Annie's Rainbow - Fern Michaels [98]
A long time later, in his drunken stupor, Parker heard his name being called over and over. Then he saw them, his sisters, Lela, Teke, Cassie, Mahala, Jana, and Kiki.
“Parker, are you in the chair?”
“Yeah. I’m not moving either. Are you going swimming?”
“No, we came to take you home.”
“My six sisters came to take me home,” Parker singsonged.
“Why is that? How did you know I was here? It doesn’t matter. I’m staying here all day. All night, too.”
“Then so are we. This is stupid, Parker. You’re so drunk I bet you can’t even stand up,” Kiki said.
“That’s true. That’s why I’m sitting here, and that’s why I’m not going home with you.”
“It’s going to be pretty crowded in here,” Lela said, walking through the falls, her sisters behind her.
“Only two people are supposed to be here at a time. That’s what the legend says,” Parker singsonged again.
“So we’re screwing up the legend,” Kiki said. “Listen, girls, I have an idea. If two of us hold on to him, we can jump in and make sure he comes to the top. We’ll never get him off the ledge. What do you think?”
“I think no more coffee to the Daisy Shops. She wants my coffee, but she doesn’t want me. Do you hear me, Kiki? She isn’t going to renew the contract.”
Kiki nodded. To her sisters she said, “Can we do it?”
“Sure, you take one arm and I’ll take the other,” Mahala said.
Kiki reached down to grasp her brother under the arm while her sister took the other arm. “That’s it, upsy daisy.”
“Do not say that to me,” Parker snarled drunkenly.
“Shut up, Parker, and jump!”
Kiki swung one leg backward to kick her brother in the bend of his knees. They sailed through the air and hit the water at the same moment..
“Let’s do that again,” Parker said as his head bobbed above the water.
“Shut up, Parker. This is a three-hundred-dollar suit I’m wearing. Now it’s ruined.”
“Did you ruin your Chanel purse, too?”
The sisters burst out laughing as they dragged their brother to the edge of the pool.
“I don’t think I ever saw Parker drunk,” Jana said.
“He’s just a social drinker,” Mahala said.
“What the hell happened?” Lela asked.
“Annie Clark dumped him. Via Federal Express,” Kiki volunteered.
“Stop talking about me like I’m not here,” Parker said.
“Your body is here, but your mind is pickled. One of us is going to stand you under the shower, and the rest of us are going to make you coffee. How much whiskey did you drink?”
“A lot.”
“What’s a lot?” someone asked.
“How much was in the bottle at the chair?” Parker asked craftily.
Kiki shrugged helplessly. “I didn’t look.”
“Well, there you go. How do you expect me to know if you don’t know?”
“Just shut up, Parker, and get in the bathroom. Can you take your clothes off or should we help you?”
“You sounded just like Mama. I can do it. I said I can do it. Where’s my shoes? Oops, that’s right, I lost them.”
“Parker, it isn’t the end of the world,” Kiki said.
“For me it is. I don’t understand it. I’ll have to close down the laboratory if she doesn’t renew the contract.”
“When you’re sober we’ll talk about it. Maybe we can help.”
“Okay, Kiki. I’ll buy you a new outfit.”
“I don’t want a new outfit, Parker. I just want to help you. When you’re sober you’ll realize what a scary thing that was for all of us. You literally could have killed yourself.”
Parker sighed as he stepped into the shower, clothes and all.
Annie stared at her room-service tray, debating if she wanted to eat the soggy french fries or not. She still couldn’t figure out why she’d ordered the greasy food to begin with. She was a salad and broiled chicken person, not a burger and fries person. The wine was tasteless and felt like it had been watered down.
There was nothing on television, no in-room movies, and she’d forgotten to bring books