Page 65 of Only Ever Yours
Hi, this is Hollis. I’m not available right now. Please leave me a message, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.
“Hollis, it’s me. Where are you? I have to talk to you. Call me back as soon as you get this.” Once I ended the call, I realised I sounded exactly like Gil.What the hell am I doing?Throwing my phone on the sofa in exasperation, I sank back onto the cushions, staring up at the ceiling as if looking for answers, something I had done a lot of in the recent past.
“Why don’t you get a shower, and I’ll order us a takeaway?” Finn suggested. “Beers will be waiting, too.”
I dragged my sorry arse off the sofa and headed upstairs, hesitating outside Hollis’s room. After a beat, I stuck my head through the door, just in case she had returned and Finn hadn’t noticed. The room was resolutely empty although the faint scent of her perfume comforted me.She’ll be back soon,I told myself.
Once in my room, I stripped off my clothes and dropped them into the washing basket. Wrapping a towel around my waist, I padded into the bathroom and turned on the shower. Standing under the warm jets for a while helped to soothe the aches and pains that had sprung up from an uncomfortable night tossing and turning and also helped to calm my thoughts. I pulled on a pair of jogging bottoms and a hoodie, shoved my feet into some comfy trainers and headed back downstairs again, hoping Hollis would be home. When I saw Finn in the kitchen, unboxing the Indian takeaway onto two plates, my heart sank. Taking my phone from my pocket, I typed out a message.
I hope you’re okay, Princess. I love you. Come home xx
I stared at the screen for a couple of minutes, hoping to see a read receipt or a reply. Nothing. I flipped the phone screen down on the table and sat opposite Finn, digging into my dinner despite not really having much of an appetite.
He watched my move and looked directly at me. “She’s fine, Jase. Ella’s with her.”
I knew that should have comforted me, but having witnessed what Gil could be capable of, the thought of just the two of them facing up to him made me distinctly uneasy. Gil didn’t strike me as the type of person who would listen to two women, but what did I know? We ate in silence until Finn spoke again.
“How are you doing?”
Leaning back, I put down my fork and took a swig of beer. “Honestly? Knackered. Confused. Relieved as fuck. Maybe not all in that order.”
He nodded slowly. “I get it. Being arrested wasn’t something I had you down for.”
“Right? And assault?” I paused. “Although if I had my time over, I’d have beaten seven shades of shit out of Gil for all the trouble he’s caused.” I held my hands up. “Kidding, obviously.”
“You don’t have to tell me about it if you don’t want to.”
I lifted a shoulder. “There’s not too much to tell. I spent most of the time in a cell, then got asked a bunch of questions in the interview room before going back to the cell. When the officer came to tell me the charges had been dropped, I thought he was joking.”
“I can only imagine. It goes without saying you don’t have to work tomorrow,” Finn went on. “I’ve already askedRod to come in early, and we’re not that busy that we can’t move a few things around.”
Grateful, I nodded. I felt like I needed some time and space. I wished last night hadn’t happened, and we weren’t in this stupid limbo situation. But here we were. A thought occurred to me. “Actually, can you do without me for a few days? I think I’d like to visit my mum.”
Finn’s eyes widened. It wasn’t often I saw my mum, but maybe her hippie shit could give me a little clarity. Time away from Maplebrook, even a couple of days, could be the break I needed.
“Sure, if that’s what you want. Aren’t you going to wait for Hollis to get home first? Then you could go together?”
I wasn’t sure if she would want to come away with me, and I didn’t know if I could handle the rejection if she turned me down. “I’ll go in the morning and see how things are later.” It was a vague answer and one I didn’t have to commit to. “I think I’m going to go to bed. I’m exhausted.”
“No problem. I’ll see you before you go, yeah?”
“Thanks, Finn.” I trudged up the stairs and lay down on my bed, falling asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.
“Jase! How lovely to see you!” Cherry Dillon flung open the door of her static caravan within seconds of my knocking on it. “I’ve got a class in an hour, and you’re more than welcome to join in if you wish.”
I shuddered. Mum had been teaching yoga to the yummy mummies and waspies of Princelake since she’d moved there about six years ago. “You’re all right, Mum, I think I’ll give that a miss today. I’ve had a rough time of it lately.”
She gathered me in for a hug, the strong yet familiar smell of incense and patchouli oil overwhelming me. “You can tell me all about it when I get back. I’ll be a couple of hours.”
Then she was gone, leaving me alone again with my thoughts. This time, however, it felt like I could breathe with them. The seaside town of Princelake always had a calming effect on me, and no matter how much I made fun of my mother’s crystals and Pilates lifestyle, it somehow always made everything make sense. I sank down onto her bean bag and shuffled around to get comfortable, then checked my phone like I had been obsessively ever since I’d messaged Hollis last night. There was still no evidence she had even read the message, and she certainly hadn’t replied. I started to check out her socials, then stopped myself. That had been what Gil did, and look how it had turned out. Tossing my phone on the side, I headed out instead. No point in wasting the time I had here wallowing. I took a walk down to the beach, watching the people there: families splashing about in the shallows, dog walkers chatting on the path above the sand, couples enjoying a romantic walk. The café was open, so I grabbed a coffee and a pastry, then perched on the wall, enjoying the freedom and space from my problems. Unlike the previous day, time sped by, and I heard the church clock strike three. Putting my rubbish in the bin, I headed back to Mum’s caravan. She was already there, waiting for me. The aroma of peppermint tea hung in the air, reminding me of the first time I’d seen Hollis again when she’d arrived at the garage, demanding the very same drink while we waited for Finn to arrive. It seemed like ages ago and yesterday all at the same time.
Cherry held up the pot. “Do you want some?”
“Go on, then. Figure I should see what all the fuss is about.”
“What are you talking about?” Mum frowned.
I bit my lip. “My, um, girlfriend drinks it.”
