by Sarah Clay
After we were informed of Victoria's tactic, I’d thought Olivia would be devastated. But she still hadn’t voiced her opinion on any of it. This was the closest she’d been in mentioning the topic of Victoria at all.
“Livvie” Megan speaks in that same calming voice she offers to her patients in the hospital, “you’ve got all the power here, okay, but don’t push yourself further than you’re ready just because of her. You went through something traumatic, in reality, it can take many months, sometimes years to deal with.”
I smile gratefully towards Megan, glad she had become a part of Liv and I’s lives.
Liv’s shoulders drop a little when she looks back to me, I can see the tears in her eyes threatening to break away.
My poor confused girl just wants things to be normal again.
“How about I start working from the office two days a week. On them days, you can decide for yourself if you want to come with me or stay here with Charlie?”
She ducks her head, tucking herself into my chest. Bringing my arms around her I breathe out a sigh of relief, glad I could offer her what she needs, but still, have what I need too; her.
“Thank you Jacks” I hear her mumble against me a few minutes later, pulling away and sniffling a little.
I reach up, tucking her hair behind her ear.
“Anything for you baby, you know that” I’m awarded one of her special smiles, the ones she only hands out to me. I hold them close, they’ve been few and far between, but they’re full of gratitude and love.
“Blah, you two are nauseating, I think I liked it better when you were unconscious” Megan ruins the moment, but Liv starts laughing and I smile along to the sound of it.
Moments later we hear a rap on the door, Charlie bursts up from the ground beside Liv and springs towards the sound, barking aggressively towards whoever is on the other side. Liv’s face instantly freezes, her body tensing up beside me. Megan and I both notice it.
“Hey baby, look at me” I guide her face in my direction, waiting until her eyes open and meet mine. “You’re okay, you’re safe.” Her tongue darts out, wetting her now dry lips.
Megan hops up from the sofa, walking over to Charlie and looking at the little screen I’d had installed. It was motion censored to come on if someone was at the door. That way Liv wouldn’t ever have to open it without knowing who was on the other side.
We’d started working with the company who created the system, we were creating an app that worked alongside the current models, that way you didn’t even need to go to the door. You could just log on to the app and view the same screen on your phone. We were only in the first phases but so far everything was looking promising.
“It’s just your brother,” Megan calls out before letting him in. She doesn’t acknowledge him though, just opens the door and turns away, coming back to sit where she was prior.
I couldn’t be sure, but I think there was something going on between the two of them. She’d stopped referring to him as Coop or Cooper and the last couple of days only referencing to him as “Your brother, or your business partner.”
Considering how blatantly they’d been flirting with each other in the weeks leading up to the sudden change, I would almost put money on the fact that Cooper fucked up somehow.
I’d have to remember to ask him about it before they left.
Liv’s color had returned, and she was back to being seated in my lap, curled into me. I was rubbing my hand up and down her back, enjoying having her so close.
“Hey Jack, Livvie, sorry I tried calling but no one answered” He rolls his eyes towards Megan but she just scoffs him off.
“I didn’t think you were coming out today?” Liv’s worried eyes bouncing between her friend and her brother. Coop just shrugs his shoulders before walking around the sofa, sitting down directly beside Megan.
I can see her trying to shift discreetly but Coop clamps his hand down on her knee.
Chapter Twenty-Three
Olivia
I notice my brother's hand on Megan's knee straight away, her eyes dart to me and back down to her knee. I knew something was going on there, neither of them had mentioned anything to me, but I wasn’t blind.
Clearly, something wasn’t exactly going right for them, considering Meg looked like she’d rather be anywhere else right now and Coop, practically forcing her to stay put.
I chuckle to myself at the thought of a female trying to get away from my brother rather than throwing herself at him.
Jackson must feel me laughing because he leans his head down towards me, his brow raised in question. I just shake my head in a, ‘not now’ fashion.
He smiles at me before pulling me tighter against him.
Jackson had been the perfect boyfriend; he’d been doting on me every minute of every day since being discharged from the hospital. Eventually, he’d come to terms with the fact that he actually had work to do and he couldn’t drag me around with him when I needed the bed rest. So he’d set up camp in his bedroom for the first few weeks.
I loved having him with me. But logically I knew that wasn’t how life worked, he needed to get back to his business in the proper sense.
And I needed to forge ahead, and be content with not having him in arms reach for the rest of my life. My bad nights were few and far between now, but they still happened.
I still felt a little jarred when someone would knock at the door, or if someone snuck up on me, but my therapist informs me it’s a completely natural reaction.
She had been the one who suggested I get back out there, taking things one day at a time of course. She believes I’m ready and I want to be, desperately.
I want to be able to offer Jackson everything I am, not just what I’ve been lately.
I think some of his hesitance comes from his own worries too, we’d spoken at length about when he found me, the hospital and the waiting. He’d told me he had never been so scared in his life.
And I believe him, I can still hear his broken voice from my hospital bedside, pleading and begging with me to wake up. But if we were going to have any hope of a future than we needed to challenge the comfort zone that we’d slipped in to and try and grab hold of life again.
∞
“I love you, pretty girl,” Jackson declares, tucking my hair behind my ear and kissing me softly. We were currently standing at his front door, he was about to leave for his first day back in the office and to say I was nervous would be a huge understatement.
“Love you to Jacks,” I whisper back as he pulls away, his hand gripping the handle, but he’s making no attempt to open it.
When he eventually turns around and opens the door I quickly bite down on my lip, forcing myself not to stop him from going. This was your idea; I keep repeating the notion over in my head.
He looks back just before closing the door and freezes, frowning in my direction.
“Baby?” I shake my head a little, heaving out a breath “I’m okay, go, go. I’ll see you tonight” I offer with a fake perkiness to my voice.
I know he can tell, but he lets me get away with it. Nodding slightly, before pulling the door closed behind him.
I feel the breath whoosh out of me again as I turn around and take in the big empty house. I hadn’t been here alone since the attack.
Just as my eyes zero in on the exact spot, Charlie knocks my legs with his head. Forcing my attention down to him, his big puppy dog eyes looking up at me and pleading for attention.
“Just you and me Charlie boy” his tail wags a little, making me smile a genuine smile this time.
“Dad?” I query as I answer my phone.
I’d been in the kitchen all morning, cooking up everything and anything I could think of to keep myself busy. The benchtops currently housed homemade pastries, caramel slice, wholemeal bread and I was just adding some finishing touches to the chicken noodle soup I’d been preparing.
When I was a little girl and would be sick or lonely, I always imagined if my
mum was around it would have been something she’d have made for me to make me feel better and bring me comfort. It’s what I felt I needed today after the nervousness still hadn’t evaporated.
“Princess” his serious tone meets my ears. “Why have you been alone all morning by yourself?” I don’t miss the sternness in his voice, but I’m struck by the fact that there is no way he could possibly know that.
Out of instinct, I stop stirring the soup and look around.
“Olivia” I hear him call after a few moments of silence on my end.
“Sorry, um how do you know that?” I manage to ask, placing the spoon down and creeping out of the kitchen, still peering around the space.
“Answer the question, Olivia.”
I move towards the front door, pushing the button for the monitor to turn on. I knew if someone was at the door it would have already been lit up. But I needed to reassure myself it was working.
“Jackson has gone into work today, how do you know I am alone dad?” I stutter my sentence, not even sure why I’m feeling as nervous as I am right now.
“Someone by the name of Troy Scott will be knocking on your door in a moment Olivia, you’ll need to let him in” I hear him tapping away on his keyboard, he doesn’t offer any explanation.
Clearly, he can’t see my brows drawn in confusion.
“Dad…”
I don’t even know where to start, how does he know I am alone, who is Troy Scott, where does he get off telling me to let someone I don’t know into the house?
I hear him sigh into the phone before he graces me with the answers to my unasked questions.
“Troy Scott is a bodyguard I’ve hired to watch over you since you were so adamant on staying there. So far he hasn’t had to make his presence known. Jackson has been around and after his last stuff up, I was sure he wouldn’t be so stupid as to leave you alone again. But apparently he has, so Troy notified me of the fact you had been there for hours, and I’ve informed him to come and introduce himself and to stay close.”
“Wow, I. wow, dad I don’t even know where to start. You hired a bodyguard… When?” I choke out.
Dad had hung around the hospital for a few more days after I’d initially spoken with him, he’d told me he wanted me to come back with him, each time I’d respectfully declined.
When he’d left for a business trip, I’d assumed that was that.
“From the moment I left town, he has kept out of sight. I knew you were dealing with a lot and had plenty of eyes on you, but I needed eyes on you too.”
I hear a knock at the door and jump, I’d barely left the entryway after checking the monitor.
Charlie starts barking at the knowledge of a visitor, he’d been by my side all morning, but that was nothing new.
When I look towards the screen, I can see it lit up and in view was a big bulky man.
“Dad” I whisper into the receiver, not sure what I’m supposed to do.
“Princess, I need you to let him in okay?” I shake my head, it’s a pathetic move since he can’t see me.
Reaching down to pat Charlie’s head it seems to silence him.
“I’ve let you down a lot in life Olivia, both of you.” I frown a little at his words, it’s the first time his spoken without malice towards Coop.
“But when your brother called when I heard what had happened to you…” he stops talking, seemingly gathering his thoughts, “Olivia I need to know you are safe, just humor an old man.”
I know how hard this must be for him, admitting that he needs something from someone else, knowing that he may not come out on top for once.
“Dad, I don’t even know him. You want me to just open up my home to him?”
I move closer to the screen, looking him over. I don’t know if this Troy guy can hear me on the other side of the wooden door, but he is, however, very aware of the camera lens pointed in his direction, he stares straight at it, a slight grin cocked on his face.
“I trust him to look after my daughter, I’ve had him completely vetted, he won’t harm you, Olivia.”
Taking a deep breath, I make the decision to open the door. To trust my father at this moment.
Holding the phone to my ear with one hand, I unlatch the locks before pulling the door open with the other. I’m greeted by the smell of cedar wood and cologne and that cocky grin.
“Olivia Matthews, Troy Scott” his tone surprises me, for such an intimidating looking guy, his voice is one of confidence and charm.
I offer a little wave, gesturing him in and closing the door behind him.
Charlie stands between us, he’s not growling. But he's not letting him anywhere near me either.
I quickly flick the locks back in place. Not sure if I’m locking myself in, or locking the world out.
“Okay Dad, I’ve let him in. But I don’t know about this…” I speak into the phone as I watch Troy’s every movement.
He’s moving around the space like he owns it, checking out windows, opening doors to see what’s on the other side of them.
For some reason, it doesn’t exactly strike me as rude. More than anything it instills a little confidence in me that he’s done this before, and knows what he’s doing, or possibly just watched a lot of movies to get his acting down pat.
“Just give it a little time, I’ve got to go. But I’ll check in with you later okay.”
∞
After hanging up with my dad, I’d stayed standing in my spot.
Troy notices, smiling in my direction.
“Hungry?” he raises a brow in amusement, motioning towards the kitchen.
I don’t smile back, but it does kick my butt into gear, moving back into the kitchen and over to the stove top.
Charlie, of course, sticks to my side.
I switch the burner off on my soup before turning back around. I’d heard him following behind me.
He was sat at the bench now, discreetly looking me over, his eyes darting from my face, to my shoulder and then to my ribs, where my shirt covers them.
“I’ve read the police reports, been filled in on everything else via your father. You look like you’re recovering well. Headaches?” he asks with what seems to be genuine interest.
I nod slightly in his direction.
“Dizziness?” he asks, again I nod.
“How’s the shoulder?” he motions to the one I was shot in. Instinctively I raise my hand to rub at it.
“It’s getting there.” I move towards the cupboards and grab out a bowl, before thinking better of my manners, grabbing out another before moving back to the pot of chicken soup and spooning out two servings.
I carry them back over to the bench with me, passing one over to Troy, he takes it gratefully.
He grabs for the spoons sitting on the countertop and passes one to me, but when I reach out to grab it, he doesn’t let go. I meet his eyes in question when he finally asks
“How are you sleeping? Nightmares?” I grip the end of the spoon tighter and he relents, letting it go before picking up his own.
I don’t answer straight away, I’m curious how he knows my symptoms so well.
When I settle into the chair on the far side of him, he chuckles either at me or the dog that hasn’t stopped looking in his direction.
“I’ve had a concussion or two, definitely had a bullet wound as well. But sometimes the worst part of it all is the aftermath on you mentally, not the physical shit.”
My spoon freezes mid-air on the way to my mouth.
My questioning stare doesn’t seem to bother him, he doesn’t offer up any more information either, instead, he makes quick work of the soup in front of him.
When we both finished eating in silence, I take our bowls over to the sink and start washing them up.
I hear my phone start ringing from the bench beside where I’m standing and know it will be Jackson checking up on me.
I quickly reach for the hand towel to dry my hands before I answer it.
“Your f
ather will have informed your boyfriend and brother of me by now, I imagine it can only go one of two ways.”
Oh great.
I quickly grab my phone, hitting answer before pulling it to my ear.
“Jacks” I answer before moving away from Troy.
“Is he there?” I pick up on the frustration in his voice, even though I can tell he is at least attempting to hold it in.
“He is.” I hear a loud bang come through the receiver, forcing me to pull the phone away from my ear for a second before another voice comes on the line.
“Hey, Livvie, Tony and I are here too.” I smile at the sound of my brother's concerned voice.
“Hey” I sit down on the edge of the sofa, looking over my shoulder in Troy’s direction.
He’s kneeling down in front of Charlie, letting him sniff about.