by Nicky Webber
‘Yeah, I might get him to buy the next few rounds of season tickets. It’s the least that son-of-a-bitch can do!’
They continue discussing their emotional plight into the night as more wine flows, and raw anger gets expelled, analyzed and let go. Unwanted tears fill her eyes, and they both reach that calm shore of unconditional acceptance for one another. They hug and weep, Fred’s shirt damp with his wife’s tears. He kisses her wet cheeks, and his lips move to her neck, and he gently kisses her beneath her ear, as the comfort and love they share engulfs them both with forgiveness.
CHAPTER 29
Seven Months Later
Middle-age improves their tolerance for one another, and after lengthy discussions the trio agree to move into a more suitable home together. They sell their previous properties and accept they want to live in Santa Barbara. Fred immediately searches for online properties in the area and finds a perfect home with three separate double bedrooms offering adjoining private bathrooms. Combining their finances makes their new shared home more affordable.
After dinner Fred places his laptop on the dining table and presents his ideal luxurious lifestyle property. It is a single story, Spanish stucco-style plastered home with an in-ground pool positioned in a larger yard. The terracotta clay tiled roof and the lush garden of exotic trees and palms are a nod to a resort-style retreat.
‘It’s perfect.’ Maddy smiles at them both.
‘Yes, but can we afford it?’ Logan raises eyebrows at Fred and Maddy. ‘It must be worth a fortune.’
‘It just so happens,’ grins Fred. ‘This property is a deceased estate and I have a copy of the builders’ report. It includes a rough estimate to complete the additional work.’
Maddy’s face drops.
‘Nah, nothing serious, some electrical work and roof guttering replacement.’
‘And the price?’ Logan asks.
‘There’s a bit of wriggle room according to the very helpful real estate agent.’
‘Have you already talked to them?’ Maddy asks incredulously.
‘I’ve done my homework and now that you’ve both seen the photos, are you willing to look at in the flesh?’ Fred says.
Maddy holds her breath. Was it possible they could live in this beautiful home? It was too good to be true. She looks from one expectant man to the other.
‘Well, what?’ she says.
‘Shall I book an appointment for us to view the property over the weekend?’
‘Yes! Of course, I just hope we can swing it.’
‘Me too,’ Logan and Fred smile in unison.
Six weeks later they move into their private sanctuary, surrounded by a tall hedge and metal security gates with cameras. Their new home offers a peaceful escape from the madness of corporate life and a private enclave to live the way they want.
Logan continues his ambitious drive to extol the virtues of good marketing to the world, flying away for several weeks at a time which gives them all some space from one another. He works on transitioning his career into a part-time private business. Logan delivers marketing and multi-media workshops to the public and to the clients he has worked with over the years. Maddy helps him develop the presentations and promote his talks to the broader market. Fred becomes an ardent critic, role-playing as a paying audience member, and sits avidly listening and advising what works and what doesn’t.
The trio laugh a lot and indulge in the successes and pitfalls of sharing their lives. It was a struggle in the beginning, resulting in some ground rules and complicated discussions. Over the past few months, they discover an easy balance with allocated finances, sex, and privacy.
Maddy makes love to both husbands. They soon agree, for the sake of minimizing jealousy and maintaining their dignity, that Maddy will make the call and choose which bed she sleeps in each night. Often, at fifty-four-years old, she relaxes in her room and reads a bestseller. She takes great care to ensure both men are loved and understood.
‘Love is short, and life is even shorter,’ she expresses to them both one weekend as they walk in the local park, watching children and young couples strolling under the oaks. ‘Aren’t we damn lucky to have one another?’
‘For sure,’ smiles Fred. ‘We have it all.’
‘It just seems life is around the wrong way. We should all start in our nineties and gradually work our life backwards, reverting to our youth, when we’ve had some life experience. God or the universal forces created a poorly designed timeline,’ Maddy grins.
Logan laughs. ‘Yes, we would all die at birth knowing everything we needed to know.’
‘It’s kinda the same, isn’t it then?’ Fred comments.
‘I had a friend at school who quoted something like this; men are of women born and spend the rest of their lives trying to get back in.’
All three chuckle at the craziness of humanity. ‘This keeps us happy and alive, companionship and laughter. Simply enjoying the company of the one… ahhh... the TWO you’re with.’ Logan smiles.
It still amazes him that losing Mila has enabled him to find security, understanding, and love from the two closest people he has ever known. He is genuinely grateful for the happiness and companionship they bring to one another.
Maddy shares her attention and favors evenly, democratically between both men. She loves them both, as much as they love her and one another, so their lifestyle is no barrier. It’s a relief, a liberation, allowing them to enjoy all they ever need and want from their shared living arrangement.
In the interests of privacy and social acceptability, they keep their relationship strictly confidential, not even their adult children are aware. That Logan lives with Fred and Maddy makes perfect sense to their four adult children who have shared a lifetime of love from both couples and understand the trauma of Mila’s loss to both families.
Last month, the men bought Maddy a simple gift, a shared symbol of their devotion. They purchased an elegant pair of diamond earrings for her birthday, one earring from each husband.
Over a lavish dinner at an upmarket restaurant, the three of them enjoy a wonderful birthday celebration. Halfway through eating their desserts, both men present their gift to Maddy.
‘We thought we should commit our love for you, dearest Maddy,’ Logan says.
‘And we knew you already had a wedding ring and two more would overstate the obvious!’ says Fred, as they all chuckle. He passes over the small black box tied with a pink silk ribbon.
Maddy is utterly shocked and surprised. ‘What’s this? I did not know, and I have nothing for either of you?’ She looks from one expectant man to the other.
‘That’s hardly the point!’ Logan replies.
‘Go on, open it,’ Fred says, smiling.
Maddy carefully pulls the ribbon, unraveling it from the box. ‘This is too crazy,’ she says as she opens the lid, revealing two beautifully designed gold earrings. She is speechless.
‘Put them on,’ Fred says, clearly delighted at her surprised expression.
She deftly removes the earrings she is wearing and positions both new diamond earrings in place, pulling her dark hair back behind her ears.
‘Well, what do you think?’ Both men smile broadly with glowing approval.
‘You look amazing, with or without them,’ Logan says.
‘We just want to remind you we are in love with you. We’re both in love up to your ears, and there is no escape,’ Fred says, clearly pleased.
‘So, it seems very appropriate to give you earrings, to lock the three of us together and ensure you never forget what you mean to us both,’ Logan says.
‘I don’t know what to say,’ Maddy starts. ‘Thank you both for such a beautiful gift. I’m so happy we’re together. I don’t ever, ever, want to escape, so you’re both stuck with me forever too!’
‘Good!’ says Fred and Logan in agreement, and a split second later, all three erupt into delighted laughter.
But is being friends enough? With their children growing up and
leaving home, there are no more distractions and Fred wonders, while watching Logan and his wife from across the table, smiling back at him, raising their glasses in a toast. He smiles back, unsure about their future.
END
Enjoy Reading the following first Chapters of Under Hidden Skies Book 3 in the Shadows Between Lies series or purchase from:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08Y7CKQWZ
CHAPTER 1
The Escape
Hawke slams his foot down as he speeds out of the corner. He swings the steering wheel to the right, the wheels barely gripping the winding road along the treacherous precipice. The second-hand black Corvette hugs the tarred surface, its rear back tires fishtailing in the night, flicking loose gravel across the snaking road.
He doesn’t care. Nothing matters anymore. His fury out-matches his racing heart as he grits his teeth, shoving the gear-stick backward into fourth and thrusting the accelerator to the floor. The engine roars as he spins the overheated vehicle into the next steep bend. The headlights scan back and forth as he swerves from one side to the other, powering up the vertical climb. They are the only car lights for miles as he drives to the pinnacle of the mountain. He slows, skidding to an abrupt halt in a rest area on the cliff-side of the road.
He checks his cell phone at 2.33am.
Hawke wished he hadn’t given up smoking. This is the time to light up and calm down. His muscular forearms tense, clutching the steering wheel with both hands as he throws back his head and unleashes a loud groan. He could’ve killed himself driving like a maniac, but who cares? It’s a solution. He releases his grip and lets go of the leather-clad steering wheel a few times, attempting to slow his agitated breathing.
After several minutes, he pushes himself back into the leather seat and glances outside towards the deep valley below. The dark, rugged, sharp surfaces of the cliff-side seem pitted against his will. Small silhouettes of low shrub and tussock grass cast ominous shadows which cling to the cliff face, taunting him, enticing him to leap over the verge and into the narrow gorge far below. Within seconds, he raises his tormented gaze upwards, focusing on the dark horizon.
Reaching for the door handle, he sighs and moves out of the car. Hawke squints over the roof of the Corvette at the vast horizon, slams the door shut and walks to the cliff edge. Standing still for a few moments, he takes in the panoramic view, but it gives him no solace.
A low metal barrier with an obscure warning sign to his right is unable to stop him from stepping over it and onto the open cliff edge. He takes another small step and leans forward into the oncoming breeze. Looking down into the rocky gorge, he sees the occasional glint of the river slithering its way over hard-edged boulders. Flashes of silver remind him of the overpowering force of the rapids below, waiting for him only a few steps away. The expansive fall downwards pulls him, Hawke fights the yearning to step out over the edge.
He exhales and steps back, the low metal guard-rail presses behind his knees. The rising wind blows his hair across his face as his cell phone vibrates in his jeans pocket. The sound shakes him back from the brink of insanity. Had he lost his mind? Has he lost his sense of reality? He shoves his hand into his pocket, withdrawing the phone. It’s Tracy. He hesitates, thrusting it back in his pans, and steps over the barrier before walking back to the waiting car.
He slumps into the comfort of the warm leather driver’s seat and exhales a deep breath. Pressing the palms of his hands over his eyes, Hawke rakes his fingers through his hair and releases a loud sigh of relief. The escaping breath eases the rising tension as he turns the key and starts the ignition.
CHAPTER 2
Close Call
He recalls arguing with Tracy. He can almost hear her shouting in his head, while reversing the car and swinging back onto the mountain road. The previous day Hawke Davis had sat among the dry tussock grass, undulating like ocean waves along the California coastline. His gaze drifted along the exposed sand dunes embracing the shore. He realized it was time to extricate himself from the relationship with his long-term girlfriend.
With bronzed skin, after basking in the last days of the Californian summer, Hawke is weirdly comforted by his soft white cotton t-shirt, pulling tightly across his chest. He grabs the front, pulling it over his baggy khaki shorts. Hawke’s dark hair ruffles in the offshore gust of wind obscuring his blue eyes. The thrashing waves reach out and grasp the beach in a rhythm, mirroring the beat of his pounding heart. He re-lives the argument with his ex-girlfriend. She is immovable in her defiance. Hawke inhales the salty sea air through his nostrils and blows it out through his open mouth, attempting to ease his sense of remorse.
Tracy’s words still ring in his ears after the first time he tried to talk with her in their apartment. They were both seated on the pale gray designer sofa opposite a low flat chrome and glass coffee table. Their contemporary living room is minimalist, open, and uncluttered, with a compact modern kitchen at one end. They were both drinking a mid-morning coffee before heading out to the local shopping mall. Hawke hardened himself and started the conversation about the end of their shared living arrangement.
‘But we have been through so much together.’ Tracy’s plaintive voice pleads with him not to leave her. ‘How can you just throw me away like this?’
‘I’ve tried to explain,’ Hawke says, brushing both hands down the sides of his cotton clad thighs. ‘There’s no one else, Tracy. It’s me. I want out. I don’t know what else I can say.’ Hawke’s voice overflows with frustration. He only has imperfect words to explain his need to be alone. The more he attempts to avoid hurting her, the more she implores. He keeps his reasons to himself.
‘Yes,’ he agrees, ‘you helped me recover, and you were brilliant support over the past year. I wouldn’t be in full remission from lymphoma without you, Tracey.’
Back then, he clung onto her, sobbing with her, clutching onto every scrap of attention he could wring from her calm, healing words of reassurance. But now he’s a survivor and doesn’t need mothering. He wants to live a new life. His perspective has shifted dramatically. Marriage, white picket fences, and children are someone else’s dream.
He recognizes this is her fantasy and not his. ‘Life is terminal Tracy,’ he states, watching her shoulders slump back and her sandy hair fall forward, partly concealing her face. ‘I want to live life, every moment, and I want to be free from all restraints. I’m sorry, but I don’t want any relationship with anyone.’
‘Why? What’s wrong?’ Tracy asks again. ‘I’ve looked after you all this time, nursing you through the worst of your illness. I did everything I could to make you better.’
‘I know you did,’ he replies. ‘I’ll be thankful to you for the rest of my life, but I can’t handle being with anyone. It’s changed for me. I need something different. It’s been a wake-up call, and I’ve got places to go and a life to live.’ He shook his head, looking down at his feet as she fixed her eyes on him uncomprehending. ‘It’s over Tracy,’ he mumbles as an after-thought.
‘But can’t I share your new life? Can’t I be with you?’ she asks, her question tinged with bitterness and rising anger.
Hawke holds her anxious gaze in silence.
Without warning she shouts. ‘You’re unbelievable!’ Tracy’s face contorts with the fear of reality. ‘I hate you! You’re a pig! After everything I’ve done.’ He reaches his hand out to her waving arm, wanting to calm her growing fury.
‘Don’t you dare touch me!’ she screams, stepping away from him. ‘You talk of love, but you don’t know what love is!’ She reels around, about to storm out of the living room. ‘I’m not an idiot. I know there’s someone else. There must be!’ Tracy’s voice grows cold and calculating as she spits out the last words she will ever say to him. ‘You were a useless lay, anyway!’
Hawke’s taken aback by her abrupt change of heart. Sensing the venom of her pain but unable to resist stinging her back. ‘Why don’t you try being a lesbian? I think you’d enjoy yourse
lf a lot more!’
She gasps in disbelief, turns, and storms from the room, slamming the door so hard the windows shudder in their timber frames.
Hawke shakes his head, eyes wide with surprise as her words knife him to shreds of his own broken promises. There was no point in arguing, and her rage confirms he’s made the right decision. He is leaving California and has already announced he is returning to New Zealand to stay with his Uncle Logan’s good friends, who have a vacant bach outside Whangamata. It’s a small self-contained log cabin, surrounded by native and exotic forest which he can holiday in for free. It’s no brainer, and he visualizes the small sea-side cottage he’s enjoyed during a few previous long Kiwi summer holidays.
Dense bush divided by dirt tracks, isolate the remote property from the tourist center of the small seaside town. A holiday haven of sea, sand, and solace enjoyed by cheerful crowds of locals and foreigners alike during the long summer months. This is another gold-plated escape-hatch, a lifeline thrown to him by his uncle again. After Tracy’s bitter exchange, there are only a few days left before Hawke is catching the long-haul flight. It’s no surprise she’s not at the airport to see him off.
****
To continue enjoying this family saga and to buy Book 3 - Under Hidden Skies in the Shadows Between Lies series click or copy and paste this link:
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Acknowledgement
Thanks to friends and family who encouraged me to finish the first draft. A quick mention of thanks to the wonderful readers who voted on the back-cover blurb and conveyed their practical advice on some of the content. Special thanks to Pete Brasler, who designed the series covers, delivering creative, eye-catching book covers. Thanks to everyone who encouraged me to complete this series. pecial thanks to Pete Brasler, who designed the series covers, delivering creative, eye-catching book covers.
