“Caught my husband in bed with another woman.” Oh, nice, Kayleigh. So much for not sharing. Shit. Now she had to talk personal issues.
“Jerk.” That was all Rebecca said. “Another shot?” She took the bottle and poured two more shots before handing Kayleigh her glass. “Here’s to those who love us and fuck those who don’t.”
Kayleigh laughed. “Cheers to that,” she said before downing her tequila. The liquid went straight to her head. She needed to slow down or she wouldn’t be able to drive home.
“So, where do you work?” Rebecca asked.
“I own a veterinarian practice in town.” Kayleigh blushed when she saw the surprise on Rebecca’s face. She peered down at her beer to cover her embarrassment. People always made a big deal out of it when she told them what she did for a living.
“Wow,” Rebecca said. “Not just a pretty face.”
Kayleigh felt her blush deepen. “Uhm… so what do you do?”
“I own a CD store in town. Just opened it the other day, and the customers are few if not non-existent.” Rebecca sighed and took a sip of beer.
“When I first opened my practice, business was extremely slow. Happy to say that lately it’s really been picking up. It’ll happen, don’t worry too much.”
They spent hours talking until Rebecca had to move her car so that the others could leave. The crowd thinned and soon, everyone had left but them.
Lindsay and Judy joined them with mugs of coffee for each.
“Thanks, I sure can use this,” Kayleigh said and Rebecca nodded in agreement. “Can I help you clean up?”
“That would be fantastic,” Lindsay said.
They all started clearing away glasses and plates.
Kayleigh and Rebecca took as many glasses as they could carry and packed them into the dishwasher. Kayleigh felt Rebecca’s eyes on her back and straightened before turning around to find Rebecca’s face inches from hers.
“Oops. Apologies.” Rebecca took a step back to allow Kayleigh to pass.
“It’s late. I guess I’d better leave or the babysitter is going to start charging double,” Kayleigh said as she slipped past Rebecca… but not before she felt the heat from Rebecca’s body. She walked to Lindsay who was busy wiping the kitchen counter. “I haven’t had so much fun since college, Lindsay.”
Judy walked in with the remaining glasses, and Lindsay helped her load the dishes. “Thanks for having me, guys,” Kayleigh said. She hugged Judy and Lindsay and shook Rebecca’s hand.
“Are you both sure you’re fine to drive? You’re welcome to sleep over,” Lindsay said.
“Yes, I stopped drinking a while ago, and the coffee really helped,” Rebecca said. “Besides, my house is just down the road. How hard can it be?”
Kayleigh smiled. “And I’m two miles away. I’ll be fine.”
On the short trip home, a shiver coursed through her body as her thoughts returned to Rebecca and those passionate blue eyes.
†
The next day was Saturday. Kayleigh’s hangover didn’t help in rousing her from bed, but it was time to prepare the new house and begin moving in. Flashes of memory from the previous evening came back in short spurts and pieces, and she tried to fit the puzzle back together. She thought of Rebecca and wondered if she’d ever see her again.
Kayleigh and Sarah took all the necessities to the house to start the big clean up. As excited as Kayleigh was, her daughter was positively bouncing with energy. After so many different small apartments, the bigger living space, and an actual house was welcome for both of them.
Kayleigh parked her Jeep in the sandy driveway and removed the cleaning materials from the trunk. On the way up the rest of the drive, she noticed with relief that the lawn had been mowed.
“Wow, Mom. I love this house. It’s so cool!” Sarah exclaimed for what seemed like the fiftieth time since their first visit. Her sneakers left small puffs of dust clouds in her wake as she rushed to the door.
“Wait up, Sarah.” Kayleigh hurried to catch up with her.
They spent the remainder of the weekend cleaning. By Sunday evening, the house was spotless and move-in ready. Kayleigh had even had time to strengthen the staircase railing with brackets and wood glue that she had purchased from the local hardware store.
During the week that followed, Kayleigh spent every evening packing all their belongings into boxes. By Friday, everything was packed and ready for the moving company to transport to the new place. Judy and Lindsay took a half day off work, and helped her move. By Friday evening, everything was in their new home, and Kayleigh was exhausted. After Judy and Lindsay left, Sarah came to her where she stood in the kitchen, unwrapping glasses and placing them in the cupboard.
“Mom, please can we just be normal this weekend? Go to the beach, watch some TV?”
“I only have one word for you....” Kayleigh paused while she grabbed her cell phone and dialed Mr. Delivery. “Pizza.”
“Yeah!” Sarah did her happy dance around the kitchen with her school uniform still on, the green skirt lifting while she spun around like a ballerina.
Kayleigh hung up from ordering the pizza and pointed Sarah toward the stairs. “Go take off your school uniform and put on your pajamas.”
About thirty minutes later, the pizza came. Kayleigh carried it out to the expansive patio that overlooked all of Wilderness. The house, which sat on top of the mountain, offered a stunning view. Kayleigh breathed in the salty smell of the sea that carried to her on a soft breeze. She sighed in contentment. She glanced over at her daughter who’d just finished off her third slice of pizza. Sarah shifted in her seat and rubbed her stomach.
“Ate too much, did you? Don’t fade on me during our first date now.” Kayleigh grinned and sipped some bubbly. At times like these, she missed having someone in her life. Maybe it was the big house or perhaps the champagne. Sarah was great, but having an eight-year-old as the only company wasn’t always easy.
Kayleigh wondered sometimes if true love existed. It sure hadn’t in her marriage. She’d divorced her husband two years ago after catching him in bed with his secretary. Angry and hurt, she’d resigned from the animal hospital where she was working, and left. All their friends had sided with her husband at the time, agreeing with him that he had reason to cheat on his wife, due to her extremely long hours at work. She really only had one true friend, and that had always been Lindsay. Kayleigh had been fantasizing secretly about staying close to her best friend and opening up her own practice long before she caught him cheating. It took a lot of courage for her to make such a massive change in her life, but she finally cut all ties, took Sarah and her Jeep, and moved across the country from Johannesburg to start a fresh life in Sedgefield.
Kayleigh took another sip of champagne as she thought about how she’d used her life savings to open the practice. She’d struggled to make ends meet at first, but with the increase in business these past few months, she was optimistic everything was turning around. Now, with the new house and the lower rent, she would be able to have more freedom with the extra cash in her pocket.
Sarah’s voice shook her from her thoughts.
“Tristan brought me flowers at school today, Mom. What should I do? I don’t like him.”
“Flowers? How sweet. God, what I wouldn’t give for some flowers from someone.” Kayleigh winked.
“I don’t like him. He’s fat.”
“Sarah, that’s very hurtful. I’ve taught you better than that. I hope you didn’t say that to him.”
“No. I took the flowers and chucked them in the nearest trash can.”
“Sarah! I’m sure you hurt his feelings. What did he do?”
Sarah gazed down at her hands in her lap. “He cried and ran away.” She turned her attention back to Kayleigh with tears in her eyes. “I felt really bad. I won’t do it again. I promise.”
Kayleigh tipped Sarah’s chin up. “You need to treat others as you’d want them to treat you, okay?”
Sarah nodded.
Kayleigh ruffled her hair. “I think you should apologize to him on Monday, don’t you?”
“Okay, Mom,” Sarah said.
†
Rebecca got home Friday after yet another quiet day at her new store. She immediately went to the fridge for a cold beer. It’d been a week since she had anything to drink. Tonight she needed it. She twisted off the cap, and with her heavy black boot, she kicked the fridge door shut.
“Damn these locals,” she muttered to herself as she took a seat by the kitchen table.
She pulled her phone out of her jean pocket and dialed Judy’s number.
“Hey, sweetie,” Judy answered after the third ring.
“I’m moving back to Cape Town.”
“No. You’re not. Take a deep breath and tell me what’s wrong.”
Rebecca heard Lindsay asking questions in the background.
“No customers. Not even one.” Rebecca sighed into the phone. She raked her hand through her short, dark hair and her long bangs flopped back down over her eyes.
“Just give it time. They will warm up to you, promise,” Lindsay said.
“I’m putting you on speakerphone, Beck,” Judy told her.
“That’s cool, mate. Hi, Lindsay.” Judy and Lindsay did everything together. Sometimes, she was jealous of their strong relationship. “If I don’t start getting customers soon, I’m doomed.” She sipped from her beer as she sat back in her chair, long, lean legs stretched out before her.
“And you will get customers. Don’t worry too much. Have a free hotdog day or something,” Judy said. “Kayleigh struggled when she first opened her practice and now her business is booming.”
“Speaking of Kayleigh, how is she?” Rebecca tried not to sound too interested but wasn’t sure she pulled it off. A vision of Kayleigh’s vivid green eyes popped into her mind.
Lindsay interrupted her train of thought. “She just moved into a new place this week. Been hectic.”
“Hey, bud, she’s off-limits,” Judy chimed in playfully. Still, Rebecca heard the serious undertone.
“Look, guys, I know I went through a phase of sleeping around after Maria, but that phase is over. This is the new Rebecca Steward. Watch this space.”
“Nothing wrong with enjoying your freedom. As long as it’s not with my best friend,” Lindsay said. “She’s so straight, it scares the lamp poles.”
“Oh yeah, guys, speaking of straight, I kind of let her think I’m straight.” Rebecca confessed like a guilty child. “I didn’t really lie…well, only if you think omitting the truth is the same as telling a lie.”
At first, there was complete silence from the other end. Seconds passed with no response, and then there was a cough from Judy. “Why would you do something like that? You’re as gay as they come, chick. It doesn’t get gayer than you. It took you years to jump out of the closet and shout surprise! Why would you want to climb back into that dark hole again? That doesn’t make sense.”
“It just kind of happened. I know it was probably wrong to let her think that, but, well when she introduced herself, the first thing out of her mouth was she was straight. I was just messing with her, and well, then it just was never brought up again. Please don’t blow my cover, guys. I’d like the chance to explain, tell her myself. I really like this girl… as a friend,” Rebecca quickly added.
“If you plan on seeing her again, you’d better tell her, Beck. The truth always comes out and bites you in the ass if you wait too long,” Lindsay said. “You know what a big mouth I have. I might slip up.”
“Don’t you dare, Lindsay,” Rebecca warned.
“Then don’t mislead my friend. I’ll slap you senseless.”
Rebecca snorted. “Says the person who won’t even hurt a fly.”
After hanging up, Rebecca flipped on her music system and cranked up the volume before carrying her beer outside.
Chapter 4
Two weeks had passed since Kayleigh met Rebecca at the house-warming party. Kayleigh and Sarah were settling in their new house, and it was starting to feel like home. Kayleigh kept busy with renovations. She’d had some cracked windows replaced and some of the old carpets cleaned. She’d even managed to fix a few leaking faucets. She kept all the slips to give to Graham, so it would come off her rent the following month.
The neighborhood was peaceful, and even though the sea was five miles from her window, she could still hear the waves crashing in the distance.
On Saturday, as Kayleigh was waking, she heard Sarah talking. It sounded like her voice was coming through the far end of a tunnel. Disoriented, she opened her eyes and squinted around in a daze, wondering for a second where she was. As soon as she recognized her surroundings, her lips curled upward and she stretched. The wooden floor felt clean, smooth, and warm under her bare feet when they touched the floor. She walked down the passage to Sarah’s room. It sounded as though she was talking to one of the dolls that she loved so much.
She glimpsed Sarah through the partially opened door. She was sitting on the wooden floor, her favorite doll clasped in one hand and a Barbie doll in the other. It appeared she was playing a mommy-and-child game.
“Morning, sweetie,” Kayleigh said softly.
Sarah jumped up at the sound of her mom’s voice. “Mommy!” She lunged toward her and hugged her around her waist.
Kayleigh returned the hug and looked down into Sarah’s eyes. “If you help me make sandwiches, we can take a drive down to the beach.”
Jumping up and down, Sarah shouted her delight. Kayleigh knew she could pretty much talk Sarah into doing anything for a trip to the beach.
They sang and danced around the kitchen while they packed the picnic lunch. Sarah made a big jug of juice with ice blocks and packed some plastic cups for them, while Kayleigh made peanut butter and apricot jam sandwiches. To round off their picnic, some Twinkies and fruit were added.
The trip to the beach took only five minutes in traffic. Kayleigh picked a spot as close to the water as they could get without getting everything wet. Luckily, the beach wasn’t too crowded, but there were many body-boarders about. Kayleigh kept close watch so that Sarah didn’t get hurt. There was not a single cloud in the sky, and the sun was brutal. The cool seawater was very welcome.
They spent the whole morning on the beach. By the time they’d eaten their sandwiches and their snacks, they were both turning red, and Kayleigh decided it was time to head home. It felt as though sand had entered every single orifice—she was ready for a nice, refreshing, cold shower.
“One more dip, Sarah.”
Sarah whined as Kayleigh began collecting all of their stuff so they could leave. She glanced up. Her heart did a flip-flop when she noticed a very familiar woman with short dark hair walking up to them. Her penetrating, clear blue eyes were luminous in the sunlight.
“If it’s not too late, can I offer you some sunscreen?” Rebecca asked as she showed a large bottle of SPF 40. Her eyes scanned over Kayleigh’s body with obvious appreciation.
“Hi,” Kayleigh said, taking the bottle from Rebecca and rubbing some lotion onto Sarah’s shoulders. “Thanks,” she said as she returned her gaze to Rebecca’s heavenly blue eyes.
Sarah started to take off for the water.
“What do you say, Sarah?”
Sarah came to a halt, thanked Rebecca, and then bounced through the sand toward the sea.
“How have you been?” Rebecca asked in her low, sexy voice. “Here. Let me help you.” Rebecca took the sunscreen and applied it liberally onto Kayleigh’s shoulders. Rebecca’s breasts were only inches away from her face.
“I’ve been...busy.” Kayleigh cleared her throat, while trying to calm her rapid breathing. “How about you?”
“Ugh,” Rebecca grunted. “I’ve had a week from hell. Remember my CD shop that I told you about?”
Kayleigh nodded.
“No business. Nada. Do you know about the new music store in town? I mean, do you actually know where it is? Because no on
e else seems to have found it.”
“Yes, I know where it is,” Kayleigh lied. “Sorry, I’ve been busy moving and I haven’t had a chance to pop by.” She didn’t want to offend Rebecca by admitting that she hadn’t even noticed the store.
“That’s right. I heard you moved. Well, up until today I’ve had a total of zero customers.” Rebecca emphasized the point by shaping her fingers into a zero sign. “Unless you want to count the ten CDs Judy came to purchase this past week. I’m sure she bought them out of pity.”
“I had the same problem when I first opened my practice. It took me a year to get the locals to trust me with their pets. It’s a shame Judy didn’t go buy a pet to bring me business at the time.”
Rebecca laughed. “She’s such a good friend. I can actually see her doing that.” She shook her head. “A year? No, I can’t wait that long. I’ll be doomed by then. No income, with all these expenses. God help me.”
“Sarah and I will pop in some time,” Kayleigh said, making a mental note to ask Lindsay about the location of Rebecca’s store.
Rebecca gave her a brilliant smile. “I’d like that.”
Wow. Even her teeth are perfect. “Well, we’d better get out of the sun. It was good seeing you, Rebecca.”
“Nice seeing you too, Kay. Is it okay to call you Kay?”
“Sure.”
After saying their good-byes, Kayleigh and Sarah headed back to the Jeep.
†
The road home seemed longer than it had when they’d left. Dehydrated and sore from the sun, Kayleigh could feel a headache coming on. She asked Sarah to stay in her room and play while Kayleigh took a late afternoon nap. Kayleigh took a quick, cold shower, locked all the doors, and went up to her room, falling asleep instantly and sleeping like a log.
Kayleigh woke and stretched. It was evening and her room was so dark that she couldn’t make out her surroundings. It took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust just as she noticed it was raining. The smell of the fresh rain on the ground entered her open window and filled her senses with its relaxing rhythm and soothing effect.
The Presence Page 3