"Oh my," Deidra said shocked at the length, "I had no idea that it was so long. Can I straighten it and see how far it goes?"
Kylie pondered for a moment and shrugged. "Okay. I give you permission to do whatever, but if I have to do anything extra to keep up with a beauty regimen you can forget it."
Deidra nodded her head eagerly. "Are you serious? I can do anything?"
Kylie nodded uncertainly.
"Okay," Deidra said briskly. Let's go up to my old house. "I have loads of clothes up there, and makeup and stuff you wouldn't believe. My Dad had threatened to give them away but, Charlene, my step-sister, must have stopped him because they are still there. I know because I visited the forbidden house last week. Apparently, my Dad thinks I have been punished long enough; he said I could go back home and get back the car."
"He did?" Kylie asked, "but that would mean no more hanging out with you."
"I am taking back the car," Deidra said, "but I am going to let him beg me to accept anything from him again. I have proven to him, and the whole family, that I don't need them. I am going to punish them for treating me like persona non grata last year, and kicking me when I was down. When a rapist was loose on the campus, my Dad chucked me out of the house with nowhere to go. Even grandma, can you believe it, my own precious, soft-spoken granny was treating me like trash."
Kylie patted her hand understandingly. I know how that must have hurt, but are you sure it's wise to cut off your Dad. You were wondering about school fee for your final year, and if he had not kicked you out you wouldn't be the person you are today."
"I'll get by without them," Deidra said briskly. "I have been getting by, and my father dutifully doubles my earnings from my new post at the station."
Kylie got up. "Okay then. Let's see what you have for this so-called makeover."
*****
Kylie was pleasantly surprised when they went to Deidra's house. She knew that Deidra was kicked out of her father's place because she had sent Micah to jail, and he wanted her to learn a lesson, but she had had no idea of just how rich Deidra's father really was. The house looked like a mansion, and when they drove up the winding driveway, Kylie's mouth dropped open.
"Are you serious? You lived here?"
"Yup," Deidra said, "This was the wealth I took for granted and was disinherited from. My Dad actually bought the house for me, so that I could live near to school. Come on in. "
They entered the foyer, which had marble tiles, and Deidra headed to a kitchen area with impressive views of the countryside below.
A lady was in there with a pencil behind her ear. She looked up and grinned when she saw Deidra.
"Dee, welcome home. Are you moving back in?"
"No," Deidra snorted, "Daddy has to beg me first. In the meantime, you could hint to him that I am moonlighting as a lady of the night to make ends meet. That should have him running scared. Kylie this is my sister, Charlene. Step-sister actually. She's the daughter of my Dad's second wife."
Charlene got up and smiled at Kylie warmly. "Hey, nice to meet you. Do you want anything… drinks?"
"No, thanks," Kylie said absently gazing around. The kitchen looked like it came straight out of the pages of a high-end magazine.
"Hold on," Charlene said snapping her fingers. "You are Micah's sister, Kylie, aren't you?"
"Yes," Kylie said, finally regaining her composure.
Charlene chuckled. "He tells me you are shy."
"When have you been talking to Micah?" Deidra asked suspiciously before Kylie could respond.
"Well, we have breakfast together most mornings, over at the Business Center," Charlene said, defensively. "Why?"
"Because," Deidra said, "he's the love of my life. You shouldn't be having intimate conversations with him."
Charlene made a sound that was somewhere between a cough and a laugh. "You and Micah have nothing in common. You sent him to jail couple of months ago, remember? I thought you had gotten over your fatal attraction!"
Kylie grabbed a chair, sat around the table, and watched as the two sisters squared off over her brother. Micah would probably love this attention over him, she thought, amused—two strong, good-looking women fighting over him. To be honest, Charlene, who was dressed in khaki shorts and matching long sleeved shirt, looked more like Micah's type. She was casual and laid back.
She glanced over at Deidra who was in a black dress with matching boots. Somehow, Deidra always seemed to look casually elegant and well put together no matter how quirky her outfits. Her long curly hair was in a casual topknot, but she looked upset.
"I love Micah," she said to Charlene harshly, "I have loved him forever and I am not going to let you take him from me."
Charlene rolled her eyes and headed to the fridge. "You are overreacting; breakfast is just breakfast."
"Then lunch and then dinner," Deidra said, petulantly. "And why do you have that little glow when you talk about him?"
Charlene shrugged and changed the subject quickly. "I am sure you didn't come here to declare your undying love for Micah."
Deidra looked over at Kylie and said grumpily, "Oh, your makeover."
Kylie raised her brow. "I want no makeover with you in that mood."
"I am okay, except for the knife in my back from my own family member." Deidra turned her back to Kylie. "Am I bleeding?"
Charlene, who had taken out a bottle of juice from the fridge and was swigging it to her head chortled, "You are so dramatic."
"Follow me, Kylie," Deidra said heading out of the kitchen. "I might be injured, but I know fashion and I am going to do good by you. That's what true friends do." She gave Charlene a mean look and stormed away.
*****
Two hours later, Kylie was looking at herself in the mirror with incredulity. The girl staring back at her was so different and new, and unfamiliar, and pretty. She actually touched the glass.
"I look different," she whispered to Deidra.
"Yes, you do." Deidra smiled like a proud creator. "And it did not take much for the transformation. All I did was flat iron your hair."
She held up the iron. "And put you in some makeup to highlight the eyes. I had a good base to work with."
"I can't go out like this," Kylie said troubled. "I would feel too exposed."
Deidra nodded. "I understand… not! Kylie, you look gorgeous! Your hair is bouncy; you finally have it down, and your eyes are saying ‘Stare into me, I am mysterious.’ Why are you afraid to go out? Pish, posh. Next thing… wardrobe. I have some good modest pieces that would work for your weekend. If you ever decide not to wear them, I am going to be pissed."
She headed to a walk-in closet that was almost as big as Kylie's room. Kylie stood at the entrance in awe.
"I had no idea what exactly you gave up when you were kicked out of here."
Deidra shrugged. "It's all just things. Things don't make you happy, though they definitely can make you look pretty. You should wear brighter colors than those dowdy browns and blacks you are always in."
She headed to a clothing rack, which was color-coded from lightest to the brightest. "Most of these, I have not even worn yet," Deidra said, caressing a red blouse. "When I bought this, I thought it was so last year. You know, maybe I should give my Dad a break, I was really spoilt."
Kylie touched the blouse hesitantly. "It's pretty."
"Oh my dear, this is just the beginning. When you have your hot weekend away from home, you will be glad you are kitted out properly."
*****
Thursday night, Kylie was sitting in the living room with her parents. For once in a long time, her Dad was home early. She had wished that he wasn't going to be around when she announced she was going out for the weekend, but here he was, seated in his favorite lounge chair with a pile of files beside him. Her Mom was watching her favorite comedy and plaiting Avia's hair.
"I am going away for the weekend," she announced abruptly.
Her mother looked up; she had been parting Avia's hair
in precise squares, but she looked up in mid-part with a surprised look on her face.
Her father looked over his reading glasses. The papers in his hand wobbled and one of them slipped from his grasp.
"Aren't you too young to be making that announcement young lady?" he asked sternly.
"Aunty K is twenty-four, grandpa," Avia said in the silence.
Kylie looked at her niece gratefully.
"And Daddy said it's about time she found herself a man," Avia added, encouraged by Kylie's nod.
Kylie closed her eyes in embarrassment; she must remember to tell Adrian thanks for discussing her need for a man in front of his five-year-old daughter.
"You are going with a man?" her mother asked incredulously. "That guy, what's his name again?"
"Gareth Beecher," Kylie said, opening her eyes and flinching, and feeling as if she were the same age as Avia, and caught with her hand in the cookie jar.
Her father cleared his throat. "I don't think..."
"Well..." her mother said at the same time, "carry your pump in case of an asthma attack. Have fun and don't forget your Christian principles."
"I don't think..." Dr. Bancroft said over her mother's words.
"Oh stop it, Ryan," her mother said to her father sternly. "The girl is twenty-four. Do you seriously want her to be an old maid? She is always locked up in her room and sees no one. She is finally interested in someone; I say praise the Lord."
"I say investigate him first," Ryan Bancroft said petulantly. "How on earth can you be comfortable with her going away with a man we don't even know?"
Kylie winced. "Gareth Beecher is a lecturer here in my department."
"Oh," Bancroft said, frowning. "The name sounded familiar. So he is one of our lecturers?" He took off his glasses and wiped them rhythmically. "Does he know that he should not be fraternizing with his students?"
"We finished the final project this week!" Kylie said faintly. "He is not even the one who is going to give me my grade. He taught me programming and the class is over."
Bancroft still had a disapproving expression fixed to his face. "Where are you going with him?"
Kylie looked at her mother, who was looking at her with interest, and her father who looked like he had swallowed something bitter.
"Portland." Her confidence was waning fast. When she said Portland, it felt as if she was talking about sailing to the end of the world, not just taking a four-hour drive from Mount Faith.
Her father leaned forward. "How is it that Dr. Beecher, who is Australian, is taking you to Portland?"
"Leave her alone, Ryan," Her mother said roughly. "She's a grown woman, not a child. She is finally going to go out, don't give her the third degree. When I was twenty-four I had three children, was running my own house, and studying." Kylie breathed a sigh of relief as her father closed his mouth abruptly and grunted.
"I know men," he mumbled, "and you are a good-looking girl. What on earth have you done to your hair?"
Kylie sighed. "Deidra straightened it for me. It will revert easily if I wet it."
"No need to explain," her mother said quickly. "I think it looks pretty and you look like you are finally joining the land of the living."
"I think it looks pretty too, Aunty Kylie," Avia said dutifully. She had silently been listening to the adults.
"I am also going to confidence classes," Kylie said to her mother, smiling at both her and Avia for the compliments.
"What on earth do you need that for?" Her father asked, slipping the glasses onto his face and taking up his papers again. "Bancrofts don't need to go to confidence classes. We are born confident."
Kylie grimaced. "I am the black sheep Bancroft. I am going to bed."
Her father grunted, and her mother looked at her with a smile. "I am happy for you, honey. Goodnight."
Chapter Six
Kylie set out for Portland with her mother's blessings, Deidra's finery, and a handsome man that was unhealthily attracted to her.
"You are an enigma, you know that?" Gareth said to Kylie. He could not believe that she was the same woman whom he had sat beside for close to a year, helping with computer programming. When he had picked her up at her house he saw a well-dressed sleek looking beauty floating toward him with her head held high and confident.
"What do you mean?" Kylie asked shyly, biting her lip.
Gareth groaned. "You turned from a shy nerd into a beautiful butterfly in less than a week." He pulled into the traffic at Santa Cruz and looked across at her when they stopped at a traffic light. "I barely recognized you!"
Kylie smiled. She was about to confess that Deidra was the reason she was looking so different, but instead, she flashed at him that elusive coquettish smile she had been practicing in her mirror the night before.
Gareth must have found her smile okay because he glanced at her with an intense look in his eyes then concentrated on the road.
"Kylie, I must say I am really happy that you came along on this trip. I look forward to going to Portland as often as possible. It's like a forgotten paradise at Jamaica's back door."
Kylie grimaced, "I have no idea what it looks like."
Gareth shook his head. "It's sea and greenery and friendly people. I wish I lived there I would go to the beach everyday."
"I can't swim." Kylie cracked the window; her hair blew across her face hampering her vision.
She wound the window back up and looked across at Gareth who was looking at her speculatively. "What on earth were you doing for twenty-four years?"
Kylie chuckled. "I was home-schooled because of my health issues and irregular school attendance. My mom was my main teacher and she was starting up a home for the elderly, so I spent a lot of time between the hospital and the golden age home, and lots of time alone with computers.
By the time I got concerned with my lack of friends and my Mom thought it was time for me to go to school; I was well and truly a recluse. I spent three weeks in high school and promptly left. One girl teased me and I feigned having asthma to be let out of school. It is not something I am proud of because I used to have some really bad attacks, but I just couldn't stand having people around. People are strange and unpredictable, and relationships are messy."
Gareth laughed softly. "So you have never in all your life had a boyfriend?"
Kylie shook her head. "No. Never."
"Never been kissed?"
"Can we change the subject?"
"Are you sure?" Gareth asked cheekily. "Do you want to know anything about the birds and the bees?"
Kylie gasped in horror. "No, please no. I am fine. I had that awkward talk with my parents when I was twelve. My brother, Adrian, sort of cleared up all the little questions I had after their talk, and my Mom gave me the book ‘On Becoming A Woman’. I am fine; I can read. I know technically where everything is and what to do with them." Her hands fluttered uncomfortably.
Gareth laughed and hit the steering wheel. "This is so rare. I always knew you were different from the first day I saw you."
"The first day you saw me?" Kylie shook her head, "you looked right through me. You taught me Programming and you never once looked at me directly. You paid an unusual amount of attention to Lauren James though, with her exposed cleavage."
Gareth chuckled. "I will not deny that I found Lauren's... er... assets a bit distracting. I kept wondering if they were real; her... er... assets they were unusually large for her slim frame, don't you think? And I also found it extraordinary that they were significantly smaller by the end of the semester."
Kylie giggled. "She wore padded bras. I was thinking of getting an uptick in size for myself. I am woefully small in that department."
She looked down on her chest and then realized that she was talking about breasts with Gareth Beecher. She looked up at him in shock, where had all of her inhibitions gone?
Gareth looked at her chest too and then raised his brow. "Want to change the subject or will you accept a compliment?"
"Cha
nge the subject," Kylie said in a rush. "Change it fast." She scrambled for cover, feeling mortified that she was the one who had initiated a conversation filled with sexual innuendo.
"Well," Gareth drawled, humoring her, "we were talking about how I knew you were different. When I came to class, of the twenty females, you were the only one who made no effort with her appearance and still looked cute to me. You were in a black hoodie and blue jeans. All the women were dolled up that day. I wondered if I had missed a function or something that day."
Kylie giggled. "They knew you were coming, of course, and knew that you were going to be our teacher… they had your picture circulating for weeks."
Of course, she didn't get a look at the pictures because she didn't know anybody in the class. When she first saw him, she had been totally surprised and gob-smacked. If she had seen the pictures, she might have made more of an effort with her appearance that day as well.
"Well, that's when I knew you were different," Gareth said, jerking her out of her reverie, "and then I got to know you better and realized that we both love programming a whole lot. We have so many things in common too. I am looking forward to exploring them."
Kylie felt giddy when he said that, then the thought of his ex-wife came floating back into her head.
She was curious.
So curious, in fact, that she had gone home the night after they spoke about her and did a search on the Internet for Jackie Beecher. She had not come up with anything and then she had tried Jacqueline Beecher and found her on the site of the law firm Hanson and Associates; she was a junior partner.
They listed her as a rising star in divorce law. She was multilingual and played various musical instruments. She represented a big property developer in two of his divorce cases and successfully prevented his money-grabbing ex-spouses from getting more than their fair share. She was in demand it seemed.
To her, Jacqueline looked sophisticated and no-nonsense in the grainy, thumbnail picture that they had of her online—all Kylie's inadequacies had come racing back. Why would Gareth divorce such a woman?
Goodbye Lonely (The Bancrofts: Book 4) Page 4