The Second Heart Read online

  Chapter 3

  Meredith had only been asleep a few moments when her cell phone chimed at her, startling her out of her doze. Sighing, Meredith looked at the screen. She had a text from Vi saying that she was on her way.

  Meredith rolled off the bed and walked to the window, looking out at the hazy sky. For a moment, she had almost forgotten that the day was so out of the ordinary.

  Turning back into the room, she looked around. The only things left of her brother, James, in this room were the stars on the ceiling. Ever practical, their parents had converted the room to a guest room as soon as James had moved out to go to college, several years before. In similar fashion, Meredith’s own room had been converted to a sewing room for Amelia.

  Meredith went back into the living room and found it empty. She could hear her mother buzzing around in the kitchen, so Meredith joined her, letting her know that Vi would be there soon.

  “Oh, good. What do you want for dinner? We weren’t expecting company, so I didn’t go to the store.” Amelia opened the refrigerator and peered in. “We could make some lasagna out of this leftover spaghetti sauce. Is that okay?”

  “That sounds fine to me. What can I get out?”

  Meredith pulled the ricotta and Parmesan cheeses out of the fridge and mixed them together in a bowl with eggs while Amelia put a pot of water on the stove to boil. Soon the noodles were cooked, and they layered the cheese mixture, spaghetti sauce, some spinach, and the noodles into a large casserole dish. Amelia spread some mozzarella cheese over the top and stuck it in the oven. Just as they were finishing, the doorbell rang.

  Vi stood on the doorstep with an overnight bag slung over her shoulder. She had showered, and her dark hair hung in damp waves around her shoulders. Her face was free of makeup, and for a moment it felt like they were in seventh grade again. Meredith smiled at her friend and opened the door wider to allow her to pass, raising an eyebrow at the overstuffed bag.

  Vi rolled her eyes. “I have stuff in here for you, too.”

  Meredith thanked her and took the overnight bag, walking down the hall toward the guest bedroom. She glanced over her shoulder to ensure that Vi was behind her. “So, will Josh live?”

  “He has a broken ankle. They put him in a cast and told him to follow up with an orthopedist, which he has no intention of doing. The stairs up to his place are gonna be brutal for him.” Vi sat on the guest bed while Meredith put the overnight bag on the dresser. “Hopefully his girlfriend will be around to help carry groceries,” Vi added snidely.

  Meredith joined Vi on the bed. “Did she ever show up?”

  “Finally at the end. Nothing like getting to play nurse to help couples get through a rough patch.”

  “I think that would depend on what kind of patient Josh is.” Gesturing to the overnight bag, Meredith asked, “Do you need to wash any of that stuff?”

  “Yeah, that would be awesome. I flipped your laundry when I stopped back home, by the way. You’re right, our place really does smell awful.” Vi looked around the room thoughtfully. “Man, I can’t remember the last time I spent the night at your folks’ house. And never in here.”

  “I know what you mean. Even though this has been a guest room for years, it still seems weird sleeping in James’s room. Part of me feels like he’s going to come in any second and tell me to get out of his room.”

  Just as she said that, Amelia pushed the door open and stepped into the room. The girls laughed at the timing of her entrance. “What?”

  Meredith began to explain. “We thought you were James.”

  “Come to banish us from his personal space,” Vi finished with an ominous flourish.

  Amelia chuckled politely, not understanding the nostalgia the girls were feeling. “Well, if James still lived here, I think we’d have bigger problems.” James was in his thirties with a seven-year-old daughter.

  “Thanks for letting me sleep over, Mrs. C.” Vi assumed a young, girlish voice as she said the phrase that she’d uttered countless times in middle and high school.

  The girls giggled again as Amelia rolled her eyes, smiling. “You two get stranger and stranger the more you hang out together.”

  “It’s a wonder either of us can get dates,” Meredith joked.

  “Oh yeah, speaking of dates, where is Miguelito?” Vi asked, using the nickname affectionately.

  Meredith glanced at her mother, remembering the conversation they’d had earlier. “I’m going out with him tomorrow.”

  Vi persisted, “Yeah, but where is he today? That was some pretty heavy stuff this morning. I thought he’d be racing over here to hold you like the sweet damsel you are.”

  Surprised, Meredith realized that she had no idea where Miguel was or what he was doing, because she hadn’t asked. Meredith told them as much.

  Amelia shook her head. “You’re not being fair to that guy, Mere.”

  Vi looked back and forth between them with a questioning lift to her eyebrows. “Uh oh, did I just step in something?”

  Meredith let out an exaggerated sigh of exasperation. “Mom thinks that since I don’t fawn all over Miguel and sit by the phone waiting for crumbs of affection then I must not really like him.”

  “Ever the drama queen,” Amelia said dryly. “I’m just saying that if you don’t like him, then you should stop stringing him along.”

  Vi shifted uncomfortably, sorry that she had mentioned Miguel. Attempting to relieve the tension, she said, “Well, you know how we modern career girls are, Mrs. C. Gotta give those boys a run for their money!”

  Meredith sat up with a resigned sigh. “Mom, I do like him. I am just trying to figure out how much.”

  Amelia raised her eyebrows and looked like she wanted to say more, but instead changed the subject. Turning to Vi, she said, “I came in here to get your laundry, Miss Violet. So let’s have it.”

  Vi stood and crossed over to the bag on the dresser. As she unzipped it, they were all treated to a waft of the smoky smell from the apartment. “Thanks a bunch. Pretty much everything in here has to be washed.”

  “No problem. I’m just glad you girls are okay.”

  With her arms full of the clothing Vi had packed, Amelia left the room. Briefly, Meredith wondered what sort of clothes Vi had packed for her. From where she was sitting, all she could see in the bundle of clothes was Vi’s torn black jeans and some red lacy panties, which were most definitely not hers.

  Once Amelia was out of earshot, Vi turned to Meredith, looking contrite. “Sorry about bringing Miguel up. I didn’t realize--”

  “Don’t worry about it. I didn’t even know that Mom had an issue with him until today.” She paused thoughtfully. “Actually, it’s not even that her issue is with him. It’s with me being with anyone that she doesn’t think I am fully invested in.”

  “Do you think she has a point?” Vi asked carefully.

  Meredith laughed. “Since when am I in the business of admitting it when my mother has a point?”

  Meredith and Vi hung out in the bedroom chatting until it was time for dinner. When they heard the buzzer on the oven, they came out into the hallway just as Rob was leaving the office. Vi smiled and gave Rob a big hug.

  “Uh oh,” he joked. “We better hide the good silver.”

  Playing along, Vi said, “Oh come on, Mr. C. I haven’t stolen from you for months now.”

  Rob laughed and tousled her hair. “How are you doing, Vi?”

  “Pretty good, thanks. Selling hopes and dreams to starry-eyed teenagers never gets old.” Vi had gotten a degree in graphic design, and she now worked for the university creating promotional materials for student recruitment.

  “Well that’s good to hear. What do you say we go eat?” Rob led them through the living room toward the kitchen. The TV was on as they passed by, and a worried looking newscaster was discussing the outbreak of fires nationwide. So far there were three deaths in Phoenix and countless thousands of dollars in property damage. Police still had no leads.


  When they reached the kitchen, Amelia was just setting the bubbling lasagna on the stovetop.

  “Good, you’re all here,” she said, looking up from the lasagna dish. “Rob, you get everyone water to drink. Meredith, placemats and napkins. Vi, silverware.”

  They all set about their appointed tasks and were soon dishing themselves up buffet-style from the kitchen.

  Sitting down at the table, Rob smelled his plate of food appreciatively. “This looks great! And my girls back home, too. This day is shaping up to be just fine.”

  Amelia patted him gently on the shoulder as she moved past him to sit at her place facing the window. “It is nice to have you girls here tonight.”

  “Cut it out, I’m getting misty eyed.” Meredith fluttered her hand by her face in a show of mock emotion.

  Vi joined in on the joke. “Oh stop it, Mere. If you cry, then I’ll cry… Oh, now you’ve done it! My mascara’s running.” She let out an anguished sob and flopped down into the chair across from Amelia. Then she sat up straight, smiled broadly, and took a large bite of lasagna. The grin stayed frozen on her face while her eyes filled with real tears.

  “Lasagna a little hot?” Meredith asked mirthfully.

  Vi nodded painfully and grabbed her water glass, chugging down several mouthfuls of the soothing liquid. They all laughed and tucked into the food, blowing on their forkfuls of lasagna to avoid repeating Vi’s mistake.

  They all ate companionably in silence for a few minutes. Then, Amelia said, “So who wants to speculate about what the hell’s going on?” She gestured toward the window, and they all turned to look.

  The sun had set, casting the city in darkness. From their vantage point on the hill, they could see three separate fires burning in different parts of the valley. They cast up an orange glow that mingled with the halo of light from the buildings and street lamps.

  “I read earlier today that they thought it might be terrorism,” Meredith suggested. She glanced over at Vi, who met her gaze. They were both thinking about the conversation they’d had earlier, when Vi had told Meredith about the candles.

  “Terrorism would make sense, I suppose,” Rob contributed. “Isn’t the point of terrorism to get people where they feel safe, like in their homes? That would explain why it’s been so random, as opposed to high profile targets.”

  Amelia nodded thoughtfully, digesting what Rob had said. “But to what end?” she asked.

  “Do we ever know the answer to that question when this sort of thing happens?” Rob responded. “Hatred is its own reason.”

  “I wonder when the firefighters will ever get to sleep again,” Meredith commented.

  “I hope they all get raises. You girls were so lucky. What if you’d been asleep?” Amelia reached across the table and squeezed Meredith’s hand.

  Vi turned and looked at Meredith quizzically. “Why were you up so early today? Usually it takes a marching band going through your bedroom to get you up before nine.”

  “I don’t know,” Meredith answered honestly. “I was just awake. I really don’t know why.”

  They cleared the table and talked about inconsequential things while Meredith and Vi washed the dishes. Rob settled in front of the TV with a bowl of ice cream, and Amelia transferred their freshly washed clothes into the dryer. Once the chores were complete, they joined Rob in front of the television and watched the news for a while.

  “It’s amazing how long they can talk for how little they actually know,” Rob remarked.

  “It’s like my students!” Amelia joked. Before retiring, Amelia had been a high school English teacher.

  Meredith stood up and stretched. “I’m gonna go to bed, guys. I’m beat.”

  “I’m right there with you.” Vi stood as well, and they said goodnight.

  Meredith went into the laundry room and pulled their clean clothes out of the dryer, carrying them down the hall and dumping them into a heap on the guest bed. Vi fished through it and pulled out her pajamas, which were black silk with deep purple piping. She flashed Meredith a devious smile and flounced out of the room to change and brush her teeth in the bathroom.

  Worried, Meredith dug through the pile of clothes looking for her own PJ’s. Finding the barely-there red silk negligee that she usually saved only for special occasions, Meredith groaned. She was going to have to pay Vi back for this one.

  Meredith checked the various pockets of the overnight bag and found her own toothbrush. She took it and her nightie to the master bathroom and brushed her teeth and washed her face. She let her hair down out of the ponytail that she had absentmindedly shoved it into at some point and raked her fingers through it.

  She glanced around and spotted her mother’s hairbrush next to the sink. Her mother had owned the hairbrush for as long as she could remember. It was antique silver and made from real horsehair. The back of the brush was monogrammed with Amelia’s grandmother’s initials. Meredith gently ran her fingertip over the inscription, enjoying the feel of the cool metal under her touch. She took up the hairbrush and ran it through her hair, which she then wove into a braid at the nape of her neck.

  She browsed through her mother’s closet and was relieved to find a thick bathrobe, which she happily pulled over her nightgown.

  When she returned to the guest room, Vi was already in bed with the lights out. In the slice of light that came in from the hall, Meredith could see that the clothes that had been on the bed now resided in a tangled mass on the floor. She frowned; Meredith would have folded them so they didn’t wrinkle. Ignoring the clothes as best she could, she stepped into the room and closed the door.

  Meredith let the robe slide to the floor, and then she climbed into bed next to Vi, whispering, “Are you still awake?”

  “I’ve been in here for like, two seconds. Of course I’m still awake.” Vi rolled over to face Meredith. She smiled wickedly again. “You look very pretty this evening.”

  “Enjoy the moment now, Vi. It’s going to come back to haunt you,” Meredith promised.

  “Ooh, I’m scared now.”

  Meredith blew a raspberry at her. As her eyes adjusted to the dark, she could make out Vi’s delicate features. Growing up, Meredith had often felt like an oversized brute next to Vi’s slender and petite frame. Often the tallest in her class, Meredith hadn’t had the same kind of attention from the boys that Vi had. She assumed that the boys had all been intimidated by her stature.

  “So today’s been wicked strange, right?” Vi said after a pause.

  Meredith blurted, “Did that stuff with the candles really happen?”

  “Yeah. I still can’t wrap my head around it. What if I’m remembering it wrong? Things like that don’t happen in real life.”

  They were both quiet for a moment. Then Meredith asked, “What do you think tomorrow will be like?”

  “Damned if I know.”

  There was another silence. Then Meredith spoke again, plaintively. “Vi?”

  Quietly, Vi responded, “Yeah, Mere?”

  “If you die, can I have your stereo?” Meredith snorted with laughter as Vi giggled and hit her over the head with a pillow.

  There was a knock on the door and Rob’s voice came through the wood, “I thought I told you two to go to sleep.”

  The girls giggled some more and Meredith said, “Yes, Dad,” just as Vi said, “Yes, Mr. C.” They burst into peals of laughter again. Rob chuckled on the other side of the door and continued walking down the hall to his bedroom.

  Soon the girls calmed down and Meredith gazed out the window as she lay in bed. There was a soft orange light filtering in from the streetlamp outside. Faintly, she could hear emergency sirens blaring once again in the distance. Beside her, Vi’s breathing became regular as she fell asleep.

  Meredith thought about her date with Miguel, and tried to dissect her feelings about it. She was looking forward to it, but was she really looking forward to it? Her mother’s warnings were at the forefront of her thoughts, and she felt annoyed at
Amelia for making her second guess her dating habits. Her regard for Miguel was warm and steady, but it wasn’t an overwhelming passion, by any means. She was twenty-three, after all, and she figured her days of rampant teenage ardor were behind her. Maybe this was what a mature relationship felt like.

  She also wondered when school would start up again, and how the fire on campus would affect classes for the rest of the semester. She hoped that they wouldn’t have to make up lost time over the holiday break.

  Her mind drifted to different subjects as her brain wound down for the day, and after a while, she drifted off to sleep, while fires still burned outside the window.