back.
I’ll search through my mom’s files to see if I can find anything about my adoption before you get here. Can’t wait.
Allie smiled. Me, neither.
She went back to Jack’s message and hit Reply.
I’m glad she gave you my number. Hope to talk to you soon.
She hit Send and felt a rush of adrenaline. This could be a huge mistake.
She stripped out of her dress and underwear before heading to the bathroom, where she’d left her nightshirt hanging on the back of the door. She slipped it on, brushed her teeth, washed her face and applied moisturizer.
When she came out of the bathroom, there was a voice mail message on her phone. She must not have heard the phone ring over the water running.
She smiled as she listened to Jack’s message.
“Hey, you said you hoped to talk soon, so here I am.” He paused. “Guess you must be sleeping by now or maybe don’t want to talk this late. I wanted to say good-night.” He paused again. “So good night.”
She shook her head, both amused and touched. Damn, he’s good.
As much as she desperately wanted to call him back, she resisted.
After all, she was off men.
* * *
EARLY THE NEXT AFTERNOON, Charlotte was on a mission. She diligently went through box after box after box of her mother’s papers. She’d repeatedly put off the task, but now that she’d met Allie, Charlotte had a driving force behind her.
When she’d cleaned out her mother’s house to sell it after her death, Charlotte hadn’t taken the time to go through everything. Instead, she’d packed the papers into plastic boxes with lids. Now she regretted not sorting through them earlier. Mom had been a saver. She had receipts and old bank statements from over three decades ago, but nothing yet that pertained to Charlotte’s adoption.
She’d like to take a good look at her birth certificate, but she had it locked in her safe-deposit box at the bank, which was closed on Sunday afternoons. She hadn’t used it in years.
Her phone went off, announcing a text message. She put down the pile of papers she was sorting and grabbed it. Allie.
I’ll be there in a few minutes if that’s still ok.
Charlotte replied.
Can’t wait. See you soon.
She’d texted her address to Allie last night. She’d been hoping that she’d have found something by now to help them make sense of the information they had about their adoptions—which was little to nothing.
Charlotte went to the kitchen to wash up, feeling gritty after handling all the dusty papers.
By the time she stepped out onto her porch, Allie was parking her car.
“Hi,” Charlotte said with a wave, trying to control her excitement.
Allie grinned back and waved. “Hi, Charlotte!” As she got closer to the porch, she commented, “Great house!”
Charlotte appreciated the compliment. “Thanks! I fell in love with it the moment I saw it.”
“How long have you been here?” Allie asked as she ascended the porch steps and the two women hugged.
“Since last fall, a few months after my mom died. I had given up the apartment I’d been renting and moved in with her to take care of her while she was sick. When she passed away, I sold her house because I couldn’t bear to be in it without her, surrounded by so many memories.” She opened the front door and stepped inside. “Come on in. I’ll give you a tour if you’d like.”
Allie’s eyes widened. “I’d love it. These older homes have so much character.”
“Character,” Charlotte repeated. “Yeah, that’s a nice way to put it. More like repairs when you’re least expecting them.”
They laughed as they went through the living room and into the dining room, then on into the kitchen. “There’s a full bath in there,” Charlotte said, pointing to the doorway in the dining room. “There’s a shed in the small backyard, and I’m trying to grow a few vegetables in a garden, but nothing else exciting out there. Let’s go upstairs.”
The narrow staircase was on the side wall of the dining room, and Charlotte told Allie about the house’s history as they went up to the second floor. “The house was built in 1900, and the hardwood floors are original. In the eighties, the owners made some improvements, but I’ve been told they didn’t keep with the history of the house. In 2005, the home was sold. Thankfully, the new owners returned it to its turn-of-the-century feel by uncovering the brick wall on the far end of the house and installing more appropriate plumbing fixtures.”
They reached a small hallway. “Straight ahead is the guest room,” Charlotte said, and then led the way through another doorway. “In here is where I have my studio set up.”
Allie entered the room. “I love this! The light is wonderful in here.”
There were large windows at eye level, as well as a gorgeous window near the ceiling that ran the length of the wall and had amazing scrollwork. “That window up there and the skylight were what sold me on the house.”
“I should’ve asked you what you do, but you’re obviously an artist,” Allie said, looking around at the supplies and paraphernalia Charlotte had neatly arranged. She’d spent more time organizing in here than going through her mother’s old files. “Is it for fun, or is this how you make your living?”
“I’m lucky enough to be able to support myself with my art,” Charlotte said. “I’ve had several shows in the past few years, but not many since my mom got sick. Most of my sales right now are over the internet. My dream is to open a brick-and-mortar gallery.”
“Newport is a great place for that.”
“That’s actually why I decided to move here from Vermont. Newport’s also close enough to New York City and Boston to be able to have shows in those cities.”
“This is wonderful,” Allie said of a depiction of some historic Newport doorways done in pastels, hung above a shelving unit.
“Thank you. I did that about two years ago when I came here to paint some of the historic buildings. That’s when I fell in love with the town.” About a year prior to her mother’s diagnosis.
Allie pointed to a door on the far wall. “Is your bedroom through there?”
“Yes. Kind of an odd setup having to go through this room to get to that room. That’s why I chose the other bedroom for guests.” Not that she’d had any visitors except her college roommate coming through town a few weeks ago. “You said you have work to do today. What do you do?”
“I’m in advertising,” Allie said. “I recently started my own agency, and I’m hoping to land a large account tomorrow. My presentation is close to being done, but it’s not quite there.”
“How exciting. Somehow I’m not surprised that we are both entrepreneurs.”
“With a creative side, too,” Allie added. “I’m not nearly as good as you, but I do a lot of freehand drawing in my line of work, as well as animation.”
“Wow, that’s another thing we have in common. Come on.” Charlotte waved her hand. “Let’s go downstairs and see what else we can learn about each other.”
* * *
WHEN THEY WERE seated in Charlotte’s inviting living room, sipping cold drinks, Charlotte asked, “How was your family brunch?”
Allie rolled her eyes. “Let’s just say I’m glad this weekend is almost over.”
Charlotte laughed. “That bad?”
“You don’t know the half of it. I’m honestly not into the whole wedding and marriage thing, but my mother lives for those occasions.” Does she ever.
“Did you tell her about me?” Charlotte asked.
Allie shook her head. “No. Though I did make sure I was seated next to her so I could casually ask about my adoption, but she kept changing the subject. I can’t help feeling she’s not telling me something.”
“Sounds like it,” Charlotte agreed. Her mouth twisted. “I didn’t have any better luck looking through my mother’s things.”
They talked for quite a while about everything they could think of—their childhoods, their hobbies, their likes and dislikes.
“Oh!” Allie jumped up from her seat when the mantel clock chimed. “It’s five o’clock. I didn’t know it was so late. I better get going.”
“I didn’t, either.” Charlotte got up and walked Allie out to the porch. “Call me tomorrow to let me know how your presentation went.”
Allie nodded. “I will. And I’ll see if I can figure out how we go about getting a DNA test done.”
“The sooner the better.”
Allie waved and got into her car. She watched Charlotte pull a dead leaf from a hanging flowering plant on her porch before going inside her house.
Allie turned on the engine and was about to pull out of her parking spot when she saw Jack crossing the street. He was in khaki shorts and a T-shirt. His hair was damp, as if he’d just showered. She lowered her window.
“Hey,” he said when he got close. He smelled delicious. Fresh and clean.
“Hey,” she replied in like fashion. “You live right there?”
His smile warmed her insides.
“Yep,” he said. “Did you have a good visit with Charlotte?”
“I did.” She smiled back. “I’m on my way home. Work to finish for tomorrow.”
He nodded. “You said you live in Providence? Do you work there, too?”
“I do.” She named the office building where her firm was located.
“That’s about two blocks from my office. We should meet for coffee or lunch tomorrow.”
Before Allie left for home, they made plans to meet for coffee at 2:00 p.m. at a café they both frequented. Allie was surprised she’d never run into him before. Although she probably wouldn’t have given him a second glance since she was off men.
Correction: she definitely would have given him more than a glance or two, but she would have reminded herself about her promise to not engage.
Yet here she was, making plans for a coffee date with Jack.
Go figure.
