Double Trouble: Twenty Two; The Twins' plot against Rebecca...
by Cariad
 
 
 
 

Double Trouble
~*~Twenty Two~*~
Holly and Julia sat bent over a sketch at the Book Café. Hanging on the back of Julia’s chair was a garment bag containing a dress that Julia considered appropriate for the upcoming Ball. Unfortunately, she was not planning on wearing it. Holly would have that honor, provided Holly could overcome her natural modesty. Anything, Holly thought, to avoid an evening with Jonathan Hotchkiss. Besides, Julia had rationalized for her, everyone would think it was Julia in the dress, and not Holly. To get Holly’s mind of the length of leg she would be showing on New Year’s Eve, they had both turned to their rather childish plot to annoy Rebecca enough, she would leave the mansion and their father alone.

“Add to the list of things we need,” Julia said, “Rope, Nair, and super-glue.”

“Rope,” Holly echoed as she added the items to their grocery list, “Nair, and Super-gl…”

Jonathan Hotchkiss pulled out a chair and sat down at the table. Holly and Julia frantically covered their sketches and lists. “May I ask what you need rope, Nair, and super-glue for?” he asked in a faintly amused tone.

Julia blushed as his gaze swung to her guilty sketches.

“You may ask,” Holly covered, “but that will not guarantee an answer.”

“Now I’m intrigued,” he said, gently moving Julia’s fingers from the sketchbook, and bringing it into view. Looking at the sketch of the layout of the second floor of the Crane Mansion, and one room in particular from several angles with notes scribbled as plans were formed and discarded. “I would say that this is where my mother has a room in the Crane mansion,” Jonathan observed as the book was snatched from his hands.

“You may say anything you wish, Mr. Hotchkiss,” Holly snapped, “but only Jules and I know for certain what is contained on these pages, and it shall remain that way.”

“But if you are plotting something against my mother, I have a right to know,” he countered.

“Johnny,” Julia started, “Look, it’s not what you think.”

“No,” he said, “it is exactly what I think. I know a prank when I see one.”

“Johnny,” Julia begged, “I know you think it’s your mother, but you have to understand…”

“Understand what, Julie?” he asked. “You should understand that this has no chance of working.”

The twins slumped in defeat. “You’re going to tell her, aren’t you,” Julia huffed.

“No,” he said patiently, “My mother deserves whatever is coming to her for divorcing my father on a whim to get into Julian Crane’s pocketbook. This won’t work because, among other things, the hand cream that Mother uses, is nothing near the consistency of Elmer’s Glue—in what figure was that?” He held out a hand for the sketchbook. Reluctantly, Holly surrendered the object. “Do either of you know if this town has a hardware store or an arts and crafts store?”

“Wouldn’t know where to look,” Julia said, “why don’t you ask at the counter?”

“Why don’t you?” Jonathan countered, “after all, I’m just here for quality control, it’s the two of you who are out to get my mother.”

Holly covered a sarcastic laugh with a cough. She was saved the awkward moment of explaining herself as Ethan stormed into the Café and up to the counter. “I’ve got to know, Chad,” Ethan stormed. “Have you been lying to me too?”

“Whaddya mean, Ethan?” the man behind the counter asked. “Lying to you, too? I’ve never lied to you, man.”

“I know you were Theresa’s friend first,” Ethan yelled. “So tell me, Chad, how long did you know that she was…” Ethan lowered his voice a touch, so as not to cause a scene among the few patrons. “How long did you know that she was after me when I was engaged to Gwen? How long did you know that Sam Bennett was my real father? How long did you know that she was married to Julian Crane!”

Jonathan leaned back in his chair. “So,” he began, “that is why Ethan was so put out with Theresa, and that is why you were with the home-wrecker yesterday, wasn’t it, Holly?”

Holly lowered her head, gathering herself. “Yes,” she said, knowing another lie would not stand up in the face of the truth. “But you can’t say anything,” she added. “Father has something planned, and it’s got to stay a secret until the Ball.”

“My mother will not be pleased to hear about this. It will interrupt her Valentine’s Day wedding.”

Holly put a hand on Jonathan’s arm. “Please,” she said, “Father won’t tell us what he plans,” she lied. “He only has given us orders to make her appear as if she were appropriate for a Crane bride.”

Jonathan broke out laughing, attracting unwanted stares from Ethan and Chad at the counter. Let them think I’m playing both of them, he mused, and see how much the fallen bastard cares for his sisters. “I think,” he said aloud, “that you both are enjoying training her—if the piles of clothing in the dress shop and the dowdy things you picked out give any evidence.”

Julia rolled her eyes. “Enjoyment only in that shattered illusions are a price to pay for destroying our family—and yours—and the Bennetts.”

“God Damnit Chad!” Ethan shouted, stopping all conversations in the café. “I thought you were my friend. You’re no better than she is! No,” he said in a suddenly quiet voice, “you’re worse. At least Theresa lied to me to get me. You lied to me to get someone else. That makes me sick.”

“But Ethan,” Chad said. Ethan would hear none of Chad’s excuses. He stormed out of the Book Café intent on finding one more person who had defended the little tramp he once thought he loved.

“Well,” Jonathan said after the scene ended, “that was quite interesting. My mother would like to know such things.”

“You’re not going to blackmail us, are you?” Julia said, distraught that her perfect man was not as perfect as she thought.

“My silence can be easily bought,” he said.

“How,” Holly demanded. “I’m sure other plans can be made if your mother finds out. It will make the Ball less amusing, though.”

“Easy enough,” Jonathan said with a smile, glancing to where Ethan’s former friend watched them. “I want a kiss from each of you.”

“No,” Holly said. “My lips will never touch any part of you.”

“Not even as I am improving in your estimation?”

“You are the scum of the earth,” Holly spat.

“Insulting me will not gain my silence, and what does that make Aidan? He has a lot to say when he’s drunk.”

Holly’s eyes flashed as she struggled with a reply. “Aidan talks too much. And associating with him does not raise you in my estimation.”

“My price just raised. Each of you has to plant a kiss upon my cheek and then you both have to walk out of here on each of my arms.”

Holly started a new protest, but Julia stopped her with a look.

“Fine,” Holly capitulated. For Julia, she would foul her lips with Jonathan’s smug self-absorbed cheek.

“Great!” he said, “Now Julie, ask for a hardware store, and we’ll get on with our performance and be on our way.”

Julia came back with a sullen ‘yes’ and some directions. As they rose, according to their blackmail, Holly and Julia placed simultaneous kisses on Jonathan’s face and linked their arms with his. Jonathan knew he was not making points with Holly, but if the only way he could feel her on his arm was to feel her sister on his other arm, he would pay that price. But one day, he vowed to himself, he would break through her self-protecting wall of ice, and he would align her driven agenda with his own. Jonathan smiled, his right cheek still tingling where her lips touched it.

“I could learn to live with blackmail payments like this,” Julia whispered.
Jonathan sighed. If only Holly would.
 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Holly stood stiffly by Jonathan’s side. He had not released them from his grip until they had entered the hardware store. She was holding two bottles of glue—Elmer’s Woodworking glue, and an arts and crafts glue, which bonded the fingers almost instantly. In a small cup, Jonathan was mixing the two, trying to get the consistency of his mother’s hand cream. The set of bells chimed as the door opened, sending in a blast of cold.
“And how can I help you, Noah?” the shopkeeper asked.

“Just looking around,” Noah Bennett replied with a grin. “Seeing if there’s anything here I can get Dad for Christmas.”

Jonathan’s head turned at the sound of Noah’s name. Holly’s watchful eyes noted the phenomenon. Was it possible they knew each other? She shook her head of conspiratorial thoughts. There was no chance that the lofty Jonathan Hotchkiss would lower himself to be dealing with a Bennett.

Noah came up to where Holly and Jonathan were standing. “I couldn’t help but notice the lovely woman you’re with,” Noah said amicably. Holly blushed, though she knew he was probably kidding. “Does she have a sister?” he asked with a wink to Holly.

Holly quickly introduced the two, hoping there would be no scenes. What else could Jonathan expect but to meet locals in a small-town hardware store?

“Bennett,” Jonathan said curtly.

“Hothckiss,” Noah echoed.

“As a matter of fact,” Holly said into the tense atmosphere, “I do have a sister. Jules is towards the back, trying to decide on some rope and what to hang it with.”

“Why would she want to hang rope?” Noah asked.

“It’s a secret,” Holly replied.

Noah shrugged, and moved to the back of the store. He found Julia staring in front of a wall of nails. “How’s my fair Juliet?” he asked, startling Julia.

“I’m fine,” Julia replied, resuming her staring at the wall of nails.

“Why are you trying to hang rope?” he asked.

Julia immediately opened her sketchbook, illustrating Rebecca’s room at the Crane Mansion. Noah studied the book for a moment.

“You know your guy there seems pretty chummy with your sister,” he said.

Julia pursed her lips. “I don’t need advice, big brother.”

“I’m not offering advice, I’m making an observation.”

“Well, he finds her a challenge,” Julia said, rolling her eyes.

“Really?” Noah asked. “I think if he wants a challenge, he’s picking the wrong sister. I’ve got a feeling that she doesn’t give her kisses away very often, but her heart goes with them. You, on the other hand, I’ve seen the way you flirt, so you look like less of a challenge, but the prize is harder to find.”

“Thank you, big brother,” Julia snapped. “I’ve known you for a day, and you’re already handing out life advice. Thanks.”

“Does your Great Aunt Juniper have anything to say about such things?” he asked, hoping to get a smile out of her.

“Great Aunt Juniper is a spinster. She never married anyone. She never fell in love, but she had a lot of wild flings in her youth…” Julia paused. “I think I see.”

Noah looked back at the sketch. “I haven’t done any pranks like this since, high school,” he confessed. “But if you want it to be really good, you’ll have to sink those nails into the studs, or it will all come apart.”

“The WHAT?” Julia asked.

“The studs. In the walls,” Noah explained. “I think you’ll need a stud-finder.”

“A WHAT?”

Noah disappeared for a moment and returned with a hand-held electronic device. “A stud-finder. Walls are essentially hallow, except for the studs, which support them. When you drive a nail into a stud, it’s got someplace to go, or else it just falls out if there is any stress put on it.” Noah moved to an essentially empty section of wall and pressed the device to it. “See, it beeps, and that red dot lights up when there’s stud. Find the studs and all your paintings and things stay up.”

“I did not know that,” Julia confessed, taking the stud-finder from Noah. It would come in handy if their prank was to succeed.

“So now I’ve told you how to hang things properly, who is going to be the victim of this elaborate scheme?”

Julia flicked her eyes up to the front where Holly and Johnny waited. She fought down the stab of jealousy she felt as Johnny tried to put his arm around her sister. “Rebecca Hotchkiss,” she whispered.

“His mother?” Noah asked.

“Yeah, but he’s helping. Seems as though she was a bitch to his father too, and he want’s back at her as much as we do.”

“Revenge isn’t a nice thing, Juliet,” Noah reminded her.

Julia gave a wry smile. “It’s not revenge precisely,” she said. “It’s a proactive assault. She’s trying to kick us out of our own house and turn Daddy against us. Or didn’t you know, that Holly and I are ‘lazy good-for-nothing moochers.’”

“I see,” Noah said. “Or I think I can understand.”

Julia looked up at him from the corner of her eye. “Would you like to help?”