Page 15 of Redemption

Resigned to the fact I’ll have to tell her at some point, I pat the seat beside me. She taps the back of my chair a couple of times before cautiously coming round to sit next to me.

“What’s going on, Jess? Your mother has called several times asking if you’re here.”

“You haven’t told her, have you?”

Eleanor drops her head slightly, taking a deep breath before lifting her eyes back to me. “No, I haven’t told her. But I have to say, I’m not comfortable lying to her, Jess.”

“I know, and I’m sorry for putting you in that position. I just need time to sort out what I’m going to do next.” I put the laptop on the coffee table before sitting back in my chair and tucking my feet beneath me. “I’m being sued by Lottie’s dad for professional negligence, and I have no doubt he’ll follow through with his other threat of ruining me in this business. Suing me is just the start, Eleanor.”

“Hmmm. Well, I never did like the man. And whilst I can wholly appreciate how painful losing his daughter is, I don’t understand how he has a case against you considering you were taken too.”

“Believe me, I wish it were that simple. Unfortunately, he has a solid case because I failed to carry out my duty, and now his daughter is dead.” The last part comes out a little wobbly as emotion bleeds into my words. Giving a cough to clear my throat, I continue, “I’ve instructed a solicitor, and, no, I’m not using my father’s. I know he and Mum are your friends, but you also know that I’m not my brother, Eleanor. Things have never been the same since… Anyway, I’m not planning to go back to London, so I need to find somewhere to live and a new career.”

“Your mum might be my friend, Jess, but I’ve never hidden my dislike for Archie. Anyway,” she says waving a hand and brushing aside any questions I might have about why that is. “We love having you here, but all I ask is that you let Gigi know where you are and that you’re safe. Okay?”

“Yes, of course, I understand. I’ll call her later.” Eleanor rises from her seat, but before she can move away, I lay my hand on her arm. When she looks at me, I say, “Thank you.” She nods, a warm smile lighting up her face before she turns and heads out the back door. I blink back the tears that threatened to fall and pick up my laptop and go back to my property search.

Despite Eleanor’s insistence that I can stay here, I manage to find a couple of rentals just down the road that look promising and arranged viewings for this afternoon.

The first place was nice enough, but the neighbour on the left gave me the creeps. The one on the right consisted of a family, which isn’t normally an issue for me, but when two of the kids are teens with fags hanging from their mouths and litter scattered across the front lawn, it’s not exactly welcoming. There was even a burnt patch of grass out the front and what appeared to be a throwaway BBQ.

I pull up to the second place slightly deflated and not very hopeful. The estate agent is there waiting, and I can already see that the single neighbour is an old lady. She is currently weeding her immaculately kept front garden, and the sight eases some of my apprehension and gives me a good feeling about the place.

Sarah, the agent, meets me as I step from my car.

“Ms Fisher. Good afternoon,” she says, offering me her hand. I take it and give a small nod. “Shall we?”

“Please. Lead the way,” I tell her, waving my hand toward the quaint little bungalow. She steps ahead of me down the path, keys jangling in her hand as she walks.

The outside is reasonably well kept with a small driveway and stone path leading to the front door. There are a couple of fake globe shaped trees in pots beside the door, and the wall to the left has a large trellis with wisteria growing up it that trails round the side of the bungalow.

Sarah makes small talk, asking where I’m from, what I do for work, and I give her simple answers that don’t invite further questions.

We step inside, and although the property is empty, I get a homely feeling. It’s neutrally decorated throughout, as is usual with rentals, and offers a small, fully equipped kitchen that leads to a medium sized lounge and looks out to a small patio area and a recently mown lawn. There’s a short corridor that leads to a decent sized bathroom and two bedrooms. One is a good-sized double, and the other is more of a box room.

After a good look around, I spend some time going over the details with Sarah, but overall, I’m getting a good vibe from the place.

I wish Sarah a good weekend with a promise to call her in a day or two. I’m never one to make an on the spot decision—having learnt my lesson after saying yes to a marriage proposal without much thought, other than how pissed off my father would be. Suffice to say, there was no happy ever after, and I was filing for divorce less than two years later.

A shudder runs through me at the reminder of my stupidity and an ex-husband who I’m still forced to mingle with on occasion, thanks to our parents being acquaintances. A term my father uses for anyone he knows that isn’t family. Archie Collins is not a man that has friends. I’ve still never figured out what my mother sees in him.

When I arrive back at the cabins, Harry and Eleanor are waiting outside the main house. Unsure of the composed looks on both theirs faces, I switch the engine off and climb hesitantly from the car. As I approach, I try to gain some inkling as to what is going on, but all I get is a small twitch of a smile from Eleanor when I catch her eye.

“What’s the matter? Did something happen?” bursts from me as soon as I’m standing in front of them.

Eleanor steps forward, grasping my hand. “Everything is fine, Jess. Come on, we have something we want to show you.” And with that, she releases my hand as they both begin walking off down the path to the copse.

I jog a couple of steps to catch up to them, but neither breaks the silence with any sort of explanation as we walk.

When we reach the tree line to the copse, I can’t stay quiet another second as anxiety licks at my skin. “Can one of you please put me out of my misery. What’s going on? Where are we going?” I hear a chuckle from Harry at my dramatic questioning, but still nothing as they step into the trees. Swallowing down my fear, I follow after them again.

We take a path I’ve not been down before, even during all the times I came here as a kid. To be honest, it looks newly carved into the trees and would explain why I’ve never seen it before.

Before I can ask about it, the path opens into a small clearing, and there in the centre, is a small cabin. My eyes widen as I take it in, from the wraparound porch to the slanted roof and the small balcony on the second floor, down to the sandy path leading to and around the cabin and surrounded by wildflowers that will be beautiful once they bloom.

I take a few steps down the path towards it before stopping and turning back to Harry and Eleanor. “What is this place?”

The pair of them are wearing beaming smiles, and I can’t help but allow a smile to spread across my face too.

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