Twelve Days - The Beginning (6 page)

As she turned the door handle another thought struck her and, unable to ignore it, she swung back to him to find him watching her with hooded eyes, a lingering of something she strongly suspected was desire, in his heavy expression.

“Vaughn, don’t you want to know why Cole was so mad?” she asked. She had found it strange that he had not questioned Cole’s actions either then or now. He had simply dealt the final blow to Dale, effectively defending Cole, and then almost moved on as if what had happened today was an everyday occurrence.

Vaughn continued to regard her steadily and he looked almost sad. For a while, Elise didn’t think he was going to answer her. When he did his voice was soft and gentle, almost breaking, as he formulated the few short words.

“No Elise, I don’t need to know why.” he said simply. “I already do.”

Chapter Seven

It was 7pm and Elise had finally got home from the hospital. She walked into her lounge on tired legs and sank down onto the sofa without even bothering to turn on the light.

Dale was still in hospital as they had decided to keep him in for a couple of nights. The concussion had worn off and he was awake and talking but due to the quantity of alcohol in his system, they had been unable to perform certain tests and wanted to make sure that everything was absolutely clear before they released him.

Elise couldn’t say she was sad about that. Dale had been in a foul mood when she had arrived at the hospital and the poor nurses were getting it in the neck. She could tell that he was still under the influence and briefly wondered how much he had drunk to end up in such a state.

Patiently she had sat with him, explaining that the nurses were only doing their job and eventually he had calmed down and become more amenable to their poking and prodding. The alcohol was finally starting to wear off and the Dale that she married was beginning to re-appear. It had taken her all afternoon though and had left her with no time to check in on Cole. She knew that he was OK but she wanted to see what had happened with the police and of course apologise for the mess that she had got him into.

Privately, Elise was relieved to have a couple of days away from Dale. Things had turned upside down in the last twenty-four hours and her exhausted brain needed some time and space to process everything. She had to work out what she was going to do about Dale and his association with alcohol, which was undoubtedly getting worse. She also needed to think about their relationship, their marriage, where they were heading and what she could possibly do to get things back on track. If she even wanted to get things back on track. Things were rough right now but part of her still believed in her vows and so she supposed that she wanted to give Dale another chance. The real Dale that was. Not the one obscured by alcohol.

She also wanted to think about Vaughn and how she could possibly have let him kiss her like that. In the cold light of day, she had finally come to her senses. Although she had loved their moment and it had made her feel alive for the first time in ages, she knew that it was totally wrong and that nothing like that must ever happen again. Despite his insistence that it would and despite the fact that her lips were still tingling.

The other positive thing with Dale still being in hospital was that she could go out shopping with Celeste tomorrow guilt-free, and she acknowledged that that felt really good and was now something that she was very much looking forward to.

After sitting in the dark for what felt like an eternity, she made herself go and put the kettle on, hoping that a hot cup of tea would soothe her nerves. She stood and watched it absently, pondering on how things had suddenly become this complicated and wondering if life was ever going to be simple again. The irony of that was that her situation had been far from simple for a very long time – she had just gotten used to it, which was not an altogether good thing.

The kettle began to jump around in agitation signalling that it was boiled, at the exact moment that her mobile phone began to ring; both sounds breaking through the interminable silence.

Unaccustomed to the ringing, it took Elise a moment to register the sound before she dashed into the lounge, rummaging through her bag trying to find it thinking it must be the hospital. Why couldn’t they have called the landline? She had asked them to use the landline first. Cursing at the general population’s inability to follow instructions, she finally dug out her phone and answered it.

It wasn’t the hospital. It was Vaughn.

“Elise.” His ridiculously sexy drawl vibrated down the phone line causing her to tingle all over.

“How....” she swallowed, aware that that had come out as more of a squeak than a word.

“How the hell did you get this number?”

“Elise, I am your boss. There is nothing that I can’t find out if I choose to do so.” His voice rumbled in her ear, the almost dominant tone managing to be safe and dangerous at the same time.

“Why are you calling me, Vaughn? There is nothing for us to say.” Her voice barely wobbled and she was proud of herself.

“I disagree.” He stated matter-of-factly, “However, I was calling to enquire after your husband’s welfare. I presume you went to the hospital after you left here?”

“Yes, I did. He’s going to be OK.” She paused before adding the last statement. “No thanks to you.”

She heard his sharp intake of breath and knew that she had overstepped the mark. If it hadn’t been for Vaughn, then Cole and Dale would most likely still be fighting now and doubtless in a much worse condition. She had no idea why she was being so tetchy with him – she should really be thanking him.

“Sorry.... that was uncalled for. It’s just been a long day.” She hoped he took her apology at face value and made an allowance for her overwrought emotions. After all, there was little else that she could say.

“It’s OK, Elise,” she heard him blow out a breath, “I know that this must be difficult for you.”

He paused and she waited, wondering if he was expecting her to speak. She didn’t think she could even; she was done in. Anything that came out now was unlikely to make much sense. The silence lengthened but still she waited, hearing his breathing quicken on the other end.

“Elise, I need you to know something” he said eventually, his voice was low and seductive. She waited again, shivers running down her arms, nerves tingling and hand shaking at the connection with the phone – the connection with him.

“This
thing
between us isn’t over - not by a long shot. You and I will happen, husband or no husband. See you at work on Monday.”

He delivered his speech and then cut the connection. The line went dead.

Elise sat stunned, staring at the phone as if it could somehow help her make sense of the ridiculous conversation she had just had. Or rather the conversation that Vaughn had just had. The arrogance of the man knew no bounds. He didn’t ask - no. He just
assumed
that she would want to have a
thing
with him. He was probably used to women falling at his feet but she wasn’t just another one of his conquests; she was a married woman, and his comments were dismissing Dale and her vows as if they meant nothing. Regardless of how she felt when she was around the man and how his presence affected her, she couldn’t let him walk all over her just because the mood took him. She had commitments – hell, she had a life and even if it wasn’t perfect, it was her life and nobody else’s business. If her marriage was to be compromised, that would be her decision and no one else’s. She needed to stick to her resolve to keep away from Vaughn Granger. Spending any more time with him would only lead to trouble. That was an absolute certainty.

Chapter Eight

Elise had finally managed to make herself a cup of tea and was sitting in the still darkened lounge, trying to piece together how her life had changed so dramatically in such a short space of time. Idly, she looked around the room as she contemplated her situation.

She loved the living room of this house. It was small but she had decorated it to have a cottage-type feel and to make the most of the space. There was no fireplace but, on the centre of the main wall, she had hung a huge tapestry; rich in gold’s and red’s which provided the backbone of the room. The main walls were painted in a warm cream and all the accessories were red, gold or green. The room boasted two occasional sofas, one deep velvet green and the other deep velvet red, both of which complimented each other and the other decor. The warmth of this room shone out and Elise always felt comforted whenever she snuggled onto the sofas, particularly if she used one of the co-ordinating throws.

Elise and Dale’s house was in the small town of Mertonville, a suburb of the main city of Eastwood. Eastwood itself was situated on the borders of Devon and Cornwall and was where both Elise and Dale worked. It was also where the hospital and all the amenities were situated with a brand new out-of-town shopping development as well as a traditional high-street precinct. Elise had been born and raised in Eastwood with all of her family still living locally; Dale, however, was from out of town but had attended the university, which is how they had met. Their house was situated on a relatively new suburban development and they had had the luxury of being able to buy the house from new when they had first got married ten years ago.

At university, Elise had initially been studying Law and Dale, Advanced Accountancy. Their paths had crossed as both courses shared one of the core subjects and after spending a few weeks sitting next to each other, they’d gone on a date and had been pretty much inseparable ever since.

Once they had graduated, Elise had decided not to pursue her chosen career, as she did not want to move to London or one of the bigger cities so far away from her family and Dale. At the time, all she really wanted for her future was the good old-fashioned marriage and children and so she hadn’t felt the need to carve out a dedicated career for herself.

Initially, she had picked up temping work from various agencies until she had secured a receptionist role at a local hotel. She had loved that job - particularly the interaction with the guests - and had stayed there for a number of years. Once their marriage hit its seemingly endless ‘rocky’ patch however, Dale began to find fault with her shift patterns, complaining that she was never at home whenever he was and so she had eventually and reluctantly left, managing shortly afterwards, to secure her existing job at Andrews & Andrews. The working hours were more traditional and gave her and Dale something in common as they were both now working in the same industry. At the time, she had been hopeful that this fact alone would help to heal their rift and for a while it had - but it didn’t make any difference these days. They didn’t talk anymore so it really didn’t matter where Elise worked or what she had to say. Dale never listened anyway.

Mentally shaking herself back to the present, Elise sipped on her tea and wondered how everything could have gone so wrong for her and Dale. They had been textbook lovers with a textbook marriage, so what had happened to them over the years?

Despite his obvious flaws she still managed to love him on some level and she knew that he loved her too, but she was really starting to worry that they wouldn’t be able to get through this anymore. Today, when he had come to her office, it had shocked her and shaken her to the core. Up until now, all of their problems had been kept behind closed doors and, whilst there were only a handful of people who witnessed the events this morning, that didn’t mean that rumours wouldn’t spread around the office. It was bad enough having Cole on her back on a daily basis, without adding in Vaughn and anyone else who may feel they deserved to have an opinion.

Vaughn – there he was again, popping into her head. He was a total mystery. She had no idea who he was, where he had come from or how he had come to have enough money to buy over fifty percent of a large, up and coming accountancy firm. His behaviour of the night before and his arrogant belief that she and he would become a ‘thing’ confused and rankled her. He seemed to have his mind set on pursuing her but she had absolutely no idea why. Perhaps this was just some kind of game to him?

What did he do? Did he join a new company, scope out the talent, try it on for size (Olivia) and then choose the most unavailable woman in the office (her) and woo her ceaselessly until she caved in? Would he then love her and leave her and move onto the next willing victim? For all she knew about Vaughn, this could be exactly his MO. After all he was her age or possibly a bit older and he was the most stunning man that she had ever seen. He also appeared to be financially comfortable, so she couldn’t work out why he wasn’t already married, unless of course he was some kind of playboy. In which case that gave her even more reason not to get involved.

Frustrated that her thoughts had once again turned to Vaughn rather than the more immediate problem of her husband, Elise jumped at the sound of the door knocking. Hardly anyone knew where she lived, so, fully expecting it to be a double glazing salesman, she wrenched the door open with more than a little force, ready to tell him that he had picked the wrong day to try and sell her several windows and more than one door!

Anger gave way to shock and surprise as she took in the beautiful figure of Cole standing under her porch. She couldn’t see much in the dim light but she could tell that he had been put through the wringer. There were several cuts on his face; some quite deep with one running along his hairline and disappearing behind his ear. His right eye was swollen and had started to blacken up – and all she could think was that her beautiful friend was damaged and that it was all her fault.

“Shit, Cole, I am so sorry,” she sobbed, “I am so sorry that he did this to you. Jesus, I had no idea you were so badly hurt.”

She reached forward to touch him but then realising that they were still standing in the doorway, she quickly ushered him inside. His gaze briefly flickered over the hole in the wall
in the hallway but he said nothing. She watched as he lowered himself onto the green sofa, wincing slightly as he did so.

“What can I do for you, baby? How can I make it better?” she asked; eyes heavy with unshed tears at seeing what a mess her whole life was, right before her eyes.

“Hey, hey,” Cole said gently, “Don’t cry. I’m good. Honestly. It’s all superficial. I have a bit of a bruise on my hip where he got in a good kick but, other than that, I’m just fine. They patched me up and released me but I couldn’t face going home and the questions from Mum and Dad - not just yet. I didn’t know where else to go.” Cole’s parents were currently staying with him for a pre-Christmas visit.

“Christ, I am so glad you came here. I’ve been worried sick about you.” Elise said, still in shock at how much damage her husband had done in his drunken rage. “I tried to see you at the hospital but I had to spend the afternoon calming Dale down so that the nurses could treat him and by the time I’d finished, they wouldn’t let me come find you.”

“Oh, baby,” she walked over and sat next to him on the sofa, gently reaching out and touching his swollen cheek “How can I ever make it up to you?”

“It’s fine – honestly.” he said, “You know how I feel about your husband and what a bastard I think he is. I’ve lost count of the times it’s been me patching up your wounds and soothing your bruises. As far as I’m concerned, he got exactly what he deserved. I just wish I could have finished the job. I would’ve put up with any amount of pain to keep you safe forever.” He was almost whispering now and the passion and simplicity of his statement was too much to bear and a hell of a lot more than she deserved. Unable to hold it in any longer, Elise burst into tears. Cole pulled her to him and hugged her tight, rubbing her back gently and murmuring soothing words. She couldn’t believe that the man who had saved her so many times was looking so battered and torn and all because of her. The guilt she felt was overwhelming.

They stayed that way for a while, locked together on the sofa and rocking gently from side to side; each taking whatever comfort they needed from the other, their easy and loving relationship requiring no words as they slowly began the healing process. It would take a lot more than one night for either of them to do so but the fact that they could hold each other like this, made life for Elise bearable and, not for the first time, she wondered what the hell she would ever do without this truly beautiful man in her life.

Eventually, Elise pulled away. She needed a drink and this time she needed more than a cup of tea. Heading to the kitchen she dug out a bottle of tequila, surprised to see it still relatively full – obviously not Dale’s drink of choice then. She grabbed two glasses and poured a generous shot into each, taking them back into the living room and putting one in front of Cole. He eyed her suspiciously “I am driving, you know.”

She shrugged, “Take a cab - I’ll pay. Dale is in the hospital ‘til Sunday so you’ll have plenty of time to come back and collect your car.”

Cole regarded her steadily as if weighing up whether he could risk leaving his car at her house or not, no doubt worrying about what the neighbours might think, but the need for hard liquor obviously won out and he downed the shot in one, grimacing as the burn hit at the end.

Elise downed hers too and she headed back to the kitchen to get the bottle. Refilling their glasses, she started to feel more relaxed and returning to the living room she snuggled down into Cole’s side, loving his warmth and loving the fact that he was here – just loving him.

Instinctively, he put his arm around her and stroked her hair. He always told her that he preferred her to wear her blond hair long and as a result, she very rarely tied it back. If they had had a tiff then she would tie it back, almost as an act of defiance and Cole generally understood that if her hair wasn’t down, he was in trouble. Over the years it had become a very useful means of communication.

“I really don’t understand why you stay with that asshole, Elise” Cole said “How many times does he have to hurt you, abuse you, and humiliate you, before you wake up?”

Elise sighed. They had had this conversation so many times before and, as on those occasions, she could not explain it to Cole in any way that he would understand. She believed in the sanctity of marriage, and she owed it to Dale – whilst part of her still loved him anyway – to fight for what they had. Admittedly, today had seriously thrown her for a loop and the depth of her remaining love for him was definitely in doubt. But nevertheless he was her husband and she felt that she owed him a sense of duty.

“I know it doesn’t make sense to you, Cole – shit, it hardly makes sense to me after today, but I need to do this. I need to see my marriage through, whatever road that may take. I’m sure there’ll be a day when I can’t take any more but whilst my Dale is still in there somewhere, I need to try to reach him. Please try and understand.” She knew that it didn’t make any sense to anyone, given what Dale had put her through over the last few years, but if there was even a small chance that the Dale she had married could be reached then she wanted to at least try. For a little while longer. Giving up on her marriage was a big decision to make and she wasn’t ready to do that just yet.

Cole nodded, “You’re right, I don’t understand. He is a bastard..., the scum of the earth. I can’t understand why you stay with him when he continually abuses you. It’s not as if it’s only been once – but even if it had been, that’s one time too fucking many! When that bastard drinks, he doesn’t give a shit about you or your feelings and I worry that one day he won’t stop. I can’t lose you Elise – I won’t lose you. You have to do something about this now; for everyone.” Cole’s speech was impassioned as it always was and Elise wished once again that the road was clear for the two of them. There was always something between them, simmering beneath the surface and sometimes it totally sucked that they both valued their friendship too much to take it any further.

Cole wasn’t finished, his voice taking on an almost determined edge as the alcohol began to take effect.

“If you were mine, you’d be wrapped in cotton wool and I’d be getting roses delivered to you every bloody day...”

Before he could get any further with that particular thought Elise burst out laughing, the alcohol also starting to have the desired effect on her.

“Cotton wool and roses! No wonder you’re still single!”

Cole didn’t laugh. Instead he regarded her seriously, pulling her just slightly closer to his side. His eyes were intense as he looked down at her.

“You know why I’m still single, Elise. Shit!” Abruptly he pulled away from her and his comment hung in the air for a few moments. Elise could tell that he was angry but she wasn’t sure if it was with her or himself.

Slowly the meaning behind what he had said began to filter through her alcohol-numbed brain and she looked across at him in shock. He had never been this open with her before and, for the first time, she truly realised that he was sacrificing any chance of his own happiness for her. Their relationship was never going to be that way; they both knew that - at least she had thought that they did. It couldn’t happen – she loved Cole too much to damage him with her baggage.

“Cole...” she started but he held up a hand to stop her.

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said that. Just put it down to the alcohol. And a few blows to the head.” He coughed a little, almost in embarrassment, and then connected his eyes with hers - the intensity still there.

“Just remember one thing, Elise. If this crazy relationship of ours ever changes, at least my idea of romance would NOT involve leaving you black and blue and barely able to walk.” His sharp comment hit home and automatically she went in to defence mode; defending Dale and not really stopping to think.