Chapter 12 - Careful

"Morning" Tess said and walked in the kitchen to join the others for breakfast. They all gave her a quick greeting back and continued to eat their food and sip of the coffee.
"How's everything going with the business?" Tess asked and took a seat across the table from Claire. "Oh yeah, good - We are going to get the new horse ring set up today and then we'll go looking for a horse or two to train" Claire answered with a self-satisfied smile and took another bite of her toast. The last two months had been very productive for their business, they were finally starting to go somewhere with it - It wasn't just talk and budgets anymore.
"I thought you wanted to train Phoenix?" Tess asked confused and took the plate Meg was holding out for her. "Oh I will, but she won't be ready for another 15 months" Claire said with her mouth full of food. "So, what? You are going to buy horses?"
"That's the plan" Claire said and walked to the sink with her now empty plate. "Buy them cheap, train them and sell them for double of what we gave"
"You didn't think to run it by me first?" Tess asked a bit defensive. If she was going to spend that much money, she would think she had the right to know. "I don't need to, you're not my business partner" Claire said and gave her a cheeky smile. "No, but .. It's still our money"
"No it's not. It's Alex's" Claire said and looked at her sister with a expression telling, that she had everything under control. "Wait, is Alex buying the horses?" Meg asked, surprised that Harry would agree on that. "He's putting down the capital for everything, until the business gets up and running" Claire said and poured the rest of her coffee out in the sink. "Wonder what Harry says to that" Becky said with a brisk remark, making Jodi smile. "Well, I don't know anything about that" Claire said and brushed their remarks and questions off. She didn't really have to discuss money with them.
"Speaking of Alex, he's been around a lot lately" Jodi said and gave Claire a teasing look. "Yeah? We work together" Claire said with a obvious look on her face. "He was here pretty late the other day. I saw him drive off around midnight" Tess said, finding it funny to poke to her sister. Claire went silent for a moment, not sure of what to say. They had to be more careful if they were going to continue with what they were doing. "There's a lot of details to sort out" Claire said quickly and made a move for the door. "I need to check up on some feed" she continued, feeling the need to get away from that conversation and fast.
She made her way across the court, still with all their questions in her head. Maybe they needed to take it down a bit, stop seeing each other as much as they were. She opened the door to the stables and walked towards the bags of feed in the corner. Well, they hadn't really been seeing each other the last couple of days, both too busy with their own thing and she kinda missed him. As much as she hated to admit it, she missed him when he wasn't there. It scared her, a lot. After everything that happened with Peter she kept her guard up, and Alex threatened that more and more - Sometimes it actually felt like they were together, but she couldn't get herself to end what they were doing. It gave her a comfort she was scared to lose. She sighed and started to move a couple of bags away. No, they were both consenting adults, both aware of the agreement and which line not to cross. Beside, after everything with Peter, she was allowed to have a bit of fun and if that fun helped her heal, it was even better.
Peter. His name stayed on her tongue. She hadn't thought about him in a while and yet she got hit by a pain she thought was gone. It came and went within seconds, but it was enough to make her aware that she wasn't completely healed and that her heart was still trying to mend the broken pieces. She shook her head, trying to get the last remaining thoughts about him out of her head.
"What ya doing?" Alex voice suddenly sounded. She looked over her shoulder and he instantly saw the pain in her eyes. "Are you okay?" he asked worried and made his way to her. "Yeah" Claire answered with a low voice. "Just checking the feed" she continued and moved another bag. He kept looking at her, didn't believe her when she said she was okay, her expression and voice said it all but he knew pushing her to talk would be no good. So instead he just grabbed a bag and moved it to the others that had already been moved.

"Look, Alex" Claire said and wiped her hands in her shirt. "The others are starting to ask questions"
"Questions?" he asked confused. "About what?"
"Us, I guess." Claire answered and started to make her way out of the stables again, followed by Alex. "Tess saw you leave the other night and they've noticed you've been around, a lot lately"
"Well, what did you tell them then?" he asked, hoping the thing they had going on wouldn't come to an end already. Claire stopped at the fence to the old horse ring, where Blaze and Phoenix was still being kept. "That it was work of course" she said and gave him a teasing smile, making him smile and shake his head. He joined her at the fence and together they looked at their shared dream that was walking around alongside it's mother. "But in all seriousness. We have to be more careful" Claire said and moved her focus to him again. "They can't know" she stated with one firm look. "I know" Alex said with a small smile, trying to shake of her tension but it lingered on to her "Relax will ya?" he said and pushed to her shoulder. "They won't find out - We can just meet at my place"
Claire snorted at his comment. "Yeah right, with Harry and Liz. I don't think so" she said. If they didn't get caught here they most certainly would at Killarney. "They aren't always home, you know?" Alex said with a smile. "They are almost always home" Claire said with a slight shook on her head and small laugh. "Well, we could go away for a bit. Take a business trip or something" he said and made her frown. Her smile had disappeared and she looked at him with a despondent look. "Alex .." was all she said before she looked at the sky and then back at him, hoping she wouldn't have to remind him about their agreement.
"I know" he said before she could give him a lecturer. "It's just - I like it, you know" he continued, trying not to be too smothering. A grin started to spread on her face as she looked down, feeling all shy. She did in fact like it very much as well.
He took a step to the side and leaned his head closer to her. "I guess you just have to be a bit more careful when you call me over so late" he whispered in her ear with a big smile on his face. Claire couldn't help but smile either and her cheeks was starting to turn red from his comment. Why did he always do this? Make her feel all shy and out of herself. She liked it and hated it the same time. It made her feel like she could actually feel something and that gave her hope for the future - that she someday would be ready to face a relationship again but it also terrified her to pieces. She wouldn't want to get hurt like she did with Peter, and she couldn't - if she remained her guard up.
"We have somewhere to be" She said, still with a smile on her lips and her cheeks burning.
"I made you blush, didn't I?" Alex asked with a huge grin on his face. "Shut up and get the car" Claire said and shook her head discreetly, feeling out of place. She turned around and started to walk towards the parked car. "You know, cars are great escapes too" he said and made her jump as he grabbed her waist. "Alex!" Claire said firmly but the smile he had caused on her was still soft. He walked by her, laughing, enjoying that he could make her so out of place. She usually had it together, so seeing this side of her was quite new.
"What's up with him?" Tess asked cheerful, seeing the big grin on Alex's face as they came around the corner to the court. Claire shook her head, thinking about what a tease he could be at times. "Beats me - He's Alex" Claire said with a smile and opened the door to his car. "I'll be back in a couple of hours" she said through the window as Alex started the car. "The drive back and forth, looking at horses, sex in the car - You really do underestimate my doing, don't you?" Alex teased as he slowly started to drive down the graveled road. Claire looked at him mortified by his comment but she couldn't help but send out a heartly laugh. "I reckon we'll be gone the rest of the day, don't you?" he said with a big grin on his face.
"Shut up!" Claire said and shook her head, still laughing. "Just drive … and there will be no funny business in the car" She continued.
"There's the pub" Alex joked again but it only made Claire punch him on the shoulder, causing him to lose control over the car for a brief moment. "Driveee" Claire said again, this time more firm but the smile and laugh remained. "Yeah yeah" Alex said with a laugh and turned on the radio. Claire still looked at him with a huge smile, as they passed the Drovers sign and got on the main road. Perhaps he didn't put as much into this as she thought, he seemed pretty chilled about their thing, she would like to think that anyway, with all his joking about it. She shook her head and looked out of the window. He made her really happy and for every laugh she felt like another piece of her heart was glued back together - and she was incredible thankful for that.