by Holly Martin
She pulled on her Converse and marched downstairs to tell them to clear off.
She opened the door and saw they were all huddled around Zach laughing and jeering at him. Zach could more than take care of himself but she wouldn’t stand around while they hassled him like that. As one nudged Zach with his foot, she stormed out the gate.
‘Hey, sod off, all of you.’
‘Oooh, need your girlfriend to fight your battles, do you?’ one tall, lanky boy said.
‘Bella’s so desperate for a shag that she’d pick a guy up off the streets.’
‘Hey,’ Bella said indignantly. That was too close to home.
‘I told you she needed a good seeing to,’ sniggered one of the boys that Bella recognised.
Zach stood up and he looked so angry that Bella suddenly feared for the boys’ safety. Time to nip this in the bud now.
‘And you’d be the one to give it to me, would you Frankie? I don’t think so. Your mum would ground you for a year if she heard you speaking like that. Now clear off before I give her a call.’
Frankie flushed and the other boys jeered at him.
Another boy suddenly grabbed Zach’s bag. ‘What’s in here?’ the boy asked, clearly a little bit drunk.
Bella grabbed the strap and tried to snatch it back but the other boy tugged it towards him.
‘Let it go now,’ Zach said, towering over the boy, and as Bella gave it an almighty tug, the boy let it go and she tumbled sideways, her forehead slamming into the brick wall. She bounced off it and hit the floor and a sudden wooziness engulfed her.
The boys ran, disappearing up the alley within seconds as Zach knelt down by her side, putting his arm around her.
‘Bella, are you OK? Christ you’re bleeding.’
She felt sick and dizzy and she didn’t know if she was going to pass out or throw up or both.
Zach scooped her up into his arms as if she weighed nothing and carried her back into the house. He laid her gently on the sofa and ran off to the kitchen and after that she wasn’t really aware of anything else.
Bella opened her eyes and realised she was in a hospital bed with Zach sitting next to her holding her hand.
He immediately sat forward when he saw she was awake. ‘Are you OK?’
She blinked as she stared at him. She had vague recollections of what had happened since she banged her head, as she’d drifted in and out of consciousness. She remembered Zach carrying her into a taxi which whizzed them down to the harbour and she remembered Zach carrying her onto a boat. But not the ferry, a small power boat which Zach drove himself while she lay on a plush white leather seat at the back. She recalled that Zach had then carried her to a car which he had driven to the hospital and then it all got a bit grey again after that.
She tried to sit up but Zach pushed her back down. ‘Don’t try to get up, just rest.’
‘My head hurts,’ Bella muttered feebly.
‘I’m not surprised, you face-planted a wall. What were you thinking? I didn’t need you to run out and defend me. They were kids and have you seen the size of me?’
Bella closed her eyes, trying to make sense of everything that happened. She looked over at Zach again. ‘You stole a boat? And a car?’
She watched his cheeks colour and she groaned. ‘Oh no, Zach, you’re going to get in so much trouble.’
‘I didn’t steal the boat or the car, they’re mine.’
Bella stared at him. She still felt really woozy. ‘I don’t understand. You own a boat and car? But you’re homeless? Are you the richest homeless person in the world?’
She let out a little giggle at the ridiculousness of the situation but that made her brain wobble inside her head.
‘I’m not homeless.’
She tried to focus on him but she felt like she was drunk. ‘You’re not making any sense.’
‘I know I’m not, I’m sorry,’ Zach said. ‘I’ve not been truthful with you.’
Bella closed her eyes again.
‘Hey Bella, stay with me OK, just open your eyes.’
She forced her eyes open for a second or two to look at him. ‘You lied?’
‘Yes, about everything.’
She didn’t understand but a wave of disappointment washed over her. ‘The kiss was a lie?’
‘God no, that was definitely not a lie.’
‘When you said that you enjoyed spending time with me and came back to my house tonight just so you could see me. You lied about that?’
‘No, that wasn’t a lie either. I really did want to see you.’
‘So what did you lie about?’
‘Pretty much everything else. My name isn’t even Zach.’
She felt her eyes widen in horror. When he’d said that she didn’t know him, he’d been speaking the truth. She had no idea who he really was and yet she’d kissed him, let him undress her and touch her. She felt suddenly really ashamed.
She closed her eyes again and this time when unconsciousness crept up on her, she didn’t even fight it.
Chapter Seven
Isaac watched Bella as she dozed, the early morning sunshine flooding through the window. He had to get back for the interview but he didn’t want to leave her. Though the doctors had reassured him that she was fine, he wanted to make sure of that for himself and more than anything he wanted to clear the air between them, explain to her why he’d done what he’d done.
They hadn’t spoken since his half-hearted confession the night before and he strongly suspected she was only pretending to be asleep. She had seemed to come round again an hour or so later but she had closed her eyes again and rolled over away from him.
His phone vibrated in his pocket and he pulled it out to have a look. It was a text message from his PA to say that his assistant manager had called in sick. Amanda lived in Cornwall and it was a long way to come if she wasn’t feeling well. If he stayed here and didn’t go to the interview that would only leave Madge and Eric on the panel and he didn’t trust either of them to choose the best person for the job.
Crap.
He’d have to go. And the worst thing was, the person he really wanted for the job would no longer be able to come to the interview. The only way round it would be not to appoint at the interview today and then re-advertise the position a few weeks down the line and hope she applied for it again. But if she found out who he was before then, there was no way she would apply. What a complete mess and it was totally of his making too.
A nurse he’d met several times already since their arrival at the hospital came into the room and fussed around Bella for a minute or two, checking her pulse and the monitors, but Bella didn’t respond to her either.
‘Are you sure she’s OK?’ Isaac asked.
‘She’s fine, she’ll have a headache for a few days and some soreness and bruising but she just needs some rest. There’s absolutely no reason for you to worry.’
Isaac nodded and looked at his watch. Damn it, he really needed to go. He stood up and leaned over Bella, placing a kiss on her cheek. ‘I have to go,’ he whispered. ‘I’m sorry. About everything.’
She didn’t move, though he did see her eyelashes flutter ever so slightly.
He hesitated for a moment but when there was still no response, he moved to go.
‘Will you keep her in overnight tonight?’
The nurse shook her head. ‘I imagine she’ll be here for most of the day, but that the doctor will discharge her early evening.’
He looked at his watch. The interviews would probably take until lunch. ‘Can you tell her that I’m really sorry that I had to go but that I’ll be back this afternoon?’
The nurse nodded and he left.
What the hell was he going to do now?
‘He’s gone,’ the nurse said. ‘You can stop pretending you’re asleep now.’
Bella opened her eyes and surreptitiously checked the room then rolled onto her back and the nurse helped her to sit up. Her back ached and she felt stiff. Her head was sore b
ut the wooziness was mostly gone. ‘How did you know I was awake?’
‘Honey, I’ve been doing this job for nearly thirty years. I’m pretty good at spotting the signs. Did you and your boyfriend have a row?’
‘He’s not my boyfriend.’
‘Relative? Friend?’
‘No. I have no idea who he is,’ Bella said, sadly, realising that was the truth.
‘Well he seemed to be very concerned about you for someone you don’t know.’
Bella stared at a poster on the wall without really seeing it. They had talked so much over the last two nights. They had a connection that was so real, something that she’d never felt with any other man before, and she refused to believe that all of that was a lie.
Her memory from the night before was still groggy but she was pretty sure that he’d said that the car and the boat was his, that he wasn’t homeless and that his name wasn’t even Zach. Had she imagined all of that? Perhaps she should have talked to him instead of pretending that she was asleep. But if what he’d said was true then she felt so let down that he had lied to her and, even worse, disappointed in herself for trusting someone again.
Suddenly a thought struck her. ‘What time is it?’
The nurse checked her watch. ‘Quarter past nine.’
Bella gasped. She had to be at the Umbrella Foundation at ten. She was still in her clothes from the night before which were covered in dirt and blood. If she left the hospital now she might be able to get the nine thirty ferry which would get her into Hope Island around quarter to ten. The Umbrella Foundation was about a ten-minute walk from where the ferry came in so she could make it on time but there was no time to go home and get changed. Damn it. Though turning up in blood-covered clothes was at least better than not turning up at all or turning up late. Another idea came to her. Her aunt Cassie’s charity shop was near the harbour. She might have something that was semi-respectable for an interview. Although, knowing her aunt’s sense of fashion and what she liked to display in the shop, it was more likely to be something from the seventies than anything modern, but it would have to do.
She threw the sheets back and stood up. ‘I need to go.’
‘Oh no you don’t, young lady, the doctor has to discharge you,’ the nurse said, folding her arms in disapproval.
‘I’ll discharge myself. I take full responsibility for my actions. But as you already told…’ she waved her hand at Zach’s chair ‘… my friend, there’s absolutely nothing to worry about, I think I’ll be fine.’
The nurse glared at her but what was she going to do, manhandle her back into bed and tie her to it?
The woman shook her head with annoyance. ‘I’ll get you the form.’
Bella nodded and waited for her to leave the room. She looked around the room: no coat, no bag, she couldn’t even clean her teeth. None of it mattered though, if she could just get to the Umbrella Foundation in time, then she at least would have tried her best.
Without waiting for the nurse to come back with the discharge form and her disapproving glares, she opened the door and peered out. When she could see the corridor was clear, she ran down it, down the stairs and outside, and then out onto the street.
She had fifteen minutes to get to the quay which she knew was about ten minutes away but how much time had she lost getting out of the hospital?
She ran as fast as she could and just hoped it would be enough.
Bella made it just as Bob was untying the ropes of the ferry and she waved and shouted like mad as she ran down the jetty. Bob smiled at her and held out a hand to help her aboard which she gladly took.
‘I haven’t got my pass or my purse or any money, I’m going to have to owe you,’ Bella said, panting for breath.
Bob frowned. ‘What happened to your face?’
‘I fell, I’m fine. Can I pay you back tomorrow?’
Bob waved away her concerns as he went off to drive the boat. She sat down relieved and looked up at the clock. The boat was leaving two minutes late. This wasn’t good at all.
She looked around. Although there were a few tourists on the boat heading over to enjoy the delights of Hope Island, most of the passengers were people she knew either from her time working on St Mary’s or because they lived on Hope Island.
‘Bella, dear, what happened?’ Alexandra from the fish shop sat down next to her with concern.
Before Bella could answer, Molly who had worked in the shop opposite Magic Wishes on St Mary’s, leaned forward to look at her. ‘Someone probably punched her for stealing all their money.’
Alexandra clearly took great offence at that, pulling herself up to her full height. ‘I don’t think that’s appropriate or at all accurate.’
‘Should be ashamed of herself,’ chimed in Nora, who Bella knew worked on St Mary’s but lived on Hope Island.
Alexandra looked shocked. ‘I’ll have you know—’
Bella rested a hand on hers to stop Alexandra fighting her battles for her. She was used to this and, while it didn’t happen that often on Hope Island, she knew a lot of people felt this way.
‘It’s OK, Alexandra. People will believe what they want to believe. And I’m not ashamed, not in the slightest, as I had nothing to do with the embezzlement at Magic Wishes. If people want to waste their energy being bitter and angry with me over something I didn’t do, then let them get on with it.’
Molly and Nora fell silent though Bella knew she had done nothing to change their minds.
Alexandra nodded and then gestured to her injuries. ‘Are you OK?’
‘I just fell, I’m fine,’ Bella reassured her.
Elizabeth, the lady sitting on the other side of Alexandra, leaned forward. ‘Don’t you have that interview at the Umbrella Foundation this morning?’
Bella blinked. Was there really nothing more exciting going on in Hope Island that meant that her applying for a new job wasn’t a hot topic of conversation? It wasn’t exactly a secret but she would prefer some of the islanders not to know in case it somehow prejudiced those in charge at the Umbrella Foundation before she’d even walked through the doors.
She cleared her throat. ‘Yes, sadly in about twenty minutes.’
Elizabeth regarded Bella’s clothing and then took off her scarf. ‘Why don’t you use this to cover up some of the blood?’
‘Thank you, that’s very kind, but I’m going to my aunt Cassie’s shop to see if she can lend me something. I don’t think your scarf will be enough to cover up my jeans and Converse trainers too.’
Elizabeth pulled a face. ‘Child, there is nothing in that shop that is anywhere near suitable for an interview. Take the scarf, just in case.’
Bella took it, wondering if it was large enough to wrap around her whole body because she knew in her heart that Elizabeth was right. ‘Thank you.’
They arrived at the dock and Bella jumped ashore before Bob had even tied the boat up, giving him a wave as he shook his head fondly at her.
She ran out of the harbour and burst into her aunt’s charity shop. Everyone stopped to look at her, some of them tutting at her behaviour.
Her aunt Cassie came running towards her, clearly concerned. Cassie was Finn’s sister and, never having had children of her own, she had taken to spoiling her nieces and nephew with great abundance. It was just a shame that a lot of her generosity was passing on some of the more ghastly donations that landed in the shop.
‘Bella, what happened to your head, are you OK?’
‘I’m fine Cassie, I fell. I’ve been at the hospital, they’ve stitched me back up, they said I was fine,’ Bella lied. ‘I need your help. I have an interview in ten minutes and I’ve just got back from St Mary’s. I haven’t got time to go home and change, do you have anything smart that might fit me?’
Cassie looked her up and down and then bustled off to one of the rails. ‘I don’t really stock suits.’
Bella looked around the shop, which was full of a mishmash of old paintings, chipped and stained crockery, ugly v
ases, and even a dead stuffed squirrel, perched on a branch that was propped up against a metallic painting of Jesus. There were some clothes, but all of them were garish, hideous and probably had never been in fashion even when they were made.
‘A dress maybe,’ Bella said desperately. ‘I just need anything that’s smart and that fits me.’
‘Well that’s the problem, dear, you’re so tiny. Oh, I have something that’s just come in.’
‘I’ll take anything…’ She looked down at her red Converse. ‘And I’ll need some shoes too.’
Cassie disappeared out into the stock room and Bella looked around the shop, hoping that a nice black suit would grab her attention. Even if it was a few sizes too big, it would have to do.
‘I have this,’ Cassie said, as she came out the store room, holding a bridesmaid dress with large puffy sleeves that was bright neon green in colour. It was so bright, it actually hurt Bella’s eyes and could almost be classed as hi-vis. If she had been working as road maintenance she would have been visible from miles away wearing this. Cassie turned it round so Bella could see the back, which had the world’s biggest bow over the bottom.
‘Do you have anything else?’ Bella said, looking down at her own clothes and wondering if the blood and mud would be better than the green monstrosity.
‘I can check,’ Cassie said, doubtfully.
Bella looked up at the clock over the till that was made entirely of knives and forks. She had five minutes to get there and she knew it would take her ten minutes to walk.
‘I’ll take it,’ Bella said. ‘I’ll get changed here, if that’s OK. And can I pay you back tomorrow?’
‘Consider it a gift,’ Cassie said smiling. Bella couldn’t think of a more horrible gift but she hugged her aunt anyway as she went into the changing room and threw it on.
