Page 29 of The Best of Friends

If asked the question specifically, Elizabeth would say she loved her children equally, but the truth had come out dozens of times over the course of his life. And Rebecca’s. Especially when they’d been younger and Rebecca had been a challenge.

Like most men, David had a mental list of what he wanted in a wife. While his friends often talked about long legs or big boobs, David was more interested in finding someone who wasn’t anything like his mother.

He didn’t pretend to understand the complicated relationships women had with each other. The mother-daughter bond was beyond anything he could begin to grasp. What he did know was that nearly every decision Rebecca made in her life was determined by how much it would screw with Elizabeth. Rebecca might claim to loathe their mother, but she’d also never truly walked away from her.

“Elizabeth’s sense of control is all an illusion,” he said.

“For you, maybe. Not for me. I wish I was adopted. In case you were wondering, that’s what I want for Christmas.”

“You’re not adopted. You’re too much like her.”

Rebecca’s blue eyes turned icy. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me.”

“How can you say that?”

“It’s true. You manipulate people around you to get what you want. Your entire reason for coming back to L.A. is to screw with your mother. You want what you want when you want it. You assume everyone else’s life comes to a stop if you’re not in the room.” He speared more salad. “I love you, kid, but you’re not easy.”

“I should leave right now,” she said, obviously hurt and angry. “Dammit, David.”

“I’m telling you the truth, and you know it. I understand you want Mom punished, but how long are you going to live your life this way? You’re trapped in a relationship with someone you claim to hate. But doing everything because it will fuck with her is just as twisted as doing everything she wants.”

Rebecca leaned back in the booth and glared at him. “I hate you when you’re insightful.”

“It doesn’t make me comfortable, either.”

David’s blue BMW still had that delicious new-car smell. Jayne hadn’t noticed it the previous two times she’d been beside him, but now she inhaled the scent and promised herself that when her Jetta finally went to car heaven, she would buy something shiny and new. And red.

It was a pretty distraction. Something to keep her from staring at the man sitting next to her. He smelled nearly as good as the car, and their arms almost touched in the close quarters. She held in a smile. Touching arms being a thrill? Was she still in high school?

“What?” David asked. “You have the strangest smile.”

“Strange scary?”

“No. More intriguing. A man?”

“There are no men. I was thinking about buying a new car.” Which was sort of the truth.

“Are you planning to?”

“Not for a while. I was enjoying the new-car smell. I don’t care that they say it’s bad for us. It’s wonderful.”

“What do you want to buy?”

“I have no idea.”

“I could loan you my back issues ofCar and Driver.But you’d have to promise to return them.”

She laughed. “No, thanks. I doubt you have any old magazines lying around, but even if you did, I’ll pass. It could be years before I get a new car, but it’s fun to think about.”

He glanced at her cast before returning his attention to the road. “You feeling better?”

She waved it. “Much. It only hurts a little, and I can use the cast as a weapon if I need to.”

“I’ll be on my best behavior. How are you enjoying your forced time off?”

“It’s not my favorite,” she admitted. “I’m restless and bored. I’ve spent three days reading nonstop, so that’s getting old. I guess I’ll go rent some movies.” Of the other plans in her future, she said nothing.