Yesterday by Fern Michaels Page A

Sela made a face as much as to say, “I had to get what I could while the getting was good.” She said, “We could take down your drapes and curtains, and swag them across our bodies in a toga effect. Anything , Callie, would be better than those awful gowns. Brie?”
    Brie looked at Callie, who winced and shook her head. “Taking out the hoops and crinolines will help. It’s too late to make other changes. God, you don’t think this is an omen of some kind, do you?” she asked. “When things go wrong at the onset it pretty much goes downhill after that.”
    Brie hitched up the baggy pajamas that were so glorious in color Sela said she needed sunglasses to look at them. “I see that your fashion sense hasn’t improved, Brie,” she said bitingly. “When was the last time you wore a dress? Are you sure you aren’t a dyke? God, you are skinny!”
    “Up yours, Sela,” Brie said, heading for the bathroom. She slammed the door so hard the windows rattled.
    “Testy, isn’t she?” Sela drawled.
    “You bring out the worst in her, Sela. Why do you keep doing it?”
    “Because I’m jealous of her just the way I’m jealous of you,” Sela said honestly.
    “For God’s sake, why? I have less than you have. Brie is doing what she loves. She always wanted to be a cop, and I bet she’s the best San Diego has to offer. And now the FBI Academy. That’s not shabby. She went after what she wanted, and she is not a dyke. I hate that word, Sela. Please don’t call her that again. Look around—this house is so rotten it’s falling apart. This room and the kitchen are the only rooms that are livable. Pearl’s room is okay, too, but that’s it. I have no money. I took off a year and worked, my car is so old they don’t make parts for it anymore. I squeaked through college and law school by the skin of my teeth whereas you took honors; Brie too. So you made a few bad decisions; it isn’t the end of the world. I see a bitterness in you I never saw before. Please, Sela, don’t let it eat at you. He isn’t worth it. Start over and put the past behind you.”
    “Easy for you to say, but you’re right, as usual. I really do wish you all the happiness in the world, Callie—I mean that. And I am so very proud of Brie, I could bust. I tell her that, too. She knows what I’m like. Real friends accept one another for what they are. The gowns are shitful though.” She grinned wickedly. “Will you be coming back here after the wedding?”
    “No. Most of my things were sent to Beaufort earlier in the week. Pearl’s things are going there today. She’ll pack the few remaining things tomorrow, and one of Wyn’s employees will pick her up and drive her to the plantation. It’s going to be hard for her to give this up. It’s the only home she’s ever known.
    “Sela, look at the curtains,” Callie went on sadly. “Pearl mended them so many times, the patches have patches. You can see the backing through the carpet. The floor is warped, and the windowsills are so rotten you can stick your fingers in the holes. The place is full of termites and powder-post beetles. It’s not safe to walk on the second floor, and there are so many leaks in the pipes the walls are wet. The wiring is a fire hazard, and there’s no insurance. Do you know how I got through my last year of law school? And you sit there and say you’re jealous of me! Don’t ever tell me that again,” Callie said coolly.
    “Wyn offered to pay for your schooling.”
    “The bottom line is I simply wasn’t smart enough to hold a real job and study, too. I would never take financial help from Wyn. Never. When we move to Beaufort I am going to treat Pearl like a queen. I am going to wait on her hand and foot. I am going to bring her breakfast in bed. I am going to take her shopping and buy her fine dresses and good shoes. I am going to accompany her to church, and I am going to do the dishes while she watches me—and guess what? I’m even going to teach her