She went to grab her coat and bumped into Julie in the staffroom, also finishing her shift.
‘Are you okay?’ Julie asked her, looking concerned.
‘I’m fine. I think I just need a large glass of wine when I get home.’
‘I’m with you on that,’ Julie agreed. Then she stopped packing up her handbag and looked at Louise. ‘Why don’t we get a drink together? There’s quite a nice pub close by.’
Louise was surprised but she smiled, pleased she wouldn’t have to go home and dwell on what was going on with Abbie. ‘That’s a great idea.’
The pub was close enough for them to walk to so they left their cars at the hospital and headed straight there. It was a warm night still and the beer garden was full to bursting when they got there, so they went inside and straight to the bar.
‘I’ll get these. See if you can find anywhere to sit,’ Julie told her, walking up to the bar. Louise looked around. It was a pretty pub with beams on the ceiling and lots of polished wood. It was very popular too and she couldn’t see an empty table as she walked around.
‘Louise?’ called a voice from behind her. She turned around to see Alex at a table behind her with two other men. ‘Do you want to join us?’
She hesitated, but there wasn’t anywhere else for them to go. ‘Okay, sure, thank you.’ She squeezed in next to him, making room for Julie as she returned from the bar. Alex introduced his work colleagues Mike and David, and Louise introduced herself and Julie.
‘Oh, I recognise you from the hospital,’ Julie said to Alex. They had to talk loudly over the thrum of the pub and everyone was leaning in towards one another. Louise was very aware that Alex’s knee was just touching hers, and wondered if he realised it too. She couldn’t quite bring herself to move away though.
‘That’s right, I was visiting my niece Hazel,’ Alex said with a nod. ‘She’s home now, thankfully.’
‘That’s how you know each other, then?’ Julie said to Louise.
‘Yes, and we both live in Littlewood.’
‘Poor Louise had to suffer through an animal charity fete with me yesterday, hearing me lecture people about how to choose a pet responsibly; she deserves a medal really.’ They all laughed.
‘It was for a good cause at least,’ Louise replied, taking a gulp of her wine. Her cheeks were glowing and she wasn’t sure if it was from the warm pub, the wine or Alex. ‘Alex is a vet,’ she explained to Julie.
‘Oh, really? Wow. I have two cats; I hope you’d think I’m a good cat owner,’ she said to Alex with a smile.
‘I’m sure you are.’
‘Are you both vets too?’ Louise asked the other men. One was a veterinary nurse, the other a vet who mostly worked on farms and was training Alex to deal with some of the horses in the surrounding areas.
‘I think we need more drinks,’ David announced then, getting up.
The evening passed far more quickly than Louise could have imagined, with lots of laughter, and she began to forget that Alex was sitting so close to her and just enjoyed the company.
When she and Julie went to the loos together, her friend was just as flushed and beaming as she was.
‘Okay, tell me honestly,’ Julie said as soon as they were in the ladies. ‘You and Alex, you’re just friends, right?’
‘Why?’ Louise asked, glancing in the mirror and wishing her cheeks weren’t quite so red. She reapplied her lipstick as Julie fluffed her blonde curls beside her.
‘Why do you think?’ Julie laughed. ‘He’s gorgeous, don’t you agree?’
‘You like him?’ Louise wasn’t sure why her stomach had just dropped.
‘I think you’d have to be blind not to like him, but he seems really sweet too. Is he single? You’re not dating?’
Louise shook her head slowly. ‘We’re not dating, no,’ she replied. How could she say otherwise?
Julie disappeared into one of the stalls. Louise looked at her face in the mirror. Julie was very pretty and there was no reason for Alex not to like her.
‘Do you think he’s a nice guy?’ Julie called through the closed door.
Louise closed her eyes briefly. ‘I think so, yeah,’ she said, knowing that he was. So, why was she so scared to let him in? She thought of her sister’s words back at Brew, about how she wasn’t able to trust or move on from Peter. It had hurt because it was true. She still thought that Abbie was making a mistake in going back to Jack; something wasn’t quite right about his offer, she was sure, and he was definitely full of himself. Wasn’t Abbie endangering herself by letting Jack back in? And wouldn’t the same be true for Louise if she did open up to Alex?
Julie came out then, happy that Louise appeared to be giving her blessing for her and Alex, and they went back to the table, where more wine awaited them. Louise found herself draining her glass dry quickly, wanting to block out how low she was feeling. It wasn’t something she usually did, but tonight she didn’t care; she wanted to get drunk, and forget about everything. It was hard to numb all her emotions, though, because since coming back from the loos, Julie had managed to take her seat next to Alex and the two of them were sitting very close together, laughing and talking quietly so she couldn’t hear what they were saying.
‘Another?’ David asked her when he saw her glass was empty. She nodded, wanting to drown out the loneliness that seemed to have overcome her now, and which was being made steadily worse every time she looked over at Alex and Julie.
The night began to pass in a blur and suddenly the bell was being rung for last orders, and the room appeared to be spinning around Louise. She got up, unsteadily, and Alex had to grab her arm to stop her from falling over.
‘There’s no way we can drive home,’ Julie said with a laugh.
‘Louise, you can share my taxi back to Littlewood and you can get your car in the morning,’ Alex said to Louise, who was finding it tricky to stay upright. It was decided that Julie would share with the other two and they could drop her off en route to their flats outside of town.
‘It was great meeting you,’ Julie said to Alex when they all stepped outside the pub. ‘Maybe we can all do this again sometime?’
‘I’d like that,’ Alex replied with a smile. He was still holding Louise’s arm. ‘Right, let’s get you home.’
‘I don’t need babysitting,’ Louise said crossly, shaking him off and stumbling to the taxi.
‘That’s going to hurt tomorrow,’ she heard Julie say behind her.
‘I’ll get her home safely, don’t worry,’ Alex said.
They all waved and called out goodbye as Louise half fell into the taxi and leaned back against the seat. She closed her eyes, and prayed she wasn’t going to be sick and completely embarrass herself in front of Alex.
The taxi started the short journey back to Littlewood. Louise couldn’t wait to climb into her own bed. She glanced at Alex. ‘I think I had too many,’ she said.
He chuckled. ‘I think maybe you did, but it doesn’t matter. You deserve to let your hair down. And it was a fun night. Julie is really nice, isn’t she?’
Louise nodded. ‘She is.’ She wondered if he was interested in Julie as well and the thought made her throat feel thick.
‘Is she . . . is she seeing anyone right now?’
Louise turned her head to look out of the window in case he saw anything on her face that she didn’t want him to see. ‘I have no idea,’ she found herself lying. She desperately wanted to change the subject. ‘Oh, look, here we are,’ she said, relieved to see Littlewood come into view.
Louise leaned forward to direct the driver to her cottage. Her heart had plummeted when Alex had asked about Julie. But what could she say to him?
Thankfully, the taxi soon pulled up outside Louise’s cottage. Alex got out and came round to her side to open her door. She was embarrassingly unsteady on her feet and Alex had to grip her arm to lead her to the door. Then she couldn’t seem to unlock it, so Alex did it for her, pushing it open and turning on the hall light. He told h
er to wait there and nipped back outside for a couple of minutes. She managed to stumble into the kitchen.
‘Right, I sent the taxi away. I can walk from here. I wanted to make sure you’re okay first.’
She found herself wobbling, so he told her firmly to sit down. She flopped on the sofa and kicked off her shoes and threw her bag onto the floor. She wished the room would stop spinning.
‘Drink this,’ Alex said, handing her a large glass of water. ‘All of it.’
She did as he said and the water did feel pretty good.
‘Right, come on, I’ll help you up to bed.’ He saw her shake her head. ‘No arguments.’ He helped her off the sofa and they went up to her room. She felt her face turn red at the sight of him in her bedroom.
He pulled back the covers on her bed and turned to her. The room was dark and it was just the two of them. Louise had followed him right to the bed, so now they were only inches apart.
For one crazy moment, she wanted to lean towards him and press her lips against his. She found herself darting forwards, but instead of meeting Alex, she tripped and stubbed her toe on the side of her bed. ‘Ouch!’
Alex chuckled and grabbed her arm to steady her again. ‘You need to lie down.’
Mortified, she half fell down onto the bed, still in her clothes. She certainly wasn’t going to take them off in front of him. ‘I’m sorry,’ she said.
‘We’ve all been there, don’t worry,’ he replied. He thought she had meant about being drunk. ‘Get some rest, okay? Goodnight, Louise.’
Louise watched him go, wishing she could call him back. She had to say something. ‘Stay,’ she said.
He stopped and turned. ‘Huh?’
‘Stay. Please,’ she found herself murmuring. ‘I don’t want to be on my own.’
Her eyes closed. She suddenly felt so sleepy. She wasn’t sure if he replied or not. Everything was hazy. She curled up into a ball and everything went dark.
Chapter Fifteen
Abbie was in Jack’s room again. They’d had a lovely meal together in a small Italian restaurant in the next town and then they had come back to the hotel and Jack had ordered them champagne and strawberries. Abbie had been firm that she had come back just to talk more about Jack’s offer, but sitting next to him on the luxurious four-poster bed, the room lit only by two candles, with a glass of champagne in her hand, the lines were starting to blur.
‘Abbie, darling, I wish you’d put me out of my misery,’ Jack said in a soft voice. They were facing each other on the bed and it felt like the past few weeks in Littlewood hadn’t happened. Abbie knew she could erase the humiliation of losing her job, the hurt of Jack turning his back on their relationship, the confusion she felt over her future, with one move. All the choices she needed to make seemed to be spread out in front of her, taunting her. She could just give in and kiss him. She wished she didn’t want to, but she had to admit it would make everything so much simpler. She wouldn’t be uncertain any more.
‘I think we have something really special together. Don’t you?’ He reached out and touched her cheek. ‘You look incredible tonight.’
‘Jack, do you really think working together and getting back together is a good idea?’ Abbie’s heart felt as if it was being torn in two. She had started to love Littlewood and the thought of leaving Huntley Manor, its future still up in the air, was making her want to pull away from Jack, but she felt safe in the familiarity of him and their life back in London. She could go back to it as if the past month had never happened. Wasn’t it what she had wanted? To go back to the city, back to her career, back to the man who could give her all of it? Why couldn’t she be sure, then?
Jack smiled. ‘Abbie, we belong together. You know it, and I know it. Why are you still pushing me away?’
‘I don’t want to get hurt again,’ she said, realising she sounded like her sister. She didn’t want to be like Louise. She wanted to trust people, to give second chances, to do what would make her happy. But would this make her happy? She just didn’t know, but if she didn’t try then wouldn’t she always wonder?
‘I don’t want to hurt you ever again. I want to make all your dreams come true.’ He leant in then and kissed her.
Abbie was happy to lose herself in the moment, and forget about all the choices she had to make. She found herself hungrily kissing him back, her body responding to him as it always had. She only hoped that she wasn’t making a huge mistake.
***
Abbie walked into Brew as soon as it opened the following morning. She had left Jack sleeping and slipped out of the hotel, hurrying in case she bumped into anyone, but, if she was honest, she was mostly nervous about seeing Thomas. She knew that she needed to talk to him, but she wanted to put it off until she was one hundred per cent sure. She had walked outside into the fresh morning, dew dancing on top of the grass, birds singing in the trees around her. She had to admit that last night had been fun. Jack had a way of making everything seem special. And she could say that it had all been down to him, but she admitted that she’d wanted his attentions, and she’d enjoyed waking up with him.
Everything seemed back in order again. Littlewood was a blip in her big plans. She had to stick to what she had mapped out for herself ever since university: being a success in London. And Jack was the key to that. He was offering her the dream again. Only a fool would turn it down.
‘Good morning,’ Eszter said cheerfully as Abbie walked up to the counter in Brew. ‘You’re up early. And you’re smiling. Something happen last night?’
Abbie laughed. ‘You’re too intuitive for your own good. I stayed over at Huntley Manor, with Jack.’
‘Ah,’ Eszter said knowingly. She started making Abbie’s coffee. ‘Two coffees to go then?’ Abbie nodded and leaned against the counter to wait for them. ‘And so, you’ve made your decision?’
‘I think so. I need to go back to London. That was always my plan.’
‘Plans can change though, look at me.’
‘I know, but I love my job. I want to get back to it, and setting up my own business is something I’ve always wanted to do.’
‘And you need Jack for that?’
‘I want him for that,’ Abbie admitted. ‘He’s so successful, Eszter. This is going to work, I know it.’
‘Well, as long as this is what you want, then I’m really excited for you.’ She slid the two coffees over. ‘They’re on me. I’ll be sorry to see you go, Abbie, but if this is your dream then you should go for it.’
‘I think I’ll always wonder “what if”, you know, if I don’t try it.’
‘That’s true. And you know that we’re always here for you, if things don’t work out.’
Abbie frowned. Why was everyone so unsure that it would work out? ‘Well, thank you, but it will work out. I can do it.’
‘Oh, I know you can. I meant with Jack.’
‘Why wouldn’t it?’
Eszter put her hands up in surrender. ‘I’m not saying that it won’t. I just wanted you to know that we’re all here for you. You can leave Littlewood, but I don’t think it ever leaves you, right?’
Abbie picked up the coffees. ‘I guess I’ll let you know about that.’
‘Good luck, Abbie. Honestly, I wish you every success.’
‘I know,’ Abbie said, letting her defensiveness slide. She smiled. ‘Thanks, Eszter. And this isn’t goodbye.’
‘It better not be.’
Abbie walked out of Brew, looking up at Huntley Manor as she strolled back to Jack. The sun had started to appear and the building looked lovely in the morning light. She would miss this place. More than she ever thought possible before this summer. But she had made her decision.
No going back now.
Now she just had to tell her sister, and Thomas, and she really wasn’t looking forward to doing either.
Chapter Sixteen
Louise couldn’t remember the last time she had felt this hung-over. Not since university, she was sure. She managed to cl
imb out of bed, but her head was pounding, her eyes sore, and her body ached. She was still in her clothes from the night before, and her mouth felt like she had swallowed sandpaper. Ugh. She had no idea why she had done this to herself.
She got out of bed and changed into pyjamas, knowing she wouldn’t want to get out of them all day. She tied her hair back and went into the bathroom to wash off the remnants of her make-up and to brush her teeth. She then stumbled downstairs, in need of painkillers and coffee, and possibly a bacon sandwich. The cottage was still and quiet, and she remembered Abbie had stayed at Jack’s last night. She was alone again.
Louise walked into the living room and stopped in horror. ‘Oh,’ she said with a start. Lying on the sofa was a man, his arm hanging towards the floor. She walked forwards as he grunted and rolled over. Louise stopped again in horror.
Oh God. Alex was asleep on her sofa.
‘Alex?’ she said tentatively, walking up to him.
He opened his eyes and groaned again. ‘What time is it?’ he asked, his voice gruff. Louise leaned over to see the clock on the cooker. ‘Almost eleven. Um, what are you doing here?’
Alex sat up slowly, looking as rough as she knew she did. It looked like they had all overdone it at the pub. He met her gaze and smiled. ‘Well, you asked me to stay last night, so I slept down here.’
Louise felt herself blush from head to toe. She had asked him to stay? How embarrassing. ‘I should never have drunk that much.’
She turned quickly and went into the kitchen, unable to look at him any longer. She hurried to the coffee maker. She couldn’t believe she had asked Alex to stay. What else did she do or say to him last night?
‘How are you feeling?’ Alex had followed her in.
‘I’m fine,’ she trilled, keeping her back to him. ‘Well, a little bit hung-over. Look, I’m so sorry I asked you to stay. I shouldn’t have done that.’
‘I didn’t mind,’ he replied. ‘I’ve got the day off today anyway.’
She glanced at him quickly over her shoulder. He was watching her closely. She looked away quickly. ‘Coffee, or do you need to get home? I bet you have lots to do on your day off,’ she babbled. She poured a coffee and took a deep gulp even though it scalded her.
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