“I hope we haven’t caused any trouble for you,” Kelly said.
“No, this was a long time coming. Drive safe and I will speak to you via email in regards to anything I need done with work.” His gaze moved to me. “And, I do hope you aren’t put off from having dinner at my house again. I can assure you Natalija won’t be here to cause any trouble.” He gave us a wave, then turned and headed for the front door.
“He is pissed,” I said, watching the door close. “It sounds like he’s going to give her the boot.”
“I didn’t want them to break up,” Kelly said, looking concerned. “I like her.”
I made a spiffing sound. “She’s a bitch.”
Kelly hit my arm. “That’s a horrible thing to say after you slept with her.”
“I wish I hadn’t.” I jolted as Natalija yelled inside the house. Eric yelled next, then the woman started yelling louder, so loud I could hear every single word.
“This is my home, I will not leave!” She paused. “No, Eric! I love you!” She paused again. “You can’t make me!”
I grimaced. “I think we better get out of here fast.” I went around to the driver’s side. Something crashed inside the house, sounding like things were being thrown. “Christ Almighty,” I said.
Kelly looked worried. “Do you think we should go see if they’re alright?”
“Hell, no! I ain’t getting in the middle of a domestic, and I’d say that hellcat will be the one destroying things.”
“Poor Eric.”
“Not my problem, nor yours either, so let’s go.” I unlocked the doors and got into the car, Kelly following suit. I fired up the engine, then headed down the driveway, more than grateful I had Kelly. Even when I was a kid, I knew I had a keeper, and right now, I was done with fantasies, because all I wanted was the reality sitting next to me.
24
KELLY
As soon as the kids had left for school, I headed for the phone, wanting to call Eric. I had tried yesterday, but had only gotten his voicemail. Ever since I’d left his house, I’d been worried about him and Natalija, the fight I’d heard cause for concern.
The phone picked up on the third ring, Eric’s voice coming over the line. “Hello.”
“Eric, I’m so sorry about yesterday.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“I heard crashes. What happened?”
“Natalija took her anger out on my belongings. She has a fiery temper.”
“Are you alright?”
“Not really. She got so mad she threw a vase at me. I had to go to the hospital to get stitches.”
“Oh, my God. Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. Now, how is Tom? I hope she didn’t upset him too much.”
“He’s over it.”
“Good. I also hope what happened didn’t ruin our relationship. I do consider you two friends.”
“I do too.”
“Did you enjoy Saturday night?”
“I did, just a pity about Natalija. I ended up liking her.”
“She is quite charming when she wants something, but can become violent when she doesn’t get her way. I overlooked it for a while, but this was the last straw.”
“Has she hurt you before?”
“Yes, I just won’t tolerate it anymore. And don’t feel bad about the weekend, it was a long time in the making. I just feel bad you and Tom had to witness it.”
“Don’t worry about us.”
“Thank you, and I was meaning to phone you. Would you be able to come to my house this morning to sort out a few details for the book tour? I’ll be working from home.”
“Sure. What time?”
“As soon as you can get here.”
“I’m on my way.”
After we said our goodbyes, I went to my room and got changed, stopping as the phone rang again. I ran back for it. A voice came across the line, their last words seizing my heart. “Your daughter’s been in an accident.”
“What happened?”
My face fell as they told me. I dropped the phone and grabbed my bag, running for the door.
***
My daughter was asleep when I got to the hospital. Mrs. Hayden, Nicky’s drama teacher, was sitting by her bed. The brightly dressed woman looked up as I entered the room. Putting down her magazine, she got to her feet and came over to me, giving me a hug. “Nicky’s alright, she’s just sleeping,” she said, saying the words I needed to hear.
I pulled back and went over to Nicky’s side.
Mrs. Hayden followed me. “Is your husband coming?”
I nodded. I’d called Tom on the drive over, then I’d rung Eric, telling him I couldn’t make it, unable to hold back the tears as I spoke to him.
“What happened?” I asked, staring down at Nicky, the bandage around her head scaring me.
“She stepped in front of a car. Luckily the driver was going slow. He said Nicky didn’t look.”
I breathed in and out slowly, praying it was an accident, because if she’d done it on purpose there was no way I was leaving her side.
The teacher continued, “She had earphones on, so she probably didn’t hear the car.”
I nodded, trying to hold back the tears. Nicky often wore headphones when she went to school, so the teacher could be right. “How’s she doing?”
“She woke up not long after we got to the hospital, but was in pain, so they gave her some medication.”
Noise came from the corridor, sounding like pounding feet. I turned my head as Tom ran into the room, wearing his grimy work clothes and boots. “Is she okay?” he asked, heading for the bed.
“Yes,” I said, getting a relieved look in return. “She’s just sleeping.”
He sat down on the other side of the bed, taking the teacher’s seat. “How injured is she?”
“She has a concussion,” the teacher answered. “I’ll go get the doctor for you.”
After she’d left, Tom focused on me. “Did she do it on purpose?” he asked, his face strained.
I shook my head, not really knowing, but placing faith in what the teacher had told me. “She had her headphones on, so didn’t hear the car.”
He exhaled loudly, then ran a hand over his head. “I thought she—” He covered his face, his shoulders going up and down.
I pushed up from my chair and went to him, wrapping my arms around him from behind. Still covering his face, he leaned into me.
A few minutes later, a blond doctor in his late thirties walked into the room, giving us a friendly smile. “Your daughter will be fine,” he said, “there’s been no real damage.” He continued talking, telling us that she needed to stay in hospital overnight due to her concussion, but that she would be okay to return home tomorrow. He eventually left. An hour later, Tom had to leave too, after receiving a call from work about an onsite accident. I just hoped there wasn’t going to be a third accident, bad luck coming in threes.
***
I took Nicky home the next day. She was quiet on the ride back, making me nervous. The possibility that she had purposely stepped in front of that car was still plaguing me. I closed the front door behind her, wanting to ask, but too scared to find out what her answer would be. An accident was bad enough, but if it wasn’t an accident ... this could happen again.
I followed her into her bedroom.
She turned to me. “I need to change.”
I backed out of her room and headed for mine. I didn’t want to upset her if I was wrong, but if I was right... I sat down on my bed and put my hands to my head, knowing I had to ask no matter what.
A few minutes later Nicky’s door opened.
“Nicky,” I called out.
She appeared in my room, dressed in her green soccer shorts and her Man-U shirt. “Yeah.”
I picked at my nails. “You didn’t speak much on the way home.”
“I was listening to music.”
“Do you have anything to say now? About the accident, that is?”
&nbs
p; “No.”
“I was... um...” I breathed out, forcing myself to say the next words. “I was worried you stepped out on purpose—”
“I didn’t!”
I stood up. “You mentioned about—”
“I didn’t try to commit suicide, I was distracted.” She stopped talking, something crossing her face, making me nervous she was lying.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I...” She covered her face. “I can’t—”
“Please tell me.”
She shook her head.
I started crying. I didn’t want to in front of her, but I was absolutely terrified of her hesitance.
She uncovered her face, blinking back her own tears. “Don’t cry, Mum.”
I wiped my eyes. “Please. Just tell me what’s wrong. I can’t help if I don’t know.”
“I can’t.”
“Why? I’m your mother, you can tell me anything and I won’t judge you.”
“I like girls,” she blurted out.
I went still, her answer blindsiding me.
Her face contorted, fear and anguish colouring it. “I’m gay, Mum. That’s why I walked in front of the car. I was distracted by a girl across the road. I was watching her.” She started crying more. “I didn’t do it on purpose, honestly. I’m so sorry.”
“You have nothing to be sorry for.”
“I meant about being gay.”
“Again, you have nothing to be sorry for.” I placed my hands on her arms. “I love you no matter what, and you know I’m fine with gender differences. Your aunty and uncle are gay, and I love them with all my heart. You shouldn’t worry about what I or anyone else thinks, your only concern being happiness.”
“I was still scared to tell you.”
“I know, sweetie, and you can tell your dad about it too.”
She shook her head. “I can’t.”
“He won’t think any differently of you.”
“I still can’t.”
“Then let me tell him. He should know.”
She wiped her eyes and nodded.
I pulled her into a hug. “He will love you just the same, like I do.”
***
The sound of a truck drew my attention to the front of the house. I peeked through the blinds, spotting Tom getting out of his ute, the vehicle needing a good clean. Looking exhausted, he walked across the grass to the front door. I went to unlock it for him, telling Remy to change the TV to the news.
“Ah, Mum!” Remy complained.
“Change it now, your father’s home.”
He grumbled, but relented.
I opened the front door as Tom reached out to knock. He lowered his hand, his expression unhappy.
“What’s wrong?”
“Work,” he said, moving past me. He kicked his shoes off at the door and headed for the passage.
I followed him into the bathroom.
“Close the door,” he said, pulling off his shirt. “I’m going to have a shower.”
I closed it as he unbuckled his belt.
“What’s wrong with work?” I asked. “Is that employee alright?”
“He’s fine, but the business ain’t.” He shunted his jeans down and kicked them off, along with his underwear, his expression darkening. “We lost the Mission Bay contract. The guy’s gone bankrupt, and that Remuera prick we’re building for isn’t paying on time. I’m sick of doing houses, I want big contracts.” He stepped into the shower and turned it on. “Has Eric emailed you about that Tauranga hotelier?”
“No, I haven’t spoken to him since Monday.”
“When are you getting your royalty cheque?”
“I don’t know.”
“Can you please call him immediately,” he said, turning towards me, the water cascading over his head. “There’s nothing in the business account, so I have to pay my employees out of our personal one.”
“We can’t afford that!”
“We can if you get that million from Eric.” He started shampooing his hair. “So ask, or we won’t be paying the mortgage next week. And if he doesn’t want to give you the whole amount, ask for an advance. A few grand will do. Also, check if he’s spoken to that hotelier bloke. I need that contract.” He leaned his head back and rinsed the shampoo out.
“That’s being pushy,” I said.
“I don’t care, we’re in trouble. I might have to stop work on the house if that prick doesn’t get his shit together and pay me on time, which means I will have men out of work.”
“Okay, I’ll call Eric.”
He started washing his chest. “Thanks, can you please do it now? This money problem’s been plaguing me all day.”
“I’ve got something to tell you first.”
He picked up the showerhead and rinsed the soap off. “What is it?”
“Nicky said she likes girls.”
He stopped cleaning himself.
“She’s a lesbian,” I added.
He frowned. “I pretty much guessed that.”
“Really?”
“Yeah, just things she did.”
“But she was always commenting on boys, staring at them.”
“I still guessed it.” He breathed out. “I’m disappointed.”
“What do you mean you’re disappointed?” I said, tensing.
“That came out wrong. I’m not disappointed in her, but what it means. Life’s hard enough as it is, but it will be even harder for her. She can’t just go up and ask a girl out like a guy can. She’ll have to worry about people’s reactions.” He frowned. “I’m disappointed that she will find it so much harder to meet someone. She’s my baby, I want her happy.”
“Me too. And she can’t tell my parents, not with the way they reacted over my brother and sister being gay.”
“That’s going to be hard too. Hiding something like that will cause her even more stress.”
I nodded, knowing things were going to be far from easy for Nicky.
Tom turned off the shower and grabbed the towel hanging over the top. “All we can do is support her, so at least she can feel comfortable in her own home.”
I nodded again.
He got out of the shower and wrapped the towel around his hips, giving me a quick kiss before heading into the passage. I followed him to our bedroom, closing the door behind us as he dropped the towel. He opened a drawer and pulled on some briefs, then a pair of shorts and a T-shirt. Yawning, he rubbed his face and shook his head.
“What?” I asked.
“If it’s not one thing, then it’s another. That woman Natalija phoned me today.”
I frowned. “How’d she get your number? And what did she want?”
“She gave me some sob story about Eric kicking her out. She wanted to see me. I told her no. I had to hang up on her and turn off my phone, because she kept calling me back. Looks like your boss got caught up with a bunny boiler.”
“I’ll tell Eric. And she’s right, he did kick her out. Apparently she threw a vase at him.”
Tom’s eyebrows shot up. “Christ, and to think I slept with that psycho. I knew something was wrong with her when she asked me to choke her.”
“She did what?”
“Yeah. I should’ve said no to that asphyxiation shit, but she kept bugging me. Anyway, forget about that crazy bi-atch.” He slipped his arms around my waist and kissed me, pulling back a few seconds later. “Because I only want to take your breath away.”
Smiling, I shook my head. “You are so corny.”
He pressed his crotch into me. “You mean horny, so how about a quickie?”
“I thought you wanted me to ring Eric, and your dinner will get cold.”
“I won’t take long. Just bend over the bed,” he grinned mischievously, “and I’ll be done in a minute.”
Amused, I shook my head. “Nope, dinner first, then you can give me a proper seeing to later.” Detaching myself from him, I opened the door and headed for the sitting room, yelping as Tom whacked my arse.
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I spun around. “Don’t do that!”
“You shouldn’t be a naughty girl then,” he sniggered. He walked over to the couch and sat down next to Remy, looking pleased with himself
Our son turned and smacked Tom. “Don’t touch my Mum!”
Tom laughed and grabbed Remy, playfully wrestling with him.
Shaking my head, I went to get Tom’s dinner. I placed the veggie pie and salad on the coffee table in front of him, then grabbed the phone. I headed down the passage and into our room, settling myself on the bed. I checked the computer for Eric’s email, then called through.
“Eric Firth speaking,” he answered.
“Hi, Eric, it’s Kelly.”
His voice perked up. “Hello there, how is your daughter doing?”
“Good.”
“I’m relieved to hear that. So, what do I owe the pleasure of this call?”
“Um ... it’s about my royalty cheque.”
“Damian will take care of that. Have you made an appointment with him?”
“I have one on Wednesday, but I need to know now when the money will come through.”
“I’d say by the end of the month.”
“That’s a while away.”
“Is that a problem?”
“I ... ah...”
“Speak your mind, Kelly.”
“I need it sooner; we have to pay some bills.”
“I can give you an advance. Will ten grand do?”
I breathed out in relief. “Yes. Thank you.”
“No problem. Give me your bank account number and I will have my secretary arrange the payment to go in by Thursday. Is that all?”
“Tom also wanted to know about your hotelier friend and the contract you mentioned.”
“Farris said he will be in touch with Tom soon.”
“Thank you. Also, Natalija won’t stop calling Tom.”
Eric exhaled loudly. “She’s already pestered Damian, trying to get him to take her in. That’s probably why she phoned Tom, because Damian turned her away. He’s a close personal friend, and is not happy she’s telling lies about me.”
“What is she saying?”
“That I attacked her, instead of the other way around. You just need to see my back to know she’s lying.”
“Are you alright now?”
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