by Sam Crescent
“It’s pretty cool. My brothers own a house along here, and so do my two sisters. They’re very happy.”
“It must be nice,” Lana said with a sigh.
He pulled up into the closed driveway. Kent typed in the number for the gate to open.
“You’ve got a security locked gate?”
“Yeah. My mom demanded it because my grandparents always dropped by when she didn’t want them to. It was her way of keeping the in-laws away.”
Lana chuckled. “I like the sound of your mom.”
“She’s going to like you. Trust me, Lana, my mom is no ogre.”
“Okay.”
She turned behind her to watch the gate close. “It must be nice to lock the world away.”
“Have you ever wanted to lock the world away?” he asked.
“Sometimes.”
She didn’t elaborate. Kent wanted more than anything to get some truth out of her. Instead, he grew silent and waited for her to speak.
He drove up to the main house. The day was overcast, and dinner would be served inside the house. Sophie opened the door and ran down the steps. She was the youngest of all the siblings. She was twenty-five and had been a shock to the family when she arrived.
“Kent, it’s about time you got here.” He climbed out of the car and tensed waiting for her to jump at him.
Lana got out of the car staring at them. He felt her eyes on him. Sophie wrapped her arms around his neck.
“You’ve been gone too long, big brother,” Sophie said.
“I know. Work has been hectic recently.”
“You’re all work, and you’re going to put yourself into an early grave. Mom and dad are worried. They think you’re going to be a sleep-around bachelor for the rest of your life.”
Kent cleared his throat. “Can I introduce you to someone?” He pointed toward Lana. “This is Lana Hawkins. She’s my friend.”
“You don’t have female friends, not after … erm … you know what I mean.”
He glared at his sister. They were saved by the rest of his family running down the stairs including some of his nieces and nephews. He was suddenly bombarded with hugs, kisses, and slaps on the back.
Lana stood off to the side watching the whole spectacle. He saw something else in her gaze as she watched him, a yearning. She wanted what he’d gotten.
“Guys, stop with the hugs and everything. I get it. You love me and miss me.” They took a step back. “I want to introduce you to a friend. This is Lana Hawkins.”
His mom, Penny, turned to Lana. He’d seen the happiness on her face. Kent felt he’d done the right thing bringing Lana with him.
Chapter Nine
Kent’s family was huge, and Lana saw they all loved each other. The display of affection was making her yearn for something similar. There would be no happy family gatherings for her and no public displays of affection. If anything, her mother would proposition Kent after already getting blind drunk. She’d not seen her mom in years, and the thought of returning to the trailer where she used to live filled her with fear.
His mom turned to look at her. She had expected to see the disappointment or some other emotion of disgust. What she got was a large smile, and then she was pulled into his mom’s arms.
She turned her gaze to Kent wondering what to do.
“You need to wrap your arms around her, dear,” the older man who looked like Kent said.
The others chuckled. Lana smiled along with them and wrapped her arms around the woman. The older woman smelt so comforting. Her vanilla scent helped to calm Lana’s nerves.
“Penny, dear, I think you’re scaring the woman,” the older man said.
“Lana, this is my mom, Penny, and this big guy here is my dad, Derek.”
“It’s nice to meet you,” Lana said. Penny let her go and smiled.
“You’re so pretty.”
Heat filled her cheeks at the compliment. “Erm, thank you.”
Kent moved to her side. He took her hand in his as they faced his family. “You’re scaring my friend, guys. Take a step back. Sorry, they’re not used to seeing people,” Kent said, joking.
She smiled.
“No, we’re the ones used to seeing people. Kent here spends too much time working to know what real people are doing.”
“Shut it, Seth.” A blonde woman with a slender figure slapped the oldest Anderson brother. “It’s great to see you, Kent.”
“Tonya.”
So this was the woman who broke Kent’s heart. Lana turned to the beautiful woman. Tonya Anderson looked like she could have been a model. Her slender frame didn’t look as if she’d given birth to three children.
“Kent,” she said. Tonya knelt down and picked up her youngest daughter. “We’re so glad to see Uncle Kent, aren’t we?” She spoke in a baby voice.
“Come on, dear, let me get you inside. It’s cold out here, and my frail bones can’t take much more,” Penny said.
Derek followed behind them. Penny and Derek didn’t look particularly old. The years had been good to the older couple. Kent smiled after her. Wasn’t he coming inside?
He was leaving her alone with his family. She suddenly felt exposed by being left alone with them. The rest of his family followed them inside. Seth, Tonya, and Kent stayed outside. Their kids were playing around their feet.
“Don’t mind them, Lana,” Penny said. She was taken into one of the largest kitchens she’d ever seen. There was a range cooker along the back wall, but in the centre was a counter with a stove in the middle and plenty of space for her to sit.
Lana felt like she’d stepped onto a cover of a magazine. “Do you like my kitchen? Kent did tell me you liked to bake.”
“Your kitchen is beautiful. I’ve got a small oven in my apartment.” Along the far wall was a double oven at chest height. There was also a double fridge freezer along the opposite wall. The kitchen was spacious, and she saw it was much loved by Penny. The scent of chicken filled the air.
“I’ve got three chickens cooking for dinner. My boys and my girls have a healthy appetite,” Penny said.
“You also have enough for leftovers, Pen. Don’t forget your legendary leftovers,” Derek said. He was reading the paper.
Sophie and Dawn walked into the room and took a seat on either side of her.
“So, you’re Kent’s woman?” Sophie asked, grabbing an apple from the fruit bowl on the counter.
“Sophie, if you eat that and struggle with your dinner, there’ll be trouble,” Penny said, warning the others.
A cup of tea was placed in front of her.
“Mom, I’m twenty-five, not twelve.”
“You still act like a kid, Soph. Mom’s right. Don’t eat too much,” Dawn said.
Eric walked into the kitchen. Everyone was everywhere, and Lana didn’t have a clue how to keep up. “What are you looking at, Dad?”
“The results on the football,” Derek said.
“You don’t even watch the football, baby,” Penny said. A blush stained the older woman’s cheeks. “You’ve always got something better to do.”
“Ew, gross, they’re going all lovey-dovey and talking about sex. Make them stop, Dawn,” Sophie said.
“Honey, if you’ve got it as good as I have, you’ll be blushing at my age,” Penny said. “Now, are you Kent’s woman?”
Lana opened her mouth to speak, but she was beaten to it by another person.
“Of course she’s his woman. Kent never brings a woman home unless he’s serious about her. When’s the wedding?” Derek asked.
“Guys, you’re terrifying her,” Kent said, stepping behind her. “There’s no wedding. Lana and I are friends.”
“Oh dear, I think we were scaring you, weren’t we?” Penny said.
“I’m not used to a large crowd,” Lana said.
“You’ll get used to it,” Tonya said, bringing in her three children and Seth. The crowd was getting bigger and bigger.
Kent squeezed her shoulders. She took
the comfort.
“Here you are, pet, a nice cup of tea. I buy the good stuff.” Penny placed a cup in front of her. Dawn and Sophie then started to add sugar and milk to her cup. “Girls! Leave the poor girl alone.”
“It’s fine,” Lana said.
He kept stroking her arm, which made it hard for her to concentrate on the conversation. His touch sent shivers up her spine. She couldn’t do anything but think about what he was doing to her body.
“I promise, Lana, you’ll get used to it, and before long, you’re having a three way conversation and managing to keep up,” Tonya said.
Lana smiled at the other woman.
****
Kent tightened his grip on Lana’s shoulders. He felt her shaking from the nerves. His family were hard to deal with at first. Growing up with all of them made it easier for him to keep up with each conversation. It was one of the reasons he believed he was a good businessman.
Tonya’s advice was nice to hear. The other woman had stopped him from going inside the house along with his brother Seth. They were worried about him because of his lack of visits to the family home. He saw the love Tonya had for his brother, and after all this time he truly believed she loved Seth.
He couldn’t force Tonya to stop loving his brother. They were never meant to be. Kent understood that now. Running his fingers up and down Lana’s arm he felt at peace. Lana was meant to be here with him. Her place was by his side even though she kept trying to run away from him.
Before coming home, he’d phoned his parents to warn them about Lana’s insecurities. They were simply being themselves around her.
Lana picked up the cup of tea. She took a sip and winced.
“Oh no, too much sugar,” Sophie said. The cup was whisked out of her hands and thrown in the sink. He watched as Sophie then started to make another drink.
“Where are your men?” he asked.
“Football,” Dawn and Sophie said.
He turned to Eric. “My woman’s shopping with the kids. They need a new costume for some school play, and you know my woman. She needs to make it herself.”
Kent nodded. The few times he’d come home for Sunday lunch he’d felt sorry for his siblings. Their lives were constantly filled with the mundane crap that came with a steady woman or man and a family.
Now, as he stood behind Lana he saw something completely different. Kent saw himself from their perspective. He saw a lonely older man with nothing but work to keep him company.
Turning around he saw Seth rubbing Tonya’s shoulders as she helped their oldest son do homework. The connection among all of them made him feel lonely.
He watched as his dad moved to where his mom was peeling potatoes for dinner. Derek put his hands on Penny’s hips and was whispering against her ear. The love he witnessed startled him.
Kent didn’t have any of this. When they all went home, they had their partners, husbands and wives to wrap up warm to. What did he have? A beeping phone where he could call any woman and a black book filled with numbers of women he didn’t want.
His life was meaningless.
“Kent, why don’t you show Lana your old room?” Penny said.
Nodding, Kent took Lana’s hand and escorted her to his room. He had slept on the top floor.
“Wow, your family is huge,” Lana said.
“They’re a great bunch. Were you struggling to keep up?” he asked.
“I was getting there. It was pretty hectic.” She smiled. He kept a firm grip on her hand as they made their way up to his room.
He opened the door. The only other woman in his childhood bedroom was Tonya.
“You’ve got a lot of trophies,” Lana said. “You’ve gone all silent on me.”
“I’m just thinking.” He sat down on his bed, picking up the ball his mother had left there on his last day of college.
“What are you thinking about?” Lana tucked some stray strands of hair behind her ear. The glasses she wore made her look adorable.
Kent let out a sigh. “I’ve not come to a family dinner in some time. I’ve always made an excuse not to be here. Work, dates, my friends.”
“You were hiding from Tonya,” Lana said.
“I thought I was hiding from her. It’s insane how I’ve built this wall up between myself and my family,” he said.
She waited for him to speak. He tried to find the right words to say. “I was pissed at Seth and Tonya. I felt they’d betrayed me, but you can’t control the person you fall in love with. They’re in love.”
“I can see that.”
“I didn’t. I thought she wanted the older brother, the guy who’d inherit the real fortune from our dad. I’ve always wanted to go my own way. Dad let me do what I wanted.” He laughed thinking how silly his past thoughts have been. “When I came here, alone, I used to feel sorry for them all. They had family, responsibility. They weren’t free. I thought I had the good life.”
“You don’t think that?” she asked.
“I thought they were jealous of me because I didn’t have any responsibilities. They felt sorry for me because I have nothing.”
“You have something, Kent.” Lana nudged his arm.
Tears filled his eyes as the truth hit him square in the chest. “No, I don’t. What exactly do I have?” He stared down at the ball in his hand. “I’ve got a successful company and a lonely big penthouse fucking apartment. I’ve got friends who’ve settled down with a family.”
He wiped under his eyes as the real loneliness started to set in. “Like I said to you, I don’t have female friends I don’t fuck. I’ve got nothing. When I go home tonight I won’t be going back with a wife or girlfriend. I’ll be going home to an empty apartment. I’ve got a big fuck-off television to keep me company. Man, I’ve got a phone filled with lots of available women who’ll come and sleep with me. But what do I really have? I’ve got nothing.”
She wrapped her arms around him. Tears were streaming down her face. “You’ve not got nothing, Kent.”
“No? Then what do I have? Because right now I feel like a fucking waste of time.” Lana cupped his cheek and turned him to face her. “You’ve got me. I’m not going anywhere.”
Chapter Ten
One month later
Lana placed the food down in front of her regular customer. She waited for them to ask for something else. When they ignored her, she walked toward the next customer. She checked the clock on the far wall to see how long she had left before it was time to start heading for her other job. Her time with Kent was the best part of her day. Their time at his family’s home had really cemented their friendship. After she’d promised to always be in his life, Kent had held her close, and their friendship deepened. They were no longer the billionaire business man and the cleaner in her mind. They were simply Kent and Lana, two friends who enjoyed spending time together. He was her first real friend, and she adored him. She checked the clock again to see if the hands had moved faster. This was how her life had become, clock watching.
She grabbed the cloth and started wiping down surfaces while also taking used plates and trays back into the kitchen. The other two waitresses were giggling over a story in the newspaper. A quick glance at the paper and she saw Kent’s face on the front cover. He’d warned her of another story coming out about his exploits in the bedroom.
Shaking her head, she grabbed the pot and coffee and made her rounds. She filled cups and took extra orders while also thinking about the weekend ahead. Christmas was fast approaching, and Penny had phoned her inviting her to their house for Christmas.
Declining the offer had been difficult, and Kent had eventually persuaded her to go with him. They were Christmas shopping together at the weekend. He was spending the weekend at her house, and she was baking him a cake to take into work.
She didn’t understand why he enjoyed spending time with her. He’d also invited her to his friend’s house one night. All the guys who’d been present at the art exhibition were there. She’d played cards and
watched Kent get thrashed at pool.
When it was time for her to leave, she changed into her other uniform and headed out the door. She was rounding a corner when a hard chest stopped her.
Falling to the floor, she looked up to see Frank standing over her. Lana tensed. She’d not seen her ex in months.
“What are you doing here?” she asked.
He reached down, taking her hand. “Is that any way to talk to a friend?” He helped her up. She closed her coat, covering her uniform.
“Sorry, if you’ll excuse me,” she said, heading around him.
“I came to see you, Lana.”
“What happened to the blonde woman with all the money?” she asked, recalling his disdain towards her with her lack of funds. She couldn’t believe she lost sleep over him leaving her. He’d been abusive and downright cruel to her.
“Michelle is out of the picture. I could never handle her. I wanted to see you, Lana.”
His words stopped her in her tracks. What could he possibly have to say to her? Lana turned to him. There was once a time when she would have fallen for his routine, but staring at him after all the time she’d spent with Kent, she saw the true man beneath Frank’s surface, and she didn’t like what she saw.
“What do you want?”
“I miss you,” he said. Rolling her eyes, Lana continued walking away. Her other job started in an hour, and she enjoyed walking the distance to get to Kent’s building. Frank’s words sent shivers down her spine. She didn’t want him anywhere near her.
“Will you slow down?”
“No, I’ve got another job to do.”
“Really? I thought you’d have that rich guy paying for you,” Frank said. His words made her stop. She frowned and turned toward him. “That got your attention?”
“What are you doing, Frank? How do you know about Kent?”
“I bet you’re like your mother, spreading your legs for whatever a man can give you.” She reached up and slapped Frank around the face. It was the first time she’d ever struck him. He looked surprised. She noted his fisted hand and took a step back. All of her warning bells were going off. Every second she stood with him, Lana felt like a fool for sticking around with him. There was nothing good about him or the past she’d shared with him. Two years had been a long time to waste, but at least there wasn’t any chance of her letting him back. Frank was over.