Super Dark (Super Dark Trilogy) (19 page)

“H
ey Mum, is something burning?”

No answer.

“Jeez, do I have to do everything in this house?” I switched off the cross-trainer. Mopping the sweat from my brow, I glanced at the digital clock on the timer. Quarter to seven.

Forty-five minutes to go before the arrival of this Greg character.

Scraping my hair back into a ponytail, I wandered out into the corridor to investigate the source of the stench. I realized it was coming from the kitchen, but just before I reached it, Mum raced out of the bathroom wrapped in a dressing gown.

“Oh no, I think it’s the potatoes!” she shrieked.

Within seconds, the two of us were in the kitchen looking at the ruins of a dinner. Mum had left the food roasting for far too long. The beef was black as charcoal and crispy on top. “I think the roast can be saved,” I said. “But the potatoes are screwed.” The heat had turned them into rock hard, black pebbles.

Mum cupped her hands around a match and lit a cigarette. “Now what do we do? Greg’s going to be here soon and the whole place smells like a bomb wreck.”

“Calm down, Mother. We’ll figure something out.” I went around opening all the windows to let some air into the room.

“I know I said my fall-back plan was pizza,” she mumbled, “but I did promise him a home-cooked meal.”

“And he’ll get one, don’t you worry. Look, the meat’s still fine, so all we’ve got to do is find something to go with it. He’ll never know the difference.” I went over to the freezer and took out a packet of French fries.

“You’ve got to be joking,” she said, horrified. “Roast beef with French fries? Are you serious?”

“Beggars can’t be choosers, Mum. Plus we don’t exactly have time to go shopping for anything else, do we? We’ll just have to make do with what there is.” She opened her mouth to speak but I cut her dead. “Just leave this to me, okay? Now go finish beautifying yourself before he gets here. I know how long it takes you to do your make-up.”

“Thanks darling, you’re such an angel.” She tossed the cigarette butt and hurried back to the bathroom, leaving me to salvage the wreckage of dinner. I couldn’t understand why she hadn’t just let me cook in the first place.
If she hadn’t been so stubborn we could have avoided all of this hassle.

As I emptied the fries onto the baking tray, I felt relieved to at last be doing something.
Anything is better than thinking about Lee all the time!

Twenty minutes later, the food was done, and I went to the living room to start setting the table. Mum had bought some silver candles with matching napkins, which added a touch of glamour to the otherwise Spartan set-up. Once I’d finished arranging everything, I had to admit the place looked pretty good.

As a final touch, I dimmed the lights and put some jazz on the stereo. Everything was perfect for a romantic evening. The only snag was that we didn’t have enough chairs, so I’d have to sit on the stool from my bedroom.
Too bad we aren’t loaded like Lee’s family
.

And anyway, if Greg really was serious about Mum, he should be able to see past our hovel of a home.
Why am I even trying to impress him? This guy could destroy any chance of my parents have of getting back together.
He can sit on the floor for all I care!

At seven twenty-five, Mum emerged from the bathroom looking stunning in a black skirt, white top, and a pearl necklace. When she saw me, she looked horrified. “Darling, is that what you’re wearing for dinner?”

I glanced down at my grubby tracksuit and shrugged. “Yeah. Why? Is there a problem?”

She sighed. “I thought you might want to make a bit more of an effort, Sam. First impressions and all that.”

“He’s not my boyfriend, Mum. He’s yours, remember? Since when did the daughter have to look sexy to meet her potential step-dad?”

“Step-dad?” She laughed gently. “Let’s not get too carried away, darling. It’s still early. But I do see your point. Okay, so long as you’re comfortable, you can wear what you want, I suppose.”

“Thank you, your Majesty. Now please, can we stop fussing?”

The doorbell rang.

“Oh my god, he’s here!” Mum gasped, patting her hair and smoothing down her skirt. “Be a dear and put the kettle on, will you? Oh, and make sure you don’t use that blasted lion mug again. It looks so terrible. And make sure you …”

“Okay, okay, I get it. Just answer the door.”

She nodded and sprinted off. I’d never seen her so rattled before. She was acting like a lovesick teenager, which I found kind of disturbing.
This guy really must be a big deal to make her behave this way.

I hid out in the kitchen and listened as a man’s voice filled the house. He sounded deep and slow and measured, like a newscaster. Then Mum called to me and, swallowing hard, I walked tentatively to the living room.

Within ten seconds of meeting Greg Hammer, I understood exactly what all the fuss was about. The man had a colossal presence, a magnetism that was not easy to describe.

He was about forty with a prominent nose, handle-bar moustache and short, dark hair flecked with gray. His extraordinarily large eyes were coal-black and he was dressed in a smart suit with beautifully crafted shoes. He wasn’t the best looking guy in the world, but there was
something
about him. Whatever the X-factor was, Greg Hammer had it in abundance. Now I knew why Mum was so enraptured.

As soon as he saw me, he flashed a megawatt smile. “Hello! You must be Samantha. I’m Greg. Lisa’s told me so much about you. It’s so great to finally meet you.”

“Likewise,” I grinned, already captivated by him.

Greg slid his large hand into mine and held it there for a couple of seconds, his eyes almost hypnotizing me. “I hope my being here hasn’t put you to too much trouble,” he said. “I’m sure a pretty girl like you must have much better things to do on a Saturday night than hanging out with the old folks.”

“Oh no, it’s no trouble at all,” I smiled, glancing at Mum, who had a permanent grin etched on her face. “I really did want to meet you.”

Greg laughed softly. “Thank goodness for that. I kept telling Lisa not to arrange this unless you were completely comfortable with it. If you’re happy, then I’m happy.”

“Fancy a cup of tea?” Mum asked, moving toward the door.

“Oh, I’d love one,” Greg replied. But before she could go any further, he placed his hand on her arm. “Tell you what—why don’t you and your lovely daughter both put your feet up and I’ll make the tea? I’m sure you’re both tired from making that delicious dinner I smell cooking.” He ushered us to the sofa and literally forced Mum to sit.

“Oh Greg!” she pouted. “I won’t hear of it. You’re supposed to be the guest. Please, let me …”

But he was already out the door.

“Well, what do you think?” Mum whispered.

“He seems lovely,” I whispered back.

Her smiled deepened and she squeezed my arm affectionately. “You see, darling? Told you you’d like him.”

I nodded vacantly, listening to the sound of the kettle boiling and the chink of cups and saucers coming from the kitchen. This guy really was something else.

Mum’s face froze. “Oh god, what if he sees that awful lion mug?” She clutched her forehead in despair. “And what if he looks in the wastebasket and sees those burnt potatoes? What then? He’ll know I messed up dinner.”

“Stop worrying,” I said, trying to calm her. “Everything’s gonna be fine.”

With a triumphant grin, Greg returned carrying a tray of tea and cookies. Placing it on the table, he took the chair opposite and proceeded to pour us each a cup. “I presume you both take milk and sugar?”

“Yes,” we replied in unison.

“Two sugars,” I said.

“None for me,” Mum said.

“Already sweet enough, huh?” he joked.

She giggled. I raised my eyes heavenward. This was starting to get embarrassing.

After the teas were poured, Mum took hers to the kitchen to finish making dinner and left me to get better acquainted with Greg. We talked about many things: school, how bad TV was, and what good books we’d read lately. It turned out his all-time favorite novel was
Nineteen Eighty Four
.

At one point, he even asked me if I thought he was wearing too much aftershave and admitted that he’d had an unfortunate accident before coming over here.

“I was so jittery about meeting you that I spilled half a bottle of Hugo Boss down my shirt!”

I laughed. “You smell great to me.” I was touched that he even cared what I thought. Most adults treated people of my age like we were invisible.

By the time Mum popped her head round the door to tell us the food was ready, he’d totally won me over. Greg was kind and sweet and attentive, hanging on my every word like he’d waited half a lifetime to hear it. He was, hands down, the most charming guy I’d ever met. Despite my allegiance to Dad, I started rooting for this relationship to work.

We took our places at the dinner table and Mum served the roast beef. She’d tried to make the meal classier by putting the French fries in glass dishes, but she was fooling no one.

The moment my teeth sank into the beef, I cringed. It was dry and leathery and tasted like burnt rubber. I struggled to keep any of it down.

Greg cleared his throat. “Um, Lisa, you wouldn’t happen to have any salt, would you? I think mine might need a bit more seasoning.”

“Of course, darling.” She got up and went to the kitchen.

Greg shot me a knowing glance.

“I’m so sorry about this,” I whispered. “We had a little mishap of our own before you got here. Don’t worry, you don’t have to eat it if you don’t want to.”

He placed his finger to his lips as Mum returned carrying a pair of condiment shakers. “There you go,” she said. “Salt and pepper for anyone that wants it.”

She sat back at the table and took a few mouthfuls of beef before pushing the plate away in disgust. “Oh my god, that’s abysmal, isn’t it? It’s like eating cardboard! I’m so sorry I’ve tried to poison you both.”

“Nonsense,” Greg smiled. “I’ll admit the meat is a bit on the tough side, but then, I do like my beef well done. All in all, I think it tastes rather good. All it needed was a bit of salt to bring out the flavor.” And to demonstrate the point, he devoured an entire forkful without flinching. I followed suit, and for the next ten minutes, the three of us battled to finish what was on our plates.

Mum couldn’t keep her eyes off Greg. Every few seconds, I’d catch them flirting with each other. I didn’t mind, though. I really liked Greg, and Mum seemed happier than I’d ever seen her, so where was the harm? I wanted her to be happy.

“So, you guys work together, right?” I asked, picking a chunk of beef out my teeth.

“Yes, Greg works in the accounts department,” Mum gushed.

He smiled indulgently at her and reached across the table for her hand. “Your mother was the one who interviewed me for the job. I knew from the moment I entered that office that she’d hire me. We got on so well.”

Mum fluttered her lashes coquettishly. “Well, you
were
the best applicant. The fact that you were so charming and funny and witty had nothing to do with it. Obviously.”

“Obviously,” I laughed.

“Right, time for dessert,” Mum said, getting up to start clearing the table.

“Don’t worry, I’ll do it.” Quickly, I stacked up the dishes and took them to the kitchen. I wasn’t just being helpful. I wanted to ensure dessert didn’t end in disaster, too.

After dumping the plates in the sink and leaving them to soak, I rummaged through the fridge and found a delicious-looking chocolate layer cake. Not much preparation involved, thank goodness.

I took a knife from the rack, cut three slices from the cake and distributed them on the silver dessert dishes Mum loved so much. Then, balancing it all on a tray, I kicked open the door and returned to the living room.

Greg beamed as I presented him with his slice. “Wow, this looks great. Thank you, Samantha.”

“It’s Sam,” I said dryly. “I’d prefer for you to call me Sam. That’s what all my friends call me.”

“Well thank you, Sam. Nice to know I’m part of your inner circle.” He winked at me and I smiled. I couldn’t help it.

After dessert, Greg announced that he had a couple of surprises in store.

“The first one is just a little housewarming gift,” he said. He reached into a canvas bag and withdrew a long, wrapped object shaped like a large bottle of wine. Tentatively, Mum pulled off the tissue paper to reveal a silver candle holder shaped like the Venus de Milo. The thing was huge, almost two feet in height, and beautifully crafted.

“Wow, it’s heavy,” Mum commented, placing the holder in the middle of the dining table. “I’ll have to find a very big candle to put in it.”

“Do you like it?” Greg asked.

“I love it!” she said. “Thanks so much.”

Then he handed us each a blue bag. I opened mine and was shocked to see there was a Burberry handbag inside. I wasn’t into designer accessories, but even I knew quality when I saw it.
Becky will be so jealous.