A Somers Dream

by Patricia Isabel

  As Marcus pulled into the driveway, he began to feel sick. He knew what he was doing was a good thing but he wasn’t keen on going to jail for a mistake. As he pulled over and put the car in park, Penny looked over at him and wondered what was wrong. She liked Marcus for whatever it was worth. Yes he was working for Lynesse but…could she hold that against him? She decided not to and put her hand on his. “What’s wrong?” she asked him sincerely. “I know it’s wrong to think this and I feel bad doing so. When I drop you off, they’re going to call the cops. I’ve never done jail time for anything I’ve done. I guess this is karma, isn’t it?” Marcus looked over at Penny and couldn’t understand why she was smiling, she was an odd woman, this one. “Let’s not worry about that right now, shall we? I have an idea where we both get what we want” and patted his hand. Penny was sincere on that statement. She believed Marcus wasn’t bad whatsoever and that the circumstances that led him to do what he did was his business. She wasn’t going to pry into his personal life. “Let’s finish this, shall we?” and she gave him the biggest smile she could do. Marcus smiled back and put the car in drive and continued until they reached the house. Feeling a bit apprehensive, he pulled up to the door and turned off the ignition. He had a lot of questions to answer, he knew that but as long as Penny was by his side he felt he could get through it. With a deep breath, Marcus got out of the car and walked over to her side and opened the door. Walking together, they reached the door and rang the bell. If he was to be given forgiveness, he knew he would have to pass the gauntlet first.

  When they heard the doorbell ring, their first thought was ‘who could it be?’ Sitting around, they all stared at each other, neither one moving. Holten was the first to stand up “Well, we’re never going to know who it is if we just sit here now are we” and made for the front door. “Whoever it is, tell them to go away!” Shane yelled after him. He was in no mood for any kind of company. Penny had been missing now for a little over 24 hours and he was feeling frantic. What if they never find her? He would never have the chance to tell her how much he loved her and that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with her. With despair creeping up on him again, he put his head in his hands and tried to block out the noise which was coming from the front hall. Gabe had gotten up to go see what was going on when he heard a familiar voice. A very familiar voice. Penny? Shane looked up and down the hall. Yes, it was Penny! Shane bolted past Gabe to the front door and stopped dead. He couldn’t believe his eyes, it was her! She was here! In his foyer! Shane rushed towards her and picked her up in a huge hug. Penny couldn’t help but laugh as she literally got swept off her feet, holding onto him as if she was never going to let go. Gabe and Holten stood rooted to their spots unable to believe what was happening and smiling like a couple of idiots. There was a lot to discuss but that could wait a few more moments. Everyone was just happy that Penny was there and that she was unharmed and now safe.

  Once Shane was certain that Penny was going nowhere, he let her down but kept her close to him. There were so many questions to ask. “How?... Who?... What happened?” he asked. Searching her face, she saw him glance at the very large man standing in his doorway and a pang of jealousy raged through him. “Who the hell is this guy?!” his thoughts going to places he didn’t want to be. Gabe noticed the tension in Shane’s face when he looked at Penny’s escort “Why don’t we all go into the kitchen. Dad here will make a pot of coffee and Penny can relax and tell us what the hell happened” he looked at Marcus “Why don’t you come in. I have a feeling you play a part in this somewhere”. All Marcus could do was grimace and step further into the house. He knew they wouldn’t like his part in it but he hoped that the end will make up for the beginning. Gabe closed the door and began to make his way to the kitchen with Holten and the rest following close behind “Make one pot of coffee and all of a sudden, I’m the kitchen bitch”. He heard Shane laughing at their father’s comment and it felt good to hear it.

  Once everyone was settled and had a cup of coffee, everyone with the exception of Marcus, looked at Penny. Shane, Gabe and Holten all waited to hear what had happened after Gabe got hit on the head and was knocked out. Penny began her story from the beginning to where she saw Marcus hit Gabe. “So I have you to thank for the egg on the back of my head” he said looking at Marcus while rubbing the back of his head, it still ached a little. Marcus looked up at Gabe “Sorry about that. I tried not to hit too hard” and he looked back down at his cup. He was feeling guilty about his part in all of this. Penny looked over at Marcus, she wasn’t going to let him shoulder all the blame for someone else’s action. “Please, don’t blame Marcus. He was only doing what he was told to do” she looked at Shane with pleading eyes “Let’s not dwell on what he did but on what he has done, shall we?” Shane wasn’t convinced but he was willing to hear him out for Penny’s sake. She took Marcus’s hand in hers and gave it a slight squeeze. He looked at her and gave a small smile at which Shane had noticed and held in the urge to punch him in the face. “Marcus should be the one who tells this story. I can only give from the time I was out to the time I woke up. He can give us the beginning to when Lynesse called him” Penny looked at each and every one of them around the table and saw the shocked expressions on their faces when she mentioned that woman’s name. “Lynesse?” Shane said “What does Lynesse have to do with your kidnapping?” As soon as it came out of his mouth, he knew. “I’m gonna kill her” and he began to stand up when Penny held onto his arm. “Shane, please, let’s hear what Marcus has to say first. Then we all can decide what is to be done”. He looked at her and slowly sat down, he was fuming inside but she was right. They all needed to hear the details and then take the next course of action. “The young lady’s right son. It won’t do any good if we go off half cocked” Holten said from across the table. He knew Lynesse was eccentric but he never thought she would pull a stunt like this. Gabe turned his head towards Marcus whose head was down trying to be forgotten in all this. “Well, let’s hear it” he said to Marcus. Marcus lifted his head and, once again, looked over at Penny. She gave him a reassuring smile and he began at the beginning when Lynesse first called him up to the time when he hit Gabe. No one interrupted, no one broke eye contact with him. They all sat there and listened to the plan she came up with to the results she was expecting. “It was all about you” he said motioning towards Shane “She knew Penny here was a threat so she needed to get her out of the picture long enough for you to fall at her feet”. Shane couldn’t believe what he heard. He looked over at Gabe “See? If you would’ve just let me bury her in the driveway when I wanted too, none of this would’ve happened!” Shane stood up and began to pace around the kitchen. The only thing anyone could do was watch as he kicked a chair and pounded the counter. Gabe stood up and walked over to his brother “And that would’ve resolved nothing but having the cops at your door” he said. “He’s right, son. Lynesse will get what’s coming to her for this, mark my words” Holten said as he also stood up and walked over to Shane. Penny was feeling a bit emotional at how Shane’s brother and father gathered around him. It was a heartwarming scene and she was happy to be there to witness it. Shane looked at both his brother and father “What do we do about it?” he asked, hoping for a hanging. “She doesn’t know I let Penny go, let alone drove her here” Marcus stated and all three of them looked over to where he was sitting. That was something they could probably work with and get Lynesse to admit what she had done. This time it was Gabe that started pacing around the kitchen while everyone looked on. They needed to find a way to get Lynesse here and to confess to what she had done. Gabe looked over at his father, “Do you know where she is, dad?” Holten thought for a moment then shook his head “She never tells me what she’s about. Never has. She’s probably still in bed” Shane walked over to the phone and handed it over to his father “Call the house. See if she’s there”. “I’ll call her from my cell. She doesn’t need to know I’m here” and took out his phone and began to dial. Once someone on
the other end answered, Holten asked about his wife. With a look of surprise, he hung up the phone. “Well?” both Gabe and Shane asked at the same time. “She’s already out of the house” he said “I know for a fact she doesn’t breath until after one. The housekeepers always complain they can’t clean the upstairs because she’s sleeping”. “Would she go to the cabin?” Gabe asked Marcus “No. She didn’t want Penny to know she was involved” he said, if anything he knew Lynesse and her paranoia. “Good. Then she doesn’t know you guys are here and we can use that to our advantage” Gabe went to sit at the table to think what their next move would be. It would have to be a good one and a convincing one to get Lynesse to confess. She was narcissistic enough, then again, she wasn’t stupid either. “We just need to find a way to get her here without her being suspicious” Penny got up and walked down the hall to stretch her legs. Going towards the window, she noticed a car coming down the driveway and pulling up next to the garage. Seeing the brunette getting out of the driver’s side, Penny walked back towards the kitchen “I don’t think getting her here will be a problem” she mentioned as she looked over at Marcus and motioned for him to get up. “Why do you say that?” asked Shane, walking towards Penny once Marcus stood. Penny motioned for Marcus to follow her and he did, like a puppy on a leash “Where are we going?” he asked her, following her out to the backyard. Penny pushed him out the door and turned around before walking through the threshold “Because she’s here” and as she turned to follow Marcus, the doorbell rang. All three men, standing in the kitchen, stared after Penny and Marcus and then looked down the hall at the door. “Well I’ll be damned” Gabe said “Guess she’s not as smart as I thought she was”. “She married dad. How smart did you think she was” and Shane left to answer the door. “Hey!” Holten yelled and Gabe had to suppress a laugh while Shane went to let in the bane of their existence.

  CHAPTER 29

  When Lynesse pulled up to the house, she noticed an extra car in the drive. ‘It must be Marks’ as she parked the car and headed towards the house. The man wasn’t ostentatious to drive a classy car. He preferred the beat up old jalopies instead of the BMW’s, Mercedes or Jaguars, which was odd because Holten paid him well. He still chose to wear those polyester suits from the 1970’s instead of Versace or Armani. The man was an enigma for sure. She guessed he was here under Holten’s orders to help find the tramp. ‘Like he could do anything helpful, he’s good at finding numbers and deals, not people’ she thought with a grin as she walked up the stairs and rang the bell.

  Shane opened the door and did his best to hide the contempt he had for Lynesse. What he ever saw in her was beyond him now. Now all he saw was a selfish, vicious woman who cared for no one but herself. Plastering a smile on his face, Shane gave a greeting that even surprised him “Hey! I was just going to call you. How are you?” and he leaned in to kiss her cheek. He felt like vomiting. Lynesse was somewhat surprised at this but she knew he would have given in sooner or later. “Hey back” she said as she leaned in to kiss him back “I’m fine, thanks. What did you want to talk to me about?” She already knew what he wanted to discuss but she wanted to hear it from him personally. As Shane led her to the living room, he suggested that she sit and took a seat next to her “I wanted to talk to you. I have been thinking about that night when you were here and I wanted to apologize. I acted harshly. I was just so surprised to see you here and everything, I didn’t let what happened sink in. I know you were only being the woman I fell in love with but when everything happened all those years ago, I guess I was still harbouring the anger and jealousy. I didn’t see how much I really missed you” Shane was feeling sick to his stomach saying those words. Watching Lynesse and how her eyes lit up was more than he could stand. How can anyone be so deceiving but yet is so vapid at the same time? “Oh Shane! I knew it! I just knew you still loved me!” she exclaimed. She couldn’t believe it was all coming true. Lynesse leaned over to hug him and Shane, hesitantly, returned the gesture. Sitting back, Lynesse looked at Shane with adoration that her mind was a whirlwind of ideas. She knew she had to contain her emotions, Holten was around here somewhere and she didn’t want to let that golden goose go just yet. She palmed Shane’s face and gave him her biggest smile “I knew you would come around. You just needed to see how important we were to each other”. She wanted to kiss him so badly but couldn’t and it was infuriating. “I saw Holten’s car in the drive. He’s here I take it?” Shane nodded and motioned towards the kitchen. Lynesse looked back towards where he signaled and she sighed, she needed to discuss what comes next for them but not with her husband in the next room. “Is there somewhere we can go where it’s private? What we need to discuss doesn’t need to be heard by anyone” and she stood, waiting for him to lead. The last thing Shane wanted was to be enclosed in a room with this woman. He couldn’t be responsible for his actions, like throttling her, but he knew if he wanted to get her talking about Penny he would have to comply. With a shudder that she never noticed, he led her up the stairs to his bedroom.

  Holten and Gabe hunched behind the counter to listen in on what was being said between Shane and Lynesse. “Doesn’t the man believe in walls?” Holten whispered as he tried not to be seen. Lynesse had her back to them but neither one wanted to take the chance she should turn around “Would’ve been easier if there was a door instead of open space” Gabe just smiled at his father. He liked the open concept Shane designed, made the house seem larger but Holten was of the old ways and liked his closed in spaces. When they heard them get up and walk towards the staircase, they slowly traced their steps around the kitchen counter. It was all up to Shane now and Gabe hoped he could get her to tell him what they wanted to know before he threw her out the window. Holten walked over to the kitchen window and gave a thumb’s up to Penny and Marcus, letting them know that things were progressing. Gabe hoped his father was right and that it didn’t turn into a disaster.

  Penny and Marcus found themselves a cozy place to sit within the foliage Shane had landscaped around the pool. They could easily see the house from where they were but they couldn’t be seen, which was how they wanted it. Lynesse couldn’t know they were there just yet. Penny saw Holten give a thumb’s up, letting them know their plan was in action. “Do you think she’ll tell him?” Marcus asked, looking somewhat worried “She can be a talker when she wants to but she can also keep to herself”. Penny looked at him “Shane can be persuasive if he needs to be” ‘I just hope not too persuasive’ she thought and she gave Marcus a smile. “Well, I hope he hurries and gets her to own up. I’m sitting in something that’s gushy” he said with a disgusted look on his face. Penny’s eyes lowered to where he was seated and stifled a laugh at the mound of wet leaves and mushrooms around him.

  When Shane walked up the stairs, he could feel Lynesse’s eyes watching him. He hoped he could get her to tell him without having to ‘do’ anything. He allowed Lynesse to pass in front of him and followed her into the bedroom. “Close the door” she said as she walked over to the bed and sat down. “And what if my dad wonders why the door is closed?” But Shane did as she asked. He walked over to the bed where she sat and took her hands into his. If he was going to play this, he needed to pull out all the stops no matter how revolting it was. “You are giving me a tour and it closed on its own” she responded “it does happen” and she smiled. ‘I’m sure it does whenever you’re in a room’ Shane thought and smiled back at her. Lynesse leaned in to kiss him and Shane followed suit. This was the last thing he wanted to do but if he wanted to get her to talk, she had to believe he was all for it. All Shane could think about while kissing was compare her to Penny. He could feel the coldness in Lynesse’s lips whereas Penny was all warmth and all he wanted to do was feel Penny’s lips on his once again. Talking her by the shoulders, Shane broke off the kiss and went to stand next to the window where the nightstand was. He was hoping to catch a glimpse of Penny to give him strength but there was no sight of her. Which was not surprising, she would’ve
found a place to hide and made sure they couldn’t be seen but still see the house. He had a feeling exactly where she was when he felt a pair of hands surround his waist. Turning around, he gently pushed Lynesse away from him. He didn’t want Penny to see her in his arms “Lynesse, we need to go slow. There’s been so much the past few years, I’m still unsure of all this” As he looked down on her, he noticed out of the corner of his eye the phone on the stand. There was an intercom option on the phone, all he needed to do was push the button and the whole house can hear the conversation. But he needed to get Lynesse away from it first and as he motioned for her to sit on the bed he made sure he blocked her view from what he was doing. As she sat down, he sat next to her and pushed the button without her being the wiser for it. Lynesse was about to say how they would get past what happened when Shane silenced her with his finger on her lips “I want to trust you again but I’m unsure as how to go about it. I want you to know that I do have feelings for someone else and I’m not sure exactly what they are yet. She left me with no word and I need to close that part of my life before I can move on” Shane hoped he had sounded sincere enough for Lynesse to buy it. “Oh sweetie” she smiled at him “You were always so emotional. I do so love that about you. But maybe it’s for the best that she’s gone, no? I’m here now. You don’t need that woman, you only need me” Lynesse reached up and palmed his face. She knew she couldn’t make love to him here while Holten was downstairs. It wouldn’t be ideal for him to walk in on them, no it wouldn’t. Lynesse tried to kiss him but Shane pulled away “I know that, honey” that word stuck in his throat “but if I could only find her and tell her it’s over. Let her know that she didn’t get to me. I know it sounds ridiculous but it’s something I need to do before we can be together, but I can’t find her anywhere”. Shane hoped that came across as desperation to be with Lynesse. He needed a reason for her to give up what happened to Penny and the only way he could think of was for him ‘needing’ to see Penny before being with her. Lynesse stared at Shane, not believing what she was hearing. He needed to see her before he could move on? She knew he was a bit of a romantic and a weakling of the heart but she never knew he was so…dramatic. She stood up and walked to the middle of the room. If she was to produce Penny, he would be able to tell her what he wanted too and then they could be together. She needed to tread lightly here, she looked over at Shane “Can I ask you a hypothetical question?” she walked over to him and sat on the bed and Shane looked at her with confusion, at least he hoped he looked that way. “Just so that I can understand what you’re saying” she said quickly knowing he had a curious nature and he would want to hear it. “Sure. Ask away” he said, trying to sound interested. He really needed her to confess so that everyone in this house, and backyard, can move on with their lives and give her what she’s due. But he also knew Lynesse could spook easily and the last thing he wanted was for this to blow up in his face. “What if you knew she was in town? Would you end it and come be with me?” This is what he was waiting for “Of course! Why would you ask such a crazy thing? I want to be with you, Lynesse. Not her. But I need to end it first, it’s the right thing to do. For the both of us” Shane reached out and held her close. Playing this part was difficult, he didn’t like being this close to her let alone be touching her. Lynesse returned the hold on Shane and she held on so tight that he felt she would cut off his oxygen. This is what Lynesse was waiting for, although he wasn’t begging her forgiveness, this would have to do. Lynesse broke her hold on Shane and smiled “I know where she is” she said with a smile. Before Shane could cut her off, she quickly added “I knew you wanted to be with me but needed to end it with her before you could. I found out she was in town and extended an invitation, so to speak, for her to stay at my cabin”. Shane couldn’t believe his ears, he still needed to hear her say what she did so he needed to tread lightly “What do you mean by extended an invitation?” Lynesse was to giddy to be careful now, she had him. Shane was hers now and no matter what she had done, he would see it as a means for them to be together. “Well, I found out she was in town so I had her brought to my place. She wasn’t hurt if that’s what you’re worried about” she smiled as she said this. She knew he would be worried about anyone who was taken under those circumstances. “I made a phone call to an associate of mine and he tracked her down and found out she was heading back to town. I believed she was probably going to try to weasel her way back and well, I couldn’t have that knowing that you still did love me. So, I had him kidnap her and bring her to my cabin where he has been taking real good care of her. So there is no need to give me that worried look of yours. She’s perfectly safe” Lynesse gave a quick kiss on his lips to reassure him all was fine. Shane was ready to explode but kept his cool, this still wasn’t over. “I think maybe we should make our presence known downstairs. Dad is going to wonder what’s taking so long up here and I don’t want him thinking anything was going on if you know what I mean”. And he stood, holding his hand out to Lynesse for her to take. “We still need to discuss what to do about Holten. He can’t know about us, darling. Not ever” Lynesse stood and, with her hand in his, made her way towards the door. “Oh don’t worry about dad. He won’t hear a thing from me” “I knew you would understand” she said to him before walking down the stairs. Everything was going according to plan and Lynesse couldn’t be happier. Shane was doing his best not to run down the stairs, but he was hurrying her along slightly. He wanted away from her and Penny in his arms.