43
Nate watched, tensed, from the study window as Rachel dragged her bags, the huge bags dwarfed her small stature. His fingers were clenched into fists at his side, so tight that they popped.
Tom saw Rachel and ran smiling at her until he noticed the tears in her eyes. Nate watched his chauffeur’s happy demeanor change to one of concern. He couldn’t hear what Rachel said but before he knew it Tom was carrying her bags to the car. Rachel fought him but eventually, her misery overwhelmed her, and she collapsed on the floor too weak to cry anymore. Tom hurried to her side and assisted her to the car.
It was frustrating. He wanted to be the one she leaned on, the one with his arm around her shoulder but the circumstances they found themselves prevented that. If he could turn the hands of the clock. If he could go back in time and get rid of the grudge that ate at his heart when he decided to lure her in. But the deed was done. He couldn’t take it back.
He watched helplessly as the car drove through the gates, he feared it would be the last time he would ever see her again. And why not? Just yesterday they had shared passion and he had been prepared to let his guard down – she made him want to let his guard down. Yet…
Yet, what just happened proved he was the same Nathaniel he always was. He was nothing beyond his passion. He had no feelings, no emotions beyond his passion. He was his father's son. Both fathers; the tyrant, the drunk and his harlot mother.
It was why he was the man he was. He turned away from the window, shutting the glass sliders shut firmly.
Rachel curled up in the car seat unable to think, she didn’t want to think scared that she would go insane with her thoughts. So instead she wiped her tears away and squared her shoulders. She was Rachel Rivers, she would find the next liquor store and deal with this problem the way she dealt with the first. She didn’t look into the rearview mirror, if she did she would have seen the look in Tom’s eyes. He stared at her with fatherly love, feeling sorry for the young woman seated in the back seat looking forlornly out of the window. He didn’t know what happened, it wasn’t in his place to know but one thing he did know was that Rachel needed time away, as much time as possible from Gem Hills. With that in mind, he took an exit that would lead them out of town.
Rachel finally looked up at him with a smile. “Thanks, Tom.” Her voice didn’t shake, she was proud of herself. “Can we find a liquor store on the next exit?”
He didn’t object. They found one at a fuel station. She had enough cash to buy half a dozen. She didn’t open the bottles up yet though her mouth watered at the thought of drinking the burning liquids. She held them against her on the seat, the bottles knocking each other invitingly, and soon fell into a dreamless sleep.
By the time she woke up again, they had just gotten to Ermernia and the sun had gone down over the rolling hills. She welcomed the stillness in the air, a vast contrast from the hustle and bustle of Gem Hills. At this time of the evening, lights were already on and doors shut so that families could settle down for a nice hot meal after a hard day of work in the field. She had left this life for the big city and was crowned the jewel of Gem Hills yet here she was – twice disgraced. Well, she would deal with her problems one after the other.
The first problem was getting over what she learned today – Nate’s betrayal. Somewhere at the corner of her mind was a niggling bout of hypocrisy. Why did she feel like a hypocrite? She had planned on making him her first story when she finally made her second entry into the heart of Gem’s media again, she had planned to learn as much as she could about him for her break-out story but he had gotten there before her, making sure that she would never publish any story on him. But was it fair that she had given up on her scheme to do an exposé on him because she was falling under his charms, trying to understand the man behind the mask yet he couldn’t give up his grudge against her?
No, it wasn’t fair. She was the hurt party here.
She had prided herself throughout her career on guarding her heart against scoundrels and the allures of the charming wiles of her victims in the past yet here she was with a rendering heart.
The second problem was Mabs. She didn’t want to be a burden on her sister yet again which leads her to her last problem. Getting a job.
She would call Larry up and see how well her articles were doing, if they were doing good she would keep writing until she could get a stable job. That way she would earn her keep with Mabs and maybe have enough to start afresh somewhere close.
Tom rolled the car into the yard. From the window, Rachel saw Mabel peep out through the kitchen window with a frown on her face.
She probably wasn’t expecting anyone. Mabel snatched her baseball bat from the hallway just in case and went to open the front door.
When she saw Rachel coming out of the car she stopped.
“Rach, God you scared me half to death. What are you doing here?”
“In my parents’ house?” Rachel responded. Then her eyes fell to the bat in Mabel’s hand. “You didn't have to welcome me in cold blood you know?”
Mabel’s eyes fell on the clothes bags and the liquor bag and bottles and she knew something was up instantly. Her maternal instincts kicked in. Dropping the bat she went to help Tom with the bags without a word.
“Thank you very much,” she said to him noting that the handsome, charismatic Nate Madden was not with them. Okay, there is a lot going on here, she thought to herself.
Tom surprised Rachel when he went around the car and put his arms around her shoulders. She froze against his hug but it was warm. She didn’t want to lean into the hug, she didn’t want anything that would remind her of …him. So when Tom released her with an understanding smile she returned it with a cold one of her own before walking away to join her sister who watched with the bags heavy in her hands.
Rachel offered her sister a cheery smile but her eyes were watering again. Tom’s hug had broken something in her. She didn’t look back as he drove off, the last bit of Nate slipping from her.
“Did you cook?” she asked with forced cheerfulness. “I haven’t anything all day!”
Mabel took her bags upstairs and dropped them and when she came back Rachel was digging into the leftover pork in the fridge, her eyes unusually bright.
“Rachel…”
“Hmm, this tastes delicious!”
Mabel’s hands came around her and she hugged her tight from behind. At first, Rachel wanted to steel her heart against her sister’s hold but this was Mabel, her second mother, her best friend, she couldn’t hide anything from her.
Before she knew it the floodgates broke through and the tears flowed out.
“Life is such a fucking bitch!”
