It should have been a morning filled with joy, laughter, and anticipation, but for Sheila Davenport, she couldn’t muster a smile, let alone the modicum of joy on this particularly gray May day. She sipped a cup of coffee, lost in her thoughts when the sounds of childish laughter filled the air of her normally sedate mansion. A moment later, Sheila’s grandson, Oliver Collins, rushed into the Breakfast Room and threw his arms around her neck. “Oliver!” exclaimed Sheila. “This is a pleasant surprise!”
“I know! Mommy always says that I’m her little surprise.” The nine-year-old plucked a grape from the sideboard. “We’re on our way to the country club for a Memorial Day party!”
“Oh, really?” smiled Sheila.
“Oliver, don’t touch communal food with your hands,” sighed Lisa Davenport Collins as she walked into the Breakfast Room. Lisa was forty, self-assured, and beautiful without the aid of plastic surgeons. She gave her mother a light kiss on the cheek as she surveyed the maudlin surroundings. “Honestly, Mom, open the drapes. It’s so dreary in here.” Lisa pulled back the drapes to let in the few rays of morning sun.
Sheila finished her cup of coffee with a sigh. “Lisa, is there a reason you’re here?”
Lisa sat across from her mother. “Oliver, why don’t you go into the Media Room for a moment? I need to talk to Grandma.” Lisa waited until Oliver was out of earshot and said, “What’s wrong?”
“I spoke to Elijah last week,” Sheila revealed coolly.
“Oh.” Lisa took a deep breath. “Why?”
“It wasn’t my intention, but Dr. Connor Windsor asked me to talk to Elijah about India. I knew I had to do it only because other than Alison, he’s the one person in this world who she will listen to.” Sheila rose from the table, walked over to the large French doors, and stared at her immaculate estate. “Speaking to him felt like…I was speaking to a stranger. He said he had spoken to India, but he wouldn’t go any further than that.” Sheila turned to her daughter with worry in her eyes. “I’m terrified I’ve opened Pandora’s Box. The last thing I want is Elijah back in our lives.”
Lisa took in this news as the wheels spun in her head. “Mom…suppose he’s changed. We’ve all changed… At the very least, you should consider easing up on Eli. Think about how this bad blood will affect Faren. I don’t think it’s right for our family to ice out Eli. The Montgomerys have done the same thing to India and, well, we all know how well adjusted she is,” sniffed Lisa.
“Lisa,” began Sheila, “India is back in Kingsport.”
“She is?!!?”
“Connor told me she was coming back to town. I heard from Raquel Windsor that India is indeed staying at the Montgomery Estate.”
Lisa finally understood why her mother was so worried. “You’re…scared that with India back in town, Eli will decide it’s time to leave San Francisco in order for Faren to be closer to her mother.”
“That’s it. Lisa, I don’t want him to return to town. It would ruin everything.”
Lisa stood up, pondered her mother’s concern, and said, “We can’t stop him. Granted, Eli has been known to play dirty because he can, but we have to think about Faren. She barely knows India. And, maybe, the last few years in Paris have been good for her.”
“Now you’re a fan of Elijah and India?” huffed Sheila.
“No. India is a nutcase. I think Eli has mellowed out a lot. When I saw him in Gstaad in January…”
“You’re speaking to him?!?!” Sheila exclaimed with fury rising from her soul. “Lisa!”
Lisa folded her arms defensively. “Jackson had to attend a digital technology symposium in Switzerland. We ran into Eli. We spent some time together. My husband and Eli are in the same industry. It’s happened before, Mom,” snapped Lisa.
“I don’t care. After everything Elijah has done to this family, if I ever see him again, it’ll be too soon! I know he’s the reason your father went missing.”
“That’s speculation!”
“You don’t know what I know, Lisa. Elijah is dangerous. Now that India is in Kingsport, I just know he’ll move here, too. I can’t let that happen, Lisa. I just can’t…”
Barbara Wilkes stepped into the foyer of the Kingsport Arms Hotel and clutched her purse tight against her body. Today was Memorial Day and it was the first time in years she had a real day off. After working for the Montgomery family for the last two weeks, she was exhausted. Muscles she’d never realized existed hurt. Her brain was fried from the smell of cleaning chemicals, French food, and scented candles. Since this was her first proper day off, Barbara decided that breakfast at Kingsport’s most exclusive hotel would ease her mind and spirit.
“Good morning,” she said to the hostess. “I’d like a table for one.”
The hostess, a weathered woman of more than sixty but less than one hundred, eyed her carefully over the rim of her bifocal glasses. “No,” was her reply.
Taken aback, Barbara cleared her throat. “I’d like…”
The woman held up a dismissive hand. “I said no.” The woman looked down at the vast reservation book. “You may go now.”
“I’m not going anywhere,” said Barbara defiantly. “I’d like a table for one.”
“Let me be clear,” began to hostess, “the Kingsport Arms is a premiere destination for the finest guests and families in the area. It’s not a place for the likes of a woman who thinks a fast fashion dress will ever compare to the lovely creations worn by the women of Kingsport society.”
Barbara could feel her hands begin to clench in the fists of rage. In her old world, she would have clocked this insipid woman right on the spot. However, this was a new world. This was Kingsport. Kingsport… Barbara already knew that such things didn’t fly in this world. If she wanted to stay in her new life, she’d have to think fast. “I’m afraid there’s a misunderstanding. I made a reservation a few days ago. Please check under ‘Barbara Wilson’.” She produced a business card with the alias on it. “I’m a junior food critic from World of Dining. I’d be more than happy to leave and let the whole world know…”
“Oh, Ms. Wilson! Yes. I do see you here on our list. Usually the manager will tell us when a critic comes in. I do apologize for the error. Right this way.”
Barbara followed the weathered hostess to a sweet table near the large picture windows which overlooked Main Street. After the hostess left and promised to comp her meal, Barbara smiled lightly. That old lie worked every time. No one every checked to make sure she was employed by World of Dining because once she threatened to leave and write a negative review, everyone bowed to her will. She relaxed into her chair, sipped a fresh cup of coffee, and took in her surroundings. While she hadn’t been entirely honest, Barbara knew that honesty was overrated. To get what she wanted, she would have to lie, cheat, and use her innate ability to deceive people to her advantage. In a town like Kingsport, perception was more important than reality. Barbara was the master at that game. She’d played it well so far, but she needed a day off from the rigors of her new life to ensure she could continue to execute her plan tomorrow. So far, she’d entered the Montgomery household and, sooner or later, she would begin to meet the family. She had a plan. She had a goal. By the time she was finished, she’d have it all…
In our next installment, India ups the stakes…
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