Hi everyone! Just wanted to make it known that at this point I'm going to be messing around a bit with the actual timeline of the series, just to make it work for my story. Just wanted to apologize for that. :) I'm hoping no one will mind too much, since I think it will make the story flow a bit better and we're getting close to the end anyhow. Only one more chapter after this one, guys! Thanks to all of you wonderful readers! Knowing you are reading and enjoying this story just makes me feel so special and loved! You're the best, guys! I appreciate you all so much! Thank you! 3
Rebecca sighed and looked out the window listlessly. The shop had been slow so far this morning, which wasn't exactly unusual for a Thursday, although on this particular Thursday she wished it was a bit busier to help keep her mind off things. It had been a week since Jack had died and three days since the funeral. She was still torn up over the whole affair, despite not being overly close with him. It was more of the whole injustice of the matter that was upsetting to her. To watch the town that had become so dear to her turn on one of its own so easily had been a jarring experiance. She wasn't going to pretend that he had been her best friend, that sort of hypocritical mourning was one thing that had always driven her crazy, but she did miss Jack. When she had passed by his store the previous morning and saw the way it was dark and closed up, she felt as if a large heavy stone had formed in the pit of her stomach. She wondered how many more lives would be invariably changed before the murder investigation was solved.
And speaking of said investigation...she looked at the time on her phone and repressed a sigh. She hadn't heard from Alec since the morning Jack had died. The morning she had completely humiliated herself and sobbed in the company of someone else. Something she had never done before. Ever. Even during all the mess with her parents and husband she had never allowed herself the luxury of showing deeper, more intense emotions to anyone. It just had never felt...safe. But at that moment with Alec, nothing had felt more right. And he hadn't run away screaming, or pulled away in alarm, which was what she had expected. Instead he had held her, comforted her. She, someone who had trouble expressing her innermost emotions to people, had broke down in front of someone. And not just anyone. Alec. Whom she had just realized that she loved. Rebecca rubbed her eyes wearily. She hadn't heard from him since then. Every time she called it would ring until she got to his voicemail. She didn't leave another message after the first. Logically, she knew he was up to his eyes in paperwork and that the longer the case dragged on the harder it would be to solve, and yet...it still somehow felt as if he were avoiding her.
The front door to the shop flew open and slammed against the wall with a bang. Startled right out of her thoughts, she jumped upright, almost falling right off her stool behind the counter. She bit back a sigh of aggravation when she saw Becca Fisher carousing through the door. Couldn't the woman even open a door properly?
"Have you heard?" the blonde woman asked, nearly panting with excitement.
"Have I heard what?", Rebecca asked, not bothering to hide her frustration.
"They caught the bugger that killed Danny Latimer!"
"What?!" She couldn't have been more completely caught off guard. "They did? When? Who is it?"
"Just this morning. They're releasing a press conference tonight. It's Joe. Joe Miller."
Rebecca felt her throat tighten with anxiety. Ellie Miller's husband? It couldn't be. She remembered seeing her just a couple weeks ago, when this had all began. She thought of her kind and unassuming smile, her earnest desire to see Danny's killer brought to justice. "Poor Ellie," she whispered.
"I can't believe it, can you?" Becca asked.
Rebecca looked at her, saw the false concern and the eagerness for gossip in the other woman's eyes, and it made her nauseous.
"I think I'm going to close up early for the day," she said quietly.
...
Later that night, curled up on her couch with a comforting mug of tea, she watched the official press release. It was brief, cut right to the heart of the matter, and still was in every way respectful to the Latimers. Ellie wasn't in it at all. She felt her heart lurch in sympathy. She couldn't even imagine the pain that she and her family were in. She closed her eyes for a moment, wishing there was something she could do for them all. When she opened them again, she saw the dark brown of Alec's eyes on the telly screen. He looked tired but also relieved. It was over, she read it in his eyes. The case, despite it's heartbreaking revelations, was finally at an end.
She couldn't help but wonder what this meant for her and Alec. Was something ending between them? Or was it just beginning? Was he already looking forward to moving on, and continuing his life without her?
Against her better judgement she picked up her phone and tentatively dialed his number. It rang once and went right to voicemail.
...
It was late, but she couldn't sleep.
Every time she laid down in bed she found herself tossing and turning. She tired laying down on the couch which yielded similar results. Her mind was awhirl with distress over the way that the case had ended, and with worry about Alec. Was he taking care of himself? Why hadn't he called her, or reached out to her in some way? Unless this whole thing had been in her head and whatever emotions were involved only existed on her side in the first place. She covered her face with her hands and felt a wave of embarrassment wash over her. Was that it? Had that been it all along? Did he begin to understand how she felt for him and, not wanting to shame her, decided to end it quietly and not cause a big fuss? She grit her teeth together. If that was the case she wasn't going to be that girl that groveled and begged and pleaded for another chance. It was bad enough she had called him as often as she did. She should have taken the hint after the first few days. Well, no more. She would survive. She would move on. Life would go back to the way it was before he came. But...that somehow just felt wrong to her. What she felt when they were together, that had been real, had been true. Could he really not have felt the same way?
As she laid on the couch trying to sort out all her emotions she heard a soft knock on the door. She glanced at the clock on her phone. 1:30am. Who on earth would be...her heart skipped a beat. Hoping it was Alec, and then feeling immediately ridiculous for even harboring such a hope, she walked over to the door and looked out the peephole.
It was Ollie.
She opened the door. She wasn't sure if she was more disappointed or relieved to see that it wasn't Alec after all.
He strode through the doorway, immediately reading the disappointment on her face. "Expecting someone else, were you?" He said wryly. "A certain detective?" Despite his light tone, she could see the strain on his features, the weariness in his eyes. She remembered that Joe Miller was his uncle and felt a lurch of sympathy for him, for Ellie, for their whole family.
She put her hand on his shoulder. "How are you holding up, Ollie?" she asked.
He shook his head. "I'm alright, although my mum is a mess. And aunt Ellie..." He ran his hand through his hair. "She's laying low somewhere, hasn't contacted us other than to tell us that her and the boys are alright. I don't even know where she is."
The frustration in his voice was so palpable Rebecca was sure if she reached out she would have been able to grab it. "Can I get you anything?" she asked. "Would you like some tea? I could make you something to eat if you're hungry?"
Ollie blinked and looked at her, as if suddenly remembering where he was. "No, I'm...No. I'm not hungry. And that isn't why I'm here anyway. I needed to talk to you. There's something you need to know."
She folded her arms across her chest, trying to dispel the sudden chill that gripped her. "Something I need to know? What's going on, Ollie?"
"I wouldn't normally come over this late," he stammered as if he hadn't heard her. "But I couldn't stop thinking about...you know, and I really needed to get my mind off it. So I'm sorry that I didn't wait until morning."
She nodded. "It's okay, honestly. I couldn't sleep anyway."
He looked at her and his eyes came back into focus. "Look," he started, " I know that you and detective Hardy are involved."
If being involved means he absolutely drives me crazy then by all means, yes, we're involved! she thought. "I'm not at liberty to say," she said carefully. She still wasn't exactly sure how much of their relationship Alec wanted to keep private. If they still were even in a relationship.
Ollie raised an eyebrow at her. "You two were seen a lot of places together recently. But then this week, since Jack...you guys haven't been seen together at all."
She threw up her hands in disgust. "Goddamn this small town gossip!"
"Stop, calm down a second," he said gently. "It was actually a good thing that I had heard about you two, since you were the first one I thought of once I was done talking to him."
"Talking to who Ollie?"
"Hardy. Detective Hardy. He stopped by last night and gave us a private exclusive about the previous case he had worked on. Sandbrook, remember? That was the case that really trashed his reputation."
Her heart lurched sadly. Oh, Alec, she thought, That must not have been easy for you. While he had never spoken to her about the specifics of the case, she knew it still haunted him with a grief that he continued to carry with him. But she couldn't understand how this related to her and why Ollie had felt the need to tell her right away.
"Anyway," Ollie continued, "he gave us a private interview, and he doesn't want us to release it to the public right away, but..." he looked at her. "You know how fast information travels."
She thought of Becca Fisher's face when she was running her mouth earlier and felt a hot flash of anger. "Yes," she said. "I love this town, Ollie, but I do hate the gossip and the way it gets around."
He nodded, and then hesitated. "This detective...does he mean a lot to you?" he asked.
Rebecca didn't know how to answer. She thought of the lean sinewy slopes and curves of his body and the way the air turned electric when they were standing close to each other. She thought of his slow smile, and the way his eyes brightened when he was relaxed. She thought of his raspy, voice, thick with that brogue accent when he was frustrated or exasperated. She thought of the way he kissed, and how when she wasn't with him she was thinking about him. She thought about how she wanted him to be happy more than she wanted anything else, and the way her heart had warmed when she realized that she loved him. She smiled "Yes," she said softly. "I would say that yes, he means quite a great deal to me."
He looked relieved, as if pleased to finally reach the conclusion that he had made the right decision in coming to see her. "I think it's important that you know about this first...in case it makes a difference."
Rebecca's stomach clenched painfully with worry. But she was resolved to make the best of this information...no matter what it was. "Make yourself comfortable," she said to Ollie, smiling softly. "I'll make us a cuppa and then you can tell me all about it."
~*~ To be continued