Page 60 of A Forever Home at Honey Bee Croft

‘Too soon?’ I asked, feeling relieved when he laughed. ‘I’ll probably be in the snug so come and find me when you’ve tracked down Imogen and spoken to your parents.’

‘I’m sorry you got caught up in what happened,’ he said, his voice soft. ‘But if anyone had to, I’m glad it was you.’

‘Me too.’

Electricity crackled between us and he leaned closer. Was he going to kiss me? He was! I closed my eyes but he kissed me on the cheek. I caught the faint aroma of his aftershave – a woody scent which sent ripples of pleasure through me.

‘See you later,’ he said, smiling at me warmly.

I watched him cross the lobby and head towards the Juniper Lounge, a strong urge in me to run after him and hug him tightly and tell him everything would be okay, but I didn’t know enough about his family to give those assurances, and I didn’t want to keep him from Imogen any longer.

The little fantasy I’d had when I first walked into my room about tumbling onto my bed with a stranger rushed back into my mind. I’d vaguely pictured Joel back then but now the vision was so strong. I wanted to be with Joel and I was fairly sure the feeling was mutual. Flushing from head to toe, I drew in a deep breath. I couldn’t stand here all night. I needed to alert the reception team to the broken glass and ask if someone could help with Joel’s clothes. But after that, all I needed to do was wait in the Sycamore Snug for Joel and prepare myself to be brave.

22

JOEL

I left Poppy and crossed the lobby in a daze, feeling as though I’d woken from a really bad dream in which my brother proclaimed he hated me and threw a bottle of wine at me. If only it had been a dream. I wasn’t sure where we could go from here. Chester needed help and I couldn’t give him any because it seemed I was part of the problem. If he hated me that much, he couldn’t possibly want to live with me, but with no job, no income, no girlfriend and no other close friends, what other options did he have? The thought of him remaining under my roof radiating hatred towards me made me feel sick. I couldn’t bear the thought of getting home from work each day to his mess everywhere, to bare cupboards and an empty fridge, and being unable to say anything in case it kicked off again. Plus, with my own job situation precarious, why should I be financially supporting someone who so clearly wanted nothing to do with me?

I was vaguely aware of someone coming towards me along the corridor but I didn’t notice who it was. My head was too mashed from trying to find the words to tell my parents that they were going to have to step up and do something about Chezbecause I had enough of my own problems to deal with right now.

‘Are you all right, Joel?’

It took me a moment to register that Fizz had stopped beside me.

‘Yeah, I’m, er… Have you seen Imogen?’

‘She’s dancing with Darcie and Phoebe. Oh my God! What have you done to your hand?’

I didn’t have the energy to cover for my brother. ‘A run-in with Chez. He threw a bottle of wine at me, and I cut my hand picking up the glass.’

Fizz’s mouth dropped open. ‘He threw a bottle of wine at you?’

‘It missed. I don’t know if it was meant to or not.’

‘The ungrateful little…’ Fizz swallowed down whatever she’d been about to call him, but I filled in a few blanks in my head. ‘I’m so sorry, Joel. What was he thinking? You’ve doneeverythingfor that lad. I know Chez has issues with his mental health and I really feel for him because depression is horrendous, but throwing a bottle at you isnotdepression. That’s mindless violence and he shouldn’t be allowed to get away with it.’

‘What the hell’s it got to do with you?’

I jumped at Chez’s loud voice. Presumably he’d heard everything Fizz had just said.

‘I’m concerned about your brother,’ Fizz declared, her voice strong and confident.

‘Of course you are. Why wouldn’t you be? Everyone’s on Joel’s side.’

‘Nobody’s taking sides,’ I said gently, hoping to defuse the situation.

‘She is!’ He jabbed his finger in Fizz’s direction.

‘Yes, I am. And do you know why? Because your actions have injured Joel and if your aim had been better, it could have been a heck of a lot worse than a cut hand. Stop blaming everyone else foryourissues. You did something wrong and here’s your chance to act like a grown-up for once, own your actions and make amends.’

My stomach churned as I looked between Chez and Fizz, locked in a staring match. Fizz was right to call him out on his behaviour and I wondered if it would have made a difference if I’d stood up to him much earlier on. Fizz had made a great point – that there was a world of difference between depression affecting your behaviour and choosing to be aggressive. I’d allowed the lines to become so blurred that Chez had managed to get away with far too much.

Chez sighed and I wondered for a moment whether he was going to see sense but he shook his head and curled up his lip.

‘Backstabbing bitch!’ he snarled as he barged past us both, heading for the lobby.

‘Chez! Get back here now!’ I set off after him, determined he would apologise to Fizz for his disgusting language, but Fizz grabbed my arm.

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