Clara in America (Clara Andrews Series - Book 7) (15 page)

‘Even so, how did you manage to convince him that you were filthy rich?’ I hand Noah a spade as he starts to build a sand castle.

‘I met him in California, that part was true. He presumed that we were part of a celebrity party and I didn’t correct him. One lie led to another and before I knew it I had created this entire new life.’

‘What exactly did you tell him?’ I press, feeling flummoxed at the gravity of her deceit.

She looks between Oliver and myself before hiding her face with her hair. ‘I told him I lived in Hollywood… I also might have mentioned that I had a yellow Lamborghini, a holiday home in the Caribbean and…’

‘And?’ Oliver interjects, staring at his mother as though he doesn’t recognise her.

‘And that I owned a restaurant in Beverly Hills.’

‘Wow…’ I breathe, trying to imagine Janie living the life of a Hollywood celebrity.

‘Once I started, I just couldn’t stop. He liked me. Randy and I had just gone our separate ways and he showered me with attention. I was flattered. If I would have told him the truth, he wouldn’t have looked at me twice.’

‘He used you.’ Oliver laughs and I want to kick him for being so mean. ‘He played you like a fool because he wanted your money. Money that you never had in the first place.’

‘You don’t think I know that?’ Janie whimpers. ‘I knew the truth would come out eventually, I was just enjoying it while it lasted.’

‘Well, now that it’s over, maybe we can finally look at moving forward.’ I attempt a smile, but he doesn’t back down.

‘Are you kidding me?’ Oliver yells, causing me to wince. ‘You can’t just sweep this under the carpet, divorce Dad and pretend that everything is going to be OK, because I’ve got news for you – it’s not going to be! What are you going to do with your life now? Where are you going to live? What are you going to do for money?’

I’m about to tell him to calm down when he turns up the tempo.

‘Being married to my dad was the only thing that you have ever been good at. You were useless when I was a child! I had to deal with being laughed at every day in school, because while every other kid’s mom sent them in with home baked cookies, you gave me last night’s pizza and a damn Twinkie bar.’

He paces up and down along the beach, getting angrier with every step that he takes.

‘I spent my teenager years constantly worried that I would find you passed out drunk on the couch. Many times I did, I might add. Your relationship with my dad is the one thing I was proud of you for and now you have gone and ruined that too.’

Seemingly frozen to the spot, Janie lets out an almighty sob before jumping off her sun lounger and fleeing along the sand. Not being able to speak, I watch her open mouthed until she has disappeared out of sight.

‘Oh, Oliver…’ I whisper, holding my head in my hands.

‘What?’ He snaps, dusting sand from his shoes. ‘Everything I said was one hundred percent true.’

‘Well, that might be, but did you really have to say it to her?’

‘The truth hurts, doesn’t it?’

Exhaling slowly, I rub my throbbing temples and try to gather my thoughts. Oh, how I wish this would all just go away.

‘You should go after her.’ Throwing all our beach stuff into my bag, I put Noah down so that he can walk for himself.

‘You’re kidding, right? She’s brought this all on herself and you know it.’

Not being able to disagree with his very valid point, I chew the inside of my cheek and nod in response. Those two are more alike than either of them would care to admit. I wait for Oliver to shake the sand out of his sea shoes before starting to make my way back to the car. The entire fifteen minutes it takes us to reach the car park neither of us says a word, the only sound coming from Noah’s incomprehensible ramblings. Waiting for him to load up the car, I lean against the boot and scan the area for Janie. Seemingly unbothered, Oliver buckles in Noah before climbing into the driver’s seat and turning over the engine.

‘You can’t be serious? We are
not
leaving without her.’

‘If she’s big enough to get herself into these ridiculous situations, I am sure that she will find her way back to the hotel. Now, get in.’ He turns on the radio and I have one final check of the beach before climbing in and slamming the door.

With a face like thunder, he pulls out onto the open road and I rest my head on the window as the world whizzes by.

‘When you went to find your mom last night, what did you say to her?’

Oliver stares out at the open road and exhales slowly. ‘I foolishly told her that if she and my dad were separating, I would do everything I could to help her.’

‘What a very supportive thing to say. I’m proud of you.’ I attempt a smile, but he returns it with a frown.

‘Well don’t be. I’ve withdrawn my offer.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘When I told her that, I had no idea about her lies and deceit. She’s going to have to get out of this one on her own.’

‘But…’

‘I don’t want to hear it, Clara. I don’t want to hear it!’

Life is like a coin.

you can spend it any way you wish,

but you only spend it once…

The entire journey back I find myself trying to come up with a plan to put Janie’s life back together, but even as we pull into the hotel car park, I have failed to think of a single scenario that could possibly see this mess work out. Just when you think that you’ve finally put every sordid detail out on the table, Janie throws another curveball into the mix. Helping Oliver to unload the car, I lift up a tired Noah and rest him on my chest as we make our way up to our hotel room. Without saying a word, Oliver takes Noah for a bath and I start packing up our belongings. A pang of sadness washes over me as I take our swimsuits and toss them carelessly into a suitcase. Sandals, beach towels and bottles of sun cream land in the bottom of the case with a thud. All the things that are supposed to make you feel excited and full of glee, now just leave me feeling empty and deflated.

Throwing the final bikini on top of a huge pile of clothes, I am about to gather up the toiletries when the sound of Oliver’s phone ringing distracts me from the task in hand. Abandoning the suitcase, I rummage through the beach bag and finally locate the handset beneath a mound of pool towels. Squinting at the screen, my heart skips a beat as I see Randy’s name flashing back at me.

‘Oliver!’ I yell, running into the bathroom. ‘Oliver! It’s your dad!’

Wrapping up Noah in a fluffy towel, I pass him the mobile and watch with bated breath as he runs over to the window for a better signal.

‘Dad?’ He yells, wiggling around the handset and trying to get the picture to settle. ‘Dad? Can you hear me?’

‘Oliver?’ Randy’s voice crackles out of the speakers and I can’t help but smile as Noah’s face lights up at the sound of his grandad’s voice.

The image finally settles and Randy’s face springs into focus. With a tan darker than the Hoff and what appears to be a bright blue ocean glistening behind him, I can’t for the life of me work out where he is.

‘I’ve been calling you for days! Where the hell are you?’ Oliver yells, wiggling the phone as the screen blurs again.

‘Well, the thing is, son. I’ve decided to take a break. I… I needed to get away for a little while. Clear my mind. If you have spoken to your mother, I am sure you understand.’

Nodding solemnly, Oliver perches on the edge of the tub and sighs. ‘I
totally
understand. You take as long as you need.’

‘Speaking of your mother, how is she?’ Randy asks, bobbing around on the screen. ‘I hope you have been looking after her?’

Oliver scoffs and looks over his shoulder at me. ‘Is that supposed to be a joke? Because if it is, it’s not funny!’

Noah lets out a squeal and I bribe him with chocolate from the mini bar to be quiet whilst Oliver finishes his conversation.

‘I’m serious, Oliver. She puts on a strong front, but she is going to need you right now. We didn’t take this decision lightly. I need you to know that. Your mother and I still love each other dearly and always will.’

‘If she loved you, she wouldn’t be cavorting around Florida with a boy less than half her age!’ Oliver yells, clearly not being able to contain himself.

A look of hurt runs over Randy’s face and once more the screen goes fuzzy before returning to focus.

‘Paulie? Yeah, she did tell me about him.’

‘You knew?’ I gasp, not realising that I have said this out loud.

‘Of course I knew.’ Randy rubs his face and I can’t help but notice that he is minus his wedding band. ‘They’re still together then?’

‘Actually, they’re not. She lied to him.’ Oliver rolls his eyes dramatically and shakes his head. ‘Apparently she told him she was a millionaire…’

For a moment Randy stays silent, choosing to look deep in thought instead.

‘I thought there was more to it than she was letting on. Try not to give her too hard of a time about it. A quick fling is probably just what she needed.’

‘I can’t believe what I am hearing here!’ Oliver yells, causing Noah to look up from his chocolate buttons. ‘How can you be cool with this?’

‘Your mother is well on her way to being a single woman. She hasn’t done a thing wrong. Now, I know this will be a lot for you to take in, but we are both happy with our decision to go our separate ways. I need you to accept that.’

I reach over and give Oliver’s shoulder a reassuring squeeze and hope that this time he finally takes the message in.

‘Where exactly did you say you were again?’ Oliver asks, as the blue back drop shakes uncontrollably behind him.

‘Sorry?’ Randy mumbles, squinting at the screen. ‘I didn’t quite catch that.’

‘I said, where are you?’

‘I’m, erm… I’m actually in the Bahamas.’

‘The Bahamas?’ I squeal, unable to contain myself.

Randy laughs and runs a hand through his silver curls. ‘Yeah, like I said, I needed to get away.’

A high pitched squeak pipes up in the background and I strain my ears to catch the gist of their conversation. Who was that? Frowning at the screen, I notice that Oliver is also trying to eavesdrop.

‘Who are you talking to?’ Oliver whispers, his brow furrowed into a frown.

‘That would be Courtney.’

‘Courtney?’ We reply in unison. Who the hell is Courtney?

Motioning behind him, Randy seems to coax someone for ages before a tiny blonde thing appears on the screen. With a head of blonde waves, legs longer than most giraffes and cheekbones sharper than razorblades, she is easily one of the prettiest things I have ever seen.

‘Guys, this is Courtney.’ Pulling her onto his knee, the pair of them wave at the screen, cocktails in hand.

I don’t believe it! Not only is Janie getting involved with inappropriate people, now Randy is too! What is happening to the world that I know and love? Who’s next for the mid-life crisis? My dad? Lianna? Marc?

‘Hi.’ Noah takes it upon himself to wave to Randy’s new found friend and I’m relieved for the break in the silence.

‘OMG!’ She squeals, clasping her hands to her face in delight. ‘He is just the sweetest thing!’

Randy’s eyes land on Oliver’s astonished expression and he decides to wrap up the conversation.

‘Well, I’m glad that I’ve finally spoken to you, son.’

Taking that as her cue to leave, Courtney blows a kiss and wiggles across the screen and out of sight.

‘Remember what I said, your mother will need you right now. We’re both happy in our decision, so don’t feel that you need to make the situation miserable.’

Oliver pauses for a moment with an unreadable expression on his face before nodding in agreement. Leaving him to end the call, I change Noah into some fresh clothes and settle him down on his bed. A few moments later, Oliver appears in the bathroom doorway and slips his phone into his back pocket. Waiting for him to say something, I brush Noah’s curls with my fingers and bite my lip.

‘I don’t know whether I want to laugh or cry.’ He says eventually.

‘Laugh!’ I smile at him and pat the bed. ‘If they are your only options, always,
always
choose laugh.’

‘Laugh.’ Noah says decidedly, holding out his arms for Oliver to pick him up.

‘Come on, it could be miles worse. At least neither of them have spent the past few weeks crying over old wedding albums and drinking their weight in vodka.’

‘I’m not sure about that last one…’ He rolls his eyes and I immediately know that he is referring to Janie.

‘You should really make things up with your mum. Let’s face it, no one saw this coming.’ He nods slowly in response and stares out of the window. ‘Through all of this I thought your dad would be terribly upset. Not once did it cross my mind that he would be off doing the exact same thing. The fact that they can be so amicable about this really is something to be admired. And when you really think about it, wouldn’t you rather they spent their final years happy?’

‘Call me sceptical, but I really don’t think that my mom is happy right now.’

‘Maybe, but I think that might have more to do with you and less to do with Randy…’ I leave that last sentence hanging in the air, hoping that he decides to do the right thing and be the bigger person.

As we sit in silence, we are interrupted by a tiny knocking at the door. Not wanting to be disturbed by room service when I am finally making progress, I ignore it completely and brush my hair up off my face. Quickly realising that they’re not going to leave in a hurry, I let out a huge sigh and begrudgingly slip off the bed. Throwing open the door, I manage a small smile as I take in the person stood in front of me. Her stiff upper lip is in full force, but Janie’s eyes reveal that she’s more upset than she will ever let you know. Stepping aside to allow her into the room, I say a silent prayer that Oliver goes easy on her.

Catching his eye, I manage a tiny wink before taking Noah into the bathroom to give them some privacy. Silently peeking through the gap in the door, I hand Noah a rubber duck and shamelessly eavesdrop on their conversation.

‘So, I spoke to my dad.’

‘I know you did…’ Janie whispers, gingerly taking a seat at the dressing table. ‘I’ve been stood out in the hall for a good fifteen minutes.’

‘So, you were eavesdropping?’ Oliver’s voice is still firm, but the edge that he had at the beach has melted away.

My cheeks flush pink and I suddenly feel a little guilty about doing the exact same thing myself.

‘Actually I was gearing myself up to come in here. Overhearing your conversation wasn’t really part of the plan.’

Oliver looks up from the ground and for a split second their eyes meet.

‘Look, I’m sorry, mom. I really am. I shouldn’t have said those things to you and I should never have allowed Paulie to speak to you like that.’

Janie manages to fight the Botox enough to raise a small smile and takes Oliver’s hand in hers.

‘I’m sorry too. I shouldn’t have introduced you to Paulie. I should never have lied to him in the first place. I guess I was just flattered by the attention and I let it get out of control.’

Even though they can’t see me, I nod in agreement. We have all been there at some point in our lives, haven’t we? Before I met Oliver, I told a porky or two myself in my quest to find my prince. Granted my lies didn’t extend past my bra size but still, I can relate.

‘I know you have always wanted me to be the soccer mom, who bakes cookies and dresses
age appropriate
.’ She spits out age appropriate like it is the dirtiest word in the dictionary. ‘I’ve never been the mother that you wanted and for that I am truly sorry, but no one,
no one
could ever love you more than I do.’

I cover my mouth to stop myself from gasping and look at Oliver. I have never heard Janie open herself up like that, ever. That must have been so hard for her to admit. Understandably, he looks as shocked as I am.

‘You aren’t conventional, that’s for sure and I don’t always agree with some of the decisions that you make, but would I change you? I really don’t know.’ The two of them sit in an emotional silence and I feel frozen to the spot. ‘If you and dad are happy with this…
separation
, then I am happy for you. Well, maybe not happy, but I am OK with it and I am here for you if you need anything. Anything at all.’

Janie nods her head slowly and wipes what appears to be a tear from her cheek. Noah starts to grumble and I take that as my cue to step into the room. Holding out his chubby arms for his grandma to take him, I pass him over to Janie and stand between the two of them.

‘So, we’re all good?’ I ask, fumbling with my watch nervously.

‘We’re all good.’ Oliver confirms with a smile.

Breathing a sigh of relief, I flop down onto the bed and pull the sheets up over my head as Oliver and Janie discuss plans for the future. Now we can put this whole ordeal behind us, go back to our normal lives and pretend that it never happened. Thank the Lord. For a while back there I thought we weren’t ever going to escape the chaos of this holiday. I had an awful feeling that this unpleasantness was going to follow us around forever. My entire body suddenly feels ten pounds lighter as I take a deep breath and exhale slowly. The weight of this chaos finally leaving my shoulders and for the first time since we arrived here I feel like I am on holiday.

‘Clara?’ Oliver prods me in the side and I force myself to sit up straight. ‘Is that cool with you?’

‘What was that?’ I manage through a yawn, stretching my arms above my head and enjoying the delicious sensation.

‘My mom, she can come live with us for a while, right?’

My blood runs cold and I swear I feel my heart stop beating. Janie looks at me with eyes like Bambi as every single part of my body silently yells
no!
I open my mouth to speak, but she throws her arms around my neck and lets out a scream.

‘This is fantastic!’ Her voice tears down my ear canal, causing me to clutch my face in horror. ‘You, me, Oliver and Noah are going to be so happy together!’

He can’t be serious! I can’t live with Janie! It will kill me! I will kill her! We will all end up killing each other! Oliver catches my eye and mouths
thank you
gratefully. Not knowing what else to do, I drop my head to my knees and let out a silent sob. This cannot be happening. Janie pulls my hands away and plants a sloppy kiss on my cheek. Flinging her arms around all three of us, she throws back her head and cackles loudly.