Page 17 of Six Steps to Happiness
Ronnie laughed. “Which is exactly what her grandmother and I say, but Willow won’t hear a word of it. I dread to think about the number of hearts she’s broken.”
“Takes after her mum, no doubt.”
Ronnie blushed. “You have seen the state of me, haven’t you?” she said, indicating to her bloodied appearance.
The sincerity in Jack’s words surprised her. As did the earnest expression he wore as he looked at her. Staring back, she found herself wondering what was wrong with Jack’s ex. He seemed so understanding, almost selfless. If she were married to a man like that, she’d be hanging on to him for dear life.
Pulling herself together, Ronnie couldn’t believe what her brain thought it was playing at. She clearly had concussion, why else would such thoughts be entering her head? “Maybe they’ll come back? Sally might realise her mistake?” Ronnie cringed. Not only did she not know where that question came from, five years down the line, even she realised how ridiculous it sounded.
“Will Nick?” Jack asked with a twinkle in his eye.
Ronnie felt affronted. “Even if he did, I wouldn’t have him.”
Jack laughed in response. “See. There it is again. That fighting spirit.”
Ronnie smiled as she held his gaze, a little piece of her heart melting. Considering the events of their first meeting, she never thought she’d end up liking the man, let alone having such a meaningful conversation.
The office door suddenly opened and Michael breezed in with a glass of water. “Thought you might like this,” he said, holding it out. He looked from Ronnie to Jack, clearly wondering if he’d interrupted something.
Ronnie blushed once more. As far as she was concerned, at least, he most definitely had.
“Sorry. I’ll leave it here, shall I?” Michael said, and placing the water on the table, he left as quickly as he’d arrived.
Back to just Ronnie and Jack, the room fell silent. It seemed their heart-to-heart had come to an end and thanks to the continued quiet, Ronnie began to feel awkward. “So,” she said, trying and failing to come up with something to say.
“So,” Jack replied.
Without warning, he put a hand up to Ronnie’s chin, his expression serious. Her tummy tickled at his touch, her mind racing as she wondered what he would do next. As he looked into her eyes, his face drawing near, her pulse also picked up pace. Maybe their heart-to-heart was gearing up a notch? She felt scared yet excited. Was this gorgeous man really about to kiss her? Taking heed of her body, she blooming well hoped so.
His gaze moved to her nostrils and he tilted her head back for a closer inspection.
Ronnie’s heart sank. Of course he wasn’t.
“It would seem the bleeding has stopped,” Jack said with a smile. He let go of her face and leaned back in his seat. “Looks like you’re free to go.”
11
Ronnie cautiously drove her car onto Holme Lea Avenue. Bringing it to a standstill outside number six, it stalled before she’d even had time to switch off the engine. Thanks to it having played up throughout the whole of the journey home, Ronnie sighed. On top of everything else, vehicle problems were all she needed.
She looked at her reflection in the rear-view mirror, feeling silly for wearing sunglasses on such a dull cloudy day. Not that she’d had much choice. Because of the gym incident, it was a case of either hiding her face when out in public or give any children she came across nightmares for the foreseeable future. She looked like something fromThe Walking Dead.
Ronnie winced as she lifted the glasses to survey the damage, the sudden arm movement paining her ribcage that still hurt from the force at which her body had hit the wall. Lucky that she hadn’t broken her nose, her eyes were bruised and swollen as if she’d gone ten rounds with a heavyweight boxer. She sighed at the state of the face looking back. “Blue and purple are so not your colours.”
Securing her sunglasses back in place, Ronnie reached for her handbag, carefully placing it over her shoulder as she eased herself out of her vehicle. Heading to the back of the car, she recalled the whole episode. Tripping over her own feet, landing face down on the running belt, shooting off the end… and the embarrassment when she came to.
Opening her eyes, numerous concerned faces looked down on her, including PC Jack Shenton’s. She wanted to die from the humiliation alone. She thought about their conversation in the office, about how the two of them had opened up to each other. The conversation that Ronnie thought would end with a kiss. She shook her head. The shame of it all. If Ronnie never saw him again, it would be too soon.
Admiring her latest purchase, Ronnie supposed it wasn’t all doom and gloom. Her pride might be as dented as her face, but the treadmill mishap had made her come up with another means of carrying outOperation Poltergeist.One that didn’t involve life-threatening fitness regimes, or rely on upper body strength. She stroked the shiny aluminium rungs that stuck out of the boot. As stepladders went, these were bigger and better than Nick’s rickety old pair, and wasn’t he going to know it. Undoing the bungees used to clamp the boot lid down and secure them in place, Ronnie couldn’t wait to put the ladders to use.
The young man at the DIY store had been very accommodating, even suggesting she could have gotten them cheaper online. But Ronnie had wanted to check their sturdiness before handing over any money, something the young man agreed made sense. He’d opened them out for her so she could give them a good shake down, and climb a couple of treads to make sure they didn’t have the slightest of wobbles. Easier said than done with an aching torso, but in Ronnie’s view well worth the pain. Seeing her discomfort, it was the young man who’d fortified them in the car for her, something that, thanks to her injuries, she’d never have managed on her own. Ronnie put a hand on her ribcage as she looked from the ladders to the house, wishing he were there to help in this instance.
“Here, let me,” a male voice called out.
Ronnie looked over the road to spot Mr Wright heading her way. She smiled as she watched his approach. Her neighbours might be nosey, watching everyone’s comings and goings at every opportunity, but they were also kind, one of the reasons she loved Holme Lea Avenue. Unlike in town, where anonymity was key, that little street had a sense of community. Without having to ask, there was always someone at hand in a time of need or conversely of celebration. Of course, under normal circumstances she’d have declined Mr Wright’s offer. The man was, after all, an elderly gentleman. On that occasion, however, she’d have accepted assistance from the devil if he’d come to her aid.
“A pretty young thing like you shouldn’t have to lift and carry.”
Ronnie appreciated the man’s generosity, even if his choice of words could have been better.The way her body ached, she could feel every one of her middle-aged years and with what was going on behind the sunglasses,prettymost certainly seemed a little too generous. “I suppose we could take one end each,” Ronnie said, determined to do her bit.
