Whatever It Takes by Gwynne Forster Page B

Kellie? Apologizing?”
    â€œAw, Lace, come on. It’s not like you to act like this. You know I didn’t do it intentionally. Are you working today?”
    It was no use. Kellie never admitted culpability, no matter what she’d done. “Yes. Why?”
    She knew what was coming, but she wanted the joy of saying no at last to one of her sister’s self-centered requests.
    Kellie fidgeted with her fingers, twirling the diamond ring that she inherited from her grandmother and flicking her nails. “Uh . . . I was wondering if I could go to work with you this morning and take the car to run some errands. I’ll bring the keys back to you long before noon.” She crossed her heart. “I promise, Lace, honest.”
    Kellie only called her “Lace” when she’d done something that she should be ashamed of but wasn’t. “You’re not serious. After leaving my brand new car on Route 70 at night for anybody who wanted to haul it off, you expect me to ever let you drive my car again? Sorry. No dice.”
    â€œAw, come on, Lace. I couldn’t put the damned thing on my shoulders and hike home with it. Be reasonable.”
    â€œThat’s right, you couldn’t, but you could have called me. Or Mama. Or Daddy. You didn’t care. You’ve broken every doll I ever owned and ripped half of my dresses. Don’t ask me to lend you anything else.”
    Kellie cupped her jaw and cheeks with her hand. “I’m not hearing this. You’re acting like you’re not my sister.” Then Lacette watched in amazement as Kellie’s bottom lip curled and her eyes blazed in fury. “Now I see where you’re coming from. You managed to get Lawrence Bradley between your legs, and you think you’re Miss Shit. If you had asked me, I could have told you he wasn’t worth the time.”
    â€œOh. Oh. Look what you just told. Lawrence Bradley doesn’t know whether I’m male or female, but he knows about you.”
    â€œYou’re just jealous.” She flounced around as if to rush down the stairs and nearly knocked their mother to the floor. “Oh. I’m sorry, Mama.”
    â€œWhat was that all about?” Cynthia asked Lacette.
    Lacette lifted her right shoulder in a quick shrug. “I wouldn’t let her borrow my car.”
    Cynthia recoiled as if she’d been personally denied the vehicle. “For goodness sake, why not? You can’t use it, because you’ll be busy at the hotel all day.”
    â€œMama, you may have forgotten how she treated my car last week when I let her use it. I haven’t, and she will not drive it again. Period.”
    â€œOh, dear. I don’t like to see rifts between my girls.” She fished in her pocketbook for a mirror, found one and refreshed her lipstick. “Did I hear her say you slept with Lawrence Bradley? I’m surprised and disappointed, Lacette.”
    â€œNo, Mama, you did not hear her say that. Lawrence Bradley is my business lawyer, and there is not, nor has there ever been, anything personal between us, no matter what Kellie likes to believe.”
    â€œI’m glad. I wouldn’t expect you to do something silly like that. I’m going down to the Department of Health to take a physical. It’s mandatory for all teachers, and you know I start teaching in January.”
    â€œAnd I think it’s great. Are you nervous?”
    â€œA little. I’ll be teaching introductory science courses, and that’s an easy way to get back into teaching science. I’m studying the texts now, and it surprises me that I’m not bored. Well, I’d better run. Let Kellie have the car, honey.”
    She didn’t answer. Ringing in her ears was the sound of her mother’s voice over the years saying, Let her have it, Lacette. She ate a banana, washed it down with a mug of coffee, got into her car, rolled down the window and headed for the hotel. A