Page 79 of The Sisters
‘She asked for me and where was I?’ asked Grace hatefully, as she slumped in her seat.
Violetta sat next to her. ‘Do you know what I was doing when I ignored the calls from Thea about her accident?’
Grace shook her head.
‘Fucking the producer of the stupid reality show I am doing. Nice, huh?’ Violetta’s face was flushed with shame.
Grace looked at her, her eyes wide.
Carlotta sat on the other side. ‘And you know how I said I was going back to Connecticut on the night of the accident?’
Violetta and Grace nodded.
‘I went to a hotel and slept with Berconi.’
‘So none of us are perfect. Your halo slipped, Grace, but I think it makes you a little more interesting,’ said Carlotta.
Violetta started to laugh. ‘We are tragic, all of us.’
‘No, we’re interesting,’ said Carlotta firmly.
And even Grace laughed.
As the sisters left the room and went back to their mother, Violetta saw Jeff waiting for the elevator. She walked up to him. ‘Are we going to ignore the fact that we are mad for each other?’ she asked.
‘It’s not right, I’m treating your mother and while I don’t think it’s not allowed as such, I feel it’s unethical.’
‘So if my mom wasn’t here then you would consider seeing me?’ asked Violetta.
Jeff waited for a moment before he spoke. ‘If your mother wasn’t under my care, then I don’t think you would be remotely interested in me and our paths would never have crossed.’
Violetta scuffed her shoe on the dull carpet. Was he right? She wasn’t so sure of anything any more.
‘You know I’m right,’ he said softly.
‘But I do like you now,’ she said, looking up at him.
Jeff laughed a little. ‘Your world is so different to mine. TV, parties, magazines, even money. I’m not part of that.’
He walked away from her as Violetta went to speak. Under her breath she said to no one, ‘I’m not a part of that world either.’
But he was gone.
23
Grace was walking from her apartment towards work when Frank walked up beside her.
‘I haven’t heard from you. What is going on, Grace?’ asked Frank.
‘I can’t remember that Frank. I thought you weren’t calling me.’
‘I hear your mom’s awake.’
‘Yes,’ said Grace, as she walked quickly along the footpath, her black Jimmy Choo heels clicking on the ground.
Frank struggled to keep up with her while wheeling his bicycle among the other people.
‘Did I do something wrong?’ he asked desperately. ‘You were so upset and wouldn’t explain.’
