‘Do you want me to leave?’ he asked, getting to his feet and reaching for the discarded t-shirt on the floor.
‘No,’ I said, shaking my head. ‘Stay here tonight.’
‘That won’t be too weird?’
‘Everything about tonight has been a little bit weird.’
I got to my feet, deliberately not reaching for my halter top. I think part of me still wanted to show him what he was missing. From the way his eyes travelled my body, there was a small measure of satisfaction in realising that he already knew.
Chapter Twenty
It was early. The morning light filtering through the tree branches created a troupe of grey wraiths who were shadow-dancing on the wall opposite the window. I watched them in a fog that took me back to student hangovers, when cheap wine or tequila shots were the culprit, instead of pain meds that deserved a Class A rating.
I rolled over to face the corner of the room, where the man whose name had been on the packet of pills had spent the night. But except for a neatly folded blanket and a pillow, the chair was empty.
I glanced at my watch; it wasn’t even seven o’clock, but Josh had already gone. The bed was a cosy nest that I’d happily have stayed in longer, but my need to visit the bathroom was now fairly urgent and the chance to do so without Josh witnessing – or worse, having to help – was too good to miss.
Using the wall for support, I managed to hop awkwardly to the bathroom. I avoided the mirror above the basin as I washed my hands, because the brief glimpse I’d caught in the glass hadn’t been good. My hair was sporting a style that could best be termed Birds’ Nest Chic.
Fletcher was waiting for me outside the bathroom door and almost sent me flying when he jumped up and planted his paws onmy chest. Still, the hot swipe of his tongue on my cheek was a nice reminder that at leastsomeonewas happy to see me.
I ruffled his ears and then wobbled alarmingly as I straightened up. I was going to have to seriously work on my balancing skills or I’d be spending an awful lot of time on my backside, I realised, as I tried to find my missing equilibrium.
It didn’t help that the wooden floor of the hallway was wet and slippery from Fletcher’s feet. It looked as though Josh had already taken him out this morning.
‘Where is he now, boy? Is he in the kitchen?’
Before knowing Adam, I’d thought owners who believed their dogs understood them were crazy. I’d have laughed if you’d told me that one day some of my most meaningful conversations would be with someone who could only bark their response. But then there were a lot of things old me would never have understood. Back then I hadn’t known that losing the person you were meant to grow old with would be so hard that some days you could barely drag yourself out of bed. If it hadn’t been for Fletcher, and the promise I’d made to Adam to take care of him, I could easily have spent weeks on end in our darkened bedroom. But I’d given my husband my word, and I’d kept it then, like I was keeping it now.
‘Let’s go see,’ I urged my dog, pivoting on my good leg before hopping down the gloomy hallway. Out of habit, I reached for the light switch and flicked it on, never for a moment expecting the corridor would immediately flood with light.
The power was back. I gave a whoop of joy, and with childlike glee turned on every bulb I passed, grinning broadly each time they lit up.
The kitchen was warm from the wood burner and looked much cosier now with its shadows dispelled by the overhead lamps. I looked around, a little disappointed there was no one to share the excitement with.
On the counter was a plate full of crumbs beside the Victoria sponge, from which several slices were missing.At least he liked my cake, I thought with a satisfied smile, which I was still wearing when I heard the click of the front door. I spun around a little too fast, swayed, and had to grab hold of the worktop to steady myself. Truly, if I made it through the day without falling over, it would be nothing short of a miracle.
‘The electricity is back,’ I cried triumphantly, as he stamped snow from his boots.
‘So I see,’ he replied with a twisted smile.
‘Isn’t that great?’ I asked, spotting a switch I’d not yet flicked. I grinned as a row of under-cupboard lights illuminated the worktop. ‘It’s like a gift.’
‘You must be very easy to buy for at Christmas,’ Josh said, peeling off his coat and lobbing it at a hook on the wall where it snagged first time. He really was too cool for school, but then he always had been.
I was one step closer to getting back to civilisation and being able to leave this forest hideaway; I ought to be giddy with excitement, but oddly I wasn’t. Before I could examine why, Josh reached for something he’d propped up against the wall behind him.
‘Talking of gifts ...’ he said, holding out a length of polished wood that gleamed beneath the newly restored lighting.
My expression went from confused to delighted in a heartbeat.
‘You found me a crutch!’
‘Imadeyou a crutch,’ he corrected.
‘You made this?’ I asked, running my fingers down the smooth wood, with its gently curved top. ‘When? Why? How?’
Josh gave something that could almost have passed as a smile, and took back the crutch to stand it upright on the tiled floor. ‘When?This morning when I couldn’t sleep.Why?Because if that wobble I just witnessed is anything to go by, you’re going to needone for the next few days. And I refuse to answer theHow?question on the grounds that it’s professionally insulting.’
