When We Touch(6)

"The wedding rehearsal is tomorrow. There'll be a lot to do as it is."

"I can get my own tux!"

Obviously put out by his refusal to let her take control, she sniffed. "And you'll make the rehearsal?"

"Of course."

"On time and sober?"

"When have I ever shown up anywhere drunk?" he asked. As an athlete, he  worked against the clock as it was. Age would slow him down fast enough;  he wasn't about to destroy his body with alcohol.

"I'm just covering all the bases," she told him.

For Kyle …  "Maybe I'm not the one you should be worried about," he said.

"What do you mean?

"Maybe you should pay Kyle a visit instead, see if you can get him to call off the coming travesty."

She looked like he'd just stuck her with a pin. "Why would I do that?"

He made a face that suggested she was crazy for even asking. "Because he's about to ruin his life?"

For a moment, she seemed torn, but ultimately took the party line. "We don't know that."

"Maybe you don't, but I do."

"Granted, Noelle isn't the woman Olivia is," she said, relenting, "but … it's his choice. We have to respect his wishes."                       
       
           



       

Brandon leaned one shoulder against the wall. "Were you aware that Olivia's been planning the wedding?"

She slid her purse farther up her arm. He wasn't sure how, at five-two  and a hundred and twenty pounds, she managed to haul that thing around.  It had to weigh thirty pounds. But she didn't go anywhere without it.  "Nancy mentioned she was helping, yes."

"I can't believe they'd expect her to do that."

"They told me they thought it would be cathartic for her."

"To plan the wedding of the man she loves-to her sister? Come on! I think it was just cheaper."

"It wasn't my place to make that decision, either," she said, but at  least her tone of voice acknowledged that she agreed with him.

"Someone should've told them to plan it themselves," he grumbled.

"I'm sure it's fine. Olivia's a very forgiving, wonderful woman. And someday she'll find an equally wonderful man."

Brandon pictured Olivia sitting on the side of the road, tears streaming  down her face as she gazed up at him. Even completely disheveled, she  was the prettiest woman he'd ever seen. "How wonderful would he need to  be?" he asked.

His mother frowned at him. "Excuse me?"

"Never mind." He'd known all along, ever since he'd held Olivia in his  arms at prom, that he couldn't have her. If he was going to get involved  with a woman, she had to be like him, able to enjoy a quick, passionate  affair and then move on.

Because, as soon as ski season arrived, he'd be gone again.

* * *

Noelle was angry during dinner. Olivia could feel her sister's  animosity. She wasn't sure why Noelle felt she had the right to be  upset. She wasn't the injured party. But every few seconds she'd glance  over at Kyle, who was keeping his eyes on his plate, before sending  Olivia an accusing glare.

What did she think happened before she came upon them outside?

Olivia didn't care. Not really. Most of the slights Noelle perceived  were imagined. It'd always been that way. Olivia just wanted to get the  wedding favors assembled so she could leave. She couldn't stay here, as  planned. The unspoken hurt and anger were too agonizing.

But she wouldn't go to Brandon's. Sacramento wasn't that far. Although  it would waste time and gas, she'd drive home and come back in the  morning. She did, however, have to tell Brandon what she'd said to Kyle.  She wasn't looking forward to that conversation. She'd already  embarrassed herself once where he was concerned.

After dinner, Kyle went in to watch a true crime show with her father,  Noelle disappeared into her bedroom to do whatever she felt she needed  to do to prepare for her wedding and Olivia helped her mother wash  dishes. Olivia had just started to relax, thanks to the comfort of  routine, when Noelle called to her from the bedroom.

"Can you come and tell me how to wear my hair?" she asked, but Olivia  wasn't fooled. Noelle had played nice long enough. She'd obviously  decided on a bit of honesty to break through the thin veneer of civility  that had carried them this far. Olivia wasn't opposed to that herself.

"I'll be right back," she told her mother.

Nancy's forehead creased in worry, as if she, too, suspected that Noelle  wasn't interested in opinions on her hair, but she nodded, and Olivia  silently promised to do all she could to keep her temper in check.  Fighting wouldn't improve the situation. Noelle and Kyle were going to  have a baby. She needed to keep that in mind, especially if she wanted  to be part of her niece's or nephew's life. The child was innocent and  deserved the support of his or her entire family. Olivia just hoped that  someday she'd be able to look at her sister's offspring, at Kyle's  offspring, without cringing.

Maybe it'd be easy. Maybe Noelle would have a little girl who was a much better person than her mother....

"Are you thinking of an updo?" she asked as she walked down the hall.

Noelle was waiting by the door. She closed it as soon as Olivia walked in. "What are you doing?" she whispered harshly.

Olivia studied her flushed face. She was pretty; there was no denying  that. They both had wide blue eyes, long blond hair and even features,  but Noelle, shorter by two inches, had a curvier figure, which probably  made her more attractive. Despite that, Olivia had never been jealous.  Due to Noelle's demanding nature, self-absorption and terrible mood  swings, she'd never been particularly popular with the opposite sex.  Olivia figured men could sense that her looks wouldn't be worth the cost  of involvement. She'd always thought Kyle understood that, too. "I  don't know what you mean," she said.                       
       
           



       

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!"

Did Noelle believe Olivia had said something inappropriate to Kyle? That she was trying to stir up trouble?

Olivia started to explain that she was at a complete loss when Noelle  made the reason for her anger clear. "You're seeing Brandon? Really?  Kyle's stepbrother?"

At first, because of Noelle's emphasis on the family connection, Olivia  assumed she was worried about how that might make Kyle feel. Neither one  of them had any right to complain, of course, but the threat of looking  like a hypocrite had never stopped Noelle. She believed the entire  world should bow at her feet-which made Olivia suddenly realize that  Noelle wasn't angry on Kyle's behalf. She expected Kyle to fight his own  battles and cope with his own difficulties. She expected that of  everyone, except herself. The only way Noelle could be this upset was if  Olivia's actions affected her personally.

And then Olivia remembered. For most of one summer, Noelle had had the  worst crush imaginable on Brandon. She'd done everything possible to  gain his attention, including driving past his house numerous times a  day, calling him incessantly, showing up wherever she guessed he might  be. Olivia had forgotten that, largely because it'd been so long  ago-eight years or more. And he hadn't given her so much as a second  look. When August rolled around, he told her flat-out that he wasn't  remotely interested and she'd better quit stalking him or he was going  to the police.

The police threat came-understandable enough-after she'd spied on him  with another woman, but his unequivocal rejection had done significant  damage to Noelle's ego.

"Why are you smiling?" Noelle snapped.

Olivia sobered. "I guess I still don't understand why you're upset."

Noelle grabbed her arm. "I'm upset because you're doing this on purpose! You're trying to ruin my wedding!"

"What?" Olivia jerked loose. "I've been planning your wedding-for free!  Not only have I donated hours and hours of my time, I've called in  favors from all the vendors I've ever worked with."

"For Mom and Dad. Not for me."

Olivia couldn't argue with that.

"This is your revenge," she continued. "This is how you think you'll get the last laugh."

"What are you talking about?" Noelle had liked a lot of boys over the  years. She couldn't claim proprietary interest in all of them. Besides,  after that summer she'd never had a nice thing to say about Kyle's  stepbrother.

"I'm talking about you sleeping with Brandon!"

So Kyle had shared that information. "I don't see why my being with  Brandon would bother you. You're in love with Kyle, right? You're having  his baby. And because of that baby, he's marrying you."

"Not because of the baby!" she cried, stamping her foot. "Because he  loves me! I knew you'd try to cheapen it, try to convince yourself that  he's still in love with you. But he's not. He hates that the two of you  were ever together!"