Something You Should Know

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Something You Should Know Page 45

by Melissa Hill


  So by the time they got back on firm ground and reached the hotel, she was sore, bruised and covered in sand. Adam on the other hand, was just hungry.

  ‘How about you go and shower off all that sand and we’ll meet back down here for dinner?’ he suggested, the invitation so casual and easy it was as if they’d been doing it for years.

  Leonie was pleased. ‘Sure, see you in an hour?’

  ‘Perfect.’

  And back in her hotel room, as she stood beneath the cold, but very welcome shower spray in a strange hotel on the edge of the Sahara, Leonie smiled, getting the distinct feeling that this could be the beginning of something great.

  Chapter 6

  It was the day before Valentine’s Day and one of the busiest days at Flower Power Leonie had experienced so far. She and Marcy had worked like demons all day long, frantically taking in and getting orders ready to go out first thing the following day, as well as preparing bouquets for the wave of walk-in customers that they would undoubtedly have tomorrow. Valentine’s day mania really was something else and it felt like she’d been swimming in a sea of pink and red all day. Granted it was probably just as crazy back home, but as Leonie had never experienced it from the retailer side, she’d never really given it a second thought.

  ‘I can’t believe how unromantic this is!’ she complained to her boss, after taking a telephone order from yet another man who asked that she put ‘anything you like’ on the gift card. And so many guys were just popping in on spec and ordering pre-made bouquets for their other half, which wasn’t exactly thoughtful, was it? ‘These guys don’t seem to put any thought whatsoever into this.’ She indicated the pile of generic orders and bland message cards.

  ‘Welcome to the gifts industry sweetheart,’ Marcy said dryly. ‘What did you expect – Shakespeare?’

  ‘Well, no but I thought some of them could at least come up with something sweeter or more meaningful than just the bog standard ‘Happy Valentine’s Day.’’

  ‘Oh my, I think we’ve got a real live romantic on our hands here!’ her boss teased. ‘That sure won’t last long around here, I can tell you. You know, most guys don’t really think about this kind of stuff; they just do it because it’s expected of them.’

  ‘I suppose,’ Leonie said glumly, the scales having well and truly fallen from her eyes today. She wasn’t sure what she had been expecting exactly but it certainly wasn’t this frantic almost assembly line-type frenzy. Back home, Adam had always sent her a bouquet of red roses at work on the day, and took her out for dinner that evening – kind of mundane and unimaginative stuff now that she thought about it, but she’d always enjoyed the fuss and attention surrounding the occasion.

  Now, looking at from the other side, it felt very different.

  ‘You didn’t really expect them all to declare undying love, did you?’ her boss asked, putting the finishing touches to yet another a red rose bouquet – one of hundreds she’d already completed. ‘Are they like that in Ireland? Poetic, I mean?’

  ‘Well no, but –’

  ‘But clearly somebody was,’ she interjected with a knowing smile and Leonie wished she hadn’t brought the subject up. So far Marcy had been great fun to work for and so easy to chat to, but she wasn’t yet ready to discuss with her the reasons for being here. She knew the older woman suspected it had something to do with a man back home, hence the teasing, but to her credit she didn’t pry. ‘Well, poetic or not,’ Marcy continued, much to Leonie’s relief, ‘we’ve got a hell of a lot of lovin’ to get through today, so we’d better stop yakkin’ and get crackin.’’

  ‘Sounds good to me,’ she replied, answering the ringing telephone for what felt like the umpteenth time that day.

  When they finally finished at seven pm, having worked a full ten hours, Leonie was relieved to get back to the peace and quiet of Green Street. She put her key in the door, deciding that a long soak in the bath, followed by some good TV sounded like just the thing, as no doubt they’d be even busier tomorrow and …

  Leonie paused mid-thought, as going inside, she spotted a couple of letters lying at her feet in the hallway. Her eyes widened. Wow, her very first post! This really made the apartment feel like home. But who on earth would be writing to her?

  Then she smiled as she reached down to pick it up. That last time they’d spoken, Grace had asked for her address so she could send a housewarming card, so this was probably it. Phew, for a moment there she’d wondered if maybe Adam had found out where she was, but then again he would hardly…

  Oh, there were two envelopes.

  On the way upstairs to her apartment, Leonie tore open the first one to find as expected, a lovely housewarming card from her friend. Despite herself, tears pricked at the corner of her eyes when she read the short message.

  Happy housewarming. Hope you’re happy in your new place, but not too much! We miss you and hope you’ll come back to us very soon.

  Lots of love, Grace, Ray, Rocky and Rosie. XX

  She absently ripped opened the second envelope, the card having made her feel lonely and a little bit sad. That wouldn’t have been Grace’s intention of course, but she couldn’t help it. It was almost as if… Leonie paused mid-thought as she unfolded a single piece of paper.

  Dear Helena,

  I’m not sure if you even live here anymore, probably not, and I know it’s been a while, but I just wanted to let you know how sorry I am …

  Leonie frowned. What the hell …? But then all at once, a thought struck her and she picked up the ripped envelope and turned it over.

  ‘Oh you eejit,’ she grunted, cursing herself for being so brainless. In her haste, she hadn’t bothered checking the name on the front of the letter, automatically assuming it was for her. But the letter was addressed to and obviously meant for Helena Abbott – the tenant who had lived here previously.

  Feeling very stupid indeed, and also somewhat guilty for opening someone else’s private correspondence, Leonie quickly stuffed the letter back in the envelope, as if to try and undo her mistake. But there was no way of re-sealing it, as she’d been so careless when opening the thing she’d practically torn the envelope to smithereens…

  She bit her lip, trying to decide what to do. The woman was still getting post here, yet the rental agency had no forwarding address for her so what was she supposed to do with it?

  Turning the piece of paper over once more, she studied it properly. It was a very short letter – only a few scrawled lines, barely a note really – from a person called Nathan.

  Leonie scanned the text, looking for an address or something that might indicate where it had come from, when a particular sentence caught her eye.

  Just wondering if you ever got those other letters I sent you? You never replied (which I guess is understandable) but I hope they went a way towards explaining some things.

  Other letters? Leonie cast her mind back to that box of envelopes hidden away in the back of wardrobe. Was he by any chance referring to those? She peered at the handwriting, trying to make a comparison. Difficult to tell, but it certainly looked very similar to the elegant, cursive script she’d seen before. Intrigued, she headed in to the bedroom to get the box.

  Sitting down on the bed, she unwrapped the cellophane and lifted out a single envelope for comparison. Yes, the handwriting on this was definitely the same as the one that arrived today and she realised, flicking through the others, it also appeared on the other ten or so envelopes in this box – the ones he was referring to in today’s letter. Yet, all these remained unopened so clearly Helena Abbott hadn’t read them, despite the sender’s …what was his name again … Nathan’s hopes that she had.

  Not only that, but she’d left them behind when she moved. So what was going on here?

  Just then Leonie’s stomach rumbled, reminding her that it was late, she hadn’t yet eaten and more importantly, none of this really had anything to do with her. But still, she couldn’t resist reading through the short note again. He sounded q
uite nice, this Nathan guy. And clearly he was anxious to hear from Helena Abbott and to find out if his letters had explained …whatever needed explaining.

  Leonie felt bad. She supposed she should let him know that Helena had moved and that his letters hadn’t been received. But then, there was no bloody return address on the envelopes was there?

  So what was she supposed to do now? she wondered going back outside to the kitchen to make dinner. Chances were she was going to keep getting letters for Helena Abbott at this address, which was a bit of a pain. And seeing as there was no fear of your man getting the reply he sought, she certainly didn’t want to run the risk of him maybe one day turning up at her door and demanding to speak to Helena. Who knew what had gone on between them? No, she thought her mind racing, as she flung a ready-meal into the microwave, she’d better nip this in the bud and soon.

  So maybe after dinner, she should open one of the other letters and just take a teeny peek at it to see if there was a return address. Then if she found something, Leonie could try and make contact with the guy and explain what had happened. OK, so it probably wasn’t the most straightforward way of doing things, but as there were so many unknowns, she really didn’t have much of a choice, did she?

  My darling Helena,

  It’s been some time since my last letter and while I guess I didn’t really expect a reply, I hope it helped you understand why I did what I did. I’m sure you must hate me for it, but if it’s any consolation I hate myself even more.

  I was selfish, stupid and blinkered … all those things you accused me of, and although at the time I didn’t want to hear it, I know now that you were absolutely right.

  Is it too late to say I’m sorry?

  Please believe when I tell you that I love you more than anything else in this world. No matter what happens, and despite what you might think of me still, I just hope you realise that.

  Please forgive me,

  Nathan.

  Setting the letter down alongside her on the sofa, Leonie stared into space, her thoughts going a mile a minute. After dinner, she’d taken the box into the living room and carefully opened the first letter on the pile.

  And once she’d read the first couple of lines, she couldn’t bring herself to stop. OK so she really shouldn’t have read it all the way through, particularly when she was only supposed to be looking for a return address, but she just couldn’t help herself. Anyway, it was such a short letter that she’d had it read before she knew it, and it wasn’t as if it revealed all that much really.

  But this all seemed pretty ominous now, didn’t it? Who was this guy? Clearly he was Helena Abbott’s other half – or had been – and was trying to get back into her good books after something he’d done.

  Please forgive me.

  Leonie couldn’t help but be intrigued. Had the couple split up, same as her and Adam? If so, then it seemed like Nathan was the one at fault and whatever he’d done, clearly he was very sorry for it. Why else would he be looking for forgiveness? And it looked like he wasn’t aware that Helena had since moved out either, given that he was still sending stuff to this address.

  Anyway whatever he had done, Helena couldn’t have forgiven him, could she? she pondered. Not if she hadn’t read any of the letters in this box. And chances were this was why there were so many letters, and possibly why they were unopened in the first place! Leonie’s mind was racing now. Helena hadn’t opened any of the guy’s letters because whatever he’d done must have been bad enough for her to ignore him, and leave them all behind when she moved.

  Now her curiosity soared, not least because this situation had a few parallels with her own. The guy was obviously determined to get Helena back but clearly had no idea that she hadn’t even read his previous letters, let alone forgiven him. Picking up the letter again, she reread Nathan’s words.

  I’m sure you must hate me for what I did, but if it’s any consolation I hate myself even more.

  What on earth had he done? Far from coming across as a faithless love-rat type, Nathan actually sounded quite sweet, and was obviously still very much in love with Helena. But the poor guy had no idea that his letters would continue to be unanswered and he was wasting his time.

  Well, however intriguing this particular letter might be, Leonie sighed, it was certainly no help in finding its sender or recipient, given that there was no return address.

  Wasn’t it odd not to include this? Although maybe not so much for a personal letter, she realised then. After all, chances were if Helena was the love of Nathan’s life then she’d know where to reach him anyway, wouldn’t she?

  Yes that had to be it; unless…. she mused, her mind galloping again as she came up with yet another possibility; perhaps he hadn’t included a return address because he didn’t want Helena to know where he was?

  But then, why would he have mentioned something about her sending him a reply to an earlier letter he’d sent? ‘I guess I didn’t really expect a reply.’

  She rummaged through the pile of letters, hoping to find the other letter he referred to, the letter, which supposedly ‘went a way towards explaining some things’. They’d got all mixed up when she’d knocked them over that first day and some of the dates were hard to read so impossible to tell what order they were in.

  Maybe she should just open another one? She bit her lip, feeling guilty about reading someone else’s correspondence, and especially something so personal …

  Oh hell, she shouldn’t be doing this! Leonie berated herself.

  ‘Leave it alone you nosy wagon!’ she remonstrated privately, leaving aside the box of letters and turning on the TV. It was late and she was tired, and she really should know better than to let something like this preoccupy her. Goodness knows her snooping had got her into enough trouble in the past!

  She really should make the effort to get out and about a bit more; maybe join a club or something – anything that would help occupy her time and stop her poking her nose into other people’s business. Yes, that’s what she’d do, she decided, flicking through the channels to try and find something interesting to watch.

  But no matter how hard she tried to concentrate on the TV and forget about the letters, Leonie just couldn’t stop thinking about Helena and Nathan and what might have gone amiss in their relationship.

  My darling,

  How are you? Still missing you like crazy but more than anything else, I guess I just hope you’re happy. I still can’t tell you enough how sorry I am, and I hope that someday you’ll understand, and maybe some time in the future, if it’s not too much to ask, you might be able to forgive me.

  I can’t stop thinking about you and how much I miss being with you. I miss your smile, your laugh, the scent of your skin, and it’s driving me crazy not being able to hold you close and tell you how much I love you.

  As I write this, I can just picture you sitting in your favourite place on the windowsill gazing out at the bridge. Maybe the morning fog is slowly cascading over the towers and sweeping into the bay that way you love. You’ve always adored the bridge and although I’ve never been able to share your fascination with it, how could it not be special to me too, when it’s where we first met?

  I still remember how you looked on that day, your beautiful green eyes screwed up in intensity as you tried to find the perfect angle for the perfect shot and your long hair blowing in the breeze. Your camera was pretty much an extension of you back then, and you loved shooting the bridge from every conceivable angle. I can still remember how amazing the weather was that morning, the flaming orange of the towers an incredible contrast against the deep blue sky. You were aiming the lens upwards, trying to capture that visual when this goofball crashed into you and ruined it all…

  Lying in bed, the letter open in her hand, Leonie felt a lump in her throat. He sounded so lovely!

  It was one am and despite herself, all that evening she couldn’t stop thinking about the letters and hadn’t been able to resist opening another one to
see if she could find something that might help her restore them to their rightful owner. And blast it; she was just dying to find out what had happened to the couple!

  Clearly this letter wasn’t going to enlighten her much, but from his writing, Nathan really did sound like a lovely, gentle, romantic guy. His heartfelt words and account of how he and Helena had met on the bridge now made her feel almost like she was personally acquainted with them, and when reading that Helena too liked to sit by the bay window and stare out at the bridge, Leonie had felt an odd sense of kinship towards her.

  I miss your smile, your laugh, the scent of your skin, and it’s driving me crazy not being able to hold you close and tell you how much I love you.

  Where it had all gone wrong? Now Leonie really wanted to know. He and Helena had clearly been madly in love right from the off, so what on earth had happened? What was so bad that she couldn’t forgive him?

  Please Forgive Me.

  What on earth had this guy done?

  Continue reading PLEASE FORGIVE ME, or save over 50% by downloading a three-book Melissa Hill box set.

  Subscribe to the mailing list to avail of exclusive Melissa Hill book discounts and free new title previews. Connect with Melissa at www.facebook.com/melissahillbooks or www.twitter.com/melissahillbks Visit her website www.melissahill.ie

  Also by Melissa Hill

  Novels

  Something You Should Know

  The Wedding Invite

  Never Say Never

  Wishful Thinking

  All Because of You

  The Last to Know

  Christmas in New York (aka Before I Forget)

  Please Forgive Me

  The Truth About You

  A Gift From Tiffany’s

  The Charm Bracelet

  The Guest List

  A Gift To Remember

 

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