Page 21 of Saved By Love at Christmas
Two minutes later, the phone rang again. “Look…”
“You don’t just leave me without a word,” a voice growled.
Jamie.
I was shocked to hear his voice. Tremors of anxiety shook my body, but then they gave way to anger. How dare he call me after what he put me through?
“Now, you listen to me carefully, Jamie. You lost the right to make any demands of me when you hit me. Don’tevercall me again. And if you hadn’t already guessed, we’re over!” My voice rose a few octaves higher at the end of my response.
Before he could answer, I cut the call and blocked the number. I needed to get another phone. Then it rang again. Had he got a second phone?
“Leave me the hell alone, Jamie!” I roared down the phone.
“Ruby? It’s me, Marie. Are you okay?”
I closed my eyes and breathed deeply. “Sorry. I’ve just had a couple of nuisance calls from Jamie. I’d blocked his number, but he’s obviously using another one now. I thought he’d forgotten about me.”
“Is your grandad there?”
“No, he went out.”
“Hang fire, lovely. Ben’s here with me. We’ll be over in ten.”
I paced from room to room after the call ended. Part of me wanted to contact Grandad, but he was playing carpet bowls with his friends. He needed some downtime. I didn’t expect him to babysit me, and I wasn’t about to spoil his fun.
The first thing on my to-do list was to get a new phone. Jamie had pots of money, and knowing him, he’d just buy another phone and keep on harassing me. This made me more on edge than ever. I wasn’t prepared to be hounded by him. He’d ruined enough of my life already.
The call had made me jumpy, and I peered out at the front and back gardens to make certain no one was watching me. Would he come here? I dismissed the idea. He wouldn’t waste his time.
The front door flew open, and I grabbed the nearest thing to me: one of Grandad’s walking sticks. I rushed to the door, brandishing my weapon, and I wouldn’t be afraid to use it.
“It’s okay. It’s only us, Rubes.”
At Ben’s gentle words, the stick clattered to the floor. Then I was enveloped in the security of his arms. I snuggled close while he held me and whispered comforting words.
“Trust Ben to make a dramatic entrance. Seriously, you scared the hell out of her,” Marie scolded him.
He pulled away, eyes locked to mine, one hand cupping my face. “Are you okay?”
Why did he have to look at me that way? Like he’d jump in front of a speeding train for me. And his warm hand against my cheek? Heaven.
“I’ll just check the gardens,” Marie called out.
“Rubes?”
I blinked, realising I’d been gazing at him for too long.
“Sorry, it was just such a shock. Since he hadn’t contacted me, I thought he’d given up.”
Ben led me into the sitting room. We sat on the sofa and he held my hands. “What did he say?”
I closed my eyes, inhaled a breath, and let it out slowly, the way Ben had taught me. When I opened my eyes, he was still watching me.
“The first one was a silent call. The second, he said I can’t just leave him without a word. I cut the call before he could say anything else.”
“Have you blocked the number?”
“Yes, but I need to get a new phone or he’ll just keep harassing me on this one.”
