Stranger at the beach house (30 page)

 
“
Mmmm
naked yoga,”
Harry said, nuzzling her neck and pulling her into his arms as Joy dissolved
into a fit of giggles.

“Stop
it you moron,” she said, playfully smacking his arm as he laughed, ignoring her
protests as she pulled away to face me. “I spoke to my mum, Rose, and asked her
if she knew anything at all about your dad, but no luck. She said your mum
wouldn’t tell her anything at all, she wouldn’t tell anyone apparently. My mum
had assumed he must be married as well. She was really shocked when I told her
about the letters. Sorry,” she said, smiling apologetically as I shrugged. I
wasn’t really surprised, it was a bit of a long shot I thought, laughing as
Harry began assaulting her neck again.

 
I was so glad they were together and happy for
them both, but wasn’t sure I was exactly looking forward to being the third wheel
at this particular party. It just reminded me how much I missed Sam and I was
pretty certain they didn’t want me moping about as I said my goodnights and
disappeared to my room after dinner.

Chapter 23

The
next four days went interminably slowly. Because the press were turning up
nothing new on Sam they were constantly rehashing the same old photos and every
day there would be a new batch to join them.
 
There were pictures of him at an event with Sarah which made my blood
boil, I could only imagine how thrilled she’d be about that. It wouldn’t have
surprised me if she’d leaked them herself, and with so little time spent
speaking to Sam, by Thursday I was going stir crazy.

I
knew he was busy. If he wasn’t in press conferences or fielding photographers he
was in meetings with his Lawyers or the finance board, and he didn’t need to
tell me that, it was being played on the 24 hour news as paparazzi and TV crews
followed his every move. He’d told me to sit tight and be patient in the
snatched phone calls that we had. I knew he was stretched and I didn’t want to
add to his pressures, but with every hour that passed it felt like he moved
further and further away from me, sucked back to his life in London and no
longer the stranger at the beach house next door.

I
had barely seen Harry who was always out with Joy and I needed to get out of
the house that felt like a prison. No press had come here and I didn’t see any
danger so I headed next door. I wanted my home, I wanted my bed and I wanted to
escape from Sam’s place where I was constantly surrounded by reminders that he
wasn’t there.

I
lit the fire, sat back in the old leather chair and decided that tomorrow I’d
head out to the farm to pick Dart up. Joy had been calling in to walk him while
I’d been in London and decided it would be better to take him over there. He
was probably in his element with the freedom of all those fields and some furry
four legged friends to play with, but I missed him.

I
heard the screech of the tyres on the gravel and made my way outside as the
Mercedes came to a halt on the drive. I needed to tell Harry my plans or he’d
worry where I was. I had meant to leave a note to let him know and ask that he
didn’t pass the information on to Sam. There was no reason he had to know. It
wouldn’t make any difference for one night, but I was sure he wouldn’t like it
anyway and the last thing I needed was to spend our short and precious phone
calls arguing about where I was or wasn’t sleeping.

 
As I approached the car and the driver’s door
opened I froze in my tracks and my heart sank. He had to be kidding me.
“Rosebud,” Daniel smiled as I stood there in stunned shock for a second before
coming to my senses.

“What
are you doing here?” I hissed, glaring at him, unable to believe the cheek of
the man after what he’d done, and thinking he must have some kind of death
wish. He knew Sam was in London of course, the whole world knew his every move
right now, but he must know how angry coming here would make him. He ignored my
obvious displeasure in seeing him and walked towards me, smiling as I stepped
back away from him.

“I
saw the papers, Rose, and I needed to check you were OK. He’s gallivanting
around London and I knew you’d be hurting,” he said and I could not believe he
was actually serious. What an absolute bloody hypocrite. I didn’t take the
bait. He needed to get out of here quickly before Harry came back and put him
on his arse. “You need to leave. NOW,” I spat, turning on my heels and heading
back to the house, stopping at the door as I heard the crunching footsteps
following me across the gravel.

“I
will leave if you want me to, Rose, but I can tell you’re not alright with all
this,” he said, his face a mask of concern and I knew I would have to change
tact as I lowered my voice and tried again.

 
“Please, Daniel, just go. Thank you for your
concern but I’m fine, really,” I said, thinking there was absolutely no way on
God’s green earth he was spending another night on my chair.

 
“OK,” he nodded as I finally relaxed “but it’s
a hell of a drive, Rose, could I just trouble you for a glass of water and I’ll
be on my way”.

“Wait
there,” I said, popping to the kitchen to make his drink and returning to find
him stood just inside the doorway leaning on the wall and smiling at me.
“Here,” I said, as he drank the water, thanked me and left, pulling the car
away just as my phone rang and I slumped back in the chair smiling as I
answered it, but my heart was still pounding. I wouldn’t be sharing that piece
of information. Sam would go ballistic and there was absolutely nothing he
could do about it down there.

“Hey,
Baby,” he said and I melted at the sound of his voice.

 
“Hey. When are coming home, Sam? I need to
talk to you and we haven’t had chance. I know they’re all old and I know I
shouldn’t let them bother me, but the photographs of you and all those women
are getting me down. The one of you and Sarah was a real kick in the gut. Part
of me feels like I should call the tabloids and tell them about us, that way at
least we can be together,” I said, not really meaning it, but totally fed up
with the whole thing as he sighed deeply.

 
“I know, Baby, but I don’t want this
harassment for you. It’s relentless and wearing and non-stop. I chose this, I
knew it would happen but you didn’t, Sweetheart, and the whole playboy thing,
as hard as it is, protects you from having to go through it. It’s you and me,
Rose, the rest is smoke and mirrors and you just need to remember that,” he
said softly and I knew he was right.

 
“I know, Sam, but I miss you terribly. I see
your face everywhere and in a way that makes it harder to take,” I said and the
line went quiet as we sat there listening to one another breathing and it
somehow seemed to bridge the distance between us a little.

 
“I don’t stop thinking about you, Rose, not
for one second and you need to believe that,” he said eventually as I smiled.

 
“I don’t stop thinking about you either, Sam,
especially in that big white bed,” I giggled.

“Well
I’m just about to climb in my big red one, Sweetheart, and you can guarantee
I’ll be remembering you in here,” he said and I couldn’t resist.

 
“Will you be imagining me giving you one of my
terrible massages, Sam?” I asked, putting my hand over my mouth to stifle my laughter.

 
“God no, I’m getting a chiropractor on speed
dial before I let you massage me again,” he laughed and I joined in, missing
him more than ever. “I’ll call you in the morning Baby, sleep tight and dream
of me,” he said as I wished him goodnight and put down the phone, pulling the
old crocheted blanket tight until I eventually drifted off to sleep.

I
did dream of him.

Chapter 24

The
pounding on the door woke me with start as I scrambled to get my bearings,
wondering what the hell was going on. It wasn’t even dawn yet, as I heard
Harry’s
frantic voice calling me from outside as I stumbled
into the porch to open it.

“What
is it, Harry?” I asked as he came inside and grabbed the keys to lock up, all
but dragging me from the house with his arm around my shoulder and straight
into Sam’s kitchen. I was barely awake and felt like I’d just been kidnapped,
but this was no joke. Harry was as white as a sheet.

“Sorry
Babe. Sam is going fucking mental. He called and I had to admit I didn’t know
where you were. Jesus, Rose, he’s spitting,” he said as I stared at him, still
coming round and feeling really sorry for him. He had been dragged into this
whole mess almost as reluctantly as I had.

 
“I’m so sorry, Harry, I didn’t mean to get you
in trouble. I should have left a note,” I said as his phone started ringing and
he put it immediately on loudspeaker.

“Put
her on,” Sam snarled down the phone. His voice was so strained it didn’t even
sound like him as I took the phone from Harry and held it in my hands. “Where
the
fuck were
you?” he shouted as I gasped, taken
aback by the menace in his voice.

 
“I needed to go home, Sam. You don’t
understand how hard it is for me here, your bed is too big without you,
everything reminds me of you and I just had to get away, it was only for one
night and it wasn’t
Harry’s
fault,” I said, looking
up at him as he smiled, trying to make me feel better.

His
voice was slightly softer as he spoke again. “I know that you said it last
night, Rose, but why did you go to the press about us?” he asked as I stared at
Harry whose puzzled look matched my own.

 
“I didn’t, Sam, what are you talking about?” I
asked, utterly stunned and wondering what the hell he meant.

 
“They have some very intimate details about
our relationship, Rose, including the colour of my fucking bedding and the fact
that you’re a terrible masseuse. Who did you speak to yesterday?” he asked and
my heart sank as I felt suddenly sick.

 
Whether I wanted to or not I would have to
tell him about Daniel now and I knew he’d go absolutely thermonuclear on me. I
took a deep breath. “I didn’t speak to anyone, but Daniel turned up last night.
I didn’t tell him anything, Sam, honestly,” I said quietly, holding my breath
and waiting for the fallout.

Harry
had closed his eyes and was clearly waiting for the same thing, but it didn’t
come. There was a strained pause for a couple of seconds before he spoke again.

“Sweetheart,
you need to tell me exactly what happened,” he said as I swallowed hard.

 
“You’re not mad?” I asked hopefully, which
turned out to be a pretty stupid question.

 
“Fucking livid, Rose, but right now I’m with
my lawyers trying to get an injunction on an article which will plaster you all
over the front of the tabloids and have the house crawling with press if I
don’t stop it. Tell me everything,” he said as I recalled the tale from start
to finish with every single detail I could remember.

I
could feel his anger radiating down the phone and for the first time in days I
felt really angry too. I hadn’t done anything wrong, I hadn’t said anything
that could implicate me or him and as I went to speak he cut me off. “Put Harry
on,” he snapped as I passed him the phone, shaking my head and trying to
control my breathing. “Take me off loud speaker,” I heard Sam say before Harry
placed the phone against his ear, smiling at me apologetically.

“I
want to speak to him,” I said, holding out my hand for the phone.

 
“She wants to speak to you, Sam,” Harry
repeated down the line, listening for a few seconds before he put the phone
down. “He’s gone, Babe,” he said as I moved to pick up the phone and called him
straight back. No answer. I called again. No answer and the third time I almost
flung the damn thing across the room, noticing that Harry looked just as
dejected as I felt and had lost every bit of his usual sparkle.

“I’m
getting changed and then I’m out of here, Harry, I can’t deal with any more of
this shit,” I said as he let out a huge sigh.

 
“You need to tell Sam, Rose,” he said, trying
to smile but I was way past caring.

 
“I’ve just tried, Harry, but he won’t speak to
me or take my calls, so how can I?” I said, trying not to shout as he shook his
head shrugging.

 
“I can’t keep you here, Rose. It’s not like
you’re under house arrest, but he won’t be happy. Just don’t go home, OK. He’s
sending a team to sweep the house, they think Daniel might have bugged it,” he
said as my jaw dropped open.

“Are
you joking?” I gasped as he shook his head.

 
“No,” he said simply as I just stared at him.

“I’m
sorry, Harry, please don’t let him blame you but I didn’t ask for any of this,”
I said, marching to the bathroom for a quick shower before I changed and headed
out. Harry just watched me silently as I left, knowing there was nothing he
could have said or done to stop me.

I
took little notice of the dark car parked on the road outside as I sped down
the country lane. I had no idea where I was going, I just wanted to be anywhere
except in that damn house. I switched off my phone. I wasn’t spending all day
arguing with Sam, this morning had been bad enough. I drove through the town,
passing the shops and the prom, thinking about why I’d come back here.

I
wanted a new start, to rebuild my life, and yet from the day I returned I’d
been consumed by Sam, the beautiful stranger at the beach house. Sucked
unwittingly into a whole heap of problems I could never have envisaged and
possibly about to appear on the front page of the papers linked with the
current Darling of the media. According to the press he was the beautiful
playboy hero who had exposed a scandal for the greater
good,
that
would mean thousands of ordinary people who had lost their savings
would receive the compensation they deserved.

He
was right to do it, I knew that and I respected him enormously for the risk
he’d taken, but this would involve years of legal wrangling and dominate our
lives. I was trying not to be selfish but it wasn’t easy, and I hoped to God he
could get that injunction. The last thing I needed was the press pulling me
apart inch by inch, judging my clothes, my look,
my
past. They’d decide instantly that I wasn’t good enough for their beautiful
bachelor and annihilate me in the most public way possible. I was insecure
enough and what was worse is that I’d probably think they were right. It would
make a better story if he hooked up with a model or an actress and I could see
the headlines now.

I
hated Daniel for what he’d done to Sam but I hated him more for this. We’d been
close once and he knew what this would do to me and what I’d been through. So
much for rebuilding my life I thought. I’d lost my head over a man who had too
many secrets to count and I had to do something about it before it was too
late. A future without Sam was unthinkable, but I needed to exert some more
control over my own life. Driving past my old school, I suddenly remembered the
open day in York. It was today and the opportunity to do something positive for
myself.

As I
walked through the campus, watching the students chatting and laughing I felt
happier than I had all morning and also pretty old. The place was brimming with
fresh faced kids in their late teens. Goths and
emos
;
trendies
and casuals, all mixing and making their way
to their respective classes and it was a good vibe. I followed the signs for
the open day and hoped I wouldn’t be the only ‘mature student’ in attendance. I
wasn’t. Judging from the vast array of ages there, it seemed that teaching
might be something a lot of people turned to after they’d had some experience
of life and it cheered me up no end.

History
would be my choice as I looked down the list of available courses that would
start next year and I was in the right city to study it. York was one of the
most historical cities in England, brimming with tales of Vikings. As I picked
up the literature I actually began to believe this was something I could do. It
would take a year, and financially that was fine. My bills were minimal and I
had a whole new wardrobe I laughed inwardly, remembering the wonderful morning
we’d spent in Harrods as thoughts turned to Sam and my heart sank. I wish he’d
have answered my calls.

I
stayed for a few hours, trying to distract myself. I read the testimonials and
listened to a talk, considering for the first time whether I had what it took
to take on a room full of teenagers. All those hormones and first loves,
feeling right now that despite my age and experience, I wasn’t sure it ever got
any easier.

It
was a nice day for the time of year and I took off eventually for a walk by the
river. It was the peaceful solitude I needed. I passed a news stand, glancing
at the magazines and newspapers to see if I appeared on any of them. I relaxed
immediately when I noticed I didn’t, before realising that these were the
morning editions and if Sam was working on an injunction now, it would probably
be this evening before I featured anyway. There was nothing I could do except
wait.

I
picked a bottle of water and a glossy magazine that boasted a full blown
close-up of Sam’s beautiful face. I wasn’t sure why I was torturing myself but
I couldn’t help it. It wasn’t every day that you saw your boyfriends face
gracing the cover of a magazine you used to read every week. I knew he was on
the TV, I had watched it endlessly for days, but until now I hadn’t seen the
full magnitude of his exposure. I paid the little news seller and walked
towards a bench, glad that there was no one else around.

I
flicked through the pages until I found the article about him and my heart
stopped beating. This flew in the face of everything he’d told me. This wasn’t
an old photo, this was recent, this was yesterday and this was the girl from
the party. My stomach lurched and bile rose in my throat as I read the
accompanying caption.

Gorgeous playboy and multi millionaire
whistleblower Sam Lawrence was spotted yesterday getting up close and personal
with Victoria Bloom, socialite and heiress to one half of the famous Goldman-
Bloom finance dynasty. Our sources say the couple couldn’t take their eyes off
each other. Could this be the romance of the year? We’re BANKING on it!

I
pulled out my phone, switching it on to notice there were no missed calls from
Sam or anyone else for that matter. This would certainly explain the way he was
with me this morning. I knew there was something about the way he had been with
her at the party and something about the way she had looked at me.

 
There had been the phone call, ‘I can’t tell
her yet, it’s not the right time,
she
has been through
so much already’. I was angry, seething mad as tears pricked at my eyes. How
could I be so stupid as to let someone do this to me again? What was wrong with
my instincts? They must be pretty defective. I hadn’t seen it coming with
Daniel and now this I thought, but my subconscious was not letting me off the
hook that easily.

I
had
seen it coming with Daniel if I was honest
with myself. Deep down I knew he was cheating. I just hadn’t wanted to admit
it. I had ignored my gut and hoped it would be OK. It wasn’t. ‘Trust me’. Sam’s
words echoed in my brain. Daniel had never said ‘trust me’. He’d made plenty of
excuses, created petty arguments, anything to deflect from the questions I
asked him, but he had never said ‘trust me’.

The
hardest part was that I had trusted Sam, I did trust him. This time my gut was
aligned with my head and I was totally confused. Why would he bother to
introduce me to his friends and his family if he was seeing someone else? He
was on the world wide news and the front of every newspaper in the land as the
striking face of morality, fairness and justice. Cheating didn’t fit with that
persona,
or
was I being a naive idiot?

The
proof was there in my fingertips, or was it? He isn’t an unattached, jet
setting playboy but it hadn’t stopped them from printing it all week. I studied
the pictures again. What did it actually show? Two people sat opposite each
other in a restaurant having what looked like a pretty serious conversation,
but it was just a snapshot in time. The second looked like they were saying
goodbye, he had his hand on her arm and he was kissing her cheek. She was
smiling softly, huge green eyes gazing at him hopefully, but that was all.
 
I didn’t know and I needed to. I typed the
text and pressed send before I could change my mind.

Who is Victoria and are you screwing her?

I
sat on the bench for an age trying to make sense of the situation, of the
facts, of Sam. I didn’t know what to think and I needed an explanation. He’d
said it time and again in the last week, everything we had was real, the rest
was bullshit. The big question here was did I trust him and despite my internal
protests, my fear and the pain that was lodged in my gut at the thought of him
out there with another girl, the answer always came back the same. Yes. I was
scared to trust him, scared that I’d be let down again and frightened that
Daniel was right, I was a gullible idiot. Believing Sam and putting my faith in
him, meant overcoming that fear and that was the hard bit. If I trusted him, I
was leaving myself wide open, vulnerable and exposed to another load of hurt I
wasn’t sure I could cope with. The alternative was closing my heart and I knew
already it was too late for that. I had to trust him.