Brody (Default Distraction Book 1)

by A. S. Roberts

  ‘I cannot believe that I gave birth to her!’ my nanny spat out. She spoke like she’d forgotten I was in the shop with her.

  I looked to where my hand was being caressed by the softest fingers I had ever felt. My nanny bent down to me.

  ‘Now, you’re not to worry, Amy. You’re safe with me. You will always have a home here. I promise you… Always.’

  I stared into her kind blue eyes. Not breaking that contact, I finally wiped my wet nose up the sleeve of my white top. The shiny trail it left on the material was my way of wordlessly showing my mum that I no longer cared about her or her rules.

  Present day

  ‘Bloody hell… It’s cold enough to freeze the balls off a brass monkey,’ I heard Lauren’s voice exclaiming as she came bursting through the shop door, and I felt a smile pull at the corners of my mouth. I felt lighter just hearing her voice.

  Unfortunately, I then heard the glass panes rattle in their rotten, wooden frames. The door had slammed behind her, as it caught on the cold gust of wind that was blowing down the lane. I closed my eyes and gripped the wooden pole I was holding a little bit tighter, waiting for the glass to fall out onto the floor. The door signified just how precarious my life was. Luckily, the smash of glass never came. I let out the breath I was holding.

  ‘Whoops! Sorry, Amy! That was close, wasn’t it?’ Lauren grimaced as she spoke to me.

  I nodded at her and sighed as I hurriedly finished tidying away the pieces of scrapbooking papers that I had pulled out for the last customer. Then I closed the well-worn wooden drawer, by lifting the brass cup handle and sliding the wood back into place at just the right angle. I jumped down backwards off the steps, holding tight to the long pole that served as a handle. I had sold a few papers to her, and she had even bought some other bits and pieces as she had looked around my nan’s shop.

  I just wished it was enough.

  “A Stitch in Time” had diversified several times over in the last ten years. It no longer just sold haberdashery items. If you had a need for it in your life, then one of the sectioned glass counters, or one of the many different sized wooden drawers that were built floor to ceiling along all the walls of the shop, probably contained it. Unfortunately, as much as I had enjoyed talking to the lady and watching her with a sense of pride, as she stood and took in the beauty of my nan’s old Victorian shop, she had been one of only three customers I had seen all day. Her purchase and the promise of her returning with her friends wasn’t going to be enough to keep the wolf from my nan’s shop door.

  One customer hadn’t even bought anything. I wondered, not for the first or even the second time today, just what had brought him into the shop in the first place. I had been behind one of the counters when he had walked in through the door. After hearing the bell signalling someone’s arrival, I had shouted out a greeting to them.

  “I’ll be with you in a minute, please feel free to have a look around. Hopefully something will catch your eye.”

  I had finished what I was doing and stood up, to find the back of a male figure completely dominating the space. My fingers grabbed onto the edge of the counter as if my body knew instinctively that I was going to need steadying. I leant forward and allowed my eyes to quickly take him in. Black Chelsea boots, black slim-legged jeans hugging muscular thighs and a very well-defined gluteus maximus. His short wool coat was of course black, it was expensively cut and accentuated his broad shoulders. Finally, my eyes had reached his head to find it was covered with a black beanie, with just an occasional piece of dark brown hair curling up and around the edge.

  Please turn around.

  I desperately wanted him to turn so that I could see his face.

  He seemed completely oblivious to me as his body revolved slowly and his head twisted from side to side looking all around the shop. At last he had rotated enough for me to glimpse the only part of his face that was exposed between the turned-up collar of his coat and the beanie that was pulled down so low that it covered his eyebrows.

  The air was sucked from my body as my eyes found his for the first time. My reaction to his presence was visceral. I had never met anyone with eyes the same colour as his. I watched fascinated as his oh-so-long eyelashes came down just the once as he blinked at me, effectively severing our connection. Finally, he began to smile. I couldn’t see it, but the corners of his eyes creased just a little and I knew it was there hidden behind the fine black wool of his coat.

  ‘Sorry... I was out walking, exploring, and your shop looked warm and inviting.’ His voice was rich and warm and I was mesmerised. In fact, his voice was almost as captivating as his teal coloured eyes. He placed a hand to his forehead and pushed the beanie up, just slightly. I was entranced by the long fingers on his hand, it seemed that all of them had at least one ring on.

  ‘Oh, that’s no problem.’ I smiled back at him, suddenly very pleased I was wearing one of my decent hoodies, one without holes in the elbows. I was trying to place his accent, it seemed to be a mixture of tones that my ears recognised but my brain could not, however much it tried, filter through.

  ‘How old?’ I heard teal eyes ask.

  A little stunned, my voice stuttered. ‘Well, my birthday is just around the corner…’

  He suddenly raised a ring-covered, cold-looking hand. ‘Sorry.’ He smiled after he had managed to interrupt me. ‘I’d love to get to know you… But this time I was asking about the building.’

  ‘Oh… You meant my nan’s shop. Its Victorian,’ I answered, as I felt an embarrassed burn hit my cheeks. ‘Please feel free to have a look around and let me know if anything takes your fancy, won’t you?’ I heard the words that left my mouth and visibly cringed inside. I rolled my eyes at myself.

  His teal eyes sparked to life with obvious amusement. Flustered, I turned around quickly to tidy a non-existent mess behind me. As I busied my hands, I heard his boots connect with the tiles on the floor. I knew he had moved closer to the counter I was hiding behind when his cologne hit my deprived nostrils. I closed my eyes and momentarily inhaled the bergamot and cinnamon spices that had been warmed by his skin.

  He smelt like Christmas. It must be my imagination?

  Dear God, I was losing it!

  ‘Thank you for your hospitality… But the thing I like the look of, the one thing that’s caught my eye, I’m sure ain’t gonna be for sale.’

  Did he mean me?

  I wasn’t sure, and couldn’t trust myself not to make a fool of myself yet again.

  Like a coward I stayed with my back turned towards him and only glimpsed behind me when the click of his boots quietened. The almost threadbare matting at the doorway had masked the sound of his steps. and as I looked over my shoulder he pulled the door closed behind him.

  Obviously expecting me to turn, I saw a smile once again light up his eyes, ‘Thank you, Ma’am.’ He caught my eye and nodded at me.

  He was American then? He obviously thinks I’m old enough to be Victorian too! The thoughts ran quickly through my head, but I refused to open my mouth again in case I made an even bigger fool of myself.

  He winked one beautiful, amused, teal coloured eye at me and left the shop.

  I immediately felt bereft as the draft of cold air not only took away the hottest man I had ever laid eyes on, but also the smell of Christmas that had entered the shop with him.

  ‘Earth to Amy, I have news!’

  Lauren’s voice brought me back to the present and I shook my head to once again focus on her, but I couldn’t stop one small sigh sounding out loud with the memory. After my feet had hit the floor I had frozen in place. I now turned around to face her and the sight of my cousin brought a much-needed smile to my face. She was almost a mirror image of me and it was obvious that we were related, “like two peas from a pod” our nan often remarked. We had the same chestnut coloured mane of hair, and apparently the shape of our faces ran in the family, but our eyes were different shades of brown, hers light and mine so dark they were very nearly black.
Strange how you can almost look identical to another person, but have such a completely different outlook on life.

  She had jumped to sit up on the counter that ran down in front of the side wall. Since she had been tall enough to get herself up there, it had become her contemplating place in the shop. Our nan had long since given up asking her to not sit on the ancient counter.

  ‘Where did you go to?’ she teased.

  I shook my head at her.

  ‘It doesn’t matter. Come on then, spill it,’ I said and returned her smile.

  ‘I need your full attention before I do,’ she stated as she pointed towards the opposite counter, waiting for me to jump up on it to sit down.

  I walked towards the door, shot the bolt across and turned the sign to closed. However, I resisted turning off the fairy lights that decorated the main window, just yet. I had taped them delicately around the panes of glass in the window and threaded them amongst the small display of knitted woollen gloves, hats, and the neatly folded crocheted blankets. The pretty coloured lights gave the run-down shop an extra sparkle and my nan had been right, her homemade knitted crafts had sold quite well.

  I knew there wouldn’t be any more customers today. It was Friday and the start of the last weekend before Christmas, nine days before the day itself. The weather was freezing and people had disappeared inside their houses. I wasn’t even sure I’d open the shop at all next week. Lauren had already asked for my help at The Fairy Garden for most of it. I could earn more there as a waitress for a few hours than my nan’s shop would take all day and I was almost counting the tips that I could make. People were always more generous at Christmas time. I turned and leant my bum against the counter and looked at Lauren expectantly.

  ‘Well?’ I questioned as I crossed my arms over my chest.

  ‘Ok, you’re going to be shocked at what I’m about to say, but before you go off on one, please understand that I. Have. Thought. About. It.’ She was placating me with her hands as she spoke.

  ‘Go on then.’ I felt my brow furrow, questioningly.

  ‘Okay, you know that group, band, whatever they are… that have been doing up Falham Manor for the last couple of years?’

  I opened my eyes wider, pondering on her words. ‘Of course, I do live here too, you know… and it’s Raff’s band. They’re called Default Distraction,’ I replied, shaking my head at her strange description and stupid questions.

  ‘Well… Winter called me a few hours ago and she needs my help with their opening day.’ I didn’t say anything, I just stared at her trying to work out what the hell was going on inside her head and equally, for that matter, what the hell was going on inside of Winter’s?

  ‘She needs your help with what?’ I couldn’t believe she’d asked her for help, knowing the history between Lauren and Winter’s older brother, Rafferty.

  ‘Half of her chefs have come down with some sort of lurgy. You know the shit and vomit sort of lurgy. They can’t go near the kitchen, let alone the food. She needs help preparing the food for the big open event they’re having on Sunday.’

  I took in what she was saying, for a moment. A few years ago, Lauren had very courageously opened a beautiful tearoom in the old coach houses of Falham Manor. They had been sold with most of the other out buildings of The Manor itself. The Fairy Garden was now going from strength to strength. It drew people in from far and wide. Part of the attraction was to sit in the beautifully well-designed comfort of the place, the other was to sample some of Lauren’s homemade, traditional English cakes and pastries. She had taken a huge risk and it had paid off.

  I was beyond proud of her.

  We should have known then, with the sale of the outbuildings, that The Manor was also in trouble and would eventually have to be sold too. It was happening all over the country, when upper-class families no longer had the money to sustain their substantial properties. It had been a shock however when we had learnt, via Winter, that The Manor had been bought by Default Distraction. I knew no more about them than a few songs I had heard on the radio and that Raff, who we had grown up with, was part of the group.

  Lauren had been floored by the news. It meant he was finally coming home, when it had taken her years to come to terms with the fact that she had thought he was never coming home.

  I shook my head at her. ‘I can’t believe Winter would ask you. I mean, I know you’re a superb cook and are probably the very best person to help her. But, let’s face facts, you’ve been steering clear of the actual Manor house for the whole of the time they have been doing it up… I’m sorry, Lauren, but we both know why, don’t we?’ Her eyes misted over and I immediately felt like a bloody bitch for making her face up to the biggest heartache of her life.

  ‘I know, but she’s our friend and she needs help. I’ve decided I need to do this and I need to show…’

  ‘What?’ I interrupted. ‘You need to show Raff that you no longer care, is that it? And if it is…Why? Why would you put yourself through that?’ I could hear the concern in my voice as I almost pleaded with her to rethink her decision.

  She shook her head at my words. ‘No, you’re wrong. I really need to show myself, once and for all, that I’ve moved on.’ I watched as she copied my body language and crossed her arms over the top of her thick cream jumper.

  I wasn’t sure, she might be able to fool herself, but not me.

  I caught the look in her eyes, it was her stubborn look. Now wasn’t the time to keep questioning her motives. The look was one she had been mastering since childhood. She had pulled it out the very first time we had met, as she had told me in no uncertain terms that our nan was hers and her little brother Mark’s only, and they weren’t going to share her.

  The memory still made me smile.

  ‘What does Toby say?’ I watched the stubborn look slide right off her face at the mention of her quite recently acquired boyfriend’s name.

  ‘I haven’t told him yet… It’s my business, not his.’ Stubborn was replaced by a fleeting look of concern. I heard myself sigh as I realised I had made her feel uncomfortable.

  ‘Forget I said anything,’ I added as I pushed myself away from the counter I had been leaning on, to walk the few steps across to where she sat. As I arrived next to her I took hold of her left hand in both of mine and held it tightly.

  ‘Look, take no notice of me. What do I know? I may have been married once, albeit for a short time, but I know that I’ve never really been in love, ever. As you know, I’m not sure it even really exists… well not for the likes of people like me.’ I felt myself shrug my shoulders to drive the point home. ‘As well as poor romantic decisions, I am also the queen of making appalling business decisions… instead of taking the opportunity of a lifetime when you wanted me to go into business with you, I stayed here to run Nan’s shop, thinking my business degree would turn a failing business into a thriving one. So, what the heck do I know?’ I twisted my head to the side as I looked at her, to try to convince her of what I was saying.

  ‘Oh, come on! You never thought that Nan’s shop would get any better, even you’re not that stupid,’ she laughed.

  ‘Oi! You cheeky bugger. I could go off you, you know.’

  ‘No, you’re stuck with me. We both know the reason you stayed here at the shop. It was for love, not for any business reason.’

  ‘Yeah, you’re right, that’s the sort of love I do believe in.’ I smiled in acceptance at her words.

  ‘And what do you mean, people like you? Love can be just around the corner for us all, just waiting for our right moment to meet the right person.’

  I shrugged my shoulders at her. It was a long-standing argument between us, that just at this minute I couldn’t be bothered to reopen. She stood firmly on her side of the fence and I stood on mine, even if I did occasionally try to peer over. I changed tack a little.

  ‘So, let me ask you… Are you helping Winter for business reasons or for love?’

  ‘Definitely business,’ she said adamantly.<
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  ‘Then if you need my help, I’m all yours. I know it may surprise you, but I could do with the extra money.’ I knocked my shoulder against hers.

  ‘Pack a bag then, you’re moving up to The Manor,’ she added.

  ‘God, they won’t know what’s hit them. With the two Harper girls and Winter Davenport in the same place at the same time.’ I laughed, knowing it would be hard work helping Winter and running The Fairy Garden at the same time. But I knew we would have fun together.

  Still holding hands, we both separately contemplated what the next few days were going to mean for us. I had a few days of much needed freedom as my nan had gone into respite care to give me a break and Lauren was going to face the man who had left, taking her heart with him.

  Finally, I reached the bottom of the narrow staircase. I kicked open the door with the toe of my fleece-lined boot and manoeuvred my case into the back of the shop, using my shin. Luckily, my suitcase had wheels on it. I dragged it around the corner of the back counter and out into the middle of the floor.

  Lauren had left after we’d had a hot drink. I just had a couple of things to do and then I was going to follow on up to her flat, which was sat in the roof space above her tearooms. We had decided it was best if I had my car with me, with all the work we had to get done over the next forty-eight hours. So, I was going to follow her in our nan’s old soft top Triumph Herald.

  I pulled out the handle of my case, walked up to the locked front door, and began to carefully tape the note to it that I had written in bold black lettering.

  MERRY CHRISTMAS AND A HAPPY NEW YEAR TO ALL OUR CUSTOMERS, OLD AND NEW. WE WILL REOPEN IN JANUARY.

  LOVE FROM

  VERA AND AMY

  The weather had turned even colder in the hour it had taken me to pack up enough clothes to last me the week. Now I had moved closer to the windows, I could feel the chill on my exposed cheeks. I could also see that the earlier sleet had now turned into flurries of snow. I squinted through one of the small panes of glass, thank goodness the lane was still clear enough to drive safely. But I had to hurry, it was dark and cold, and I knew the snow would only get heavier as it had probably set in for the night.