“What? Why?” Tiffany stood from the couch. “Now you know, maybe you two could work things out?”
Jac shook her head. “If Molly wants a relationship again it’ll have to be on her terms. I can’t force the issue. She told me she just wants to be friends and I promised that I wouldn’t pressure her. She has her reasons for me not seeing all this and it wouldn’t be fair to back her into a corner.”
“You two are driving me crazy.” Tiffany threw her hands up. “Fine. We’ll get rid of it, but if you two don’t get your act together soon, I’m going to seriously lose it.”
Jac laughed at Tiffany’s frustration, not that it was funny. Jac wished too that Molly would let her back into her life properly, the way they used to be. Well, Molly had four months to get the business closed up and work on her recovery. Jac was going to be there for all of it. Maybe over time, Molly would begin to trust her again and allow her feelings to come forth. If not, Jac would have to be content with friendship.
Between them, they had everything boxed up and stored in the garden shed in under an hour. It was hard for Jac to see the memories of her past with Molly shoved into boxes and shut away as if their time together never happened. More than once she had to wipe a tear away. One particular time was when she was in the bedroom, intent on folding away her clothes when the bedside table caught her eye. On there stood a framed picture of Jac at her graduation, her arms around Molly, twin smiles of joy shined from the photo. That wasn’t what brought the tears to her eyes. It was Molly’s wedding ring nestled inside a velvet box that stood next to the picture, the lid open. It would be the last thing Molly saw before she went to sleep every night. The thought of Molly looking at it and mourning the loss of their love cut Jac deep. I waited too long to come back here. How many nights had Molly looked at that and wished Jac was with her? Did she cry? Was she longing for Jac to come back? These were all questions Jac couldn’t ask her because she wasn’t supposed to see any of this. Guilt overwhelmed her at invading Molly’s privacy. She closed the lid to the box and placed it in her jacket pocket. She would add her own ring to the box and give them both to Molly to do with as she pleased.
“You still going to stay and get the ramp done? I can help if you want,” Tiffany asked.
Jac wasn’t really in the mood any longer, the sombre process of packing away her life with Molly weighing heavily in her stomach, but then she remembered her promise to Molly, that everything would be ready for when she came home in a few days. She nodded at Tiffany and together they steadily built the ramp, all the while catching up on their lives over the last few years. As if by silent agreement they avoided talking about Molly. It felt good to reconnect with her friend and it made Jac surer that staying in The Midlands was the right thing to do. She had missed having people in her life she could laugh with and confide in. She had a lot of lost time to make up for and she was determined to do just that.
***
Jac was just finishing up for the day after overseeing the bathroom conversion. They had added a wall seat and handrails, as well as ripping out the old bath and installing waterproof flooring. A new shower was fitted and had essentially been turned into a wet room. Tomorrow they would start clearing out the living room and adding the adjustable bed, as well as widening the door frames so Molly’s wheelchair could easily fit through them. She had just said goodbye to Tiffany at the main entrance to the farm when a familiar blue sports car pulled up. Ralph. She still hadn’t spoken to him since he phoned her three weeks ago to ask why she missed the meeting with Barry. As he stepped from the car, his gaze landing squarely on Jac, she could see he was angry, no, furious with her. She watched him approach, her mind scrambling with what she would say to him.
“Ms. Colby. It’s good to see you’re not dead. From the silence on your end, I assume you would be. I can’t fathom any other reason why you’d be avoiding me.”
Jac couldn’t be bothered to come up with a lie so she said, “I’m pretty sure Barry Owens filled you in on my past, so there’s no need to play games.” Ralph straightened his tie and grinned at her.
“Yes. Barry has been rather forthcoming on the goings-on here. But I would like to know what you think you’re playing at? I pay you a great deal. I don’t expect this kind of disrespect from my employees.”
“I would have thought my silence would have clued you in to the fact I no longer work for you.”
“Legally you can’t just walk away. We have an employment contract and if you fail to deliver on your duties I will have to seek legal advice. I hope you’ve been saving all these years because I plan to sue your ass for ever crossing me.”
Jac took a step closer, her pulse hammering in her chest from anger. She didn’t like threats, especially not from assholes like Ralph. She clenched her fist, intent on hitting him when an idea suddenly came to her. As far as Barry and Ralph were concerned, Molly wasn’t breaking her lease. They had no idea she was willing to do just that. If Jac played it right she could get him off her back, and without facing a legal battle with him. She relaxed her posture and smiled at him.
“I have a deal for you,” she said. “If I get the lease broken, will you terminate my employment without recourse?”
Ralph’s grin faded as he stared at her, eyebrows raised. “From what I understand, the owners won’t do that.”
“Then you understand wrong. I’ve been playing Ms. Fisher. She thinks I’m here to help her recover, but really I’ve been using our past relationship against her. She’s agreeing to break the lease. I think if you give me a couple of days, she’ll be ready to sign anything you want.”
“Jac?” Jac spun around at the sound of Tiffany’s shocked voice. “You promised that wasn’t the case. Have you been lying this whole time?”
If Jac didn’t know Tiffany as well as she did, she might have missed the twinkle in her eye. Tiffany knew what Jac was doing and she smirked slightly at Tiffany’s acting. Playing along she rushed over to her and said, “Shit, Tiff, you weren’t meant to hear that.”
“All this time we thought you had changed. I can’t believe you’d do this. Especially after we decided to disband the business.”
“You have?” Ralph asked, the joy in voice making Jac’s blood run cold. He really was a heartless bastard.
“Yes. We’ve started to sell things off. Jac even drew up a contract for us all to sign to agree on our leaving date.”
“Well, it seems I underestimated you, Jac.” He came closer and clasped her shoulder under his meaty hand. “Good job. Set up a meeting and we’ll get this contract looked at and signed. They’ll be a big bonus in it for you after all.”
“Actually, Ralph, I still want out.” She shrugged his hand off. “I’ve decided corporate law isn’t for me.”
He tsked at her and shook his head. “Such a waste, but if that’s what you want, so be it.” He strode away back to his car. He opened the door but before getting in he said, “Call me about that meeting. I’ll let my client know the land will soon be his.”
They watched him pull away, kicking up gravel as he wheel-spun out of the carpark. Tiffany’s arm snaked around her waist. “You’re lucky I can read you as well as I can. If I didn’t, I truly would have believed you were playing us.”
Jac turned her head to look at her. “I would never. Thank you for trusting me on this.”
“If it had been Molly that walked upon you it would have been a lot different.”
That was true. Molly was still finding it hard to trust Jac fully and if she had been the one to witness the scene instead of Tiffany, Jac knew she would have been sent away again, permanently this time. “I’m on my way to see her now. I’ll explain what happened and hopefully, she’ll believe it was Ralph I was playing and not you guys.”
“Good luck with that.”
Chapter Eleven
“So he threatened to sue you?” Molly adjusted the pillows behind her back and tried to sit upright, the move causing her right leg to flinch, sending a stab of pain
through her. She bit her lip and breathed through the discomfort. Jac placed a gentle hand on her shoulder soothing her. After the agony subsided, she continued, “Really, Jac, I don’t know how you worked for him all these years.”
Jac’s eyes dimmed and she glanced away. “What else could I do? You were gone, I had no friends down there. Continuing working for him was a means to an end. I didn’t see the point in anything anymore. I knew what he was like, but I didn’t have the strength to walk away.”
Molly took Jac’s hand, rubbing her thumb over the smooth skin. “I’m not judging you, I just can’t believe what an ass he is.”
“So you don’t think I’ve been lying to you all these weeks?”
“No.” Molly tugged on her hand bringing Jac closer. “You’re selling your car so I can come home. You wouldn’t do that if you were only interested in getting me to break the lease.” She gazed into her eyes seeing nothing but love directed her way. It was the way Jac always looked at her. She couldn’t fake that kind of emotion. She trusted Jac, of that she was sure. “Not only that, but you’re helping out at the farm. You’re taking care of me. Thank you.”
“Of course. I lo...like helping you.”
Molly had no doubt what Jac was going to say, that she loved her, and she was grateful Jac had stuck to her word and refrained from saying it. She knew it was hard for her. Jac’s posture was stiff and she refused to look Molly in the eye. It didn’t’ seem fair that Jac had to censor herself around her, but Molly couldn’t deal with those emotions yet, not when she hadn’t fully understood her own feelings about Jac. Yes, she loved her, but could they really go back to being in a relationship? She still found Jac impossibly attractive, her husky voice still making her insides squirm, but five years was a long time to be away from someone. They had a lot of catching up to do. Relying on old feelings alone weren’t enough to build a relationship on. They had both changed over the years and they needed to get to know one another again. Molly needed to be sure of her feelings before ever attempting to start up with her once more.
“Anyway,” Jac said, letting go of Molly’s hand and sitting in the guest chair. “How’s it feel to have the cage removed from your pelvis?”
“It’s amazing.” She smiled widely. Finally being able to sit up fully was a blessing. She had started some light physio to help stop her muscles from getting weak, and although it hurt like hell and she was exhausted afterward, it felt good to feel like she was improving. True to Doctor Miles’s word, he had exchanged her right knee cast with a brace, but the cage surrounding her left leg and thigh were still in place. He had warned her it would likely remain that way for weeks to come before a cast was put in its place. The news hadn’t upset her as much as she thought it would, knowing she was going home in a few days was enough not to break her spirit. “As long as I don’t move around too much, the facture should heal fine. I am looking forward to having a proper shower though. Sponge baths just aren’t the same.” The nurses did a good job washing her but she still felt itchy and grimy. The embarrassment of having them see her naked had faded ages ago.
“I’ve got some good news on that. The guys have finished the wet room, complete with shower stool. By this time Friday, you’ll be able to have a good scrub.”
Jac hadn’t mentioned any of her belongings being spotted at the cottage so Molly assumed Tiffany had packed it all away before Jac had gotten to see them. She was pleased about that. She didn’t think she would be able to come up with a good enough explanation for it all still being there. If Jac did stumble across the shed with it all in, she would assume it had been there all along.
“Are you getting any better at moving to and from the wheelchair?” Jac asked.
“Not really.” She had been practicing three or four times a day with the physiotherapist helping, but she hadn’t managed to do it on her own yet. “If someone moves my leg first and supports my body I can do it. It hurts like crazy, but I can get there. I haven’t managed to do it by myself. I know the doc said he wanted me to do it before he let me go, but I don’t think I’ll be able to.” A sadness washed over her at the thought of him changing his mind.
“What if someone stayed with you? I know you’ll have home-aid coming but they won’t be there all day. If you had someone with you they could help you.”
“Yeah, but who? I could ask Tiff, she’s used to lumping around heavy sacks of soil. Lifting me should be a cakewalk for her.”
“I, uh, was kinda hoping it could be me.”
“You?”
“Yeah.” Jac rubbed her hands on her jeans as if her palms were sweaty, and a slight blush tinted her cheeks. “You’d need help in the shower and getting changed and stuff.” She grinned. “I’ve already seen you naked, so it wouldn’t bother me.”
“You wouldn’t be looking for a cheap thrill, would you, Jac?” Molly’s lips quirked as Jac’s blush deepened, squirming in her seat.
“Of course not! I just want to be the one helping you.”
Molly’s smile vanished, pursing her lips instead. It was sweet of Jac to offer to help, but she didn’t think having Jac that close would be a good idea. She was finding it hard enough to deal with her confusing feelings, having her there full-time would only make it worse. She gazed at Jac’s serious expression, her eyes full of hope. Going against her better judgement, she relented. She always found it impossible to say no to her. And besides, having a friendly face in the cottage would be nice. It would give them more time to get to know each other again.
“Okay.”
Jac’s eyes went wide, a huge smile stretching her cheeks. “Really?”
“But you have to behave.”
“Scouts honour.” She lifted her fingers to her forehead, doing the scouts promise. She dropped her hand, turning thoughtful. “I promise I’ll look after you. You don’t need to worry.”
Molly had no doubts Jac would keep her word, it was her own libido she worried about. Hopefully, she’d be too busy concentrating on getting better and helping Tiffany close down the farm to worry about making advances toward Jac.
“I can’t wait to see my greenhouses again.” Every day, without fail, Molly would enter the greenhouses and sit with her butterflies, thrilling in the peace they brought her. Sitting on the concrete ground watching them all flutter around her was the best part of her day. She would be devastated when they were finally all re-homed, but maybe, someday, she could get another starter-tent and have a few for her own personal enjoyment.
“When you get home you’re supposed to be on bed rest, not running around the farm.”
“I’m sure I can manage a little trip to see them now and then. In a couple of weeks, I’ll be a lot better and hopefully able to sit in the wheelchair longer.” She was probably kidding herself. Even now, sitting up-right in a comfy bed was pulling her hamstrings and her pelvis ached. Being jostled around the gravel packed pathway in a wheelchair was a sure-fire way of delaying her healing. But the thought of not seeing the butterflies and caterpillars before they left for good wasn’t something she was willing to contemplate. Jac looked at her skeptically.
“We’ll see.” Changing the subject, Jac said, “I was thinking that maybe we could arrange the meeting with Barry and Ralph for the same day you go home. Once you’re all packed up here we could sit in the cafeteria with them and get the contracts signed. That way, when you get home, you can go straight to bed and won’t have to worry about them coming back.”
“Sounds fine with me.” Molly just hoped it was a short meeting as the thought of sitting upright for too long made the ache in her legs grow stronger.
Chapter Twelve
The day had arrived for Molly to go home. The private ambulance was booked for one o’clock and Molly was filled with excitement to be going back to the farm. But before that could happen she had to have the meeting with Barry and Ralph. She and Jac had arrived at a quiet table in the cafeteria ten minutes ago and Tiffany had just turned up, carrying a Styrofoam cup of coffee. She sat
to Molly’s left while Jac sat on her right. Molly herself was in an adapted wheelchair. A platform stuck out from the seat to allow her legs to remain straight. A cushion was behind her back to help support her pelvis and as she thought the other day, she was in quite a lot of pain. She had already taken a pain killer, half her normal dose, as she wanted to be alert as much as possible for the meeting. She turned to Tiffany.
“You still want to do this? It’s not too late to back out.”
“Yes, it’s time.” Tiffany took a sip of coffee and glanced at Jac, who had her head buried in paperwork. “You’re sure the contract is solid?”
“It’s all good. Contract law was my specialty. There are no loopholes for them to exploit. We’ll get this signed and they will be off your backs.”
Molly reached over and squeezed Jac’s hand. “Thank you for this.” Jac didn’t reply, just smiled. All three looked up when they glimpsed Barry and Ralph approaching. To Molly’s mind, they looked like sharks circling their prey. She was glad she had Jac and Tiffany bracketing her on each side, the thought of sitting next to either of the men making her nauseous.
“Good morning ladies, let’s make this quick shall we? My client is waiting for me to phone, he doesn’t have all day.”
Molly glared at Ralph, a new hatred building inside her. She looked away, toward Jac, knowing she would be doing all the talking.
“Gentlemen,” Jac said, drawing their attention to her and off Molly. Here is the contract I have drawn up.” She passed a copy to each of the men. “The long and short of it is, Bloomin’ Butterfly will vacate the land by August first. That’ll give them time to close down the business and allow Ms. Fisher sufficient time to recover from her recent accident.” She glanced between the two men. “These terms are non-negotiable.”
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