by Shae Banks
I pulled out the single sheet of paper. “One sheet is a good sign?”
Callum didn’t say anything, opening his own.
I opened the letter, scanned it, then dropped it on the coffee table and let out a tense breath.
“Okay?” he asked.
I nodded. “All clear.”
“We had to be sure, Bekah,” he said, handing me his own.
I read that through quickly and put it with my own. “Thank god,” I said, sitting back and resting my head on the sofa back. “Not you. I trusted you. But mine… I don’t think I could have handled much more.”
He put his arms around me. “You’ve handled everything amazingly, although, I do think you should talk to someone.”
Like I’d know where to start. With my brother-in-law forcing himself on me and my family believing his lies? The affair with the married man? The first assault? What about the attempted rape? Jumping into bed with my boss with all of that going on, how would that go down with a therapist? And all before we even got to the matter at hand.
I shook my head. “No, really, I’m fine. They have my statement, they took the photographs, the forensic team have been through the hotel, and Johnathan has been arrested. They’ll let me know when they release him on bail. All I have to do now is wait for the court case.”
“I’ll be with you through all of it. You don’t have to do any of this alone, Bekah,” he said.
I nodded and leaned into him. “I know. I know I don’t say it, but I’m grateful.”
“I want you to be happy.”
“I am happy.” I was. I think I’d forgotten what it was to be happy, but I finally had it back. I had my friends, I had Callum, and I had a new career to look forward to. “Thanks to you.”
“None of this is because of me,” he said, kissing the side of my head. “You’re the one with the strength to keep going.”
“Let’s say it’s a team effort,” I said, turning to face him. “Did you remember the laptop?”
He shook his head. “I remembered to forget it.”
I frowned. He was already paying me a salary, and so far I hadn’t done much to earn it. “I have to get to work. I have orders to place, things to set up. I need to check my emails; the designer was supposed to get back to me on Monday. I don’t want him to think I’ve changed my mind. I was setting up a meeting with the cosmetic company, I emailed the local press and a few businesses to set up cross promotion—”
He shook his head and kissed me, cutting me off. “I don’t know what some of that is. We’ll get it later. I want you to take one more day.”
I frowned. “I can’t tax myself working from here.”
“No,” he said, reaching for the belt of my robe. “But I can.”
I laughed, pushing him away. “I haven’t showered.”
“Okay, we’ll do that first,” he said, taking my good hand and guiding me to my feet. “But I intend to keep you very busy today.” I don’t know what he saw in my eyes, but he stopped. “What’s wrong?”
I shook my head.
“Bekah, I’ve been learning to read you for a very long time, something is wrong.” He pulled me back down onto the sofa, cradling me in his arms. “Tell me. Please.”
“The first time… You remember when I came here, and you made me tell you what I was?”
“Yes…”
“Did you know then?”
He was quiet for a moment, then said, “I didn’t expect you to say… You gave yourself to me, Bekah. I would never expect you to give yourself over entirely, but I accepted that answer because I wanted you to consciously choose to be something other than his. I wanted you to see that you make the choices. You say what happens in your life. You needed to let go, to cast him aside. He was in your head, and not in a good way. I wanted to help you take that step. That was the only way I could think to—”
“Thank you,” I said quietly. “Not only for that, but for giving me… for showing me another way. No one’s ever made me feel the way you have. You gave me control when I felt like I didn’t have any. No one ever loved me the way you do. I like who I am now, and that’s all thanks to you.”
But I had to tell him. There was no other way to let him know just what he meant to me, and while I wasn’t one for speeches or declarations, it really had to be said. He kept on giving. I had to offer something. The truth was the best I had.
“I still don’t understand,” I said, watching him lace his fingers through mine. “Why did you help me?”
“The painting,” he said, kissing the side of my head.
I turned my head to look at him and frowned in confusion.
He sighed. “It’s hard to explain.”
I waited.
“I was coming out of a dark time. At first I used to focus on the water. It was dark and hopeless, but I was working toward something brighter.”
I nodded. I wanted to know more, but it wasn’t the time to ask. Anything he felt I needed to know I was sure he’d tell me eventually.
“At first you don’t notice the lighthouse. I was trapped in the water, focusing on that, but eventually, I don’t know when it happened, I saw it. The same crushing forces that dragged me down were battering that building. But it didn’t yield. It withstood. Before the light came, it stood shining in the darkness, weathering the storm. Its light wasn’t constant, and at first I didn’t appreciate it, or realise it’s significance, but now I see that it was there all along, waiting. You were here all along, Bekah. Offering nothing but light. You wanted nothing from me, you didn’t even notice me in the beginning, but when you finally did you really saw me. I’d never experienced that before.”
I sat quietly. Thinking.
“It doesn’t make any sense,” he said with a self-conscious laugh.
“No, it does. I know what you mean, I just, well—” my voice broke and I couldn’t say anything more. I didn’t know precisely what I wanted to say anyway.
He released my hand and brushed away a stray tear. “Why are you crying?”
I smiled, then laughed. “That’s probably the most beautiful thing anyone’s said to me.”
“But it’s true. I love you. You make me better.”
I sniffed, using the back of my still tender hand to wipe my eyes. “I don’t deserve you.”
He shook his head. “No. You deserve much more than I can give you, but I’ll strive to be who you need. Always.”
I turned, repositioning myself to sit astride his lap and wrapped my arms around his neck. “You’re everything I need. I don’t want anything but this.”
I kissed him, trying to convey the things I couldn’t voice, hoping he could understand just what he meant to me. Judging from his response he understood perfectly.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
The grand opening was delayed by two weeks. Callum insisted on restoring the original flooring for the whole of the ground floor. To be honest, it was a miracle it was done so soon, since there was significant damage to some of the tiles in the entrance hall and replacements had to be sourced. How they tracked down a stack of two-hundred-year-old floor tiles I will never know, but I suppose it was what Callum was paying them for. I didn’t ask how much and avoided looking at the invoice.
I was setting out champagne flutes when Lucy bustled in. “Where do you need me?”
I sighed with relief. “Oh, thank god. Have you seen Danny?”
“He’s getting changed. Are you okay?”
I shook my head. “I don’t think so, no.”
She laughed. “Bekah, you’ve pulled all this together. Don’t look like that, we know it wasn’t Mr. Lowell. He’s relied on you to keep this side running smoothly for years.”
I frowned. “He has?”
“What’s left?” she asked, ignoring my question and taking over the glasses.
I looked around the room. “Callum and Lee will be setting out the finger buffet over there. Lydia from the cosmetic company has her things displayed in the lounge and will be here
for twelve. Louisa is adding finishing touches to the bedrooms, and the journalists from the local paper and County Living will be here in about ten minutes to take their photographs before the place is too busy.”
She nodded, polishing a champagne flute. “See, you’ve got it. Are the rooms booked?”
I shook my head. “We deliberately avoided that this weekend. It’ll be enough with dinner reservations to break us all back in. We open fully on Monday.”
“I can’t believe you did all this,” she said, taking the empty box from the table and heading for the kitchen door. “I mean, I knew you could, just… Well it’s amazing.”
I smiled, taking a deep breath. “Yeah, I know what you mean. I can’t believe it myself.”
“What can’t you believe?” Callum asked, coming through from the kitchen. He held the door for Lucy so she could take the box into the storage room.
I walked toward him. “This. It’s—”
“Perfect. You’ve really done the place justice,” he said before kissing me softly. “None of this would have happened without you.”
I smiled and looked past him as Danny came into the room. “Mr. Lowell. Miss… Ummm.”
“Bekah,” I said, shaking my head. “I’m still Bekah.”
He looked awkward. “Yeah, but…”
“It’s just Bekah and Callum,” Callum said, turning to face him. “The fizz is chilling, if you can have six buckets ready for eleven forty-five and make certain everyone is served a glass on arrival. The new starters will be here shortly, pick one and keep them with you, Lucy will do the same.”
Danny nodded and Callum clapped him on the shoulder before returning to the kitchen.
“What?” I asked, reading Danny’s expression.
He shook his head. “He’s… Well, he’s different.”
I smirked. “We all are. New start. I’m just going to check the guest list and see how Louisa is getting on. Any problems, let me know.”
He nodded and got to work as I went out into the entrance hall. But I didn’t go upstairs. Instead I was drawn to the lounge.
I stood for a few minutes looking up at Callum’s painting. But not at the water or the dawn. It was the lighthouse that held my gaze. The stoic building just doing what it did best, supported by the outcrop of rocks. They were a team. Without the rocks, it would crumble beneath the crushing force of the tides.
Did he know we needed each other?
Four perfect months with Callum had proven that I needed him. I still wasn’t sure what he got from me, but I was so much more confident.
But a new storm was looming. The court case was in August, and while I knew he was behind me I couldn’t help but worry Johnathan would cause problems if he somehow got off on a light charge.
We were together. That was what mattered. Somehow, by some odd twist of fate, we’d come together, and I’d be damned if I was letting anything break us apart. For the first time in a very long time I was truly happy. I had purpose. I had a future. I had Callum.
To be continued.
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