Page 42 of Finding Love in Micklewick Bay

He wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight and she let herself melt into his embrace, blinking back the tears that threatened. She rested her head on his shoulder, breathing in his comforting scent, savouring the feeling of reassurance that suddenly overwhelmed her. No man had triggered such a feeling in her. Uncharacteristically, she found herself glad of it.

With her emotions under control, she lifted her head, gently – and reluctantly – releasing herself from his embrace. ‘Thanks for being so understanding.’

‘Hey, it’s nothing.’ He smiled before pressing his lips to hers and kissing her softly. ‘Try to get a good night’s sleep if you can – easier said than done, I’m sure, but everything will look better in the morning. And if you fancy joining me for breakfast, just holler.’

‘Thanks.’

Inside her apartment, Stella threw her keys into the bowl on the console table by the door, then scrunched up her eyes and scrubbed her face with her hands. ‘What a mess!’ Tonight hadn’t turned out to be anything like she’d expected. She’d thought theevening would be spent with her being on the receiving end of a slew of loaded looks and teasing from her friends on account of her taking Alex along. Part of her had been dreading that, but it would have been far more preferable than what had actually happened.

She padded to her bathroom and turned on the taps of her large free-standing bath, adding a generous dash of soothing bubble bath. She felt the urge to soak away the negative emotions that currently gripped her body.

With her hair piled on top of her head, Stella stepped into the scented bubbles, sliding down into the soothing warmth and closing her eyes. She needed to work out what she was going to say to her mother but at this very moment, she just wanted to let the warmth envelop her and relax her mind. She very rarely acted in haste, and this situation was no exception. She needed to think it through from every angle, consider the best way to break it to her mum that she knew the identity of her father, and when to do it. She hadn’t decided what to do about the letter, but with Johan de Groote turning up, it had somehow lost its urgency.

Wrapped in a snuggly dressing gown and armed with a mug of hot chocolate, Stella grabbed her phone from the kitchen worktop and made herself comfortable on the sofa. Though it was just gone eleven o’clock, she felt compelled to call her mother. In fact, she’d half-expected to receive a call from her mum, explaining her hasty exit, but there’d been nothing. There had, however, been a slew of messages from her friends, offering words of support and telling her not to worry. Reading them had made her smile, they really were the best bunch. Selecting her mum’s mobile number Stella pressed the call icon, wondering what Rhys knew of the situation. After all, rushing off the way she had was going to take some explaining. When the call went straight to voicemail, Stella called her mum’s landline,disappointed to find the answerphone kicked in straight away. Her mother, who rarely went to bed before midnight, clearly didn’t want to talk to anyone tonight.

Heaving a sigh, Stella threw her phone down on the sofa and flicked the television on. She’d watch something mindless while she drank her hot chocolate; anything to take her mind off the thoughts that were crowding her mind.

TWENTY-FIVE

A feeling of dread filled Stella’s chest the moment she opened her eyes. She’d barely slept a wink the previous night, her mind buzzing with the events of the evening. It felt like she’d only been asleep for a couple of hours and now her mobile phone was trilling away on her bedside table. She reached for it, surprised to see The Cellar’s number on the screen.

‘Hello,’ she said, her voice groggy with slumber.

‘Hi, Stella, it’s Pim. Sorry, is this a bad time?’

‘No, not at all, it’s fine. I didn’t sleep too well last night, that’s all.’ She pushed herself up onto her elbows. The reason for his call could only be one thing: Johan de Groote. Her stomach clenched at the thought.

‘Listen, I just wanted to say I’m so sorry about… Well, how everything went last night. It must’ve been a massive shock for you. I just wanted to make sure you’re okay.’

Her heart squeezed for him. If he really was who she thought he was, it can’t have been easy for him either. ‘You have nothing to be sorry about, Pim, but it’s kind of you to be concerned. I’m fine, but how are you in all of this?’

She heard him sigh down the phone line. ‘Well, a funny kind of mix of confused, angry – at Johan, not you – and even a bit glad about certain things. But, hey, I’m okay.’

‘Well, it’s good to know you’re all right,’ she said kindly.

‘Thank you. So, the reason I’m calling is, I wondered if you’d like to pop in here sometime this morning. I mean, there’s so much needs to be talked about between all of us. I’ve asked Johan to be here, and I wondered if your mum would like to join us too?’

Stella sat up straight, pushing her hair off her face with her free hand, her mind racing. ‘Oh, right. Wow. Well, yeah, you’re right, it probably would be good for all of us to talk. Though I’m not sure about my mum. She left the auction in a bit of a hurry last night.’

‘Yeah, I noticed that. Must’ve been a huge shock for her too. Is she okay?’

A flutter of nerves made themselves known in her chest. ‘I’m not sure. I tried to ring last night, but couldn’t get hold of her. I’ll try again just as soon as we’ve finished this call. What time were you thinking of for us to head round?’

‘Is ten o’clock okay?’

Stella glanced at her alarm clock to see it was eight fifty-five. ‘Yeah, that should be fine.’

‘Great! See you then.’

With the call ended, Stella flopped back onto her pillows. She needed a moment to think how best to broach the subject with her mum. Would she have gone into work this morning? she wondered. She could hardly see her mother letting anything affect her business, but these were extenuating circumstances, and Stella had a feeling they would make her mum want to hide away; pretend last night hadn’t happened. Rhys was her next thought, wondering what he’d made of it all.

Scooping up her phone, Stella called her mother’s mobile, relieved when her mum picked up.

‘Stella, hello. Sorry but I’m just about to rush out, so I don’t have long to chat.’

It was exactly the response Stella had expected. ‘Morning, Mum.’ She sucked in a deep breath. ‘Um… I saw you leave the auction in a hurry last night and wanted to check you were okay. I rang a couple of times last night, but both your phones went to voicemail.’

A long pause followed. Stella could almost hear the cogs of her mum’s mind whirring down the phone line. ‘Mum, are you still there? Can you hear me?’

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