As Rose walked off to catch the bus home, he thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen in his life, much more so than his ex. There was nothing much he could do about the situation though, he'd tried to cheer her up and had just made her worse.
Donna brought him back to Earth.
"Oi, Spaceman," Donna laughed. "Stop staring at Rose, how many times do I have to remind you that it's rude? What are ya gonna do about her?"
They crossed the staff car park behind the store and got into his car.
"If she lived near us, I could offer to take her home?" he suggested. "Do you think she'd accept a ride home? I mean if you're here as well?"
Donna knew how lovesick her cousin was over Rose. Ever since he'd come back after studying and gone back to live in the house his parents had left him, it being taken care of until he'd been old enough by the law firm who had handled it all with him being under age. She'd been surprised he'd not sold it, the solicitor who had been appointed for him had advised him several times but her dad, James's uncle had been appointed his guardian until he'd reached twenty one and had advised James to wait and that the house would increase in value over time.
Not that her scatty cousin didn't have money, James's dad had been an investment banker and had made a small fortune before his and James's mother's untimely death. She herself had tried her best to be a sister to him and look after him when he'd gone to live with them. Then, there was their granddad – Wilfred, who had tried his best with the then teenage boy by taking him to his allotment every night after school and buying James a telescope and teaching him about the stars – hence her nickname for him.
Donna was thinking carefully about her reply.
"James, I know you want to help Rose but she's still stuck on Alec. Just give her time, yeah? She's gonna need us if he doesn't get himself down here soon."
"Do you reckon he's seeing that woman he works with then?" James wondered.
"Don't tell her you know about that," Donna warned him. "She told me that in confidence."
"Don't worry, I won't. So, this weekend is make or break?" he wondered.
"Seems so," Donna mused. "I want to know what she's going to come up with to the wrangle a day off on Saturday," she smiled.
"Can't she just say she needs the day off?" James asked.
"She could if I was in but the manager got wise to it," Donna laughed. "I always felt sorry for her."
"Did you ever get the full story?" James asked as they headed home. "I mean as to why she feels she can't go back up there?"
"Only that it's to do with why her mother brought her back," Donna replied. "She was happy up there, with Alec."
James didn't need reminding of that. He had rarely seen Rose really smiling for reasons other than Donna making silly remarks, most of them about him but he put up with them if it meant he got a smile in his direction. Now, he wished he'd taken more notice of her before he'd gone to work at the same store.
Why he worked there when he could have any job he wanted, he could only think it was because it was the only way to get to know her when she had failed to really notice him. He'd had several offers of companies wanting to secure his services since he'd got all his degrees but he thought they were all boring, so working in the electrical department of the same store Rose worked in seemed the better option.
It wasn't like he needed the money, his parents had left him in a comfortable position and his uncle had invested most of the money for him. When he'd been taken in and had to live with his aunt and uncle, they had treated him like their own.
"What's wrong Spaceman?" Donna wanted to know when he'd gone quiet.
"Nothing. Well just what poor Rose will be like if Alec doesn't arrive tomorrow night or whenever, she'll be devastated," he replied.
"Yeah, poor Rose," Donna agreed. "I'll call her at some point, just to check on her."
"Good idea Cous," James told her. "You'll let me know? Do you think I should maybe call her as well?"
"You don't have her number – Spaceman," Donna reminded him. "Nor her address."
"You have," James reminded her.
"She'd go crazy if I gave them to you," Donna tried to discourage him.
So when they got to Donna's house, Donna scrambled around in her handbag, pretending to look for something and 'accidentally' dropped the small address book with a picture of some kittens on the cover which conveniently landed under the seat.
"See ya for Sunday dinner then?" Donna asked him cheerfully.
James wondered how Donna was going to call Rose to see how she was when the address book had landed under her seat. Then he realised she wasn't meaning to call Rose, she was expecting him to do it. Maybe she had another address book at home though, who knew where Donna was concerned?
Rose had got home and flopped in the armchair while her mother brought her a mug of tea. Jackie knew it was going to be a tough weekend, since she didn't think Alec was going to turn up. She hated the thought of him getting involved with whom she knew was called Tess but she hadn't mentioned it to Rose.
All these years, she had watched Rose and Alec grow up and get closer and now, Rose was going to be heartbroken. What was he thinking of? Didn't he know how much Rose loved him or had Bob finally got what he wanted, keeping them apart. She had thought that right from the start, as soon as Alec had started calling for Rose and since he'd been deprived of having Rose for himself, had set out to make sure Alec couldn't have her either. How long had it been turning sour, had it been when Alec had gone off to college?
"Rose, why don't ya come to bingo with us tomorrow night?" she called through the hatch.
"If Alec's not here, I won't feel like it Mum," Rose replied.
"Rose, ya can't keep moping around ya know? How about going out with Donna?" her mother suggested.
"I think she suggested to James that we went out but it could have just been him," Rose had to admit.
"I hope ya agreed?" Jackie asked as she entered the lounge.
"I can't mum. Ya had noticed James looks a lot like Alec?" Rose reminded her mother.
"I'd noticed," Jackie laughed. "How's Donna not noticed? She must have seen him and John when they've been to pick ya up from work?"
"She's never even mentioned it to me Mum. Maybe she doesn't want to notice or she doesn't like to say anything?" Rose mused, picking up the evening paper.
"Well, think about going out, yeah?" Jackie urged her.
Up in Paisley, Alec was pacing his living room floor, debating what to do about Tess, who wouldn't leave despite him suggesting several times that she did after he'd found her making dinner again when he'd got home. He now seriously regretted letting her get hold of his spare key.
"Tess, I have to call Rose and let her know when I'll be arriving," he was insisting, wishing she'd go back home. "You can't stay here while I'm gone."
"You know you don't really mean to go Alec," Tess reminded him. "I won't have a place of my own to go to soon."
"So you keep saying Tess but have you done anything about it?" Alec wanted to know.
Tess had a guilty look on her face.
"You go back to work next week," he reminded her. "Maybe you should visit your friend in the personnel department and get her to find you somewhere else to live?"
Tess didn't want reminding about it.
"I won't have much time to view anywhere Alec. Besides, nothing will be the same standards as I'm used to."
Alec hoped that included his own apartment but he was expecting too much.
"Tess, you can't stay here," he then insisted, hoping it sounded like he meant it.
"Why not?" Tess asked as she stepped nearer, going for his tie that was still mostly undone. "Give me one good reason."
He tried to hold her back but she began nipping at his lips.
"Because I still want Rose back with me," he managed to reply.
He knew if he wasn't very, very careful, he would pass the point of no return and he couldn't go get Rose back if he had really cheated on her with Tess. This would be the turning point in his and Rose's relationship but had Rose already given up? At the very beginning of his visit the week before, she hadn't been wearing her engagement ring, for work reasons she'd said but had it been for some other reason?
He'd thought more and more about it during this week, the fact she knew her friend's cousin because she worked in the same store and he was sure he'd seen someone watching them as he'd greeted her outside when he'd arrived just in time. He'd noticed out of the corner of his eye as he'd lead Rose to his car but he'd brushed it off as his mind playing tricks with him.
Maybe he shouldn't have? Tess had started kissing his neck, even though he had the makings of a beard to put her off.
"Are you sure you want her back Alec? Tess asked him. "Maybe she's found someone else as well?"
Alec pushed her away without warning, almost causing Tess to take a bite out of him.
"What are you saying Tess? I have not replaced Rose with you," he protested, realising he should be calling Rose.
"Come on Alec, who are you trying to fool? Only yourself, everyone else knows, except you. You must realise Rose knows it as well? Was she distant with you last week? Well?" Tess asked when he hesitated.
He certainly didn't want to admit it to Tess. The way Rose had been a little 'off' the first night they'd spent together after goodness knew how long apart but he'd just put it down to Rose being nervous. Maybe he'd been right to be worried it had been more?
What he hadn't known was with changing the week of his visit, Rose had been caught out and was barely over her monthly and she'd tried not to let it show.
"I still have to call her, so she can take the day off on Saturday," he replied, firmly holding Tess back.
"Does she really need to Alec?" Tess challenged him as she followed him to the phone.
He ignored her remark and started dialling Rose's number but before he knew it, Tess had interrupted him and began kissing him again. By the time she broke off, he knew he'd feel guilty and Tess was looking pleased with herself.
"Well?" Tess asked him as he started dialling again.
"Go home Tess, I won't be in the mood when I get home tomorrow night," he warned her.
"When exactly do you plan on setting off then?" Tess sounded confused. "I can still stay tonight," she insisted.
"I need time to think Tess," he tried to tell her as he waited for the call to be answered.
It was just his luck Jackie picked up the phone, as she was the nearest.
"You're a bit late," she remarked before he could say anything.
"Sorry Jackie, I got a bit held up. How's Rose? Can she come to the phone?" he asked, hoping to get away with it.
"Yeah, I have to go get her tea anyway. What time are ya gettin' here on Saturday then? I hope it's not gonna be in the middle of the night? I used to have enough of that, when you and John used to try and sneak in at all hours. Don't think I never heard ya?" she laughed.
Alec remembered it all too well and he'd never dared hope he'd get away with it. Now, it seemed he and John hadn't. He waited a few moments as Jackie passed the phone to Rose.
"What if he's calling to say he's not coming down?" she asked as she covered it.
"Stop thinking like that," Jackie insisted. "Honestly Rose, it was bad enough when ya weren't talking to him. Well I want to see him, even if you don't," she then huffed as she went off to rescue what she'd been cooking.
"Rose, are you there?" Alec was asking her.
"Yeah, sorry, ya know what mum's like?" Rose tried to sound cheerful. "She wants an answer to when you're arriving. Did ya say ya were setting off around midnight?"
"Yes, I'm going to try," he replied as he eyed Tess.
Tess just blew a kiss at him and went off to the kitchen.
"Great," Rose tried to sound enthusiastic. "I'll be up early then, don't take any notice of mum," she then laughed. "I'm still tryin' to come up with an excuse for takin' Saturday off."
"Don't get into trouble, will you?" Alec sounded concerned.
"No, it's just Donna won't be there and I can't just march into the office and say I need time off, not so soon after I was off last week," she told him.
"Have you made up your mind?" he dared ask.
"Alec, I'm tryin' ya know? It's not an easy decision, not now. How could they just let him go like that?" she wanted to know.
"Rose. I'm sorry love, I have no easy answer to that, I can't understand either. I told you, we did everything we could to convict him but without new evidence?" he reminded her.
Rose knew full well what that meant. Either herself or better still her mother were what the court needed to detain Bob again and lock him away for good this time. While she herself couldn't find the courage, she doubted her mother wanted to be humiliated in the courtroom and be made to tell how she was fooled by Bob for so long before finally realising her daughter was in danger and that she'd not been the target.
"I know ya did Alec, sorry," she replied as she heard the hatch through to the kitchen opening. "I'll give ya my decision when ya get here, then ya won't have your time here spoiled if it's not the one ya wanted."
"Don't make it sound like I would be disappointed," he told her. "Whatever it is, I will respect it and if it's not what I wanted, I'll give you more time to think about it, if you need it. You know I will Rose."
He added that part in case Tess was listening, to let Tess know he wasn't going to give Rose up so easily.
"Yeah, I know Alec," Rose replied quietly. I'll see ya on Saturday morning then? Get some sleep before ya set off so I don't expect ya to call before ya do. Got it?"
"Yes Ma'am," he joked, trying to cheer her up. "See you on Saturday love and I want to ask you something."
Rose thought that meant he was going to ask her yet again to get married and she'd often wondered why she'd kept putting it off. Would it have been any better if they had and she'd not been able to bring herself to move up to Paisley with him? No, it had to be something else that she couldn't quite put her finger on but maybe it was just the thought that by even being married, it would stop Bob.
Alec ended the call as Tess shouted that dinner was ready. Why was he letting her cook for him? Was it that he'd got lazy or the fact she was starting to be there as he got home and he'd taken a liking to it? Well he should be greeted by Rose as he got home, not Tess and on Saturday, he was going to do something about it.
He was going to take her out into the country, somewhere where there was a local Justice of the peace in a small village who was licensed to marry people and he was going to marry Rose once and for all. Then, if she wouldn't go back to Paisley with him, he was going to give up everything he'd ever worked for and while Rose was finding them somewhere to live, he'd give notice on his apartment and ask his chief to write to the Metropolitan Police chief and even if he had to go back and do some more training, he'd do so.
That was how much he loved her and was willing to sacrifice everything for her, which he kept on telling himself he should have never agreed to train in Scotland in the first place, not after his division were taking recruits from the south of England, like Tess and training them. He could have done the same in London, if he'd bothered to find out instead of Rose insisting he went training up there.
If he'd not listened to her, they would have already been married, maybe even had a family if they'd been lucky and he wouldn't be here, facing Tess across the table instead of Rose. Why couldn't he have been firmer with Tess from the start, when she'd been coming onto him instead of letting her get her own way?
It was like she had a hold over him, a kind of spell that couldn't be broken and he couldn't get away. He had no idea what she'd been saying about him last week but he was getting a pretty good idea it was to her advantage. He'd noticed her friends nudging each other so she must have told them he'd ditched his English girlfriend down in London and Tess had already almost moved in with him.
He doubted the woman in the personnel department had even lifted a finger to find another place for Tess to live and they wouldn't have to pay any rent at all for her, it would save them a fortune, judging what he'd seen of the fancy apartment block Tess had called home. He'd even began to think she'd not even been told she had to move, she'd done it on her own and given notice, he wouldn't put it past her.
Well, she'd be in for a shock when he came back after the weekend, wouldn't she, he wondered as Tess gave a smile his way across the table. When he came back, with or without Rose but with a wedding ring on his finger and telling her he was moving down to London, who would have the last laugh then?"
"Penny for your thoughts," Tess finally laughed as she wiped the corner of her mouth with a napkin.
He had to smile to himself that Rose and her mother had no such airs and graces like Tess had.
"What? Oh, nothing, I was thinking which route to take when I set off for London," he made the excuse.
"Really Alec, they'll all be quiet at that time, if you actually set off," Tess just laughed. "Stop keeping up the pretence you are actually going."
"How many more times Tess?" he asked her as he pushed his plate aside. "You will see, won't you? I'm telling you, don't be here when I get home tomorrow night, I'll be busy packing what I need and getting a few hours sleep," he reminded her.
Little did he know how close he was to the turning point of his life.
James was sat a home, staring at the address book Donna had dropped 'accidentally' on the car floor and wondering if she'd noticed it was missing after rummaging through her handbag but he was sure she'd done it on purpose. Maybe she had an alarm on it though, that went off when it opened and needed a secret code to stop it?
He shook his head and dismissed the thought as daft, she wouldn't go that far, would she? Not when he was fairly certain she'd dropped it so he could get Rose's address and phone number? Would Donna be dusting it for prints though, to see if he'd fingered the pages?
"Nah!," he laughed out loud. "Just a little look?" he added as temptation took over and he saw the letters in the index and wondered if Rose would be under 'R' or 'T', depending how Donna categorized things.
He closed one eye and dared to open on 'R' and saw half a dozen names but not Rose's so he proceeded to 'T' and found it at the bottom.
"Blimey, how many people does she know?" he asked himself out loud again. "I'd hate to make out her Christmas card list."
Then he wondered if they were just names of people she worked with or she wasn't that close to? He thought that made more sense. He stared at Rose's name for a few moments, then came out of his trance. He picked up the notepad from the side of his phone on the glass coffee table and picked up the pencil and licked the end of it, making a face. He didn't know why he kept doing it but it had made his ex girlfriend cringe when he did.
Maybe that was one of the reasons she'd left him or had it been she'd gone off to find a more exciting life in America, with him studying all the time. Then, he'd been deciding what to do and had been introduced to Rose and that had been it. Donna had questioned his motives but he'd only told her it was more 'fun' working at the store than the more boring jobs.
He stared at Rose's address and telephone number, wondering if he would dare to call her on Saturday or even visit her. His granddad was right though, she would need comforting if Alec didn't turn up. The next morning, he called for Donna.
"Did I leave my address book in here last night?" she asked as she got into his car.
"In the glove compartment," he replied as she looked around.
"I hope you weren't getting all the girls' phone numbers?" she laughed.
Donna knew he was only interested in one – Rose's. She'd seen the sly looks he'd been giving her friend and now, it looked like he'd be the one person Rose would turn to if Alec didn't pay her a visit over the weekend. She was also looking forward to finding out how her friend would get Saturday off because she herself wouldn't be there. The manager hadn't been very pleased when Rose had swapped the week off she'd wanted.
So as the day went on, she tried to wait patiently. James was acting strangely, well more than usual, helping Rose with her chair, opening doors for her and she saw all the girls giggling amongst themselves and listening to the gossip, the latest being that Rose had finally ditched her Scottish boyfriend in favour of someone nearer home. Donna herself had to go with that one.
Alec had got to work and found everyone watching him when he took his breaks, hearing his and Tess's names in the same sentence and wanting to tell them all to stop gossiping but thought it would only make them worse. It had caught the attention of the sergeant though.
"What are you doing about all the rumours Hardy?" Alec was asked later that afternoon. "Are you still off to visit that girlfriend of yours?"
"Yes, I'm still going, no matter what anyone else thinks," Alec replied as Carter leaned on Alec's desk.
"Want some advice?" Carter asked him.
Alec thought he'd get it whether he wanted it or not.
"If it's about bringing her back with me, I already have a plan, thanks," he replied so as not to rile his senior officer.
Carter just smiled.
"I should hope so, it's about time you brought her here to prove she's real."
"Oh, she's real alright," Alec replied. "I don't listen to all the gossip that a certain person is starting. I hate to think what she was telling everyone last week."
"Well if you want to find out Hardy, maybe you should listen?" Carter suggested.
Alec really didn't want to know what rumours Tess had started in his absence. She'd been annoyed he'd actually gone away and not stayed at home and he'd changed the week after she'd arranged to be off at the same time and he bet she'd been well annoyed about it.
"Not saying what your plan is then?" the sergeant then wanted to know.
"Sorry, no. I'm not adding any truth to the rumours, let them think what they want," Alec replied. "They will all see when I don't come back alone or I suddenly go away."
"You'd leave because your girlfriend won't come up here?" the sergeant asked him as he stood up.
"Oh yes," Alec replied firmly.
By four in the afternoon, Rose had decided her best way to get the following day off was between suddenly coming down with a cold or a physical injury, such as a twisted ankle. The ankle was winning as she could manage to still limp a bit on Monday as a cold always lingered a little longer – unless you had one of those 'flu jabs that were becoming more popular.
She was already nervous, what with Alec saying he had something to ask her, which she'd been convinced was going to be about getting married again but she'd been sent downstairs by the manager, though why she'd been picked she didn't know and she'd had been sent to the electrical department.
James had seen her getting out of the lift and had almost fallen over, as he'd been stubbing the toe of his Converse shoe on the floor as he'd been bored and he'd been already daydreaming about her, as usual.
"Ah, Rose. What brings you down here?" James dared ask as she passed by.
"The manager sent me, lord knows why," Rose replied, fairly certain it was a ruse so they could talk about her while she was gone. "She wanted to know if you had any electrical tape, for some wires that are showing?"
Rose pushed a strand of hair behind her ear, revealing her hoop earring which she'd started wearing again and James always felt like he'd melt every time she did so. He was in charge for the day, since he'd been promoted to assistant manager and the bets were being taken Donna had something to do with it but the manager was near retirement anyway and James was bound to get offered the post.
"Didn't she call maintenance?" James wanted to know as Rose followed him to the counter, where a tall, goofy young trainee was staring at her.
"Yeah but they're busy sorting out a window display, all the fuses went," Rose smiled.
"Weeell, let's see what's in here then?" James grinned as he shoved the trainee out of the way and opened a drawer. "Does your manager need any help up there?"
"I don't think so, she just doesn't want any accidents, like the store burning down," Rose tried to joke.
"Ah, can't be having that, can we?" James agreed as he spied a roll of green and yellow striped tape. "Here we are then? Maybe she should send you down if she needs anything else electrical?"
Then he wished he not said anything, Donna was always telling him he talked too much, especially to and about Rose.
"I mean since I found the tape so quickly," he tried to correct himself. "Not that I wouldn't have found it so quickly for anyone else," he added as he put it on the counter, wishing he had the courage to put it in her hand and hold onto it for a few seconds.
How he'd laid back at home, on the reclining chair and his arms behind his head and imagined holding her hand, amongst other things he dare not think about at work. He'd never even done that about his ex so why was he so hopeless around Rose, even when he knew she was engaged?
"Thanks James, this should do the job," Rose told him as he came back from his daydreams again. "Do ya want it back?"
James wanted to say yes, so she had an excuse to come back but someone else might bring it instead.
"Nah, I can get more, I know a few of the maintenance guys," James told her. "They have to check all the electrical stuff's wired in properly. Have you been kept busy up there?"
"A bit, we've been moving some of the displays around, my feet are aching," Rose smiled. "I think I might have twisted one of my ankles a bit, I'll have to be careful."
That made her mind up she was going with the ankle ploy to get the following day off. She hoped Donna hadn't been telling him any of her ideas they'd laughed about earlier in the ladies restroom.
"So, what are ya planning?" Donna had asked her when they were alone during their last break.
"You said not to tell ya," Rose had reminded her.
"Well, I'll find out on Monday anyway, won't I?" Donna had laughed. "Just don't go telling James."
Rose went back towards the lift, James just behind her and he reached for the lift button as she put her hand out, making her move.
"Just look at those two," the young trainee called Nigel said to the other sales assistant at the side of him, who was watching out for customers who needed helping.
"I know, I think he's wasting his time," Brian agreed. "She's way out of his league."
"Yeah, ain't she just?" Nigel nodded.
"Bye Rose, see you later?" James asked hopefully as the lift arrived and two women, one with a small boy got out.
"Yeah, see ya," Rose managed to say as the doors closed.
James stood there, staring at the closed doors as an older woman came up behind him.
"You could have held the doors open, young man," the woman complained.
James said nothing and moved away. Watching Rose leaving was the story of his life. Every time he suggested something, he always seemed to let her walk off. Well, if Alec didn't turn up this weekend, he was going to have to do something about it. No more watching her walk away when he suggested something and he could maybe start by asking her again if she wanted to go on the staff day trip in a few weeks time.
He'd stopped counting all the times his cousin had told him it was the perfect excuse. When it came to home time he was first out, as usual, leaving his juniors to finish off.
"Anyone would think they were going out," Brian told Nigel.
"No chance," Nigel decided. "Bet ya ten quid she turns him down
Bet ya twenty, they go off together on the staff trip," Brian bet Nigel.
"On," Nigel laughed.
Rose decided she'd wait until she had an audience, outside the store before she accidentally tripped up on her weak ankle she'd been complaining about for the last hour.
"You should rest that ankle tonight," her manager had already warned her. "Sit with your leg raised up."
"Yeah, I will, thanks. Hope I can make it to the bus stop."
"Why not ask James for a ride home," one of the girls suggested sarcastically.
"Yeah Rose, bet he won't say no," another laughed.
"Give it a rest you two,' a third told them. "She's waiting for her Alec to come and rescue her," she pretended to swoon.
"Very funny Val," someone from the baby department joined in. "More like James Noble."
"Oi you lot, pack it in, "Donna joined in, offering to help Rose. "James, bring the car round," she shouted over to him.
James knew when Donna meant business.
