23
Stefan
August had arrived, and Stefan could hardly believe he’d been living on the Isle of Wight for two months. June and July had flown by, and it felt as though he’d lived in the cottage at the windmill for a lot longer. He had settled nicely into his routine, thanks mostly to Rose at work and Florence at home helping, and Lindy was happier than ever.
He sat on the bench opposite the practice, wondering if Lindy’s mum could see them at all. It crossed his mind on occasion, especially now his surgery was being cleansed with sage or whatever it was Josephine, Nora, and Nana Blackcurrant were doing inside.
Merlin came out and approached the bench. ‘Right, I’m off. I think that lot are still trying to get shot of Agatha.’
Stefan stared at the tattoo of a wizard waving a magical wand on Merlin’s left arm. Were the three women waving wands in the windmill? He actually felt sorry for Agatha, if her ghost did exist. He went to say something, but Merlin walked off, and Florence came out of the practice.
‘I thought it would be all strange words and some sort of dance,’ she said as she came towards him. ‘But no. They’ve lit candles and are having a chat with Agatha. Apparently finding out if she even wants to go into the light.’ Florence sat at his side and sighed. ‘At least now we’ll know for sure.’
‘Do you actually believe in this?’
She shrugged. ‘Who knows, but what if you really can get trapped here in some sort of limbo when all you want is to be with your one true love? Wouldn’t you want some help?’
‘I suppose.’
Florence scanned the area. ‘Where’s Lindy?’
‘I didn’t want her knowing about any of this, so Rose has taken her to her garden to make daisy chains.’
‘Good idea.’
‘Not so sure about the coven in there though.’ He motioned to the windmill.
‘They’re only talking.’
Stefan crinkled his nose.
Florence chuckled as she took his hand. ‘This is all too much for your science brain, isn’t it?’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘My “science brain” is ignoring everything right now, including me.’
She tapped his temple. ‘Well, don’t ignore me.’
Immediately, he took her finger and curled in within his palm, gaining her full attention.
‘Are you okay, Stefan? You look a little lost.’
‘I’m okay. It’s just all this Agatha business. It’s sad, isn’t it?’ Stefan inhaled slowly, staring into her eyes. He reached for her cheek to lightly trace over her warm skin, unable to stop himself from touching her, wanting so much more. ‘Florence, I…’
Florence practically launched herself at him, taking him a little by surprise. Her lips pressed firmly upon his, and all he could do was respond by heating their kiss further.
Raking his hand through her locks, he pulled her closer, and her hands wrapped around his back, giving him a gentle squeeze. Stefan needed to come up for air, but he didn’t want to, as his need for her escalated at rocket speed.
Florence wasn’t letting go, showing him she wanted him just as much.
He mumbled her name on her mouth a couple of times, then pulled back a touch to stare into her eyes. ‘Come to the cottage.’
She was on her feet before him, taking his hand and sprinting towards the street door.
Once inside, Stefan placed his mouth back on hers whilst lifting her to his waist. Florence was peppering kisses all along his jawline and neck as he carried her to his bedroom. He slammed the door shut using his leg, then pressed Florence up against the oak wood whilst fumbling for the lock.
Florence had her hands all over him, greedily tugging his clothes, not stopping her kisses.
Stefan put her down for a moment, needing to slow things a tad. ‘Florence, are you sure about this? It’ll change everything.’
She allowed her dress to slip from her body, crumpling at her feet, then gave a small nod. ‘I’m sure. Are you?’ Her tone was soft and sultry. Her gaze fixed on him.
With one step, he was back in her arms, and this time he knew he wouldn’t step back. Their embrace was filled with passion as Florence quickly undressed him, tossing clothes all over the place, and Stefan swiftly moved her onto his bed.
‘I’ve been wanting to hold you for so long,’ he whispered close to her ear.
‘Same.’
‘I don’t want this to be another one-night stand, Florence. I want more.’
Cupping his face, she nodded. ‘I want a proper relationship with you.’
He smiled softly, planting a light kiss on the tip of her nose. ‘Looks like we’ve got ourselves a relationship then.’
Her hand slid to his inner thigh, and Stefan closed his eyes for a moment as she joined their bodies. She brought her mouth back to his and started to kiss him slowly, tenderly.
‘I love you, Stefan,’ she whispered.
He opened his eyes as a rush of affection filled him, shortly followed by more desire. He heated their kiss and their movements. And their need for each other left him breathless and wanting more, wanting to spend the rest of the day in bed with her, wrapped in her warmth, her love, as it was all over far too soon, thanks to how much they had craved each other.
Florence grinned up at him. ‘I want to stay like this.’
‘I want to stay like this as well, but we have to get dressed, as Rose will bring Lindy back soon.’
‘I know, but five more minutes.’
‘How about all night tonight?’
Florence bit her lip as she chuckled. ‘You want to sneak me in to your room once Lindy is asleep?’
‘Actually, I was thinking we could tell her you’re my girlfriend now.’
‘Are you ready for that?’
‘I wouldn’t be doing this with you if I wasn’t.’
Florence pecked his cheek, then shuffled upwards. ‘Do you want me to be there when you tell her?’
‘No, I want to do this by myself. See how she feels about things.’
‘We get on really well, but she might not like me being your partner.’
‘I know, so I’ll talk to her when she gets back.’
Florence gestured at their sprawled clothes. ‘I wish we had more time. I’m not ready to stop kissing you yet.’
He grinned as he leaned towards her lips. ‘Then don’t.’
‘We have to get back outside,’ she mumbled.
Stefan groaned. ‘I know, but like you said, five more minutes.’
Florence snuggled down, pulling him closer, and once more their passion took control.
* * *
As soon as Agatha, who had wanted to be with Walter, by all accounts, left the practice, Rose brought Lindy home. Stefan had already kissed Florence goodbye more times than he could count, missing her terribly and hoping she would be able to spend the night.
He stared over at his daughter as they sat in the kitchen, having dinner. It wasn’t the easiest of discussions to have, especially as Lindy wasn’t used to him having girlfriends.
I wonder if there is a book on this subject. How to talk to your nine-year-old about bringing someone into their family? I should have done an online search .
He mentally shook his head at himself for his overthinking. He needed to get a grip and go for it.
Erm, Lindy, about Florence. I like her a lot more than a friend… Nope. Lindy, Florence is my girlfriend now. No, no, no .
Lindy glanced up from her plate, and Stefan smiled. He carried on eating whilst chastising himself for complicating things.
Taking a deep breath, he put down his fork. ‘Lindy, I want to talk to you about Florence.’
‘What about her?’
‘Well, I’d like her to be my girlfriend. How do you feel about that?’
Bloody hell! I’ve said it now .
He scratched the back of his neck, waiting for his reply.
Lindy stopped eating and looked up. ‘Your girlfriend?’
He nodded. ‘We like each other. A Lot. And I’d like Florence to have more sleepovers here. To be part of our family.’ He wasn’t sure what else he could add.
Lindy looked to be mulling it over, which was nerve-wracking. If she was against the idea, he wasn’t sure how things would be able to move forward.
Stefan took to examining the kitchen sink. Perhaps he could make a start on washing up. At least then he’d have something else to think about.
‘Okay,’ said Lindy.
‘Okay what?’
‘I’m happy for Florence to be your girlfriend.’
‘You are? Because I want you to be sure. We’ve never had anyone else in our family before.’
Lindy smiled. ‘I like Florence. She’s with us all the time like family anyway.’
He couldn’t argue with that. Looking back, they had merged somewhere along the way. ‘So, I was thinking of inviting her over tonight.’
‘Can we sleep in the tent again, but all night this time?’
‘Perhaps another time.’
‘She can share my room.’
‘Erm, now she’s my girlfriend, she’ll share my room.’
And I’m not having this conversation .
‘Ice cream?’ he asked, shooting out of his chair.
Lindy was finished with her dinner as soon as dessert was mentioned. She happily took her two scoops of chocolate chip and headed for the living room to watch a film with Zeus.
A scream suddenly ripped through the air.
‘Lindy?’ Stefan ran into the living room.
She was pointing at the birdcage. ‘Dad, Zeus is gone.’
He checked all around the cage, even the birdbath hanging off the door, but there was no sign of the budgie. ‘Oh, the birdbath. I left it on, and it’s slipped.’ He removed the small plastic box and scanned the living room for their feathery friend.
‘Zeus,’ called Lindy, her eyes filled with tears.
‘Fetch the bag of birdseed, Lindy. We’ll give it a shake and see if he comes to us.’
She rushed to the kitchen to find the food.
Stefan followed her, wondering if the bird had somehow flown out the back door when it was open. He went to the garden and let out the whistle he often used for Zeus.
Lindy came out and shook the birdseed. ‘Zeus,’ she called, her voice filled with hope. ‘Do you think he’s in the tree?’
‘He might be.’ Stefan switched on every garden light he had, even though it was still light out. ‘Keep shaking the feed, I’ll fetch his cage out.’
‘Yes, he might feel better if he sees his home.’
Stefan moved swiftly, bringing the birdcage to the patio table. His phone vibrated in his pocket. A message from Florence. He quickly called her. ‘Hi, bit of a family emergency. Zeus has left his cage, and we think he might be outside.’
‘I’m on my way.’ And with that, Florence hung up.
It felt nice to have someone by his side. For so long, he’d dealt with problems alone, and even though Lindy was helping find their pet, she couldn’t be his teammate for everything.
Lindy was down the end of the garden, searching the trees and nearby bushes.
Stefan checked he had the door open on the birdcage, then whistled some more.
No sound came back, and he hoped Zeus wasn’t injured somewhere or worse.
It wasn’t long before Florence came around the back, waving over the small fence. ‘Rhett drove me here. Any luck?’ she asked.
He opened the gate and took her hand. ‘No. I’m just worried another bird might have attacked him. I don’t want Lindy finding him if it’s bad,’ he whispered.
‘What can I do to help?’
‘I honestly don’t know. I’ve brought his cage out, Lindy is shaking his food, as that noise always had him fluffing up his feathers, and I’ve been whistling the tune he normally sings along to.’
‘How about if we act natural? We could sit around the table and pretend we’re just enjoying the evening, and he might sense the calmness and come join us. When I’m stressed, the horses pick up on that, and it can make them fret. If Zeus is around here but too scared to move, it might help. Let’s show him there is no reason to be afraid.’
‘Okay, it might help.’ Stefan called Lindy to come join them, then filled her in on their plan.
Lindy ran off to fetch her teddy bear, and Stefan brought out some drinks to put on the table.
‘Now, the trick is to feel relaxed, because animals use their senses,’ said Florence. ‘They’re so much better at picking up on negative energy than humans.’
‘Zeus is used to watching Disney films with me, so I’ll sing one of the songs. It’ll be like sitting in the living room,’ said Lindy, folding her legs up on the chair.
‘And that will help us all relax,’ said Florence.
Lindy started to sing softly, and Stefan leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment.
‘When would you say Zeus is at his happiest?’ asked Florence quietly, leaning towards Stefan as he peered her way.
‘Bath time.’ He watched her look around.
‘Where is his bath?’
‘Living room.’
Florence stood. ‘I’ll bring it out here.’
Lindy continued to sing sweetly, soothing Stefan.
Florence placed the birdbath on the table next to the cage, then poured some of her water into the base. ‘Right, Zeus has got everything he needs and loves. Now we wait.’
Stefan smiled at her and reached for her hand, but Florence pulled away, her gaze on Lindy. ‘It’s all right. I’ve spoken to Lindy about us at dinner. I was going to call you to invite you over for the night, as Lindy is happy for you to be my girlfriend.’
Florence beamed. ‘Really?’
‘Yes,’ whispered Lindy. ‘Shh!’ She went back to her song.
Stefan moved his chair closer to Florence’s and kissed her knuckles. ‘I am feeling a lot calmer now.’ Her smile warmed him completely.
‘Looks like we might not be spending the night out here.’ Florence gestured to the top of the garden shed.
Stefan spotted Zeus staring his way. ‘Lindy, look,’ he whispered, afraid any louder might startle the bird.
Lindy’s eyes widened in delight, then she placed her finger in the birdbath and made a slight splashing sound.
Zeus flew over and perched on the edge of the bath, looking both ways before entering.
Stefan carefully picked up the plastic container and secured it to the doorway of the cage. ‘And breathe.’
Lindy quietly clapped. ‘Good boy, Zeus. You’re safe now.’
He fluttered to a perch and ruffled his damp feathers, then flopped down as though he’d had a rough day.
‘Aww, bless him,’ said Florence.
Stefan picked up the birdcage. ‘Let’s get him back inside.’
‘And have some hot chocolate,’ said Lindy, following close behind.
‘I can make that while you two get settled.’ Florence stayed in the kitchen whilst Stefan put Zeus back in his spot.
Zeus moved to the bars, pressing his body towards Stefan.
‘Hmm, I hope you’ve learned a valuable lesson.’ Stefan gave him a gentle stroke, smiling as Zeus snuggled down for the night.
‘I’m going to write a story about his adventures in the garden,’ said Lindy.
Placing the cover over the cage, as Zeus loved to be tucked in for the night, Stefan agreed it would make a good story.
‘I’ll make a start now.’ Lindy ran off to fetch her notebook.
Stefan headed for the kitchen, and Florence turned to cradle him into her arms. He closed his eyes, resting his head close to hers. ‘You feel so good,’ he whispered.
‘I might not be a doctor, but I know a cuddle does the world of good.’
He chuckled, then kissed her cheek. ‘It certainly does.’
‘I’m definitely staying over tonight,’ she said quietly.
‘Yep.’
She smiled, and life felt good again.