by Clare Revell
Eden made her way downstairs, and paused as hushed voices drifted up from the kitchen to meet her.
“Hanna, I can’t have someone else, another woman, in the house. How many times do I have to say this?”
“Am I one woman too many?”
“That’s not what I meant—” David’s voice rose. “—and you know it.”
Eden reached the foot of the stairs. She didn’t want to listen, yet fancied interrupting them even less. Caught between the metaphorical devil and the deep blue sea, she stood in the hallway, the conversation ringing in her ears and burning in her stomach.
“Well, it’s tough, David. Eden’s my friend as well as being Marc’s aunt. Therefore she’s not only a qualified nanny; she’s family and the ideal solution. I don’t see what your problem with her is. You two got on well enough once.”
“Not anymore, Han.”
“What went wrong between the two of you?”
“That is between me and Eden and no one else.” There was a long pause; presumably, he was pacing the room like he always did when he was angry or irritated. Then, he started speaking again, his voice too low to hear.
Really? He hadn’t even given Eden a good reason for them breaking up. One minute things were fine and the next he wanted nothing to do with her. Problem was her emotions didn’t just switch off as easily as his. Part of her still loved him and probably always would.
Eden pulled her jacket off the peg in the hallway and shoved her arms into it. She put her bag on her shoulder. Twice, as the strap immediately fell down to her elbow. Best she left rather than be the cause of any more strife for Hanna. There was no way she’d take this job. No matter how much she wanted and needed it. It wasn’t worth tearing apart what little family her best friend had left.
“David, please be reasonable,” Hanna’s voice rose as Eden reached the front door.
“I am being reasonable. Marc is fine at the nursery—I can work around him while you’re away. This is exactly why I didn’t want you here in the first place.”
“And you’ve made that perfectly clear. However, my husband died and the military housing went with his job, you know that. And this place is half mine. I will do what I want with my half and having Eden here looking after Marc is what I want.”
Eden opened the front door and slipped out into the dark. Her cheeks burned as she trudged down the path. Reaching the bottom, she sent Hanna a text. Bye Han. Thanks for the job offer but I can’t accept it. Then, Eden headed to the bus stop, her heart well and truly in her boots.
Working for Hanna and caring for Marc would have been great. He looked so much like his dad. Her brother marrying her best friend had been a dream come true. But it turned into a nightmare when Eric died.
At the bus stop Eden turned her collar up against the chill wind. Spring weather was neither one temperature nor the other for long. Or was March still part of winter? She had no idea. It had certainly come in like a lion, and the weather was doing its best to say winter wasn’t going to leave lightly.
Her eyes stung. She tried to convince herself it was the wind as she rubbed a hand across them. That wasn’t true. She just wasn’t sure how much rejection she could handle.
Running footsteps thudded behind her as the bus approached and slowed. Eden pulled her ticket from her pocket, clutching it tightly.
“Eden, wait.”
Eden took a step towards the bus. She held out an arm indicating she wanted the bus to pull over and stop for her. “I’ll call you, Hanna.”
“Eden, please. I’m sorry about David. He’s just got a lot on at work and deadlines and so on.”
Deadlines. Right. She’d heard a great deal of talk recently about David and none of it involved journalism. While she never took stock in gossip, particularly in unsavory or unkind talk, her father had been concerned about the rumors. He didn’t want his grandson being raised in such an environment.
The bus pulled over and the brakes hissed to a stop. The doors opened.
Eden glanced at her friend. Had she been crying? “You don’t need me making things harder, Han, and you don’t need to apologize for David being a jerk.”
“You’re my sister-in-law. Marc’s aunt. And my best friend in the world. I want you looking after him. Please?”
“I don’t…”
The bus driver looked at her. “Are you getting on or not, love?”
“Yes, just give me one minute.”
He shook his head. “I have a schedule to keep.”
Hanna grabbed Eden’s arm. “She’s staying,” she said.
The bus driver nodded. “Very well.” He shut the door and the bus pulled away.
Eden groaned. “That was the last bus. How do I get home now?”
“David will take you.”
“David doesn’t even like me.” Eden shoved her bag back onto her shoulder. “I’ll walk home. It won’t take long.”
“You’ll do no such thing.” Hanna held her arm tightly. “And he does like you. He’s just grumpy right now. I’d hoped you and he would, you know…”
“Like you and Eric did.”
Hanna smiled. “Double wedding, double honeymoon, double first babies and so on.”
“Someone forgot to tell David that part of the plan. I should go. It’s a long walk.”
Hanna shook her head. “David will take you. Or I’ll borrow his car keys and take you myself. And I’m not taking a ‘no’ on the job front, either. You start Monday. Please. I need you, Eden. Especially with David…” She rolled her eyes. “Actually, David said to ask your parents, and I know they’d have him, I just want a permanent solution, not a temporary one.”
Eden nodded. “Dad’s really worried about you and Marc living in the same house as David. He’s heard all the rumors and isn’t happy at all.”
“Well, if you’re looking after Marc, then that might ease his worries. Not to mention taking a load of my mind. I know he’ll be safe with you.”
“Han…” Eden broke off. Put like that, what else could she do? If there was something going on, at least with her in the house, she’d keep Marc safe. And she’d promised Eric that she’d look out for Hanna when he was away on deployment. Not that the situation ever arose—unless you looked upon going to be with the Lord as one long deployment.
All that mattered was the fact that Hanna needed her and so did Marc. Maybe God’s timing wasn’t as off as she’d thought first thing this morning. If she were still working for the Fishers she wouldn’t have been able to take care of Marc.
Eden nodded. “OK, fine. I’ll do it. Thank you.” She began walking with Hanna back toward the two-story house.
Hanna slid an arm through Eden’s as they walked. “Good. That’s settled. And it’s a live-in position.”
“No. I can come in every day.” She replied a little too quickly.
“I have to go away in a week or so. This is easier. Besides, just think of all the fun we can have in the evenings.”
“I guess so.” It was hard to resist Hanna’s pleas especially when they were tinged with more than a little desperation.
Besides, if she were living there, perhaps she could set Dad’s mind at ease about David’s odd behavior. Scotch the rumors once and for all. She didn’t want to believe that the man she once loved, still felt something for, could have so completely gone off the rails as everyone seemed to think.
When they reached the house, Eden waited in the garden while Hanna went in for David’s keys.
Instead of her friend, David stormed from the house, his face set and eyes glittering.
“Come on then, if I’m taking you home.” He stomped down the path, aiming the key at the parked older model Porsche on the drive. The indicator lights flashed once, and the car alarm went off. David muttered under his breath, as he deactivated it
Eden got in and pulled the seatbelt across. But try as she might, she couldn’t get it into the slot.
David took it from her, and as if teaching a child something new, de
monstrated connecting the belt to the latch. He started the engine and reversed off the drive too quickly for her comfort.
Did he just spin the tires?
As he drove, an uneasy, almost palpable silence filled the car.
Eden rubbed her hand, still able to feel his touch, and studied his profile as he drove. What had happened to him in the two years since they had broken up?
With his slicked back, black hair, dark brown eyes, and stiff bearing, he was more handsome than he’d ever been; even in those old, baggy jeans and sweatshirt with a skull and what she assumed was the name of a heavy metal rock bank emblazoned on the front. As he cruised through the gears, she couldn’t help but notice the presence of tattoos on his knuckles and even more ink peeking from under his sleeve. The carefree spirit of his youth had been replaced with a dark, almost sinister core.
David pulled over outside her parent’s house. “Hanna wants me to pick you up on Sunday with all your stuff. I’ll be over at four.”
Eden struggled with the seatbelt again. “I’ll be ready.”
David’s hand touched hers briefly as he released the belt. His dark, cold gaze raked over her and she shivered. “Don’t be late. I have somewhere I need to be at five.”
“OK. Thank you for the lift.”
He jerked his head in response as Eden got out of the car. She’d barely closed the door and stepped away, before David sped off into the darkness.
She watched the tail lights vanish. What had happened to the boy she knew, to make David the man he’d become?
2
Sunday came too quickly. David had spent the rest of the week making his feelings plain, but Hanna would not be swayed. She could be as stubborn as he was and then some; that was one of the reasons he loved her. Her stubbornness had kept her going in the difficult days and months since Eric died, but he wished she’d listen to reason just this once. He couldn’t have another woman in the house.
The house wasn’t safe.
His job wasn’t safe.
He wasn’t safe, come to that.
It was bad enough having Hanna and the baby around. If his parents knew what he was doing, they’d turn in their graves. His current assignment was so at odds with his Christian faith, he’d been tempted to jack in the job on more than one occasion. But he hadn’t. There was too much at stake for that. God must want him here, because why else would he have gotten the assignment? He’d spent too long establishing his cover to fail now.
He stopped at a red light.
Why did Hanna have to employ Eden? Why did Eden have to accept? He knew what the girls had planned as kids, and honestly, the thought of marrying Eden hadn’t been that repulsive, and he’d gone along with the whole double dating idea with enthusiasm. When Eric proposed to Hanna, David had been on the brink of proposing to Eden. He’d even gone out and bought the ring.
But things had changed. He’d been promoted.
He’d changed.
Eden didn’t need to be in an unsafe environment. Just like Hanna was meant to be safe with Eric, living miles away in army housing. Then, Eric was killed; ironically, by a falling tree branch and not by a bomb he was trying to defuse in the Middle East somewhere.
The lights changed and David pulled away. It was all he could do to keep Hanna and Marc safe from the dark, dangerous world he inhabited. The last thing he needed was Eden tossed into the mix. A woman he’d once had feelings for.
OK, still had feelings for.
Feelings he no longer had any right to.
Perhaps he could persuade her to keep living at home. However, if Hanna wanted her to live in, then that’s probably what Eden would end up doing. Maybe when Hanna returned from Manchester, he could work it so Eden moved out.
David pulled up outside Eden’s parents’ house and engaged the handbrake. He hadn’t seen them since the funeral. He sat for a moment and checked his watch. He’d said four. He’d be cutting it fine for this meeting as it was. He honked the horn, long and hard. Still nothing.
At five past four, his impatience got the better of him. He left the car, and strode up the path, his hands curling into fists at his side. He stabbed the doorbell long and hard. But instead of a nice loud impatient ring, strains of “Oh, God, Our Help in Ages Past” rang through the house. He’d forgotten the doorbell played twenty-four hymns in a random order. The child in him wanted to press it again, to see what came next, but he refused to give in to such infantile urges. He didn’t have time for that, or to wait for her any longer.
Eden opened the door, a smile on her lips. “Hi.”
He refused to let that smile affect him, despite the way his heart leapt. How long had it been since that smile was reserved just for him? How long since anyone, other than his sister or nephew had smiled at him and been pleased to see him?
He couldn’t remember.
David nodded stiffly. “Are you ready?”
“Sure. I just need to say goodbye.”
Hadn’t she already done that? “Be quick,” he hissed. “Is that all your stuff?” He indicated the bag and two cases in the hallway.
“Yeah.” The phone chimed. “Oh, let me grab that.”
“OK.” David slung the bag over his shoulder, grabbed the cases one in each hand, and returned to the car. He stowed the luggage in the boot and slammed the lid shut. He glared at the front door, and then at his watch. Four fifteen. Really, how long did it take?
His fingers drummed on the side of the car as he climbed inside and shut the door. Lord, help me find a way out of this mess. Help me find a way to keep them safe. Preferably someplace else for them to live.
Finally, she appeared with her parents and hugged them.
David raised a hand in greeting to them as he checked his watch again. Four thirty. No way would he make the meeting on time.
He sighed and leaned across, opening the door for Eden as she ran down the path to the car. He straightened and fastened his seatbelt.
Eden climbed in, struggling with the belt again. “Sorry.”
David snatched the belt hook from her hand, fastened it, and ignored the blast of heat that shot through him as he touched her. “Well, you’re here now.” He pulled his phone from his pocket and hit speed dial.
Breaking at least three laws, he pulled away from the curb without indicating, dialed, and drove while speaking on the phone as the call connected. “Hi, it’s Dave.”
“Where are you?” The irate tone in Granger’s voice curdled David’s stomach and turned his blood to ice.
“I’m stuck in traffic.” He ignored the look Eden shot him. “Tell the boss I’m sorry.”
“How much longer?”
“I’ll be there as soon as I can. Probably not until five-twenty or so.” He hung up and shoved the phone back into his jacket.
Eden’s gaze burnt into him without him needing to glance at her.
His conscience twinged. Something it hadn’t done in a long time. He hated the fact that lying came so easily to him now. “What?” he demanded.
“Why lie?”
“Would you rather I tell him I’m running late for a meeting because of you?”
Her irritation turned to shock. “Me?”
“I told you to be ready at four because I had a meeting at five on the other side of town. It was almost four-thirty before you left the house.”
“Again, I’m sorry.” Contrition tinged her voice. “Casey rang from the States, and I haven’t spoken to her in ages. I lost track of time.”
David jerked his head and nodded. Casey was her older sister from her mother’s first marriage. Casey had married a Yank and emigrated several years ago. Despite the ten-year age gap, Eden and Casey had always been close.
Eden turned her face forward to the dark street ahead. “Can I ask you something? But I need an honest answer.”
That depended on what she asked, but he wasn’t going to say as much. He jerked his head in response.
“Why don’t you want me around?”
“We
don’t need a nanny. Things work just fine the way they are.”
“Hanna doesn’t think so.”
David cleared his throat, changing down a gear to go around the corner. “Well, she’s wrong. I’m more than capable of looking after Marc overnight while she’s away and taking him to and from the nursery.”
“Really?”
He forced himself not to snap in response. She’d just used the exact same tone Hanna had. “Yes, really. Just because I’m a bloke doesn’t mean I can’t look after a baby.” He scowled and glared at the road. Maybe not marrying her had been a good thing. Even fortunate perhaps.
“Do you have a problem with nannies in general or me in particular?” she persisted.
David shot her a sideways glare. “Don’t make me answer that one.”
“This isn’t easy for me either, you know,” Eden muttered. “One minute we’re going out and everything’s wonderful; the next minute you’re barely speaking to me and it’s over. I just want to know what I did that was so wrong.”
David brought the car to a sudden halt outside the house. “You didn’t do anything, all right?” He got out of the car and walked around to the boot. He dumped the cases and bag on the pavement. “I have to go.” He glanced into the car and sighed. “Why are you still in there?”
Eden shook her head, obviously struggling with the seatbelt.
“For crying out loud. It isn’t rocket science.” David moved quickly around the car. “I do not have time for this now.” He released the belt and shut the door once Eden was out on the path. He ran around the car, jumped in and drove off without saying goodbye.
****
Eden stood stunned as the car vanished. She wasn’t sure whether to laugh, cry, or scream, because all three emotions tore through her in quick succession. She must have done something to make him turn on her like this. Was it her fault he’d become the man he now was, because he’d certainly changed in the two years since they’d broken up. And why did he still have the ability to hurt her?
She stood there for a moment longer, struggling to rein in her emotions. She didn’t want Hanna knowing something was wrong. She pulled her bag onto her shoulder, grabbed the cases, and headed to the house to ring the bell.