My Sister's Lies

by S. D. Robertson

  He had never cheated on Hannah before or after that night. He loved her with all of his heart and had no interest in being with anyone else. But how could that ever excuse all of his lies?

  He knew plenty of men who’d been spurred on by not getting caught having a one-night stand or even an affair; it had led to them doing it again. But that hadn’t been his experience at all. He’d never stopped feeling guilty and, even with Diane out of the picture for so long, he still worried about his wife finding out.

  Following the sisters’ big quarrel, Mark’s greatest fear had been that Diane might finally tell Hannah out of spite. That idea had terrified him – literally kept him up at night, running worst-case scenarios through his mind. This had eased with time, as he and Hannah had both started to accept they might never see Diane or Mia again.

  Now he was terrified of being discovered afresh.

  He had the feeling Diane’s letter to him was only the start. The fact that she wasn’t responding to his attempts to contact her did nothing to ease that concern. So what was she going to do: return whenever she felt like it and make a big announcement to the others? He couldn’t rule out that possibility. So, as things stood, if he wasn’t able to arrange a DNA test, what options were there apart from waiting to find out, while rehearsing what – if anything – he might say to his wife to soften the blow?

  After looking around the office to make sure no one was too close to see, he pulled Diane’s letter out from where he’d stashed it, at the very back of the lockable drawer in his desk.

  Her use of the words now it’s time for the truth particularly bothered him, as did the bit about secrets and lies. They eat you up inside, she’d written, which he couldn’t disagree with. But that didn’t mean he was happy for her to do and say whatever she liked, regardless of the consequences. Surely the two of them ought to at least have a discussion first. Was that really too much for a guy in his situation to ask?

  The one part of the letter that gave him a glimmer of hope was right at the end, where she apologised for everything she’d put him through. It would be a bit odd for her to write that, assuming she meant it, only to drop a grenade in his lap.

  He let out a long, frustrated sigh. All this speculation was hurting his head, but what else could he do when speaking to Diane wasn’t an option?

  ‘Bloody hell, mate,’ a voice from behind him said. ‘It can’t be that bad, can it?’

  Mark froze. He recognised Adam’s voice and did not want him to see the letter. Leaving it where it was on the desk, he slowly swivelled around in his chair, hoping his body would hide what he’d been looking at.

  ‘Adam,’ he said, forcing a smile on to his face. Apart from the odd pub lunch, like today, Mark wasn’t much of one for socialising with people from work, unless there was a good business reason. He preferred to keep the two things separate, as in his experience it led to lots of talking shop when he’d rather be letting his hair down.

  However, Adam King was an exception to the rule. The pair had started at the firm around the same time and, being on a similar level and both in their mid-forties, they’d naturally become friends. Adam, a portly, bald chap who loved his food and drink, was also married without kids.

  The couples had tried socialising together on one occasion, but neither Mark nor Hannah had really clicked with Adam’s wife, Mary: a brash barrister with a habit of rubbing people up the wrong way. Although the men had never discussed it, Mark suspected Mary hadn’t taken to them either, since there had been no further such invitations from either side. Not that it had harmed the men’s friendship. They’d carried on as they had before, both asking after each other’s wives from time to time, but leaving it at that.

  ‘That sounded like a Monday morning sigh to me,’ Adam went on. ‘What on earth’s so bad that it’s stressing you out on a Thursday afternoon?’

  ‘Oh, nothing,’ Mark lied, widening his smile. ‘I’m just ready to go home, I think.’

  Adam lowered his voice. ‘You’re not kidding. I’ve hardly been able to keep my eyes open since lunch. I don’t know about you, but I’m thinking of knocking off soon.’

  Mark laughed. ‘Sounds like a plan. What did Wilder want?’

  Joe Wilder, the man who’d phoned for Adam, was the boss of another firm they’d recently taken over down in Southampton. He was a moaner, always finding problems and looking for other people to solve them.

  ‘Oh, the usual complaints. I think I’m going to have to go down there next week. You don’t fancy coming along too, do you? Maybe you could crunch some numbers to make him look bad; get him off our case a bit.’

  Mark was about to decline, since he knew it would probably involve an overnight stay and, with things as they were at home, it felt like bad timing. But then it occurred to him that Southampton wasn’t too far from Bournemouth, where Diane lived.

  ‘Possibly,’ he replied. ‘What day were you thinking of going down?’

  ‘I’m fairly flexible, although not Monday, as I have meetings here that I need to attend. I can’t be bothered trying to do it all in one day. We’d fly, obviously, but that still takes a while when you factor in all the messing around at the airport and the transfers.’

  Mark nodded while his brain whirred, weighing up the options. He’d have to check how long it took to travel from Southampton to Bournemouth. Hopefully there would be a direct train; if so, it might be feasible for him to nip over there and try to find Diane. He’d have to get her address first, but Mia could provide that. The question was whether to do it on the quiet, which could get complicated, or tell everyone what he was doing, obviously without mentioning the reason he was so desperate to see Diane.

  The latter made more sense, although he’d have to suggest it to Hannah in just the right way, so she thought it was a good idea. If she said not to bother, that would leave him in a tricky situation where going ahead regardless could reveal his own interest in making the trip. But telling her felt like the best move. It would also make life easier in terms of finding out the address from Mia.

  ‘Can I have a word with Hannah and let you know tomorrow?’

  ‘No sweat. It would be great to have you along, mate.’

  Once Mark was alone again – as much as he ever could be in an open-plan office – he hid Diane’s letter back in the drawer, which he immediately locked. He had to be more careful about where and when he looked at it in future. The idea of anyone else ever discovering its contents terrified him.

  CHAPTER 8

  ‘Are you ready, Mia?’ Hannah asked, tapping on her bedroom door. ‘We need to go soon.’

  ‘Yes,’ Mia replied. ‘Almost ready.’

  Nearly twenty minutes later she finally emerged, wearing a pair of faded denim shorts and a navy polo shirt. Her hair was tied neatly back in a ponytail and – to Hannah’s surprise – there was none of the dark, dramatic make-up she usually favoured. Today’s look was far more subtle, allowing her natural, fresh-faced beauty a chance to shine through.

  Her lovely green eyes glistened in the sunlight as she knelt down to put her trainers on in the hall.

  Hannah was tempted to tell her how nice she looked, but having once been a teenage girl herself she knew this might not be the right thing to say. There was a distinct change of appearance today from what she’d seen previously. What this was supposed to signal, Hannah couldn’t be certain, but it surely had something to do with the fact that Mia was about to meet a boy of around her age. Perhaps dressing down was her way of signalling that she wasn’t interested in impressing Todd. Or maybe it was exactly the opposite. Either way, Hannah kept quiet.

  ‘Where’s, um, Mark?’ Mia asked, looking around for some sign of him. ‘Isn’t he coming too?’

  ‘No, love. He’s gone for a run and then a game of squash. He likes to keep fit.’

  Mia’s face fell. ‘Oh, right. Who with?’

  ‘I’m not sure, actually. He plays in a local league, so it depends who he’s been drawn against this week. Do y
ou ever play squash?’

  Mia shook her head. ‘I’m not really into sport.’

  ‘You haven’t left your wet towel in your bedroom, have you?’ Hannah asked her, already knowing the answer.

  ‘Oh, sorry. I think I have. Do you want me to move it?’

  ‘Please,’ Hannah replied. She almost said something sarcastic but managed to bite her tongue.

  Once that was done, they left the apartment and made the short walk along the corridor to her neighbour’s front door, with Hannah leading the way.

  A moment later they were being greeted by an effusive Kathy and her red-faced grandson.

  ‘Well, aren’t you a pretty one,’ Kathy told Mia, whose cheeks flushed to match Todd’s. ‘You look like a young version of your gorgeous aunt.’ Grabbing her right hand and giving it a good squeeze, Kathy stared into her eyes before adding: ‘Yep. Bright as a button too, I’d wager. Delighted to meet you, Mia. Do come in.’

  Hannah greeted thirteen-year-old Todd, who’d grown a lot since she’d last seen him and now had that gangly look typical of kids his age, not yet comfortable in his ever-changing adolescent body.

  ‘Hello,’ he replied in a deep voice that sounded strange coming out of his mouth, like there was a male ventriloquist hidden somewhere nearby.

  Hannah had to stifle a laugh, covering it up with a big smile and questions about how Todd was doing and the building work taking place at his home that had led to his visit.

  Next she introduced her niece to him, leading the two teenagers to nod awkwardly at each other, both muttering some kind of greeting and then looking at the floor. Todd was slightly taller than Mia, despite being a year below her at school.

  ‘Come on through to the lounge, everyone,’ Kathy piped up at just the right moment. ‘I hope you’re hungry, because I’ve got plenty for you to dig into.’

  Kathy had come up with the idea of inviting Hannah and Mia over for Sunday afternoon tea as a way to introduce the youngsters and break the ice.

  Her apartment was a smaller, two-bedroom version of Hannah and Mark’s place, although Kathy’s more old-fashioned taste in furnishings, such as her preference for carpets over hard floors, meant it had a very different feel inside. She had a small balcony off the lounge, which was open when they entered, letting in warm air from outside as well as the sounds of the city.

  ‘Lovely day today, isn’t it?’ Hannah said.

  ‘It is,’ Kathy replied. ‘Not quite as nice as some of the weather I saw in the States, but it definitely feels like summer. I did wonder about sitting us on the balcony, but there’s not a lot of room out there and I thought it might be a squeeze.’

  ‘No, this is perfect.’ Hannah’s eyes fell on the coffee table in the middle of the room, which was packed full of cakes. ‘Goodness me, Kathy. You’re spoiling us.’

  Her hostess giggled as she directed them all to sit down. ‘I’ll make a pot of tea. Would anyone like anything else to drink?’

  ‘Tea for me, please,’ Hannah said. Mia requested the same.

  ‘Todd?’ Kathy asked, already on her way to the kitchen. ‘You’re not big on tea, are you? I’ve got cola, lemonade or cordial instead, if you like.’

  ‘Um, lemonade, please,’ he replied in that booming new voice of his, which again made Hannah smile to herself.

  Kathy had two floral patterned sofas arranged in an L-shape around the coffee table. Hannah sat on one and patted the space next to her, indicating that Mia should join her. Todd was called into the kitchen to give his grandmother a hand.

  ‘Are you okay?’ Hannah whispered to her niece, who looked far from comfortable, perched on the front of the sofa cushion like she was ready to spring to her feet at any moment.

  ‘Fine.’

  ‘These cakes look good, don’t they? What do you fancy? I think I might go for a scone with jam and cream.’

  ‘I’m not sure.’

  A few minutes later Todd reappeared from the kitchen. He was carrying a tray of teacups and saucers, a jug of milk and his glass of lemonade in such a shaky, awkward manner that Hannah got up to help him, fearing a breakage otherwise.

  ‘Thanks,’ he said, his facial expression changing from one of wide-eyed, intense concentration to blissful relief. ‘I’m, er, not very good at carrying things.’ Giggling nervously, he added: ‘I don’t think I’ll ever make much of a waiter, will I?’

  Hannah gave him a reassuring smile. ‘Not to worry. You got it all here in one piece.’

  Kathy reappeared, carrying the pot of tea. She instructed Todd to grab a seat and for everyone to help themselves to the superb spread before them, which included donuts, chocolate eclairs, vanilla slices, jam tarts and a luscious-looking Victoria sponge.

  ‘Are you expecting another six people, Kathy?’ Hannah joked. ‘I can’t believe how much there is here.’

  ‘Well, the sponge cake is homemade, but the rest is shop-bought, I’m afraid,’ Kathy replied. ‘I did wonder whether I ought to have made some sandwiches too.’

  ‘Don’t be silly. This is wonderful. Mark will be gutted when he finds out what he’s missed.’

  ‘You’ll have to take something home for him. It’ll be a nice reward for all that running around on the squash court. I don’t envy him in this warm weather.’

  Hannah asked Todd if he ever played squash.

  ‘Um, not much,’ he replied. ‘My dad plays and I have had a go a couple of times, but I’m not very good. Tennis is more my game.’

  ‘Do you like to play tennis, Mia?’ Kathy asked.

  ‘No, not really,’ she said.

  Kathy popped back to the kitchen, returning with cake forks and serviettes, which she passed around before asking why no one was digging in yet. ‘Come on, stop being polite. Let’s start with you, Mia. What would you like?’

  For the next thirty minutes or so, the four of them remained in the lounge, eating, drinking and chatting. Well, it was Hannah and Kathy who did most of the talking. They tried to involve the other two as much as possible, but it was an uphill battle getting them to open up, Mia in particular.

  Just as Hannah was starting to think this might have been a bad idea, there was a breakthrough.

  ‘How did you like Central Library?’ Kathy asked Mia. ‘Your aunt told me you’d paid a visit. It’s not your typical library, is it?’

  ‘No, I really liked it,’ Mia said, her eyes lighting up as she placed her freshly drained teacup back on to its saucer. ‘There are loads of things to do. They’ve got these cool viewing pods where you can access an archive of local film and video footage. There’s also a media lounge with loads of iMacs and stuff – even gaming consoles. I’ve never seen that in a library before.’

  Todd’s ears pricked up at this. ‘Do you like gaming?’ he asked her.

  ‘Sure.’

  ‘I brought my PlayStation with me. It’s all set up in my bedroom, if you fancy having a go.’ He turned to Kathy. ‘Is that all right, Gran?’

  ‘By all means,’ she replied.

  To Hannah’s surprise, Mia, who’d barely said a word to Todd so far, seemed more than happy to disappear with him to play whatever games these machines were capable of running. Hannah had never used one – not a modern console anyway – and she had zero interest in changing that. Computer games had never been her thing, although apparently the same couldn’t be said for her niece.

  Once the teenagers were safely out of the way, having shut the bedroom door behind them, she and Kathy grinned at each other and shrugged.

  ‘Well, I didn’t see that coming,’ Hannah said. ‘I was about to give up and take Mia home.’

  Kathy giggled. ‘Kids today … What do we know, hey? I couldn’t believe my eyes when Todd turned up with that thing – flatscreen TV and all – but it seems he’d be lost without it.’

  She explained that Karen, her daughter and Todd’s mother, thought it would keep him out of trouble while he was staying there and make her life easier as his host. ‘And he’s always on that mobile phone
of his,’ she added, shaking her head. ‘All that time in front of a screen can’t be good for them, if you ask me. But I’m not his mother, so I don’t interfere. Is Mia the same?’

  ‘She didn’t show up with her own television, if that’s what you mean.’ Hannah smirked. ‘She has a phone, of course, and a Kindle – but that’s just for reading books, which she seems to do a lot. I get the impression she’s quite easy to live with, compared to other teenagers, but it does seem like some things I tell her go in one ear and out the other. She never remembers to put the extractor fan on when she has a shower, for instance, which she really needs to, considering how long she spends in there. And don’t get me started on wet towels. I’m convinced she’d collect a mountain of them in her room if I didn’t get involved.’

  Kathy laughed. ‘My problem with Todd is usually getting him to shower at all. You’re right, though: they’re not always great at listening to instructions. I don’t even think it’s deliberate, to be honest. I think it’s more a case of them being so distracted by other things – their mobiles, for instance – that what we say doesn’t register.’

  Kathy eyed the various cakes still spread out on the coffee table. She cut herself a sliver of the Victoria sponge after first offering her guest some more, which she politely declined. ‘She seems like a mini version of you, Hannah, what with the way she looks, the library visit and the books. She must be proud as punch about you becoming a published author. How’s all that going, by the way?’

  ‘Yeah, about that,’ Hannah said, running a hand through her hair and clearing her throat before continuing. ‘I, er, haven’t said anything to Mia yet regarding my book deal.’

  ‘Oh? Why ever not? It’s such a wonderful achievement. I was telling everyone I met on holiday that my friend was an author and they should look out for your book when it’s released.’

  This made Hannah smile. ‘Really? That’s so nice of you, Kathy. I am going to tell Mia soon. It hasn’t come up yet.’

  ‘Haven’t you discussed what you do for work?’

  ‘No. You know what kids are like. They’re not interested in that stuff.’ As she said this last sentence, words she’d not expected to hear herself utter, Hannah marvelled at how much she’d already learned from Mia’s visit. Although everyone had been young once, as a childless adult it was easy to forget so much about that time; living with a minor was eye-opening.