Beneath The Lies (4 page)

What I want to do is yell at the top of my lungs how much I hate shopping and how Leeta’s question only spotlights how little she actually knows me, but I won’t. I don’t want to risk upsetting the only adult I have left in my life. “Thanks for the offer, Leeta. I actually have a lot of homework I need to catch up on. I was thinking of heading to the library for a while.” Most of that is true, but if I really wanted to find the time to shop, I could.

“Oh. Okay.” As I watch Leeta’s face fall, I instantly feel bad. I don’t want Leeta to think she can or ever will replace my mother, but she’s welcomed me into her home and her life and I need to make an effort to get to know her better. I silently vow the next time she asks me to do something, I’ll take her up on her offer.

****

I spend nearly five hours at the library. I found I surprised even myself at the amount of work I actually had. At least it lessens my guilt of ditching Leeta. When I get back to Leeta’s, the house is eerily silent. The only thing I can hear is the humming coming from the heating system until I reach the bottom of the steps. That’s when I hear Leeta talking to someone else in her home office. The door is shut, but not closed all the way.

I’m about to head up the stairs when I hear a man with a deep, almost angry voice speak up. A voice that is completely unfamiliar to me.

“What are you up to now?”

“Now why would you ask that? I know you don’t believe this, but not everything I do involves you.” The man huffs out a fake laugh, clearly not impressed with Leeta’s comment.

“When whatever shit your planning backfires, don’t come to me to help you out. I’m done. I told you that before.”

“Yes, yes, you did. So why are you here now, darling?” Leeta’s voice is strained, almost on the verge of upset. I take a step closer and pause outside the doorway, waiting to hear if the man is going to reply. Several long moments go by before he finally does.

“Forget you saw me. I thought...never mind what I thought. I’m leaving.” When I hear someone moving around, I realize that I’m standing outside the office, clearly eavesdropping. I pick up my bag and quickly take off for the steps when a door slams shut behind me, causing me to look back over my shoulder. That’s when my eyes find him...the man who was staring at me at the fight the night before.

He’s dressed in similar clothing—a black cotton shirt and dark jeans—and just like last night he’s watching my every move.

“What’s your name?”

His voice sounds harsh and maybe even irritated compared to the flat tone I heard him use with Leeta. “Kate.” I swear I heard a growling sound come from his throat.

“I thought you said your name was Jamie.” I’m confused for a brief moment.

“Jamie? Oh...” I don’t bother finishing my sentence. He must have sent Kyler’s brother over to find out my name. Rather grade school, if you ask me.

He fires his next question with even more anger. “Why are you here?” Last night this guy had me heating up in a way I didn’t want to acknowledge just from the way his eyes were taking me in. Now he’s acting like I’ve committed a crime far worse than lying about my name.

“She lives here.”

At Leeta’s words, the color drains out of his face and he slowly shuts his eyes, like he’s suddenly in pain.

“Kate, darling, I would like you to meet my youngest son, Gavin. Gavin, this is Kate. I don’t believe you’ve seen her since Kate was just a baby.”

Leeta’s husband James died in a car accident while my family was out here visiting. I was only a little girl at the time, but for whatever reason, my parents never came back to visit Leeta or her two sons. Meaning I’ve met Gavin before, but I have no memory of it.

Gavin flicks his gaze over to his mother, and I wince at the hatred I see in his expression. “Stop it. Whatever you’re doing stop it
now
.”

I’m just as startled to see how unbothered Leeta appears to be. I grew up in a house where my parents showed love and affection on a daily basis, but these two look more like enemies than mother and son.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about. Kate and I are good friends and she’s decided to live with me while she goes to school,” Leeta answers in a sweet voice, almost as if she’s trying to push Gavin’s buttons. Gavin, however, stands there not moving a muscle. Even his jaw is clenched tight as he glares at his mother.

Whatever is happening, I decide I should excuse myself from their drama. “Nice to meet you, Gavin.” I glance at Leeta and see she’s smiling at me like normal. “Goodnight, Leeta.” Without looking back at either of them, I head up the stairs. Once I get in my room I promptly shut and lock my door. Whatever is going on downstairs, I know it somehow involves me. Regardless, their issues with each other must have started long before my arrival.

I wait a few minutes, expecting one of them to knock on my door but a knock never comes. Part of me is a little disappointed that Gavin didn’t come after me, but a larger part is glad he didn’t. I need to get my life in order and focusing on a man, especially one as intense as Gavin, will only get in the way of that.

The following day, Leeta stops me as I’m walking in the front door. I’ve been to class, already home, and am just getting back from a five-mile run. “Sweetheart, you’re going to run yourself into the ground if you’re not careful.”

I’ve always enjoyed school, and running has never been a workout for me. Instead, it’s a way for me to relax. When I have too much down time, my mind starts to run away with thoughts of my parents. “I’m fine. I promise.”

“Go clean up. I’m taking you out to dinner, and I’m not taking no for an answer this time.” I was reintroduced to Leeta at my father’s funeral and she’s been nothing but wonderful to me, but I’m resisting the role she’s trying to play in my life. Leeta can be my aunt. She can be my friend, but she’s never going to be my mother.

“Okay. Give me thirty minutes and I’ll be ready.” Her eyes light up.

“Take your time, darling.” I head up to my room and in less than twenty minutes, I’m back downstairs and ready to go.

“You’re speedy. I think you clean up faster than both of my boys.” I’m not sure if Leeta’s comment is an insult or a compliment. Like normal, I’m wearing hardly any makeup and I have my long, blonde hair pulled up in a messy bun. Not knowing where Leeta is taking me, I put on a skirt and a nice shirt, but unlike Leeta or most of the girls I’ve met since moving here, I’m wearing plain flats.

“Sorry,” I softly say, turning my reddening face away from her.

“Don’t be sorry. God gave you a gift. You’re naturally beautiful, Kate.” My body relaxes knowing that she wasn’t poking fun at how under dressed—at least compared to her—I am.

“I made us reservations while you were showering. We better get going.” I follow Leeta out to her garage where I’m embarrassed to see my five-year-old Honda Civic parked in the same garage as her brand new Lexus. Instead of commenting, Leeta gives me a small grin before we hop in her car and head to a restaurant that looks extremely expensive. The hostess recognizes Leeta instantly. “This way, Ms. Loman.” I’m not dressed up but I’m thankful I put a little effort into my outfit. Everyone here is dressed to the nines.

“Your waiter will be with you in a moment.” Leeta picks up a menu and starts gushing about how amazing everything is. I pick up the other menu, but unlike Leeta, I can’t find a thing that sounds even remotely tempting.

“What do you want to order, sweetheart?” I place my menu on the table as the waiter arrives. “Good evening, Ms. Loman. Would you care for your usual?” Leeta nods her head then looks toward me.

“And what would the beautiful lady like?” I want to shout absolutely nothing, but I don’t want to insult Leeta for bringing me to a place she obviously loves.

“I’ll have the same.” The waiter’s eyes narrow for a moment then he looks at Leeta who nods her head.

“Did I do something wrong?” Leeta gives me a small grin.

“You ordered a vodka tonic.” My eyes widen in shock.
Oh crap
. “Don’t worry, darling. I’m driving us home. You can drink as much as you want.”

The waiter sets our drinks down in front of us. “Can I also get a glass of water, please?” A knowing look passes between the waiter and myself. “Certainly.”

“And I’ll have whatever meal Leeta is having.” Once Leeta goes into detail of exactly how she wants our meal prepared, the waiter finally leaves.

“Kate, I want to apologize for not making the trip to Colorado when your mother died. There’s no excuse for it, but the thought of seeing your father, even after all these years, was hard. When I first met James, your father was always with us. After James died, I was left with two young boys and a sizeable bank account. Even so, I felt alone and lost. Still, I should have been there for you and your father. I’m truly sorry that I wasn’t.”

I don’t have any memory of my parents with Leeta and James. James died when I was four years old, and my understanding is my parents parted ways with Leeta afterwards. I didn’t think twice about her not attending my mother’s funeral. Truth be told, I was shocked to see her at my father’s. She owes me absolutely nothing, yet she’s the only one who’s stepped in to help me.

“You have nothing to be sorry about. I do want to thank you for reaching out to me now. I never imagined leaving home, but I also never pictured living there without my parents.”

Leeta reaches her hand across the table and squeezes mine. “I’m here for you Kate, for whatever you need. I can be your friend, a family member, or I can be an extra set of hands. No one should have to take on a company like your father left you while still earning a degree. I used to co-own your father’s business, and I also own several companies myself. I would be happy to help you until you’re able to take it over.”

I blink several times, not expecting her comment. “Thank you, Leeta. I don’t have much to do with my dad’s company at the moment. I will one day, once I graduate. In the meantime, my dad left people in charge that know what they’re doing, so there’s no stress on me. At least not yet.”

Leeta watches me closely, like she wants to say or ask something else, but the waiter returns with our dinner, which thankfully ends the conversation.

“We still need to set a shopping date. I missed out on all the fun having two boys.” I’ve wanted to ask her about Gavin but I wasn’t sure I should. Thankfully, her comment left me an opening.

“Do you see your son Gavin often?”

Leeta sighs before placing her fork down. “Gavin and my oldest son Tanner idolized their father. After he died, our relationship suffered. They treat me like I’m an evil witch who’s out to ruin their lives, but the truth is they’ve never gotten over the loss of their father. I tolerated their horrible behavior for years, but I’m passed the point of worrying anymore. I love them and it’s unfortunate, but if I wasn’t able to change them by now I probably never will.”

Leeta looks defeated. I can’t imagine hating either of my parents, but I saw firsthand how hot and cold Gavin can be.

“I think a shopping day sounds great. Maybe we can go this weekend.” I can’t fix her relationship with her children, but I can take the hand she’s so freely offering me.

“Perfect, darling. I can’t wait.” Darling...I wonder if I’ll ever get to the point where I’m comfortable with how different Leeta—hell, for that matter, California—is compared to the life I had only a few short months ago.

****

I don’t see Leeta for the next couple of days. She briefly popped into the kitchen Wednesday morning while I was getting a cup of coffee. Other than exchanging a quick hello, we didn’t have a real conversation. I was under the impression she didn’t have a job, but she told me she owns several companies, and I see her in her home office a lot so something is keeping her busy.

Thursday afternoon when I returned home after my last class, I stop dead in my tracks when I pass a bedroom door I’ve never seen open before. There sitting at a desk is Gavin. He appears to be lost in whatever he’s working on until he catches me standing at the door staring at him. As his eyes jerk to mine, I instantly feel like I’m doing something wrong. And maybe I am. Without a word, I turn and walk to my room.

The room Gavin was sitting in looks like a male’s room: dark brown everywhere, not a lick of color to be seen. I thought Leeta said she lived here alone. There’s no way Gavin actually lives here. I’ve been here for three weeks and this is only the second time I’ve seen him here. Plus, I thought Gavin hates, or at the very least dislikes his mother.

Deciding I need to get the hell out of here at least long enough for Gavin to go home, I change into my running clothes and head out for a run. Running always clears my head. My mother was a big runner. I remember going out on runs with her when I was still young enough to be pushed in a stroller. As I got older, the two of us would go for runs together. Now my runs are bittersweet because it reminds me of a time I can no longer get back, but it also reminds me how loved I was. After watching Gavin and Leeta, I appreciate the relationship I had with my mother even more.

I run until my feet and body are aching. By the time I arrive back at the Lomans’, almost four hours have passed, and I’m hoping that Gavin is long gone, but within moments I find out that’s not the case.