Page 4 of Sunny Skies and Summer Kisses

‘Sorry.’ She swallowed, her chest heaving. ‘I was talking to Kitty about my dad’s birthday and lost track of time.’

He didn’t appear to hear her. ‘And what the bloody hell was that display about?’ He ran his tongue over his teeth in the way he always did when he was angry. ‘What made you feel the need to make a fool of me with that arrogant tosser?’

‘How did I make a fool of you with Gabe? I was only saying hello; it would’ve been rude to ignore him.’ She resisted the urge to say Gabe wasn’t the arrogant tosser around here. In fact, she hadn’t seen Gabe behave any way other than relaxed and unassuming.

Damon nodded slowly, his eyes cold and hard. ‘Looked like you were saying more than hello to me, flicking your plait around, giggling like some silly, star-struck schoolgirl. Don’t you realise how ridiculous your behaviour is?’

Why did it always have to be like this? She felt the sting of tears and quickly blinked them back. The last thing she needed was an argument on the doorstep of her home in full view of the locals in the village. ‘I’m really sorry, Damon. I tried to end the conversation as quickly as I could, and besides, it’s not like we have to be anywhere for a particular time.’

‘That’s not the point; you know how important punctuality is to me. If I say I’m going to be somewhere at a certain time, I’m there on the dot and I expect to be afforded the same courtesy by the people in my life, particularly my girlfriend. Shame she’s not inclined to be of the same mindset.’ He spoke in the unnervingly calm tone Anoushka had grown to dread.

She leant her head back against the headrest and puffed out her cheeks. She hated this kind of conflict with Damon, it made her feel sick to her stomach. But at least it served to do one thing: prove to her how she’d made the right decision. He was in a bad mood already; surely her news couldn’t make it any worse?

‘I’ve already apologised, Damon. I don’t have control over who walks by my home; I didn’t expect to have to make conversation with anyone when I stepped out onto the path, but it’s done now.’

For a moment he looked confused; she’d wrong-footed him. This wasn’t her usual reaction where she’d try to appease him and do all she could to bring him out of his dark mood, apologising profusely, promising to never do it again. He was silent for a moment, scraping his teeth over his bottom lip. ‘I don’t know what’s got into you today but you’re acting oddly. It doesn’t suit you.’

She was thinking of a suitable reply when their attention was drawn to a familiar four-wheel drive pulling up on the road in front of them. They watched as Kitty’s cousin, Molly, climbed out, the breeze ruffling her chocolate-brown curls. Spotting Anoushka she smiled and gave her a quick wave. Anoushka’s good friend Kristy, who was Molly’s son Ben’s girlfriend, was in the driver’s seat. The young woman beamed at seeing her, waving happily.

Anoushka mustered a smile and waved back, hoping her expression didn’t betray the anxiety that gripped her body.

‘Ughh! More bloody yokels. Get me out of this depressing little backwater.’ Damon pushed the car into gear and sped off, Anoushka’s head bumping against the headrest as he did so.

3

Damon was driving way too fast to be safe on the twisting country roads of Great Stangdale but Anoushka was loathe to give him the satisfaction of asking him to slow down. Experience had taught her he’d do exactly the opposite, relishing making her feel uncomfortable, scaring her. So she girded her loins and kept quiet.

As she watched the countryside whizz by, one thought loomed large in her mind: she wouldn’t have to tolerate this for much longer, though the anticipation of delivering the news that they were finished, that she’d had enough, set the nerves jangling in her stomach. The previous night, when she’d been lying awake, she’d considered telling him over the phone, but had decided against it. Knowing Damon, that wouldn’t be the end of it; he’d have the brass neck to turn up at her home, thinking she hadn’t meant it, convinced he could talk her round. She didn’t want that drama for her family. No, there was no alternative but for her to break it to him face-to-face, and well away from Lytell Stangdale. Worry had kept sleep at bay well into the early hours. And now the moment was drawing closer, she was beginning to have serious misgivings, scared of how he would react.

‘Shit!’ Damon swerved to avoid one of the Danks’s hefted sheep that had trotted out in front of the car. Anoushka gasped, gripping onto her seat, her heart thudding at the near miss.

‘Brainless bloody animal!’ he said, his ill humour showing no sign of abating.

How had she put up with him for so long?

They were heading to Middleton-le-Moors, a quaint Georgian market town ten miles away. The plan had been to have a mooch around the tasteful shops there before going for a drink in one of the pubs, then finishing up at his place in York. Unless, of course, things had changed and Damon had decided not to head that way. Thanks to his capricious moods, it wouldn’t be the first time he’d changed their plans without deigning to tell Anoushka. As they drove on, she was still trying to work out where would be best to broach the conversation –wasthere a good place to tell someone you were breaking up with them? – and she was growing increasingly twitchy about it. She’d need to find somewhere quiet and discreet where there’d be no one to stare when he lost his rag – which he inevitably would – but, on the other hand, she was keen to do it out in the open, with other people around, just in case. One thing she knew for certain, she needed to break the news to him before they got to York. She didn’t want to be stuck at his apartment, with him ranting at her. A shiver ran up her spine at that thought. Middleton-le-Moors would be the best spot, being not too far from her home. The scenic path that led to Middleton Hall School popped into her mind. It was a route popular with dog-walkers and runners; there’d be plenty of people around without it being overly busy. She’d tell him there. When she’d got the deed over with, she’d call home and ask if someone could come and collect her. She knew they’d be only too happy to help, especially when they heard the reason why.

Anoushka heaved an inward sigh of relief, glad to have got that sorted in her mind.

But, as they zoomed along the country lanes, tiny seeds of doubt started germinating in her conscience. Before she knew it, old habits had kicked in and her mind had started reaching for ways to soften his mood. Was she being too hasty in wanting to break up with him? Was their relationship really that bad? Should she give him another chance? No! A strong voice suddenly piped up. Stick to your guns! He’s a controlling bully and he’ll never make you happy. She took another steadying breath, getting a blast of sense once more; she wouldn’t be sorry to say goodbye to the stress and strife that came with her relationship with Damon. It had been tearing her in two, not to mention the negative effect it was having on her relationship with her family. She reminded herself she’d had more arguments with her dad and Kitty in the last few months than she could ever remember, bickering and bitterness becoming a regular feature. She felt riddled with guilt. In recent weeks, playing back the arguments she’d had with her family over and over in her mind, she’d begun to realise that right from the start, Damon had criticised every aspect of her life, trying to mould her into somebody different; somebody she didn’t want to be. He seemed to be insanely jealous of her closeness with her dad, struggling to understand that’s what sixteen years of it pretty much just being the two of them had created. She adored her dad – he was her hero – and now that love and affection had been extended to Kitty and her new siblings too. There was no way she was going to let Damon damage her bond with them. Nor anyone, for that matter. Her family meant everything to her.

She slid her gaze warily across to Damon to see his jaw clenched, his neatly manicured fingers gripping tightly onto the steering wheel. Her spirits took a sudden nose-dive; he still hadn’t finished punishing her for today’s “misdemeanours”.

As they drove on, he was forced to ease up on the accelerator when they came up behind a tractor trundling its way along. Anoushka recognised it as belonging to the Campions from Camplin House Farm, and from the looks of it, it was Bill bouncing along in the driver’s seat.

‘Bloody farmer yakkers! Talk about inconsiderate.’ Damon slammed his palms angrily against the steering wheel. ‘Just because they’ve got plenty of time on their hands, doesn’t mean the rest of us have.’ He exhaled noisily. ‘For effing chrissake! Doesn’t he have an accelerator or even the decency to pull in and let me pass?’

Anoushka was tempted to correct him; plenty of time on their hands was the last thing farmers had. But she sat quiet instead, his angry mood filling her mind with reminders of the times he’d made her feel bad about herself. Of how he always somehow managed to turn everything around and make her the one in the wrong, souring her happiness. Kitty’s recent warning started ringing in her ears, dispersing the niggling doubts she’d been having about breaking up with him. ‘I know you won’t be able to see it yourself, lovey, but we can; he’s playing mind games with you, mental gymnastics. I know how it happens; I’ve been there with Dan, don’t forget. Before long, you won’t be able to recognise yourself. Just please,pleaselisten to those that love you, and be careful.’ At the time, Anoushka had dismissed Kitty’s advice as being way off the mark and had snappily told her so. She cringed as she recalled it. But now, looking back, she had to concede her step-mum had a point.

Oh, jeez.How had she got herself into this mess?

4

Damon Swales was Anoushka’s first serious boyfriend, and there’d been no hint of his capricious moods and controlling ways when she’d first met him; he’d been all charm and smiles and flattery. It was while she was studying Drama and Dance at university in York that they’d first met. She’d got a weekend job as a dance teacher at a studio and they’d got talking when he’d collected his young niece who was a student there. He’d confessed later he’d made up a reason to get chatting to her and had been thrilled when she’d agreed to go out for a drink with him a couple of weeks later. On their first date, he’d arrived at her student house armed with a huge, elaborate bouquet and box of expensive chocolates which had been romantic, if not a little overwhelming.

Though he was only older than her by five years, the age gap could easily be double that. He was the manager of a call centre, and seemed so sophisticated compared to boys Anoushka’s age. Added to that, he was attractive and charismatic, and he made her laugh; she’d found it an irresistible combination.

It hadn’t taken long for them to become an item, Anoushka spending all of her spare time with him, staying over at his apartment in York. She’d been too swept up by his seemingly endless supply of romantic gestures – trips on the river in his friend’s boat, sipping champagne with him feeding her plump, sweet strawberries, dining by candlelight on the balcony of his apartment, whisking her off for impromptu nights away in fancy hotels – to notice how his insidiously controlling personality had infiltrated their relationship.

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