by Jade Winters
‘I know it won’t work. That’s why I won’t waste my time. You want to kill yourself? Go ahead, do it, but that doesn’t mean I have to be around to witness it.’
‘Whatever. All you fucking women are the same.’ He pushed past her and stormed out of the house, slamming the door so hard it rattled in its frame.
Skye looked at the closed door. Enough now, Skye. Enough.
She didn’t give him a second thought, focusing instead on what she needed to do.
She ran upstairs, took her phone from her desk, found the contact she was looking for and tapped it. She hadn’t called that number in a long time—too long. After several rings, the call connected. Tears welled in her eyes when she heard May’s voice.
‘Mum, it’s me. I—’
‘You don’t have to say anything, Skye. I’ve been waiting a long, long time for your call, darling.’
***
It had taken Skye less than an hour to pack a bag and get Zeus into his carry case. He’d acted quite nonplussed by all the crazy rushing around and looked out of his cage at the other people on the train as if he were a seasoned traveller.
‘I wish I were as calm as you!’ Skye said to the placid face that met her when she peeped through the door of the cage to check on Zeus. ‘We deserve better, and it starts here and now.’
The cat blinked at her and started cleaning his ear nonchalantly. Skye stared out the window as suburbia gave way to green fields.
Her mum was waiting for her at the station and ran to meet her. Skye cried hot tears on her mum’s shoulder as she held her tight.
‘There, there, it’s okay. It’s okay,’ May crooned, just like she had when Skye was little and had injured herself falling off her bike.
After the emotional reunion, May picked up Zeus’s basket while Skye carried her bag, and the two walked up the hill towards May’s home.
The cottage was surrounded by fields and winding lanes. The house was small and picturesque, like something out of a children’s book. The odd cow and sheep grazed idly in the field next door, and birds called in the trees that lined the lane.
They sat in the comfort of her mother’s living room, each nursing a glass of wine while Zeus slept on the edge of the armchair, oblivious to his new surroundings.
‘I’m so sorry for all the things I said to you, Mum. I thought you’d abandoned him because you were weak.’
‘I was weak, Skye, you weren’t wrong … but not for the reasons you thought. Living with him made me weak. He wore me down. If I’d stayed, God only knows what would have happened. I think I would have ended up in a straitjacket.’
‘I thought I was helping him.’
‘You were,’ May said kindly. ‘You did. But there comes a point when you realise there really isn’t anything you can do that will help. That is a realisation you needed to come to on your own. It’s his battle to win, not yours or mine. I live with the guilt of turning my back on him every day … And leaving you behind to deal with it, but I had to, for my own survival, and you were determined to stay with him. As much as I wanted to, I couldn’t make you leave.’
Skye patted her mum’s shoulder. ‘I understand that now. I was too pig-headed and immature to understand why you did what you did.’
‘No, you weren’t. You just cared. There’s nothing wrong with that. Never apologise for caring, Skye. It’s one of your greatest traits.’
That was just the reassurance Skye needed to hear. Her mum was the only person who could understand what the past few years had actually been like. Living with a drug addict was no easy feat.
May looked good and seemed at peace within herself. Her cottage was full of charm and warmth and felt like a happy home. Speaking openly about her father to someone who wouldn’t judge her, and who understood what she had been through, was doing her good.
‘I don’t understand why he took the money that would have helped him.’
‘There are some questions you may never get answered. You just have to accept things for what they are. There’s no logical explanation when it comes to drugs and dependency. Your dad’s in there somewhere, where is anybody’s guess, but each year it gets harder to find him.’
‘Do you think he’ll be alright?’ The guilt of abandoning him started to seep through unexpectedly.
‘Skye, whether he will or he won’t has nothing to do with you. You tried to help him, more—much more than he deserved. It’s time for you to get on with your life. Go to university—’
‘I’ve been offered a job in London.’
May’s eyes widened. ‘London. Doing what?’
Skye sipped her wine and looked at May apprehensively. ‘Singing.’
May was the only person who had an inkling of her ambition as a singer, since hiding it from her had been difficult after she’d caught her prancing around in front of the mirror, using the end of a hairbrush as a microphone.
‘No!’ May’s eyes came alive with excitement as she sat forward in her seat. ‘Really? I hope you jumped at the chance and said yes.’
Skye pulled a face. ‘It’s not as simple as that. There’s dad to think about.’
A voice in the back of her mind told her she was a bad person for leaving.
May snorted. ‘And do you think he worries about you when he sticks that poison in his veins? Did he think about you when he stole your savings to buy his next hit? Not a chance in hell. You call whoever offered you the job and tell them the answer is yes. Leave Zeus here with me—’
‘I couldn’t.’
‘Yes, you can. When you’re settled, you can come back and get him. He’ll love it here with all the open space, and I’ll be glad for the company.’
As if in answer, Zeus stretched and yawned, letting out a loud purr.
Could she really follow through with her threat to leave her dad for good?
May rose to her feet. ‘Come on, sunshine. What’re you waiting for? Make the call. I may have been a crap mother in the past, but that doesn’t mean I have to be one now. This is your chance. Grab it with both hands.’
Skye fished in her pocket for her phone. If her mum was telling her to go for it, who was Skye to argue? She’d ignored her advice once before and where had that got her? Heartbreak Street, that’s where. She heeded her mother’s advice and dialled.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
‘Seriously, Morgan, anyone would think the Queen’s dropping by. If you polish that table one more time, there’ll be nothing left of it!’
Morgan stopped mid polish and glared at him. Her nerves were getting the better of her, and they had been from the very second Skye had told her she was on her way to London.
‘Instead of criticising me, why don’t you make yourself useful?’
‘By doing what? I’ve been cleaning the house non-stop for the past few hours, slave driver.’
Morgan rolled her eyes. ‘Is that surprising, considering most of it was your mess?’
‘I can’t believe you’re so rattled by a woman coming over. Who are you, and what have the body snatchers done with my real sister?’
Skye is not just any woman. She’s the woman that I … care about.
‘Ha, ha, very funny.’ She threw the cloth at him. ‘Not.’
‘Quick, Morgan, hurry,’ Adrian said dramatically, jumping up and down on the spot. ‘I hear a car. It’s her, it’s her!’
Morgan laughed and swatted him with a dishtowel as she rushed to the window. Her heart soared as a taxi turned into her driveway. Only a week had passed since she’d seen Skye, but it felt like a lifetime
‘Do I look alright?’ she asked, fussing with her hair.
Adrian groaned. ‘Oh God, no. Don’t start getting all girly on me. I want my hard-arsed, fierce old sister back, please!’
‘You’d better get used to this one,’ she said, squeezing his cheek as she ran past him to open the front door.
Morgan hurried down the path and swung the passenger door open as soon as the taxi stopped.
Sky
e looked out the window at her, beaming.
‘It seems like ages since I last saw you,’ she said, climbing from the car and falling straight into Morgan’s embrace.
Holding her tightly, Morgan said, ‘Well, it has been three hundred and thirty-six hours.’
‘And forty-two minutes,’ Skye added. They laughed at their silliness as Skye pushed her hand in her pocket, brought out some money and paid the driver as he left her cases at her side.
‘Let’s get inside,’ Morgan said excitedly as they each took hold of a suitcase and dragged it towards the open door. Morgan felt like a schoolgirl having her first sleepover.
‘Very nice,’ Skye said, looking around as Morgan ushered her into the spacious passage.
‘It’s very you: sophisticated, understated and elegant.’
Morgan laughed. ‘I suppose I should take that as a compliment.’
‘Most definitely.’
Adrian appeared at the living room door.
‘Ah ha, we meet at last,’ he said, moving to greet her with an outstretched hand.
‘Nice to meet you,’ Skye said quietly.
He clasped his hands together. ‘Well, I’m sure you just want to relax, so I’ll leave you both to settle down.’
Morgan shot him a puzzled look. ‘You’re going out? I was going to cook.’
‘You didn’t think I’d play third wheel to you two lovebirds, did you? I trust you won’t get up to anything too naughty.’ He fluttered his long dark eyelashes at them coquettishly.
Morgan glanced at Skye, and they burst out laughing.
‘Okay, I don’t think I want to know. On another note: Skye, Morgan told me you’re our new vocalist. If you’re half as good as she says you are, I can’t wait to get started.’ He pecked Morgan on the cheek. ‘See you both tomorrow.’
Seconds later, the front door slammed shut with a bang.
Skye walked through to the living room and spun around on the spot, surveying her surroundings. ‘I can’t believe I’m here. It’s like a dream.’
‘I can’t believe it either. Who’s looking after your aunt?’
Skye walked over to the window. Keeping her back to Morgan, she said, ‘Oh, her sister. Do you mind if we don’t talk about her? I want to forget about all that and just let it sink in that I’m actually here with you.’
‘Of course. Sorry.’
Morgan crossed the room to stand behind her. Forgetting about certain things was something she needed to do herself. Though the shock of Thomas’s death had diminished, it still lingered in her mind every day. She longed for the day when she wouldn’t wonder why he had wanted to speak to her so badly. Had it been his intent to tell her what he’d been contemplating? Even if he had, would she have tried to talk him out of it? She honestly didn’t know. But like Adrian had been telling her for the past few days to assuage her guilt: there was nothing she could have done.
Returning to the present, Morgan traced her fingertip down Skye’s bare arm. ‘So are you looking forward to singing at the club?’
Joy radiated in Skye’s face as she turned to her. ‘You bet! I can’t wait. I hope I won’t disappoint your brother.’
‘Are you kidding me? You’ll knock him for six.’ She hesitated before saying, ‘Izzy will be so pleased you’re back.’
Skye frowned. ‘I doubt that very much. We didn’t part on the best of terms.’
‘Why? Did you have a falling out with her?’
‘It’s a long story.’ She slid her arms around Morgan’s waist and drew her in for a kiss. ‘I don’t want to talk about anything else but us.’
Morgan smiled. ‘That’s alright with me.’
‘Are you sure it’s okay that I stay in the flat above the club until I get my own place?’
‘Of course it is,’ Morgan said, pulling Skye towards the bedroom. They had a lot of catching up to do.
They fell on the bed together, laughing until the sound of Skye’s phone broke the moment. Skye fished it out of her pocket and glanced at the screen for a few seconds before promptly switching it off.
‘I take it that it was nothing important.’
‘No.’ Skye’s voice quivered. She dropped the phone on the floor and cupped Morgan’s face in her hands. ‘Not anymore.’
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The following day, Skye stared over at Izzy as she stacked glasses behind the bar. Up until this moment, she hadn’t given any thought to what she would say to her. Should she apologise? After all, Izzy had been right about her dad. Morgan nudged her arm.
‘Whatever you two bickered over couldn’t have been that bad.’
‘I suppose not.’ Still, Skye hesitated. It would have been so much easier if she could have told Morgan exactly what the fight had been about, but that was the problem with keeping secrets: they led to lie after lie.
‘I’ve got some things to sort out in my office. Adrian will be here with his band in a few minutes. I’ll come down when he arrives.’ She planted an unexpected kiss on Skye’s lips. ‘In the meantime, go and make peace. You’ll be seeing a lot of each other from now on, and friends are important to have, especially good ones.’
Morgan gave Skye a reassuring smile and strode in the direction of her office. Skye remained on the spot, wondering how to get the conversation going, but she needn’t have bothered. Izzy looked up and saw her, and a huge grin spread across her face.
‘Skye!’ she shrieked.
Putting the glass she was holding down on the bar, Izzy hurried over to Skye and swept her into a bear hug.
Skye laughed and hugged her tighter. ‘Izzy, I’m—’
‘Don’t you dare apologise!’
Skye drew back. ‘I was out of order. And very crude.’
Izzy laughed. ‘Well, as you can see, I’m still alive. I didn’t choke on a male’s ginormous member.’
Skye covered her face in embarrassment. ‘Please forget I said that.’
‘All is forgotten,’ Izzy said, pulling Skye’s hands away from her face. ‘So how’s everything back home? Am I enemy number one?’
‘I think we both are. Stanley didn’t take it too well, both of us leaving within such a short space of time.’
Izzy shrugged. ‘Ah well, and your dad?’
Skye’s face screwed up like she had just sucked on a lemon.
‘Point taken.’
Skye was about to tell Izzy about reconnecting with May, when a voice spoke from the doorway.
‘Hey, you’re here.’
Both women turned. Adrian strolled in, followed by three other men, and introduced Skye to each band member.
‘Give us a few minutes to set up, then we’ll see what you’ve got.’ He winked at Skye, whose eyes had widened at his words.
‘No pressure then,’ Skye said nervously.
Adrian grinned. ‘None at all. Do you know what you want to sing? Do you write any of your own songs?’
Skye had only sung her own lyrics in the privacy of her home, but she’d been dreaming of performing her original work on stage.
‘I’ve written a few songs. I don’t know if they’re any good though.’
For months, Skye had been working on a particular song she’d dubbed, ‘Pain’, and she vividly recalled the first time she’d sang it out loud to herself in her bedroom after her dad had done another one of his disappearing acts.
‘Have you got the lyrics with you?’
Skye nodded. ‘Upstairs in the flat.’
‘Great. Go and grab them. I’ll knock out some notes to make up the melody in no time at all. I’m a genius like that.’ He winked, and Skye laughed.
It took her less than five minutes to grab her folder from the flat upstairs. She went straight down to the stage and gave Adrian the sheets. He scanned them, and then glanced up at her.
‘That’s some heavy shit you’ve got there.’
Skye’s face fell, convinced he thought her songwriting skills were crap. He would no doubt tell Morgan she’d found a dud singer. Disillusioned, s
he turned to go, dreading to think what he’d make of her actual voice.
Adrian reached out and grabbed her gently by the arm.
‘I think the song will go down great with the regulars,’ he said with tenderness.
Skye beamed.
‘Let’s make sure we do it justice,’ he said, patting a spot beside him on the stage floor.
***
Skye’s transition to London had been seamless. The only thing she missed about her home was Zeus but she planned on bringing him to live with her as soon as possible. Other than that, everything was perfect.
The weeks had passed quickly with Morgan and Skye soon falling into a routine: rehearsal by day and evenings spent together at the bar, Morgan’s house or in the flat Skye had now made a comfortable home.
Adrian had magically come up with the perfect melody for her lyrics. To her amazement, it actually sounded like a real song. He was a pure genius. In less than two minutes, she would be performing her own song in front of a live audience—a bold decision that was as nerve-racking as it was satisfying.
‘Are you ready for this?’ Morgan asked, taking Skye by the shoulders as they stood at the side of the stage. She looked up at Adrian, who was strumming on his guitar, and smiled nervously.
Returning her attention to Morgan, she said, ‘Yes, and no. You know, I thought I’d be tired from all the rehearsals, but this is just so exciting. It feels like I’ve got an endless amount of energy.’
‘That’s because this lifestyle is meant for you.’ Morgan smiled. ‘Work isn’t exhausting when you love what you do. You’ll knock ’em dead.’
Izzy appeared out of the darkness and thrust a tumbler with dark liquid swirling at the bottom at her.
‘From Chanel,’ she said, jerking her head towards the bar, where Chanel gave Skye a thumbs-up.
Hands trembling, Skye didn’t even ask what the drink was as she took it and knocked it back in one gulp. Heat filtered through her body, and she swallowed hard, trying not to choke as she handed Izzy the glass back. She took one last look at Morgan and stepped onto the stage.
When the spotlight hit the stage and Skye approached the mike, she found herself transported to the forefront of her most vivid daydream.