Page 2 of Law Of Love

“You're more than welcome to call him, Mrs Henderson. But I'm afraid we've received no payment from you after three warning letters, so we need to proceed with the repossession.”

I watched hopefully as my mother pressed her phone to her ear, her shaky hands pushing her blonde hair out of her face as she pleaded with my father to reply.

But, of course, he didn’t… like usual.

“Where are we supposed to go?” she demanded, shaking her head in disbelief.

Officer Barkle shrugged. “Unfortunately, I don't get involved with that aspect, but I'm sure you have plenty of people you could call who would be kind enough to house you temporarily.” He gazed around the house, gesturing to the high foyer and sparkling chandelier.

Our house wasn’t massive, but it was bigger than most. My father was adamant about filling it with expensive furniture and purchasing the latest TVs and computers. He earned enough to afford it and was a materialistic person—the opposite of my mother and I.

My mom glared at the officer, muttering to herself as she began typing on her phone furiously, biting harshly on her lower lip. “I'll try and sort something out.”

The next hour went by quickly. Mom and I packed our necessities and clothes in our suitcases at lightning speed, having been told that some of our belongings could remain in the house for a while—something I was thankful for, considering we didn't have the means to move everything out at such short notice.

“Why can’t we just stay at Granny’s?” I questioned with a frown as I pulled up beside my mother’s car along the road, hopping out.

“Freya, that's almost a two-hour drive,” tutted my mother, shaking her head. “How do you expect to get to college and for me to get to work every day? Besides, Jackie has been very kind in allowing us to stay until we can get this all sorted.”

Jackie was a close friend of my mother's—having met many years ago at work. They'd clicked instantly and were almost inseparable at one point but had since slightly drifted apart.

“You're here!” called Jackie from her front porch, making her way down the stairs and engulfing my mother in a hug, sending me a wink.

“Jackie, we honestly can't thank you enough for allowing us to stay,” muttered my mom, causing Jackie to dismiss her with a quick wave and a smile.

“Oh my goodness, look how grown up you are, Freya! You're so beautiful!”

I beamed, thanking her apprehensively before popping the trunk of my car open and dragging out my large suitcase.

Jackie ushered my mother and me inside, and I gazed around at the interior in curiosity—the walls a clean cream colour and the furniture following a neutral beige theme. It was cosy.

“Freya, are you okay with the room upstairs on the right? It's pretty bare, but I'm sure you could spruce it up with a few of your things. There's lots of closet space,” Jackie told me.

“Of course, thank you.” I pulled out my phone, staring at it desperately, longing for any response from my father to appear before my eyes.

Freya: Dad, where are you? Please reply. It's important.

I studied the message I’d sent mere minutes ago, looking pathetically at my other six texts, all following the same woeful thesis. My brows furrowed as I cursed under my breath.

“I've got pizza on the way.”

Jackie’s words caused my stomach to growl, and I took in my mom’s glorious grin. She hadn’t smiled that way in what seemed like forever, and I knew she was excited to have an excuse to spend more time with one of her old best friends—even if it was under dire circumstances.

My ears perked up as the doorbell sounded, and Jackie nodded at me to open the door as she hauled some plates out from the cabinet. I hesitantly pulled it open, my fingers gripping the wood tightly, my heart skipping a beat. I took in the beautiful man standing before me, his thick brows furrowed as he peered down at me in confusion.

He was one hell of a pizza delivery guy… who didn’t have pizza.

My body seized up as I studied him, my throat feeling dry, and his eyes scanned my body before he huffed, our gazes locking.

His eyes were intense—a piercing grey. So grey it looked like a deadly thunderstorm was brewing in them, waves of irritation ready to pin me to the ocean's bottom.

“Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to let me into my house?” he complained, his voice husky and intimidating.

I felt Jackie's presence behind me, and I stepped aside, regaining the feeling in my feet once again.

“Kaleb?” she whispered, clearly shocked, suddenly engulfing the muscular man in a hug.

He smiled tiredly as he pushed his dark hair out of his face, scratching at the slight stubble on his chin. His eyes met mine for the second time, perplexity crowding them.

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