Page 2 of Safer Together
~ Chapter One ~
Angela
It’s such a beautiful day out on the lake. The sun is shining. The water is shimmering with the sunlight bouncing off it. I occasionally spot a fish skimming the surface, creating ripples and then ducking back down, once again hidden when they sense one of the many ducks coming their way.
Elliot has rented a rowboat for us today. He looks incredibly handsome in a yellow Polo shirt and a pair of dark blue jeans, the hems sitting nicely over the white sneakers he is wearing on his feet. Aviator sunglasses shade those devastatingly beautiful blue eyes, the ones I find myself getting lost in every single time I get the chance to peer directly into them.
Sitting directly across from me, looking as though he is right at home on the water, he lifts his eyebrow in my direction. No doubt he has caught me staring at him.
“Don’t worry, baby. I’m staring at you, too”
I smile, I can’t help myself. How on earth did I get so lucky?
We continue out into the center of the lake. Once there, Elliot leaves his position, slowly moving toward me, making sure that no sudden movements will cause the boat to rock too much. Due to his graceful and careful steps, he comes to a halt just in front of my body. He is close enough now for me to reach out and touch him.
Reaching up he takes a hold of his sunglasses with one hand and removes them from his face, tucking them into his back pocket. When his hand comes back around to the front I see that he is holding a small black box. My heart starts to pound. Could this possibly be what I think it is? Is what I’m thinking really going to happen?
I place my hands on my lap, holding them so I don’t reach out for him. I don’t want to be the reason that our boat capsizes. My heart is beating so quickly, hammering against my chest, my heavens, Elliot Sands, always so romantic.
“Angie, the past two years have been the most amazing of my life. Make me the happiest man alive. Will you…”
Beep, beep, beep. I sit upright. Goddam it, you pesky alarm clock. Sometimes you really are the bane of my existence, whether you’re informing me it’s time to get out of bed, or dragging me out of an amazing dream. I slam my hand down on the snooze button. Wanting it to know how angry I am with it and then fall back down, lifting my arm, I rest it so it’s covering my eyes with my forearm. What impeccable timing my alarm has, just before he said those two words that every woman on this earth wants to hear: Marry Me.
Oh well, back to reality. I, Angela White, am not ready for marriage. Is there even the slightest chance that he could be? Slow down brain, that’s totally absurd. The facts of our relationship are as follows:
I have only been officially dating Elliot Sands for one week even though we have known each other for longer than that. Yet my subconscious is conjuring up dreams of marriage proposals. Way to go. Mind you, I much prefer a dream like that over one of my recurring nightmares any day of the week. And in the moment, I might even say yes. Am I crazy?
I flail my free arm around toward my nightstand until it lands on my cell phone, gripping it, I pick it up and bring it over till it’s resting on my chest. I drop my other arm and check the time 9:00, Sunday morning. I better be getting out of this bed and getting ready. I have a big day of helping Liam and Jess. As I try to sit up my lower back cracks. It’s not used to physical labor, and although I didn’t do any heavy lifting yesterday, those boxes of linen were still heavy.
I lift both of my arms over my head and stretch out my arms as far as they will go, following it with bending over to touch my toes. A couple more cracks sound out, but I feel a release; once lifting my torso back up again I stand up and feel much better.
I walk straight into my bathroom and turn on the faucet in the shower. While the water warms up, I strip out of my old black sweatpants and long-sleeved purple top. I’m all about comfortable sleepwear for me. Well except when I sleep next to Elliot, that calls for the only nightgown I own. A satin one, to be precise.
With the room now full of steam, I step under the running water and let it fall over my body. I shrug my shoulders under the hot water, encouraging them to relax, knowing that we have another big day ahead of us.
Once satisfied that I am ready to hop out, I dry off and start to dress. Jeans and an orange lightweight sweatshirt. Warm enough to combat the cold and yet light enough that when I start to get hot it won’t be uncomfortable.
Socks, sneakers, and I’m ready. I palm my phone and walk out to the kitchen. Since it’s only 9:45 am, I have time for a bowl of cornflakes and then I grab my handbag and lock the door behind me.
It has rained overnight, evident by the water marks all over my car. I will have to wash it in the next couple of days. I’m one of those people who doesn’t exactly look after her car, however I hate it looking dirty. I will have to write a letter to the Home Owner’s Association, asking if we have enough money with the fees collected to erect an overhead awning over the parking spaces of my apartment building. Looking around at several of the other cars that are more expensive than my own, I can only imagine that they would want the same thing.
As soon as the car engine comes to life, I turn on the heater. It’s not freezing today, but the air sure is nippy. The newscaster is finishing off her latest news items when a song comes on. As soon as I hear the first line I know who it is: “I like The Sound of That” by American country music band, Rascal Flatts, one of my all-time favorites.
I sing along until the song comes to the end. A couple more songs I recognize play during my drive to Liam and Jessica’s new home. A couple of weeks ago I showed them the perfect townhouse and they made an offer on it that very same day. Three days ago, they collected the keys and over this weekend we have been moving them in.
Liam and Jessica aren’t just my clients. Trust me, I wouldn’t help just anyone move to a new house. It’s a hell of a task. Liam is my best friend. We have been best friends since high school. When everything went down with my abusive ex-boyfriend four years back, Liam convinced me to move to Nashville for a fresh start, so I did. I moved into his apartment, got a job as a real estate agent, the same one I have to this day, and he helped me heal. When he met Jessica, it got a little awkward. He would bring her back to his place and I would feel like I was in the way.
Once I saved enough money, I purchased my own apartment, the one I call home now, and Jessica moved in with Liam. They got engaged around six months ago and now they have purchased their first home together.
While everything has been good for Liam, my life hasn’t always been so good. My ex-fiancé, Dylan, really did a number on me. Broken bones, and worse, a broken heart. When I came to Nashville, I was an absolute shell of myself. Liam helped me become the woman I am today. Now I know what you’re thinking, did Liam and I ever get it on? Never. It’s never been like that for us. He is just like a brother to me and I’m like his sister. I trust him implicitly with everything.
Liam is the only person who knows everything about my past relationship with Dylan. All the harrowing details of what happened. He knows about my new relationship with Elliot Sands, CEO of Sands PTY Limited, a multimillion-dollar business in New York City. He knows about the millions of dollars sitting in one of my bank accounts and the three properties I have in New York City. Indeed, I may not be as rich as Elliot, but I am very comfortable. My boyfriend just doesn’t know it. And best of all, Liam knows my fears and reservations about the future. I would be lost without him.
Pulling into the driveway I see Liam standing on the front porch. I wave at him when I catch his attention. I exit the car and tuck my phone into the back pocket of my jeans and after locking the car, my keys slide into the opposite pocket.
I walk quickly over to Liam and throw my arms around him. Feeling slightly emotional from my thoughts on the way over, he wraps his arms around me, knowing something is up. “Hey. You okay Angie?”
I nod into his chest. Liam is a little taller than me, with a gorgeous strawberry blond mane of hair, which he tends to keep short. Hazel eyes are the main feature of his handsome face, oh and who could forget about the freckles. Cute as a button he is. “Sure am. Just wanted to give my best friend a hug”.
