Alyssa walked down the hallway toward Steve with her hand extended. "Hi, you must be Steve."
The similarity was uncanny, but it was her voice that gave away the difference between the two sisters. It oozed with sexuality and a blatant confidence that she knew how to use it. Everything that Anna had told him about her was true. His dislike for her was instant, not only because of the things she'd done to Anna but he'd known women like her. They were dangerous. He kept an arm around Anna as he stretched his hand out to her. "Hi. You must be Alyssa."
"In the flesh." She took his hand and kept eye contact with him as she spoke. "Anna, my dear sister, you told me he was a great guy, but you left out how cute he was."
He felt Anna instantly tense up over that comment. As far as he was concerned the visitor had already over welcomed their stay. He ignored her comment. "How long are you in town for?"
She shrugged, "As long as Hawaii can tolerate me, or vice versa." She smiled at Anna next. "I'm here to help out with Jenny and Eric as much as I can. I wanted to surprise them," she reached up and touched Anna's hair, "but the surprise was all mine. I can't believe this hairstyle you've got going on. You're brave."
"I just wanted a change," Anna replied, already having heard the condescending reaction when they first met up. Her words now were a lot more tolerant.
"I think she looks beautiful," Steve said, moving his hand up her back and massaging her shoulder, hoping to relive some of the tension he could feel. "I like it better than the old way."
Alyssa shot him a look, taking that as an insult since her hair was Anna's 'old way.' She wasn't used to being second best in a room when it came to her twin, even though besides the hair, they were identical. "I guess," she retorted. "Sometimes a change is nice. It helps spice up life."
Anna wanted off this subject, turning to Steve. "Have you eaten?" Knowing he came for sex, which she painfully regretted not being able to give to him, so she decided on the other instead.
"No, not yet."
Alyssa turned walking toward the kitchen. "I don't think he came for food Anna. Please, don't let me interrupt."
She looked up at him and rolled her eyes, whispering to him. "You don't have to stay if you don't want to."
He put his arm over her shoulder as they walked to the kitchen. "I came to see you. I'm not leaving until I have to."
She smiled shyly over that, resting her head on his shoulder. "Thank you."
He took a seat at the table as Anna went to the fridge and began pulling out sandwich meat and cheese. She held up some ham for his approval.
"Whatever you have is fine," he said.
"Good looking and easy to please," Alyssa said, nudging Anna as she reached past her in the fridge for a can of Diet Coke. "So," she continued, leaning against the counter as she popped the top open. "Anna says you're a police officer and you live next door."
"Yep," he replied dryly, seeing now why Anna had such issues with her. "By the way." He focused solely on Anna, trying to ignore the natural disaster that was in the room with them. "Did you talk to Eric's teacher?"
"Yes." She put an extra helping of meat on the bread as she talked to him. "I think I know what the problem is."
Steve sat up in the chair, "Really. What?"
She put the sandwich on a plate and came over setting it down in front of him as she took a seat at the table. She looked over at Alyssa. "He told some classmates that Alyssa Jordan was his Aunt. No one believed him and they started giving him a hard time about it, calling him a liar."
Alyssa gasped as she took a seat next to Anna, "Oh my god, that poor baby. He must have just been trying to fit in." She sat back in the chair crossing her arms with a condescending look on her face. "I told you, you should have sent them to a private school."
Anna sighed, not wanting to get into this argument all over again. "What makes you think it would be any easier for him at a private school?"
"Kids are different at places like that. They probably would have believed him and he'd be the most popular kid there."
"And you have so much experience with private elementary schools, how?" Anna huffed.
"I have lots of friends whose kids go to private schools. They're all very well adjusted."
"Really?" Anna replied sarcastically. "And how many of them would be so," she used her fingers as quotes, "'well adjusted,' if they lost both of their parents in a car accident? There are other issues besides this one."
Alyssa rolled her eyes. "I'm just saying."
"Well say something that can help the problem."
"Ok," she said, holding her hands out. "How's this. I'll go visit the school, make an appearance and prove that I'm really his Aunt." She smiled cleverly, imitating the fingers as quotes, only sarcastically, "Problem 'Eric' solved." She shook her head at her sister. "I don't know why you have to make everything seem so difficult Anna. I've only been here for ten minutes and I already have him figured out."
Anna looked over at Steve with a raised eyebrow as if telling him 'I told you so'.
He picked up his sandwich, his expression reeling over Alyssa's vanity and absurd statement. "Problem solved." He took a bite, thinking it would be better to keep his mouth full, afraid he might actually say what was on his mind.
Alyssa on the other hand took it that they both agreed that she had actually solved Eric's problems, not realizing the sarcasm.
Anna stood next to Steve's truck thirty minutes later. She leaned back against it, covering her face with her hands. "Ahhh!" she growled, spreading her fingers and looking at him through them sheepishly. "I wouldn't blame you if you hid in your house until she's gone?"
He reached up and pulled her hands down, holding both of them. "And leave you alone in that chaos. No way." He kissed the back of her hands and then kissed her lips. "You're doing a fantastic job with them Anna. Don't let her influence here change that."
She leaned into him, resting her head on his shoulder. "I'm so glad I have you to lean on."
He put his arms around her, hugging her tightly. "I'm here night and day for you, but I'm not family. I'm not sure where my influence with the kids lies right now."
Anna leaned back looking up at him. "You are more family to Jenny and Eric than she's ever been. Don't YOU," she pointed at his chest, "let her influence here change that."
He felt that way about all three of them, but having Anna clarify it made it so much more important to him now. "I would do anything for the three of you. Anything that you asked."
She didn't have to question his loyalty to those words, she knew first hand that they were as sincere as they were true. She rose up on her toes, looking him in the eye. "I know. And we would do anything for you too. You may live alone next door, Steve. but you're not alone, ever."
Those were quite possibly the sweetest words he'd ever heard spoken. She didn't know it but it was precisely what he'd be searching for and never knew just how badly he wanted it until they moved in. He had no words to thank her for it, so he showed his appreciation with a kiss.
Alyssa stood at the second story window in Jenny's room observing them below. Her first thought was to capture the details and use it for motivation for a future roll, which she often did when doing her 'people watching'. But as she watched the moment progress she felt a pang of jealousy over the close intimacy that played out before her. Even from a distance she could see the bond Anna and Steve shared. She had noticed a change in her sister the second that man walked in the house. It was a confidence that Anna had never possessed before, a confidence that she herself had been born with but never witnessed on her twin until that day.
Even now as she watched them, her relaxed manner with him was unusual. Anna had always been shy and introverted when it came to men. Daryl had even joked once while they were in bed together that she must have stole all the sexual inspiration when they were in the womb together from her poor sister. She laughed over it, feeling a jolt to her ego, but there was a jealousy towards Anna that she kept hidden. She herself might have had the spotlight and the glory of Hollywood, but Anna was smarter than she ever would be and carried herself with so much natural grace that even as a child she had tried to imitate her, but it was impossible.
She remembered being second best to her sister and hating every minute of it; until adolescence, when she found the one thing that could suppress her twin and catapult her to gaining the upper hand. Men. She knew how they thought, what they liked and even more importantly how to manipulate them. It's what got her to Hollywood and what would sustain what she was sure would be a long and distinguished career. But she also couldn't deny that if it wasn't for Anna's intelligence and wisdom in most of her career choices that she wouldn't be where she was now. She needed her twin now more than ever as she rose to the top.
She had everything she could ask for at the moment, beauty, wealth, fame, but she still wasn't happy, it wasn't enough. It was never enough. She stared down at her sister, hating the way Anna lived her life with such simplicity as if she were mocking her. She was always the good one. She always had everyone's best interest at heart. It was nauseating sometimes. Even when their brother died, she didn't even hesitate to stay and take over. Once again 'Angel Anna' to the rescue, while it made her look like a bitch and seem uncaring in everyone else's eyes.
She knew what they were saying behind her back, but worse than that it was what they said to her directly.
"Anna was a saint for doing what she was doing," they would say, or "Anna was so generous with her life for those kids it must be in her nature to be a mother." "You must be so proud of her?" was the one she hated the most.
What was she supposed to do, drop her life and movie career that she'd worked so hard to achieve just to babysit a couple of kids that she barely knew? It wasn't her place nor was it Anna's. She needed her to stay in LA and continue with her real job of taking care of her and assisting with her career choices that were confusing and dangerous if she didn't choose wisely. Anna was the best assistant she'd ever had. She could have brought the kids there, she would even have paid for a private school and a Nanny. 'But no,' she thought bitterly. She had to stay in Hawaii and disrupt everyone's lives.
That was the real reason she had taken Daryl, not because they had fallen in love like she had told her, but because Anna was happy with him and if she took that away she knew her life here would be miserable and then maybe she'd come home. She stayed away just long enough to give her a taste of loneliness, hearing the pain and desperation in her voice when they spoke on the phone, knowing when she got to Hawaii Anna would be begging her to take her and the kids back to LA.
What she didn't plan on was Steve. On the contrary, Anna wasn't miserable, she wasn't lonely, and she wasn't begging to come home. She was happy.
Her eyes moved from Anna to Steve, watching the easiness he had with her. A pain of jealously struck her again, as she watched him kiss her. It wasn't a goodbye kiss but something Anna had said that had clearly affected him, she could see it even from a distance. What was it, she wondered that her sweet little innocent sister could say to such a striking man that would in turn distribute such a kiss? She compared him to Daryl who had self-confidence and looks but it was unmatched to the man below.
Steve matched her sister's characteristics of being smooth and by his qualifications that Anna had laid out, he equaled her intelligence as well but more so than that, he seemed to be crazy about Anna. The moment she'd interrupted in the hall earlier as well as the display before her now, screamed it. If they weren't in love yet, they were getting there. She had to put a stop to this and get Anna back to LA where she belonged, with her family. It was an easy, selfish excuse she used to convince herself and the motivation she would use to convince Anna as well. He was in the way and she knew Anna wouldn't leave as long as he was around.
She saw her own reflection in the window and smiled at it, often admiring herself. Anna may have wits about life, but she had the brains when it came to men. She'd never failed once and didn't plan to this time either. She looked back down at him thinking it would be a pleasure, even if it would only be the one time. He looked like a good lover.
Maybe, she thought, maybe she'd give Anna back Daryl once they were home in LA as a way of saying she was sorry. It would help take her mind off of Steve anyway, she thought. She smiled at her reflection again as the plan laid out in her head. "You are smart," she said to no one except the clever smile in the window.
"Anna," Alyssa said coming down the stairs as she came in the front door. "Why don't we all go out to dinner tonight? My treat. We can go someplace that the kids will like. Bring Steve along. Daryl will be there too."
"Daryl?!" she gasped, staring up at her sister.
"Yes. He came with me."
"You didn't tell me he was here!"
"He's my bodyguard. He travels with me all the time. You should know that."
"He's not staying here."
Alyssa chuckled over that. "Of course not and neither am I. We have a suite as the Hilton."
"You're not staying here with us?" she asked, surprised at first, but then was actually pleased.
Alyssa looked around at her accommodations. "You know I need a maid to clean up and room service to bring me breakfast. I'm not going to expect you to do any of that." She put her arm over her shoulder. "So what do you think about dinner? Where should we go, someplace fun for the kids? I'll call Daryl and let him know. He was worried about coming but I assured him it was all good. We were over all that mess."
"But," Anna began to argue and then stopped, surprised that after the initial shock was over of him being there that she really and honestly didn't care. She realized in that spilt second of being faced with it, that she had no feelings for him anymore. She had Steve. She couldn't have been happier. What did she care if Daryl had come to Hawaii? Steve was the one that she was worried about. She tried to imagine having dinner with Becky. "I'm not so sure Steve will be able to make it. Sometimes he gets stuck at work on a case."
"You seem happy with him," Alyssa said. "How long have you been dating?"
Anna shrugged as she walked toward the kitchen, "About a month or so, not long after we moved in here."
'A month?' Alyssa thought amusingly, 'that wasn't long enough to establish any kind of lasting bond.' "He's gorgeous Anna. Better looking than most men in Hollywood."
She stopped and turned, wondering if it were just a statement or if her sister was panting over him. "What do you mean by that?"
Alyssa quickly tried to put her mind at ease. She didn't want to blow the plan on the first day. She needed her as an ally to complete the mission. "Anna," she said passively, going up to her and putting her hands on her shoulders. "Stop. I didn't mean anything by it at all. I was just stating the obvious. Any friend would say the same thing to you." She smiled, recalling a sinister character she played once, using it as motivation. "And I'm your best friend. I thought we put all that Daryl stuff behind us?" Her expression became sad and almost desperate. "You know how much I need you. You're my stability in this crazy life I live. You always have been. I know we don't talk as much as we used to when you lived in LA, but I miss you. You're really all the family that I have."
Anna looked in her eyes and tried her best to read her motives but sometimes it was just hard with Alyssa. But when it came down to it, she was her sister and at the moment she had no friends and having her there was a plus. "I'm sorry."
"Don't say you're sorry." She put her arm over her shoulder as she walked her into the kitchen. "I'm here on vacation and I just want to have some fun and get to know the kids better," she squeezed her, "and spend some time with my sister."
"I'd like that," she replied, hoping that they could establish some sort of truce over that whole Daryl issue now that she was with someone else and happy. She decided to give her the benefit of the doubt.
Alyssa watched her pick up Steve's plate and set it in the dishwasher. Her back was to her and she scanned her figure that had become slimmer since the last time she had seen her. Her long legs were toned and along with the Hawaiian tan she looked amazing. Even now that she'd got used to it, she was starting to like the new hair as well, running her hand over her own silky locks, contemplating the same style, but knowing her manager would have a fit. Her hair was one of her trademarks, but still, she was sure she could wear it better than Anna. But what she couldn't compete with was the happiness that illuminated off of her. This place called paradise was living up to its words in this house. "Hey, guess what?" she blurted out.
Anna looked up from pulling a wad of towels out of the dryer into a basket. "What?"
"I was at an event the other night and I ran into Liam Hemsworth. He asked about you."
She stood up with the basket in her hands. "He did?"
Alyssa smiled cunningly and nodded. "He was actually looking over my shoulder for you."
Anna rolled her eyes and chuckled. "He was probably going to ask about that Journey shirt."
Alyssa laughed. "That was so funny. I think you really made an impression on him while we were on that movie set."
"Some impression," Anna said setting the basket on the table as she pulled out a towel and began to fold it. "He was madly in love with Miley Cyrus."
Alyssa shrugged, "Not anymore. They broke up a long time ago. Get with the program."
"I don't care anyway."
"Don't you miss the red carpet events? The fun we would have."
Anna shrugged not wanting to hurt her feelings knowing Alyssa always insisted she come, yet she never had the glamorous dresses or before event primping like her twin did. She knew it was because Alyssa wanted to stand out and God forbid there be two of them. She also knew the only reason she wanted her there was incase she needed something, or an excuse to get out of a boring event. But that was her job, to keep Alyssa steady and out of trouble, but not anymore. "I really don't miss LA at all. It's so beautiful and peaceful here. The people are amazing."
"Oh yea," Alyssa huffed. "Like that guy that broke in here?" she rolled her eyes, "Amazing."
Anna looked at her irritably. "He thought I was you!"
She sat up in her chair. "That never would have happened to me. That's why I have bodyguards. If you were in LA you would have been safe."
Anna smiled brightly as she began to fold another towel. "I was safe. Steve was here in a split second." She giggled over the memory of it now. "You should have seen it. He took the knife right out of that guy's hand and then kicked his ass." She grinned happily. "He's my bodyguard."
"Where were the kids when all this was going on?" Her question sparked a nerve, which delighted her.
"What's that supposed to mean?"
She shrugged nonchalantly, "Just asking."
"Jenny was locked in the bathroom and Eric was at Steve's." She neglected to tell her that he ran over to Steve's for help.
"Hmm. I'm just glad everything turned out all right and that you and the kids are ok."
"We are. I told you, Steve had it under control."
"Is this where some of Eric's issues come from? This incident?"
"No. It was going on before that."
"Like what kind of stuff?"
"Alyssa," she said getting annoyed with her, "just let me handle it. You are here to spread around your joy and fame so he becomes the most popular boy in school." She had to control the urge of rolling her eyes. "Let me deal with the emotional side." She knew if she told her about the car incident the day of the skydiving that she'd hold it against her, so she didn't. Being on the outside looking in it was very easy to see things differently than they actually were, but she and Steve were doing a pretty good job holding them all together and keeping them stable, she thought proudly.
"Does Steve spend the night here?"
"No," she set a folded towel on a stack of others. "We haven't decided when the time would be right for that."
Alyssa grinned, pointing toward the hallway. "So this afternoon with him showing up here unexpected, is that the only time you two have for sex?"
She looked at her as if that were a bold question. "No!" she shook her head irritably and began folding again. "We find time when we can between the kids schedule and his. It can be a challenge sometimes, but we make it work."
"Jesus Anna," she huffed. "You sound like you're a housewife that's trying to cover up her loneliness. It's like a TV movie script I read once but it sounded too boring to even produce."
"I like my life," she quickly argued. "I admit, in the beginning it was difficult. It was difficult for all of us, but now…" she sighed with a smile. "We've got into a nice rhythm. We're learning to respect one another. We're pretty happy."
"Except for Eric," she pointed out.
"He's doing much better too. Steve is a wonderful influence on him. He's helped a lot."
"Really?" she said with a raised eyebrow, "So he's here for good. I mean, are you two getting married, or what's the story?"
"Married?!" Anna laughed. "Why does everyone assume just because you're happy that you have to run off and get married?"
"So you don't want to marry him?" she asked, pleased over that.
She shrugged, "I didn't say that."
"Oh," Alyssa said, "so he doesn't want to get married?" She was even more pleased over that idea.
"No! I mean…I don't know. We don't talk about it. Or at least the subject has never come up."
"Are you telling me that you've never thought about it? Come on Anna. You know that's not true."
"I'm happy right now. Why ruin it."
"Oh, so you're saying then that you can't bring up that subject. Is he afraid of marriage? Has he ever been married?"
"No, and I don't think he's afraid of marriage."
"Has he ever been engaged?"
"He lived with someone for about a year before they broke up."
"Oh," Alyssa said knowingly, sitting back in the chair, folding her arms. "So he's that type of guy."
"What type of guy?"
"The type that would rather live with you than marry you. It's so much easier to get out of live-in relationship than a marriage." She shrugged as if it was common knowledge, planting a seed in Anna's head. "I know tons of guys like that. But he doesn't even have to do that. He lives next door. He has the best of both worlds."
Anna picked up the pile of towels and set them in the basket just a little too aggressively. "He doesn't think that way Alyssa."
"He doesn't?"
"No!"
"How do you know that unless you talked about it?" she held her hands up in defense. "Of course I could be wrong. He could be different. He could be the night in shinning armor. Of course he is what… thirty-four, thirty-five and never been married or even engaged. That raises a flag to me, but it's your life. I just know you can be a bit naïve when it comes to men. I don't want you to get hurt again is all."
"That's funny coming from you of all people." She could see the hurt on her sister's face over that remark.
"I knew that wasn't put to rest. I told you before, we fell…"
"I know! I know!" Anna rolled her eyes, "You fell in love, and it couldn't be helped! I know the story I was there, remember."
"You still have feelings for him don't you?"
"For who? Darryl?" she laughed sarcastically. "No, of course not. I'm in love with Steve." This conversation was taking a turn in a direction she didn't want to go.
"You just seem so angry even after all this time, even though you professed to me twice now that you're happy and that you love Steve. I'm not sure if you are lying to me about your feelings for Daryl or if I've struck a nerve about this conversation of commitment from Steve."
"Well I can tell you right now, I have NO feelings for Daryl. And you're right," Anna said angrily. "Like you said before, it's my life, and just for the record, I don't even want to get married." She stomped off down the hall, knowing that last statement was a lie, and knowing her sister, she probably knew it too. She hated the way she spoke her mind, knowing she was just probably looking out for her, but hated the way she went about it.
The truth was, she did think about marrying Steve. She didn't dwell on the subject but it had crossed her mind. She wondered if Steve thought about it too, and if he did, was it a good thought or a bad one. She couldn't deny the truth that he was thirty-four and never married or engaged. She thought about Becky then, wondering if she had ruined that side of him that could take that next step in a relationship.
As she went upstairs with the basket of clothes she stopped midway, closing her eyes and forgoing Alyssa's words, letting the true nature of she and Steve's relationship sink in. She really didn't want marriage from him right now, and she didn't need anything from him that he wasn't already providing. If the other were to happen, or not to happen in the future then so be it, but right now she was happy. She continued up the stairs deciding that dinner wasn't such a great idea. She had no desire to sit at a table with Daryl and Alyssa and pretend what they had done was all under the bridge. She was pretty sure Steve would feel the same way. Why expose him to all that baggage.
"You know what Alyssa," she yelled down. "Why don't you and Daryl take the kids to dinner. I think Steve and I will sit this one out."
She sat at the kitchen table and smiled, knowing she'd laid the seed and it was growing inside her sister whether she tried to fight it or not.
Trust was going to be her greatest ally in this quest to get Anna home to LA. All she had to do was break that line of trust between the two lovebirds and the rest would just fall into place.