A World Apart

Small Steps

Over the next few weeks, Abi and I didn't speak. The stream of texts and calls that usually interrupted me throughout the day never came and the person who I'd never imagined myself falling out with had completely disappeared from my life. Despite what she'd said, and how I'd behaved, I missed her. More times than I could count by now, I'd picked up my phone ready to tell her exactly that. But her cutting words would storm back into my head each time, making me instantly throw the phone down and walk away. My anger had made me act petty, but all that I said, I'd meant. And I was sure that I was right. So this wasn't my mess to clear up, and as much as it hurt, I became determined to wait it out until she chose to fix it herself... if she ever did.

The good news was that I'd begun spending more time with Jake. Though we both still lived very different lives, we'd been making time to catch up when we could. The day after my fight with Abi, I'd gone to find him, feeling somewhat lost and needing someone familiar that I could talk to. I didn't go over all that Abi had said, but he got the general gist of why we'd fallen out, and after several cups of coffee that I'd bought us at a nearby cafe, he'd given me enough of a boost that I even began to have a laugh. He was still rough around the edges, but his guard was beginning to fall a little with the more time that we spent together. I started to wish I could see him more than our schedules allowed. A couple of hours here and there wasn't enough for me. But with him looking after the kids during the day when I was at work, and then working in the evenings when he could pick up shifts at the diner, there wasn't much chance for us to line up our free time. I'd taken to venturing over to the shelter some evenings after my shift, just to chat to him for a few minutes before he left for work, or occasionally walking with him to the diner, and getting a cab back to my place afterwards.

Jake remained rather tight-lipped about his sleeping arrangements on nights that he worked late. I'd asked him several times, but didn't like to push when he gave me the brief answer he always defaulted to:

"I have somewhere to go."

I was sure that it wasn't going to be somewhere I'd approve of. But he'd managed alone so far, and wasn't willing to accept my help so easily just yet, no matter how many times it was offered.

"Make sure to file each of the fabric orders before six on Friday," Celine said hastily, dropping a mountain of paperwork and fabric swatches onto my desk and sweeping from the room.

To say that she wasn't a people person was an understatement. But her designs were the best in the city, and anyone wanting to excel in the fashion industry was desperate to work with her.

"Of course, I'll get it done first thing in the morning," I replied swiftly, jotting down a memo on a sticky note and attaching it to my computer screen.

I glanced at the clock overhead and smiled brightly, it was almost four and I was getting to leave early today. But that wasn't the main reason for my happiness. Jake had promised to meet me outside when I left, and we were going to finally be able to spend some proper time together. I had swarms of butterflies in my stomach as I excitedly waited for the minutes to tick by, counting down the seconds until I'd be able to see him again.

At one minute to four, I sprung out of my chair, throwing my things into my bag, and made for the door.

"Just a moment, Miss Isles," Celine called out from the back room.

So close!

Fighting the urge to stamp my foot in irritation, I joined her in her drawing studio.

"Yes, Miss De'Lauroux?"

She didn't answer immediately, her pencil tracing the neat ruffles on a large ballgown skirt that she was sketching, her back remaining to me so that all I could see was the tidy curls of her bright red hair. Once she'd finished the last line, she spun in her chair, looking up at me through her bright gold, jewelled glasses.