The traditional seaside resort of Sharpington-by-Sea with its Victorian Pier, seafront hotels, crazy golf, The Palladium ballroom, well maintained gardens, promenade, theatre and illuminations, has all the usual things to have a great time by the seaside, as well as amusement arcades and of course the Sharpington Fun Park and it was in the grand neighbourhood of Granite Hill, which in a nod to San Francisco, the locals had nicknamed Nob Hill where local Children’s Writer, Alesha Khan, was hosting a dinner party, and among the guests were Kerry Freeborn and Sharon Blackburn, a pair of visiting thespians.
The hostess had first
met Kerry after they both took part in the World Book Day events at Sharpington
Library and they became friends.
There was a period of
reacquaintance with the guest that she knew and formal
introductions to those she didn’t but then after a brief chat with her
guests Alesha had to excuse herself to check on the food, so it was upto the guests to amuse themselves.
In addition to the
hostess Alesha, were a skinny young woman of a similar age, Kim Labuschagne, an
illustrator, who was an old school friend, who also assisted in the kitchen,
then there was Alesha’s brother Zach, an artist, Russell Glavin, the new curate
of St Lucy’s, Henry Appleby, Church Warden of same, Literary agents, Jayson and
Kathryn Mercer, and Tim Street who was a Local Historian, so it was an
interesting bunch.
Kerry and Sharon got
to know each other when they both worked on a very popular TV soap and during
their time on the show, they became very good friends, and over the years, in
addition to the soap they had also worked in the theatre and even in pantomime,
which was why they were both in Sharpington, at the Bluebird Theatre, doing
panto, playing the ugly sisters in Cinderella, which was intended to be ironic
given the way they looked.
At 30 years old, Kerry
was stunningly attractive, slim with shoulder length brunette hair and hazel
eyes but even Sharon, who was three years older, put her friend in the shade
with her looks.
Sharon was slightly
taller and a little curvier than Kerry with a shock of flame red hair, so it
wasn’t their looks that kept them single.
Their problem was that
in their profession it was difficult to meet men, well the right kind of men at
any rate, and had over the years grown weary of being hit on by all the usual
suspects.
Men who wanted to
either be seen with a famous actress on their arm or wanted the glamour
lifestyle they imagined went along with being a successful actor or on the
baser level just wanted to have sex with a celebrity.
There was another
obvious alternative to those types of men, and that was to date someone from
their own world, someone on a par with them, but in their experience most
actors tended to have huge egos and small personalities.
So, despite their
professional success they were no different to any other human being, looking
for love or companionship or a family.
What they needed was
someone who would like them or love them for who they were rather than thinking
of them as a backstage pass to a celebrity life.
But neither of them
were actively looking for anyone so it came as a complete surprise to meet a
serious candidate at dinner party in a small seaside town.
Although in Kerry’s it
was more of a re-acquaintance.
The man in question
was Jayson Mercer, Alesha’s Literary agent, who she first met just after the
World Book Day events at Sharpington Library, when she was starring in a play
at the Bluebird Theatre, and there was an instant attraction, but Kerry found
out he was married to his business partner Kathryn, so she backed off, however
she had since discovered that they were not a couple.
Jayson and Kathryn had divorced the year before, but it was a
completely amicable split because after eight years of marriage they both
realised it wasn’t really working, they loved each other, and still did, but
they were not in love.
In fact, they still lived under the same roof, in the same house,
after the split, and planned to sell the house, or buy the other one out, if
and when their personal circumstances changed.
So domestic life for them wasn’t really very different to when they
were married, and it really should have been if they belonged together as a
couple, so they knew they had made the right decision, and even after the
divorce they were still best friends, and of course they still worked together
at the Literary Agency they founded, Mercer and associates.
Even after they stopped living as man and wife, the split was so
amicable that they kept up their long-standing routine of travelling to and
from work together.
So, it was no wonder that Kerry jumped to the wrong conclusion, and
she’d left Sharpington when the theatre Company took the play to Abbottsford,
when she discovered the truth of the arrangement.
But now she was back in Sharpington and there he was in touching
distance, although his ex was also at the dinner party, so she thought she
should be forgiven for getting the wrong end of the stick.
From
the first moment she got “eyes on” she kept them on and when the time came for
them to take their seats she found that she was seated opposite him and focussed
all her attension on him and made it patently obvious she only had eyes for
him.
“So, what brings you here to Sharpington?” he asked
“I’m in Panto at the Bluebird” she replied “Sharon and I are the ugly
sisters”
“Typecasting then” he said “I believe that is the curse that befalls
successful soap stars”
“You will get a slap” she said with a laugh “And anyway it’s a living”
“Indeed”
“What about you?” she asked are you still getting your 30 percent?”
“Oh yes business is booming, though it helps to have a star like Alesha
on the books” he said
The remainder of the evening passed in the same easy manner until it was
time to leave and they were suddenly thanking Alesha, who was at the front door saying goodbye to
her guests in turn, and then they were outside.
Sharon was deeply engrossed with Alesha’s brother, Zach, and almost
oblivious to the fact that Kelly was waiting and then Jayson asked
“Are you staying at the Seaview?”
“Yes, we both are”
“Well why don’t I walk you there” he suggested “I’m sure Zach will be
happy to escort Sharon”
“Yes indeed” he said “We’ll be right behind you”
So, they walked down to Sharpington Promenade from the heights of
Granite Hill and chatted as much as they had all evening and then they were
suddenly at the hotel almost before they had time to blink.
“Do you want to come in for a nightcap?” she asked desperately
“Ok just a quick one” he said, and she was feeling very smug as they
went inside
“I’ll meet you in the bar” she said “I just need to spend a penny”
“Ok”
“Oh, I forgot” she said and handed him her key card “Order me a white
wine”
“Ok”
She didn’t need to spend a penny, though she did anyway, what she
wanted to do was attend to her makeup and freshen her perfume and when she got to the lounge,
he was sitting at the bar on a barstool waiting for her, the drinks on the
counter in front of him.
When she was halfway down the glass of wine, she said
“Perhaps we can do something over the weekend, dinner, maybe” she
suggested
“The Panto doesn’t open until Monday, so I’m completely free”
“Ah” he responded
“Ah?” she repeated “I don’t like the sound of “Ah”, is it an “Ah” I’m
back with my wife or “Ah” I’m with someone else or “Ah” I’m gay”
“None of the above” he said
“Phew”
“Do you remember me telling you during dinner that my sister Lizzie had twins?”
“Yes” she replied, “Oh God are they ill?”
“Not them” he replied
“Lizzie has PPD, Postpartum depression” he replied “and she’s not coping and nor is her
husband”
“Oh dear”
“So, the rest of the family are having to muck in and help them
through the worst of it” he explained “They live up in Millmoor, so I’m going
up for a week, maybe two”
“Oh, I understand” she said, “is your ex going?”
“Good God no” he said and laughed “She doesn’t like children, so she’s
going to hold the fort at the agency for me”
She was disappointed that he was going away but relieved the Kathryn
wasn’t going with him.
“Do you want another?” she asked as she caught the barman’s eye
“Hmm yes please” he replied and drained his glass “But then I have to
go”
“Do you think you might be back by the 13th?” she asked
“Possibly, why?”
“There
is no performance that evening because of the traditional St Lucy’s day events,
so I have the day off, we could have dinner?”
“It depends who’s paying” he answered, and she laughed
“That’s just the type of response I expect from an agent” she said, and
he shrugged
“My treat” she replied, but seeing him again would be the real treat
“Ok I’ll do my best”
They parted company in reception where he kissed her cheek and then she
watched him leave, and it hurt, it really hurt and that really surprised her,
why did it hurt? She knew she liked him, but obviously it was more than that if
it hurt.
“Why does it hurt?” she asked herself as she walked towards the stairs
and then she stopped
“My God I love him” she exclaimed
Over the rest of the weekend, with too much time on her hands she could
think of little else than the revelation that she was hopelessly in love with him,
and the problem with that was that she wasn’t going to see him for an absolute
age.
Fortunately, the pantomime started on Monday so two shows a day kept
her occupied, it was just at night when she was alone in bed.
Her one big regret while he was away, was that she didn’t have a phone
number or an email address for him, but she didn’t.
She could have asked Alesha, but she would have felt foolish, she could
even have phoned Mercer and Associates and asked Kathryn, but what possible
reason could she have for needing it?
So, she just had to keep herself busy and wait until the 13th.
As there were no performances on
the 13th because of the traditional St Lucy’s day events in the town,
she had the whole day off, which had to be filled, and her mind kept occupied, she
had hoped that Sharon would have helped but she had plans to spend the day with
Zac.
So, she did the best
she could, including having her hair and nails done and a bit of pampering to
make the best of herself.
But that didn’t
consume nearly enough of the day, so because she was told by all the staff that
the St Lucy celebrations were something not to be missed, so she thought it
would be worth going along if only to kill some time.
The St Lucy’s Day
Celebrations began once the darkness had fully descended with a celebration
service and then after the church service a parade of school children from
Jubilee school processed along the promenade carrying their Lucy lights and
then down to the beach where they threw them onto the bonfire to light the Lucy
fire, as it is believed that St Lucy’s light can lengthen the days.
It was all very pagan
and a Swedish tradition originally, a mixture of the Christian and the pagan
really.
The St Lucy’s day
festival was always well attended as it was such a unique event.
Christians from
churches far and wide attended the service and a healthy crowd both church and
secular turned out for the parade.
As she walked back to
the Hotel, she was glad she’d seen it, but she was feeling the chill, so she
went straight to the lounge and up to the bar.
She was sitting at the bar, perched on a barstool drinking a brandy, and
feeling its warmth spread through her, and still wearing jeans and a sweater
after the St Lucy events, when Jayson arrived
“Hi” he said as he leant in and kissed her cheek and breathed in the
fragrance of apples on her hair, the aroma of coconut on her skin and an
overall presence of expensive perfume.
“Oh bugger” she screamed inside her head, she had planned to wear a brand-new
white silk dress decorated with tiny pink roses, over some recently purchased
very classy lingerie, and be made up to perfection, and instead she was wearing
jeans and a sweater.
“You look lovely” he said as he sat down on the vacant stool.
“And you smell good enough to eat”
“I am supposed to look gorgeous” she said sadly
“You do look gorgeous” he said “And you smell delicious, not like me, I
look like I haven’t slept for two weeks, hang on, I haven’t slept for two
weeks, and I smell of baby sick”
She leant close into him and breathed in his aftershave and its effect
on her was almost sensual, so much so that she almost buried her face in his
neck before she sat up again.
“Not a hint of baby sick” she declared
“Honestly?” he asked
“Honestly” she replied as she caught the barman’s eye “Another please,
and whatever my…. guest wants?”
“I’ll have the same” he said
“I don’t know about you but I’m starving shall eat now?”
“Hmm good idea” she replied and when the drinks appeared, they made their
way to the restaurant.
When they were seated at the table, she asked
“How’s your sister?”
“She’s getting better, slowly” he replied
“And the twins?”
“They are fantastic, smelly, but fantastic”
He said and as they ate, he explained in detail.
After that the conversation was more general, but as much as the conversation
flowed, so did the wine and Kelly, who had always been a lightweight, drank too
much, and when she drinks too much, she is too honest.
“I’ve really missed you” she said, and he was both surprised and pleased
by the revelation and he wondered if he had heard her correctly or if it was
just the wines effect on his processing ability, in the end he decided he
hadn’t misheard and responded
“I missed you too”
“Really?”
“Really” he confirmed
“Oh, good because I was really worried that I loved you and you didn’t
love me back” she said and giggled, but then she realized he was just looking
at her and not speaking and she began to back track.
“What I meant to say is… um… err… I… erm… oh I’m sorry” she said “I used
the “L” word didn’t I”
“Yes, you did” he confirmed “and it’s ok because I think I love you too,
but”
“But….”
“Oh shit, why is there, a but, I don’t like the but, one little bit”
“But….” He continued “I have to
go back to Millmoor tomorrow, and I’ll probably won’t be back until Christmas”
She looked crestfallen, so he took hold of her hand.
“I have to be there for my sister’s family right now, but I want there
to be an “us”, but I can’t give you that right now” he said as he held her hand
“But that doesn’t mean I don’t want to, do you understand?”
“Yes, I think so”
“Can you wait?”
“Yes” she said “on one condition”
“Name it”
“That you give me your mobile number, so I can talk to you or text you
or something” she said
“I’ve already put it in your phone”
“You have?”
“Yes” he replied “Now I think it’s time to get you to bed”
“Oh goody, I like the sound of that”
“Calm down hot stuff” he said “I need to get you to bed so you have a
good night’s sleep and then we can spend an enjoyable few hours together tomorrow
morning, before I have to leave for Millmoor, and you have to be at the
theatre”
Kelly tottered along the corridor beside him but when they paused to
allow an elderly lady to go through the fire doors ahead of them, she looked up
at him through soulful eyes and he kissed her, a kiss she had longed for since
the moment she first met him.
After the long-awaited kiss, they walked hand in hand to the door of her
room where they kissed again before he unlocked the door and pushed it open,
but Kelly paused in the doorway
“I’m sorry” she said
“For what?”
“For being so needy”
“You’re not needy, so don’t apologize for being you” he said and kissed
her once more.
