A Somers Dream

by Patricia Isabel

  “Now Shane, can’t we be adults about this? It has been five years already. Let’s bury the hatchet” Lynesse called from the front hall, she didn’t like being ignored and she certainly didn’t like being ignored by him. She made her way towards the kitchen where Shane was and couldn’t help but notice how exquisite the house was. ‘He has great taste, that’s for sure’ she thought and she walked down the hall. Entering the kitchen she saw that Shane was pouring himself a glass of wine, “Perfect. I’ll have a glass as well” and she sat on the stool. He let out a sigh and poured one for her as well, he figured he wasn’t getting her out until she said what she came to say. As he pushed her glass towards her, Lynesse was marveling at the décor and grandeur of the kitchen “This place is beautiful. How come I never seen it before now?” She looked over at him with that pouty look she thought made her look irresistible. It made him want to vomit. “Could be because you were never invited, I guess. What do you want, Lynesse” he was feeling very tired all of a sudden. “What? No ‘how you been’ or ‘how’s the family’? Where are your manners?” she was going to drag this visit for as long as she can. She had a purpose for being here and she wasn’t going to leave until she got what she wanted. Shane rolled his eyes and combed his fingers through his hair letting her know he was getting agitated. “Fine, Lynesse. How’s old Holten doing? Still alive I take it?” he wasn’t in the mood for dealing with this. All he wanted to do was come home, eat, relax and then hook up with Penny online. This wasn’t part of the plan. “Well, you got one thing right. Actually two things, he is old and he is still alive. I don’t really see him all that much. He just locks himself away with all his antiques for hours on end. Life has become quite dull, to be honest”. Again, Lynesse gave that pouty look that made Shane want to slap off. “So why are you here, Lynesse? If he’s not dying or sick, there is no reason for you to be here” He wondered if it would be considered assault if he picked her up and threw her out. He knew the answer to that, cursed and began to drink. “I’m sorry, what did you say? Oh never mind. The reason I’m here is that I’ve been thinking. My ‘relationship’ with Holten has died out and he no longer pays any attention to me. So I thought what a brilliant time for us to pick up where we left off. We were a great pair before all this nonsense began. So I started thinking, why not? We had some good times together, Shane. And I know you’re not seeing anyone ‘exclusive’, I’ve asked around. It’s funny how you never became serious with another woman after me.” Lynesse’s smile was so wide, she could’ve inhaled the Titanic, ocean and all. Wine came spewing from his mouth as he heard what she had to say. He was starting to think something was wrong with his hearing because he knew she didn’t just say what she said. Gasping for air, Shane looked dumbfounded at her. “Excuse me? Did you just say, in relative terms, you wanted to get back together?” Oh he was feeling faint. There is no way that was what she said. “Of course. Why else would I come here to this godforsaken place? You know I hate the woods. Oh Shane! It would be like old times again.” For Lynesse, two miles out of town is ‘the woods’ and ‘old times’ was her being catered to. Shane was having a hard time digesting this little bit of news. “Um, Lynesse? Maybe you forgotten a couple of details so let me enlighten you, Ok? Not only are you married to my father but you left me for him?!” He was having a stroke. Oh yes, he can feel the weakness in his chest. What the hell was wrong with this woman? “Well, you left me and Holten was so understanding and sweet. He understood that a precious gem, such as myself, should never be left unattended. Besides, I needed to be with someone who was more established in life” Lynesse said this all casual like while examining her manicure. That wasn’t exactly how it happened but he didn’t need to know that. Shane was having a hard time digesting all of it, he wondered if there was any Pepto Bismal in the bathroom pantry. A whole bottle would feel good right about now. “More established?” he said confounded, “I don’t care what game you’re playing but I’m not into it. You made your bed five years ago, either you deal with it or find someone else to play with. I’m not interested” With that said, Shane held Lynesse gently by the arm and made his way to the front door to escort her out. Once he had her through the threshold, she turned to say something, he slammed the door in her face. He had enough of Lynesse Whitcombe, no Lynesse Somers, for an eternity. Lynesse stood outside on the front porch completely appalled, “Well, of all the nerve. How dare he!”. As she began to walk to her car, she decided that it wasn’t over. Shane will be hers again even if it took every deceitful scheme she could come up with to do it. Lynesse always got what she wanted and what she wanted was Shane. “This isn’t over, not by a long shot” she slammed the shift into gear and she drove down the driveway, already plotting of ways to make Shane hers once again.

  CHAPTER 10

  This day had to be one of the worst days for Shane. First dropping Penny off at the airport so that she can be thousands of miles away from him and then, he could’ve done without this one, Lynesse shows up at his door. He would’ve preferred to have undergone an appendectomy without anesthesia, that’s how wonderful this day had been. He still couldn’t figure out how she got in? He remembered he locked the door before leaving today. Oh well, she’s gone and that’s all that matters. He made himself a quick bite to eat then went and took a shower. He needed to get the stench of Lynesse off of him before he talked with Penny. After a good hearty scrub, he settled down in front of the computer and sent her a text, letting her know he’s there and ready for their date to begin.

  With work being in its chaotic state, the days just flew by. Penny welcomed it with open arms, she knew that keeping busy would make missing Shane a bit easier but it certainly didn’t help when the evening came and all was quiet. They have continued their ‘date’ on a nightly basis at seven o’clock sharp. They would catch up on the day’s events and then debate them, enjoying the banter. During the days, Shane would send her flowers with intimate notes attached to them and she would send him tiny morsels of pictures of herself by email. The more pictures she sent him, the more flowers he sent her. This little battle of theirs was an entertaining way of making not only the day go by but also something to look forward to aside from seeing one another. Each night, before she logged on to meet up with Shane, she would take a picture of herself in some type of pose. Whether it was in the shower, on the bed, on the counter, outside…she never ran out of ideas on what to do and where to do it. Once she took them, she would hold onto them until she received her flowers from Shane. Kind of like a ‘Thank You’ to which he always replied with a ‘Damn!’ which always made her day. She couldn’t wait until the following week to which she would be on a plane and in his arms again. She has grown incredibly fond of him in a way she never had with anyone else, and the more she got to know him, the fonder she became. She knew she shouldn’t let her emotions get the best of her, after all, long distance relationships never really worked, did they? ‘Is this a relationship? We never did say we were exclusive to one another’. Now Penny’s thoughts were all over the map. Was he seeing someone else? Is he sleeping with other women while she sits here, pining away? Is she pining away? Does he feel the same way about her? Is he thinking the same things? Penny really needed to take a step back and evaluate her feelings about Shane. So much was going through her mind, she just couldn’t keep up. “I will just have to discuss it with him in person” she said to herself, knowing she’ll probably chicken out in the end. Shane will be leaving in a few days to go abroad and then she will be meeting up with him at his place for a long weekend getaway. She’ll make up her mind then, not before. It was still to new, to fresh to analyze something this complex. Turning her mind back to work, she forgot where she had left off and started shuffling papers around hoping it would jog her memory. No luck. She noticed the time and decided to call it a day twenty minutes earlier than her usual departure time, which normally was at four. As she locked her office, she decided she would stop by and visit Cathy on the way home. She had promised she wou
ld make time to visit and today was as good a day as any. She had two hours before meeting up with Shane online, lots of time for a couple of beers and good company. And after her earlier questions, a couple of beers were exactly what she needed.

  Shane sat across the table with his brother, Gabriel, for dinner catching up on old times and new. He hadn’t seen Gabe in a while, with work keeping him busy it was hard to get together like they used to. So when he called and invited Shane for dinner, he jumped. While enjoying a very expensive vintage that Gabe had brought back with him from one of his travels, Shane kept a watch on the time. He loved his brother but he didn’t want to miss an evening with Penny. Gabe noticed this and smiled to himself “Am I keeping you?” he asked, motioning towards Shane’s watch with his fork “You keep looking at that watch of yours every twenty minutes”. Shane, feeling like a child who just got caught doing something naughty, picked up his forked and feigned interest in the salad by pushing it around in his plate “Not at all. Seeing as how you’re an old man and all, I didn’t want you to miss your bedtime” he smiled at his brother. This is what he missed, the jibing he used to give. Even though Gabe was only a few years older than Shane, it never stopped him from letting him know he was older. Gabe took it in stride “I may be old by your standards but I can still kick your ass, don’t forget it. So…are you gonna tell me or do I have to guess, which you know how much I hate guessing” Gabe always liked things straight to the point, if he had to think about it or figure it out for too long, it wasn’t worth the trouble knowing. “It’s nothing really” Shane said, shrugging his shoulders as if the subject wasn’t important. “I have a date in a couple of hours, nothing major”. Gabe knew him better than that. “Nothing major, huh? Okay, if it’s nothing major then either stop looking at your watch every ten seconds or call the dame and cancel.” Shane gave his brother a look that made him smile. Whenever Shane gave that sneer, he knew he just insulted something, or someone, important. “So you gonna tell me about her or are you just gonna snarl at me for the rest of the night?” Gabe had a way of getting information from Shane, whether he wanted to give it or not. Shane let out a sigh, and as he started telling Gabe about Penny, a smile lit up on his face so large that the sun had competition. “So when do I get to meet this fabulous female of yours?” Gabe asked, already knowing what the answer was going to be. Ever since Lynesse, he had been very secretive about the women in his life, even if they were only ‘fly by nights’. “I don’t know yet. I still need to figure out some stuff first. She is great, there is no denying that but we still haven’t established ‘us’ yet. I’m seeing her again next week when I get back so it’s gonna be a topic I’m going to approach with her. I don’t even know if she feels the same way as I do” Gabe had never seen his brother all confused when it came to women. Shane had never let his feelings out where they were concerned, not that he blamed him. Since Lynesse, he always kept his guard up. “Well, no point in rushing into anything you’re uncertain with. You have plenty of time to figure it out. If she’s as awesome as you say she is, she’ll feel the same way. You’re pretty awesome yourself, when you want to be” he winked at his brother, trying to lighten the mood. Shane appreciated his brother’s understanding by not delving into the subject. This was something he needed to figure out on his own. “By the way, did I tell you Lynesse came by for a visit?” the look on Gabe’s face said he didn’t. Shane began telling him about it, not leaving out any detail. Gabe made a disgusted look on his face “She was nothing but trouble since the day you met her. I knew there was something I didn’t like about her but, you were enamoured and I didn’t want to rain on your parade. Sometimes, when I look back on it, I wish I had. Does Dad know about her ‘proposition’?” Shane doubted it and so did Gabe. Their father was never one to listen to anyone either way, even when it came to business. “What are you gonna do?” Gabe wondered just how serious Lynesse was; she could be like a pit bull with something in her mouth. Lockjaw. Shane just shrugged his shoulders “Nothing. I’m sure it’s done and forgotten. She probably got wind I had someone at the house for a week and she got curious. You know how she is, once she had something, or someone, it’s hers. I’m not worried about it” Shane took a sip of wine and checked his watch again. He had to go. Gabe looked at his brother with a worried face as Shane stood up getting ready to leave. Yea, he knew Lynesse and if he knew her as well as he believed he did, she wasn’t letting this go. “If she gives you any problems, you let me know” Gabe was serious and Shane knew it. Gabe always had his back and when something, or in this case someone, was threatening him or his way of life Gabe had a way of making it better. Shane said he would and hugged his brother. It was real good seeing him again, he missed his friend and brother. As Shane walked out the door, Gabe began reflecting on the conversation. He was happy for his little brother although worried at the same time. This was something he was going to keep his eye on and ears alert for. Shane got burned badly once before, Gabe wasn’t going to let it happen again. Whether it’s from this new woman in his life, or from Lynesse and her schemes, he was going to make sure he was around for whatever happened.

  CHAPTER 11

  Penny could hardly contain her excitement. Three more days and she would be seeing Shane. It had to be the longest two weeks she ever had to endure, but it is finally coming to an end. Penny had spoken with Shane every night since she left his place and every night she wanted to say ‘I miss you’ but didn’t. She decided she wasn’t going to give up and lay her heart on that platter until she knew more about how he felt for her. A few times she had almost let it slip but she caught herself, she needed to be absolutely sure first. While the evenings were, by far, the best part of her days, she always looked forward to the next morning. With Shane sending her different types of flowers, it was like Christmas each day, wondering what kind of bouquet he was going to send and today was no different. They were always beautiful and abundant. The florist must love him for all the business he is giving them. Sitting at her desk, she started to think of ways to bring up the delicate subject of ‘them’ when her assistant, Sarah, came in through the door with another bouquet of flowers and a package, both from Shane. “This person you’re seeing is either a florist or a mortician who has one hell of a discount” once she put the items on Penny’s desk, she spread out her arms indicating the amount of vases containing floral arrangements. Penny had to give some away to make room for the new deliveries that showed up each day. “He’s neither” she said, laughing. Everyone was trying to get information from her, mind you, this was new for them as well since Penny never had anything delivered to her aside from work related items. “Well then? Who is this guy?” Penny bent to smell the flowers that Sarah placed on her desk, “When I know, you’ll know” was all she said and gave Sarah a dismissive look. Sarah knew she wasn’t going to get any more information from her, her boss can be a vault when she wanted to be. When she walked out the door, she shook her head indicating to everyone else who was waiting eagerly that no information was given. Penny picked up the package that Sarah dropped on her desk and began to open it, wondering what it could be. She knew it was from Shane, she recognized his handwriting. Tucked away in a tiny little box was a key, ‘What is he up to now?’ she wondered to herself and read the note that was attached to it ‘Will explain tonight’ was all it said. ‘Great!’ she said to herself ‘I’m never gonna get any work done now!’ and began to imagine what it was he had to explain. Penny looked at the time and decided to go for an early lunch since she wasn’t in the right frame of mind to do any work. She was sure that after a hearty lunch, she will be able to tackle whatever was on her desk. With that goal in mind, Penny left the office and headed for the local bistro down the street.

  ‘She must’ve gotten it by today, the latest’ Shane while sitting in a conference hall staring at the booklet in his hand. His mind has not been on business the whole time he’d been here. Not that he needed to be here, he could’ve done what he came to do at home but he wante
d to see the pieces in person before bidding. ‘She must be wondering what the hell I’m up to’. He began to smile when he imagined Penny opening up the box and finding a key inside it. He wished he could’ve seen her face. He knew that she was taking Friday off so that she can catch an early flight but he wouldn’t be home until later. He enjoyed the thought of her being there when he got home so he sent her a key so that she could let herself in. He enjoyed the thought even more of her being there in his bed, waiting. His pants were beginning to become a bit uncomfortable while thinking of that last thought. He sure did miss her and he was going to show her just how much when he saw her. After buying several pieces and seeing to their shipping, Shane went back to the hotel for a bite to eat. He was looking into another auction booklet set for next month in Indonesia and was wondering if maybe Penny would like to accompany him if she was able to get away. Something he was going to ask her when he saw her. There were a lot of things he wanted to discuss with her but how to bring them up was Shane’s dilemma. He knew he shouldn’t be worrying about it but he needed to be sure that Penny felt the same way he did. He knew she liked him but just how much was the question. He didn’t want to bring up the subject while they were apart, this was something that needed to be said in person. After dinner, Shane went back to his room and waited until it was seven o’clock E.S.T.