A New Day Pt6
Ready for another part?
Big thank you to my Beta who can spot a spelling mistake a mile off!
Thank you for taking the time to read this story. I hope you like this chapter too.
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________
The taxi pulled up to a mansion-sized house in Zehlendorf that looked like it had come straight out of a movie set. Jenny sighed, again. She looked out the car window and through the opened gates to allow guests to arrive. Beyond the double front doors of the house she could see white balloons, hung in great bunches, indicating a celebration within.
Jenny had asked the driver to stop before the front gate. A large burly fellow stood to the side of the entrance holding onto a clipboard with big chunky fingers. Jenny felt rather nervous at the enormity of the situation she had got herself in.
“Madam?” The driver pulled Jenny out from her temporary stillness and she paid the driver. Upon getting out of the taxi she was left standing opposite the gates, the gravel drive appeared to be an expanse too big to cross. Smoothing her dress down for the tenth time since getting into the taxi 30 minutes ago Jenny realised she had sweaty palms. The first time ever in her life. This was not a good idea she reasoned in her head. She could just turn around and go home again. Jenny turned to her little lime bag that matched her summer dress. Choosing this dress over any of the other's that now lay scattered about her bedroom was intended to give her more confidence. Now she just felt far too under dressed. As she rummaged around the little bag for her phone she didn’t hear a tall man with dark glasses appear before her.
“Hello Jenny!”
“Oh Hotte. Where did you come from?”
“As if by magic.”
Jenny noticed the security guard at the gate looking at them both. She pulled Hotte over to the side, away from any prying eyes.
“This isn’t a good idea. I don’t even know what I’m doing here. I’m not going to get in” Before Jenny could say any more Hotte held his arm up to top her.
“I helped organise the guest list, just follow me” Hotte started to walk back towards the gate and then suddenly turned around. “You look simply stunning by the way”, he added with a wink. Jenny felt her mojo starting to return but not before pulling Hotte’s arm again.
“Wait. What shall I say to Emma?”
“Just be you. You’ll know what to say. You always know what to say”. Jenny smiled, yes normally she did. She just hoped this wasn’t going to be the first time in her life that words would fail her because she was going to need them.
Hotte approached the guard and he smiled back, as he recognised Hotte. Hotte explained that Jenny wasn’t on the original guest list as she had been out of the country and confirmation had only been received an hour ago. The guard spent more time gazing at Jenny obviously getting a good eyeful rather than checking to see if she was a security risk. Hotte coughed to get the guards' attention back. “So alles gut?”
The guard nodded and began to add the brunettes name to his list. Hotte moved forward pulling Jenny along with him who was giving the guard her best scowl. “What a jerk”. She mumbled under her breath. “I suppose Frank chose him?” Jenny asked still being gently pulled by Hotte to the front door.
Hotte smiled back. “Don’t worry about it, you’re here. Now. Are you ready?”
Jenny looked through the open doors. She could see a hall full of flowers and art. Her heart started to flutter at being this close to Emma and it made her feel odd. “Hotte. Even if she does talk to me there is no guarantee your grand plan of her leaving Frank will work.”
“Maybe not, but once you’ve met Frank you’ll see why I insisted that you come. Now try and enjoy yourself. Come on, I’ll get us some drinks. Work your way to the garden and I’ll meet you there”. And before Jenny had a chance to protest he disappeared around the side of the house. “Hotte!”. Damn that man she thought and almost, almost stamped her foot but thought better of it. The days of getting her own way were clearly long gone, even with Hotte.
Jenny headed into the hall. A couple came from a side room laughing and joking with one another. Each had a glass of champagne in their hand and looked dressed to impress. They looked Jenny’s way and greeted her before heading towards the back of the house. Jenny took in the sight of the winding staircase and the impressive decor. Emma hadn’t lost her sense of good taste when it came to interior design even if it was slightly over the top for Jenny’s liking. As she stood looking at the flower vases lined up along the sideboard a man in a black dinner suit carrying a tray of glasses offered one to Jenny. She thanked him and gulped the sparkling liquid in one mouthful. Feeling a bit more assured Jenny headed to her left, into the lounge. She was amazed at the enormity of the room before her. This one stretched from one end of the house to the other and she could see a crowd buzzing about in the garden where the party was. The main centre piece was the fireplace which Jenny stared at. It was made of marble and was exceptionally huge. Although not lit there was a large stack of logs piled in readiness for the match to be lit. The sight of the logs took Jenny back to a time when she and Emma had spent many an evening in front of the fireplace, snuggling together after Emma's parents had gone to sleep. She could almost smell the pine cones but was interrupted by a male voice.
“You must be one of Emma’s friends. I don’t recognise you?”
Jenny turned around and found herself alone with a guy who looked older than she was. He stood there, drink in hand, wearing slacks and a white shirt. His glasses were the giveaway. Jenny automatically put her sickly sweet face on and stuck out her hand. “You must be Frank. Hi.” Frank took her hand in his, shaking it gently and held on a couple of seconds more than Jenny expected almost causing her to pull her arm away.
“And you are?” Frank smiled back. He was certainly buff as Jenny would call it. Too buff really, even for Emma.
“I’m Jenny, an old friend of Emma’s”. Frank nodded and looked Jenny up and down for the third time in the last minute. “It’s a lovely house you have here”.
“I don’t remember Emma mentioning you? Yes we have done a lot of work to it. It was a complete old wreck when we bought it but as you can see, anything is possible”. Frank smiled again. “Would you like me to show you around?”
“Oh thanks, that’s great but I had better catch up with Hotte”. Jenny was in no mood to go house cruising with Frank who was taking too much interest in her. At hearing the word ‘Hotte’ Frank’s smile suddenly crashed.
“You are with him?” He said it almost mockingly. Jenny weighed up her options at this point between using Frank or using Hotte to get out of this situation. She chose the latter just because right now she felt more feelings for Hotte. “Actually yes.”
Frank raised his eyebrows. “Well, he has gone up in my estimations all of a sudden. I didn’t think the geek had it in him. Isn’t that nice”. Jenny smiled back. The way Frank said geek indicated he clearly thought that Jenny’s friend from school was a mark on the underside of his shoe and Jenny found herself getting more and more agitated. Just then Hotte came up to them, drinks in hand and offered one to Jenny who promptly took it and gulped it down. When she put the glass down she stood next to Hotte and put her arm around his waist, silently praying that this wasn’t going to turn out the way it did the last time she fooled with Hotte, back in school to get Emma to notice her.
“Yes, we’re really happy aren’t we Hotte” She gave him the wink indicating he needed to play along but Hotte seemed to have other ideas, looking nothing but pleased that Jenny had her arm around him. He thought she meant they were just happy people. “We are, very!” He beamed.
Frank looked on, not entirely convinced of this brunettes appearance. She was so attractive he found himself jealous of the tall lanky man in front of him. He checked himself. He was Frank for goodness sake, prominent surgeon and golfer extraordinaire. If this woman couldn’t see that she was blinder than a bat as far as he was concerned.
“Great party you have going here Frank. Where is Emma?” Hotte had been all over the house and in the garden and couldn’t find his friend anywhere. He wanted to make sure she was okay.
Frank’s face glossed over at the name of his fiance. “Emma? Oh yes, she’s just getting ready. She’ll be down soon”. His eyes hadn’t left Jenny who continued to hold onto Hotte.
“Well, this has been nice but I better go and mingle. Nice talking to you Jenny.”
Frank wandered off and Jenny stood in front of Hotte who looked pissed as well. “See what I mean, that man is...is…”
“Dick is the word you need. But even so Emma must see something in him we don’t” She tried to reason but Hotte wasn’t having any of it.
“Well whatever it is I don’t see it or her. Come on let's go into the garden and see if she’s there.” Hotte began to move out but Jenny pulled him back again.
“Umm, Hotte?”
“Yeah?”
“Just for today, we’re going to pretend that we’re...how shall I put this?”
“What?”
“Together.” Hotte looked confused. His face looked slightly crumpled trying to understand what Jenny was suggesting.
“It kind of slipped out because Frank assumed that because I came with you today that I am... with you.”
“And you didn’t do anything to deter him from this idea?” Jenny shook her head. She couldn’t look at Hotte, she knew what he was thinking. It was bringing back all sorts of memories days at Pestalozzi. Times when Jenny had been less than honest with Hotte to get her own way. She wasn’t sure he would go with her ideas again.
Hotte’s face began to beam as his eyes lit up. “Well okay then, let’s do this!”. Jenny looked up at him genuinely surprised. “What? You don’t mind?”
“Mind?! Pfff, no way. This party is getting better by the second”. He pulled Jenny by the hand. “Come on then girlfriend, lets go and make some noise!” Jenny laughed “Yeah well just don’t get any ideas okay, this is all…”
“Part of the plan. I know!”
Jenny found herself swaying to the music on the large lawn at the back of the house surrounded by lots of guests. Eyeing them up, most of them looked to be Frank’s friends. They all seemed to be talking about either surgery, skin allergies or the best makeup to wear. The crowd was starkly different to the ones Jenny was used to in the banking sector although the shallowness of the “I want this, I want that” was no different. Frank’s set had a lot of money to spend and would appear most of it had gone to Frank and Emma. Hotte tried to engage Jenny who was looking at him but clearly not focussed on him. “Are you even listening to me?”
“Yeah. I was just wondering where Emma was?” She asked Hotte a couple of questions. She was getting nervous. Surely any minute now the blonde would appear? But 10 minutes later Hotte had spotted a young lady he liked and Jenny decided to track down Emma herself.
Remembering a couple of family gatherings that Emma had attended with Jenny in London, she thought about how Emma had looked like a deer caught in the headlights at the enormity of making small talk, looking nice and remembering everyone’s names all at the same time. Jenny could never understand the blondes insecurity only because she was such a lovely person. In fact the events made Jenny fall in love with Emma all over again. People really liked Emma but the blonde never saw it. She was too worried her hair was a mess or what she was going to talk about with Jenny’s Uncle. Jenny always managed to calm Emma down. She’d sit quietly listening to Emma babbling away while stroking her hair or back. She’d lean across and kiss her neck. Jenny would move her kisses higher and higher up Emma’s cheek and along to her mouth effectively silencing her. Jenny wanted to show the blonde just how much she loved her in those kisses. Would pour her heart and soul into it, as their lips moved against each other. Emma would break away from the kiss to get much needed air only to regain her strength and move her kisses down Jenny’s neck It would then be Jenny who surrendered completely to the blondes sweet gentle touches.
During one event Jenny couldn’t find Emma anywhere. The house the Hartmanns had in London wasn’t huge but it was old and had tiny rooms off long corridors. After searching high and low in the rooms inside, she had finally ventured out and stumbled upon her girlfriend in the greenhouse. It was well hidden from sight, away from the rest of the garden.
As Jenny took yet a third drink from the guy in the tuxedo again she made a scan of the garden. Most people were mingling in twos and threes. Chatting away and not in the least bit interested in Jenny. Hotte could be seen over on the other side of the lawn, deep in conversation with the young lady who seemed to be laughing at his attempts at jokes. So much for them pretending to be a couple Jenny thought, raising her eyebrows at the positive body language vibes each were giving off. Taking a few steps backwards and making sure no one was watching her Jenny then turned on her heels, away from the party, and the house, and towards an old wooden shed she had spotted five minutes earlier. It was blended into its surroundings, in the far corner of the garden by a precisely clipped evergreen hedge.
Approaching the shed Jenny heard the faint sound of a familiar voice, singing. The brunette gently pulled open the shed door, took one last look around, to make sure no one had spotted her, and sneaked inside.