By the time I got home I was exhausted, and my tension levels were through the roof. Walking into the kitchen, the first thing I grabbed was the Nutella jar. Picking up a spoon, I kicked my shoes off and wandered contentedly into my living room. It was only once Theo was settled on my lap that I opened the jar and dug in. I know in times of stress some girls go for the ice cream, but I'm more of a Nutella kind of girl. Eating it with a spoon—and yes, I did double dip—I felt the thick, gooey, sweetness melt my troubles away. Only when I started to feel sick did I put the jar down and lie back on the couch, reflecting on my week. I don't know how long I lay there, listening to the clock tick off the minutes, but the silence was complete and utter bliss. It was my phone that pulled me back to the present. I contemplated switching it off, but decided I should look at the caller ID first, in case it was something really important. It was my brother, Sam. Okay, that was a call I would be happy to take.
"What are you doing?" he asked, after I made the obligatory hello.
"Relaxing. My life is pretty stressful right now."
"Yeah, I heard. I just got off the phone with Isaac, and he filled me in. I think Mr. Hottie might be able to relax you a bit though," said Sam, his tone warm and happy.
"Mr. Hottie, aka Brody, is half the reason I'm so worked up! I mean, what the hell did he think he was doing? Did Isaac tell you he kissed me?"
"Yep." I could hear his smile over the phone. "I bet it shut Jack up though."
"My God, you should have seen his face, Sam. It was worth the hot flush and frustrated hormones just for that."
Sam laughed. "I wish I'd been there. But seriously, if Jack starts annoying you, let me know. Robbie and I will have a word with him." Yeah, I knew what their definition of word really was. "Hey, has Becky called you yet?"
"No. I haven't heard from her for ages. She only rings when she wants something." Becky was our cousin on Mum's side of the family, and between you and me, I hated her. Some said I confused hate with jealousy, and they may have been right. She's five-feet five-inches tall, has the biggest, brownest eyes you have ever seen, and has the figure of a super model. She's a gorgeous bundle of sweetness, and to say I felt inadequate whenever she was around was an understatement.
"Well, she's having a birthday party at The Bar and Grill this Saturday night and you're invited." Crap. I hated going out with Becky.
"Really? I'm sure I'm busy that night. How sad."
"I know you're not. That's why I rang Isaac first. The only date you've got is with your couch, and that is not an acceptable excuse. So young lady, put your best party clothes on because I'll be picking you up at six." That said, he hung up on me.
My life just kept getting worse. In fact, tomorrow I was signing up for yoga. I may not have been able to control the causes of my stress, but I could certainly learn how to deal with them.
* * *
A new outfit was exactly what I needed to give me the confidence to face Becky's party. So it was with a defrosted credit card—yes, I kept it in the freezer to prevent me from using it—that I stepped out of my front door and into Mr. Wilks.
"Good morning, Mr. Wilks." I smiled, wondering why he stood staring at Brody's house. He turned and glared at me. Shaking his head, he turned on his heel and strode off towards his shop. "Strange man," I muttered under my breath, watching him walk away.
"That's no way to greet someone," said Brody, stepping up beside me and smiling. I smiled back.
"I was talking about Mr. Wilks."
"Hmm, can't say I disagree. He stopped me in the shop the other day, questioning me about my house. He asked me about trap doors hidden under the floorboards. Personally, I think he's been alone in that shop too long."
I looked up at Brody, my heart palpitating as I did so. He looked pretty damned good today, not that that was anything unusual. He always looked good. I glimpsed his tattooed bicep and, not for the first time, thought how I'd like a closer look.
"Chloe!" I heard him say.
"What?" I asked, startled at his tone.
"Where did you just go? I just asked what your plans are for the day, and you were in dreamland."
Yes, I was! "Sorry." I smiled back at him, feeling the heat creep up my neck. Thankfully, he didn't know what happened in dreamland. "Umm, I'm going shopping," I said, trying to get my mind back on track. "I have a party to go to, and I need something to wear."
"Ah, is this the same party Isaac's going to?"
"Yep," I sighed.
"You don't sound excited about it."
That was an understatement if ever I'd heard one. "You could say that. What about you? What are you doing?"
"Working."
"On a Saturday?"
Now it was Brody's turn to sigh. "Yeah, I've got a couple of guys working for me who aren't too bright."
"Well, if it all gets too much, you can always give it up and come and work as a parcel courier. I'd much rather be working under you than my current boss." I saw Brody's smile flash. I wished I would really listen to myself before I opened my mouth.
"That's definitely something I will think about all day," he replied with a look I thought might melt the footpath—or at least me, standing on the footpath.
"Yes, well, have to go," I gushed, moving away from Brody as fast as my little feet would allow.
"I might see you at the party tonight. Isaac invited me as his plus one—unromantically, of course."
"Of course," I called, reaching my car and thinking tonight just might be better than I originally thought.
As I put my car in gear and pulled away from the curb, the last thing I saw was Brody smiling at me with that incredible, crooked smile that had the ability to melt through my armor and straight into my soul.
* * *
I chose an outfit that made me feel pretty. It was a cream-colored, silk maxi dress that hung low on my bust then fell softly to the floor, floating around my legs as I walked. With the help of my new push-up bra, I stuck my chest out and walked through the bar to the function room. I did get a couple of men checking me out, so by the time I found Becky my self-esteem was at an all-time high. Until I stood next to her. She had the uncanny ability to make me feel like I'd suddenly gained about forty pounds. Probably because standing next to her I looked like I'd gained a good forty pounds. I gave her the fake smile and air kisses that seemed appropriate and found a corner in the back of the room, where I spent the evening talking to my brother Robbie and his wife, Jodie.
I can't say I had a good time, though. Especially after Isaac and Brody arrived. Becky immediately took a very big liking to Brody, which wasn't surprising. Unfortunately, Brody seemed to like her too.
The acid in my stomach ate away at its lining as I sat there and watched them hit it off. I left almost immediately. I'll admit to you I had a bit of a crush on Brody. After Jack, I wasn't sure if I would ever trust a man again, but Brody was different. I did trust him. He popped in to my house most afternoons now. I found myself looking at the clock, counting down the minutes every day until I saw his car parked in the street, knowing that in a very short while he would knock on my door. Most days he would just stay long enough for a cup of coffee, but occasionally he would stay longer, and we would order takeaway. I knew it shouldn't, but my heart ached just a little bit more each time I watched him walk back towards his house.
So you can see, the green-eyed monster had reared its ugly head. I decided I should high-tail it out of there before I did something I would live to regret.
Opening my front door, the world suddenly became a better place. Not only did my house fill me with a sense of security—especially now that the little door to the roof space was fixed—but I was greeted by Theo. I knew he loved me more than anything else in the world, even if this was only the case when Brody wasn't around. Theo had taken a very big liking to Brody.
"Come on, little man. I'd better take you to the toilet. I can see you're almost crossing those back legs of yours." I smiled and walked through the house towards the back door.
Opening the door, I stood on the threshold and watched as Theo raced past me and sniffed around looking for the best spot to tinkle. It was pretty dark, the only light coming from a streetlight two doors down, but after a minute my eyes adjusted to the darkened yard. I looked towards the sky and could see nothing but black. No moon tonight, only clouds. Great. Hopefully any rain would clear before Monday when I would have to run around in it delivering parcels. As I stood there waiting for Theo to finish—I seriously did not understand why it took so long—a flash of light spread over my grass, illuminating him. If I had to take a guess, I'd say it was the flash of a camera. I held my breath for a moment, feeling the hair on the back of my neck stand up. Theo stopped what he was doing and growled low in the back of his throat. Someone was there…and that someone was taking photos.
I held my breath and strained to listen, but the only sounds I heard were Theo's growling, the crickets, and the sound of distant traffic. None of the noises you would expect to hear if your neighbor was doing some late night gardening and had decided some photos for Gardeners Weekly were in order.
I called Theo to me and placed him in the house, closing the door with me on the outside. I sat on the back step, held my breath, and listened. Suddenly, I heard footsteps next door and someone cursing under their breath. Their back door opened and then slammed shut.
Well, that was weird. If I hadn't known better, I would have thought they were photographing me over the fence, which was very creepy. I stood, rubbed the goose bumps off my arms, and moved inside to my kitchen. I really hoped my neighbor didn't have a thing for me and was being a pervert, watching me. I shivered as I checked that the deadlock was firmly in place. I walked to the front of the house and checked the lock there, ensuring all windows were closed and locked.
Bugger global warming. Tonight I was sleeping with the air conditioning on.