I stick my head back under the pillow, my cheeks burning. Adrian targeted me when I was too young and stupid to realize he was big trouble. And then he wouldn’t let go when I found out all the stuff he was into and told him to leave me alone. He said he’d hurt my whole family if I didn’t keep talking to him.
I shiver, despite the warmth of the covers. The worst thing was that he had girls all over the state. I kept waiting and hoping he’d fall for one of them and lose interest, but it hadn’t happened yet.
I know I should have told Mom and Brian. Mom didn’t like him and I’d told her we’d cooled things off. And I didn’t want to get them involved. Plus, they didn’t know how crazy Adrian could be. I thought maybe he might torch the house or attack my stepdad on the street if he was really angry with me.
So I told Kade I needed to get away. I haven’t told him the full story, but I’ve made sure it will be hard to find me. Adrian vaguely knows I have a brother, but he’ll think he’s in Arizona with my Dad, not over here in Darlinton.
So his threats to find me are empty. But I’d be lying if I said he doesn’t still scare me. I need to tell Kade why I left. He’ll want to tell Mom and Brian, but now I’m away from them I think it’s less of a risk. At least if they know the full story, then Brian can be on the lookout.
Tears slide from under my eyelids onto the sheet. I’ve really screwed this up. I thought I could handle him, but what if this doesn’t work? If something happens to Mom or Brian because of me, I’d never forgive myself. I thought it would be safer if I left, but maybe I’m wrong.
The next morning, after Sally’s taken my nephew Owen to school, Kade and I are responsible for a twin each. We’re attempting to give the girls breakfast but most of the baby food is on the floor, where the huge family dog Snoop is having a field day cleaning up. The twins have food in their hair and are flinging the pumpkin glop around the kitchen. It’s chaos.
After we’ve bathed them and put them down for their morning nap, I put the coffee maker on again.
Kade sits down at the kitchen table and yawns. “Whassup Oli? You look almost as beat as I do. And I don’t think you were up at five this morning for a feed.”
I pour us both a coffee and sit down opposite him. “Uh, well, I’ve been wanting to talk to you about that. I got some threatening messages from Adrian last night.”
Kade sits up. “That loser ex-boyfriend of yours? You want me to warn him off?”
“No, Kade, listen. That would antagonize him even more. He’s…crazy. Adrian’s the real reason I left Newhope and came here. He doesn’t want me to break up with him. He’s involved in all kinds of bad stuff and I was still talking to him when I was back home because he said he’d hurt Mom and Brian…” I trail off, looking down at the scrubbed pine table.
“I’d like to see anyone try and hurt Brian.” Kade’s voice sounds amused. I knew he would think it was a joke.
“Kade. He has a gun. He’s running drugs across state lines so he can get a cut. It was just weed when I first knew him, but now it’s Oxy pills and… I don’t know what else. He’s not stable. And for some reason he won’t let me go. So I just left. He won’t know where I am, but I’m scared he’ll try and get the information out of Brian and Mom. Or maybe he’ll get bored and forget me. That’s what I’m hoping for.” I cradle my hands around the warm cup.
Kade takes a gulp of coffee. “Anything else you want to tell me?”
“I’m scared. I know what he’s like. I’ve been trying to get him to leave me alone for the last year. But he won’t. He sends me texts and photos, then he’d show up at my work or outside one of my friend’s houses. It’s like he thinks we’re still together. I had to get out.” I stare out the window.
“I’m calling Brian. Just in case he does decide to show up at their house. But maybe you did the right thing. He’s not going to know you’re here.” Kade reaches for my hand.
“I’m sorry, I didn’t know where else to go. But I don’t want to stay here for long in case I put you, Sally and the kids in any danger. My plan is to get another job to go with the Langstones one and then I can find a room to rent.” I take a big sip of coffee.
“Like hell you will. You’re safe here. No idiot is threatening my sister while I’m around. Let’s just take some precautions and I’m sure it will work out. Drug-taking wasters have short attention spans. When he’s not seeing you around Newhope every day, he’ll move on to someone else.” Kade stands up and puts his cup in the dishwasher.
“Thanks bro. I’m going to take a shower and get ready for work.” I take my cup and walk out into the hallway. I’m close to tears again, but I don’t want Kade to see it. It’s a huge relief to tell someone what’s really going on.
After a hot shower, I get ready for work. I take extra care over my hair and makeup, trying to counteract the signs of a bad night’s sleep. Plus, I want to look nice if I’m anywhere near Aron, so he doesn’t only think of me as Kade’s little sister with the useful plumbing skills.
Juni smiles when I walk in. “Wow, you look good, girl! Putting me to shame in my old sweats. You’re going to get loads of sign-ups today. Put your bag over here and I’ll show you the ropes before I go.”
An hour later, Juni’s left for her class. She’s studying to be a nutritionist and this is her final year, so she needs some time to go to her classes. The reception job seems pretty straightforward and I just need to answer the phone, take people’s details and check membership cards.
Everyone is friendly here, a lot like back in Newhope, and I start to relax and enjoy myself. Cole and his wife Alyssa leave to make some deliveries for their food business. She’s six months pregnant so he’s there to do the heavy lifting. Apparently Cole once had to look after Snoop for an afternoon, and it brought him and Alyssa together. They’re so in love, it gives me a pang.
Aron is the main trainer on the gym floor this afternoon. He’s busy training a client, an older man, when I arrive. As he takes his client to the door he smiles at me while I’m taking a call, then walks back and stands in front of the reception desk until I’m finished.
“Juni’s left you on your own already?” He seems surprised.
“Yeah, I told her to get to her class and she didn’t need to wait for you or Ivar to finish. I used to work the reception at the hairdressers back in Newhope. Dealing with angry old ladies when they couldn’t see Sebastien, the top stylist, was about as challenging as it’s ever gonna get…” I push my hair back into a ponytail to keep it out of my eyes.
Aron laughs. “I hope our gym clients are a little less feral. Did Juni print out the schedule?” He walks back around to my side of the desk and I can’t help sucking in my breath. He’s so big and broad, he towers above me in this small space. He’s wearing the shorts and T-shirt combination that slayed me yesterday, and I can’t help staring at him for a moment.
“Sure, it’s right here.” I hand him the schedule. He’s close enough that I can smell his amber-scented aftershave. I want to bury my head in his neck, but restrain myself by tapping in a client’s details into the laptop.
“Great, thanks Olivia. Give me a shout if you need anything, my next client is here in a couple of minutes.” He walks back into the main gym and I exhale. A guy has never had this overwhelming physical effect on me before and I’m not sure what to do with myself. I need to focus on learning to do this job well and not forgetting anything. Like my Mom says, keep putting one foot in front of the other and you’ll get there in the end.
