Page 34 of The Best of Friends

Jayne laughed, but before she could speak, there was a strange sound from inside the house.

She turned and saw through to the living room, where a very late guest entered. Make that two guests. Then Jayne recognized the couple and went absolutely still.

Her mind raced in a thousand directions at once. Even as she told herself this wasn’t happening, she knew it was. There was Rebecca, crashing Elizabeth’s carefully crafted welcome-home party for her son. Worse—so much worse—was Rebecca’s escort. Jonathan Mooney, Elizabeth’s former lover.

Six

JAYNE DIDN’T KNOW WHAT to do. Running away seemed the best option, but there were nearly sixty well-dressed people between her and the front door.

She searched the crowd and saw Elizabeth standing by one of the pillars. She’d gone completely white, although Jayne didn’t know if that was from the shock of seeing Rebecca after all this time or the shock of seeing her daughter with her own ex-lover.

“What’s going on?” Blaine asked, then followed her gaze and spotted Rebecca.

“Look at that,” he said, sounding pleased. “My baby girl is home.”

He headed for the couple, Marjorie trailing after him. David joined Jayne.

“From the look on your face, you didn’t know she was showing up,” he said.

“I haven’t talked to her in days.” She watched Blaine hug and kiss Rebecca, then shake hands with Jonathan.

“So that’s the old guy Rebecca’s seeing,” David said, grabbing a handful of appetizers from a passing server. “I guess he’s okay, although his kids must be her age. Am I the only one who thinks that’s weird?”

Jayne stared at him. “That’s not the biggest problem,” she said before she could stop herself, then glanced around to make sure no one was within earshot.

“Tell me.”

“No. I can’t. It’s…” She shook her head. “Elizabeth is going to have a heart attack. Do you think people have noticed?”

“The prodigal daughter returning during my welcome-home party? They’re going to notice, but don’t sweat it. Entertainment always makes these things better.” He looked from Rebecca to Jonathan to Elizabeth, then frowned.

“No way,” he said. “Are you telling me my mother and that guy had an affair?”

“Shh.” Jayne waved her right hand at him. “Don’t say it. Don’t even think it. No one can know.”

“Does Rebecca know?”

“Of course. I’m sure that’s most of Jonathan’s appeal.” Rebecca dating Jonathan? Talk about a nightmare.

“I’ve never understood the female experience, but isn’t there an unwritten rule about not sleeping with the same guy as your mother?”

“You’d think so,” Jayne said, glancing around at the guests. Most of them had gone back to talking to each other and were paying less attention to Rebecca’s entrance. A few hearty souls had actually gone over and were speaking with her. “Not to mention the giant ick factor.”

“Dad doesn’t know, right?” David asked.

“I don’t think so. I like Blaine. I’d never want to hurt him.”

“Me, either.” He finished his appetizers. “I’m going in,” he said. “Wish me luck. And remember—we never leave bodies of the fallen behind, so no matter what, you have to come get me.”

She didn’t know if she should laugh or run screaming from the room. “You’re possibly the strangest person on the planet.”

“You’re not the first one to tell me that.”

He walked toward his sister. Jayne hovered for a second, not sure what to do, then went over to stand by Elizabeth.

“So she’s back,” the other woman said.

“Apparently.”