A Safe Pair of Hands (11 page)

He moved around the table so that he was sitting beside her
and took her hand to turn her away from the snowy landscape
outside.

“
Whatever it is,” he murmured huskily, as he tilted her chin
gently. “Don’t let it in.

He put his lips to hers, as the doors opened and a cold air
gusted in.

He wrapped his arms around her waist and deepened the kiss as
a man’s voice could be heard.

“
My car has broken down – is there a phone that I can
use?”

“
Aye there is a payphone just round the side of the bar... help
yourself.”

“
Thanks very much.”

Nick continued to kiss her for a moment longer, but then he
moved back ever so slightly and looked deep into her eyes. “Don't
let it in,” he murmured again, and for a moment he thought that he
had lost her, but then she smiled at him, a quick reassuring smile
that faded as quickly as it had appeared.

A shadow fell over them, and Sadie looked past Nick and her
eyes stayed steady.

“
Rick,” she nodded coolly.

“
I thought that it was you, Sadie,” a man's voice said in
shock.

Nick did not turn to acknowledge him in any way; he merely
kept his steady gaze on Sadie – willing her to be
strong.

“
Are you keeping well, Rick?”

“
Yes... yes I am doing okay – what about you?”

She smiled a little smile. “I am good, Rick... I am really
good – now.”

“
I am happy to hear that... look I have to go – there is an
appointment that I am already running late for... but can I give
you my number – maybe we can catch up at some point?” Nick could
clearly hear his awkwardness; he did not need to see the other man
to know that he was all but wringing his hands with
eagerness.

Sadie just shook her head. “No, Rick.”

There was a moment of silence and then the man spoke. “No,” he
agreed sadly, “Oh well, what's past is past I suppose... keep well,
Sadie, and goodbye.”

“
Goodbye, Rick.”

The shadow moved away, and Sadie looked at Nick with a real
sense of freedom.

“
I love you so very much, Nick,” she whispered
softly.

**

The journey home was accomplished without much further
conversation. They were so relaxed and happy in each other's
company now, and though they spoke a little – about the passing
scenery, the other vehicles around them; they even talked a little
bit about Christmas, but most of it had an almost dreamlike quality
to it.

Nick had walked back out to the car park with her, and he had
kissed her tenderly on the mouth. “We will take things nice and
slow – you and me, but I just wanted you to know that I love you
too, I always have, from the very first time that I saw you.” She
gasped in surprise and her grey eyes lit up; and Nick simply smiled
as he helped her into the car.

They had time, lots of time for her to be sure of him, to be
confident in accepting his marriage proposal – when he made
it.

*

He pulled the car to a halt outside her house, and turned to
her.

“
I don’t want you to come into work tomorrow, Thursday will be
soon enough; but when we are both back at work ...” he began a
little uncertainly.

Sadie nodded in understanding. “Yes of course – things would
be awkward in the office, if we were all over each other all of the
time... yes I know exactly what you mean, we are there to do a job,
and you are still my boss.”

Nick grinned at her in delight for a moment. “Although I love
the idea of the two of us being all over each other, I have to
agree with you; that if it became public knowledge about the change
in our relationship... well it could make the rest of the staff a
little uncomfortable.”

He leaned across to kiss her lightly on the lips. “When can I
see you again – outside of work though?” he asked
huskily.

“
How about tomorrow night? You could come here, and I could
cook us some dinner?”

Nick smiled and his warm breath fanned her face. “I shall look
forward to that.”

He turned and climbed out of the car, and walked around to the
boot first, to take out her bag, and then he opened her door and
helped her out of the car.

He took her into his arms again and kissed her slowly and
deeply, and by the time that he let her go, Sadie was totally
oblivious to the cold air, and indeed she did not think that she
would ever feel cold again.

“
Would you like to come in... for a coffee?” she asked a little
wistfully.

Nick sighed regretfully. “I would like nothing better than to
do that, Sadie; but I have some chores to do... and I am sure that
you could use the time to sort yourself out?”

“
I suppose so.”

He kissed her on the tip of her nose affectionately. “I will
look forward to tomorrow night instead. Shall I call around for
say, seven?”

She nodded. “Yes that would be perfect.” She reached out to
take her bag off him, and then she stood and watched him as he
walked back around his car.

“
Go inside, Sadie; it's too cold to be waving me off on the
pavement.”

She gave him a little nod and a defiant little wave, and
turned her back on him.

Her house was chilly when she first opened her front door, but
she walked over to her boiler, and flicked the switch, and
immediately the house ticked in to life and the cold edge began to
dissipate.

Sadie gave a little shiver, and turned towards the kitchen,
intent on putting the kettle on, when her door bell
rang.

She opened her front door to her sister, who looked bright
eyed and curious.

“
I was just passing and so I thought that I would pop in and
see if you were back yet... or check the place over if you
weren't!” Nancy declared cheerfully.

“
I was just about to put the kettle on,” Sadie said as she
opened the door wider so that her sister could come inside and
follow her to the kitchen. “I've just this second got back, as a
matter of fact,” she continued, throwing a quick smile over her
shoulder.

“
Yes, I noticed,” Nancy murmured.

She sat down at Sadie's kitchen table and watched her little
sister as she moved around the kitchen.

“
Yes I was just walking down the road,” Nancy said airily. “And
what do I see, but my dear little sister, smooching on the street –
with none other than my new neighbour.”

She watched as Sadie blushed, a deep rosy glow that spread all
the way to the roots of her hair.

She looked at absolutely stunning. She looked positively
radiant.

“
I must say Sadie – you didn't mess around there much, did you?
I mean little Pete has not stopped talking about Nick, since we got
back, but I was not prepared for how fast and how far things had
progressed between the two of you?”

Sadie placed the two steaming mugs on the table and sat across
from her sister, who was looking puzzled. “And I thought that you
were going away on work business this weekend? Did it get cancelled
because of the weather?”

Sadie grinned sheepishly at Nancy, and the colour in her
cheeks slowly began to fade.

“
Well you see it's like this... things haven't exactly moved
fast between us, because I have known Nick for a few years now...
he is actually my boss!”

Nancy's eyebrows disappeared beneath her hair, as she raised
them in surprise. “Nick! My neighbour, Nick; is your domineering
and nasty N J Hargreaves?”

“
MD and all that went with it – yes that is him.” Sadie nodded,
as she cupped her hands around her mug.

“
But... but he is always so mean to you!” Nancy
spluttered.

“
Well, you see... there is a bit more history to us than when I
started to work for him last year,” Sadie began
hesitantly.

“
Oh?”

“
It's a long story, Nancy; and I am sure that you haven't got
time for this really,” Sadie sighed.

“
Hah!” Nancy's face lit up with triumph. “Rob has taken little
Pete to see his parents – I have all afternoon to kill... and,” she
continued as she held up a shopping bag. “I have fresh bread to
make us some sandwiches – if you have got some filling?”

Sadie chuckled. “Oh you always did know how to get around
me!”

As the two of them made up some sandwiches, Sadie told Nancy
about the first time she had met Nick – when Rick had shown up and
spoiled things for her – again.

“
So that was why you came home again,” Nancy exclaimed. “I
always guessed that it was something to do with Rick – it was
always something to do with Rick when you were unhappy... but that
time seemed so much worse!”

“
Yes, after what had happened I just knew that as long as I
kept running, then Rick would keep on chasing, and more than
anything I needed to be back with my family...”

“
To lick your wounds, and heal your broken heart?”

Sadie looked sharply at her all too perceptive sister. “I had
only just met Nick – we had only one conversation, which did not
even end well.”

“
But you did fall for him?” Nancy pressed, and Sadie
sighed.

“
Hook line and sinker.”

“
And that was why you finally went through with the
divorce?”

Sadie hesitated as she thought about it. “Well, maybe,” she
said slowly. “Maybe it was because I suddenly realised that I could
never be happy with Rick still in my life – that he would always
come along and pull the ‘she is my wife’ card. I knew that I could
not carry on with that kind of ‘no life at all’, I mean at first I
thought that I would never want to be with any man – ever again, so
it did not matter about going through the trauma of a divorce, but
Nick – in that brief time, he made me realise that I could, and
that I really did want to.”

“
So you divorced Rick, for Nick – you are in love with Nick
now?”

“
Not for him, no,” Sadie shook her head firmly. “I did not
think that I would ever see him again, but I think that I finally
when through with the divorce, because of Nick.”

“
Hmm,” Nancy murmured noncommittally as she took a bite out of
her sandwich.

Sadie looked across at her big sister with an almost pleading
expression.

“
I have never been any good at judging people... so you tell
me, Nancy; is Nick a good man, or am I just fooling myself again.
Am I safe to fall in love with him?”

Nancy smiled as she swallowed the food. “I suspect that that
question is a little bit late in the asking... but for my penny’s
worth... yes I like Nick – I think that he is a good man, and I
think that your heart will be safe in his hands.”

Chapter Twelve

Sadie waved her sister off in the taxi that she had called for
her, and then set about sorting her washing out.

The taxi took Nancy to her home, however she did not go
straight into her own house, but she strolled around to her
neighbour's, and stood with her finger pressed on his door bell,
listening as its constant ringing echoed through his
house.

Nick answered his door in very quick order looking disturbed
and annoyed. Seeing Nancy on his doorstep however, sent a whole
host of expressions rushing across his face.

“
Nancy... is everything okay?” he suddenly looked truly
frightened as he stepped closer to her. “Is Sadie okay?”

“
Sadie? Of course my sister is okay – why wouldn’t she
be?”

His shoulders sagged and he gave a heavy sigh of relief, but
his eyes when they fixed on her again turned to puzzlement. “What
can I do for you, Nancy?”

He opened his door wider and stepped back so that she could
enter – it was after all a chilly afternoon that was steadily
growing dark and cold by now.

“
Can I offer you something to drink,” Nick asked as Nancy
strode through to his living room – almost as though she owned the
place.

“
A glass of wine might be nice?” she shrugged her
shoulders.

“
Coming right up.”

Nick strolled over to a cabinet in the corner of the room, and
opened one of the doors.

He pulled out a bottle of wine and held it up to her. “White
okay?”

“
Yes that would be perfect... thank you.”

He gave a resigned little sigh, and pulled out a second
bottle.

He poured her wine and then he poured himself a good measure
of whisky – it looked like Nancy was on a mission tonight, and he
was not sure whether he would like her end goal, or not.

He handed her drink to her, and as she sat down on his sofa,
he sat down across from her, on a single armchair.

Nancy sipped at her drink nervously for a moment, as she tried
to work out how to talk to Nick, and voice her concerns.

As she thought of Sadie, she remembered again that awful
moment four years ago, when she first realised that Rick had been
hurting her sister.