‘Great.’ Debbie smiled. ‘Here.’ She scooped up the clothes on the sofa and dropped them into the open suitcase, before pulling out a small kettle. ‘Never leave home without one of these.’ Debbie laughed. ‘Gosh, I feel so old saying that.’
CHAPTER 44
Lizzie
‘I have to tell you, that as a mother to a little girl,’ Debbie said, passing Lizzie a steaming mug of tea, ‘I can’t imagine how difficult this must be for your parents, as well as for you.’
‘I try and focus on the positives,’ Lizzie replied, watching the steam rising from her mug. ‘They’ve put so much of their lives on hold to nurse me through my previous tumours. My dad lost his job as an engineer the second time because he had to take so much time off whilst I was in hospital. He was out of work for a long time, and ended up a delivery driver for a supermarket. Their lives would’ve been so different now if they hadn’t made so many sacrifices because of me.
‘Now they can focus on themselves, enjoy retirement and be there for Aaron. He needs them too.’ A sadness wrapped itself around her. Aaron’s face in Dr Habibi’s office flashed in her mind. The wide eyes and the trembling lip. The age gap between them should have made them distant, worlds apart, but it hadn’t. She’d loved him from the moment she’d held him in her arms. Lizzie had never asked her mum why they’d waited eleven years to have Aaron, probably because she knew the answer. It was Lizzie’s fault. Lizzie’s tumours putting her parents’ lives, their plans, on hold. Well, not anymore.
‘I’m sure they don’t see it as a sacrifice. Being a parent is your life; it’s not something you do for a few years in-between jobs. I would stop at nothing to help my children.’
‘How old are they?’ Lizzie asked, fighting to keep her voice level as Debbie’s words sliced into her.
‘Samuel is four, although he’d want me to tell you that he’s almost five. And Faith is three. This is the first time I’ve left them for more than a few hours. I told them the other day I was going …’
A pain began to throb across Lizzie’s head. Blobs of white, the same piercing colour as the camera flashes in the stadium, appeared in her vision. She gritted her teeth and struggled to keep the tears from falling. Aaron’s voice replayed in her head. They do understand what you’re doing. I know it doesn’t seem that way, but they do. We all do. The more days that passed, the less she knew herself what she was doing on this trip.
‘… but they didn’t cry. I cried, of course. Sobbed my heart out at the check-in desk, but they just laughed and went with Carl to get a hot chocolate.’
Lizzie blew on her tea again before taking a long sip just as the dressing-room door flew open.
‘Debbie, have you seen—’ Guy stepped into the room. His eyes moved from Lizzie to Debbie and the half-smile returned. He poked his head out of the room. ‘Don, I’ve found her. Make sure the girls have everything they need in the blue room, and tell them Lizzie is fine.’
He closed the door and stepped into the room. The hot liquid continued to scold the inside of her mouth, but all of a sudden she couldn’t swallow.
‘Lizzie, I think I owe you an apology,’ he said.
Debbie nodded from beside her as Guy cleared some space on the coffee table and sat down opposite them.
‘I got a bit carried away with the set. It’s just, you’ve been on my mind for weeks and I just keep thinking, what if it was me, what would I do? And I’m pretty sure that I’d spend the three months holed up in my flat, drinking my sorrows away, crying and yelling at everyone who’d listen about how unfair it all is. But you’ve said, sod it. You’re not feeling sorry for yourself, you’re—’
Finally, she swallowed the tea swilling in her mouth. ‘A blubbering mess.’
‘No, you’re so brave. Seriously, I’m in total awe of you.’
A lump ballooned in her throat. ‘You’re wrong,’ she whispered. ‘I’m not brave.’
Lizzie saw a look pass between Guy and his sister, but she didn’t care.
‘I need a clean T-shirt,’ Guy said, standing up. ‘Those stage lights were like heaters tonight.’ He hopped over the suitcase to the other side of the dressing room. ‘Made yourself at home a bit here, Debs.’
‘Sorry. I got cold and tried to find a jumper. Turns out I forgot to pack one.’
‘You forgot something? But you’re the most organised person I know.’ He laughed, pulling his T-shirt over his head and throwing it to the floor. Lizzie’s mouth dropped open. She was drinking a cup of English tea backstage at a music concert, and Guy Rawson was standing topless in front of her. The day was getting stranger by the minute, and yet there was something so normal about Guy, now that he wasn’t on stage holding a guitar and serenading her, that was. He might be a mega superstar, but he was also someone’s little brother, who got carried away and made mistakes, something she could relate to.
‘I’m only organised with the kids,’ Debbie said. ‘When it’s just me, it’s a different story.’
Lizzie drained the last of her tea and tried not to ogle Guy’s bare torso. ‘I should probably find Samantha and Jaddi.’ She stood up. ‘Thanks for the tea, Debbie. It was nice to meet you.’
‘And you,’ Debbie said, smiling.
‘Woah, woah, woah.’ Guy pulled a different black T-shirt over his head and looked at Lizzie. ‘You don’t get away from me that easily. Your friends are in the blue room, chatting to The Rocket Boys, where food and drinks are currently being served. I thought you might like to come along. Plus the fact that if you leave me alone with my sister, then she is going to start nagging me about the state of my personal life.’
‘I am not,’ Debbie said.
Guy tilted his head and furrowed his forehead as he looked across at Debbie.
She laughed. ‘For your information, I was going to wait until breakfast for that.’
‘The joys of big sisters.’ Guy laughed. ‘Come on then, you two, this way.’
Before they could reach the door it swung open and a bald shiny head appeared. ‘Guy, sorry to disturb you, but we’ve got some bloke at the VIP entrance claiming to be with your guests. We’ve told him to do one, but he says he’s not going anywhere until he has seen for himself that Lizzie’s all right.’
Guy nodded. ‘One of yours?’ he asked, smiling at Lizzie.
‘Sounds a lot like our cameraman, Ben,’ Lizzie said as a flush crept over her cheeks.
Guy turned back to the head in the doorway. ‘Thanks, Don. Let him through and show him to the blue room.’
‘Gotcha.’
CHAPTER 45
Day 59
Samantha
Samantha clutched her stomach and groaned as she stared at her reflection in the motel-room mirror, and the inch of skin protruding out between the two halves of her nautical-style tankini. For over a month she’d unintentionally cut out refined sugar. She’d eaten rice, noodles and vegetables in Southeast Asia, and mainly fresh fruit and meat in Australia. With the exception of a few Oreos when they’d been miles from anywhere, she’d had a healthy diet, and it showed. Or it had, until she’d landed in LA. Now even the apple she’d eaten at breakfast tasted as if it had been injected with sugar and her stomach was bloating in protest.
Samantha sighed and flopped onto one of the beds, causing the springs to creak in protest. So much for a day lounging by the pool in a bikini.
Her eyes followed the blotchy swirls of yellow and brown on the otherwise white polystyrene ceiling tiles above her head. Their motel room could quite easily have been the film set for any American movie. They had two double beds in a gloomy room with one small window and a small beige shower room.
Deep-fried odours lingered in the air. Samantha imagined the previous occupant digging into a box of crispy fried chicken wings, wiping oily fingers on the olive-green bedspread. The smell reminded her of her grandmother’s flat and the deep fat fryer that had been in almost-constant use.
The motel was built in a three-storey L-shape, with the doors all facing a
small swimming pool area. They were staying on the second floor, which had led to some confusion when the desk clerk – a bony man with thinning blonde hair and wire-framed glasses – had given them the keys.
‘You’re halfway down on the second floor. Rooms E and G,’ he’d said. ‘Any problems, there’s someone here twenty-four-seven.’
Her head had spun with jet lag as they’d traipsed up two flights of steps and spent several minutes jiggling their keys in the locks.
‘Sorry to bother you again,’ Lizzie had said as they’d trundled back into the desk clerk’s office, ‘but our keys don’t work.’
The clerk had removed his glasses and squinted at both the keys. ‘You went to the second floor?’
‘Yes.’ Lizzie had nodded. She’d pointed to a fire exit map with a drawing of the motel building on it. ‘One, two.’
The clerk had chuckled, which was about the time that frustrated tears had stung in Samantha’s eyes, and she’d considered giving up on a room and curling up on one of the armchairs in the clerk’s office. ‘One, two, three,’ he’d said.
In the end, the clerk had locked the office and showed them to their rooms. It turned out ground floors didn’t exist in LA and they’d been on the wrong floor.
Samantha closed her eyes and willed the ringing in her ears to subside. Last night had been such a high. Singing at the top of her voice to every one of Guy’s songs. Finding themselves invited back stage. She’d even spoken to Guy. For two surreal minutes, they’d chatted about the weather in Thailand. Although why she’d felt the need to go into such detail about how much she’d sweated was beyond her.
Then there was Kev, the drummer of The Rocket Boys, and the polar opposite of David. Kev was shy to the point of rudeness, with scraggly hair that he’d kept scooping behind his ears, only for it to fall back onto his face a moment later.
He was tall, with clown-like baggy jeans and a faded red T-shirt which had sleeves so long they’d covered half his hands. He wasn’t her type. She’d known that just by looking at him. He didn’t fit into the ‘future husband’, mould in her head, but after David, she was happy to break the mould … smash it to smithereens even.
‘Do you ever get the impression that everyone else in the room was born with some kind of sociability gene which we didn’t get?’ he’d asked.
‘Or was it taught in school?’ she’d replied. ‘And we were off sick that day? Somewhere between RE and double maths there was a socialising-at-parties class.’
He’d smiled then, although his focus had remained fixed on peeling the label off his Budweiser bottle.
It turned out that they’d both grown up in tower blocks. Him in Hull, and her in north London. Both had been the only members of their families to want more. Kev had focused on his drumming, and she on her studies. Both had made it out.
‘What does your boyfriend think of you lot travelling then?’ he’d asked her much later.
‘I don’t have a boyfriend. I did when we left, but we broke up.’
‘Long-distance relationships are tough.’
‘Not as tough as relationships with controlling dickheads.’
He’d raised his head and looked into her eyes for the first time. ‘At some point, we’ll be heading back to England to finish our album. Can I see you?’
There was nothing quixotic about his question. He hadn’t asked her on a date. He hadn’t tried to kiss her, or so much as brushed his leg against hers, but a miniature tornado had still funnelled in her stomach. ‘Sure,’ she’d said.
A knock at the door startled Samantha out of the memory.
‘Hang on,’ she said, wincing at the effort inflicted on her vocal chords. Her voice felt as if it had been dragged through stinging nettles.
She reached the door and pulled it open. Caroline stood in the doorway in an immaculate, navy, trouser suit.
‘Oh,’ Caroline said.
‘Hi, Caroline. I didn’t know you were coming,’ Samantha said, her voice still hoarse.
Caroline’s eyes peered into the room. ‘You’re not supposed to know. I thought this was Ben’s room.’ She threw her hands up. ‘I’ve been on the floor above, knocking on the wrong rooms for ten minutes.’
‘Really.’ Samantha smiled, before pointing to the pool. ‘Lizzie and Jaddi are at the pool. I’m sure Ben’s with them too.’
‘Thanks. Can you head down there? Don’t tell them I’m here, and look surprised when you see me.’
‘Sure.’ Samantha nodded and closed the door. ‘Just give me a minute.
Samantha’s brain sped into overdrive as she grabbed her sarong and tied it around her cleavage. Something was clearly going on, but no way was she going to obey Caroline’s request not to warn Jaddi and Lizzie.
CHAPTER 46
Samantha
The motel swimming pool was a small kidney-shaped area surrounded by plastic sunloungers and a row of wilted palm trees in terracotta pots. Without any other guests using the area, Lizzie, Jaddi and Ben had taken over. Six sunloungers had been dragged together, three in the patchy shade of the trees, and three in the sun. Towels, T-shirts, sun lotion and magazines were strewn across them.
‘You’re not going to believe this,’ Samantha said, shielding her eyes from the sun as she dropped onto the lounger beside Jaddi. Ben climbed out of the pool and joined them.
Jaddi and Lizzie sat up.
‘What?’ Jaddi asked.
‘Caroline’s here,’ she hissed, glancing around the pool area for any sign of the producer.
‘Really? Where?’ Lizzie looked behind her.
‘In the motel, a second ago. She just knocked on my door looking for Ben.’
‘Ah,’ Ben said, pulling a face and reaching for his towel.
‘What does that mean? “Ah,”’ Lizzie mocked. ‘Have you been keeping something from us?’ she asked, throwing her flip-flop at him.
‘Ouch,’ he said, before picking up Lizzie’s flip-flop and throwing it into the pool.
‘Oi!’ Lizzie laughed.
‘You deserved that.’
‘You haven’t answered my question. If you know something, you have to tell us.’
Ben laughed and shook his head. ‘I’m sworn to secrecy.’
‘Hi, girls.’ Caroline grinned as she stepped between the plants and stood in front of them.
Two men holding cameras the same as Ben’s, and a man holding a microphone, which looked like a dead squirrel on a stick, appeared from the other side of the pool.
‘Hey, Caroline.’ Jaddi said. ‘What brings you to sunny LA?’
‘Well …’ Caroline paused and looked at Ben. ‘We have something very exciting to share with you, don’t we, Ben?’
Ben lifted his shoulders in a ‘don’t look at me’ gesture before dropping down beside Lizzie at the end of her sunlounger.
‘Channel 6 has arranged a huge surprise for the three of you in … Las Vegas!’ Caroline’s voice rose and she lifted her hands in the air. ‘You’ll need to pack your things and be down in reception in twenty minutes, where a limousine is waiting to take us all to a private airfield.’
Caroline deflated like a lilo left in the sun as they stared unfazed by her revelation. Samantha glanced at the others. Las Vegas? It wasn’t on their original itinerary. Why did she have the feeling that this wouldn’t be good?
Lizzie looked first to the cameramen, then Caroline and finally Ben. ‘Why aren’t you filming? Have you been fired?’
He opened his mouth to reply but Caroline spoke first. ‘Of course not. Ben has been working super hard over the past two months and we wanted to give him a break. He’ll still be joining you, and filming the sunsets, but let me introduce you to Sandy, Bill and Will,’ she pointed towards the new film crew, ‘who’ll be filming all of you for the next couple of days. Oh, and more good news for you, I’m sure – you won’t need to wear your microphone packs for the weekend, thanks to Bill and his blimp.’ She pointed at the dead squirrel.
‘Are you OK with this?’ Lizz
ie said, her eyes fixing on Ben.
‘A break from lugging the camera around will be nice.’ He rubbed his hand against his right shoulder. ‘As long as you don’t mind me tagging along?’
The frown on Lizzie’s face disappeared. ‘You’re a bit like a bad haircut, Ben. Annoying, but you get used to it.’
‘Thanks, Lizzie. You know how to make a guy feel welcome.’
‘Any time.’ She grinned.
Samantha glanced at Caroline and watched the uncontained glee spread across her face. Why did Samantha get the impression that the new camera crew were here for more than just giving Ben a break? Jaddi had shown Samantha the articles speculating a romance between Ben and Lizzie, and she had to admit, the pair were getting on well, but a relationship? Samantha wasn’t so sure. What was Caroline up to?
‘That settles it, then.’ Caroline clapped her hands together. ‘Let’s get moving.’
Samantha fought to contain the smirk twitching on her face as they remained seated.
‘Did you say twenty minutes?’ Lizzie flopped back onto the sunlounger and closed her eyes.
Caroline stood for another moment. ‘Right, well, I’ll see you out the front then.’ She stepped away and walked in the direction of the motel lobby, her heels clicking on the paving stones.
Only when she was out of earshot did Jaddi burst out laughing. ‘Lizzie, you’re too cruel.’
Lizzie grinned and sat up. ‘She makes it so easy though.’
‘What if we don’t want to go to Las Vegas?’ Samantha said. ‘It wasn’t on our original list.’
‘It’ll be great,’ Jaddi said. ‘Plus, I don’t think we’ve got a choice, so we might as well enjoy ourselves.’
Samantha stood up, casting a shadow over Lizzie. ‘What do you think, Lizzie?’
‘Um, not sure. I feel better knowing that Ben’s in on, whatever it is.’
They all turned once again to look at Ben.
Ben stood up and held his hands up in surrender. ‘I’m sworn to secrecy, so don’t even think about asking me. All I can say is that you’ll like it, I promise.’
One Endless Summer Page 21
