Chapter 18 Wake up and Smell the Jealousy
A couple of days later, Hallie was in her room taking a siesta which turned into a rather long nap. It was the beginning of fall, but the days were as hot as ever.
She could tell by her grogginess that she had slept a long time when Terry pounded on the door, screaming, “Get up!”
With a groan, Hallie peeled herself off the bed and went to answer the door, dressed only in her pajama shorts and a sleeveless shirt. “What is going on?”
Terry, on the other hand, looked fresh and full of energy. “While you’re sleeping, your boyfriend is running off with that church-going Goody Two Shoes. Just thought you should know.”
“What?”
“Eloise.”
“I figured you meant Eloise, but what do you mean ‘running off’?”
“They just drove away together,” Terry said with a light shrug. She was wearing a particularly garish shade of red lipstick that day.
“Why are you telling me?” Hallie asked, rubbing her forehead as if that could clear her thoughts.
“I wanted to see the look on your face. And it was worth it!”
“Great. Now get out.”
“I was also curious about how you’d react. What will you do next?”
“What are you, some kind of serial killer?” Hallie slammed the door shut and went to look for clothes as she tried to think through the situation. She needed a plan.
“Wait!” she called, opening the door again. Terry hadn’t gone far. “Do you know where they went?”
Terry slowly turned back with a particularly evil smile. “I thought you might ask me that, and I happen to know because I listened in on the whole conversation.”
“Well?”
“If I tell you, do you promise the next time mama asks you to do an important task around the ranch you’ll let me do it?”
“Huh?”
“Tell her you’re too busy or something. I want to show that I can be responsible too.”
Hallie thought about this. It wouldn’t be a good idea to let this become a habit or else Terry might get the idea that she has the upper hand, but on the other hand, she really wanted to know what Luke and Eloise talked about.
“Okay, fine. Do whatever task you want. So what did they say?”
“I overheard Luke talking on his phone to someone. He was talking like it was a covert operation. Someone was picking him up, and he wanted them to pull up beyond the gate. And sure enough, about an hour later, I saw Eloise’s truck go just a little ways down our road, and Luke walked all the way there. ”
Hallie had to admit, it sounded suspicious. But maybe it was only Luke trying to prevent her from tracking his movements, which admittedly she had been trying to do.
“There could be a good explanation,” Hallie said. “Did he say why they were meeting?”
“Something about some kind of project,” Terry replied.
“I knew it. You got me all riled up for nothing. They’re probably just discussing the charity project.”
“Maybe they’re discussing it... in bed.” Terry looked awfully pleased with herself.
“I don’t know why I took anything you said seriously,” Hallie said, shaking her head as she headed back into her room.
“You probably think I’m jealous,” she added, turning to face her sister, “But it’s you who’s jealous of what Luke and I have.
Maybe if you tried to work things out with your husband, you wouldn’t have to poke your nose into my business. ”
It was hard to judge by Terry’s miserable face whether she took any of that on board or if she was just generally peeved.
Hallie went to get dressed and gather some supplies. She had to make sure this did not look like she was spying on Luke. She was simply there to help organize the fundraising, and with her marketing expertise, they could sure use her help.
***
HALLIE WAS NERVOUS all through the drive to the nearby ranch, but she felt relieved at once when Eloise’s mother answered the door, sporting her usual neat cotton dress and apron. Surely a proper young woman such as Eloise would never get up to anything naughty when her parents were home.
“Hi Mrs. Onnerly, I’m here to help Eloise with her volunteer work.”
“Come on in! She’s in her room, planning the charity event with that nice young man.”
“Excellent. I’ll go help them.”
“Would you like to stay for dinner?” Mrs. Onnerly asked. Her husband waved hello to Hallie from his lazyboy.
“Of course,” Hallie said, “Thank you, I’m starving!”
Thank goodness for Southern hospitality, she thought. The longer she stayed here, the longer she could probably keep Eloise under her parents’ supervision and out of trouble.
“Okay, we’ll call you when the food is ready. What is that on your shirt?”
Hallie looked down on her plaid shirt only to find a big white toothpaste stain.
“Oh, thanks for telling me!” She took off the shirt, only to realize that the tank top underneath was the one she rarely wore in public these days because it was old and fraying, as well as having a picture of a cartoon squirrel on the front. So much for looking professional and put together.
She tied her plaid shirt around her waist and proceeded upstairs to Eloise’s room. She had been here several times, though she and Eloise were never particularly close friends, and she knew the way.
Feeling like she was about to enter a classroom for an exam, Hallie knocked on the door, which was slightly ajar.
Thank goodness, Luke and Eloise were only sitting at a desk, papers and flyers spread on its oak surface.
The room itself was wholesome, bland, and boring, just like Eloise. Other than the desk where they were working, everything was inhumanly tidy, with inspiring quotes hanging on the wall.
But just for a split second, the mask slipped, and Hallie saw the look of disappointment of Eloise’s face.
So Terry’s suspicions were probably not far off the mark: the sweet, charity-minded young lady with the pretty pink bow in her hair was quietly trying to steal her boyfriend.