Page 69 of The Rescue

For once I don’t care about bragging about sleeping with the hottest guy or how I had the best orgasm of my life. I care about Rabbie, and keeping things private between us. I wasn’t allowed to keep most things private in my life growing up, but I’m keeping a tight lip on this.

My mama would always talk about me or my life with her book club friends in some way or another, then the group of girls I would hang out with in high school would use that gossip they heard from their mama’s to spread rumours about me.

When I went to college in Boston, I made oversharing part of my personality as a coping mechanism. That way I would always beat someone to it when it came to my private life, and at least I knew it would be true when it came from me.

Whatever this is with Rabbie, I want to keep between us for a little longer. We’ve both had our lives broadcast in differentways. I want to make sure I do the right thing and respect him. I want to know what is going on between us before I say anything. We haven’t really had the conversation about what is happening or made things clear yet. I’ve always held the no serious relationship flag, and Rabbie, well he has his own issues with relationships.

Dylan is still smiling at me, and it’s starting to irritate me.

“What are you looking at me like that for?”

“Nothing,” she bites her lip to hide her smirk.

“How’s the website coming along?”

“It’s going well. I think I could have it finalised in a couple of weeks. And then I can get out of this place and head back to Boston.”

I don’t know why I said it like that, I guess I just wanted her to stop looking at me like that.

Dylan’s head cocks to the side as she reads my face. I don’t think she quite believes that I want to go back to Boston. Hell, I don’t think I want to go back.

There’s only a couple of tables left in the cafe now, it’s nearly closing time. I haven’t seen Rabbie yet, he usually comes out and helps Nellie out the front. He must be busy in the kitchen. I’m about to change the subject with Dylan when I see her enter the cafe.

The fucking nerve she has. Did he not make it clear last week when she sprung on him? The overwhelming need to protect Rabbie forces me out of my seat, and before I know it I’m walking over to her. Nellie is frozen behind the counter as she spots Rabbie’s mum, she’s just as surprised to see her.

“What are you doing here?” I hiss.

Rabbie’s mum is looking around me, craning her neck towards the door that leads to the kitchen. She doesn’t say anything to me, and that pisses me off.

“Did he not already make himself clear? You have no right to come in here,” I tell her.

She finally snaps her gaze to me, and frowns. I don’t quite catch it but there’s a hint of disapproval on her face. I spot Dylan in the corner giving Susie a look of thunder. There’s one table left of two older women probably about Susie’s age, they aren’t too thrilled to see her either. Nellie has disappeared from behind the counter, I hope she’s gone into the kitchen to distract Rabbie. He doesn’t need to know that his mum has entered the only place he feels safe. I don’t want that to tarnish things for him.

“You should leave,” I wave my hand towards the door.

She still doesn’t say anything, she looks over my shoulder, I feel him before I hear him. Rabbie places his large hands firmly on my shoulders, and he presses up against my back. He’s slightly trembling, I want to turn around and give him a reassuring hug.

“It’s okay, mo beag. My–Susie is actually here to clean the cafe. A couple shifts a week,” he stumbles on his words.

Susie looks taken aback by Rabbie calling her by her name, but she doesn’t say anything.

“On a trial basis,” he squeezes my shoulders to let me know he’s okay.

I peer up at Rabbie, his hair is wet and he smells fresh and clean. He must’ve gone upstairs to have a shower whilst Dylan and I were talking. There’s an awkward silence as no one makes the effort to talk first.

Susie shyly smiles at her son, and looks around the cafe. I watch her with suspicion. I don’t like this, but this is Rabbie’s decision and I’ll respect it. But it doesn’t mean I’m thrilled about it. Something is off with her, and I can’t quite put my finger on it. I’ll definitely be keeping an eye on her.

“You’ve done a lovely job decorating the place. Mrs. Graham had a canteen type style but this is cosy,” she compliments Rabbie.

I watch her as she scans the cafe, to me it looks like she’s scoping the place out. I feel Rabbie tense behind me from her compliment, I lean back into him and he relaxes.

“Thank you. I’ll show you where all the cleaning stuff is and the checklist,” he says in a business-like tone.

He gives my shoulders one last squeeze and lets go. Susie gives me a weird smile that I don’t trust as she steps around me and follows Rabbie into the kitchen.

Nellie returns from the kitchen with a wary look on her face. The last table of two older women pay their bill with Nellie, and rush out the door in hushed voices. No doubt on their way to tell the whole town that Rabbie has given his mum a job.

“I didn’t think he would give her a job,” Nellie whispers to me.

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