by Pam Howes
‘Room service,’ a voice Sammy recognised as the redhead’s called out. She straightened her clothes and sat on the edge of the bed while Roy opened the door. The girl waltzed in and blushed furiously at the sight of Roy’s open shirt and the hairy chest beneath. ‘I’m sorry to disturb you, Mr Cantello,’ she stuttered.
‘That’s okay, you didn’t,’ Roy said, smiling at her. ‘We ordered the food, so we were aware it would be arriving soon.’
‘We’re short of chambermaids today. This isn’t my usual job,’ she informed Sammy, her words tripping over one another as she placed the tray down on the dressing table.
‘Really?’ Sammy replied coolly, arching an eyebrow.
As the girl left the room, Roy hung a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door. He grinned, picked up a corkscrew and the bottle of Chardonnay. ‘I think we embarrassed her. Drink?’
‘Please,’ Sammy said, helping herself to a sandwich. ‘Serves her right for being nosy. Those strawberries look lovely.’ She pointed to the plump red berries nestling on the fruit platter.
‘Don’t they? I know a game we can play with those!’ He grinned wickedly.
‘Yeah, I know you do, Roy Cantello.’
‘They’re not as messy as Mars Bars,’ he quipped, handing her a glass of wine.
‘Roy, you’re incorrigible. What on earth would that receptionist think if she heard you now?’
‘I don’t know and I don’t care. Eat up; I want to make love to you before you go back to work.’
‘What are you doing later?’ she asked, reaching for a slice of melon.
‘Swimming with Eddie,’ he replied, wolfing down one sandwich after another. ‘I’ve no plans for tonight. What about you? Fancy eating here and spending the night with me?’
‘I can’t, I’m going out for a meal.’
‘Who with?’
‘Stuart Green, actually.’
Roy frowned, a sandwich halfway to his mouth. ‘Stuart?’
‘Yes, Stuart.’
He looked deflated. ‘Oh, I didn’t think you would, well - you know…?’ he tailed off.
‘You didn’t think I’d what, go out with someone else?’ Sammy challenged.
‘Well, yes.’
‘It’s a business meeting, Roy.’
‘Well in that case, couldn’t you have had it at work during the day?’
‘God, you’re as bad as Jane. Stuart asked me if I’d like to go for a meal and I accepted. We’ve things to discuss.’
’You and Stu used to be very friendly if I remember rightly,’ he replied jealously, taking a large slug of wine.
‘I like Stuart. I’ve known him all my life.’
‘You’d have gone out with him if I hadn’t come on the scene, wouldn’t you?’
Sammy shrugged and bit into a strawberry. ‘Maybe, who knows? It was probably on the cards. But you did come on the scene, Roy, and we fell in love.’
He nodded and gazed down into his glass, blinking furiously.
‘Roy, what’s wrong?’ She saw the tears in his eyes. ‘Oh, for heavens sake, it’s not a date. Come here.’ She took his glass, put it down on the bedside table and pulled him into her arms. ‘You’re jealous and upset, why?’
‘I just can’t bear the thought of you going out with anyone else, for whatever reasons.’
‘Well I can’t just cancel without a good excuse. Stuart thought it would do me good with everything that’s been going on lately.’
‘Does he know about Livvy and me?’
‘Not about the baby, but he’s aware you had an affair that’s over. He knows you’ve moved out while we sort ourselves out.’
‘Does he also know that I want to move back home and that I still love you?’
‘Of course he does. He’s not going to make any moves on me and he also knows that I love you. Give me some credit where it’s due. I think I’ve handled things quite well so far, Nick’s death, Livvy, the baby, Jason and us; but just because I appear cool and calm on the outside doesn’t mean that I’m not churning up and in bits here.’ She banged her chest.
‘When you left me to go to Livvy’s last night I felt so sick, especially after what had happened between us. I know you had to try and sort out what to do for the best, but I was terrified of letting you go in case she managed to wrap you around her little finger again. If I’m honest, I was also scared to death that you would end up spending the night with her.’
Roy swallowed hard, his heart thudded and his face felt warm. He took a swig of wine while Sammy continued.
‘The pain I feel knowing Livvy’s carrying your baby when I’ve just lost one of mine is indescribable, Roy. I worry that when it’s born she’s going to have such a hold over you that you’ll leave Jason and me properly and go off with her. After all, I can’t give you another child.’
Roy looked at her face and could see the grief and pain bottled up. If he could take it from her and bear it himself he would. No matter what promises he’d made to Livvy last night, never again would he go alone to see her. Any further contact could be made by telephone or at Flanagan and Grey’s. Sammy and Jason must be his priority now or he’d lose them for good. His earlier promise, to look after Livvy and the child financially, still stood, but Sammy needed him and he needed her. He kissed her and pulled her down on top of him.
‘I won’t ever leave you or cheat on you again. You wanted the break from me, remember. You made me feel like I couldn’t do anything right around you, even though I tried so hard to make amends. I don’t want to be in this hotel room, Sam; I hate it. I don’t want to live in that lonely flat, nice though it is. I want to be in our home with you. I want to be in our room and our bed. But until you feel ready to have me back, I haven’t got a choice, have I?’
She looked down at him and he almost expected her to say, “Come home” but she kissed him instead. ‘Win back my trust, Roy. You can do it if you really try.’
He rolled her onto her back touching and kissing with such frenzy that she cried out for him.
They lay in one another’s arms for what seemed like hours afterwards. He leant up on one elbow and looked at her. ‘I love you so much. I don’t deserve you, I know that, but believe me, Sam, no one could ever love you more than I do. I’ll never hurt you again, I promise.’
Her eyes filled with tears. ‘Roy, there’s never been anyone else for me; you’re all I’ve ever wanted.’
‘I know,’ he replied, wiping her eyes with a napkin from the sandwich tray.
She struggled into a sitting position. ‘I’d better go back to work. Jane will wonder where I’ve got to. Look at the state of my skirt, it’s all creased. I should have taken it off.’
‘Well I was going to do that, but you didn’t give me the chance. You kept saying “I want you now, Roy!” And who am I to argue?’
She sat on the edge of the bed, her hands over her eyes, shoulders shaking.
Sammy, love, why are you crying again? What have I done now?’
‘I’m not crying,’ she replied, shaking with laughter. ‘You’d try the patience of a saint, Roy Cantello! How anybody else would want to put up with you, I just don’t know. What on earth will the girls on reception think when I walk through there looking like this?’
‘Oh sod them. Come and have a shower with me. If you hang your skirt up in the bathroom, the creases should fall out with the steam.’
‘How do you know that?’ she asked. Roy had never been in the least bit domesticated all his life.
‘It was a lazy trick we learnt on the road. If we hung our stage suits up in the bathroom while we had baths or showers we hardly ever needed to press them.’ He picked up the phone and dialled for an outside line.
‘Who are you calling?’ Sammy asked, putting her skirt on a hanger. She retrieved her silk top and underwear from the floor.
‘Jane,’ he replied. ‘Hi, it’s Roy. Sam’s gonna be a bit late getting back to work.’
‘Okay,’ Jane replied. ‘Is everything alright?’
‘Fine thanks; she just needs a bit more time. I expect she’ll explain later. Bye.’ Next he called Eddie. ‘Ed, can we cancel the swimming?’
‘Yes sure. Are you okay?’
‘Couldn’t be better. I’m just spending a bit more time with Sammy. I’ll see you later after you collect the kids from school’.
‘Roy, you didn’t need to cancel your swimming,’ Sammy protested as he hung up.
‘I wanted to. Truth is, Sammy, I don’t want this lunchtime to end. I hate the thoughts of you going home later and out with Stuart.’
She sighed. ‘Would it make you feel better if I cancelled? I can call Stuart from here.’
‘No, that would make me feel worse,’ he replied.
‘Well what’s it to be then?’ She looked at his doleful face.
‘Oh hell, what rights do I have to tell you what to do anymore after my performance? Of course you must go out for dinner with him, he’s my friend too. He’s hardly going to make off with my wife, is he?’
‘No. Now are we having that shower or what? I do have a business to run.’
***
By the time Roy walked Sammy through reception and out to her car, her clothes were fairly wrinkle free, but her immaculate hairstyle and carefully applied makeup were no more. He slung his arm affectionately across her shoulders and winked at Sharon and Avril on the desk as Sammy nodded and said goodbye.
Roy watched Sammy drive away, his heart pounding. He trusted her implicitly, but was still concerned about her going out with Stuart Green. He remembered the way Stu used to look at her when they were younger, always with a hunger in his eyes.
He glanced at his watch as he went back to his suite. There was half an hour to kill before Ed would be home from collecting the kids. He picked up his Fender and began to strum softly, humming the chorus of My Special Girl.
***
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
‘Do you feel better now that Roy knows about the baby?’ Jon asked Livvy who was filing records on the shelves wearing a dreamy expression.
‘Much better. At least I know now where I stand. He told me he wouldn’t divorce Sammy, but once the baby’s here I know he’ll change his mind. He’ll want to be with us, be a proper family.’ She walked over to a customer and asked if she could help.
Jon glanced at Sean who shrugged. ‘That’s all she’s gone on about while you’ve been out. How much Roy loves her and what he’s gonna do.’
‘Shit!’ Jon said. ‘He’s trying hard to put things right with Sam. Should I call Dad? Tell him what she’s been saying then he can warn Roy?’
‘Wait until she’s finished serving and I’ll send her out for lunch. By the way, your Aunt Sally rang. She’d like Cathy’s phone number, if you have it.’
‘Not on me. I’ll get it off Dad.’
***
‘Hi, you.’ Jess grinned into the receiver. Her dad was upstairs, looking for Jon’s godmother’s phone number
‘Hi, yourself,’ Jon replied. ‘Will you be okay on your own while Dad goes swimming?’
‘He’s not going. Roy cancelled. Right, Dad’s here now. Any chance we can see Jason tonight?’
‘Yeah, that would be nice. We’ll have a drink with him. I’ll call him when he gets in from college. Bye, Jess.’
‘Why does Sally want Cathy’s number, Jon?’ Eddie asked curiously after he’d given it to Jon.
‘Grandma wants to see her before she goes home.’
‘Oh I see.’
‘I believe the swimming’s off?’
‘Yeah, Roy’s spending time with Sam.’
‘Listen, Dad, Livvy’s got hold of the wrong end of the stick where Roy’s concerned. She says he’ll want to marry her when the baby arrives. Warn him that his problems are far from over. He shouldn’t have spent last night with her, that wasn’t fair. Now she’s reading all sorts into it. She may well tell Sammy he slept with her again.’
‘Bloody hell,’ Eddie said wearily. ‘Leave it with me.’
‘Problems, Dad?’ Jess handed him a coffee. He sat down at the kitchen table and lit a cigarette.
‘It’s this bloody Livvy affair.’ He told her what Jon had said. ‘Roy’s a fool, he really is. If Sammy finds out about last night she’ll be after his wedding tackle with those scissors faster than you can say Jack Robinson, I can tell you.’
***
Sally stared at the telephone for ages after Jon returned her call. Dare she contact Cathy, or would she be opening up a can of worms? She looked at the photograph in her hand. She’d been carrying it around all day in her pocket, checking it in different lights and from all sorts of angles. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t change the image of Richard’s face. Jon was his double. There was no doubt in her mind that Richard was Jon’s father. Sally wondered if Angie had realised whose baby she was carrying, plumping for Eddie as a safer bet because Richard had been engaged to someone else.
Angie would have been terrified of their parents finding out, Sally thought. Her sister, younger by ten years, had rebelled against the strict upbringing they’d had. Once Angie set her sights on Eddie Mellor, she’d thrown caution to the wind.
Sally had warned her she was playing with fire and would end up in trouble one day. The problem now was who exactly had got her into trouble? Judging from the photo evidence, it was Richard. Sally had to find out the truth. She’d keep it to herself, but she needed to know for her own peace of mind or it would eat away at her. She quickly dialled Cathy’s number before she changed her mind.
***
Jane was finishing her lunchtime sandwich as Sammy crept into their shared office.
‘Bloody hell, you look like you’ve been dragged through a hedge backwards!’
‘Blame it on the strawberries,’ Sammy said.
‘Strawberries?’
‘Never mind, you don’t want to know.’
‘Well where you and Roy are concerned, I’ve a good imagination.’ Jane raised an amused eyebrow as Sammy blushed. ‘So, apart from – strawberries, what else did you do?’
‘We talked about his plans for Livvy and the baby. He’s promised financial support and said that’s it, for now anyway. Hopefully he won’t need to see her again. He doesn’t really have any reason to. He can do everything through our solicitor. I must remind him of that.’
‘What about when the baby’s born, will he want to see it?’
‘I asked him and he said he’ll cross that bridge when he comes to it.’
Jane nodded. ‘Are you bothered by that? That he may want to be a father to it, I mean?’
‘Of course I am. She’ll always have a hold over him and it freaks me out.’
‘You’ll have to see what happens over the next few weeks.’
‘That’s all I can do, Jane. How did Jon get on with Angie’s family last night?’
‘Very well, apparently; Mrs Turner invited him to visit her in Hastings and she’s extended the invite to Jess as well.’
‘That’s thoughtful of her,’ Sammy replied. ‘Is the plaster off Jess’s wrist now?’
‘Yes, Ed took her to the hospital this morning. He called me a few minutes ago after he took Jess and Jon out to lunch. I spoke to Jess too and she told me they’re planning to see Jason tonight.’
‘That’ll do Jason the world of good,’ Sammy said.
‘It’ll do those two good to get out of the house, too. They’re spending far too much time cooped up in Jess’s room.’
‘Is that a problem?’ Sammy said as a look of concern crossed Jane’s face.
‘Not really, but there was something about them last night that I just can’t put my finger on. I could have sworn they’d been kissing. Properly I mean, not their usual pecks on the cheek. And another thing, Jess smelt very strongly of Jon’s cologne.’
Sammy’s eyes widened. ‘Surely you’re not suggesting something’s going on between them? They’re brother and sister, for God’s sake.’
‘Oh but they’re not,’ Jane sa
id.
‘Shit! Of course they’re not.’ Sammy clapped her hand to her mouth. ‘I forget sometimes. Well they’ve been brought up as brother and sister anyway. They wouldn’t do anything, would they?’
‘They’ve become very close since Nick’s death. Too close for comfort I think. Jon will do anything for her. He dries her hair, helps her to dress and carries her up and down the stairs. There’s always been an attraction between them. But I sense an intimacy that wasn’t there before. I’ve noticed it, but I don’t think Ed has. I’m not sure how to handle it, Sam. I can’t say anything to them, because what if I’m wrong and it’s my over active imagination?’
‘You’re usually very astute, Jane, not much passes you by. I’d keep on observing for now and if you feel there’s cause for concern, say something to Eddie. Don’t leave it until it’s too late.’
Jane nodded. ‘Don’t we have some bloody awkward problems? We should have married someone spotty and dull from school, like Doug Murray or Tommy Green. Then we’d have had dull and spotty kids too.’
Sammy chuckled. ‘Yeah, but just think how boring life would have been. At least we’ve seen the world and had fun with Roy and Ed. It's been a good life, most of the time anyway.’
***
Sally pulled up outside the large detached house on an exclusive, tree lined road in Westlow. She got out of her car and admired the attractive Tudor style frontage. She strolled up a drive flanked by well stocked gardens and rang the door bell. A loud barking erupted from within making her jump. A female voice called out for quiet. There was scuffling and whimpering and then the door opened.
‘Hello, Cathy,’ Sally began nervously.
‘Sally.’ Cathy held out her arms. ‘How lovely to see you again, please come in. I’ll let Ben out. I’ve put him in the kitchen, but he’ll scratch the door to bits if he’s shut in for much longer.’ She opened the door and the owner of the bark, a red brindle Boxer, shot into the hall, clattering on the parquet flooring. He leapt up and down like a mad thing as Cathy tried to grab his collar.