by Kaylie Kay
‘That would depend,’ she said, pulling a thoughtful face.
‘On what?’ Susan was curious, wondering what made it okay to cheat and what didn’t, if other people had the same view on things as her.
‘On whether anyone would be likely to get hurt, I guess. On whether his partner works for us too.’ The others agreed, that would be crossing an unspoken line.
As they all sipped their drinks they watched him talking to the girls who had by now surrounded him. He looked a little out of his depth as they blatantly flirted, two of them standing either side of him, stroking his arms and flicking their hair around unnecessarily.
‘Do you think he needs saving?’ Susan spluttered as one of the girls deftly lifted up his t-shirt to reveal a set of abs the likes of which she had never seen, ever. Emma was already up and she followed her quickly. There was a chance that he was actually enjoying the attention really and would rather be left alone, but the forced smile on his face said that he wasn’t.
‘Do you need a hand with the drinks, Ray?’ Susan called, unable to break through them to reach him. A look of relief flashed across his face, and he excused himself clumsily, all the cuter for it.
‘Thank you so much, you two. I was drowning there!’ He looked genuinely grateful when they sat back down minutes later with their drinks. Susan relished the jealous looks coming from the spurned group, sitting a little closer to him than necessary, just letting them know that they didn’t stand a chance.
When they arrived back at the hotel a little before midnight, the effects of the alcohol were being felt by all.
‘Come on, Susan, goodnight everyone,’ slurred Emma, grabbing her hand to go to their rooms that were opposite each other on the third floor.
‘One sec,’ said Susan, breaking away for a moment to hug each of the few that were still huddled in the lobby chatting.
‘Room 365,’ she whispered in Ray’s ear when she reached him last, turning quickly, smiling at her friend and following her to the lift.
Susan undressed quickly, slipping into the cream, pure silk negligee that she had brought with her, just in case, spraying her perfume around the room and on herself. The three knocks on her door were barely audible but she heard them clear as day.... she was expecting them.
Chapter 18
‘Mummy’s home for two weeks now,’ she said, enthused by the happy looks on their faces in the rear-view mirror. It wasn’t like she was away any more days than usual in the month, but her flights just seemed to have been bunched together recently. Jeff had been working late a lot too, and she suspected Lucy could do with a break. Whilst her enabler was always happy to step in and look after the kids, it wasn’t her job, she wasn’t their mum.
‘Right, tell me what’s been happening while I was away?’
‘Connor asked me out,’ Sophia said, blushing.
‘Oh, did he now,’ Susan said in a light-hearted warning tone, ‘I do hope you said no!’
‘Of course I did, Mum, I’m too young for a boyfriend.’
Susan was pleased with her answer. ‘Good girl, there’s plenty of time for boys when you’re older.’ She might have enjoyed her two lives but it was definitely not what she wanted for her precious daughter. No, she wanted Sophia to have everything that they had now, but with a partner that completed her, so that she didn’t have, or want, to find fulfilment elsewhere. She didn’t want her to be like her mum, and hoped that she didn’t see through her, that she saw Susan Kennedy as her true role model, without a trace of Susan Harrison.
‘Daddy’s friend Janice came round and she played nerf wars with me.’ Lewis’s eyes were wide and the grin on his face meant that she couldn’t help but smile back at him, but it didn’t reflect how she really felt about it. What the hell had that frosty bitch come to her house for? Why was she playing with her son when she couldn’t even hold a friendly conversation with his mother? Susan didn’t get annoyed easily but that woman was one of her few triggers lately.
‘That’s nice, darling, I bet you loved that.’
Lewis nodded, still beaming.
‘How about we have a family nerf war on Friday night, boys against girls?’ She wouldn’t be outdone, and Friday nights were their fun nights, when Jeff would come home in a good mood, looking forward to the weekend.
‘Yes,’ both the children agreed excitedly.
‘Lewis was telling me all about his nerf battle with Janice,’ Susan said casually as she was getting into bed. Jeff was already under the covers, reading something on his phone.
‘Oh, yes.’ He had obviously forgotten. ‘Yes, Janice had to come here to finish off something, it was that or drag the kids to the office.’
‘Was Lucy not around?’ Susan asked. She had never known Jeff to invite Janice over, work was always done at the workplace, not here, except for the odd emails maybe.
‘Um, yes, she was passing though so it was easier.’ He seemed distracted, reading something that was obviously important, so she gave up her line of questioning.
‘Oh dear.’ He sat up. ‘Looks like I’m going to have to go away, seems you’re not the only one to leave this month.’
Susan didn’t quite understand; go away? Jeff never went away.
‘When, where? How come?’
‘Paris, on Friday, until Saturday afternoon.’ He looked up from his phone apologetically. ‘You know I wouldn’t go if it was my choice, but one of my biggest clients is insisting on meeting in person, and I can’t say no.’ He looked pained; travelling for business had worn thin with him many years ago, before they had even met.
‘But I promised the kids family nerf wars,’ she said, pretending to sulk, although she wasn’t wholly pretending, she had actually been looking forward to it. That and the fact she needed to prove that she was much better, and much more fun at it than Jaded Janice. She smirked as her new nickname for her, a private joke with herself.
‘We can do that on Saturday,’ he said kindly, a look of confused amusement in his eyes, with no inkling as to why his wife had such a sudden urge for the game.
‘I know, I could come with you!’ Susan hadn’t been to Paris for years and could quite fancy a trip to the French capital.
‘Really?’ Jeff looked at her, unsure. ‘I’ll be in meetings on both days.’
‘Yes, it’ll be lovely! I can look around the shops while you’re in your meetings, and then you can take me out for a lovely evening afterwards.’ She raised her eyebrows and grinned at him; how could he possibly refuse?
‘Okay then,’ he still sounded unsure, but was agreeing nonetheless, ‘sounds like a plan.’ He kissed her gently and wrapped his arms around her.
Maybe, Susan thought, a nice weekend away in a beautiful city would make even Jeff exciting and irresistible.
Chapter 19
Perhaps she was imagining it but Susan was sure there was something wrong with Lucy this morning. She seemed preoccupied, with a constant frown on her face. She needed to ask her to have the children while she went to Paris, but so far there just hadn’t been the right moment. It did cross her mind briefly that Luke may have let it slip about their encounter, but no, she didn’t seem to be off in that way, not with her anyhow.
Crash!
The noise came from the sitting room, followed by a wail of, ‘For Christ’s sake,’ like she could take no more.
Susan tentatively made her way from where she had been making coffee in the kitchen, popping her head slowly around the door. Lucy was knelt down, picking up the pieces of the vase that had just smashed, sobbing.
‘Lucy?’ Susan was genuinely concerned, she didn’t like to see anyone so upset.
Lucy looked up, wiping her tears away quickly.
‘I’m so sorry, please take it out of my wages.’ She hung her head and carried on picking up the pieces.
‘Oh heavens, don’t worry about that, I hated the ugly old thing anyway,’ Susan retorted, flicking her hand to show that it was forgotten already. She doubted very much that Jeff paid
Lucy enough for her to cover the antique with her meagre wages anyway. The big brown vase that now lay in pieces had been given to them by Jeff’s parents when they had first moved into the house. Susan had always suspected that they had given it to her just to annoy her, knowing that she would have no choice but to display it, despite it going with nothing else in her carefully and expensively designed interior.
She could hear Lucy’s sniffles as she tried to stop her tears, and walked over to her, helping to pick up the pieces.
‘I’m sorry,’ she said again sadly.
‘Lucy, honestly, it’s fine.’ Susan looked at her but she still hung her head. ‘Are you okay?’
‘Yes, I’m fine, nothing that will affect my work.’ She got up, turning quickly, probably so that Susan couldn’t see her tearstained cheeks. ‘I’ll just go and get the dustpan.’
Susan waited until she came back, perching on the arm of the leather chesterfield. In many ways Lucy reminded her of her own mum, a hard worker, old fashioned, not a taker who thought the world owed her anything, or even that she deserved anything.
‘Lucy, do you need some time off?’ she asked, finally making eye contact.
‘Oh, it’s okay, I don’t have any leave left anyway. Honestly, I’m fine, it’s just my mum’s unwell that’s all, but I’ll get down there at the weekend.’ She managed a little smile that Susan was pleased to see, but it didn’t hide the worry in her face.
‘Oh, please don’t worry about leave,’ she said kindly. ‘If you need some time off, if you need to be with your mum, just go. I’m home for a couple of weeks now and I’m sure the place won’t go to complete ruin if I’m left to it!’ she joked, trying to lighten the situation. Lucy looked at her, as if she wanted to take her up on the offer but couldn’t bring herself to.
‘Lucy, please,’ she pleaded. ‘Honestly, I can manage.’ Although she wondered in truth how long she could really stay on top of this house before things started falling apart, hoping deep down that she didn’t need too long.
‘Okay,’ Lucy said finally, ‘you’re right, I do need some time off, thank you so much.’ Her face brightened.
‘Right,’ Susan said triumphantly, ‘now we are getting somewhere, when would be best for you. Today? Tomorrow?’
‘My sister’s with her today. She’s had a heart attack, but they say she’s doing okay. Maybe tomorrow until after the weekend?’
‘Oh, Lucy, why didn’t you say, you poor thing!’ Susan couldn’t believe that she had even come in today, and respected her now even more than she already had done. ‘Now leave that there and get yourself off, go and be with your mum.’ She took the dustpan off the dazed Lucy, who stood frozen for a moment, obviously unsure of what to say, or how to take the act of kindness.
‘Are you sure?’ she asked, still rooted to the spot.
‘Go!’ commanded Susan in exasperation, pointing to the door.
Lucy threw her arms around her boss, before hurrying through said door.
Susan waved Lucy off from the steps, hoping that everything would be okay when she got wherever down south she needed to be, realising she had never actually asked her. It niggled in the back of her mind that there had been something that she had wanted to ask her, what was it? Paris, of course! Well that had all just put paid to that! She rolled her eyes, realising that she had just sent her only trusted babysitter away at the expense of her own romantic break. Oh well, she resigned herself, it wasn’t the end of the world, she wasn’t so selfish to think that a night away with Jeff was anywhere near as important as Lucy being with her mum. As she turned and looked around the hall, and through to the living room and kitchen that ran off it, she realised that she had never actually spent a night in the house without Jeff, and she wasn’t sure she was going to like it.
Chapter 20
It felt odd driving to Heathrow in her civvies, not going to work, but when your husband makes the error of all errors and forgets his passport, a wife has to do what she has to do. She glanced at the clock on the dashboard; 11am, she would be back in plenty of time to pick the kids up. It was strange not having the back up of Lucy for everything, but she was coping okay she thought, secretly proud of herself.
She followed the signs to Terminal 5, frustrated by the lane changers who had obviously not been to the airport as often as her, and couldn’t work out which lane they needed to be in until they were right underneath the sign that told them.
‘I’m just coming.’ She called Jeff, making sure that he was waiting for her so that she didn’t have to park up. Pulling into the drop off lane she saw him, dressed in his favourite grey blazer, shirt collar open. He waved when he spotted her, jogging quickly over, relief written all over his face. She wound the passenger window down and leant across, holding out the all-important book.
‘You can tell you don’t come here often,’ she teased as he leant in and took it off her, pausing for a moment to catch his breath.
‘You’re a lifesaver!’
‘I know, what would you do without me?’ As she smiled at him she saw a woman walking up behind, approaching the car.
‘Jeff, we really have to go, they close check-in in five minutes.’
‘Coming,’ he replied, blowing his puzzled wife a kiss, unable to reach her across the passenger seat to give her a real one.
As he stood up Susan looked at the source of the voice, at first not recognising the smartly dressed woman, with her Louis Vuitton hand luggage.
Jaded Janice looked radiant, hair grown long and so different from the short brown bob that Susan remembered her having the last time she had seen her, albeit a couple of years ago. She’d lost weight too, her navy dress cut on the bias and making her look like a catwalk model. As for her face, the glasses were gone and the makeup was applied beautifully; the ugly duckling that she remembered had become a swan, much to her annoyance.
‘Oh, hi, Janice, lovely to see you!’ Susan called, waving and smiling through gritted teeth, fighting the urge to add that she hadn’t expected to see her here.
‘Hello, Mrs Kennedy.’ She raised her hand but couldn’t even crack a smile. She could at least pretend to like me, fumed Susan inwardly, watching the pair of them walk away towards the terminal building.
What the hell! Susan drove towards home talking herself down, trying to stop herself overreacting. No, Jeff hadn’t told her that Jaded Janice was going, but she hadn’t asked, so he hadn’t lied. He hadn’t looked even the slightest bit sheepish, so obviously didn’t have anything to hide, but even so she wondered if it was really necessary for him to take her to Paris? Well maybe it was, what did she know about the client or the meetings? Perhaps Janice was coming all along?
Susan felt relieved then, that she hadn’t had to go with the pair of them, as she wasn’t sure how long she could have been nice to her before telling her what she really thought. Anyway, she was quite looking forward to her night on her own with the kids now, with promises of movies and popcorn.
Traffic was fine on the way home, the infamous M25 flowing freely, and she was back by one, two hours free to herself before school time. It was a beautiful day and she sat in the garden for a moment, watching the dogs playing, counting her blessings.
‘How are you coping without my aunt?’ Luke asked, disturbing her thoughts. She looked up at him; God he was gorgeous, but Susan Harrison wasn’t here today. He was grinning as usual, making her feel a little uncomfortable nonetheless.
‘Oh, we are fine thank you, Luke, I’ll be glad when she gets back though.’ There was no harm in being friendly. ‘How’s your grandmother?’
He was holding a small tool, that he looked down at when she asked.
‘Not too good, I don’t think,’ he said, looking sad, ‘but she’s in her eighties so I guess it’s to be expected.’
‘I’m sorry, Luke, if you need to take time off and go down as well, please do.’
‘Oh no,’ he said with certainty, ‘my mum’s down there too, I’ll get down at the weekend.’
Susan opened her mouth to insist, as she had done with Lucy, but he put his hand up to stop her.
‘Honestly I’ve got too much work on, not just here, and there’s loads of us grandchildren, she won’t notice if I’ve been or not.’ His one-sided smile was really cute, she thought.
‘Well if you’re sure, the garden won’t go to ruin in a day or two,’ she said sincerely.
‘It’s fine,’ he said, not making a move to leave, looking around the garden that he had created. After a short silence, Susan was unusually stuck for anything to say, and was relieved when he spoke. ‘If you need me for anything while my aunt’s away just ask, I wouldn’t mind picking the kids up in the Range Rover!’
‘I’m sure you wouldn’t,’ she laughed at his cheek.
‘Right I’d better get on, I want to get those hedges finished today before it gets dark.’ He nodded to the hedgerow at the bottom of the garden.
‘Don’t let me stop you,’ Susan said, leaning back in her seat to watch him. It was lovely, she thought, how relaxed she felt without Jeff coming home, not having to play the perfect wife, just being herself in the big house that sat imposingly behind her, for the first time ever.
Chapter 21
Susan was exhausted, sinking into the sofa between her children. The past two hours had involved running around the house with various plastic guns from Lewis’s artillery, firing foam bullets at them both and hiding out. Oh yes, she was much more fun than Jaded Janice, she congratulated herself!
The house was in turmoil; she realised that she hadn’t really ever appreciated how much Lucy did do, that her children actually created quite a lot of mess that was usually magically cleared up before she had noticed it, on school days at least. Now though, cushions lay scattered across the floor, shoes and school bags dumped in the hall, and the remnants of their pizza dinner were still on the table in the kitchen. Even at the weekends it didn’t look like this, Lucy always leaving it spotless on a Friday. The past few days without her were very evident.
