But there was something about Lulu — something so vulnerable and sweet — that made me want her theory to be true. It was certainly a very nice theory, and one that would boost the self-esteem of any girl whose mother sat her down and told it to her. Who knew? Maybe it was true. Lulu certainly seemed to believe it.
And I had no doubt that every guy she met did fall in love with her, at least a little.
I believed it was probably a little true for Nikki Howard too… except where Brandon Stark’s dad was concerned.
But then there was what had happened that afternoon with Christopher. How could I even begin to explain how weird that had been?
‘I don’t know,’ I said slowly. ‘My sister said something about Christopher maybe having been in love with, um, Em Watts. You know, the girl who died at the Stark Megastore grand opening? Only him not having realized it until it was too late and she was… dead. I don’t know if this is true. She was probably wrong. But they were best friends before she died. And, you know, he was there when she was killed. And my sister thinks maybe now his heart is broken.’
There was a pause as this soaked in. Then Lulu flattened a hand against her chest and looked at me with her huge Bambi eyes, suddenly full of tears.
‘That,’ she said, ‘is the most romantic thing I have ever heard.’ She looked over at the housekeeper. ‘Katerina. Isn’t that the most romantic thing you’ve ever heard?’
Katerina had her massage things packed up by then and was now cleaning out the refrigerator, throwing out expired containers of yogurt. ‘Yah,’ she called over her shoulder.
Lulu turned back to me. ‘Listen,’ she said, reaching out and taking my hand, ‘all is not lost. The important thing you’ve got to do now is make a connection with him. Show him that you understand what he’s lost. That you feel his loss.’
I shook my head. ‘But Lulu… how can I do that? I’m a stranger to him. Worse… I’m a supermodel, who represents Stark Enterprises, the company that pretty much is responsible for killing his best friend — and represents everything else evil in the world. I’m everything that Christopher hates. How can I make a connection with him when I’m someone he can’t stand? I’m telling you, it’s totally hopeless.’
‘Nothing is hopeless where true love is concerned,’ Lulu said, giving my hand a squeeze. ‘Haven’t you heard a word I’ve said? You’ve just got to give him time. He’s experienced a terrible loss. His heart has been torn in two. It’s going to take love and patience to being him back amongst the living… just like it took love and patience to bring you back to me… even if you are a little strange now. Strange,’ Lulu added hastily, ‘but much nicer than you used to be.’
I sighed. ‘I don’t know, Lulu. I want to think you’re right, but… maybe, if your theory is right, and with great power comes great responsibility, the kinder thing to do would be to just leave him alone.’
Lulu looked searchingly into my eyes. ‘What does your heart say, Nikki?’
I felt tears fill my eyes. Because I couldn’t help remembering what Mr Phillips had said that day in Dr Holcombe’s office — What is the locus of our identities… our souls, as it were?Is it the brain? Or is it the heart? Nikki Howard’s brain, it’s true, is no longer functioning. Her heart, on the other hand, continues to beat.
I remembered now how I’d lain my hand over Nikki Howard’s heart and felt it beating. It had felt so foreign to me. I’d wondered then if it would ever feel like my own heart.
But it felt like my own heart now. It felt like my own heart now because nothing but my own heart could hurt so much. It felt like my own heart because the truth was?
It was breaking.
‘My heart says that I love Christopher,’ I said miserably. ‘But it’s so hopeless, Lulu. The chances of my ever getting him even to be friends with me are nil… let alone the chances of us ever being anything else.’
The intercom buzzed, causing us both to jump.
‘I will get,’ Katerina said, and she shuffled off to do so.
‘Listen,’ Lulu said, giving my hand another squeeze. ‘If the delivery guy asks me out, will you believe me that you have a chance with Christopher?’
I slipped my hand out from hers in order to wipe away my tears.
‘Lulu. You’re in a fluffy robe and slippers. The delivery guy isn’t going to—’
‘The delivery guy is going to ask me out,’ Lulu said. ‘I told you, we women have an awesome power that we have to wield with responsibility. So this isn’t fair of me, because I’m not even interested in dating anyone right now, since I just broke up with Justin, and I need to go see my astrologist to find out which sign I should concentrate on trying to date next. But I will do it, to prove a point to you. Then will you believe me?’
‘Fine,’ I said with a shaky laugh. ‘Go for it.’
The elevator doors opened, and the unsuspecting delivery guy stepped out, holding a plastic bag.
‘That’ll be eleven fifty,’ he said to Katerina as he handed her the bag.
‘I’m not paying,’ Katerina said. ‘She’s paying.’ And she pointed at Lulu.
Lulu got up off the couch and, giving the sash to her fluffy robe a tug to tighten it, approached the delivery guy. I couldn’t say I noticed anything at all different about her, except that a beguiling smile had appeared on her elfin face.
But the delivery guy sure seemed to straighten up all of a sudden.
‘Well,’ Lulu said to him ‘hello there. Eleven fifty, you said? Hold on a second, my wallet is right here. Why, you’re all wet. Is it raining out there? Do you want a towel? Here, let me get you a towel. It’s getting cold out, isn’t it? I wouldn’t want you coming down with something. Then who would bring me my banana splits? I sure do love banana splits. Here, here’s a twenty. You can keep the change. And here’s a big fluffy towel. What’s your name?’
‘Roy,’ said the delivery guy in a dazed voice as he wiped off his face with the towel Lulu had handed him.
‘Roy?’ Lulu said, taking the towel back. ‘What a nice name. Is that Hungarian?’
‘I don’t know,’ the delivery guy said, still sounding dazed. ‘What’s your name?’
‘My name is Lulu,’ Lulu said. ‘That’s with two Ls and two Us.’
‘That’s a pretty name,’ Roy said. ‘Would you want to go out with me sometime?’
My jaw dropped.
‘Oh my goodness,’ Lulu said. ‘I’d love to! But only if my husband could come along.’
‘Your husband?’ Roy looked stunned.
‘Come on,’ the elevator attendant said in a bored voice, pulling Roy back on to the elevator. ‘Let’s go.’
‘Bye, Roy,’ Lulu said, waving. ‘Don’t catch a cold!’
The elevator doors closed on a still-stunned Roy’s face. As soon as he was gone, Lulu turned triumphantly towards me and did a little victory dance.
‘There!’ she cried. ‘See? I told you!’
I shook my head in wonder. I really couldn’t believe what I’d just witnessed.
‘That,’ I said, truly impressed, ‘was amazing. But how did you do that? You’re in a bathrobe! You weren’t even wearing anything low-cut or revealing.’
‘I was kind and friendly to him,’ Lulu said, shaking her head. ‘And I exuded confidence and charm. That’s what I was trying to tell you. Anyone can do it. It doesn’t matter how you look or what you’re wearing.’ She crossed the room to the kitchen island, where Katerina had opened the bag containing our banana splits. Lulu swung herself up on to one of the stools until she was sitting in front of one of the plastic containers.
‘I don’t think I could do it,’ I said, getting up from the couch and following her. ‘I don’t think I have that kind of confidence.’
‘Of course you can do it, Nikki,’ Lulu said, digging into her banana split with one of the plastic spoons the deli had provided. ‘You used to do it all the time, before the spirit transfer. Sometimes you did it for the wrong reasons, just to be mean, which was why I had to give you the speech about how with great power comes great responsibility and so on. So you can do it with this Christopher person too, easy. You just have to have confidence. And, like I said, you have to make a connection.’
‘Fine,’ I said with a sigh. ‘I’ll try.’
Lulu giggled and flicked some ice cream at me. She missed, and Cosabella attacked the glob that landed on the floor.
‘Hey!’ I said, glaring at Lulu. ‘What was that for?’
