What was not normal was Fiona, appearing out of nowhere, standing on the other side of her reception desk asking her to lunch. Well it was more like a softer version of an Aiden order.
“Fiona I am not sure –.” Maddie started to say.
“I will just go and take a seat over there,” Fiona said pointing to some comfy seats in the reception area. “Just come and get me when you’re on your break.”
Then before she could say anything more the older woman walked over to the seats, sat and pulled a book out of her bag. It looked like she was settled in and ready to wait for her to get her lunch break. Maddie could feel a cold sweat start to sweep over her body. This was not good.
“You can go for your break now if you want Maddie.” Richard said from beside her.
Richard had helped her out when she first started working there, helped her find her footing and was a friendly face to see every day. Mostly though he was just a person she could work alongside and have good conversation while they did.
Turning to look at him she bit her lip.
“What’s wrong?” he asked frowning. “You want me to get rid of her?”
Although Richard was old enough to be her dad he was not to be frowned at. He worked hard to still be in shape and it paid off. Not that he would need that to get rid of Fiona.
“No.” Maddie said quickly then thought for a moment.
Could she share this, or anything personal, with Richard? Did they know each other well enough to have this conversation?
“Thanks Richard.” Maddie cleared her throat before carrying on; “I think I will take my lunch now.”
Giving her a small nod but still frowning a little he wished her a happy lunch and got back on with his paper work. Maddie signed herself out and went to get her coat and bag.
Maybe it was important to keep her working life away from her messed up personal life. After all she would need a good reference from here when she left.
Coming out the staff door she walked over to Fiona. Maddie knew she was dragging her feet but she just didn’t know what to expect. If you take away the fact that she had never been to lunch with someone while she had worked here, definitely not with a mother-like-figure to a man that had sort of made it clear he wanted nothing to do with her, it was just something that she didn’t know how to do full stop.
“That you ready for lunch?” Fiona asked closing her book and looking at her expectantly.
Taking a deep breath and letting it out slowly, she decide to let her curiosity get the better of her not the fear crawling around in her stomach.
“Yeah I am.” Maddie said trying to sound like she was excited.
Fiona looked at her for a second showing that she didn’t believe that Maddie was looking forward to lunch. But as the older woman put her book away Maddie figured that Fiona decided to act like it was real too.
“Where are we going?” Maddie asked.
Because she only worked 3 days a week to pay the bills and then sold candles for extras, Maddie didn’t have a lot of free money. She worked to a budget and had enough cash that she could do some fun things but an expensive place was not really in her budget. Until this moment it had never bothered her or been something that she would get embarrassed about.
“I know a lovely little place where you can eat outside in the sun and we will have no one to bother us.” Fiona said smiling huge.
She was not wrong. Fiona took them to her and Eddie’s house. She made them a huge sandwich, crisps and a glass of orange juice.
“One night we will have to do this but have wine.” Fiona said as she led them out into the garden.
Maddie was struggling to stay calm through this whole thing while Fiona was making plans to do it again. The garden was amazing and a riot of different colours. They sat round a little metal table that was under a yellow umbrella. The sun didn’t shine often in Casterfield so it was nice to be able to enjoy it while it was here.
They sat for a while in silence not saying anything. Each mouth full of food felt like tasteless morsels. Going by the meal they had on Saturday Fiona could cook so she was sure that the sandwich was yummy. She was just way too freaked out to taste it properly.
“I am so embarrassed.” Fiona whispered, her head bent and shoulders slumped.
What? That was the last thing that Maddie was expecting to hear her say. Not that she really knew what she was expecting.
“Why?” Maddie asked softly.
Fiona looked up at her confused.
“About last night,” She said. “Because of what happened at dinner.”
Maddie frowned. “Dinner was lovely. It has been ages since I had a meal that someone else cooked for me.”
Giving a small gasp, Fiona’s hand reached out and held onto hers. “Oh honey.”
Some people found it so easy to just give comfort and reach out to people. It was clear that Fiona was one of them. It actually broke her heart that she would have to leave these people that cared about others so easily. Deep down she could feel the jealousy and longing to be able to express how she was feeling, to share the way that Aiden wanted her to and most of all she wished that she could stay and become one of them.
Maddie shook her head and ignored the need to run and cry into her pillows for hours.
“It was honestly lovely.” Maddie said trying to move the conversation on. “So I don’t see what there is to be embarrassed about.”
Giving her hand a squeeze before letting go Fiona sat back in her seat and looked at her straight in the eyes.
“Jessica.” She whispered again.
Then understanding hit Maddie and she gave Fiona a reassuring smile.
“What happened with Jessica was nothing to do with you.” Maddie said gently.
Fiona started to open her mouth and closed it again. Was she going to argue or was she simply not sure about what to say. Maddie couldn’t tell.
“I don’t know what is going on with her or any of the history but what happened last night was nothing to do with you.” Maddie said again softly, then she tried copying Fiona’s move and took her hand. “I don’t think badly about you, Eddie or Aiden because of what Jessica said or did.”
With her free hand Fiona wiped a tear away from her eye but didn’t look away from Maddie or let go of her hand.
“I also know that Jessica has her issues but she can’t treat or speak to people the way she did last night.” Maddie carried on. “What I am trying to say is that anything that happened after we finished eating didn’t take away a single second of fun that I had beforehand.”
For a while they just sat and took in the world around them. Listening to the bee’s around the flowers and the birds singing to each other. Maddie didn’t know if she had said the right thing but Fiona hadn’t kicked her out so that meant something she guessed.
“She never used to be like this.” Fiona started. “When her and Aiden came and lived with us she was lost, very lost. The only person that could make her smile was Aiden but when she did it was one of the most beautiful things I had ever seen. It just became harder and harder for anybody to bring her out of herself.”
She shouldn’t be hearing this. Maddie wanted to stop her but she couldn’t quite do it. She couldn’t bring herself to stop the flow of information that Fiona was giving her. She knew she should but getting to know more about Aiden was just too tempting. Even if it was mainly about Jessica.
“Jessica met Harry and she was back. The girl that laughed and smiled at everything. She was like she was before her mother and father died.” Fiona paused for a second lost in her own thoughts. “Then it went wrong again.”
Enough.
“Fiona.” Maddie said softly. “You shouldn’t be telling me this.”
The older woman turned to look at her quickly obviously surprised at Maddie’s words.
“I just wanted to explain.” Fiona stated.
“Oh no.” Maddie said. “I didn’t mean…I just meant…I shouldn’t be hearing this. It’s no
ne of my business.”
“Of course!” Fiona exclaimed.
Gone was the sadness from her eyes and taking its place was a happiness that shined from her in a way that took Maddie back a bit. What had caused the sudden change? They had been talking about Jessica’s past and now Fiona looked like she wanted to hug her and dance around the garden.
“Your totally right honey I shouldn’t be telling you this.” Fiona picked up her sandwich and was about to take a mouthful of food when she finished talking. “Aiden should tell his girlfriend not me.”
Maddie froze, that was not exactly what she had meant.
“Eddie and I are so happy that he has met someone.” Fiona said then giggled. “Doesn’t hurt that we like you too.”
Again Maddie didn’t know what to say so she smiled and started to eat her lunch again.
The rest of the lunch went fine, actually Maddie had a really nice time, but she had to go back to work. She was sad to be ending the lunch because Fiona was a really great person but it was for the best. She also needed to not come round to hers again. It was going to be so hard to leave these people behind, each new day was making it harder still. Most of all though, lunch had helped her understand Aiden a bit more and that she definitely hadn’t wanted.
His sister never got over the loss of their parents and he worked hard to keep her happy. God knows what else he has done for her since then. It wasn’t all bad though because Aiden had had Eddie and Fiona and they seemed to be amazing. They totally loved both him and Jessica no matter what they did. Maddie wished she’d had that, she wished she was able to stay and see if she could get that from them too.
For the first time she even wished that she could stay and see what was between Aiden and her.
It couldn’t happen.
She had to go.
The rest of her day went by fairly quickly with nothing exciting coming up at work. Richard hadn’t asked about Fiona and for that Maddie was grateful but it was clear that he had wanted to know, maybe even wanted her to share with him. She didn’t.
At the end of her shift she got her stuff and headed home. Walking slowly she took in the life around her. People, like herself, making their way home. Others were walking dogs or linked arms with partners or relatives. If she wasn’t going to stay here she wanted to take in Casterfield while she could. It was an amazing place to stay. The buildings were beautiful and the walks that you could go on were lovely. It was going to be really hard to find a place that was better than here. When she had arrived and started to make her flat her home it had felt right to be here. That feeling had never left her.
Then she felt it. Something dark. Someone was watching her. Looking around she couldn’t see anything but there was definitely something there. Something really bad.
It was him.
It took years of hiding from him to know what it feels like when he was after her. She knew, without a doubt, that he was watching her and waiting till she was alone.
Every nerve in her body was screaming at her to run but he would out run her, he had many times before, she needed to do something though. Reaching in her bag she wrapped her fingers around her ever present pepper spray and increased her walking pace just a little bit. She was still two streets away, Maddie wasn’t sure her legs would make it. They felt like jelly carrying her along. Although she tried to fight it she kept looking over her shoulder for him. It didn’t matter where she looked she couldn’t spot him. She couldn’t see him in the windows of the buildings, on the streets or in amongst the people strolling by. But over those last two streets she had left to walk she knew he was there and following her every step.
When she turned the corner on to her road, Maddie got her keys out of her bag and got them ready in her hand, then she finally gave in to the need to run. There wasn’t anybody else on the street that would give her the protection to stop her from being taken. The door to 14 Parkview, her building, was in the middle, exactly, so Maddie ran like her life depended on it. Which it did.
Somehow she knew that he had also picked up the pace and as she got closer she could hear the sound of someone running after her. They were going much faster and Maddie couldn’t run any faster but she managed to reach the door before her follower. Jamming the key into the lock she threw the door open and ran up the stairs. When she reached her floor she was looking over her shoulder, down the stairs, to make sure he hadn’t gotten into the building when she walked into someone’s chest. A well-muscled, strong, wall-like, male chest.
Tilting her head back she screamed at the top of her lungs and for all she was worth. Hopefully somebody was in the building to come and help her…hopefully not Sarah, Ethan and Rosie though.
“MADDIE!” Aiden shouted. “What the fuck?”
Marvin barked and scratched franticly on the other side of her door.
Slowly, it penetrated, the chest she had walked into and was now held against, tightly, was Aiden’s and not her chasers.
Trying to catch her breath again she gave all her weight to Aiden. It didn’t register till later that he took it with ease and without question. She let her head fall forward and rest against his collar bone as she sucked air in and out and tried to think clearly. The heat of his arms around her slowly penetrated her fear as his inviting smell filled her senses.
“Maddie what is going on?” Aiden asked his arms giving her a squeeze before pulling away a little.
Maddie just shook her head and looked down at her toes. What if he was watching them now? She quickly pulled away from Aiden all together and moved to the top of the stairwell and looked down. He definitely didn’t seem to be there now. Maybe he hadn’t made it to the building door.
“Maddie?” Aiden said reaching out for her arm.
She was moving too quickly for him and dogged his hand before looking out the window. He wasn’t in the street either. There was no one in the street. Maddie moved to her door then and with shaking hands she unlocked and opened it. Marvin ran right into her legs, rubbed against her, looked around before then running down the stairs. His head down as he sniffed the steps as he went.
“Maddie.” Aiden said turning her around to look at him.
As soon as he saw her face he frowned and pulled her closer to him. Maddie didn’t know what he had seen but her heart was racing and she felt like she was going to be sick. She was so sacred that all of her body was trembling and felt incredibly weak.
So…no, she didn’t know what he saw but it couldn’t be good.
“I have had enough of this already.” Aiden stated to himself then to her he said, “You are staying at mine tonight.”
She should go into her flat now and seriously start packing. Maddie could look up places to go to on her phone when she was on a bus going to the middle of nowhere. That seemed like the best plan. Wait…What did he say?
“What?” She said to Aiden who was walking towards her to take her keys out of her hand. “Did you just say that I was staying at yours tonight?”
Before he could answer the Flat door next to hers opened a tiny bit, Sarah stuck her head out looked around. Seeing the two of them stood at the top of the stairs she let the door open all the way.
“Oh my god.” Sarah said in relief her hand rising to rest against her chest.
Her neighbour stood in the door way in black jeans and a yellow t-shirt. In the hand that wasn’t raised to her chest was a frying pan. No joke. A shiny black-bottomed frying pan.
“Em…Sarah?” Maddie said gently. “What’s the frying pan for?”
Letting her hand fall down to her side she looked at her other hand and lifted it to wave the frying pan around. Stopping again she smiled.
“It’s to whack against bad guys’ heads.” She said starting to laugh.
Maddie didn’t know what it was but watching her new friend wave that pan around as if it was a bat made her start to laugh. Sarah looked at her and laughed harder. Before Maddie knew it she was wiping laughter tears from her eyes and smiled at Sarah.
“Typical.” Aiden muttered as he stood watching the hysterical women.
It hit her then that although Sarah has two young kids she was still willing to come out, with a frying pan, to save her. It suddenly didn’t seem so funny anymore.
“Sarah.” She whispered stunned.
Sarah, who had been wiping tears out of her eyes, just winked at her.
“Anytime hun.” Sarah said smoothly.
The sound of Marvin’s nails on the steps could be heard as he raced back up and stood next to Maddie. He growled at the stairs then looked round at the 3 people stood around him. He growled once more as he sat and leaned all his body weight into Maddie. She scratch his head and took reassurance from having him close.
Aiden frowned at the dog’s strange behaviour and looked towards the stairs himself.
Sarah seemed to blink and take in her full surroundings and what had brought her out in the hall in the first place.
“Why were you screaming?” She asked.
“Now that’s a good question.” Aiden claimed as he looked away from the stairs and back down at Maddie.
Glancing between the two Maddie felt very put on the spot. She might have shared with Sarah about her past but she would not be telling her about him following her home. To start with she might not believe Maddie, then she might want to call the police but most of all Maddie was worried that her new friend would regret being just that and feel that Maddie had put her family in danger. Not that that would happen because she would not be sharing what caused her to scream with Aiden around. He would want to know everything.
“Sorry.” Maddie said as calmly as she could. “I just came up the stairs and ran into Aiden. Gave me a fright I guess. Nothing to worry about.”
Sarah looked unsure for a moment but nodded. Aiden, on the other hand, frowned down at her not believing a word of it. Why was he so able to see through her lies and shield?
“Okay.” Sarah said starting to turn to go back into the flat before pausing, “Have a good night. Maybe you can come round for a glass of wine in a bit.”
Becoming Maddie (The Casterhouse series Book 1) Page 11