“Good morning to you too.” He doesn’t seem remotely bothered that I interrupted his phone call.
“Shouldn’t you have left for work by now?” I ask, noting that it is half past ten in the morning.
“I’m not going into work today.”
“Why not?”
“Because.”
“Oh, Jake, I don’t want you to put your life on hold for me any more than you already have.” I don’t want to be seen as a burden in his life.
“I’m not. I want to spend the day with you. Is that a problem?”
“Well, no, but––”
“No buts,” he says, cutting me off before I can finish. “I have employees and if they can’t manage without me, then they shouldn’t be working for me.” Well, I wasn’t expecting that answer.
“Want some breakfast?” he asks, changing the subject.
“Sure,” I say as I realise just how hungry I actually am. I stand up and lead the way downstairs to the kitchen.
“What would madam like? Bacon? Eggs? Toast?”
“Whatever you’re having is fine by me.”
“Bacon and eggs it is.” He starts to get the relevant ingredients out and busies himself turning the grill on. I sit at the kitchen island and draw in a breath as the coldness of the seat touches my legs. I push past it and then see that my handbag is still on the worktop. I unzip it and take my phone out, hoping that Lydia may have called me.
As I look at the screen, I see that I only have one message, and it’s not from Lydia. However, the message still brings a smile to my face.
Hey, baby girl. How’s things going with
that delicious man candy of yours?
Want to come out for some drinks at the
weekend? I am in desperate need of a
wild night, and it wouldn’t be the same
without my girl there. Hit me up.
Mart x
His message makes me laugh, causing Jake to turn around and look to see what I am laughing at.
“What’s so funny?” he asks.
“I just got a text from Martin, that’s all. He makes me laugh. He’s invited me out for drinks this weekend.”
“Uh, I don’t think so,” Jake answers. I raise my eyes from my phone to his face and I can see his features are stern.
“Why not?” I ask as the smile disappears from my face. Who does he think he is? I can make up my own mind.
“Stacey, the doctor said that you have to take it easy and going out for drinks isn’t taking it easy.”
“It’s not like I would be break-dancing on the tables. It’s just drinks with a friend.”
“No.”
“No?” I can feel myself starting to get angry. I know that Jake is only saying it for my benefit, but it annoys me that he is telling me what to do. “You listen to me, Jake Waters, if I want to go out for drinks then I will, whether you say so or not.”
“When you’re better you can go for all the drinks you like, but until then, you’re not going. Plus, you’re back on your painkillers, so you can’t drink anyway.” He seems to think that the discussion is over as he turns his attention back to the bacon and eggs that he is cooking. I stare at him, my mouth open in shock. I feel like a child who has just been told “No” to going to the school disco. I scowl at Jake’s back and type out a reply to Martin.
Sounds good, Mart. Man candy being
annoying. Will call you later to discuss.
Stace xx
I put my phone back in my handbag, only for it to start ringing. I pull it back out as Jake serves up the bacon and eggs and see that it’s Susie’s name across the screen.
“Hey, Susie.”
“Thank God you answered your phone,” Susie says, sounding flustered.
“What’s wrong?”
“Listen, I’m sorry to bother you when you’re currently signed off work, but do you know where Lydia is? She’s meant to be here right now, but she’s not answering her phone.”
“Oh, um, I’m not at home right now and I haven’t seen her since yesterday.” I can’t tell Susie that Lydia was wasted beyond belief last night. It wouldn’t look good seeing as Lydia is her superior.
“Oh. Okay. Just thought that I would ask.”
“If it’s a shift that you need covering then maybe you should phone the agency staff for the time being?” I suggest.
“Do you think that Lydia would mind?”
“Not at all. And if she does, then just tell her that I gave you the go ahead.”
“Thanks, Stace. You’re a star. And sorry again for bothering you.” Susie sounds a little bit calmer now that she can call someone else in.
“It’s no problem. If you need anything else, then just give me a call.”
“Thanks, hun. Take care.”
“Bye.” I hang up the phone and try to call Lydia. Her phone just keeps ringing until it eventually goes to voicemail. I try another three times, all with the same result.
“Problem?” Jake asks as he puts a piece of bacon into his mouth.
“Nope.” My answer is short as I am still pissed with him. I pick up some bacon and take a bite, although I’m not really very hungry anymore. My mind is now on Lydia and how she is doing.
“Are you really not going to tell me?” he asks, and I can see the amusement in his eyes.
“Why do you look like you are enjoying the fact that I am pissed off?”
“I’m not enjoying it. You just look cute when you’re moody.” I scoff at his answer. He really does know how to push my buttons.
“Stop trying to butter me up, Jake.” I sigh in frustration.
“I’m sorry. Go on, tell me what’s bothering you.” He pushes away his empty plate and waits for me to answer.
“I may be your girlfriend, Jake, but you don’t own me. I don’t like being told what I can and cannot do. I have had that done to me before, and I sure as hell won’t let it happen again.”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa.” Jake looks genuinely shocked by my outburst. “Stacey, I’m not trying to tell you what to do, and if it came across like that, then I apologise. I would never tell you that you couldn’t go somewhere. I just think that whilst your body is recovering, going out for drinks isn’t a great idea.” I soften slightly at his words and at the genuine look on his face. “Do you really think that I would try and control you like that?”
Oh shit, I have really taken his words out of context. He looks distraught at the thought.
“No, of course I don’t,” I say with a sigh. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have jumped to conclusions.” I take his hand in mine and link my fingers through his. “I know that you’re not like that. I guess I’m just frustrated that I can’t do things for myself at the moment and I took it out on you. I apologise.” Jake kisses the end of my nose and I know that he has forgiven my over-reaction. “I’m also worried about Lydia. She’s not answering her phone, and after the state of her last night, I’m just hoping that she will be okay.”
“Do you want to go to the flat and check on her?” Jake asks me.
“You mean, I can go out?” I say playfully.
“Ha ha,” Jake answers sarcastically.
“You really don’t mind if we go and see her?” I don’t want to put him out but checking on Lydia will put my mind at rest.
“As long as it makes you happy, then I don’t mind.”
I stand up off of the bar stool and, carefully, wrap my arms around Jake’s neck. “I really do love you, Mr Waters.”
“You better.” He puts his arms around me and places his hands on my ass, causing a tingle to work its way up my body. “Have you taken your painkillers yet?” he asks.
“No. I’ll take them now and then we can go and get dressed and go to the flat.” I disentangle myself from Jake and walk over to where he left my painkillers last night. I grab a glass from the cupboard and fill it with water then put the pills in my mouth, swilling them down with the cold liquid.
“Are you not going to eat any more of
your breakfast?” Jake asks as he looks at the minimal amount that I have consumed. I put the glass of water down, grab a piece of bacon off of my plate and take a bite.
“Come on,” I say to him as I walk out of the kitchen. “We need to get dressed and get going.”
“Already?” he moans as he follows me up the stairs.
“The sooner we go, the sooner we can come back.” I reach the second floor and enter Jake’s bedroom and ask Jake to lift my holdall onto the bed, which he does. I sift through the few clothes that I packed and decide to wear my black leggings. I keep Jake’s shirt on as it doesn’t involve having to struggle into a T-shirt. I am only going to the flat so it’s not like I need to get dressed up.
Jake helps me into my leggings and then he puts some socks on for me. It’s nice that he wants to do these things for me, but I can’t wait until I don’t have to rely on somebody else for help. Jake keeps the jogging bottoms on that he is already wearing and pulls a T-shirt over his head. He looks gorgeous with his hair all ruffled up. I lick my lips at the sight of him and he catches me staring as my tongue darts back into my mouth.
“See something that you like?” he asks, one eyebrow raised. I feel a blush creep its way across my cheeks and I suddenly become a little flustered.
Jake stalks towards me and all I want to do is rip his clothes back off of him. He takes my head in his hands and kisses me passionately, leaving me breathless when I finally come up for air.
“Mmm,” he murmurs. “I could get used to having you here, you know?” he says as he lets go of my face and walks to the ensuite. I stare after him and wonder if he meant anything by that comment.
I could get used to it too. I won’t be telling him that though. We are only just getting back on track after the whole Caitlin fiasco.
I walk to the ensuite doorway to see that Jake is just finishing brushing his teeth. He spits the toothpaste out and wipes his mouth on a towel before swilling his toothbrush off and putting it back into the holder. He leans his hands on the sink and looks at my reflection in the mirror. I must look ridiculous in his shirt and I suddenly feel a little self-conscious of the fact that I haven’t made much of an effort with my appearance. I break my gaze away from him and look down to the floor.
“Everything okay over there?” he asks me.
“I just think that I look a little bit silly going out dressed like this, that’s all.” I keep my eyes down and I see Jake’s feet appear beside mine. His hand comes to my chin and he tilts my face so that I am looking at him.
“You look beautiful.” I scoff at his compliment as I know that I really don’t look good right now. I divert my eyes from his and feel a little bit silly for telling him.
“Look at me,” he says. My eyes are drawn back to him and his caramel pools burn into me. “You do not look silly. If anything, wearing my shirt makes you look even more sexy than you normally do. Stop putting yourself down.”
“You are just saying that because you’re my boyfriend.”
“No I’m not. I would be saying it even if we weren’t together because it’s the truth.” I know that Jake wouldn’t lie to me, so I guess I am just feeling a bit self-conscious about myself right now. I’m hardly the catch of the century, what with the gash on my side and the fact that I can’t spruce myself up as I normally would.
Jake places a kiss on the end of my nose, which seems to have become a new thing that he likes to do. “Now, let’s get going.” He takes my hand and leads me back down the stairs. Helping me into my shoes, he then goes to the kitchen to retrieve my handbag for me. I thank him and follow him out of the front door and to his car.
I can’t help but feel a little nervous about what state I might find Lydia in when we get there. I just hope that she is okay.
Chapter Twenty-Eight
Stacey
Jake and I arrive at the flat and I take a deep breath as I unlock the front door. I push the door open and the first thing to hit me is the smell inside. I instantly cover my nose to stop the rancid aroma from infiltrating my nostrils any further.
“What the hell is that smell?” Jake says behind me. I turn to look at him and see that he has his nose screwed up in disgust.
“I guess there is only one way we’re going to find out.” I walk into the flat with Jake following close behind me. I walk to the lounge and stop in the doorway at the sight that I find. I stare open-mouthed at the mess that greets me.
There are beer cans strewn everywhere and cigarettes spilling out of a cup on the coffee table. My eyes scan the room and they land on a suspicious looking wet patch on the sofa. I make my way to the window so that I can open the curtains and get a good look at what the wet patch is. As I allow light to enter the room, I see that the wet patch is a pile of sick.
Oh lovely.
“Fucking hell,” Jake says, voicing the words that I felt like saying.
“I don’t understand why the place is in such a mess?” I say. You would think that I had been gone for weeks rather than just the one night.
I open the windows wide to let some of the stench out. At least we can see why it smells so bad now. Alcohol, cigarettes and sick are not a good scent combination.
I make my way out of the lounge and go into the kitchen. This room isn’t in much better shape. There are some wine bottles on the kitchen worktop and it looks like a plate has been smashed over the floor.
What the fuck has gone on here? The place looks horrendous.
I stalk out of the kitchen and go straight to Lydia’s bedroom. Jake follows me, and I’m glad that he does because God knows what I will find in there. I can hear the faint sound of her television on from behind the closed door. I don’t bother to knock, I just barge my way into the room, ready to confront Lydia about the mess. However, on opening the door, I am greeted by the sight of Lydia hunched over on the bed, asleep, along with some guy led next to her. Recognition dawns on me that it is the same guy that Jake kicked out of here last night before we left for the hospital.
As if seeing the flat in such a state wasn’t shocking enough, I then spot the white powder that is strewn across Lydia’s bedside table.
Fucking hell. What has Lydia gotten herself into?
I rush over to Lydia’s side of the bed and try to wake her up.
“Lydia, wake up,” I say as I start to nudge her. There is no response, so I push her gently onto her side and place my hands on her shoulders. I give her a little shake, but there is still no response.
“Lydia,” I say, more loudly this time. I shake her a little harder. Still nothing. “Jake, she’s not waking up,” I shout as tears gather at the backs of my eyes. Jake strides over to me and removes my hands from Lydia. He then lifts her arm and checks her pulse. After a few tense seconds, Jake lays her arm back down and turns to me.
“It’s okay, she’s just sleeping.” I feel the air whoosh from my lungs and tears start to fall down my cheeks. Jake envelopes me in his arms and I hug him fiercely. He holds me like that until I have calmed myself down a bit.
“Sorry,” I say as I wipe my face with the sleeve of Jake’s shirt that I am wearing.
“It’s okay. She just needs to sleep off whatever she has taken.” His eyes look at the white powder and he shakes his head slightly. He then looks to the guy sleeping next to Lydia and sighs. “I guess I better wake him up with the old water trick again.”
I smile at him and he disappears from the room, so I busy myself by opening the curtains and windows. Jake returns with a glass of water in hand and goes to the side of the bed where the guy is sleeping.
“Here goes,” he says as I watch him tip the water over the guy’s face. The guy instantly springs up, spluttering. His eyes look wild, as if he has pulled an all-nighter, which I presume he pretty much has.
“What the fuck are you doing, man?” he says as his eyes focus on Jake. “Are you fucking crazy?”
“Time for you to leave. Get your shit and get out.” Jake’s tone is powerful, and his stance is intimida
ting. Even in this crazy scenario, I am attracted to Jake’s control of the situation.
The guy clearly senses that Jake isn’t messing around. He holds his hands up and stands off of the bed. He is fully-clothed, so at least we don’t have to wait for him to get dressed. The guy even has his shoes on for goodness sake.
As the guy walks past Jake, his head turns in my direction. He obviously didn’t realise that I was in here until just now. I see his eyes rake over me and I outwardly cringe at his unwelcome perusal of me.
“Wow. Lydia said her friends were pretty, but you are off the charts. Wanna hook up later?” Oh shit, that was just about the worst thing that the guy could have said to me. Before I know what is happening, Jake is dragging the guy out of Lydia’s bedroom and down the hallway. The next thing I hear is the front door opening, and then slamming shut.
Jake stalks back into the room a few seconds later and I can feel the irritation coming off of him in waves.
“Fucking low-life,” Jake mutters. He looks to me and I give him a smile which he returns, and I know that I am going to thank him in more ways than one, when my body has healed.
I return my attention to Lydia, who is still out of it, oblivious to anything that has just happened.
“I never should have left her on her own.” I should have been here. It’s clear that she needed a friend, and I wasn’t around for her.
“You needed to go to the hospital, and I insisted that you came back to my place. No one was to know that this was going to happen.” I know deep down that he’s right, but the guilt that I am feeling right now is awful. “Let’s leave her to sleep whilst we tidy this place up.”
“You don’t have to tidy up, Jake. You have done enough.”
“I’m helping and that’s final. I’ll go and make a start in the kitchen.” I walk over to him and place a light kiss on his lips.
“You’re going to get sick of helping me and my friends one of these days,” I say to him, fearing that it may become true if much more happens.
“That will never happen, babe. You’re stuck with me.”
The Complete Perfect Series Page 35