Beautiful People | wlw

Thirty-two: Patterns

Ivy had rented a sporty convertible the same shade of cherry red as the cheap heels that Vera had ditched after Ellie made fun of them. With the top down, she screeched up to the curb and proceeded to beep the horn obnoxiously as though it was possible anyone hadn't noticed her.

Vera shaded her eyes against the sun as she stepped out of the lobby. Ivy's journey from the airport through LA traffic had given her time to shower and put on real clothes, but she hadn't had any coffee yet so she still felt like a half-sketched pattern.

Her sister wiggled her fingers in a little wave. In the passenger seat, her chocolate brown toy poodle Toffee put her paws up against the door, panting, but her husband Eric was nowhere to be seen.

"What do you think?" Ivy threw an arm over the back of the leather seat and tossed her glossy black hair. She was wearing pleated plaid shorts and a breezy white button-up; the fit reminded Vera of the look she'd put together for Carmen's morning show appearance in New York all those months ago. "Do I look like a movie star?"

"You look like a gynecologist on vacation. What the hell are you doing here?"

Ivy lowered her huge sunglasses to give her A Look. "Are you serious? My baby sister is living the glamorous LA lifestyle. I had to visit. See what you've been up to. Make you show me the sights. I've been waiting for you to invite me, but since that never happened I decided to plan it myself."

"You couldn't've warned me you were coming?"

"I tried. You don't answer your phone anymore."

"That's a hint that I don't want to talk to you, Ivy. I haven't forgiven you for that rude shit you said about Sharise." Besides, Vera was not about to tell her sister what she'd been up to. Even if it hadn't recently all blown up on her, she wasn't interested in inviting judgment of the life she had built here.

But to her shock, Ivy said, "You're right. I was out of line."

Vera gaped at her. "What?"

"You think I'm not capable of admitting when I'm wrong?" Ivy asked impatiently. "Listen, I went to med school, where weight is treated like the root of all evil. I'm working on it. I shouldn't have said anything about Sharise's size."

"Is this an apology? What is happening right now?"

"Don't be so dramatic. You're a first-class bitch sometimes, too. And if you can get your shit together to become the hottest stylist in LA, then I can make an effort to be more thoughtful." Ivy patted the passenger seat. "Come on, get in. I want you to show me the best shopping in town and tell me all about your famous friends."

"I don't know if I feel like shopping," Vera said, even though it was the famous friends part that was the real problem. A nice shopping trip might actually be just what she needed to lift her spirits.

"You? Not interested in shopping? You're making me think I should be concerned about you."

"And you're making me think I should tell you to go home." Vera pressed her palms into the side of the car and peered down at Toffee. The dog blinked up at her, fluffy tail wagging furiously. She scratched those puffy ears and was gifted with a tiny, squeaky bark of happiness. "You brought the dog but not the husband?"

"It's called a girl's trip, Vee. Plus, I can't trust Eric to make sure she sticks to her diet. He's always feeding her people food even though the vet said we need to stop. You aren't really gonna turn me away after I came all this way, are you?"

She considered that. Outside air felt nice on her face, even if it was more of a hot, dry wind than a refreshing breeze. She did need to leave the house.