Betrayal
Dedication
I would like to thank my family, mum (Christine Smith) for her belief in me all this time. My two sisters, brother and niece (Clare, Rob, Ruth and Amy) for their time. My partner John, for hounding me, when I hadn't done the tea (Ha ha.) My children Meg, Joe, Ben and Belle, for the use of their wonderful names (which I picked anyway!)
Finally, I would like to say the biggest thank you to my fantastic dad, Stuart Smith, who was there through the whole time, the heartache and the laughter. I will love you forever, and everyday I miss you.
RIP ~ Stuart Smith 21.8.44 - 18.11.11
BETRAYAL
by Lucy-Anne Smith
© 2012 Lucy-Anne Smith
published by Xynobooks, LLC
All Rights Reserved.
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Table of Contents
Dedication
Title Page
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
About the Author
CHAPTER 1
Today, Samantha was coming home. She had been away for a year. It had been a whole year of no phone calls or nights out together. A year of Mum not saying, “Did you know Samantha did such and such?” or “Did you hear what Sam did now?” 365 days of not seeing my sister’s fiery auburn hair and her angelic face smiling.
Sam and I had always been very close from our childhood. We never really argued like most siblings. We always got on and always had fun. We were nothing alike, though, in our looks or our personalities.
I could still remember the day Sam rang me up and told me that she was going travelling. She declared this after one of her many relationships had gone sour. She never seemed to pick a decent man. Her last “prince” was a 22-year-old who acted like a two-year-old most of the time.
Don’t get me wrong; when I first met him, he was nice enough. Friendly, fairly good-looking, dark wavy hair; you know the sort. But he was a complete loser. He never had a job for the three years that they were together. Matt was his name. Matt Jenkins. He ended up being horrible. No wonder Sam left him. He was always spending her money. Sam had always been a follower, not a leader. Despite that, I loved her.
Anyway, after “expanding her horizons,” as she explained it, she was coming back. I couldn’t wait! Mum rang me earlier in the week to tell me that Sam had called and was coming home on Saturday, I was so happy. All that day I smiled like the Cheshire cat.
Don’t get me wrong; she had written and phoned a lot. All that wasn’t the same as having her here, though. We (Mum, Dad and me) had all really missed her. When Sam left, Mum got herself into a real state. Mum was tearful and moody as if she was going through puberty all over again! We dared not talk to her for a few days for fear of getting our heads bitten off.
Mind you, Mum had always favoured Sam for some reason. Even though every week she gave Mum a few more gray hairs. Perhaps it was just because she was the youngest. I was used to it. I mean I had lived with it for 32 years. Parents weren’t meant to do it, but they did. It never did me any harm; in fact, as a result Dad and I became closer.
It was great that she was on her way home at last. I was bursting at the seams to find out what she had been up to while she had been on her adventures. Did she look any different? Where had she been? Had she met any new friends? All these questions needed answering.
I myself had never been anywhere. I had never achieved any of my goals in life as Sam had. Did I have any goals? Yes, of course I did. For instance, when I was 10, I wanted to be a nun. Dad really liked this idea when I ran into the living room with my rah-rah skirt on, sandals and a pink towel around my head. I think he thought he had struck gold or something.
This all changed when I met Billy Franks at 12 and had my first kiss. Dad was not happy! Nowadays, I lived the simple life, which consisted of three basic steps: sleep, work and food. Maybe I would go out for a drink somewhere, but nothing ever out of the ordinary. However much I thought about something exciting, I just didn’t do it. That was me: plain old Bethenny Anne Dempsey.
The previous Monday, after Mum called, I went out with my friends Meg, Ben, Isabelle, Joe and Rachel. It was nice to take them some news about Sam at last. As I arrived at the pub, they were already there, sitting at one of the high tables chatting over their drinks.
“Hey, guys!” I called as I walked through the double doors. All five heads turned to look at me. There were jeers and shouting.
“Hi, Beth, you OK?” asked Meg.
“Yes, but guess what? Sam’s coming home on Saturday!” I said as I ordered my drink and went to sit down with the others.
“Great! How long has she been gone?” Ben inquired with a look of excitement.
“It’s been just over a year. It seems like forever!”
Joe looked over at me “I always wanted to do that, you know; travel.” He then looked lovingly into Rachel’s eyes and stroked her hand. “That was, until I found Rach.” Rachel kissed him on the cheek.
“You’re a little sweetie,” Rachel said. “We could still do that if you wanted, love.”
“Yeah, perhaps we could sort it out someday,” Joe said.
After a few hours of laughing and joking, I looked at my watch. It was nine o’clock, so I cut my evening shorter than usual. I had work early the next day. To be honest, it was nice to get home and just do nothing for a change.
The week dragged by, but eventually Saturday came. We were supposed to leave at half past 12 and it was now already noon. I finished putting on my makeup, jeans and t-shirt. I went down the mahogany staircase and went into the kitchen. This kitchen was my favourite place in the whole house. It had taken most of my savings to pay for the kitchen’s renovations, but it was worth it.
There was an island in the middle and all the worktops were pure black granite. I had a modest breakfast bar and shiny slimline mixer taps. The room looked great; it made me feel like a queen. A broke one, but a queen nonetheless. I put my dishes in the washer and twisted the knob in a clockwise direction to the hottest wash. Realising the time, I grabbed my keys and jacket and raced out the front door. It would take me five minutes to drive to Mum and Dad’s house. Dad was driving us to the airport. For some reason he didn’t like the way I drove. He always said that whenever I had a near-miss he didn’t care for how I would laugh it off. I could never see his point.
I arrived at 32 Maple Tree Drive. I jumped out of my car and walked to the front door to ring the bell.
“Hi, love!” Mum stood at the white PVC front door with a child-like grin spread across her face. Her brown cropped hair and make-up immaculate as always. She didn’t look like the 54 years of age that was stated on her birth certificate.
“Hi, Mum; ready to go?”
“Yes. I’ll just hurry your Dad. He’s in the loo.”
That’s what I always loved about my mother. She tells you more than you ever needed to know. She screamed up the stairs, “BRIANNNNNNN!” A few minutes passed before you could hear Dad jogging down the stairs like a retired Olympic athlete, change jingling in his pocket. We all got into his silver Ford Focus and he backed out of the drive.
On the way to the airport, the drive was great. I felt lik
e a child again! Me sitting in the back and Mum and Dad in the front, chatting. I loved to watch everyone going about their lives. I always had done, making little stories in my head. It fascinated me. Some people walking their dogs, some going to buy a newspaper; some, just maybe, going to tell their wife that they were having an affair, Mostly, their lives seemed to be about as exciting as mine was.
Best of all though, I loved the scenery! The whole countryside was amazing! I mean, could you just imagine how old all the trees were? It was all so beautiful, so breathtaking. I really think I must have been a wood sprite at some point in one of my past lives, flying from tree to tree. It made me laugh every time I thought of myself in a little green-netted number.
“Beth.” Mum said with a flick of her head and making me jump out of my dream in the process.
“Yes, Mum?”
“Daisy rang yesterday and asked after Sam.”
Aunty Daisy and Uncle James were Mum and Dad’s closest friends and had been for (more or less) 30 years. They weren’t our actual aunt and uncle, but because we had grown up knowing them as that, it just stuck. They also had a son called Oliver who was three years older than I was. Sam had a crush on him when we were younger. I don’t think he thought the same way about Sam.
“Oh, yeah?” I answered still looking out of the window.
“Yes. Well, anyway, she told me that Ollie is coming home for a visit at the same time. So it would be the best time for a get-together.”
Ollie had gone to live over in Germany for the past 10 years. He came back every so often to visit his parents. He decided on this big change after he went over to study. He loved it so much he decided to stay there.
“Cool. It’ll be nice to see them,” I replied as I tried to stifle a yawn. I didn’t want Mum thinking I was bored.
Eventually we got to the airport at quarter past one. It was good to arrive, if a little late. Mum and Dad went to the café to wait it out with a nice warm cup of tea and maybe a small slice of carrot cake for Dad. Mum was on another diet, which she always encouraged Dad to go on also, telling him that he wasn’t getting any younger. Of course, he never listened.
“Yes, Gabby; no, Gabby; I know, Gabby!” he would robotically reply to her insistences. It always made me laugh. I, on the other hand went to the newsagent’s to buy a fizzy drink. I didn’t need anything else as I had a book.
It took me 15 minutes to find the bloody shop! That annoyed me. Walking into the terminal, I sat down by the passenger exit that Sam would soon come out of and started to read my book, Love Lost Island. It was getting to the good bit where Ricardo was declaring his undying love for Beatrice (I had waited so long for love myself that I now relied on books for it, instead.)
Suddenly, there was the noise of what sounded like a child having a tantrum. Looking up, I saw a small boy, about the age of five, lying on the cold, grey-tiled floor screaming and shouting at his mother. His arms and legs thrashed around while his Mum tried to calm him down with a packet of sweets. I carried on reading my book.
10 minutes later, I heard another set of cries. I thought it was the same kid. Glancing ‘round, I realized that it was no child, but my sister running towards me shouting my name.
“Bethenny!” Jumping up, I dropped my book. Just in time, it turned out, as at that moment, Sam leaped at me. I gave her the biggest embrace that I had since she was six years old and her hamster—Gerald—passed away. I enveloped her in my arms for what felt like a lifetime. Then she let go, enabling me to breathe once more.
“It’s so great to see you again, Beth!” she said panting, trying to get her breath back. “I’ve really missed you.”
“Yeah. I’ve missed you, too, Sam.”
“Hey! Where are Mum and Dad?”
“Oh, in the café around the corner.” I pointed into the distance. “Dad’s sugar levels were falling dangerously low again.” I replied, starting to chuckle. Sam understood what I was referring to and began to laugh herself.
“This, by the way, is Russell. Russ, this is my wonderful big sister, Bethenny.” I hadn’t noticed before now, but as I glanced to the left of my whimsical sister, I saw a man standing there, He was dressed very casually in quarter-length black cargo trousers, a plain red t-shirt and a pair of red and black Converse. As I looked him up and down (in a nice way, of course) I noticed he looked a bit older than she did, too. I would have ventured at about early 40s.
His hair was dark; almost black. Black like a midnight sky without any stars. His hair was slightly longer than a normal male’s haircut; straight and shiny. He probably could have passed for a professional skater with the way in which he was dressed.
He was attractive. Who was I trying to kid? He was gorgeous! Then I realized he had stuck out his hand so I obliged him so as not to be rude. His skin was lightly tanned. A good look for him. It was a very nice masculine hand. Soft, but not too soft. The handshake was firm and warm. They say you can tell a lot by a person’s handshake, and his made a good first impression. When he shook my hand, a tingle ran down my spine. I liked him already and he hadn’t even opened his mouth yet!
“Hello. Nice to meet you, Russell,” I said.
“Hi, there. How’re you today, Bethenny?”
“Um, I’m good, thanks. You?”
“Not bad at all. The weather’s cold, though.” We all laughed. His voice was deep and thick with an American accent. I was impressed! My sister had bagged herself a very tasty American. Then there was an awkward silence.
“Right. Um, yeah. Shall we go find Mum and Dad?” I offered, not knowing what else to say.
I let Russell walk a few paces ahead of me so I could take a proper look at him. When he breezed past, I inhaled his scent. He smelled good! The aroma was kind of spicy. Nice. The look of his body, under his t-shirt, was rather buff. Washboard buff. Not a muscle man, though. Wow, I was almost envious of Sam. It was then I realised that I was taking too much of a keen interest in my sister’s boyfriend. I was glad when we rounded the corner to see Mum.
“Mummy!” Sam shouting all the time was starting to get embarrassing!
“Sam, love! How are you? What have you been up to? Are you all right? God, I’ve missed you loads,” Mum said. They hugged each other tightly and there were lots of tears. I passed Mum and Sam a tissue each. We did not want any runny noses around here. Mum dried her eyes. Her mascara was smudged everywhere. I had told her to use waterproof mascara, but she just wouldn’t listen. When they eventually finished, Sam turned on the spot and held out her hand towards Russell.
“Mum, this is Russell. Russ, this is…”
He ended her sentence, “Don’t tell me; you're mom. You look too young to have two grown-up daughters, Mrs. Dempsey. It’s really nice to meet you.” Mum blushed a vibrant shade of pink, but tried her very best to hide it.
“Nice to meet you, Russell.”
They smiled and shook hands.
“Where’s Dad, Mum?” Sam asked.
Mum took her eyes off my sister’s latest crush and looked at Samantha.
“Oh, he’s over there looking at the books on planes.”
I said, “Right, then; let’s go.” I was getting anxious standing still. I never liked these kinds of places; too crowded for my liking. As we started walking through the throng of bodies to find Dad, Mum and Sam walked ahead, arm in arm. They were chatting nonstop. I couldn’t do that; it would have given me a headache. I was more like Dad in that respect. I preferred to be a listener.
As I was walking down the rather dull and noisy terminal, I noticed Russell starting to pick up his walking pace to match mine.
“So what’s England like?” he asked in his very rich American, tones.
“It’s bearable.” I pulled my lips tight. “A bit boring,” I revealed. “What part of America do you come from?” He looked down at me with his dark chocolate eyes shining brilliantly; they gave me goosebumps all over.
“California.”
“What’s it like? Is it nice?”
At the same time, we both looked out of the airport window where we were walking to see the rain that had started to pour. I turned back to him.
“Not like here, then.” Instantly we both started to smirk at each other. Then there was silence again.
“You should come and visit sometime,” he said.
“Yeah, that would be good.”
We carried on meandering in silence until I was walking behind all three of them. I started to think about him. When he smiled, he had a white, straight set of teeth and his crooked grin would go up higher on the left side of his mouth. His voice was warm and inviting. It was a shame Sam found him first. We got to the car. It couldn’t have been a minute too soon, as the rain was now so heavy that you could hardly see two metres in front of your face. We were all soaked!
It was quite funny to see everybody doing the same thing. Everyone ran to their cars, trying to get out of the hammering rain. Dad sat in the driver’s seat, holding the book he had just bought. Sam, Russell and myself squeezed into the back seat of the car. It was a cosy fit!
Dad turned on the ignition, and the engine began its low, soothing hum. The journey in the car was quite enchanting, to say in the least. I could smell Russell’s aftershave all the way home. It was delightful.
It seemed a long time in the car, as nobody really spoke. Sam was going to sleep because of the jet lag. Mum was daydreaming, while listening to some sort of classical music on the radio. Dad was quietly humming to himself.
Soon enough, we were back home. Dad pulled into the driveway and everybody got out. As I stretched, I noticed that it was still raining, just not as hard now. This weather was starting to get me down.
Mum got her key out and opened the front door. Everyone walked in the house and took their shoes off. Mum had just had her living room redecorated, and she didn’t want to chance it getting dirty. I went into the living room and switched the television on. I then offered my services and made a round of teas for everybody. Mum had asked me to stay for a little bit, so as not to look rude, but I didn’t want to rush off. I hadn’t seen Sam for over a year.