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The large group of people that had visited Sarah’s for the welcome breakfast slowly dissipated over the next hour or so. It had made for the most perfect welcome to the town and had proven a great way to get to meet lots of the locals and Sarah had made sure to thank Betty profusely for having organised it all. Whether she could remember everyone’s name when she met them again Sarah wasn’t quite so sure.
Only Jamie, Cam, Spence, Becca and Gabe now remained at her house. They had stayed to help with the unloading of the moving truck which had finally arrived at around eleven that morning. The driver had been apologetic over the late arrival, having claimed engine trouble along the way. Sarah had assured the group she would be fine by herself, but they had ignored her, insisting on staying.
“Meh. Many hands, light work. Or whatever it is that they say.” Spence had retorted when she had protested.
And that had been the end of it.
The others had been right about Gabe. Once he’d had some coffee with breakfast he seemed to mellow somewhat. Still, he didn’t seem to have the same joking nature that the others in the group did. Sarah couldn’t believe how at ease she was with Jamie’s friends. It had been a long time since she had felt this comfortable with one person, let alone such a clearly tight-knit group. Even as friendly as Jamie, Cam, Spence and Becca were as they continued talking and laughing their way through the unloading of boxes and furniture from the truck, Gabe had still barely spoken to Sarah. He hadn’t been outright rude, just more avoiding speaking to her as much as he possibly could.
Much to her relief Gabe had also stopped watching her the way he had when she stood on the porch and when she had first been introduced to the circle of friends. Sarah still wasn’t sure what it was that had triggered it all to begin with. Being that she hadn’t met him until that morning she was certain that she couldn’t have done anything at all. She had wondered at one stage if he knew the truth about her past. Quickly she had dismissed that thought. Sarah knew only too well the look that crossed people’s faces when they recognised her for who she actually was. Even so, he seemed to treat her just that little bit differently than the others in the group. Maybe he just takes longer to warm up to people, Sarah mused.
“So you and Jamie, huh?”
Speak of the devil. Gabe had come up from behind Sarah where she was standing in the master bedroom surrounded by boxes. Leaning in the doorway with his arms crossed over his wide chest he looked formidable
“Sorry?” Sarah looked at him in confusion.
“You and Jamie. You’re together, right?” Gabe stared at her, his face impassive.
A few beats passed between them before he took a step inside the room effectively trapping Sarah in with him. Tensing as he did she glanced out the window. She could see the others standing out by the truck laughing while they waited for the removalists to finish untying the couch.
Leaning down Gabe picked up a lonesome box in the middle of the room and stacked it with others in the corner where they were piled together. Breathing a sigh of relief as his movement opened the doorway again Sarah pushed the box that was at her feet across the carpet and towards the wall to join his.
“I don’t know where you got that idea from. Jamie and I are just friends. He’s helping me out with a few things for the business,” she replied, as she shoved the box with her toe.
“But you’re sleeping with him.” Gabe was blunt. It wasn’t a question, it was a statement.
Sarah whirled around to face him. Gabe rested the box he’d picked up on top of another and was leaning against the wall. His face was set and he had crossed his arms over his chest again.
“What makes you think that?” she started cautiously. She wasn’t quite sure where this conversation was going. She did know though that she certainly wasn’t comfortable with his line of questioning at all.
“He stayed here last night.” Another statement, no question.
“And if he did?” Drawing herself up tall, Sarah was indignant. While Jamie may have spent the night at her house last night, she knew she hadn’t been there with him. “Jamie is a grown man. He can do what he likes, with who he likes. I don’t see that it’s any of your business.”
“No. I just covered your business, that’s all,” he spat.
“What the hell do you mean covered my business?” Sarah knew her voice was becoming raised. She didn’t care. She’d been stepped on too many times before with false accusations that she wasn’t going to let it happen this time.
“His sleeping bag was still on the floor from the two of you. You might have charmed everyone else here, but not me. I had to pick it up and sneak it into the back of his truck before Betty saw it. If I hadn’t she would’ve made sure everyone here knew about the two of you.”
“Betty? That’s what you were worried about?” Sarah was incredulous. At least her volume had lessened. Sarah let out a bitter bark of laughter.
Fury crossed Gabe’s face. “Look, you might have Jamie wrapped around your finger, but I’ve seen what a rich bitch like you can do to a guy like him. I’ve seen it happen before and you’re sure as hell not going to do it to him.”
“Is that what you really think of me Gabe?” Sarah was gobsmacked. “Is that what your attitude towards me has been about? You think I’m some rich cow who’s come into town and is sleeping with Jamie for – for what exactly? What is it exactly that you think I want from him?”
He shrugged. “I honestly have no idea what goes through the head of someone like you.”
“Someone like me? Really?” Sarah put her hands on her hips, looked to the heavens and shook her head. Looking back at Gabe she started slowly. “You want to know about me Gabe? Do you really? Or do you just want to keep making your own wrong assumptions?”
“Go on then, surprise me.” His voice was flat. His arms still crossed over his chest.
Sarah sat down on the corner of a box and let out a long exhale. With her voice firm and low, she began. “Yes, Jamie stayed here last night. Alone. I had no idea he was even here until I arrived this morning. Apparently there’s been some vandalism around lately and he was worried about the house being targeted.”
She received a grunt from Gabe at this explanation. At least it seemed he’d conceded her point on the vandalism.
“I’m not sleeping with him. I stayed at the bed and breakfast last night. If you want to check, ask Betty.” Another deep breath. “And I’m not rich. Not that it’s any of your business, but I was able afford this house and the business in town because my grandmother died. She left the money to me in her will.”
Gabe’s head snapped at her sharply, a slight look of confusion on his face at her explanation. “How do you explain him saying he was with a different woman last night then?” he demanded “What would be the point of him lying? You –“.
She held up her hand and cut him off. She wasn’t quite done. She had one last thing to say. Gathering her courage she stood up and steeled herself.
“I don’t know why you think of me the way you do when you only just met me today, but I do know it’s not fair. You don’t know me. You don’t know my background nor am I going to tell you about it. It’s none of your damn business. But what I do ask is that you don’t judge me until you get to know me. If you want to hate me after that, go right ahead. But until then at least give me the decency of getting to know me before making that decision.”
Silence fell between the pair. Gabe looked at Sarah evenly and she returned his gaze in turn.
Finally, he nodded once, a begrudging look of respect on his face at what she had said. “Okay.”
Turning his back Gabe walked out of the room leaving Sarah shaking slightly from the adrenaline coursing through her veins from the interaction. Listening to his footsteps as he walked through the house and out the front door she turned to look out the window as he walked towards the group and joined the others by the truck.
Sarah’s heart was racing. She felt like she had run a marathon. Never before had she spoken to another person like that and it felt....
Liberating. Freeing.
I’m free, Sarah realised. I’m actually free.
***
“Done!” Spence declared collapsing on to the couch. “God, I’m knackered.” Becca dropped down next to him and nodded mutely.
The moving truck had left an hour ago. The group had spent the time since moving furniture around the house, until Sarah was satisfied with where everything was located.
“I wouldn’t be so certain yet. Sarah, are you sure you don’t want to move the couch another five inches to the left? Or change the direction your bed faces for the fourth time?” Becca teased.
Sarah poked her tongue out at her. “You do know you didn’t have to help. That’s why I paid the removalists to do it, you realise?” Sarah retorted playfully.
“Yes, but if we had’ve left then you wouldn’t have had the joy of our scintillating company,” Cam pointed out.
“Who taught you a word like scintillating?” Jamie called from over Sarah’s shoulder where he stood. “Has Becca been teaching you big words again?”
Cam flipped him the bird in response.
“I need food,” Jamie announced walking around over to join the group and sitting on the arm of the couch next to Becca. “I swear I saw Mum’s basket she puts scones in when she’s made them somewhere in the middle of that lot,” he nodded towards the food still sitting out on the island bench in the kitchen.
“I was under strict instructions from your mother not to let you touch them,” Sarah informed him. Seeing the crestfallen look on his face she laughed. “Besides your dad ate four of them as payment for rigging up a fix on that broken window lock for me until I could call a glazier. Between him and the other people that came through the house today and dropped things off, they’re all gone.”
“Bastards,” Jamie complained.
“Sorry, I would offer to cook something, but I have a house that has no food at the moment.” Sarah apologised. “Well, other than that lot over there. You could eat it if you want, but you’ll be using your fingers. No idea which boxes my plates and cutlery are in and at this second and I’m too tired to care.”
“I could murder a beer,” Gabe commented.
“Pub then?” Cam called out from the couch. His suggestion was met with a chorus of agreement from everyone except Sarah who remained silent.
“Sarah? You’re coming, right?” Jamie asked.
“Sorry guys, you’re going to have to count me out. If I don’t go and do a big supermarket shop I’m not going to have anything here to eat this weekend. I’ll pay for it all though, it’s the least I can do for all the help you guys have given me.”
“Why would you want to do that? Was the food you got given today just not enough?” Spence questioned, looking bewildered at the notion of her wanting to shop still.
“It’s not that so much, it’s more that I need the essentials. You know, milk, bread, butter, eggs, cereal – all the day to day stuff. I mean, I can eat the things that people have left me tonight, but I’m not going to want to eat a hot pot or an apple pie for breakfast.”
“Good point,” Gabe conceded.
“So go to Penwick to shop after you come to lunch with us. It’s not like Joan’s is open anymore today. Do your grocery shopping later and come to lunch with us now,” Becca insisted.
“No, seriously guys, I need to get this done,” Sarah protested. “Like I said, I’ll pay for it though. I can never thank you all enough for what you’ve done today with helping with all the furniture.”
“Nope, not happening. Becca’s right, you’re shit out of luck when it comes to Joan’s, so you may as well come with us,” Cam said, agreeing with his girlfriend.
“What’s Joan’s?” Sarah asked confused. Twice Joan’s had been mentioned as a reason that she had to go to lunch with the group and not simply go grocery shopping as she wanted.
“Joan owns the local supermarket, and Cam and Becca are right. It’s only open until one on a Saturday,” Gabe confirmed. Since agreeing to hold judgement on Sarah until he had gotten to know her Gabe had really mellowed towards her.
“The supermarket closes at one?” Sarah asked in disbelief.
“Welcome to living in a small country town,” Becca said. “Everyone gets their groceries in Penwick, anyway. The shop here is only really used for grabbing anything you need between your big shops.”
“What do you do if you need something after the supermarket closes?” Sarah asked, still stunned. Having lived in the same big city all her life she was accustomed to twenty four hour grocery stores.
“The service station has a few things but mostly you just go without. I just usually cook something different. Just gotta be organised. You’ll get used to it,” Becca assured her.
“I’ll go shopping with you after lunch if you like,” Jamie said causing Gabe’s head to swivel in Jamie’s direction at the offer. “I wanted to talk to you about a couple of things to do with the café. I think I might’ve found a produce supplier for you.” The look Gabe gave Jamie as he’d had made his offer of taking her shopping hadn’t gone unnoticed by Sarah.
“Naaaw. That’s just so.....domesticated of the two of you. You going to push the cart for her Jamie?” Cam mocked.
“You really have been practising your big words haven’t you? Scintillating, domesticated. What else has Becca been teaching you?” Jamie shot back.
“You wish you could talk as good as me,” Cam taunted.
“Uh huh. That’s it,” Jamie said wryly.
“Well you do have to admit Cam’s linguistic vocabulary is both commendable and meritorious,” Sarah stated.
Everyone swivelled their heads in her direction. Jamie and Becca both had eyebrows raised, Spence’s mouth had dropped open slightly. Sarah was pleased to note that Gabe was looking at her begrudgingly impressed and with a grin on his face. Cam just looked confused.
“Um, yeah. What she said,” Cam nodded, pointing in Sarah’s direction. The group all laughed at his dumbfounded expression.
“So, lunch then?” Jamie asked.
“Sure,” Sarah agreed caving in. With a whoop from Cam, they all headed out the door Sarah locking it safely behind her.