Sibling Rivalry

Chapter Six

Chapter Six

AIMEE TOSSED HER keys into a bowl on the kitchen counter, as she entered her condo. The day had been long and tedious, and she had to force her body to move when Ginny dropped her back off at the apartment. She was exhausted and just wanted to crawl into bed and sleep. She wanted to call her mom and cancel dinner for that night, but Karla already stood in the middle of the room dressed in a robe, running a towel through her wet hair. She was going, so Aimee had to go. Being responsible sucked sometimes.

“You look beat,” Karla said.

“It’s been a strange day.”

“Well, get yourself freshened up. We’re leaving in a half hour.” Karla turned to walk back into her bedroom, and then paused and turned back around, towel dangling in her hand. “Did you hear about your car? Mitch never called me.”

“Actually, I did.” And he wants me and not you. She could feel the smugness puffing up her cheeks. Someone actually chased her and not her sister. While it confused her earlier, it suddenly felt good. Men always went after Karla and barely noticed her. Karla was more fit than she was, her addiction to Chunky Monkey ice cream having added a few extra pounds to her physique. Karla was also more outgoing whereas Aimee was more the introvert. It didn’t make her stand out the way Karla did. She shared what Mitch said about the car and when it would be ready. Then, with a little cockiness in her tone, she said, “He actually asked me out.”

“He asked you out?” The hand holding the towel fell to Karla’s side, as she placed the other on her hip. Her head tilted slightly, as she scrunched her face up into a mask of disbelief. “What do you mean he asked you out?”

“Just what I said. He asked me out. It was quite funny, actually. He said if I went out with him, he would charge me full price to fix the car.” She bounced her eyebrows up and down before she turned and reached into the fridge for a Diet Coke.

“Full price? You do know that’s not how it works, right? What the hell did you do? I was laying the groundwork for a great discount or even free. Now, you have him charging you full price? That’s stupid!”

Aimee twisted the cap off the plastic bottle and lifted it in a toast. “Here’s to my stupidity, decent, non-manipulative stupidity.”

“How is it not manipulative? You have to go out with him to get what you want? That’s the same thing I was doing only you’re not getting the right results. Men like to do things for women. That’s how it works.”

“I am not whoring myself out for a discount on fixing my car.”

“No, you’re whoring yourself out in order not to get a discount on fixing your car. And I wasn’t whoring myself out, thank you very much. It’s a tradeoff. Money isn’t exchanging hands.”

“It’s the same thing. A hooker gets a twenty-dollar bill; you get dinner and a movie—or a car fixed. Either way, when it’s all said and done, the guy gets laid. Same. Damn. Thing. Except the hooker is upfront and honest about it.”

“You’re crazy!” Karla threw her arms up in the air. “Besides, you know our rule. You can’t go out with him. I’ve already marked him as mine and no one gets to go out with both Harper twins. That’s not how it works.”

“As yours? You marked him as yours? What did you do? Pee on him? Is there a brand on his ass I should look for? Besides, you don’t really want him. This was just to get the car fixed. And what about Brad?”

“Brad was to get to Mitch, who was to get the car fixed. Do you really not know how this works?”

“I know how you work. It’s not how I work, however.”

“It’s the way the world works, Aimee. It’s a barter system that’s as old as time. I didn’t create the system. I just know how to maneuver within it.”

Aimee rolled her eyes, took a sip of her Diet Coke, and started toward her bedroom. “I’ll be ready in thirty minutes.” She was not going to get into it with her sister about what was right and wrong between people. Karla possessed her own morals, loose as they were in Aimee’s eyes. She would never understand them, just as Karla would never understand hers. While most of the time it was never an issue, there were moments, like right then, when it revealed how vastly different the siblings were.

“And what about your precious single father?” Karla shouted as Aimee passed into her room. “Doesn’t going out with Mitch go against the Aimee Code of Conduct?”

She didn’t comment, but rather, just shut her door. However, while she didn’t answer her sister, it did force her to start questioning herself. She had to admit, when Mitch asked her out, she forgot about Clint. While he made it sound as if it was a casual thing between friends, what if Karla was correct, and he was just testing the waters? The truth was, she really didn’t know what to think or even hope. She didn’t have that much experience with dating etiquette. She only had one boyfriend during high school and that ended right after graduation night when he popped her cherry. After that, she only went out a few times during college, focusing on her studies, until her senior year and Henry Warren. He was still a secret no one knew about, not even Karla. Since she returned home, she had not been asked out that much. She told herself that it was because she was busy taking care of her sick father and then just swamped with work. The truth was, she didn’t know how to put herself out there like her sister did. Karla never had a problem striking up a conversation—or a pose. Aimee didn’t really want to gain attention that way, however. She wanted a man to like her for who she was and not for how she could make him feel in bed or the backseat of a car. Does that type of love even exist anymore?

She stared at herself in the mirror over her dresser. From no one wanting to go out with her to two men asking her out in the same week. It was a week full of surprises and she was only two days into it. Oh Aimee, what are you going to do? Did she really want to risk a chance of seeing her fantasy with Clint come true by going out with Mitch? Yet, Mitch possessed that bad boy look and chose her over the sure thing with her sister. That never happened before.

She picked up her hairbrush and started to run it through her long blond hair. For now, she was going to dinner at her mother’s house. She pushed the turmoil of men and dates from her mind. She would have to figure everything else out later, as well as what to do with Karla.

~ ~ ~ ~ ~

Betty Harper placed the roast on the table and then took her seat. Aimee and Karla already sat, neither one really talking to each other. Aimee was lost in her own thoughts and figured Karla was stewing over the fact that Mitch asked Aimee out, instead of chasing her, or that she assumed Aimee betrayed her by not following rules they created in high school. She wouldn’t be surprised if Karla called Mitch and chewed his ass out, while Aimee got dressed. What could he have possibly been thinking? Of course, he wouldn’t have been the first male to have a fantasy about sleeping with the twins—separate or alone. Still, no one was never allowed to date both sisters, because the two of them agreed not to give them the chance. It didn’t matter that none of the people Karla dated even appealed to Aimee. Nor did it matter that Aimee had moved away to college and had tried to start a life of her own somewhere else. Karla held onto rules they had made growing up, like old people in church held on to tradition, and expected the two of them to behave the same way now that they were adults.

But they weren’t in high school anymore, and Mitch Greenway was quite attractive. Furthermore, Aimee could see herself going out with him. He probably would be expecting someone like her sister, however, and would be quite disappointed when he only received Turtleneck Aimee, the name the boys in high school gave her because they saw her as uptight and prudish. She probably was. Definitely was compared to Karla. Everyone assumed twins behaved the same. They looked alike, so they should act alike. Aimee stopped being invited to parties, however, when they discovered that was far from the truth. Aimee wanted her first s****l experience to be with someone that meant something to her, not because she needed a better grade. She held out until her senior year of high school. The way that turned out, she should have waited longer.

“So, how was everyone’s day today?” Betty slid a napkin over her lap and then reached for the cooked carrots.

“Fine,” Karla said with a terse tone. She was busy scooping food onto her plate and not really paying attention. Aimee knew she wouldn’t tell their mother about their argument, because then she would have to explain everything else.

Aimee shook her head, as she reached for the bread bowl. “My day wasn’t bad after you dropped me back off. Typical, dealing with people who broke the law and now want someone to get them a free pass. No one wants to do the time for the crime.”

“Seriously? That surprises you?” Karla dumped some mashed potatoes on her plate with a harsh jerk of her wrist. Their mother ignored it. “No one wants to take responsibility for their actions these days. If they wanted to be responsible, they wouldn’t be breaking the law in the first place.”

Aimee shook her head. “And yet, people do stupid s**t all the time, like manipulate others to give them stuff for free, instead of just paying for it.”

“Please, if people didn’t want to be manipulated, they would be smarter. People get what they deserve.”

“Isn’t that the opposite of what you just said?”

“Not at all. I said people get what they deserve. That doesn’t mean they want it. No one wants what they deserve.”

“Then they shouldn’t do stupid stuff.”

“I think people deserve mercy,” their mother said, just before shoveling some roast beef into her mouth. As she chewed, she continued talking. “Some people can’t help themselves. It’s who they are. They don’t even know they’re doing anything wrong.”

“You’re taking Karla’s side? You always take Karla’s side.”

Karla stuck her tongue out at Aimee and then smirked at her.

Aimee rolled her eyes, as she let out a deep breath.

“I’m not taking anyone’s side. I have an opinion. Can’t I have an opinion?”

“Not if it agrees with Karla.”

“I’m not agreeing with Karla. I just offered my own opinion. Pass the butter, please.” Betty glanced eagerly at the tub of butter in the middle of the table, a slice of bread in her hand.

Aimee surrendered. It was always the same. Nothing changed, nor would it ever change. When it came to Karla, their mother always went soft. When Karla would get busted sneaking out of the house, Betty Harper wouldn’t allow her husband to punish their daughter too hard. “She’s just going through a phase. It’ll pass.” It never did. Karla was still going through a phase, except now she didn’t have to sneak out. Aimee wasn’t sure why she even tried. It was always the same within the Harper family.

“Am I still picking you up to get your car?” Her mother smiled at her, clueless as to what just passed between the sisters. It’s all just normal sibling rivalry, her mom would say. Karla was not normal, however.

“Yes, please. If you still can.” They continued to talk about the car and then about Karla’s thoughts of returning to school to finish her Associate of Arts Degree. The small talk continued, but Aimee was barely listening. She smiled and said the obligatory uh-huhs at all the right times, but her mind was elsewhere. She saw Mitch as he leaned over the engine of her car, his jeans gripping his ass, his biceps flexing as he moved his arms. His dark eyes twinkled when he smiled, and that smile took her breath away. He had a cocky swagger about him that told her he was used to getting his way.

Then there was Clint. He listened to her when she talked, wanted to hang out with her more and not just as the girl who watched his daughter once in a while, but as friends, close friends. He was soft and gentle, romantic. She knew him. She didn’t know Mitch. Clint was the safe card to play, while Mitch was the wild card who wanted to play with her. Clint was more her type and Mitch more her sister’s. At least, that’s the way she saw it. It wasn’t really a fair assessment considering she didn’t even know Mitch, but anyone who would meet her sister and play her game had to have a side that most would consider dangerous. Or were a dog, as some men were called. Heaven knows, there were plenty of them around, and Karla usually knew who they were and how to use them to her advantage.

“How’s the job search coming along?” Betty asked Karla, as the meal was winding down.

“Nothing, yet. I have an interview tomorrow, though. A friend is hooking me up as a possible bartender at Sand Dune.”

“That’s something you haven’t tried, yet. What’s his name?” Aimee asked, as she shoved the last piece of garlic bread into her mouth.

“Excuse me?”

“The name of the man who got you the job.”

Karla glared at her, but Aimee just smiled. She knew it was a male friend and Aimee used the word friend very loosely. f**k buddy would be the proper term. That’s how Karla got all her jobs, through friends or friends of friends, or it was promised to her while she was performing a private interview. Aimee was sure it was the same with the bartender job.

“Well, I wish you luck with it,” Betty said. “Sounds like it might be fun. A lot safer than delivering pizzas, that’s for sure. You just never know when someone will pull a gun on you when you go up to a door. It’s a dangerous world out there. Anyone want some apple pie? I made some today.”

“I’m hoping the tips are better.”

“Just get them drunk and wink,” Aimee said. “You know like when you want dinner.”

“How is Sand Dune?” Betty asked, ignoring her daughters’ jibes at each other. “My friends and I are looking for a place to go dancing on a girls’ night out.”

“No.”

“No what?”

“No, my mother is not allowed to go to the same bar I go to. It’s creepy. And weird. No kid wants to see their mother out drinking and hitting on men.”

“I never said anything about looking for men. It’s just dancing with the girls.”

“Yeah. And I know how that ends up. No way. Find somewhere else besides Sand Dune for your forays.”

“Maybe you should give her a list of your other bars,” Aimee said.

“You’re being silly,” Betty said. “Jane’s daughter goes out often with her and they have a great time.”

“Karla doesn’t want the competition, Mom.”

Karla turned to Aimee. “Do you want her at your hangouts? Wait. Scratch that. You don’t have a hangout. You never go out.”

Betty reached out and put a hand on Aimee’s arm. “You should go with us. I bet we could help you find a guy.”

Karla started laughing. Aimee, however, didn’t find it funny. “Thanks, but I’ll find my own man.” My own mother sees me as an old maid. Great.

Aimee and Karla helped clear the table, while their mother sliced pie and scooped out vanilla ice cream. Aimee just wanted to go home. She was tired of listening to both of them. Family get-togethers were always nauseating. She loved her mother and spending time with her but add Karla to the mix and it always turned into their teenage years all over again, and Aimee just couldn’t keep stomaching it. She was the responsible one, the one who held a job and always met her obligations. Karla was the one who always had her hand out and it didn’t matter who put something in it, or even what they put in it. How their mother could tolerate it was beyond Aimee. It was like there were different rules and expectations for each of the sisters. It frustrated the hell out of Aimee.

After watching a television show with their mother and Karla eating two slices of apple pie, it was finally time to go home. Betty hugged both daughters and told them she loved them. They hugged her back. “I love you, too, mom,” Aimee said. It was true. She did love her mother. She just didn’t love how she allowed Karla to manipulate her. In less than twelve hours, Aimee went from forgiving and understanding her sister to wanting to throttle her again. When it came to Karla, Aimee’s emotions were a revolving door.

The car ride home was quiet, Aimee playing through the radio stations out of boredom. She had no idea what went on in Karla’s head and didn’t have the strength to ask. Karla dropped her off, deciding she wanted a drink out, instead of calling it a night. That was fine with Aimee. She needed the peace and quiet. It was just after nine and too early for bed. So, what did she want to do?

Once in her condo, she poured herself a glass of Merlot, as she contemplated her options. She wished she had the guts to go knock on Clint’s door. She stepped out onto her balcony. Perhaps she’d take a walk on the beach, allow the ocean breeze to soothe her mind. Heaven knows, it needed soothing after her night. She needed to stop allowing her sister to get her so worked up. Of course, she did her own part in instigating things tonight, she admitted to herself. She went after Karla as much as Karla went after her. And in front of their mother! And for what? A mechanic that neither of them really had an interest in? It was silly. Their sibling rivalry was going to get one of them hurt sooner or later if they didn’t calm down and cease competing with each other.

She wasn’t even sure why she was pushing Karla’s buttons over Mitch Greenway. After all, she had plenty to fantasize about with Clint, even if it was only a fantasy. Still, he did ask her out. Karla seemed to think it was only a ruse to get into her pants. That he wanted more but was leery of pursuing it in case Aimee rejected him. Clint didn’t strike her as that bashful, though. He seemed more like the man who went after what he wanted. She understood he was cautious with the way Bonnie ran out on him, but he couldn’t be that cautious, not after a year had passed. No, he wasn’t playing some game. He just didn’t see her that way. She was a friend. Nothing more. Someone he could avoid the lonely nights with until someone else came along. Someone better.

She heard a child’s squeal down at the pool. As she took a sip of her wine, she glanced down, smiling that someone was out having fun and enjoying such a beautiful night. The smile quickly faded, however, when she spotted Abigail bouncing on the steps and Clint sitting in one of the chaise lounge chairs laughing with some dark-haired rail of a woman. She was even skinnier than Karla! And the bathing suit she wore left nothing to the imagination. Her breasts strained at the fabric, as she reached over and playfully brushed Clint’s arm, as they shared whatever story had brought about the laughter. Aimee didn’t recognize her from the condominium, so Clint had to have invited her over.

A knot formed in Aimee’s stomach. Everything he told her at dinner played back in her mind, and she found herself agreeing with Karla. It was all a ploy to get her to go out with him, so he could ultimately lead her to his bed. He wasn’t seeing anyone else, he told her. He didn’t have time, being a single father and all. He just wanted someone he could hang out with once in a while. A lie. All of it.

She took a deep swallow of her wine, as she forced herself not to scream. How could she have been so stupid? Karla was right. All men were the same. Her fantasy quickly evolved into a nightmare. Well, at least now she knew the answer she would give Mitch Greenway when he called.