Page 24 of Saved By Love at Christmas
“Please don’t let him do this to you. You’re still raw from what’s happened, sweetie. If you don’t ever believe in love again, then he’s won.”
She was right and I knew it. “I’ll keep an open mind.”
“That’s all I ask.”
“Anyway, tell me how you’ve been. Ben said your business is doing well.”
Her eyes lit up; she’d always loved her work. “It’s amazing. We’ve just acquired three beautiful boutique hotels by the coast. They’re in a bit of a sorry state, but I can’t wait for them to have makeovers. Actually...” She smiled slyly at me. “How would you like to be the interior designer for this project?”
That was the last thing I expected her to say. Was this something I was ready for?
“Oh, I don’t know. Jamie kind of knocked my confidence. I was forced to work on projects in Spain for him. I hated every minute of it. The designs I worked with were too opulent and vulgar.” As I spoke, I realised I needed this new venture more than anything.
“Again, don’t let that asshole knock your confidence. You had a thriving business before he came along. I don’t expect you to say yes right away. Ben would kill me if he knew I’d even asked you. I promised not to.”
I thought about it for a while as I made us another drink. Marie was right; this was my passion, and I needed to find my enthusiasm for it again. If Jamie realised how much he’d dented my confidence, he’d be laughing. I shouldn’t let his bullying undermine my abilities any further.
“Tell you what,” I said as I sat back down. “Let me look at the properties after Christmas and I’ll see if it’s something I could help with.”
She squealed and hugged me tight. “That would be fab. It’d be amazing to work with you on this.”
“Do you have pictures of the properties?”
“Yes. Hundreds.”
“Email them to me so I can have some idea what I’d be letting myself in for. I do have another project, though.”
“Oh, what’s that?”
“I promised to help Ben with his home.”
Her smile widened. She looked ready to say something else when Grandad came in. Saved by the proverbial bell, I think. Marie left soon afterwards, promising to email the information, and we arranged a lunch date for Saturday.
“It was nice of Marie to come and see you.” Grandad smiled, and we headed into the kitchen.
“Yes, it was. Ben was here earlier too.” I frowned. Now I had to tell him the latest event. Grandad would be upset all over again.
“Has something happened, love?”
Here goes.“Sit down, Grandad.”
I told him all about the phone calls from Jamie. He was a little concerned, but I managed to persuade him that I was confident I wouldn’t hear from him again. In the back of my mind, I prayed I was right.
* * *
BEN
After leaving Ruby’s, all I could see were images of where Jamie had slapped her and the blood on her temple where she’d fallen against the mirror. Violence was one thing I detested. It was bad enough having to see all the abused animals who came through my door at the surgery. But seeing my beautiful friend with those injuries… that hurt more than anything.
My head was all over the place. I’d only just had the conversation with Marie about almost kissing Ruby, and then we’d shared more intimate moments in her front room. It felt as if the lines were being blurred between friends and more. Was I fighting a losing battle trying to ignore my feelings? I certainly didn’t plan on getting hot and heavy with her while she was still fragile. If it was meant to be between us, it could wait for now.
Once I started on the practice work, I was able to put aside all my conflicting emotions and focus on my role as a vet. The training had been hard for this, and I was considered young for making partner so soon. George, the senior partner, had faith in me, though. He’d pulled me to one side and told me he was considering retiring over the next few years and would love to see me make senior partner when he left. The real reason he hadn’t retired yet was because his wife had several DIY projects lined up for him. DIY was not his thing. He was happier spending his free time out on the River Deben on his boat.
When I’d done as much work as I could manage, I left for home. Fred was waiting at the door for me. He was always excited to greet me. And even if I’d had an awful day, seeing him there always made me feel better. We had our usual play with his toys and then went out for our walk. We wandered through the woods close to my home. The air was frigid, and I guessed there’d be a heavy frost overnight.
I heard someone walking through the trees. Probably another dog walker. Fred came close by my side and began growling, his hackles up. Fred was the most laidback animal I knew, this behaviour was totally out of character for him. It put me on edge, wondering what was so different about this person than others we saw when out on our walks. I saw a figure hiding in the shadows a few feet away from us. It was a full moon that night and visibility was good. The person was tall, over six feet, and by the way they stood, it looked like a man. He started to move in my direction. I grabbed my house keys and held them in my hand in case he attacked us. Fred began to whine.
“Hello?” I called out.
