Page 68 of Broken Beyond Repair
“First thing I need is a bath,” Beatrice said, collapsing onto it.
“I’ll run one now.”
“I can manage… thank you, Sydney.” Beatrice directed her gaze towards the door. “I don’t intend to continue bathing in my bikini.”
“Sorry.” Sydney closed the bedroom door behind her, realising that now Beatrice was able-bodied, she wasn’t going to need her as much.
The image of Beatrice without a bikini filled her mind as she wandered back down to the kitchen to work. She opened the patio door and leaned against it, admiring the view over the garden and pool, and the small coppice on the brow of the hill. It was a view she would shortly never see again; the very thought made her feel sick.
Beatrice’s cast removal was the signal of the beginning of the end, and it hurt like hell. Moving on had always been part of the job; in the past, it had been easy. New adventures always followed. Moving on from Highwood House was going to be a wrench. It was the first time Sydney had felt grounded anywhere; she’d even go as far as to admit to being blissfully happy.
It wasn’t just Highwood House she was going to miss; it was its mistress. She was so ensconced in Beatrice’s life, and with it, Alex’s, and she liked it. In fact, she loved it. She would be quite content for the summer to never end.
A vibration in her pocket pulled her away from her depressing thoughts.
“How’s the patient?” Rosie asked as soon as Sydney picked up.
“We have a boot!”
“Hurrah.”
“Now she’s in the bath, without me. Oh, I didn’t mean it to sound like that.”
“Feeling unloved so soon?”
Sydney exhaled at the truth of it. “Don’t.”
“I’m glad to have met her. She’s an impressive woman. You two are getting along a little better than when we last spoke — a lot better, in fact. I’m sure there was some drooling on your part…”
“Shut up,” Sydney cut her off as she stepped onto the patio to angle the chairs correctly against the table.
“…maybe even hers,” Rosie continued with a giggle. “I can see the headlines now:Camper cutie captures the heart of Beatrice Russell.”
“Meanwhile, back on planet Earth… we chatted and worked through some issues. So yeah, things are much better, as you saw.”
“You don’t sound too pleased about that.”
“In all honesty, I’m not. It was easier when she was unlikeable.”
“Oh, dear. You’ve got it bad, haven’t you?”
Sydney couldn’t find the words to describe her feelings.
“I’ll take that as a yes. Come on, Syd, you of all people can be professional. Box it and get on with the job. Remember why you hated her a few weeks ago.”
Sydney wasn’t sure she had ever hated Beatrice in the time she’d known her. She’d been frustrated, annoyed, and disappointed by her for sure. But hated?
“I can’t. She’s changed since then.”
“You’ve taken the ice queen from hard scoop to soft serve, and now you want a taste, is that it? Would Madam like chocolate sauce with that?”
“Okay, this conversation needs to end,” Sydney demanded as she stepped back into the kitchen.
“If you insist,” Rosie giggled. “Don’t forget to do the exercises I gave you a couple of times a day. Don’t let her push through the pain; she needs to back off when it hurts. Take her out for short walks… you could enjoy an ice cream together.”
“I’m hanging up now.”
“Where’s Mum?”
