The Guest & the Change (2 page)

Alone in the dining room Sarah sat down and drank some more wine.
 
I’m crazy, how can someone affect me so much?
 
I’m hardly going to be able to eat!
 
Poor Jo, at least he’s not here to see me act like this.
 

Sarah got up and poked her head around the door, ‘Hey mom, can we stay tonight so I can drink?’

Megan and Bea proceeded to jump up and down echoing - ‘Stay night.
 
Stay night.
 
Stay night.’

Alice laughed and said that it was fine, then silently mouthed, ‘Gorgeous isn’t he?’ and winked, making Sarah feel even guiltier.
 

She mouthed back, ‘That’s not the reason.’
 
But her mother just laughed and went back to playing with the kids.

***

Jo opened his front door.
 
It was now dark and his way was lit by Victorian style street lights.
 
He walked down the path, as quickly as he dared without actually running, and rounded the corner where his car was
parked.
 
Fumbling to find his car key he inserted it into the lock and climbed inside.
 
Once inside he immediately reached for the internal lock, pressed it down and all four doors locked simultaneously.
 
Jo sighed in relief, heart still pounding.
 

Something caught his attention - a dark shape
materializing
to his left.
 
He felt nausea threatening to rise and swallowed.
 
Then he
realized
what he was seeing was a bat.
 
It flew down then swooped up towards the roof.
 
There it landed and hung upside down.
 
Jo could have sworn it was looking at him.
 
Its eyes glinted in the lamp light.
 
It was the largest bat he had ever seen, not that he saw them often.
 
This new presence calmed him; he felt like he wasn’t alone.
 
This gave him the confidence to insert his key in the ignition and turn, starting the engine.
 
Jo eased off the clutch as he accelerated and drove up the drive to the main road.
 
Here he paused wandering which way to go.
 
He had two options.
 
He could either drive through town, or go via Quarry Bridge where the road would be more precarious, and more fun.
 
As he took the second route he saw the bat swoop down behind him and felt comfort in the knowledge it would stay with him.

***

Sarah finished setting the table and opened another bottle of red wine.
 
She breathed in the scent before heading to the bathroom to refresh herself.
 
In there she looked herself over critically.
 
At least she’d put on
something half decent before heading out.
 
She was wearing her nicest skinny jeans which showed off how toned her legs were from all that hiking in the woods, Bea and Megan in toe.
 
Well, she tended to carry Bea in a big rambling backpack especially designed for the purpose.
 
It kept her fit, and kept Bea and Megan occupied during long hours when Jo was working.
 
It allowed her space to breathe in fresh air.
 

On top she was wearing an antique cream top with a
floaty
Pre-Raphaelite vibe.
 
She felt tired though and was wearing minimal makeup.
 
Ferreting in her bag she dug out some tinted lip-balm and a little eyeliner, and set to work.
 
She also put on some perfume she found at the back of the cupboard - probably a gift her mother had never bothered to wear.
 
Sarah smoothed her naturally blond hair with her fingers to tame fly-
aways
and finally felt a little happier about her appearance.
 
She hoped it wasn’t too obvious she’d made the extra effort.
 
She headed back to the dining room, lit some candles and put on some classical music.

Taking a deep breath she wiped her clammy hands on her jeans and shouted, ‘Dinners ready’.
 
She did not want to behave like this was a special occasion.
 
She would try to act normal.
 

Her kids ran in, Megan first, and started
organizing
the seating arrangements.

‘
Me
sit here, Grandma sit there.’

‘No,
me
next Grandma,’ said Bea.

Grandma was close behind them, ‘Why don’t I sit in between so I can sit next to both of you?’
 

At this point Granddad walked in.

‘I want to sit next to Granddad too,’ said Megan.
 
She was always first off the cuff being the oldest.
 
Bea soon chimed in.

‘Me next to Granddad.’

Sarah rolled her eyes.

Megan looked livid, ‘No, me!’

‘How about I sit next to you Bea and Granddad sits next to Megan,’ suggested Sarah.

At this point their guest entered the room.
 
He looked stunning and completely relaxed.
 
Leaning against the doorframe, glass of wine still in hand, he said, ‘How about me, where shall I sit?’

Megan and Bea fell silent.
 
They were happy to stay as far away from this new man as possible.

However it was a reciprocal question.
 
There was only one seat left, which would be nearest the door, between Granddad and Sarah.

Sarah slid into her seat, and as everyone settled down Daniel pulled out his chair and sat down alongside her.
 
Their arms were almost touching, only an inch away.
 
Sarah was very aware of her body and whether any part of it was anywhere near him.
 
She couldn’t even look at him, and busied herself with fussing over Bea and making sure she was ok and sitting down properly.
 

‘I’ll be back in a minute,’ Grandma said reassuringly
to Bea and Megan, ‘I’m just going to bring in our food’.
 
 

Sarah had left her mum to dish up as she had cooked - Sarah did not want to take credit for her mothers’ efforts.

Sarah could smell delicious
tantalizing
scents drift in from the kitchen.
 
Her mum emerged with the ceramic dish holding the homemade casserole.
 
She placed it in the middle of the table, ‘No touching kiddies, it’s VERY hot,’ she
emphasized
, before going back into the kitchen for the cooked potatoes.

Trying to ignore Daniel, who was sitting silently to her right, Sarah leant over and began dishing up casserole for Megan and Bea.
 
She gave them each a chicken drumstick and picked them out veggies from the stew.
 
They would not eat a scoop of casserole if it was placed on their plates - Sarah had to divide it into individual segments if it was not to be rejected.
 

Sarah turned to Daniel and tried to sound confident, ‘Would you like some casserole?’

‘Yes please,’ he replied (He’s so polite, thought Sarah), ‘I’m very hungry,
it’s
been a busy day.’ He said.
 
He half smiled, the corner of his mouth curling up in a way Sarah couldn’t help imagine had hidden meaning, while he looked secretly amused.
 

Alice had returned with the potatoes and taken her seat.
 
Everyone helped themselves and began buttering them.
 
The children’s chatter helped to cover Sarah’s silence as she tried to remain calm.
 
His arm was so
close.

She took a steadying breath and tried to chew her food.
 
Her father, Keith, picked up the bottle of red and refilled their glasses.
 
Alice and Keith, being either side of Megan, fussed over her while she tucked into her food.
 
Even Bea started to eat her casserole.
 
Sarah was relieved she didn’t have to hassle them - her parents were an exciting enough influence to give her a break.
 

But Sarah could not relax, she was aware of Daniel’s every movement.
 
Every time he took a bite.
 
The sound of him eating.
 
Every time he picked up his wineglass.
 

Her parents weren’t paying him any attention; they were fixated on their food and grandchildren.
 

Sarah decided to be brave; she looked over towards him, after swallowing the food already in her mouth.
 
He was already looking her way, still with that half amused look on his face.
 
As if he’s aware of how uncomfortable he’s making me.
 
 
And how attractive I find him.
 

‘Where have you come from Daniel?’

‘Oh, I’ve lived lots of places,’ he confided with a smile, ‘
But
most recently I moved from not so far away, a little town in Alaska.’

‘Alaska?
 
Wow that must have been incredible’, said Sarah, imagining walking in icy landscapes.
 

Where they lived in Canada had plenty of snow and ice in winter too, but the more extreme weather always
appealed to Sarah.

‘Incredible?
 
That’s not the response I usually get.
 
Most people associate further north with cold and depression.’

‘No, I find cold and ice inspiring.’

Daniel looked amused, again, as though this was not the response he was expecting from her.
 
He also looked freely intrigued; his eyes boring into hers, as though he was searching her.

Sarah looked down, embarrassed, and slowly chewed her food before returning to the conversation.
 
God, he was intense, he really did take her breath away.
 
But he made her feel funny.
 
She was not entirely sure of him.
 
What was it about him?
 
Something she didn’t trust?
 
Was it merely his unbelievable attractiveness, his secrecy, or his confidence in an unfamiliar household?
 
Hey, maybe he’d been here before.
 

Sarah drank some more wine.
 
It was a good job she could stay tonight as she was already on her third glass.
 
The food her mom had made was good, and the combination of getting some food inside her - and the confidence the alcohol fuelled, allowed her to ask the next question.

‘Did you move here with anyone?’

He smiled; he must know I find him attractive after asking this question, thought Sarah.
 
He must also know I’m married.

‘No, I moved here alone.’

Sarah felt relieved, but tried not to show it.
 
God, what if her parents saw?
 
Although would they really care anyway?
 
It’s not like they’re so fond of Jo.
 
And they know we’ve had, and still do have, our problems.

***

Jo drove furiously out of town and round the winding back lanes.
 
He reached Quarry Bridge and parked his car.
 
He got out and leant against his bonnet, looking across the Quarry Lake and cliffs in the darkness.
 
It was a vast space and he breathed in the night air, smelling the scent of conifers on the breeze.
 

It was chilly but now he didn’t feel the cold.
 
And he no longer felt scared.
 
He was peacefully relaxed and at ease with himself.
 
As the bat landed next to him on the bonnet and
materialized
into a dark haired man, he didn’t even blink.
 

‘Beautiful
evening,
is it not?’ the vampire said with a
hypnotizing
stare.