by Vicky Jones
"You wanted to see me."
Later that afternoon, Shona appeared in the doorway. The bags under her eyes were the first heartbreaking sight Chloe saw when she looked up from her desk.
"Yeah. I, um…take a seat. Please." She gestured towards the comfy chair she’d deliberately placed opposite her. "How are you?"
Chloe watched Shona’s reactions, unsure if she’d calmed down from the incident in the canteen earlier that she'd been told about.
"With all due respect, ma'am, why d'ya call me up here? I got work to do." Shona looked down at her boots, her red eyes stinging.
"It was just to check on you. I haven't had a chance to speak to you properly yet." Chloe fiddled with her pen.
Shona swallowed hard, a lone tear dripping onto her hand.
"Can I go now that you've checked?" Shona hated being so cold with Chloe, but right now she had no idea what was going on between them. She had hazy memories of that night at the barn after Cuban's death. She stood up and walked over to the door.
"Of course. But…I know now why you left Wreckers."
Shona felt her blood turn to ice. She turned around slowly.
"What?" Her voice was eerily quiet.
"I spoke to your old boss." Chloe bit her lip.
"Do I still have a job here, now that you…know?" Shona swallowed hard again.
Just as Chloe was about to reply, Kyle appeared in the doorway, holding two cups of coffee and waiting patiently for the nod to enter. Receiving it, he placed the cups down on the desk pushing one over to Chloe, who left it untouched.
"Good afternoon, Shona, how are you feelin'? Terrible news about Cuban. I'm just glad I was there to stop you gettin' hurt too!"
"Can I go now? Please?" Shona bit down hard in frustration, wanting to get as far away from him as possible. Chloe nodded again.
"Poor kid. She really cared about that crazy friend o'hers. Just a shame he turned out to be just like all the rest of 'em!" Kyle sighed.
Chloe watched Shona leave. Stroking her pebble necklace, she was completely oblivious to every single word Kyle had said.
At the Copperpot Inn that Thursday evening, Shona was immediately escorted to the VIP area where Chloe already had a drink waiting for her.
"Sorry I'm a little late, wasn't sure if I was gon' come or not–" Shona apologized as she sat down.
Chloe had found her a few hours after she'd left her office. They hadn't finished their conversation and she wanted a proper chance to explain her reasons for going to Wreckers. She couldn't leave things the way they were and meeting at the Copperpot was perfect. It gave them the privacy they needed under the guise of just another one of her many business meetings.
"Well, I'm glad you did. Oh, I got the bartender to rustle you up a strawberry shake."
"This ain’t the sort of place that does strawberry shakes, ma’am." Shona’s confused voice was barely above a whisper.
"I know, but I’m a very good customer, so the bartender was delighted to oblige! And I did promise you one, remember?" Chloe smiled as she saw the tiniest flicker of light in Shona's tired blue eyes.
Even with the soft tones of “Blueberry Hill” playing in the background, as the night wore on there was a palpable feeling of tension in the air that no amount of small talk could break.
"I wish you would open up to me. I want to help! I can’t stand to see you so sad," Chloe said tenderly, wanting to reach across the table to hold Shona's hand.
"I just miss him, you know. It's not so much that he's gone, it's how. I was so powerless. Cuban was trying to help me…it’s all my fault." Shona's eyes were welling up for the hundredth time that week.
"What do you mean, your fault?"
"Nothing," Shona replied, looking into her glass. She blinked hard, trying to erase the memory of Kyle's leaden body pressed up heavily against her in the locker room, and the knife he threatened to plunge into her. She knew it was pointless saying anything. It was his word against hers.
Chloe watched Shona closely for a few moments, then reached over the table to the napkin holder, an idea of how to lighten the mood crossing her mind.
"Here, what d'you think? I've been practicing." Chloe clumsily tried to make a swan by folding a napkin several times, then presented it to Shona, who couldn't help but smile her approval even though it was terrible. She wiped her eyes and reached over.
"OK, well, just fold this bit over here, that bit there…see, perfect." She fixed the wings on the swan, accidentally hooking her fingers around Chloe's hand.
"Perfect." Chloe smiled, trying to hold on a second longer, but Shona broke away and put her hands on her knees.
"You don't have to be afraid anymore," Chloe murmured across the table.
"I was scared when I heard you'd gone to Wreckers," she replied quietly, circling the top of her glass with her finger, unable to meet Chloe's soft gaze.
"Why?"
"I'm…different." She felt her throat sting as the word caught in her throat.
But Chloe didn't flinch.
"Not to me."
Shona's eyes connected finally with Chloe's, both their hearts pounding like jackhammers.
"What exactly did you find out?" she asked, terrified of the answer.
"I know why you left Mississippi," Chloe replied, watching for her reaction.
Putting her hands underneath the table again, Shona clenched her fists tightly, trying to control her breathing, her head spinning. She doesn’t know about Louisiana, though, she thought. That was at least some comfort.
"I'd better go. Thanks for the shake."
"You're welcome. You know you can talk to me about anything, don't you? I'll understand. You can trust me." She reached over again for Shona's hand, but she stood up to leave. "Hey, you don't wan' go see a movie with me, do you?" Chloe blurted out, desperate not to let her evening with Shona end too soon. "It might help take your mind off things for a little while?"
It felt like an eternity before Shona replied.
"Sure. OK"
Chloe beamed as she picked up her purse, left a few dollar bills on the table and led the way outside to her car.
They arrived only a few minutes before the start of the movie, and the usher showed them to their seats near the back of the theater. Sitting between Chloe and the wall, Shona was trapped, but for the first time in her life, she didn't want to escape.
As the lights dimmed to near-darkness, both women shuffled in their seats to get comfortable, placing their elbows on the same armrest between them. Glancing down, Shona saw Chloe's fingers trace the armrest as if searching for something.
Biting her lip, Shona edged her hand ever so slightly nearer to Chloe's, moving her little finger a fraction closer each second.
"Here are your seats, sir, ma'am."
As the usher from before reappeared at her side with two more latecomers, Chloe dropped her elbow from the arm rest a split second after Shona, hoping Chloe hadn't seen the movement, whipped her hand away too.
"What did you think of the movie?" Chloe asked as they walked the short distance back to the car.
"It was good. I feel for anybody bein' judged by others. Just don't seem fair to me," Shona replied, her hands rooted in her pockets as she kicked at a tiny piece of gravel.
"Wanna grab a bite to eat at Ed's?" Chloe asked as if it were the most normal thing in the world to do.
"Best not, it's gettin' real late and I gotta be up early for work. Mr. Ellis won't like it if I'm late." Shona's lips briefly allowed a flicker of a smile to cross them.
"I'd better get you home, then, Miss Jackson," Chloe sighed as she opened up the passenger side door.
She had really missed seeing that smile.
Chloe put her key in the door and opened it as quietly as she possibly could. Tiptoeing to the stairs, she lifted her foot to the first step but was stopped in her tracks as a lamp clicked on in the living room.
"Good night, was it?"
Eleanor Bruce rocked back and forth in her ch
air, her mouth set firmly as she stared at the little carriage clock on the mantelpiece. It was nearly 12 o'clock, and her daughter had only just got home.
"Yes, it was, actually. Why are you still up? It's late."
"Your father and I have been talking." Eleanor's facial expression was impossible for Chloe to read.
"OK?"
"The business could be in trouble."
The enormity of the words that came out of Eleanor Bruce's mouth was completely incongruous with her closed body language.
"In trouble? How?" Chloe entered the living room and perched on the end of the sofa.
"Investors. You know what they're like—they want a sure thing."
"I don't understand."
"Business insight's not really your strong suit, is it?" Eleanor said scathingly.
"Get to the point, Mother," Chloe replied, her tone equally acerbic.
"Well, earlier this evening, a rich young hotshot was in town for one night only on business and called an impromptu meeting with the management team. Your absence tonight did not go unnoticed," she added."Anyway, after the usual talk about Jeffrey and your father getting older, the conversation naturally drifted towards the future of the business."
"And–" Chloe pressed, pursing her lips.
"And…there's concern with your lack of focus. They haven't seen you at events lately, you weren't there tonight…Can you understand why they have concerns, Chloe?" She turned to stoke the fading embers of the fire.
"How did the conversation end?" Chloe stared at her.
"They wanted assurance," Eleanor replied, spinning her chair around to fully face her daughter.
"What kind of assurance?"
"They want to be sure that when Jeffrey and your father are long gone, the business will be in safe hands. You haven't given them that impression." Eleanor paused. "But they seemed to like Kyle."
"Kyle?" Chloe screwed her face up.
"He's shown commitment to the company and a willingness to potentially take over one day. He also mentioned that he'd take care of you, which your father and I were naturally thrilled about, especially as you've been a little…distracted lately."
"Meaning?" Chloe replied, clenching her teeth.
Eleanor fixed her cold stare onto Chloe. "Meaning that if you and Kyle showed a united front, the old investors are likely to stay and this hotshot will be sure to invest his newfound wealth with us. You know as well as I do there have been new companies shooting up all over the place lately. He could easily go elsewhere, no doubt to one of our competitors, and put us out of business. You understand what I'm saying, don't you, dear?"
"What are you really asking of me, Mother?"
"It's no secret, he adores you and your father likes the idea of the business being in Kyle's hands. You two together make a great team."
"For who exactly?" Chloe felt her tenuous grasp on her temper slipping.
"For all the employees. You see, if you don't like the idea, the business may have to lay off some staff. It would be starting with people like, for example…Shona. She was the last one in. The old man too, he won't be needed anymore. They'll have to try to find jobs elsewhere, but I can't think of another place around here that would take on a female mechanic and an old man." She shook her head with fake pity.
"That's blackmail!"
"That's business, sweetie. We have to do right by our men and by our livelihoods."
"So, what you're saying is I have to get together with Kyle for Shona and Elbie to keep their jobs, right?"
"It's hardly a chore, darling. I mean, look at him! He’s handsome, comes from wealth…why, he’s the most sought-after man around! What's not to like?"
Chloe recoiled in horror as she turned away and headed upstairs to bed, feeling sick to her stomach at her mother's cold-blooded proposal.
Chapter 63
"Well, would'ya look at this!"
Deputy Paul grinned as he prized open the window blinds in his ground floor office to watch the very late worker race to reach the reception to sign in before the buzzer sounded. Kyle walked up behind him and stared in disbelief at who it was.
"Come on, just one minute late! That's all I need you to be. One tiny minute and you're gone!" He held his breath, hoping the sprinting worker would stumble and fall—anything that would cost them valuable seconds.
Shona had woken up that Friday morning half an hour later than she would usually set off for her normally leisurely stroll to work, her late night with Chloe taking its toll on her punctuality. She'd raced to put her clothes on, grabbed her bag and run as fast as she could, darting down any shortcut she could find and hopping over every fence. Judging by the trucks that were already making their way down the driveway to go out on their deliveries, she guessed that she was already late. If not, then any minute she could claw back was crucial. They needed no excuse and she couldn't lose her job now—not when she was so close to having enough money saved up to afford her one-way ticket to California. Her lungs burned as she ran the last hundred yards down the driveway.
"Mornin' all, I got those figures tha–" Ron Black stopped in mid-sentence as he popped his head around the door on his way to his office upstairs. "What you guys looking at?" he asked, sidling over to the window.
When he looked out of the window and saw who it was, he doubled back and headed outside to the main entrance, almost running into the sweaty, exhausted wreck launching herself at the sign-in log at reception.
"Shona! Hey, calm down!" Ron caught her as she fell into his arms, just as the buzzer sounded. "I ain't ever seen you late once and you made it in time, OK?" He smiled as he watched her regain her composure. "I gotta say, though, I can't fault your commitment! I should ring Guinness and tell’em to put you in that new world record book they got!" he joked.
She smiled back, mouthed a thank you as he left her to sign in and headed up to his office.
"Out late last night?" Kyle drawled, appearing by the door with his arms folded.
"Pardon me?" she panted, still trying to catch her breath.
"You were lucky this time. You won't be lucky again. It'll be my pleasure to shut that door in your pretty lil' face, got it?" Kyle hissed at her, then swaggered off down the corridor.
For the rest of that morning, Shona struggled to concentrate. Her late night with Chloe had been the reason she nearly didn't make work on time, but she didn't regret it. It just made her want to spend more time with her. As the 10 o'clock buzzer sounded, she ran to the bathroom to smarten herself up in case she saw Chloe on the balcony, then raced to the canteen to catch the last ten minutes of break.
"You OK?" Elbie asked as she sat down next to him with her tray.
"Y'seen Chloe anywhere?" she whispered, smoothing the sides of her hair down.
"Yeah, 'bout an hour ago. You haven't touched your food yet, c'mon, you need to eat!" he coaxed.
"I'm not hungry." Shona pushed her plate away, her restless foot tapping on the floor. She had far too many butterflies in her stomach to care about eating. It was a welcome change, though, to the usual churning feeling in her gut she used to get. This reaction to her feelings for Chloe had become less frequent lately. The more she concentrated on her breathing and keeping calm when she was around her, the quicker the spasms subsided.
"There's a damn work drinks thing tonight at the usual place, you goin'?" Elbie asked, looking nonplussed himself about it.
"Don't know, maybe," she replied, her untouched food sitting in front of her as she gazed hopefully at the balcony.
That Friday night, the Copperpot was packed to the rafters with workers from Ellis and Bruce. The air was filled with laughter and the smell of beer as people stood around talking and listening to the music playing in the background.
"I'll just have a glass of water, please," Shona asked the barman, who looked confused, then reminded her politely that it was a free bar.
But Shona wasn't there for the party.
She searched the bar area and tables beyond.
To her left, she saw Deputy Paul leering at two waitresses, who were only putting up with it in the hope of separating him from the dollar bills he was holding. Over on the other side of the room was Ron Black, chatting happily to one of the new drivers. Somewhere in the bar was Larry Bruce, his bellowing laughter resonating loudly across the space—he was clearly enjoying himself, no doubt on his umpteenth whiskey neat.
And then, directly in front of her as Shona turned, around twenty yards away, was a sight she did not expect to see—one that filled her with happiness and revulsion simultaneously.
"My God," she murmured to herself, her eyes unblinking.
Over by the jukebox was Chloe wearing a dark green cocktail dress, effortlessly fitting her as if she had been poured into it. She was picking out the next few songs and smiling that smile, the one that sent electricity up Shona's spine. Seconds later, the color faded from her daydream when a smartly dressed man sidled up behind her and threaded his arms around her waist. What sickened her was that Chloe didn't even seem to flinch. She actually looked to be encouraging him.
"Son of a bitch!" Angry, hot tears pricked her eyes. The times they'd shared moments together, their chats and little looks to each other. They were all false.
Shona had yet again read a situation completely wrong.
"Oh my God, no! It's not what–" Chloe said to herself as she turned around and caught Shona staring across the distance at her. Realizing what she must have seen, she broke herself free of Kyle's cloying arms and swam through the crowd to where Shona had been standing seconds before. But it was too late, the damage had been done and Chloe, in her five-inch heels, was never going to catch up with Shona, who had fled full tilt out of the Copperpot and into the darkness.
"Hey, where you going? Ellis is just about to make a speech, then we gotta do one each too, remember?" Kyle caught up with her in the parking lot and, holding her arm firmly, walked her back into the bar, droning on about the finer point of the speech he had perfected last night in front of the mirror.