Flame

by Toya Richardson

  ‘Why does this keep happening? Every time I think we’ve got our boundaries sorted out we start kissing again.’ Her voice filled with confusion.

  ‘Amberley, we’re not fourteen year olds anymore. We are adults with adult feelings. It’s confusing the hell out of me too. You keep on with the mates only stuff, but you never push me away and you flirt as much as I do. If it’s not attraction, I haven’t got a clue what’s going on here.’

  He waved his hands in the air in frustration.

  ‘I’m sorry. Maybe you should go back to your Mum’s, I‘m scared we will do something we regret. I love you as a friend far too much to risk that friendship.’

  As soon as the words were out, she knew what she really wanted was for Greg to protest, but he nodded in agreement and her heart sank, although when he spoke, she could hear the regret in his voice.

  ‘You’re right; things keep getting a little out of hand. I’ll go back to Mum’s… give us some time apart.’ He looked uneasy. ‘Will you be okay here on your own? What if Steve comes back?’

  Amberley shook her head. ‘I don’t think he will. There’s too much police involvement now and he’ll know I mean business.’ She paused for a moment, ‘and don’t forget what you said a while ago. You’re only just down the road if I need help.’

  ‘As long as you’re sure.’

  Amberley realised it was a loaded statement, giving her every chance to let him stay but she had to be strong, she couldn’t bring herself to take a chance. When he’d packed she walked him to the door. He kissed her lightly on the cheek.

  ‘Thank you for everything, Amberley, I couldn’t have done it without you.’

  ‘Oh I’m sure you would, although I’m pleased I was able to play some small part in making your dream come true. I’ll give Simon a call and let him know.’

  She stood at the gate to the cottage, watching him walk down the road. Suddenly, she spotted something wrong with her car tyres. On closer inspection, she saw that the tyres had been slashed. Looking at the paintwork, she saw the word ‘bitch’ written in large letters several times. Indignation rose inside her. Swiftly she looked about to see if Steve was still hanging around. She realised it had only been done a short while ago, because she had been staring out of the window an hour or so before, when everything was fine. She breathed in and out deeply in an effort to control her rage. With this most recent act of violence against her, she had finally come to the end of her tether.

  Standing in the middle of the road, she spoke aloud. ‘I don’t know if you can hear me, Steve, but this time you’ve gone too far. You are nothing more than a spoilt brat who can’t get his own way. I will not tolerate your bullying tactics any longer do you hear me. Show yourself! SHOW YOURSELF!’

  Her voice startled birds from the trees as it reverberated up and down the lane. She heard the sound of feet running towards her. Quickly she turned, her hands in tight fists, ready to strike out.

  CHAPTER THIRTEEN

  All Amberley could see was a red mist before her eyes. Her anger was raging, adrenalin coursing through her veins at warp speed, and all rational thoughts deserted her. She heard the sound of panting and aimed a punch in that direction. Two strong hands caught hers. She struggled and fought violently against the hold on her.

  ‘Amberley! Stop! Stop! It’s me, Greg… what’s happened, are you okay?’

  With a shaking hand, she pointed in the direction of her car. ‘He did this; he did it while we were both inside. I swear to God, Greg, I would have killed him if I’d known he was that close. How dare he!’

  She was hyperventilating, her words coming out with difficulty. ‘I… have… had… enough!’ She walked up to the car and thumped the bonnet.

  Greg moved to her and pulled her round to face him. She tried to pound her fists into his chest.

  ‘Come on, Amberley, it’ll be okay. We’ll sort this out.’ He held her gently but firmly by her wrists.

  ‘I just want to lead a normal life. I don’t know how much more I can take before I crack.’

  She leaned into Greg, allowing him to comfort her. Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to spill over.

  ‘I think that I would be better off in London. It’s far too easy for him to inflict damage here than in the city.’

  She pushed away from Greg, resting on the wall of the cottage staring into space. He moved towards her touching her shoulders.

  ‘If you do that he’ll follow you back and still give you grief. Moving won’t resolve anything.’

  ‘But if I stay here, how long will it be before he starts on you… or your Mum? At least if I go back there my conscience will be clear.’

  ‘But will it, Amberley? Have you thought about what might happen if he decides to harm Sarah while she’s carrying their baby? And if he can do this to a car, well, what else could he do?’ He let his words sink in, inclining his head towards the damaged vehicle.

  ‘Maybe I should leave the U.K completely then. Oh God, Greg, I don’t know. I just don’t know what to do.’

  She walked over to the car staring at the carnage.

  ‘Come on, you’re a fighter and you will win through, I know you will. He will become complacent and end up making a mistake. I know he’s dangerous, but you can’t allow him to get away with this. Just think about this for a minute, Amberley. What if he decides to move on to another girl and starts his bullying campaign all over again? She might not be quite so strong or lucky.’ Greg warned her.

  Her thoughts went back to the young woman at the party she had attended with Steve. Perhaps if she’d listened to what she had to say, none of this would have happened.

  ‘I know you’re right,’ she said, resignation in her tone, ‘but what else can I do?’

  ‘You have to keep reporting and documenting each and every incident and attempt to carry on as normal. I know I was going back to Mum’s, but I think I should stay here a bit longer. It’s either that or we both go to Mum’s house.’

  ‘No! I think Kath will be better off on her own. You really don’t have to stay you know. I can take care of myself.’ However, her protestation was only half hearted.

  ‘I’m sure you can take care of yourself. You scared the hell out of me just now. I know redheads are feisty but damn, you’re one gutsy lady when you’re riled.’

  ‘To be honest I scared myself!’

  Yet again, the matter was reported to the police and still she declined to fill out a Victim Personal Statement.

  ‘Why didn’t you fill it out?’ Greg enquired after the officers had left.

  ‘Because it will make me feel more like a victim and I don’t want to feel like that.’

  By the tone of her voice, Greg sensed that the subject was closed.

  ***

  Greg went to his makeshift studio to sort out more paintings. Amberley had the offer to go with him but she declined. She wanted to access Simon’s ideas for the Craft Centre’s web pages. When he left the cottage, she locked all the doors and windows behind him. Late in the afternoon, her phone rang it was Simon.

  ‘John Hawson wants a face to face meeting with both of us.’

  Amberley let out a long, slow breath. ‘Dammit that’s inconvenient. Mind you, I can understand why. Okay, I’ll be there.’ She also hoped that he would tell her some more about her Father.

  ***

  She updated Greg over dinner. ‘I’m not surprised John wants to see us. We fought long and hard to win his business. Plus I can check out that Vanessa and the rest of the staff are okay.’

  ‘I fully understand,’ said Greg, as he placed some more vegetables on his plate. Will you be here for the meeting with the Centre manager, Brian, and the owners?’ he asked.

  ‘Of course I will. I’m not seeing Hawson for about a week.’

  The following Monday, Keith picked Amberley and Greg up and they made their way to the Craft Centre.

  ‘How are you feeling, Greg, you’re very quiet?’ Keith asked him.

  ‘I can’t b
elieve the day has finally come when I get to start my own business. My dream has finally come true.’

  On meeting Brian the manager, Greg signed his contract and received the keys to his unit. He left Amberley and Keith with Brian whilst one of the owners went with him to discuss the layout of his area, as the décor had to be in keeping with the rest of the Centre.

  Amberley and Keith went to the Centre’s office, the only part of the area that was fully up and running. She set up the laptop with the PowerPoint presentation and between them; they explained how their ideas for the website would work.

  ‘As Mr Winters already has his webpage designed, we can use that as the basis for the main website and for any of the other units’ owners – if required. We can then put links into these sites again from the main page.’ Amberley explained as they summarised their ideas.

  Keith continued with the presentation, ‘if you get a local journalist to do a feature, you could put the website address in the paper. Furthermore, have a monthly update on how the plans are coming along – this update could then be shown on the webpage too. It will keep people interested rather than just a one off interview.’

  Amberley was pleased to see that he was very keen about their ideas and decided to offer some more information.

  ‘I have spoken tentatively to the local Tourist Information office. They would be very interested in sending someone along to do an interview. That would be extremely beneficial because the brochures at the local Tourist Office are requested from around the UK and beyond. Maybe leaflet dropping and posters in local businesses etc might be something to consider nearer to the Centre being fully operational.’

  Amberley listened as Keith finished the presentation with the projected outlay and how costs could be kept to a minimum. Because she and Simon were interested in contributing financially, it would help towards accepting their deal.

  The manager listened attentively. ‘Your ideas are most impressive. I will need to discuss each tender with the Centre owners and have a meeting with all the other units’ occupants. Once we have reached an agreement, we should be able to advise you of the outcome within two weeks.’

  As they packed up Brian said, ‘how do you know Greg?’

  ‘We’re both friends of his,’ replied Amberley.

  ‘I’m pleased he’s got one of the units here. My wife taught him at school. She always said he had bags of talent and would go far.’

  Amberley smiled and nodded in agreement.

  ‘I thought he’d settled down with someone in Australia. Well, their loss is our gain.’

  Amberley had to agree with him on that point.

  They left Brian’s office and went in search of Greg. When they found him, he was busily writing things down and measuring up.

  ‘Hey, how’s it going?’ asked Amberley.

  Greg looked up, distracted for a moment.

  ‘My ideas are exactly what they are looking for so…’ he spread his arms wide, ‘I can start to decorate as soon as I want.’

  ‘Not till we’ve had lunch,’ said Keith

  ‘Great news. We should find out in a couple of weeks about our plans too. You’ll probably know before us when you go to the first owners’ meeting,’ she said.

  Reluctantly, Greg locked up his unit and they made their way back to the village.

  ***

  The day of Amberley’s departure for London arrived. Greg was taking her to the airport. With the Centre plans and various bits of work for the agency, she hadn’t had time to get her car repaired. They stood awkwardly by the departure gate.

  ‘Well,’ said Greg taking her hands in his, ‘you take care. I’ll keep you updated with progress at the centre.’

  ‘You take care too and thanks for the lift.’

  Impulsively, she threw her arms around him and hugged him tightly. The gesture surprised Greg but it felt so good, he squeezed her closer to him. She kissed him lightly on the cheek and walked through the gate.

  ***

  On her arrival at Gatwick, Simon was waiting for her.

  ‘You look remarkably well for someone who’s been through all that recent trauma. The Cornish air has done you wonders.’

  She said nothing and smiled.

  ‘Or maybe it has something to do with a certain artist.’ He glanced at her slyly.

  She blushed but chose not to respond.

  ***

  It felt odd going back to her office but good to see the workforce focused but relaxed, now that they knew their jobs were safe. Vanessa entered with a mug of coffee and Amberley smiled gratefully at her.

  ‘Thank you, I’ve missed this.’

  ‘How’s your brother doing at Uni, Vanessa?” Amberley asked her, as she sipped her coffee.

  Vanessa smiled, pleased that she had remembered.

  ‘He’s doing really well, although he could do with a few pointers on how to use a washing machine. Mum dreads the end of term; her machine is flat out for a week when he comes home!’

  They laughed together.

  She and Simon were setting up the laptop in the conference room when Vanessa ushered John Hawson inside.

  ‘Amberley, Simon, good to see you again.’ He shook hands with them both.

  ‘I was sorry to hear you’ve been ill, Amberley.’ He looked at her appraisingly. ‘The country air seems like it’s done you the world of good though. Sorry to drag you away.’

  ‘No problem. I do appreciate why and, if it helps to dispel any fears you may have, then that is all for the good.’

  The meeting was short and successful and as they showed John out, he tapped her on the shoulder.

  ‘Mind if I have a word in private, Amberley?’

  They moved back into the conference room.

  ‘Is anything wrong?’ she asked.

  ‘No, but I have a proposition for you.’

  ‘What might that be?’ she replied suspiciously.

  ‘I know you’re still an advisor here, but if you ever fancy some consultancy work give me a call. You have impressed me and that doesn’t happen very often. Your parents, especially your Dad, would have been proud of both of you – but especially you.’

  She was surprised by his words, realising that she was receiving praise of the highest order.

  ‘Simon has worked very hard too, the business couldn’t run without him,’ she said, defending her brother, knowing without him the company could well have gone under. ‘Thank you for your offer. I’ll let you know.’

  ‘What was that all about?’ asked Simon, when Hawson had left.

  ‘Oh nothing, he just offered me a job, that’s all.’

  ‘And?’

  ‘I said I’d think about it.’

  ***

  After a meal out with Sarah and Simon, Amberley made her excuses and went back to their apartment, leaving them to linger over their coffee. She realised they spent very little time together and knew they deserved some quality time alone.

  Before returning to her brother’s home, she popped back to her flat to collect her post and a few personal items. Wandering from room to room, she realised how much she missed the cosy cottage in Cornwall and its beautiful garden. Taking one last look round, she left.

  On her return, she picked up her phone and called Greg. It was on voicemail.

  ‘Hey, it’s only Amberley. Just to let you know the meeting was good. Hope you’re okay… well, I guess I’ll see you as planned tomorrow.’

  Curling up on the sofa, she began to mull things over in her head. She was missing him more than she thought she ever would. The feelings she tried so very hard to bury for him rose to the fore and she didn’t know how best to deal with this problem. Her mobile went off; looking at the display, she saw it was Greg.

  ‘Hi, sorry I missed your call. I was on the landline to Keith.’

  ‘I thought you might be up to your eyes in canvas,’ she said laughing. ‘Tell me about your studio plans.’

  ‘They’re going great. I’ve painted the studio and galle
ry in white, that will help reflect the light, and the ceramic floor tiles should turn up in a few days. I’ve met a couple of other unit owners and it will to be an amazing place when it opens.’

  ‘That’s brilliant. I cannot wait to see it. Is there anything else you need from Simon and me?’

  ‘Only from you.’

  ‘And what’s that?’ she enquired.

  The line was silent for a moment.

  ‘Well, oh God, here goes... I want to hold you in my arms and kiss you. I am missing you so much. I don’t want to pretend that we’re only, just good friends anymore. I want all of you – I need you.’

  She swallowed hard. Her thoughts turned to mush.

  ‘Are you still there, Amberley?’

  ‘Erm yes… that’s dangerous.’

  He laughed. ‘I know but I meant every word.’

  ‘Phew, I don’t know what to say.’

  ‘I think you do, I think we both do.’

  His voice was so enticing and she could resist no longer. ‘In that case, I’ll expect a long, slow lingering kiss on my return to Newquay. Until tomorrow…’

  She turned off her phone before he could respond. On unsteady legs, she made her way to her room, although after their recent conversation, she knew sleep would not come easily.

  On passing the front door, she saw a brown envelope on the mat. Her name typed on the front, there was no stamp, which meant it had been delivered by hand. The only way it could have got there, was by another resident allowing someone in to the building. She wondered if it was another ‘present’ from Steve. Feeling the envelope with her hands, she could see there were no bulges it was entirely flat. She sat down on the sofa and opened it. The contents fell into her lap.

  There were more pictures of her and Greg at the centre and various other locations, each one had a red cross through it. Typed in large red letters on a blank piece of paper were the words, ‘You and lover boy are dead, bitch!’

  Steve. Shock and dismay filled her; his threats were beginning to pick up momentum. Without any hesitation, she contacted the police.