Chapter 14 Chapter 14
“Thanks for agreeing to have coffee with me.”
Across from me warm brown eyes crinkled around the edges. There was a smidge of what looked like motor oil on his cheek.
“I have to admit I was shocked when you turned up Audrey. It’s been a long time , I didn’t think I would ever see you again.” His smile grew wider. The same smile that had charmed young teenage me. He hadn’t even changed that much. Older yes, but he still had the square jaw and the boy next door good looks.
“You kind of disappeared on me.” He continued but there was no judgement in his voice and his wide smile stayed in place. “I heard you were back but I didn’t think you would come looking for me.” Two big , oil streaked hands clasped his tea cup and brought it to his lips. It looked tiny in his hands and for a second I couldn’t do anything but stare at them.
Johnny really had grown into a strapping man. Those hands were the size of shovels.
He quirked a blond eyebrow upwards and blushing. I met his eyes. “I never forgot about you.”
A dimple popped in his cheek. Almost like I had said the best thing in the world. “I never forgot about you either. You were the first girl I ever loved.” Clumsily he dropped the cup into its saucer , sloshing some of the contents over his knuckles. “I really never forgot about you. I was heart broken when I went over to your grandparents place and you weren’t there,” the sparkle left his eyes. “I was sorry to hear about Coral. I was out of town otherwise I would have come to the funeral. I hope she had a good send off?”
My hand tightened around my own drink. No one but me had turned up to the funeral and I was guessing he knew that but he was sweet.
Sweet and insanely cute.
“Audrey?” Reaching across the table he took my hand in his and squeezed and it was only then that I realised tears had begun falling down my cheeks. Using my other hand I wiped them away.
“Sorry, I’m ok. Honestly.” I lied. Why was I crying now? But I already knew the answer to that. It was because Johnny was sweet. He was attentive and sweet and everything I needed.
And more importantly he wasn’t some dark stranger that broke into my house and licked me into submission with his hand over my eyes.
“I should have sent you a letter or something.” I said quietly. “I didn’t mean to break your heart.”
“Well you’re back now, so you can make it up to me.” Two red spots appeared high on his cheeks.
Was he blushing? If he was, that was adorable.
“Unless- fuck.” Reaching up he ran his hand through his hair. “I should have probably asked if you were married before I asked you to dinner?”
It was my turn to smile. “You were going to ask me to dinner?”
“I was hoping to.” His brown eyes darted down to my hands and then back up to my face.
“I’m not married.”
“Boyfriend?”
I hesitated and I didn’t know why. I didn’t have a boyfriend but what I did have was a stalker - or a mental condition. Which one was yet to be confirmed.
“Oh.” Johnny sounded disappointed. “Well I’m still glad you came and found me in the garage. You said you wanted to ask me something-“
I cut him off. “Maybe I can cook you dinner tonight?”
Just like that I made the decision. Bethan would be proud of me. Johnny was cute as a button, and he was normal and stable and right now I needed that. What harm could it do if we had dinner and got to know each other?
“I don’t have a boyfriend.” I added ,quickly.
“You don’t?” The smile was back on his face
“Nope, no boyfriend.” Just a possible stalker, I added silently but he didn’t need to know that.
“Good. But I’d like to take you out. I never got to do that when we dated as kids.”
Every time he spoke he got sweeter and sweeter. If this carried on my teeth would decay. “You don’t need to do that.”
“I can afford -“
“I know that Johnny, it’s just I would like to cook for you and if you come over it means we can relax as we catch up. I didn’t mean to insinuate you didn’t have the money.”
“Ok, but next time k get to take you out and show you off ok? What did you want to talk to me about anyway?”
“The Kings. They own the house next door right?”
His hand slipped from mine and he frowned. “I have to go back to work now but I’d love to have dinner tonight.” He scraped his chair back.
“Around eight?”
“Sure, we will talk more then. See you Audrey.”
I watched him leave, and continued staring at the door long after he disappeared down the street.
Strange.
He turned up with flowers, not some elaborate bouquet from some fancy florist. But pretty blue and purple blooms that looked like they had been picked out of a garden with care.
That’s bow sweet he was.
“These are for you.” Awkwardly he pushed them into my arms. “I was going to buy you some but my mum said grocery store flowers are for losers.” His eyes crinkled. “And I didn’t want you think i was a loser.” He gave me a lopsided grin
Bringing them to my face, I inhaled their scent. “Your mum is right. These are beautiful Johnny, thank you,” without thinking I reached up on my tiptoes and pressed my lips to his cheek.
“Come in, dinner is almost ready. I thought we might eat on the patio but the weather-“ glancing over his shoulder I frowned at the rain clouds that were settling over us like a dark blanket.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea unless you want to get soaked-“ he froze. His cheeks flaming scarlet. “Shit sorry Audrey I didn’t mean it like that.”
Laughing I shook my head. He really was adorable. Dinner with a cute man who was also sweet was just what I needed.
It was normal.
“Come on in, I didn’t know what you drank so I got white and red.” I glanced over my shoulder. “And some beer as well.” I added.
He was a good hard working man, he would drink beer.
“Thanks. This place is beautiful. I’ve never been inside before.” He followed after me, glancing around as he went.
“It’s nothing much, you will have to excuse the mess. I’m trying to figure out what to sell and what to keep.” I
Motioned to one of the stools at the worn wooden island and he plopped down onto it.
“I bet that’s hard. Is that why you wanted to talk about the Kings? Are they pressuring you to sell!”
And just like that he brought the conversation right to where I needed it to be without me even trying. “Not pressurising no. I met someone called Michael. He made an offer but I’m not sure I want to take it.”
Leaning across the wood , Johnnys eyes lit up. “I think that’s the eldest. They’ve owned the big house for generations but they are rarely here. Luckily for us. Us townies don’t really like to talk about them. The less we know about them the better if you get what I mean?” He winked.
Sliding two lamb chops on to his plate I frowned. “I don’t think they do.” Buttered potatoes followed. “What’s wrong with the Kings?”
“This looks amazing.” He grinned but it was short lived as he caught sight of my face. “You really don’t know about the Kings?”
I shook my head as I dished my food up as well. “I mean I think I met the mum when I was a kid and maybe one of the-“
“You wouldn’t have met the mum. She died in childbirth. Or so the rumours say. It’s a sad story, she died giving birth to the youngest boy. Gabriel. He would of been around our age, maybe a year or two older.”
Gabriel. My breath hitched. Was Gabriel King my neighbour and stalker?
“Would have been?”
Johnny shrugged. “Yeah, he died when he was seventeen. No one knows how but that’s when the Kings stopped coming here every year. He’s buried in the private graveyard on their property. Right next to his mum. Pretty tragic huh?”
He died? Gabriel King had died? That meant he couldn’t be my stalker. Unless what I was seeing was actually his ghost.
I didn’t know what would be worse, a stalker, my mind playing tricks on me or if I was being haunted.
“Have the Kings done something to you?” Johnny’s fork clattered to his plate with a clang and I jumped. “If they are threatening you to sell-“
“No. Nothing like that. It’s just I got a little freaked out when I took over a thank you dessert. That old house is a little creepy.” I cracked a smile in an attempt to break the tension which was suddenly cracking around us. “And then I thought someone was following me.”
That was all I was willing to say. Johnny was normal, I didn’t want to scare him off by telling him I was either nuts or had a stalker.
And admitting to anyone that I’d let - nope. I would never tell anyone what I dreamt of or what might have happened after I woke up.
“There’s no one living in that house Audrey,” johnnys smile had been replaced by a frown. I swallowed hard.
“It was probably just kids goofing around.” Johnny added catching my startled look. “I mean I see some of the Kings come and go but they never say. The house is all boarded up. I think they just come to check it’s not being trashed by the local teenagers. I wouldn’t put it passed them to scare you off though. Those assholes-“
The house wasn’t boarded up though. I’d been there and it had looked lived in , and then there was the fact I had met mr Michael King. He had been intense but not particularly scary.
“Why is everyone scared of them? I mean every single person I’ve met has told me to stay away from them.” I went back to eating.
“You honestly don’t know?”
I looked at him blankly.
“Shit, Audrey. They are bad men. Like really bad men. Some people say they are gangsters but I’m pretty sure they call themselves businessmen.” He rolled his eyes. “Hey what’s wrong? Are you sure they haven’t done anything. You look really scared.”
I was scared. But not really because the King family had a dodgy reputation. My terror was coming from a place rooted much deeper inside me. A place full of darkness.
There was no way I could ever tell him that.
“I think,” I murmured softly. “Just being here alone all the time is getting to me.”
“I’ll admit I'm a little worried about you as well. Especially now being alone out here in the middle of the nowhere. I can drop in from time to time if you like?”
It was such a sweet question but the look in his eyes wasn’t sweet. There was a little heat in it and a whole lot of uncertainty.
“I’d like that.” Climbing to my feet moved around the island and went to stand in front of him. Leaning down I pressed my lips to his.
Softly at first and then harder when His hand came out to settle in the small of my back, steading me. Johnnys other hand came to cup my cheek.
“I’d like that a lot.” I said as our lips parted.
It had been an experiment. Just to see if there was any spark between us and there was. It wasn’t an inferno but there was definely a spark.
Johnny pulled me back toward him, drawing my mouth down to his in another kiss.
“I’d like that as well Audrey.” He whispered against my lips. “More than anything.”