How Many Chances (18 page)

Cole woke Ally with a kiss
, early the next morning. He had an early business meeting to go to. She assured him that she was okay and that she would call her Nan and talk to her.

He told her he was driving because he had a few meeting
s to attend and he was leaving Nick herewith her so she could go shopping if she wanted.

The truth was he didn’t want her left alone in case Fitzmaurice might show up again and start more trouble.

Ally kissed Cole goodbye and watched as he walked out of the bedroom.

Once she thought he was gone, s
he climbed out of bed and headed straight to the bathroom for a shower.

When she was finished in the shower she walked into the wardrobe and took a while to choose the perfect outfit for her confrontation with Steph.

As she did her hair and make up her mind ran over the events of the day before. She thought about what Fitzmaurice had told her. She had so many question and she need them answered.

By the time
she had slipped on the dress she had picked out and her knee high black boots she knew exactly how her day was going to work out.

She went in search of Nick and found him
in Cole’s office doing some paper work. She tapped lightly in the door before she pushed it open.

“Hey,” Ally said nervously from the doorway. She knew he was not going to be happy with what she was going to ask and might even call Cole and tell him.

“Good Morning Ally,” he replied brightly, as he looked up from his papers. “Would you like me to take you somewhere?”

“Actually yes,” she replied
as she stepped into the office and closed the door. She knew Annette was about somewhere and she didn’t want her to overhear them. “But I need you to keep it a secret.”

“From?” he asked looking a little less comfortable.
He sat back in his chair and regarded Ally.

“Cole,” she replied, nervously. “Look before you ask why. I love Cole and I would do nothing to hurt him, ever. In fact what I am doing is for him. But he can’t know. Not yet.”

“I don’t understand,” Nick said standing up from behind the desk and walking around to the front, He leaned against the desk with his arms crossed and stared at Ally in confusion.

“I need you to take me to see Steph,” Ally said and held her breath.

“Oh no,” Nick said holding up his two hands and shaking his head vigorously. “In fact I think you going anywhere near that nasty piece of work is a huge mistake.”

“Nick I have to go talk to her,” Ally
’s heart was racing now. She knew she needed Nick on board but wasn’t sure if she could trust him. But she knew she had no choice. She had to tell him the truth. “Ben isn’t Cole’s baby.”

“Believe me Ally,” Nick sighed deeply. “I have my doubts too. But Mr Thomas is convinced…”

“No he really isn’t,” Ally said stepping closer to Nick. “The other day, in the hotel, I heard them talking. Her and her sister. They didn’t know I was there. Ben is not Coles. They didn’t even have sex.”

“Are you serious,” Nick asked, a mixture of
both relief and shock on his face.

“Nick, I tried to tell Cole,” Ally explained
quickly. “But I can’t destroy him. He needs to hear the truth from her.”

“And you are going to go threaten her?” Nick asked and laughed. “Ally, this girl will eat you alive
.”

“Nick I work in a job filled with sexist assholes,” Ally half laughed. “I have to stand up for myself on a daily basis. I know you think I am this pathetic girlie mess, but I’m not. This bitch doesn’t scare me.”

“Ally, if Mr Thomas found out…” Nick began to protest.

“But he is not going to find out,” she shot back hopefully. “Is he?”

Nick stared at Ally for a moment. Ally could see he was struggling with his decision. She held her breath and waited for his response.

“You know I think this is a very bad idea,” he sighed
sounding defeated. And Ally smiled because she knew she had in on board. “But Mr Thomas said bring you anywhere you want to go. So I guess I have no choice.”

Ally let go of the breath she was holding.

“Thank you,” she said and kissed him on the cheek. Nick blushed a little but gave Ally a warm smile as he reached across the table and grabbed the car keys.

“I just hope you know what the hell you are doing,” He said as he held his hand out for Ally to head out the door of the office. She stepped out the door and waited for him.

Ally followed Nick to the hallway and then on to the lift.

“There is somewhere else I want to stop by first,” Ally said nervously knowing Nick was not going to like it. She was right.

              **********************************

“I really think you should reconsider this Ally,” Nick said as
he opened the car door in front of their first destination. He knew Cole was going to freak out if he found out he had brought her here.

“I know what I’m doing,” she
reassured him confidently as she undid her seat belt. If only she felt as confident as she sounded.

“At least let me come in with you.” Nick pushed.

“I will be fine,” she smiled at him. “I promise. I will be ten minutes.”

Ally climbed out of the car and
straighten down her clothes as she took another deep breath. She smiled at Nick once more, then turned and walked into the reception of the glass building in front of her.

Holding her head high she headed straight up to the reception desk and smiled brightly at the girl behind the desk

“Hello,” the pretty blonde girl said brightly to Ally as she approached the reception desk. “Welcome to Fitzmaurice International. How may I help you today?”

“Hi,” Ally said forcing a huge smile on her face to mask her
nervousness and uncertainty. “I’m Alexandra Fitzmaurice, I am here to see my father.”

The girl
’s smiled dropped briefly but she quickly pulled it back. But she was clearly flustered and Ally guessed she had obviously read the newspaper article in which her father has said she was unhinged.
Good,
Ally thought,
this bitch won’t mess with me!

“Of course Ms Fitzmaurice,”
she said sounding rattled. “If you can just give me a moment.”

She picked up the phone and
dialled in a number and then spoke very quietly under her breath. She glanced up at Ally and smiled.

“Mr Fitzmaurice will see you in his office,” the girl said as she hung up the phone. “If you take the lift to the twelfth floor. His assistant will meet you there and show you the way.”

“Thank you,” Ally replied and turned towards the lift. She pressed the call button on the lift and her stomach suddenly heaved. She breathed deeply and slowly until the feeling passed. She wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of seeing her upset again.

She rode up in the lift to the twelfth floor and pray to god for the strength to stand up to her father.

When the lift stopped and the doors opened she was greeted by yet another pretty blonde.

“Ms Fitzmaurice,” she smiled brightly. “I am Clara, you
r father’s assistant. If you could please follow me, I will take you to him. He is expecting you.”

Ally said nothing
, she just followed behind the girl and concentrated on her breathing. As she walked she was very aware she was being closely watched by everyone in the open plan office.

They reached a large set of black double doors and Clara knocked and waited for a response.

“Come” Ally heard her father’s gruff voice, bark from inside. Clara opened the door. Ally took a deep breath and stepped into the office.

“That will be all Clara,” he barked looking up from his laptop and staring at Ally.
Clara left them alone.

“
So, to what do I owe this visit?” He asked, standing up front behind a huge mahogany desk and walking to a drinks cabinet that was against the wall to the left of his desk. “Drink?”

“No thank you,” she replied calmly. “I think you owe me an explanation.”

“I owe you nothing sweetheart,” he replied with a laugh as he knocked back, what looked like a brandy, in one gulp. “I am not the one who was fucking the grease monkey. That was your mother.”

Ally cringed at his coarseness.

“But I will answer your questions,” he said sitting back behind his desk. “Have a seat and tell me what is it you want to know?”

“How do you know Gus is my…” She couldn’t bring herself to say the words.
She choice to remain standing too.

“You mother told me when she was diagnosed with cancer the first time,” he replied and for a moment Ally thought she saw a flicker of sadness across his face. “Well I knew they had been fucking already.
I had known that for a long time. But she admitted you were his when she found out she was sick.”

“I see,” Ally replied taking a deep breath to try keep herself calm.
She hated discussing her mother or her illness with him. “Does Gus know, about me I mean?”

“Yes,” he replied. “They had agreed to keep it secret because his sad sap of a wife was about to have a kid and your mother suddenly gr
ew a conscience.”

“So w
hy didn’t you tell me when she died?” Ally asked. “Why wait til now?”

“You
r grandfather stopped that,” Fitzmaurice said and shrugged. “He said you had been through enough. And I guess he was right. Besides already hated me. Why give you another reason.”

“I see,” Ally said
her mind was suddenly blank. There was nothing else he could tell her now. Nothing else mattered. “Well there is nothing else to say then, I guess. Thank you for seeing me and answering my questions.”

Ally turned and walked to the door. She reached for the handle and
hesitated. She turned back and looked at this man that she once loved so much and would have done anything to make him proud of her.

“Can I asked you once more question?” she said in a nervous voice.

“You can,” he nodded and leaned back in his chair.

“Did you ever love me?” she asked, her voice barely a whisper as she held his eyes with hers. He didn’t respond for a moment as if he was considering her question.

“You were my world,” finally he replied sadly and stared back at her.

“Thank you,” she smiled at him, knowing how hard it must have been for him to admit that to her. “Bye Dad.”

She walked out the door and closed it behind her and finally closed the door on the ghost that had haunted her for longer than she could bare to think about.

“Are you okay,” Nick, who was le
aning against the car waiting for her, asked the moment he spotted her emerge from the building.

“I am
just fine,” she replied with a smile. “Let’s go and sort this bitch out.”

Nick smiled
back at Ally and opened the door of the car for her.

Fifteen minutes later they pulled up outside the perfect little house Cole had bought for
Steph and Ben. Ally looked at Nick who was watching her in the rear-view mirror.

“Are you sure you want to do this?” he asked Ally.

“No,” she replied honestly with a nervous laugh. She looked from Nick to the picturesque little house they were parked in front of. “But I know I have to. I have to do this for Cole.”

She unfastened her seatbelt as Nick climbed out and opened the car door for her.

She climbed out of the car and stopped in front of Nick and looked up at him.

“Wish me luck,” she said and took a deep breath.

“Good luck,” he replied and smiled at her.

She walked to the front door and paused for a moment before she knocked on the door. She turned back to Nick who gave her an encouraging smile
and the thumbs up.

She could hear someone approaching and the latch on the door being pulled back. The door finally opened and she was face to face with Steph.

“What the hell do you want?” Steph snarled, completely taken back to see Ally standing there. She looked every more ordinary in her baby pink tracksuit and her hair caught back in a pony.

“Think it’s time
you and I had a chat,” Ally replied and stepped into the house and past Steph, not waiting to be invited in. She wanted to show her, she meant business.

“Who the hell do you think you are?” Steph demanded as she followed Ally to the
living room of the house. Ally looked around at the house. It had the best of furniture, no doubt paid for by Cole. But it was lacking something. It didn’t feel like a home. There was no sign a baby lived in this home at all. It was more like a show house. “Turning up here and barging your way into my home. You have no right. I want you to leave.”

“Who the hell am I?” Ally said finally turning around to face Steph. “Who the hell are you to play with people lives and emotions because it suits you? I know you
r filthy little secret and it ends today.”