Page 67 of The Library of Second Chances
The word ‘girlfriend’ gave Chloe a bubbly, happy feeling, and she chuckled as she pulled away from his warmth. ‘Thank you for this.’ She kissed his cheek.
‘I’ll follow you home, if you like. Make sure you’re safe.’
The thought was appealing, but Gwen might be around.
‘I’ll be okay.’ She waved and turned away before he could protest too much.
At home, Gwen was getting ready to work her shift at the Pride & Pint, but she hung around to help Chloe unpack the shopping. Chloe told Gwen what had happened, leaving out some personal details.
‘That must have been scary,’ Gwen said. ‘You did the right thing. There are creeps everywhere.’
‘You don’t think I overreacted?’
‘No.’ Gwen put away a carton of eggs then gave her sister a serious look. ‘There are weird dudes all over the place, and bad stuff can happen if you let your guard down. Even if Harry knows this Jason guy, you don’t. And people don’t do messed-up stuff, until they do.’
Chloe nodded, raising her eyebrows at Gwen’s wisdom. ‘Nothing bad ever happened to you, did it? While you were out on your . . . um, excursions.’
‘Nothing too terrible,’ said Gwen, shaking back her blonde hair. ‘That guy doesn’t know where we live, does he?’
‘Not unless he’s followed me home, which I don’t think he has.’ Chloe peeked out of the curtains just in case, but their street was empty; even Joe wasn’t in his garden. It was reassuring that at least Harry knew Jason personally. He didn’t have a criminal record or anything like that. Maybe she was being jumpy, but she hated the idea of Jason hanging around outside their house.
‘Let me take the evening off work,’ said Gwen. Chloe wanted to tell her not to, but Gwen had already picked up her phone to ring the pub. Since they were both home, they spent the evening watching movies from their childhood, ones theybothliked. Later, they checked and double-checked all the doors were locked before going to bed.
Even with her sister there, Chloe tossed and turned that night, falling into bad dreams about Jason trying to break in. Eventually she knocked on Gwen’s door, and her sister answered with her hair in a mess.
‘Can I sleep with you?’ Chloe asked, her voice small.
Gwen made a sympathetic noise and hugged her. They cuddled up together in Gwen’s bed, and Chloe, comforted by her scent and her warmth, soon fell asleep.
The next day was a Sunday, and the library was closed. Chloe decided to visit the Brew House, feeling bad she hadn’t seen Hannah since she’d found out about Liam being Lily’s father. With everything else going on, Chloe couldn’t bring herself to be upset or annoyed about it. The bell jangled above her head and she gave Hannah the brightest smile she could. Hannah’s face lit up, and it wasn’t long before Chloe was sitting at a table with a caramel latte and a croissant. On the next table was Lily, who waved at Chloe before continuing with her colouring. Chloe noticed with amusement that the picture she was colouring was the purple monkey from the storybook Eric had read that day.
As it was mid-morning on a Sunday, the café was pretty busy. A middle-aged man was working in the café too, occasionally coming in from the back to replenish the sweet treats and help serving customers. Hannah introduced him as her uncle, the owner of the Brew House.
‘Ah! You must be Chloe.’ Her uncle threw a tea towel over his shoulder to shake her hand. ‘I’ve heard a lot about you.’ He stopped to ruffle Lily’s hair then disappeared in the back.
Chloe had walked here this morning, not wanting to scare herself more by refusing to leave the house on her day off. Gwen had left, too, deciding to help out at the Pride & Pint during the lunch rush to make up for not going in the previous evening. Chloe had not seen Jason on her way here, thankfully.
She wondered what Harry was up to. Did he work on Sundays? She texted him, asking if he was around and would like a coffee date.
I’m at the Brew House.
I’ve heard of that place. Good caramel lattes, my girlfriend told me.
Chloe giggled. Lily looked at her, a question in her eyes. Now Chloe knew that Liam was her dad, she couldn’t help seeing the resemblance.
Chloe was on her second latte when Harry walked in, the room brightening as he did. He ordered a black coffee and came to sit with Chloe, giving her a smile.
She stared back. ‘What happened to your face?’
‘Is it bad?’ he asked, looking concerned as he touched his cheek. All around his left eye was the purpling of a fresh bruise.
‘It looks horrible. Who hit you?’ Chloe had a feeling she knew the answer before Harry told her.
‘I went to have a chat with Jason about stalking you in the supermarket.’ Hannah brought over Harry’s coffee just then, and she raised her eyebrows at his black eye. ‘He wasn’t happy to see me. But he won’t be bothering you any more.’
They sipped in silence. She wondered if she should mention how scared she had felt last night, not able to sleep at home in case Jason was lurking outside. In the end she decided it was best she didn’t.
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
