“This is amazing,” I whispered, still looking around in awe. For a second I forgot myself and imagined living here with Cole, walking through this door clutching our shopping or stumbling up those stairs after a night out.
Cole stepped forward; his chest pressed against my back. I bit my lip.
“We’re only in the entrance hall, Oakley. The rest of the house might be a crap hole,” he whispered in my ear.
“So! This room’s huge, just camp in here. ”
He chuckled and nudged me forwards, towards one of the doors.
“Let’s go in this one. ”
I didn’t pay any attention to what he said; all I could concentrate on was how close he was and how my body felt alive again. Cole reached around me and opened the door.
“Wow,” I said.
We stepped into the most amazing kitchen. It needed a lot of work; the units were old and falling apart, but it was huge, perfect for parties and entertaining.
“Cole, buy this house. ”
He rolled his eyes. “You’ve only seen two rooms, and one was a hall. ”
“But if it’s all like this…”
“Broken and falling apart?”
“Even the things that look broken beyond repair have a chance at being whole again. It just depends how much you want to rebuild it. ”
His hand reached out, and he stroked his thumb along my jaw.
“Why do I get the feeling you’re not just talking about the house. ”
“Because I’m not. ” I frowned and stepped away. “Let’s check out the other rooms. ”
Grabbing his hand, I pulled him out of the kitchen and into the lounge next door. It was just as amazing as the rest of the house. Large, tall ceiling, chunky wooden floor, and in need of some work.
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“Alright, if you don’t buy this place I’m going to. ”
Cole smirked and looked around. “I do like it, but I want to see the rest first!”
“Come on then. Oh and promise me you won’t replace the floors, have them restored. ”
“Yes boss!”
After making our way through the house, checking out the three bedrooms, box room and bathrooms, we went out in the garden. Outside was also quite large, but overgrown. The patio was broken up and covered in slimy green moss.
“So what do you think?” I asked, watching Cole look around the garden.
“I like it. ” He got his phone out, and I knew he was calling the estate agent. “Hello, Margaret… yeah, I really like it but is the work just cosmetic? I mean I’m not gonna move in and it falls down or anything. ”
I held my breath as they discussed the structural damage or what seemed to be a lack of.
“Okay, then I want it. ”
Yes! I didn’t even know why I was so excited. I wouldn’t be living in the gorgeous house. Soon I wouldn’t even be in the same time zone as it. Cole hung up and slipped his phone in his pocket.
“You’re buying it?”
He nodded. “You’re helping. You’re staying here until stupid o’clock in the morning painting and tiling. You’re working for hot chocolate and ice cream. ”
I laughed. “Deal. Wait, how quickly can you move in?”
“Fairly quickly. There’s no chain, so I’ve just got to wait for all the legal shit to be completed. ” He shook his head and smiled. “I can’t believe I’ve just bought this hole!”
“It won’t be a hole!”
“I know. I wanted a project, and I’ve certainly got one. ” He looked up at the house, at his house. “Man I can’t wait to move in now. ”
“Well let’s get started. You drive to some boring DIY store and we can pick up paint charts. Ooh and look at kitchens and bathrooms!”
He groaned. “You’re going to be a nightmare, aren’t you?”
“Absolutely. Come on. ”
We arrived back at Cole’s house, well his parents’ house, loaded with brochures and paint charts from every brand.
“How did it go?” Jenna asked as we walked in his soon-to-be old house.
“Great. I’m a hundred and twenty-three grand poorer,” he replied sarcastically. It was a steal at that price. Although he was going to spend quite a bit doing it up.
“But you have an amazing house,” I countered.
“First, I have a project. A damn expensive, time consuming project. ”
“You’re so negative, sweetheart. We’ll all help you decorate and whatever else it needs. ”
“What are we detoatin?” Leona asked, rubbing her eyes.
“Uncle Cole’s new house. ”
Leona’s bottom lip stuck out, and she looked up at Cole with big pleading eyes.
“I want you to live here. ”
Cole rolled his eyes at his mum and picked Leona up.
“I’ll come see you all the time, and you can stay at mine whenever you want, okay?”
She nodded and flung her arms around his neck. I didn’t blame her for getting upset. I would hate not seeing him all the time. I did hate it.
I spent a little more time with Cole, Leona, and Jenna, talking about the house before going back to Ali’s. I wanted to stay longer, but I didn’t want to push it.
Mum’s hire car was the only one in the drive so Ali and Lizzie had obviously gone out.
“You back with him yet?” Jasper asked as soon as I walked in the house.
“Hello to you too. ”
He cocked his head to the side, waiting for an answer.
“No, Jasper. ”
“You two are stupid. ”
I glared at him and walked away. I wasn’t in the mood for Jasper’s Cole talk. “It’s gonna happen eventually. ”
I had an hour before I had to leave to meet up with my lawyer, Linda. So I didn’t have to spend it arguing with Jasper over what I should do about Cole, I grabbed a magazine off Lizzie’s desk and laid on the futon to read it.
When I couldn’t put it off any longer, I went downstairs. Mum and Jasper had offered to come with me, but I honestly didn’t want them to. I was still hoping they would change their mind about being there while I was giving evidence. I understood they wanted to be there – hopefully to watch him go down – but I hated the thought of them hearing everything that happened with Frank.
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“Hi, honey,” Mum said. Her voice was soft, the voice she used for me as a child.
I smiled. “Hey. ”
“Are you sure you don’t want us to come?” Jasper asked, getting straight to the point.
“I’m sure. ”
Mum sighed. “We don’t mind. We both want to be there for you. ”
“I know, but the best way you can help me is by letting me do this alone. Please?”
Mum nodded, agreeing as I thought she would. Jasper frowned, but I knew he had given in. Running away was easier, and I wanted nothing more than to be back in Australia but that would solve nothing.
The doorbell ringing broke me from my thoughts.
“I got it,” Jasper shouted, even though we were all in the same room.
Jasper soon returned to the kitchen followed by Cole. I immediately felt a little better.
“Call me if you need anything. Jasper, you can come and help me at the supermarket. ”
“What?” Jasper said. Mum ushered him out of the room.
“Ah, you’re giving them time alone. ”
I sighed.
“Love you. Call if you need me,” Mum said and kissed my forehead.
“Shouldn’t you be working?”
He took a half-day holiday to view the house, but he was supposed to go back in the afternoon.
“So you’ve given up on the hello thing altogether,” he teased, leaning on the breakfast bar.
I smiled. “Only with you! Seriously, why aren’t you at work? Did they finally realise what they’d done hiring you in th
e first place?”
“Ha ha. I’ve actually come to take you to your appointment. ”
He held his hand up as I was about to argue. Did my mother ask him to?
“Shh, no arguing. I’m taking you. I’ll wait outside if you want me too, but I’m going. If I have to, I’ll just stalk you there. ”
“Creeper. ”
“Shut up and get in the car. ” He tried to sound stern but a little smile let him down.
I grinned. “Fine. ”
We drove in silence, and I was fairly relaxed for what I was about to be discussing. However, when we parked outside Linda’s office, I felt sick.
“It’s gonna be okay,” Cole said, rubbing the back of my hand with his thumb. “If you want me to come in I will. ”
“Thanks. ” My throat was dry, making my voice hoarse. I could do this though. It was just about what was going to happen. I wasn’t actually going to see either of them in my lawyers office! “Okay, let’s just get this over with. ”
I got out and followed Cole inside, sticking to him like glue. He was safety, and I didn’t want to let him go.
Linda stood by the reception desk putting blue files in a wooden tray. She looked up.
“Hello, Oakley. Come on through. ”
She was a petite lady with long, prematurely greying hair. She looked like more of a teacher than a lawyer, but her looks were very deceiving, the woman was like a shark in court, apparently. I had every faith that she would get them sent down.
“Thank you. ” I looked up to Cole, biting on my lip nervously. “Come with me?”
He squeezed my hand. “Course I will. ”
Cole and I sat opposite Linda. My stomach felt like it was tipping upside down. I was being stupid! I was only here to talk about what was going to happen when the trial started; that was it. Reaching out, I grabbed Cole’s hand, holding it in a death grip.
I took a deep breath. “So what’s going to happen then?”
“Well, as you know the trial is starting in just under two weeks. I’m not exactly sure when you’ll be giving evidence yet though. ” She frowned. “This is a very complex case, but I predict it’ll be in roughly three or four weeks; it just depends on how cooperative Mr Farrell is. His lawyer also has a long list of witnesses to call. ”
“They’re still pleading not guilty, aren’t they?”
Linda waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about that. Their plea is a joke; there’s too much evidence against them. The jury can’t ignore the evidence. There are five girls, including you, giving evidence against your father. This trial will be a long one, but you have the truth on your side, and a lot of people willing to back it up. ”
Linda was so positive. I suppose she would have to be, but we all knew guilty people walked free occasionally.
“So you have complete confidence then? They won’t get away with it?” I didn’t know what I would do if they got away with it. If they were free to carry on with their lives. I don’t think I would ever be able to come back to England if they did. I couldn’t face the possibility of running into them.
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“I have confidence, yes. ” She leant forwards. “I believe you, Oakley, and I believe justice will be served, but I can’t promise. ”
“How close will they be to me?” I whispered. A shudder ran through my body. The same room was too close, but there was no way around that.
“They won’t be close to you, I can promise you that. There is no way they can get near you. You’ll be safe, but if at any point it becomes too much I can ask for a break. ”
“Okay. Thank you. What if they try talking to me?”
“They won’t be allowed to. If they attempt to, there will be consequences. It will look incredibly bad on their part if they try anything like that. They would have been severely warned not to. ”
I let out a deep breath. Thank God.
“How long are we looking at them getting?” Cole asked, frowning angrily.
“I’m going to ask that the judge considers the maximum sentence. ”
“Good. Just a shame we don’t still have the death sentence. ” I squeezed Cole’s hand. He was getting angry.
Once Linda had explained everything, we stood up. I was relieved to be leaving. “I’ll be in touch soon if anything has changed. You can call me if you think of anything else. ”
“Thank you. ”
“Thanks,” Cole replied.
We stepped out of the building, and I felt more scared than before. It was getting way too real now. I could no longer say it was months off or ages away: it was soon. I turned to Cole, and he wrapped his arms around me.
I gripped hold of him and buried my head in his chest.
“It’s going to be okay. I’ll be with you; I promise. ” His lips pressed against the top of my head. “I never stopped loving you, Oakley,” he whispered into my hair.
I smiled and gripped him harder, needing to be closer. “I never stopped loving you. ”
Chapter Eight
Cole
‘I never stopped loving you’. Those five words made me feel a thousand feet tall. I knew she hadn’t moved on or met someone else, but hearing the words meant everything.
She pulled back and gave me a weak smile.
“You gonna be okay?” I asked, trying to hold off kissing her.
“I’ll be fine,” she whispered, still gripping onto my T-shirt.
Her actions contradicted her words.
“I need ice cream. Do you have to get back to work or do you have some time?”
“I’m yours all day. ”
Oakley smiled, and that playful glint returned to her eyes.
“They did fire you, didn’t they?”
“Why would they fire me? I’m a fucking legend!”
She laughed, quickly covering it up with a cough. That was what I wanted though, to make her laugh.
“I took a day’s holiday, actually. ”
“You took a day off work so you could come with me?”
I’m not sure if I should be a little insulted that she was surprised. Of course I took the day off to go with her.
“Yeah,” I replied
“Thank you. ”
“Any time. Now let’s go get some ice cream. ” I grabbed her hand instinctively and led her towards my car. Her hand in mine felt so natural. When we were together like this, it felt like we’d never been apart.
Oakley scrunched her nose up. “I don’t like the new place. They should change it back. ”
“Yeah I know. They won’t though. I already requested. ”
“Really? They wouldn’t rip out all the new stuff and replace it with the old?” she asked, cocking her head to the side.
“You’re so sarcastic now. Australia was a bad influence on you. ”
She shook her head.
“It’s not Australia. You just make it easy. ”
Before I could react she pulled her hand out of mine and shot around to the passenger side of my car, laughing her beautiful head off. Seeing her smile and hearing her laugh was completely worth her teasing the crap out of me.
“Shut up and get in the car,” I said, repeating my words from earlier.
“Shut up and unlock the car,” she countered.
I tried not to grin as I unlocked the door. As soon as her hand reached out to grab the handle I locked it again.
“How old are you, Cole?”
Chuckling to myself, I unlocked it again and got in.
“You missed the turning,” Oakley pointed out as I purposefully drove past ice cream parlour.
“I know. We’re going somewhere else. ”
“I knew it! Gay club, right?”
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“You’re insulting yourself there, Oaks. ”
She mumbled something under her breath that I couldn’t understand. Messing arou
nd with her was fun before, but now she had the confidence to properly give it back I loved it.
I parked in my drive and suddenly felt nervous. What if she thought I was some sort of weird creep? “We’re having ice cream at your house?”
“Yeah. Come on. ”
Oakley followed me to the kitchen, where I made two milkshakes and two bowls of ice cream.
“Okay, follow me,” I mumbled.
She looked at me like I was crazy as I got her to hold the tray while I opened the garage door.
“We’re having ice cream in your garage?”
“Trust me. ”
I took the tray off her and led her around the old wardrobes, car parts, and cardboard boxes. Taking a shaky breath, I walked around the clothes rail and stopped as I saw it. She gasped, and I knew she’d seen it too.
“What…” Oakley trailed off.
I didn’t turn around. I was scared to see whatever look she had on her face right now.
“Why is this here?”
Finding some courage, I turned to face her.
“I bought it. ”
Her eyebrows shot up. “You bought our booth?”
At the back of the garage, tucked away in the corner, was our booth. They were selling the old booths, tables, and chairs when they did the remodelling, and I bought the one we spent so much time in. It was kind of stupid, but it felt like the last little bit of her left to me, and I couldn’t let it go.
“Yeah, I bought it. ”
She nodded, staring at me dumbfounded. Okay, this was bad. I shouldn’t have brought her here. I should have just kept it to myself.
Finally, after a few of the longest minutes of my life she smiled.
“I can’t believe you did that. ”
She walked past me and sat down on her usual side, and I sighed. She was sitting and not running.
I had not been that scared in a while, not since Mia’s waters broke when we were home alone.
“Well I didn’t want someone else having their smelly arse on our booth. ”
“Why would they have a smelly…” She shook her head. “Actually never mind. Gimme the ice cream!”
Chuckling, I set her milkshake and ice cream down in front of her, doing a little bow.
“You’re dismissed,” she said, playing along and waving her hand at me.
“What am I? Your bitch?”
Her silence and smug smile said it all.
“So, how much did you pay for it?”
Dilemma. Do I tell her the truth and make her think I was unstable, and a bit of an obsessive stalker, or lie, so I didn’t look too bad. I sighed, not really having a choice. I couldn’t lie to her.
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