“I am, to get changed.”
Brooke sighed. There was so much she didn’t know. Important things. It was getting more and more frustrating. “Ok, don’t sneak in and out without seeing me first, okay?”
Robin laughed again. “Sure, see you later.”
~FI~
Catherine took a call herself while Brooke was out of sight. She rolled her eyes at the voice on the other end of the line. Did she really have to do everything herself?
Ending the call, she put the device back inside her pocket, wandered back out of the lounge, and stood patiently in the hallway outside of her room, waiting. Yet again, Brooke didn’t seem to have a problem opening the door while half-dressed. It unnerved her. She felt the instantaneous urge to place a palm against her chest and push her into the room, back her up until she fell backwards onto the bed, legs splayed to accept the warmth of Catherine’s body pressing up against her.
“Good morning. I know this is just so inconvenient but, something has come up at the office and I need to pop in and organise it.”
“No problem.” Brooke smiled, opening the door a little wider. Now Catherine had no way of avoiding the black boy shorts and matching sports bra Brooke wore, or the toned torso, muscular thighs, and powerful biceps. She felt her mouth dry and had to swallow several times before she could speak.
“I don’t want to leave you by yourself, is there anyone else you can call?” She kept her eyes firmly above chest height; safer ground.
Brooke shook her head, oblivious to Catherine’s discomfort with her nakedness. “No, not really, but honestly, I feel fine.”
Catherine seemed torn. “Maybe you should just come with me?”
Brooke found it quite a turn on that she cared so much. “Look, why don’t we swap numbers and then you can call me any time, or I can call you if I need anything.”
Catherine thought about it. It made sense she supposed, so she handed over her number, aware that they’d done this before — the only difference being, she still had Brooke’s number stored in her phone’s contact list. “I won’t be long. I’ll pick up something for lunch,” she said, grabbing the coat that Brooke had lent her the day before and heading out.
Biting her lip, Brooke thought some more about the woman who just left. Something was tugging at her subconscious. She liked Catherine, she was sure of that, but there was something more there.
The doctors told her not to try and force it; her memory would fix itself if it was going to.
It would come.
Chapter Thirty-One
Pollards was busy enough. Catherine strolled through the store and used her ID card to gain entry to the offices upstairs. HR had grown too large for the space it was squeezed into now, so they were being moved in the new year. Well, she was. Her office would now be along the hall, and the partition to her old office would be removed so they had more space. Kim and Amber would be getting new workspaces and a whole load more filing cabinets to fill.
Of course, she had forgotten about all of this the minute she saw Brooke hit the floor. She cursed herself now. She was being ridiculous, acting like a teenager in love. She wasn’t in love. But she did like her…a lot. Offering to stay with her and nurse her, she scoffed at herself, what was I thinking? And yet, there she was two days later, getting to know Brooke even better than she had previously, and finding that she liked her even more.
She marched into her office with all the authority she could muster. Amber wasn’t at her desk, but Kim was.
“Oh, Ms Blake, they said you wouldn’t be in this week?”
Catherine stopped moving and turned to Kim. “No, I had something urgent come up. But I’ll be in my office for the next…” she checked her watch, “hour, maybe less.”
“Righto.” The older woman smiled. “I’ll let Amber know when she gets back from Payroll.”
“Just…Carry on as you were, pretend I’m not here.”
“Sure, Ms Blake,” Kim said, already going back to her work on the computer.
Catherine was about to walk away when something stopped her. An idea was forming from something Brooke had said. Maybe it was time to stop living in the past. “Catherine.”
Kim looked up. “Sorry?”
“My name…it’s Catherine.” With that announcement, she moved speedily into her office.
~FI~
The empty boxes had been piled up to one side. She needed to pack up anything that she would be taking to the new office. One by one she began to fill them up. She emptied her three-drawer desk first, followed by the four-drawer unit that housed all of the stationery she liked to use. There was a knock on the door. As she looked up, she caught a glimpse of Brooke’s coat hanging on the hook and smiled to herself. “Come in.”
Amber came into the room looking a little nervous. “Hi…Catherine.” She said the name as though she was just trying it out and would be told not to do it again. “I bought you a cup of tea.”
“Oh, thank you, Amber. Most kind. Please…” She looked around at the mess. “Just put it wherever you can find some space.” She smiled, at least she thought that was what she had done, but the look on Amber’s face meant she wasn’t quite so sure.
“I wondered if you’d heard anything from Brooke, how she is doing?”
“I believe she is doing very well,” she replied through almost-gritted teeth.
~FI~
Brooke was using the alone time to enjoy a bath. The hot water soothed the aches, and it would help bring the bruising out. Chucking in a liberal amount of bubble bath, she planned on luxuriating for a couple of hours with a book. Her planning had gone as far as to bring supplies in with her. There was a glass of juice, an apple, and her mobile phone, as well as a bar of chocolate that she had forgotten all about hiding in the back of the fridge.
She lay back and sunk down low, submerging herself in the water right up to her neck, though her knees popped out like suntanned mountains. She was lucky in that she had gotten her mother’s skin tone. A little Mediterranean sun-kissed, their mother had always believed the family lore that a rich Italian had come across and swept their great grandmother off of her feet, resulting in the illegitimate spawning of her father. It was highly unlikely, Brooke thought. Having seen photographs of her grandfather and great grandfather, she knew they were the double of each other. Robin, on the other hand, had taken more of their father, pale and wiry. Thinking about Robin led to thoughts of Yasmeen, Mrs Khan. She considered that she really should thank her.
Picking up her phone, she swiped until she found Yasmeen’s number and listened as it rang and rang. She was just about to give up when she heard the harried “Hello.”
“Uh, hi, Yasmeen?”
“Yes, it’s me, hi Brooke. How are you feeling?” she asked, just a hint of an accent detectable.
She stretched her legs out and pushed her torso out of the water. “Pretty good now, thanks. I just wanted to thank you for having Robin over.”
“Oh, that’s no problem, she is such a good girl. Good influence for our Jasmine.”
“Yes, she is. You’re still okay for her to stay tonight? You sound rushed off your feet.”
“Bloody Dev, he has sprung a business meeting on me last minute. I’m running around like a blue fly trying to get dinner prepared. The little one doesn’t want to take a nap, of course.” Brooke chuckled at the way Yasmeen left out the arse of the blue fly. “But all will be fine, I am bloody superwoman.” She giggled. “Don’t worry about Robin, you get better and when she comes home, I’ll send some of my famous chickpea curry.”
“Thanks, I love that. You really should think about selling the recipe.”
“Never, been handed down for generations, I’d be an outcast if I gave away the family secrets.” She laughed again, and Brooke could hear the baby crying in the background. “Anyway, must dash, take care and don’t worry about Robin.”
She disconnected the call and sank back down into the water. Closing her eyes, she relaxed and let her mind
wander its own path. Images floated past of Robin cooking in the kitchen, followed by Jas and Robin singing along to a TV show Brooke had never watched. The scene changed and a bar with paintings flashed across her mind. Music in her head played louder, a song she was sure she knew but couldn’t recognise. There were flashes of a woman naked. The images were blurry still. She opened her eyes and rubbed at her face. Had she been sleeping with Amber? She felt like if she had, then she would have some feeling towards the name.
The vibration of her phone against the wooden toilet seat broke her from that thought. She glanced at the screen and saw the name Catherine.
“Hey, all okay?”
“Yes, well…it’s all a mess.” She laughed and Brooke smiled. “In all honesty, I think I am going to be another hour.”
“Alright, I’m fine. Take as long as you need. But don’t forget lunch. I am starving.”
“Oh, shall I send something round?”
“No, no, I’m fine, really. I’ve got an apple.”
“Where are you, it sounds like an echo.”
“I thought I’d jump in the bath for a bit.” There was silence on the other end of the phone. “Catherine?”
“Yes, sorry, I’m here.” More silence. “Please be careful.”
“I will, so…I’ll see you about one-ish then?”
“Yes, I think so. Bye, Brooke.”
Catherine closed the phone call and opened her eyes. Images of a naked Brooke Chambers covered in bubbles, her skin damp as the steamy room brought a sheen of sweat, floated around in her head.
She sat down in her chair and leant her elbows on the desk, cradling her head in her palms. “What the hell is wrong with me?” she said aloud to the empty room as she ran her hands through her hair and pulled it all into a tight ponytail.
Brooke was now seeing Amber, she had to get a grip on this and remember that. She threw her own chance away, and she highly doubted that when Brooke got her memories back that she would be even remotely interested anyway. Not after the way she had behaved towards her. She needed something, or someone, to take her mind off of Brooke, fast. Looking across her desk, her phone drew her attention.
Scrolling through the numbers, she stopped when she reached the one that she wanted.
“Hello, Ronnie, it’s Catherine.”
“I can see that, you alright?”
“Yes, I’m good, thanks. You?” She listened as Ronnie went into a diatribe about life and circumstances. “That’s…well that’s great. So, I was wondering if you were free tomorrow night?” Again, she listened while Ronnie went through every appointment in her diary.
“No can do, Hen. I have a very important date with the delectable Debbie.” Her latest fling. Catherine rolled her eyes. Delectable Debbie wouldn’t be around next month.
“Oh, that’s a shame.”
“But, if you were looking for a little something to take your mind off of all things Brooke-shaped, then I know a certain someone who is desperate to meet you again.”
“Oh, who?” She was wincing before she even asked the question.
Ronnie chuckled. “Petra. You remember her? Well she was very taken with you, always makes a point to ask after you.”
Petra was nice enough. She wasn’t someone who Catherine would usually give her time to. Though to be fair, Catherine didn’t give her time to many people. But she needed something, or someone, to take her mind off of Brooke and Amber. “Alright, give her my number.”
She placed the phone back in her bag and smiled to herself. A night out with this Petra would hopefully do the trick.
Chapter Thirty-Two
The water was going cold again. Brooke had already refilled it twice, luxuriating and allowing the heat to bring out the bruising, but now, as her skin wrinkled and she started to shiver, she considered whether she really should just get out. Checking the time on her phone, she realised that Catherine would be back in 15 minutes, and she wanted to be dressed and ready to have lunch. Her stomach had been seriously grumbling for the last 40 minutes.
She pulled the plug, watched the water begin to spin its way down the plug hole, and got ready to lift herself – and that was when she realised the problem. Her sprained wrist couldn’t support her enough to push up, plus her painkillers were wearing off. She tried lifting herself with just her right arm, but regardless of her strength, it was impossible. Her feet kept slipping. “Shit.”
The water had emptied, and the room was getting cooler. She shivered as the slight breeze from the open door chilled her skin. Trying again, she twisted slightly to put all the weight onto her right side, but that just caused the pain in her back to worsen. “Shit, shit, shit.” Frustration and the knowledge that Catherine would be walking through the door any minute were not helping the situation. “Okay, think.” This was not how she had envisaged her relaxing bath ending.
Once more, she tried lifting herself out using her right arm. Putting all of her energy into it, she lifted and was almost up enough to use her legs for leverage when her foot slipped and she landed hard on her backside, hitting the already bruised area with a thud. “Ow, fuck!” she cried out.
“Brooke?” Catherine’s voice called out. “Brooke, are you alright?” her voice urgently called again as she rushed down the passageway.
“Yes,” Brooke said, before groaning, “No, I’m stuck. I thought I’d be able to get out but, my wrist…I can’t put weight on it to lift myself up.” She reached out, grabbed her towel, and laid it over herself just in time for Catherine to appear at the open door. The sight of her made Brooke laugh out loud. She had one hand clamped over her eyes and was using the other to feel her way into the bathroom. “You can open your eyes. I’m decent, kind of…” Brooke grinned.
“I heard you cry out, did you hurt yourself?”
“More my pride, but yeah, I slipped and landed on my ars…bruise.”
Catherine started to giggle. The more she laughed, the more Brooke couldn’t help but join in. “I guess we should get you out, you must be freezing.”
Assessing the situation, Catherine decided that the best way would be for Brooke to lift with her right arm while she hooked under her left and hoisted. She got into position and closed her eyes again. Brooke smiled at the gesture. As they worked together, the first thing that happened was that the towel fell away, revealing all. “Okay?” Catherine asked.
“Yeah, just got to grab…” She leant down and picked up the towel. “The towel.” Wrapping it around herself, she sighed in relief. “You can open your eyes now.” Catherine did so, then held out her hand once more to help Brooke climb out of the bath and onto the mat.
“Do you…I mean, are you alright with…” Catherine gestured to the towel and let her eyes slowly descend, knowing full well exactly what was hidden underneath.
“Oh, yes, I’ll be fine getting dressed. I’m almost dry already,” Brooke said, teeth chattering.
“Alright, I’ll get lunch on the table. Just call if…” Her gaze held with Brooke. She didn’t care about leftover Sheperd’s pie or the salad and garlic bread she had picked up to go with it. She wanted to stand right here, just looking.
“I will.”
~FI~
When Brooke reappeared in black leggings and a loose-fitting hoodie, Catherine had lunch served at the table, minus the candles.
“This looks nice,” Brooke said as she took a seat, gingerly letting her back rest against the chair. Catherine pre-empted the issue and placed her painkilling medication on the table, alongside a glass of water. “Thank you.”
“Quite alright.” Catherine smiled and took the seat opposite, just like she had yesterday. It felt all so domesticated, as though this was her usual routine: returning from work to have a meal with her lover. Only Brooke wasn’t her lover, not now.
“I was thinking,” Brooke said between bites of food. “What’s going to happen on Monday?”
“Monday?” Catherine said before taking a bite.
“Yeah, I mean I know now th
at I have a job at Pollards, but I don’t really know what I do…”
“You don’t have to worry about that, take some time off to get well.”
“I am well, I mean, I’m not ill. I can come to work…I just don’t know what it is that I do on a daily basis.”
Catherine put her fork down and stared across at Brooke, incredulous that she was even contemplating coming back to work so soon. “Your job is very…strenuous, lots of time being on your feet, dealing with very awkward situations. There is no way that Pollards will allow you back so soon, it’s just not possible. Plus, you will need re-training, reading through all the SOPs…literally everything you did these last couple of weeks is gone.” She picked up her fork and continued to eat while Brooke considered things.
“So, why can’t I do that?”
Catherine took another bite of her lunch. “Do what?”
“All my training? I’ll have to do it again at some point. I can sit in an office and read stuff.”
Catherine sighed. “Don’t you want to just enjoy some paid leave?”
Brooke shook her head. “Not when there is nothing wrong with me.”
“Brooke, you had a very nasty bang on the head. I really think…”
“Catherine, don’t you think I’d be a lot safer if I was at work…with you watching over me?” She had a point. She knew it, and so did Catherine. It was a point that Catherine wanted to make herself, but she felt selfish in doing so.
“I don’t know…” She did know. She had the say-so over such a thing. It was her decision; all she needed to do was have a quick chat with occupational health and voila, Brooke would be at work on Monday and under her supervision.
“Oh, come on, please, Catherine. I will be so bored here all by myself.”
“Fine, I’ll speak with Occ Health and see what they say, but…” She held her fork out and pointed it at Brooke. “If – and it’s a big if – but if they allow this, then you will do exactly as you’re told. No heroics, no pushing yourself too hard.”
The Meant to Be Collection Page 38
