Zamira nodded. “It’s my favourite place.”
“Why don’t you get a coffee while you wait?” Alyse suggested as they arrived. “I should go in alone.”
“All right.”
Alyse walked the short distance to the GP, preparing an excuse for being late. The waiting room was half full of retirees and parents with children. The receptionist smiled at her. “Alyse, there you are.” She handed Alyse a piece of paper. “Doctor Eriks said to give you this when you came in.”
“Does he want to see me?”
“I don’t think so. Let me check.” The woman called the doctor. “You’re fine to go.”
Annoyance filled her. She should report the doctor for prescribing drugs because Mark had told him to. Did Mark have something on him? Alyse couldn’t imagine Eriks would risk his licence for something this small. She went next door to the pharmacy and filled both prescriptions.
At the bakery, Zamira sat near the large glass windows. A couple of Alyse’s former primary school teachers sat at one table and a blonde woman was having coffee with a friend. Yvette. She would mention to Mark that she’d seen Alyse.
Alyse ordered a coffee and bee-sting to take-away and then texted Zamira. Can’t sit with you. Will meet you at the van.
The woman serving her handed her the pastry in a white box and then disappeared into the kitchen. A moment later she was back to make the coffee. Mai wandered out, her apron covered in flour, drying her hands on a paper towel. “Hi, Alyse. How’s things?”
Alyse’s heart tugged. The On family were so friendly, they made her yearn to be normal. “Fine.”
Zamira stepped up to the counter and Mai grinned. “Hey, Zamira.” She glanced at Alyse. “Have you met Zamira? You’re neighbours.”
Alyse cringed and nodded. “Briefly.” She checked how much longer her coffee would be. Her gaze took in the cafe and Yvette watching her. Damn. She had to get out of here.
“Mai, can I get this to go? I can’t quite finish it.” Zamira handed her plate with a half-eaten vanilla slice to Mai.
“Sure.”
Zamira stood next to Alyse but didn’t speak. She must have realised something was wrong.
“Here’s your coffee.”
Alyse took it and rushed out the door, crashing into someone. Pain ricocheted through her and she dropped the coffee, the lid falling off and splashing over the person in front of her. “I’m so sorry.” She squeezed her eyes closed to breathe past the pain then lifted her gaze. Kim. Of course it was. “Are you all right?” She brushed at the coffee staining his white shirt.
He took hold of her hand, stopping her. “Yeah, I’m fine. How are your ribs?”
Agonising, but she couldn’t stay here. The longer she stayed, the angrier Mark would be when Yvette reported back to him. Her shoulder blades itched and she longed to glance over her shoulder. Why had she thought she could do this? He had spies everywhere. He would know she was up to something.
Mai opened the door. “Are you two OK?” She spotted Kim’s shirt. “Oh, you’d better come in and get cleaned up,” she said. “You too, Alyse.”
Coffee seeped through the canvas shoes she’d slipped on this morning. Kim pressed his palm to the small of her back and gestured her in front of him. It would be a bigger scene if she refused.
Inside Zamira watched with wide eyes. Alyse didn’t acknowledge her as she followed Mai through to the kitchen and out of sight of the public.
“I’m sorry.” Alyse gestured to Kim’s shirt.
“Don’t sweat it.” He stripped off the T-shirt and turned to the sink to clean it.
The moisture left Alyse’s mouth. Kim’s torso was far more toned than she’d expected. His shoulder muscles rippled as he rinsed out the coffee. He must work out somewhere. Maybe he had a home gym.
“I’ll get Jodie to make you another coffee,” Mai said, dragging Alyse’s attention away from Kim.
“Thank you.” She retrieved the painkillers from her bag and reviewed the instructions. She could take two now and maybe they’d dull the ache in her ribs.
“Here.” Kim handed her a glass of water, his chest still bare.
She avoided looking at him and swallowed the tablets. Someone walked into the bakery and a gust of cold air swept into the kitchen, cooling the room momentarily from the heat of the ovens. Alyse frowned. “Why aren’t you wearing a jumper? It’s cold outside.”
Kim stared at her a moment as if lost for words. He turned to squeeze out his shirt. “Oh, I ah, was doing prep at the restaurant and needed coffee. Didn’t realise how cold it was until I was halfway here.”
Something in his body language was off. He was lying. Alyse stepped closer to the door. “I’ll see you later.”
“Aly, wait.”
She shook her head. “I’m busy and Mark’s mistress is likely taking notes of how long I’m in here.”
Kim’s eyes widened. “Shit. I was hoping we could have coffee together.”
What didn’t he understand about Mark’s threat? “No. It’s too dangerous.”
Mai walked in with another coffee. “Here you go. You two have time to chat?”
What was she talking about? Out of the corner of her eye she saw Kim shaking his head. All at once everything clicked. The T-shirt, Kim slightly breathless when she’d crashed into him. “You told him I was here,” she said to Mai.
Guilt crossed her face, and she glanced at Kim.
Betrayal ripped through Alyse. Mark wasn’t the only one spying on her.
“I asked her to,” Kim said. “Mark will get suspicious if Beatrice’s Beekeeping Supplies keeps calling you.”
“Then don’t,” she snapped. “I’ve told you to stay out of this.” Anger and relief battled in her stomach. The thought of someone watching out for her shouldn’t give her so much hope.
Kim sighed. “Don’t be mad. I want to keep you safe.”
Fear pierced her. That was always Mark’s excuse back when he was kind and charming. Back when she loved him and thought he cared. She whirled on Kim, grimacing as her ribs protested. “Of course I’m mad,” she hissed, keeping her voice down so no one outside could hear. “How many spies do you have around town? Adam, or one of your shopkeeper friends?” She’d thought Kim was different, but she wouldn’t be fooled by those excuses again. She didn’t need anyone to keep her safe. She could do it herself.
“No, it’s not like that—”
“It’s exactly that.” Without another word, she walked out, her heart as sore as her ribs.
Chapter 9
Kim swore as the door shut behind Alyse. He’d royally stuffed that up.
“You didn’t mention Mark spies on her when you asked me to do the same.” Mai glared at him.
Great. He’d pissed off his sister as well. “I didn’t think of it that way.”
“Honestly, I would have thought growing up with four sisters would have made you smarter than this.”
He hung his damp shirt close to one oven, guilt filling him. She was right. He should have known better. “Do you think she’ll forgive me?”
“I don’t know.”
“I should go after her.” He took two steps towards the door, but Mai blocked it.
“No, you shouldn’t, especially not half naked. It would only set tongues wagging.”
Frustration filled him. “Then what do I do?”
“Give her time. Let her calm down and then ring and apologise. Don’t ask her for anything, wait for her to come to you.”
“She needs my help.”
Mai raised an eyebrow. “She’s probably had enough of men thinking they know what’s best for her.”
Her words hit him right in the chest and he took a step back. “That’s not what I meant.”
“I know, little brother, but remember you’re dealing with someone who has been traumatised for years.” Her smile was sympathetic. “Think of how we have to tiptoe around Eden when she’s in a bad mood,” she continued. “And then add real trauma to the equation. Stay
friendly and supportive. Ask her what she needs, don’t tell her.”
Kim nodded. He treated his youngest sister Eden like a ticking bomb when she was upset. “I need to placate her?”
“You need to be gentle with her,” Mai corrected. She cleared her throat. “I know someone who was sexually assaulted six years ago and she’s only now becoming comfortable being alone with men.”
Kim frowned. “Who?” He knew all of Mai’s friends.
“None of your business. The point I’m making is Alyse needs to be treated carefully, especially if you want to be more than friends with her.”
He wanted it, but Alyse wouldn’t rush into another relationship. He’d make her understand he’d asked Mai to call him because he cared. He winced. Nope. That sounded creepy too, like he was justifying his inappropriate actions. He sighed. “I’ll do better.”
“Good. Now put your shirt back on and get out of my kitchen.” She waved him towards the door.
“Yes, ma’am.” His shirt was still damp, but warm from the ovens. He’d deal. Slipping it on, he ordered a coffee from Jodie. When he stepped outside, the wind turned his shirt into an air-conditioner. Hunching his shoulders and cupping the coffee close to his chest, he strode back to the restaurant.
Alyse was right.
It was freezing today.
***
Alyse stormed to the van where Zamira was waiting and slid into the passenger seat, her heart pounding, fear stiffening her skin. “Are all men controlling jerks?”
Zamira glanced at her. “No.” She started the engine. “What happened?”
“Kim happened.” She struggled with the seat belt, her hand jerking it too fast and it caught, her chest aching. Letting out a breath, she forced herself to slow down and finally strapped herself in.
“What did he do?”
“He asked Mai to spy on me. He was at the bakery because she called him to tell him I was there.”
“Huh. How far away was he?”
Alyse frowned. Odd question. “At the restaurant. It’s at the other end of the main street.”
“He must have run to get there.”
She was right. Did that make it better or worse? “So now I have to worry about two men watching me.” Would she ever find someone who didn’t want to control her?
“What do you mean?”
“The reason I couldn’t sit with you is because Mark’s mistress was in the cafe. She’ll tell Mark I was there and Mark will be mad.”
“Which one was she?”
“The blonde who looked as if she’d stepped out of the pages of a glossy fashion magazine.” Although she didn’t love Mark anymore, it still stung. She would never be that glamorous. She was comfortable in her white bee suit or jeans.
“I’ll keep an eye out for her.” Zamira drove out of town. “For what it’s worth, I don’t think Kim is like Mark.”
Alyse glanced at her. “Why?”
Zamira blushed. “Well, the thing is… I know we’ve just met, so I don’t know how you’ll take this. Just know it comes from a place of concern and caring.”
Alyse’s stomach churned. “What does?”
“When we met a month ago, I figured Mark abused you. I wanted to help you then, but I was dealing with saving my cousin, Henk and all of that.” She waved her hand. “When Jeremy asked me to move in with him, I hoped we could be friends.”
“Because you pitied me?” Alyse stared out the window at the bush rushing past.
“No! Because you were friendly and nice until Mark turned up.”
It had felt defiant to invite Zamira into her shed, to give her some honey, to have her there without Mark knowing.
“So, anyway after the Christmas in July dinner, I told Jeremy I would invite you for coffee, and he told me about Kim rescuing you.”
A shudder ran through her at the memory.
Zamira took a deep breath. “Then he told me Kim had gone to his house after he’d taken the soup to your place and the guys—Jeremy, Adam, Kim, Elijah and Jamie—had discussed how they could help you and stop Mark, maybe get him arrested.”
Alyse closed her eyes. How should she take that? Suddenly these men wanted to help her and they never had before. She shook her head. That wasn’t fair. She hadn’t been open to help, and still wasn’t ready for anyone to face Mark’s wrath.
“So my guess is, if Kim has Mai watching for you, it’s only because he wants to see you.”
She wanted to trust, that’s all it was, but it was so close to how Mark behaved when he first showed interest in her, turning up to watch her play basketball, stopping by the markets to buy honey, finding ways to bump into her. “That’s a lot of guessing. You don’t know Kim.”
“No, I don’t. But you do. You went to school with him, didn’t you?”
“People change. I’m not the person I was back then.” It was too much of a risk to think Kim might care for her. Far easier to stay angry and keep him away. Far safer for him.
“And I’m not the person I was a couple of months ago. But when Jeremy gets demanding, it’s because he loves me.”
Alyse recoiled. “Kim doesn’t love me.”
Zamira shrugged. “Maybe not. But from what Jeremy told me, it sounds like Kim remembers your friendship fondly.”
Her heart squeezed. It would be too easy to be lulled into thinking she could have friends, convince herself that getting rid of Mark would be easy if she had so much support. But she knew Mark better than that. “Mark isn’t someone you should mess with. He’ll take it out on you and Kim, as well as me.”
“The police are monitoring him now. He won’t get away with things easily, particularly if you help them.”
“Maybe.”
Zamira pulled into Alyse’s property. Mark’s ute was still gone. Thank God. Alyse winced as she climbed out.
Zamira held her boxed vanilla slice. Alyse hesitated. Could she risk inviting Zamira in? With no car here to tip Mark off if he arrived, there’d be time to hide Zamira or sneak her out the front while Mark came in the back. “Do you want to come in and finish your slice? I can make you a cuppa.”
“Sure.”
Her muscles tightened as she walked down the hallway, evidence of Mark in every room she passed. When she got rid of him, she was throwing out all of his furniture even if she had to sit on the floor until she could afford her own. She paused as she entered the kitchen. She’d thought when not if. Fear and excitement mixed in equal parts. It was happening. Alyse switched on the kettle. “Can you get the mugs for me?” She gestured to the wall cupboard. After she’d washed the mugs, she’d leave them on the bench top so she could reach them.
Zamira retrieved them and then picked up the handout from Richard’s funeral. “He looks familiar. Who is he?”
“Mark’s father, Richard Patton.”
She frowned. “Why do I know that name?”
“He owned the Vale winery.”
Zamira’s eyes widened, and she dropped the paper on the table. “He almost drove me off the lookout.”
Alyse froze. “That was you?” Mark had mentioned Kay had made her father turn in his driver’s licence after an incident almost a month ago.
She nodded, still looking at the photo. “I didn’t actually see him though, so I’m not sure why I recognise him. Maybe it was at the Vale.”
An uneasy sensation swirled in Alyse’s stomach as she recalled what the Patton siblings had said yesterday. Was Zamira’s incident not an accident? She’d been investigating Henk’s operation, and Henk had run to Mark when the police had raided. The Pattons protected their own.
She placed the tea on the table in front of Zamira.
“So what do you do for fun?” Zamira asked. “Are you part of the vintage motocross club?”
“No.” When was the last time she did anything for fun? “My bees keep me busy.”
“You must enjoy it.”
“Yeah, I do. I used to love hanging out with Dad at the hives and letting the bees crawl over my hands. T
hey’re beautiful.” Her heart clenched. She tried not to think of those days.
“It sounds amazing.”
“I’ll show you around when my bruises have healed.” The frames of honey would be too heavy for her to lift at the moment.
“Thanks. I’m looking forward to getting to know Blackbridge. I’ve never lived in the country before. I can’t wait for summer when I can go swimming every day.”
“Green’s Pool is a nice spot. It’s sheltered from the waves.” Not too deep and not too rough. It was all she could handle since the accident.
“Jeremy tells me you get a lot of whales around here too. I’d love to go whale-watching.”
“They’re amazing creatures.” They used to see them when they were on the boat. She sipped her tea. She missed those carefree days. Her mother would pack a thermos of tea or coffee, some soft drinks and freshly made sandwiches for lunch. And there was always some kind of home-made biscuit or slice.
The ocean used to give her such joy. If she hadn’t grown up on the apiary, she might have become a marine biologist.
Zamira’s hand covered hers. “Are you all right?”
Alyse gave her a small smile. “Just remembering going on the boat with my parents.”
“You can’t go out anymore?”
Alyse figured Jeremy had told her what had happened. “No. I can’t. It terrifies me.”
“Have you ever seen a therapist?”
“No.” Mark hadn’t believed in them and she’d been too traumatised to insist.
“Do you want to go out on the ocean?” Zamira shrugged. “You seem like you miss it.”
“Maybe.” One thing at a time. She had to get rid of Mark first. She caught sight of the time. Damn. Mark might be home soon. She collected the empty mugs.
“Can I help you with anything?” Zamira asked. “Anything else you need me to get down for you?”
Alyse thought about it. “No, I’ll be fine. I need to get to work.”
“Of course.”
Alyse walked her out. “Thank you for taking me to the doctor.” She hesitated. “And for caring.”
She smiled. “You’re welcome. We’re all here to help. Don’t let your fear stop you from reaching out.”
Harbour Page 9