by Kizzie Hayes
Harry stayed in the doorway and Margo walked in and sat down on the bed next to Kara and Adam, while Lucas moved towards the window. Kara could tell that her mother had been crying and she opened her mouth to speak, but Margo held up her hand and Kara closed her mouth again. “Are you two serious about this?” Margo asked, and Adam nodded. She looked at Kara, who felt tears welling up in her eyes as she said, “Yes.” Margo sighed and Harry turned away. Adam was about to call out to him but Margo shook her head. “Let him go,” she said softly before she sighed.
“You have one year. Harry and I will wait for one year- we won’t see each other again after today until this time next year. Until then, if you two are still together, if you two are actually serious about moving forward with this relationship, then that’s that. But if not, then Harry and I will get married and I never want to see the two of you together in one place again.” Kara started to cry again and she said, “I’m sorry Mom.” Margo shook her head and said, “Don’t be- love is a wonderful thing, Kara. Trust me- I’ve been in love before too. I’m sorry that you had to hide it from me, and I hope for your sake that you two can work it out for good.” She got up and said, “I’m going to go home- I’ll see you later, Kar.” She walked away, and Kara turned to Adam as she whispered, “I love you.” As he pulled her close and kissed her deeply, she knew that even if she had caused pain to those she cared about, this was the right thing. After all, all’s fair in love and war, right?
THE END
Another bonus story is on the next page.
Bonus Story 34 of 44
Strange and Beautiful
Tara read the address from a text message her mom had sent her and repeated it to the cab driver, who nodded before driving off. As they drove through the city, Tara looked out of the window- everything was different here, gone were the high-rise buildings of New York City, and they were replaced by swanky houses that looked like they were straight out of a lifestyle magazine. She had never been to Miami before, and she wondered how her mom had ended up here of all places.
“Are you new around here?” The cab driver asked, glancing at her in the rear view mirror, and she nodded as she said, “Yeah, I just graduated from college in New York, and I’m visiting my mom - she just moved here a few months ago.”
The driver nodded and said, “I used to work in New York a few years ago, I missed the noise once I moved here, but all cities are the same in a way.”
Tara smiled politely and then looked out of the window again, not really in the mood to talk. She didn’t get on well with new people, and liked to keep to herself. She glanced down at her phone, she had a map of Miami open on the screen, just so she knew that they were headed in the right direction and the cab driver wasn’t planning on murdering her in some dark alleyway.
They drove on in silence for a while until the cab pulled over outside a giant sprawling mansion. “This is it, miss,” the cab driver said cheerfully, and Tara stared at the house before she checked the address again. “Are- Are you sure this is the right place?” She said uncertainly, peering out at the palatial house with tall gates guarding the estate, enclosing enormous lawns and lush gardens leading up to the mammoth structure.
The driver assured her that this was the address, and Tara got out uncertainly, lifting her suitcase out of the cab as she dragged it over to the gate and rang the doorbell. An intercom buzzed and a distinguished sounding voice said, “Yes?” Tara leaned in and hesitantly said, “This is Tara Haverford, um- I’m Eileen’s daughter?” She bit her lip nervously as there was a slight pause before the voice responded, “Of course, please come in, Tara.”
The gates swung open automatically and Tara nervously walked in through them, turning around to see the cab drive off as the gates swung shut again. She dragged her suitcase slowly along the garden path leading up to the great house which was actually a lot farther away than it seemed. On the way, Tara spotted three greenhouses, a few gazebos and an outdoor seating arrangement that looked as grand as though it were for a very expensive wedding. Finally, Tara stood before the front door, made of polished wood with a large brass lion head as the knocker.
A tall man answered the door, and when he spoke, Tara recognized him as the distinguished-sounding man who had spoken over the intercom. “Miss Haverford, welcome. I’m Graham, the butler,” he said as he lifted Tara’s suitcase and gestured her inside. She walked in, suddenly very aware of the ratty plaid shirt she wore and her scuffed sneakers. She felt as though she ought to wear nothing less regal than a ball-gown and a string of pearls in a house like this. Suddenly, there were footsteps behind her and Tara turned to see her mother hurrying down a great staircase with her arms thrown wide open as she rushed towards Tara and buried her in a giant embrace.
“Darling,” she squealed, “I’m so glad you made it.” She held Tara at an arm’s distance and said, “Oh, your hair’s shorter- why did you cut it? I liked it long; it hid your shoulders, sweetie.” Tara forced a tight smile as she wriggled out of her mother’s grip and ran her fingers through her blonde, shoulder length waves. “I like it this way,” she said almost defensively but her mother ignored her and turned to Graham. “Do you know when Paul gets back?” The butler nodded and said “This evening, madam.” Her mother thanked him and then led Tara into the living room, “Isn’t this place just wild? I would never have though I’d end up living in a house like this.”
Tara looked around and said, “I thought I had the wrong address when the cab pulled up.” Her mother clicked her tongue and said, “Now Tara, I told you I could come pick you up-” and Tara shook her head, “No, that’s not what I meant to-” but she stopped, knowing her mother would only hear what she wanted to anyway.
Their relationship had been difficult ever since Tara’s father had left when she was fifteen. Tara looked like her dad- blonde and tall, with rounded features, broad shoulders and an ample amount of flesh on her bones.
Eileen, on the other hand, was petite and conventionally beautiful with her sleek dark hair, small rosebud mouth, and elegantly shaped hands and feet; and she seemed to constantly bemoan the way her daughter looked, often cushioning severe insults as motherly concern. Tara had grown up her whole life hearing things like, “Darling you’d be very pretty if you lost a few pounds,” and “I’m just worried about your health, I promise.”
Tara had, over the years, learned to block these things out, and had struggled very hard to start her own personal revolution of loving herself, curves and all. Tara was quietly thinking this to herself when there was a high tinkling laugh and a young couple walked in arm-in arm, both breathtakingly gorgeous and Tara stared as the girl stopped laughing and said, “Sorry, didn’t know we had company.”
*****
Eileen stood up and said, “This is my daughter, Tara. Darling, this is Noah, Paul’s son, and his girlfriend- um?” The girl smiled cattily as she said, “Denise,” and stuck her hand out. Tara stood up and shook her hand hesitantly as she said, “It’s nice to nice to meet you both.” Noah was looking at her as a cat might regard a strange new object and said, “Yes, pleasure,” before leading Denise out through large French windows towards a glimmering swimming pool. Tara looked at her mother who smiled tightly and said, “Those two just got here a few days ago, I haven’t really gotten the chance to- you know.” Tara nodded and sat back down, “Mom, are you happy?” Eileen looked at her daughter, marveling at how grown-up she looked and said, “I’m really happy that you’re here. Are you hungry? Come on, let’s get something to eat.”
Tara knew not to push her and just followed her quietly into the kitchen. As they passed the French windows, Tara glanced out and saw Denise diving into the pool as Noah stood on the deck and pulled his shirt off over his head. The world seemed to stop turning in that moment, and all Tara could see was Noah, with his tanned skin and perfectly sculpted body. He laughed at something Denise said, and Tara saw that he had dimples when he smiled, and chiseled cheekbones when he didn’t. “Tara?” Her mother
said, and Tara quickly snapped out of it, “I was looking at the pool,” she said quietly, and Eileen nodded, “Yeah the whole place is really beautiful, I’ll show you around after lunch.”
There was a matronly looking woman in the kitchen and she smiled as Tara and Eileen walked in. “Miss Eileen, you never told me your daughter was this beautiful,” she said smiling at Tara, who smiled back and said, “Hi, I’m Tara.” The woman wiped her hands on her apron and shook Tara’s hand as she said, “And I’m Dorothy, I manage the household. Now sit down, lunch is almost ready.”
Tara and Eileen sat at the long dining table just outside the swinging door of the kitchen and Tara already felt as though she was lost in the gigantic house.
“How any people work here?” Tara asked her mother in a low voice and Eileen shrugged and said, “There’s the butler, there’s Dorothy, there are two chauffeurs and a maid. And then there are the gardeners, the pool boy, the cook and Freddie. He’s sort of the errand boy, and does odd jobs around the estate.”
Tara raised her eyebrows and said, “God Mom, you’re living at Downton Abbey. I mean, how did this even happen? What’s Paul like?” Her mother smiled, but Tara still thought she looked a little sad as she said, “I met him at a bookstore- I had no idea about any of this. He told me after our fourth date, and I was already- Tara you know this isn’t about the money right?” She whispered the last part almost urgently, as though she had been dying to ask her daughter this question.
“Of course,” Tara said, surprised, and then leaned in, placing her hand on her mom’s wrist as she said more earnestly, “Of course I know that Mom, I never for one second thought that-” but she stopped speaking when Denise ran in giggling, her hair soaking wet, and Noah strolled in after her with a towel around his shoulders. He had put on another shirt, to Tara’s disappointment, and sat down right opposite her as Dorothy pushed through the kitchen door holding a large platter of chicken. “Tara dear, do you eat chicken? Is there anything else you would like?” I shook my head and said, “Chicken’s fine, thank you.” I felt eyes on me and I glanced up at Noah, but he was busy helping himself to some food. I looked around and saw Denise staring at me with a look of contempt across her pretty features.
She tossed her long light brown hair and Noah laughed as he said, “Denise, you’re soaking everyone, stop.” She turned her bright green eyes away from Tara and towards Noah as she smiled and said, “Sorry, I don’t know what I’m going to eat- I’m vegetarian, did you forget to tell the cook?” Noah looked at Dorothy who quickly said, “There’s some vegetable lasagna as well, I’ll bring it out,” and then hurried into the kitchen. Tara caught Noah’s eye, who smiled with his mouth full and Tara couldn’t help but smile back.
Denise must have caught the look that passed between the two of them because she then loudly said, “So Tara, what do you do?” her tone thinly veiling a threat. Tara had barely registered that she was being spoken to when Eileen happily said, “Tara just graduated from NYU- she’s a writer.” Tara glanced back down at her plate as Noah softly said, “What do you write?” His voice was sweet, yet commanding and Tara’s eyes fluttered up again as she said, “Um, I write short stories, and poetry- I actually studied journalism at school though.” Noah nodded and resumed eating, and she wondered if he was just asking to be polite. They ate lunch with little bits of conversation floating through the air, but with a general tone of discomfort on all their parts.
Tara looked at her mother and wondered how she would fit in here, and why Paul wasn’t around to help her settle in. “So tell me about Paul,” Tara said after lunch, after she walked with her mother around the garden, admiring the sunflowers peeking out through the greenhouse glass. “He’s sweet, Tara, he really is and he’s nice to me. Sometimes,” she paused and then said, “Sometimes, all you can really ask for is someone to be nice to you and want your company.”
Tara bit her lip and said “Mom, do you love him?” Eileen clicked her tongue and said, “What sort of a question is that? Come on, I’ll show you your room.”
Tara followed her mother back into the house, and on the way, passed by a half-open door through which she glimpsed Denise bending over and whispering playfully to Noah, but he frowned and pushed her away, catching Tara’s eye through the crack in the door. She quickly scuttled away, following her mother down the hallway.
*****
Loud sounds filled the air as Tara awoke from her nap. The patch of sky visible from the window had turned a dark indigo as she sat up and rubbed her eyes. The loud sounds continued to carry in the evening air and Tara realized that she was listening in on a heated argument. The voices were carrying in through the window and Tara slowly made her way to the window and stuck her head out to see light spilling out from a window not too far away from hers. She recognized the high pitched voice as Denise’s and figured that the lower, relatively calmer one belonged to Noah. She knew she was invading their privacy, but she shrugged it off; if they wanted to be private they shouldn’t have been yelling so loudly.
“Did you know?” She was screaming, as Tara leaned out of the window. It looked out over the pool and Tara intently watched the gently rippling water as she tried to concentrate on Noah’s reply. “No, I didn’t. Denise you’re making a big deal out of this...” A figure appeared in the window and Tara quickly tried to duck back in, but it was too late. Noah had seen her. She bit her lip and shakily waved, and Noah gazed at her for a few seconds before he turned away again and pulled the window shut. Nervously, Tara shut her own window and steadied her breathing. She felt like a schoolgirl caught trying to cheat on a test, and her neck and ears felt very hot as she tried to shrug off the feeling. It wasn’t her fault; they had been too loud and woken her up, and she was simply curious.
Her phone rang and she jumped, startled as she picked it up and saw her Mom’s name on the screen. “Hey Mom,” she answered weakly. “Tara, honey, I’m sorry, did I wake you?” Tara closed her eyes and said “No- I was awake.” She was already starting to regret flying down here to meet her mother. As much as she had missed her, she felt like a huge imposition when she was in this house around all these people. “Darling, come down for dinner,” her mother said, hanging up before Tara could make up some excuse for avoiding it. She got up slowly off the bed when her phone buzzed again; it was a text from her mom: We dress up for dinner so wear something nice.
Tara switched on the light and glanced at her reflection in the tall mirror placed in the corner of her room. She groaned as she caught sight of her wrinkled plaid shirt and ripped jeans. She rummaged through her suitcase, finding nothing fancier than a strappy green dress that she knew her mother would hate. It was either that or a wide selection of T-shirts, so she chose the green dress and paired it with a delicate quartz crystal necklace. She quickly fixed up her face, cleaning up her smudged eyeliner and reapplying it, adding a light smear of lipstick and running her fingers through her hair before she headed downstairs.
As soon as she arrived in the dining room, she felt her mother’s eyes on her thighs, exposed by the short dress, and on her arms. “Tara what on earth-” she started to say but stopped when Noah and Denise walked in. Noah smiled at the two of them before he sat down, but Denise silently took a seat without looking at anyone. Denise looked beautiful in a long blue skirt paired with a sheer black blouse. Her hair had been braided back and her face looked flawless except for the puffy eyes which indicated that she had been crying. Even then, Tara suddenly felt very conscious of the way she looked, and she pulled at her dress to make it cover more of her skin. Dorothy walked in with a large platter of food, followed by two maids who poured wine into everyone’s glasses. Immediately, Denise picked up her wineglass and drank from it shakily, as Noah pretended not to notice.
“Tara, do you still swim?” Eileen asked, clearly trying to break the silence. Tara nodded between forkfuls and said, “A little bit.” Eileen smiled at Noah and said, “Tara used to be a champion swimmer in middle school, she loved the water
so much it was hard to get her out of it sometimes.”
Noah smiled and addressed Tara, “Well, you should definitely take it up again- please use the pool whenever you want.” Denise coughed slightly and then took another sip, but Noah ignored her as he smiled at Tara. She smiled back shyly and said, “Thanks, I will.” Noah returned to his plate of food, but Tara’s gaze lingered on him for a few seconds longer. When she looked up again, she found Denise’s red, puffy eyes on her. Suddenly, Denise drew back her hair and stood up, thickly announcing, “Sorry, I feel a little sick,” before she hurried out of the dining room.
Noah chewed on his food, but a muscle in his jaw twitched. Suddenly, he threw down his napkin and stood up quickly as he said, “Excuse me, I’m sorry about this,” and followed his girlfriend’s exit. Tara looked at her mother, wide-eyed and Eileen shook her head as she quietly whispered, “It’s been like this since they got here, but nothing this bad. God I wonder what they’re fighting about now.” Tara didn’t say anything as she took another bite, and they continued their meal in silence. Dorothy cleared up the table and Eileen once again voiced her concern over Denise and Noah. Tara shrugged but she had an awful suspicion that she knew exactly what the fight had been about.
*****
That night, Tara awoke to the sound of soft moaning and she lay in the darkness for a few seconds before she realized what she was hearing. She pulled a pillow over her head but she could still hear it, unwittingly picturing Denise sprawled out on the bed while Noah lay on top of her.
