When There Was You Read online

  When There Was You

  Olivia Lucas

  Copyright © 2020 Olivia Lucas

  All rights reserved

  The characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.

  ISBN-13: 9781234567890

  ISBN-10: 1477123456

  Cover design by: Art Painter

  Library of Congress Control Number: 2018675309

  Printed in the United States of America

  Contents

  Title Page

  Copyright

  CHAPTER ONE

  CHAPTER TWO

  CHAPTER THREE

  CHAPTER FOUR

  CHAPTER FIVE

  CHAPTER SIX

  CHAPTER SEVEN

  CHAPTER EIGHT

  CHAPTER NINE

  CHAPTER TEN

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  CHAPTER TWELVE

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  CHAPTER FOURTEEN

  CHAPTER FIFTEEN

  CHAPTER SIXTEEN

  CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

  CHAPTER EIGHTEEN

  CHAPTER NINETEEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY

  CHAPTER TWENTY ONE

  CHAPTER TWENTY TWO

  CHAPTER TWENTY THREE

  CHAPTER TWENTY FOUR

  CHAPTER TWENTY FIVE

  CHAPTER TWENTY SIX

  CHAPTER TWENTY SEVEN

  CHAPTER TWENTY EIGHT

  CHAPTER TWENTY NINE

  Epilogue

  About The Author

  Books By This Author

  CHAPTER ONE

  Jenna hoisted the sack of presents over her shoulder and trudged up the front path lined with clipped lavender to the Russo’s front door. God, she hated family reunions. Constant chit chatter about who’s doing what, and who’s doing who.

  She had been successful in avoiding her hometown of Crawley for ten months and five days, but who’s counting. She just had to get through today, roughly eight hours, and then she could retreat to the sanctity of her hotel room.

  Jenna walked up the steps to the front porch and felt her jaw clench as her body registered the timeline. Barney the cat confidently strode by giving her a once over. God even the cat was in on the act. Jenna took a deep breath to calm her nerves and begrudgingly opened the front door.

  Here go’s nothing.

  Before she could even mouth the word hello, her younger sister Hannah bounded into her out of nowhere with her bouncy mane of dark hair and her arms flailing in the air.

  “You’re here!” she yelled excitedly.

  “I am indeed,” squeaked Hannah, as the sack of presents tumbled to the floor, and her with it, somehow managing to squeeze her little sister tight as she went down.

  “Missed you little sis.” She planted a big wet kiss on her young, adolescent cheek.

  “Missed you too, but why do you have to be so gross,” her sister teased, as she wiped her cheek laughing.

  She was Jenna’s mini me, a better version, with matching dark features. She was growing so fast that despite the age difference, she was almost the same height as Jenna. She exuded youthful energy and seemed to bounce through life with her extra-long dangly legs and extra-long dangly limbs, not a care in the world. Unlike Jenna, who was tainted. Hannah was also a good person, who could be kind and thoughtful. She could also be outrageously annoying at times.

  “So, is everyone here this year?” Jenna asked, as she surveyed the room.

  Hannah folded her arms. “Nope. We are missing a few. Uncle Bryan and dull-as-dishwasher Desiree aren’t here. Thank god,” she blurted out a bit too loud.

  Jenna turned to her with a feigned scolding look and swatted her. “Ssshhhh.”

  They both smiled.

  Confirmation that numbers were down. Good. A surprising revelation considering they all lived within a ten-minute radius. Somebody must have offended somebody, and so on, and so on. This year she overcompensated in the presents stake to make up for her less than stellar performance last year where she was two presents short, bypassing the elderly Bill and Mary, who were unlikely to remember anyway.

  As Jenna stood in the living area, a gorgeous smell of some homely, slow cooked stew tickled her senses and instantly made her stomach rumble. Her five-hour drive from San Francisco had made her ravenous and the delightful aroma of her mom’s cooking hit the spot in all the right ways. Her mom cooked like an angel, and she had always wondered if her delicious casseroles were the real drawcard of the reunion as no one was actually dying to see one another.

  Her mom’s name was Susan. Susan with a capital S and she was the almighty, all conquering matriarch of the family. She had personality to boot with a tendency to say it how it was, good, bad or ugly. She was upbeat, always on the go and had a smile permanently fixated to her face.

  Her thick dark hair had been cut into a stylish bob with the ends flicked under and her dark brown eyes and olive complexion rang true to their Italian heritage. Stocky, yet athletic, she was a little shorter than her girls. Short enough that they could comfortably rest their elbows on her shoulders. This was very important.

  She was always cooking up a storm and possibly sampled her food a little too often, given that buttons on her pants had been popping off lately. She was also a widower, with their father Max passing when Jenna was only eight years old, and only one month after her sister Hannah was born, so she really had no memory of a father at all. Jenna’s mom had actually reverted to her maiden name Russo when Jenna started college and Jenna and her sister followed suit, so they could remain a family unit by name. Loyal to a tee, they also wanted to make their mom happy.

  As Jenna peeked around the corner to the kitchen with Hannah in tow, she spotted her mom frantically stirring, clearing, and cleaning all at once. She was also singing Hotel California out of key, but appeared to be having a whale of a time.

  Jenna and Hannah exchanged a knowing smile and roll of the eyes. Yes, she was a multitasker if ever there was one. She also managed to spot Jenna from the eye’s in the back of her head, a skill that she had carefully refined over the years and had used frequently to track them through their adolescence.

  “You’re here darling! It only took you a year,” her mom shrieked, spinning around like a top, whilst still effortlessly maintaining her stirring of the pot.

  Jenna rolled her eyes and groaned. She heard the same line last year, and the year before that. Hilarious. Her mum seemed equally amused by her joke as she was last time.

  “Hi Mom, missed you too.” She hugged her, and the wooden spoon awkwardly as a package.

  Her mom threw her a glance, and looked behind her. “So, did you bring anyone this year?”

  “Mom, she doesn’t have to bring someone.” Hannah chimed in on cue with a sensible statement.

  Jenna felt the heat rise in her face. “No.” She sighed. “I’m still single as a pringle.”

  “But you are so pretty, funny, smart…” her mom continuing, until Jenna cut her off.

  “Mommm,” she said, drawing out her name. “Enough with the flattery.”

  “Well, you are your mother’s daughter Jenna.” Her mom pinched Jenna’s cheek with one hand, and chuckled, looking proud as punch.

  Hannah scrunched up her face in a teenager kind of way. “You guys are embarrassing.”

  It had only been a year since Jenna had come out to her mom as gay, who’s first response had been “You’re a lesbian? I had a dream you were,” which wasn’t th
e worst response, but had caught her off-guard. They had a close mother daughter relationship, but she was still a little shy discussing the intricacies of her love life.

  She wasn’t expecting her mom to be okay with her being gay as she had lived such a conservative life. Married at eighteen, a regular at Sunday church, never swore, liked to bake, and always trying to set her up with these boring, nerdy neighborhood boys from good to do families.

  But she was okay with it and just carried on conversation as if everything was normal. Just fired off way too many questions for Jenna’s liking.

  Going to college and setting up her life in San Francisco was like a one-way ticket out of the insular town she had grown up in. She thought lesbians were an extinct species in Crawley.

  Okay, there was one, Jess Croker. They had gone on a few dates the month before she left for college under the guise of being “friends” so as to escape the prying eyes of the small knit community.

  It was only through leaving home, however, that she that felt like she could be herself. Jenna. The lesbian. Even that sounded hilarious. She didn’t consider herself lesbian lesbian. Just a quiet normal girl who liked the female variety.

  Back to the reunion, and her mom was in the kitchen getting ready to run the annual Spanish Inquisition of Jenna’s love life. It happened every year within ten minutes of her arrival. Usually less.

  Jenna’s mom undid her apron and put down her armor, the spoon. And so, it began.

  “But I thought, you were dating some, girl, and just assumed you would bring her tonight.”

  She put her hands on her hips. “What was her name again? Sara, Sasha, something with S, or was it P?” she said, shaking her head. “What happened there? Why didn’t you tell me? I feel like I should know these things.”

  “Mom.” Jenna sounded exasperated. “We dated six months ago. Doesn’t mean we are still together. It’s no different to dating a guy. One date does not mean you are coming to the annual family reunion.”

  Instantly she felt bad. Her mom regained control of the spoon with her back now to Jenna. She had in her defense, tried to engage her in conversation, and Jenna was just plain woeful at dating. A handful of meaningless, going nowhere dates with girls from other planets.

  In her defense though, she had thrown herself into her business and rarely headed out, much to the dismay of her friends. They had since aggressively campaigned to get her to join an internet dating site. It was all in vain though, as she baulked at the idea and had been mortifyingly single ever since.

  She had backed away from women, in general, like they were radioactive. Three first dates, one second date, and one third date. She hardly had an amazing track record. Oh, and one drunken one-night stand that she couldn’t even remember. Her only recollection was waking up naked in some stranger’s bed in some strange location with a small white fluffy dog sitting next to her. Wow she was a real ladies lady, she said under her breath, as she watched her mom and Hannah at work.

  Hannah had jumped in and assumed the sous chef position. She was dancing on the spot, wiggling her hips, and wildly hacking at some poor unsuspecting vegetable, possibly a carrot, with a largely inappropriate butcher’s knife. Her mom was frantically stirring two pots and had not wasted time in barking out orders in this well-oiled operation. Jenna didn’t want to be roped into it, so with both their backs turned, she backed out quietly of the kitchen.

  She knew she couldn’t avoid all small talk today so quickly did the rounds, sack and pleasantries in tow. She said hi to Uncle Mike and Aunty Jo who loved their ‘his and hers’ matching robes. They were one of her favorite couples, always grinning ear to ear and warmly embracing her. She knew this would be a winner for this smitten, over the top schoolyard couple who were surprisingly randy after thirty years of marriage and had no problem with displays of public affection, even if it was little uncomfortable for others to watch.

  Cousin Jay was next and you could not miss him standing in the corner by himself. He was quite neon today with his bright orange hair rather blinding and sticking up on end. He wore a shirt one shade lighter. Jay was a bit of an oddball, and usually piped up with something offensive to say, so most of the family avoided him.

  Jenna shuffled in his direction and handed him a stupid voucher present, which she felt remotely guilty about. Their conversation was stifled as always. Just a couple of ‘hi, how are you’s, and a weird hug, where they both went to hug the same way, and awkwardly butted heads.

  The rest of the relatives were oddly lined up against the far wall of the living room, like they were going to be shot, she giggled. This line up allowed Jenna to fly through the meet and greets at break neck speed. She hugged and kissed Uncle Mike, Aunt Mildred, Uncle Tom, Cousins Becca, Max, and Charles, Aunt Barb, Uncle Derrick and family friends Bill and Mary. Most of them got chocolate or wine. Eating and drinking seemed to underpin this family’s existence, so the presents were a no brainer.

  Jenna had largely avoided her hometown for the last nine years, apart from showing her face at these annual get togethers. There was one main reason that she was trying desperately to forget. When she was seventeen years old, she had been viciously attacked by a homeless thug of the same age, Ben Farley. She had been walking home from softball practice early one scorching summer’s night, when she was accosted by this aggressive guy who demanded her bag.

  She had been frozen with fear and hadn’t even had the chance to hand over her backpack before she was violently thrown to the ground, punched in the face repeatedly, and then kicked in the ribs.

  Jenna lay motionless on the pavement in a semi-conscious state and woke up in a hospital room where she stayed for a month to recover. She had suffered internal bleeding, a broken nose, a few broken ribs, and had severe bruising to her torso and face. She had also incurred lacerations and minor abrasions to her face from the repeated blows.

  The injuries eventually healed over several months and a small scar above her right eyebrow was now all that was left from the attack, serving as a permanent reminder as to what had transpired that day. The emotional toll, however, was much bigger. A raft of spine-chilling memories would continue to haunt the impressionable seventeen-year-old, and the name Ben Farley would be etched in her mind forever.

  Jenna found herself getting better at life through therapy, and the confidence gained from the success of her business, aptly named The Com. Positive self-talk and meditation had also helped quiet the memories but it was a difficult journey for someone who was a born worrywart. Her recovery was still marred by the odd nightmare or flashback that would stop her dead in her tracks and trigger days of agonized self-analysis. She had to learn to take each day as it came, and it was exasperating at times.

  Jenna had largely tried to avoid her hometown, but as she got older, she wasn’t sure that avoidance was aiding her recovery. Her family would tippy-toe around the issue, and acted like it never happened, so as not to upset her but she knew what they were all thinking.

  She was even convinced they would have a discussion before each annual reunion with all eyes studying her every move and then report back to the head honcho, mom. All of this created a lot of anxiety for Jenna, so for the past two years, she decided against staying at her moms, and stayed at the hotel in town. By withdrawing herself from the family hub, she had found it easier to manage her stress levels.

  ◆◆◆

  Back at the reunion, Jenna stood still in a corner watching the reunion gather pace as she felt the eyes of her family burrowing into the back of her head. She was surprised at how smoothly this reunion was going. It was only a stroke after midday, but surely something had to happen soon. All she needed was a tub of buttery popcorn and a comfortable recliner.

  Last year was an absolute farce. Uncle Mike and Uncle Derrick got into a shouting match over a darts game, which soon escalated with Mike punching Derrick squarely in the jaw, and a subsequent hospital visit. In the other corner, Aunt Mildred slapped Uncle Tom after put his hand on Cousi
n Becca’s leg. But he just had too many wines and was just propping himself up.

  And in the final act of the show, Cousin Adam threw a ball to Hannah, who in an uncoordinated state completely missed the catch, the ball inadvertently bouncing off the wall hitting cousin Jay in the head. He then fell back on Barney the cat who got such a fright that he leapt onto the table, knocking over all the glasses of wine onto the food. Just way too much drama for one afternoon and it gave Jenna a headache.

  This year Adam, her favorite, was milling around the food table like a seagull. He certainly had a big appetite but then again, he was a big boy. At six foot six, and rather like a bean pole, he was an easy spot in a crowd with his head always floating above the rabble. He was a good looking fellow with dark eyes and thick lashes, and a luxurious mop of brown curly hair that deserved its own hair commercial. He was also smart, and in his final year at the University of Washington, studying a Bachelor’s degree in Science.

  Like a fine wine, he was becoming more and more handsome each year. He always had a pretty lady on his arm, and a trail of admirers, even more so now that he was in college. He was warm, funny, likeable, and had a certain charisma that made you want to be around him all the time. He had a way with words. Unlike cousin Jay.

  When he spotted Jenna across the room, his whole face broke out into a smile, and he waved her over. They were both young, full of dreams, and shared the same disdain for these reunions. He was a few years younger but she had always felt the closest to him, apart from her immediate family. He had always been there for her. No matter what. Long nights of cramming together in high school, and even longer nights partying. He was also the first person she had told that she was gay and he did not even bat an eyelid. He was in her corner, for better or worse. And she was in his.

  “Hi Adam.”

  “Jenna.” He winked, wrapping her up in a big, all-encompassing bear hug. His hugs were the best.

  “So good to see you. I have missed you. What’s this?” Jenna asked, stroking her chin.