Page 17 of Hold On

“I didn’t tell anyone because I know it wasn’t you saying it.” Col’s fists were clenched.

Dominic longed to reach out and hold Col’s hand but he couldn’t bring himself to do it. “I never wanted to hurt you. And I know I did.”

Col shook his head. “I wish I’d known what they were doing. I’m sorry too. I’m sorry for what you felt you had to do. But there is nothing to forgive.”

Col hesitated, then hugged him, and when he held on tightly, Dominic felt some of his anxiety ease. He couldn’t put right what had happened, but he’d be the best brother he could be. So he wasn’t going to add to Col’s worries by telling him what Sturdy had said. Not yet anyway. Not today.

The meal was…tasty, but Dominic couldn’t eat everything on his plate. There was stuff in the salad that he didn’t recognise and he didn’t want to ask what it was. When he helped wash up, he used too much detergent. He felt as if he had to learn or relearn everything.

Once the table was clear, they sat down with Col’s laptop and phone.

“Before we start, we need to talk about a job,” Col said. “Just so you can tell the person tomorrow that you have something lined up or I’m guessing they’ll press you to sign on and go for training courses, etcetera. I mean, you might want to do that, but there is an alternative.”

Theo cleared his throat. “For the time being, you could work in the garden here. James, my father’s partner, is in charge of the grounds staff. I asked him if he’d give you a job if you wanted one and he said yes. But you don’t need to start tomorrow. The day after will do.”

Col groaned and Theo added, “That was a joke. But I thought it might be good for you to be outdoors for a while. Maybe just work every other day? Think about it.”

“My idea was that we could go into business together.” Col chewed his lip. “We’d buy an old property, renovate it, then sell it or rent it out—probably sell it if we can and use the money to put into the next project. Theo and I did this place.”

“Theo didn’t. You did,” Theo said. “The boarding, plastering, taking stuff apart and putting it back together. Even the plumbing. Just not the electrical stuff. I did a tiny bit of sawing and quite a bit of painting. Painting’s not difficult.”

“Painting without making a messisdifficult.” Col shot Theo a smile before turning back to Dominic. “But I could teach you how to do things like plumbing and plastering.”

Oh God.

“We could call it CDT Property Development,” Theo said. “Our initials. You don’t need to say anything now. It’s just something to think about.”

Dominic nodded. It wasn’t anything he’d seen himself doing but maybe it was all he’d be able to do.

“But we want you to take a break,” Col said. “This week at least. We can drive you around. Take you to the sea. Go wherever you want. You need to learn how to drive or you’ll pay a fortune on transport. Theo’s car’s an automatic. Much easier to learn in, so you could take your test quickly, once you’ve done the theory exam. I mean you might take to gears but now I’ve driven Theo’s car I can see the advantage in automatics.”

“Okay.”

“Also, I have your birth certificate and a few other things from…before. I put the box in your room.”

Dominic nodded.

“But I kept your birth certificate out because until you get some sort of photo ID, it’s the only means of identification you have.” He went to get it from a drawer and put it on the table. “The other thing is this.” Col handed him a folded piece of paper.

Dominic opened it. It was a bank statement, with £14,345 in the account. And there was a debit card and PIN.

“The money’s yours,” Col said. “I’ve been saving for you. I’m sorry it’s not more.”

Dominic’s heart clenched. “Col! I can’t take this.”

“Yes, you can. It kept me going, knowing when you got out, I’d be able to give you a start.”

Dominic wanted to argue, but the fierce expression on Col’s face told him not to, nor to tell him he’d saved more than that himself. Though he still wasn’t going to take Col’s money. He could always reimburse what he spent. “Thank you.”

Col hugged him, Dominic gasped in pain and Col let him go. “What’s wrong?”

“A bruise. Twisted shoulder. I’m fine.”

“You sure?” Col frowned.

Dominic nodded.

“Okay.” Col opened up his laptop and switched it on.

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