Twist of Fate

FOURTEEN

Fourteen

Bel waited until Tate was due home before she told him that she was going to stay. The heart-melting smile that broke out across his face pushed aside any lingering doubts she may have had about jumping into this whole thing, feet first. They decided to cook dinner together to celebrate.

‘Here’s to us and a new beginning,’ he toasted as they sat down to eat.

‘There’s even more good news,’ Bel said after taking a sip from her glass. ‘I got a job.’

‘Doing what?’

‘Working in a bookshop.’

‘It could be worse,’ he said. ‘You could have been working in a supermarket or something.’

The insult took her momentarily by surprise. She pretty much had been working in a supermarket. ‘I’m really looking forward to it,’ she said quietly.

‘You don’t have to work right now if you want to take your time and find something better.’

‘I’ll need a job to afford rent when I find my own place,’ she reminded him, trying to shift the disappointment his offhand remarks had caused.

‘Why would you find your own place?’ he asked. ‘There’s no point if you’re going to be spending most of your time here.’

Bel blinked. He was asking her to move in? ‘I can’t just leech off you,’ she protested weakly.

‘You’re not. I won’t be here all the time, so you’ll have the place to yourself a lot and I’ll have someone to keep an eye on things while I’m away.’

She took another sip of the red wine and savoured its smoothness, feeling its warmth deep within her as she paused to consider this. His logic sounded, well, reasonable, but still …

Tate reached out and slowly slid his hand up her thigh beneath the table, and Bel felt a different warmth spread through her. Suddenly their topic of conversation didn’t seem very important. She was probably overthinking this. Bel traced her fingers up Tate’s arm, returning his provocative smile, and dinner was left to go cold on the table as they continued their celebrations in bed.

Later, Bel sighed happily against Tate’s chest. Only a few weeks earlier, if someone had said she’d have a charming, gorgeous man wanting her to relocate across the country and move into his luxe apartment, she’d never have believed them. What was there to think about? She’d manifested her dream man and the universe had delivered him. This was what she’d wanted.

‘Are you crazy?’ Emma almost shouted down the line.

‘I really like it here, Em,’ Bel said. ‘I’m not ready to come back.’

‘But you have a job, remember?’ Emma reminded her.

‘I’ve handed in my notice at Dwyers’.’

‘Handed in your notice? Can’t you ask for longer leave? Do you have any idea how hard it’ll be to get a job when you come back?’

‘I have to jump in completely or I won’t jump at all. I’ll deal with that problem if it arises.’

Emma let out a short huff. ‘What if you’re wrong about this?’

‘What if I’m not?’ Bel shot back, smiling to herself.

‘Okay,’ Emma said, and Bel could picture her friend throwing her hands in the air dramatically. ‘You’re a grown woman and you can make your own decisions. I am happy for you, Bel. I’ve been waiting for so long to see you this happy.’ She let out a long sigh of defeat. ‘I’m being selfish. I’m not sure what I’ll do around here without you.’

The two women went silent as Bel felt a rush of gratitude for this friend who’d been beside her since childhood. She was like a sister, and Bel knew she was going to miss her terribly. But the excitement of doing something so spontaneous and adventurous tempered the sadness.

‘Well, what are you doing with your house?’

‘I’ll probably rent it out.’

‘Don’t sell it,’ Emma said flatly. ‘Just in case.’

Bel hadn’t planned to sell it. It had been her gran’s house and had far too much sentimental value to sell off without a great deal of thought. Despite what her friend might be thinking, she wasn’t a complete idiot. She understood how impetuous this all seemed, but she wasn’t jumping into it without a safety net. At the same time, she didn’t really want to entertain the thought of what if it all went wrong; that felt like it was dooming any possibility of a happy future.

‘I’ll drop by every now and again and water the garden and keep an eye on things,’ Emma said, breaking into Bel’s thoughts. She more than anyone else knew what a huge step this was going to be, and what it took for Bel to even consider doing something like this. She might not be completely sold on the whole idea, but Bel knew her friend wouldn’t hold her back.

The only person who’d been immediately excited by her decision to stay in WA with Tate had been Larkin, who of course, claimed complete responsibility for the match in the first place.

It was nice to have at least one ally. She knew Emma was happy if she was happy, but her support had been heavily shrouded in concern—unlike Larkin who’d been planning a couple’s get-together as well as regularly updating the group chats, which had gone from wedding texts to honeymoon photos and updates.

It had been three months since Bel had started her new job and she couldn’t have been happier. Terry was the best boss she’d ever worked for, though she only had one other to compare him to. Still, in a contest between him and the Dwyers, he came out miles ahead.

Bel had started placing reviews under books on the shelf to assist customers in choosing their next read. As she had done with her BookTok, she tried to make them stand out and offer something different to the same old boring book reviews she’d come across herself over the years.

Little Women : Please note the misleading title, these women are all normal size, but don’t let that deter you. This story has been loved through the generations and is well deserving of the title ‘classic’. If you haven’t read this book, I urge that you do so (I really must insist!) immediately … like, right now … why are you still standing there reading this review card? Pick up the book and head to the front counter!

Terry gave her strict instructions to continue her reviews and, as customers shared photos of them online, they began to draw a lot of attention to her BookTok page.

‘My kids showed me your tok-tik thing last night. Apparently, you’re famous,’ Terry said one day, poking his head around the corner of the office at the rear of the shop where Bel had been working.

Bel shook her head with a smile. How on earth had this man kept his business alive without having any clue about social media marketing? ‘TikTok is my guilty secret. It started out as a bit of fun, but it’s grown into almost a second full-time job, keeping up the content.’

‘It seems to be making a difference to the store. I’d forgotten Bree had set up an account for the shop a while ago, trying to drag her old dad into the future. So you maybe want to handle the social media side of things, you know, get it up and running?’

‘I’ve been thinking a bit about that,’ Bel said, eager to share her ideas. ‘Maybe I could do some author interviews for content across the shop’s social media pages? And do more events. Have book launches and author appearances, host some night events and have special out-of-hours access for readers who come along? That kind of thing.’

‘I’ve been wanting to do more along those lines. I haven’t had the time to dedicate to it. If you’re up for it, I’d love to delegate all that to you,’ he said.

‘Absolutely.’ Bel beamed. The ideas had been flooding her mind ever since she’d started working in the bookshop. There was so much potential to grow it into something even more amazing.

She was glad she had her job. She’d have gone mad sitting about at home all day without Tate. She still had to pinch herself, though, whenever she looked out at the view from the windows; she really was living a life of luxury, even if there were times when she felt it was all a little … cold. Tate didn’t have much in the way of personal items, and no photos of family decorated the apartment. She knew he had a much older sister—he being the later-in-life baby of older parents—and that his mother and father were both still alive. But he wasn’t really close to them. Instead of photos, he had art. Bel had tried to appreciate the expensive pieces hanging on his walls, but she just didn’t understand how something that looked like a painting one of Emma’s kids brought home from daycare could be worth that much money. The apartment was luxurious to a fault, but it lacked a soul.

And it didn’t feel like home. When her phone charger had refused to work one day, Bel had gone in search of a spare, certain that she’d seen one around. She’d opened drawers in the bedroom and found his incredibly organised socks, undies and clothing meticulously stored in his wardrobe, but no charger. She’d gone into the office and gingerly peered into his desk drawers. She rarely went in there. If he was working, she left him alone, and the door was always shut when he wasn’t there. It felt like she was trespassing, even though she lived there.

Opening a drawer beneath the desk very carefully so as not to disturb anything, she’d found a charger, but also spotted something gold and shiny underneath and picked it up, curious. The slim lighter was elegant and screamed money, probably real gold. Certainly it was nothing like the plain old plastic ones they sold at Dwyers’. Turning it over, she’d discovered the letter L engraved on the other side and wondered who it belonged to. Clearly not Tate, since he didn’t smoke and it wasn’t his initial. Besides, it had looked far too feminine. Bel had placed it back where she’d found it and closed the drawer. She hadn’t stepped foot in the office since.

Tate’s work took him out of town a lot and he worried about her, always calling her mobile to check in. Sometimes he called through the day while she was at work, and she couldn’t always answer. Then he’d call the shop.

She’d apologised to Terry more than once about it, and tried to always catch his calls on her mobile, but Terry was understanding. ‘He’s clearly worried about his girl when he’s out of town. Nothing wrong with that.’

And there really wasn’t, she often told herself. He was being protective when he called, like he was when he asked her to promise not to go out alone.

‘Tate, I have lived on my own for a number of years now,’ she’d frowned when he’d first brought it up.

‘Yes, but not in a city,’ he’d countered.

‘It doesn’t seem like a terrifying place.’

‘I don’t want you going out when I’m not here.’

And it wasn’t like she was a big nightlife person. At night, she’d cook her dinner and then settle down to read. It passed the time and kind of felt familiar—almost like her old life, before Tate had blown in and turned it upside down.

When Tate was home, they would always eat out and dress up, which was still fun, but Bel craved some normal time, just the two of them pottering about the apartment, spending lazy days watching movies or doing couple stuff, like cooking together. Tate wasn’t exactly into lounging around—he was always full of energy and wanting to go out and do something. She didn’t get much reading time when he was home either.

‘Do you have to read all evening?’ he’d said one night when they’d been lying in bed.

‘I haven’t picked up a book in days,’ she’d said with a laugh, before it became clear he wasn’t joking.

‘Every time I want to talk to you, you’ve got your face stuck in a book.’

‘I’m sorry. I didn’t realise.’

‘Well, you wouldn’t, would you, when you’re too busy reading your smutty girl books. If you’re going to read, at least pick something a little more classy,’ he’d said, nodding down at the Jax Lexington book she held.

‘It’s not smut,’ she’d protested. It was one thing to complain about her reading, but it was another thing entirely to bring Jax into it.

‘Yeah, right. That half-naked Neanderthal on the cover suggests otherwise.’

She’d resisted the urge to point out he looked almost identical to said Neanderthal.

So she’d stopped reading when he was home. In all fairness, it probably had felt as though she were excluding him. It wasn’t a huge deal; there was plenty of time to read when he wasn’t there.

But lately, she’d also begun to notice he was finding fault in a lot of other things too. Maybe it was the normal transition between the honeymoon stage and a couple adjusting to living together, but there was definitely some kind of change taking place.

One morning after he’d gotten back from a trip away, Bel stretched and got up to take a shower.

‘What are you doing?’ he asked, reaching out a hand to lure her back to bed.

‘I have to get ready for work,’ she said, dodging his attempts to waylay her.

‘It’s Saturday.’

‘We’ve got a big author talk today. I have to be there.’

‘But I just got home,’ he pointed out, sounding oddly confused.

‘I know, and I’ve missed you, but I have to go in today.’

‘I don’t even know why you want to work in that place.’

‘What do you mean?’

‘I mean, it’s hardly a big career move, is it? What happened to you wanting to go to university? I thought that was the whole plan, that you’d be doing something?’

‘I am doing something. I really love working with books, recommending them to people. You know how much I love doing all that on my TikTok page. It’s a dream come true.’

‘Yeah, but it’s hardly a proper career.’

They rarely talked about her online presence. Right from the start, he’d dismissed it. ‘I don’t do social media,’ he’d said when they’d first been getting to know each other.

‘What? Not at all?’

‘Nope.’

‘How come?’

‘Why would I want everyone knowing my business?’

‘Well, you don’t have to post about that. You can keep up with what everyone else is doing.’

‘Why would I want to? If I wanted to know something, I’d call them.’

So social media was not something they’d discussed much.

‘I’m happy working there,’ she said now, trying not to let his attitude dampen her enthusiasm.

‘You have so much potential, and you’re wasting it working as a shop assistant.’

In truth, she had been looking at university when she first arrived, but nothing had really caught her attention. She was more confused than ever, with the huge selection of courses on offer. It was a big decision to make, choosing a degree. What if she didn’t like it once she started? She wanted to take her time to figure out what she wanted to do, not rush into it.

‘We can go somewhere nice tonight,’ she said, changing the subject as she pulled on her skirt.

‘I’m going out to a work function tonight.’

‘Oh. Well, I could come with you to that,’ she said. She was keen to meet some of the other people in his life.

‘No one’s taking partners.’

‘Oh.’ She couldn’t help feeling deflated. ‘Well, maybe one weekend we can have a few of your work friends over for a barbecue or something?’

‘I don’t think so.’

‘But … why?’

‘I told you, I don’t like to socialise with colleagues in my private time.’

‘But I don’t know anyone here, other than the people I work with. I just thought it might be nice to meet some new people.’

‘They aren’t your kind of people.’

Bel frowned. What on earth does that mean?

‘I think I’ll go back to sleep for a bit,’ he said. ‘Since you’ve got better things to do.’

‘It’s not better things to do. It’s work.’

‘I’ll see you tonight. Don’t wait up.’

He turned away and thumped his pillow into form before lying back down. She tried not to feel as though she’d been dismissed like some naughty child. She hated when they disagreed. It wasn’t often, but ever since she’d gotten her job, he’d been rather dismissive of it, showing no interest whatsoever when she tried to tell him about her day. She couldn’t lie—it hurt.

But … maybe he had a point? Maybe she should be using this opportunity to do something more. Only she wasn’t sure what that might be.

The author event went smoothly and they had a great turnout. Afterwards, when Alissa, who also worked at the bookshop, and Terry suggested going out for a late dinner with the author, Bel hesitated.

‘Well, Tate doesn’t really like me going out without him,’ she said, then winced. When she spoke the words out loud, they sounded strange.

‘Didn’t you say he was going to a work function?’ Alissa asked.

‘Yeah, he was,’ Bel said, then she decided. Why not? ‘You’re right, he probably isn’t even going to be home until late. Sure, let’s go.’

They headed down to a small bar attached to a swanky hotel in one of the tourist hotspots and celebrated the night’s success. Fiona, the author, was a delight. Her books always flew off the shelves and it was exciting to listen to the conversation flowing about bookselling and writing and everything in between. Bel felt like she was really one of the team, and she loved every minute. At one point, Fiona mentioned the writers’ group she belonged to and their need for more editing services. ‘In my spare time, I freelance edit, but I’m turning people away every day. There’s just not enough quality services out there.’

‘Didn’t you say you did some proofreading, Bel?’ Alissa asked.

‘I’ve done a bit over the years with some of the romance writers I’ve met online,’ she said, but quickly added, ‘I haven’t done it professionally or anything. Mainly as a favour, here and there.’

‘Well, if you’re ever after any work, let me know. There’s plenty out there.’

Like she could add another thing onto her plate.

When she got home, Tate was still out and the apartment was silent. Her earlier high from an enjoyable day and fun night with new friends fizzled out.

She had everything she’d ever dreamed of—she lived in a beautiful city, in an apartment to die for, with a man who was everything she could ever hope for—yet it all felt kind of … unreal, and not in a good way. She couldn’t even put her finger on what it was that felt wrong. She’d tried a number of times to talk with Tate about her unease, but he kept brushing off her concerns, saying there was nothing wrong with the way they were. Only that could be part of the problem; she wasn’t sure exactly what they were.

The attraction was still there, as strong as it had been in the beginning, but it was like they were running on the spot, not really going anywhere. She was no closer to understanding him or knowing him on any deeper level than when they first met.

She kicked off her shoes and headed for the shower.

The next day, they took a drive to a winery and had lunch in a trendy restaurant. Bel caught herself wishing that maybe for once they could have found a takeaway and had hamburgers. She’d been craving them for the last few days—an old-fashioned, cafe-style burger and chips. But Tate liked the finer things in life. Just like Jax did, she reminded herself. Maybe she hadn’t quite thought this whole thing through. A lifestyle you had no experience with was all well and good for a while, but Bel was beginning to suspect that, deep down, she wasn’t cut out for fancy food and getting dressed up all the time. It took her ages to do her hair and make-up whenever they went out. Not that she didn’t enjoy all the new experiences Tate was insisting she have, but there were times she really just wanted to pull on some comfy tracksuit pants and a big, loose shirt and eat a greasy hamburger.

Tate left for the mine site early Monday morning and Bel almost found herself breathing a sigh of relief. The acknowledgement literally made her stop in her tracks as she was walking to work. She shouldn’t be feeling this way. This was what she wanted. This was what she’d manifested.

Her mood lifted once she got to work. It was simply impossible to be sad when you were surrounded by books.

Later that day, she looked up as a tall, well-dressed woman came to the front counter. Her long blonde hair gleamed like a satin waterfall and her manicured hand gracefully slid her oversized designer sunglasses to the top of her head, revealing thick dark lashes and model-high cheekbones.

‘Hello. Can I help you with something?’ Bel asked, trying not to feel completely inadequate. For the first time in ages, she felt like the old Bel.

‘I’m Lucile.’

‘Hello,’ Bel said, still wondering if she was supposed to know the woman.

‘I wasn’t sure if I should come in here or not.’

Bel tried to keep her face open and friendly but was beginning to suspect this was not going to be a request about finding a book.

‘I saw you the other day … with Tate … and something about the way you looked reminded me of another place and time.’ Lucile stopped, looking almost embarrassed. Then she cleared her throat quickly and continued. ‘You reminded me of myself, not so long ago.’

‘I’m sorry,’ Bel said when the woman paused and continued looking at her. ‘I don’t understand. Do you know Tate?’

‘Yes, I knew him. I was his fiancée.’

Bel felt her mouth open then abruptly closed it. ‘Did you say fiancée?’

‘He didn’t mention me, I take it,’ Lucile said with a wry smile.

What the actual … ‘Uh, no.’

‘I’m not surprised. Look, I didn’t come in here to cause trouble,’ Lucile said. ‘It’s just … I saw you the other day in a restaurant, in a white dress, looking utterly miserable. The same white dress he’d bought for me,’ she said, then lowered her tone and added pointedly, ‘and made me wear. Among others.’

Bel felt her head begin to spin.

‘I left him, Bel. He was a controlling and sometimes violent man. I know it’s none of my business, and you don’t have to listen to me, but I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t try to warn you.’ The woman gripped the edge of the counter before continuing in a rush. ‘He isn’t who you think he is. He finds women he can control. He sweeps them off their feet and charms them with his good looks and his money and then grooms them into a certain image. It doesn’t seem that bad at first, but trust me, if you start to rebel, you’ll soon see a side of him that is dangerous.’

Bel could only stare at the woman. Surely this was a joke? She must be mistaking Tate for someone else. There’s no way …

Lucile smiled wanly. ‘I guess I probably wouldn’t have believed someone telling me this stuff out of the blue either, back then,’ she said, turning away.

‘Wait,’ Bel said. Lucile stopped. ‘Are you sure we’re talking about the same man?’

‘I wish we weren’t, for your sake. You seem like a nice person. I guess that’s why I wanted to try. Sometimes he dates socialite women, but he gets bored with them. He can’t manipulate them in the same way. I knew you weren’t one of those. Neither was I.’

Bel’s heart sank as Lucile walked to the exit. She desperately wanted to believe this woman was some jealous ex-lover out to cause trouble, but there was something sad and real in the depths of her eyes that made Bel wonder.

Lucile reached the door and, pausing before exiting, called back, ‘Be careful, Bel.’

That night, after a late closing, Bel, Terry and Alissa were at the nearby Chinese restaurant having dinner when Tate called.

‘Where are you?’ he demanded. ‘You’re not at home.’

His brusque question caught her off guard. But maybe he’s had a stressful day . ‘I’m having dinner.’

‘With your boss? Alone?’

‘No. Alissa is here too.’

She’d taken the call away from the table, and she noticed the other two were now looking at her quietly. She smiled to reassure them.

‘It’s late,’ Tate said.

Bel glanced at her watch. ‘It’s barely even nine-thirty.’

‘I don’t like you out alone at night.’

‘I’m perfectly safe, Tate. Like I said, Alissa’s here. And Terry.’

‘I don’t like you out with other men either,’ he snapped.

‘It’s not other men,’ she said, lowering her voice and turning away from her colleagues. ‘How do you even know I’m not at home?’

‘I’ve got the cameras at home linked to my phone. How else do you think I keep an eye on the place while I’m away?’

She knew about the security camera but he’d never told her there was more than the one, or that they could be streamed to his phone. The knowledge irritated her. She tried to remind herself they were just there for safety, that it was only a coincidence he’d noticed she wasn’t home … only, it didn’t feel like he was simply checking in. It felt like he was checking up on her.

‘Okay, well, we were going to wrap it up soon anyway. I’ll be heading home shortly. Don’t worry about me. I’m fine. Goodnight.’

‘Was that your boyfriend?’ Alissa asked when she rejoined them.

‘Yeah, he was making sure everything was okay. He’s away with work.’

‘He certainly checks up on you a lot,’ Alissa continued.

Bel was torn between feeling ill at ease about Tate’s dominating attitude just now and Alissa’s slightly judgy tone. ‘He’s a little protective,’ she said. ‘I moved here from somewhere a lot smaller. He worries about me.’

Alissa sent her a small smile and thankfully dropped the subject, but her concerned expression rattled Bel more than she cared to admit. That hadn’t been a normal phone call, and coming straight after the strange encounter with Lucile, Bel was feeling odd. She tried to dismiss her unease, but she suddenly realised she was doing that a lot these days. That first morning when she’d gone out for coffee he’d had a strange reaction too, and she’d put it down to his being tired and out of sorts. But as she thought back to some of the other things she’d brushed off as bad moods or being overprotective, Bel felt something inside of her drop. Oh God. How did I miss so many red flags?

Later, as Bel let herself into the apartment, she resisted the urge to look around for the cameras. After she’d showered and climbed into bed, her phone buzzed. A message from Tate: ‘Now get some sleep.’

Bel lay in bed, staring into the darkness as a cold, uncomfortable sensation coursed through her body. He was watching her right now, she realised. Lucile’s words ran through her head. He isn’t who you think he is .

‘You look terrible,’ Terry said to Bel two days later. Tate was still away and she hadn’t been able to sleep ever since finding out about the cameras and receiving Tate’s rather creepy text. Maybe she was being oversensitive and the lack of sleep was probably making her a little paranoid, but she couldn’t help feeling that every move she made was being watched. She hated being in that beautiful, sterile apartment now. Even reading couldn’t take her mind off it.

‘Gee, thanks,’ Bel said to her boss without bothering to lift her gaze from the computer as she organised an order for a customer who’d called earlier.

‘Bel … I was wondering. Are you still looking for a place to rent? I remember you asking when you first started here.’

‘Oh. Well, kind of. Only I can’t find anything I can afford.’

‘I was thinking, there’s a space upstairs. We used to use it for storage before we fixed up the basement. It hasn’t been cleaned out in a while but there’s a kitchenette and a bathroom and you’d fit a bed and lounge with no problem. It’s yours if you want it.’

Bel stared at her boss blankly as she tried to digest what she’d just heard. ‘Uh … how much rent would you want?’ she asked.

‘We can sort out something,’ Terry said reassuringly. ‘Maybe you can do my weekend shift every second week or something? It’s going to need a good clean, and most people would think it was too small and dated, which is why I haven’t ever bothered trying to rent it out.’

Tears welled up and began to overflow from Bel’s eyes. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, or maybe it was because she was so relieved she had a way to extract herself from the situation. Lucile’s visit had been replaying over and over in her mind. Even if it turned out Lucile had been lying, the truth was, Bel wasn’t comfortable being so dependent on someone else’s provision—someone she really didn’t know at all. She stared at her boss, realising suddenly that she knew Terry and his community far better than she knew Tate and his.

She quickly swiped at her eyes and lowered her gaze, feeling ridiculous. ‘I don’t know why I’m crying. Thank you,’ she managed, clearing her throat.

Terry thankfully didn’t make a big deal of it. ‘Go up and have a look and see what you think,’ he said, gesturing towards the front door and holding up a key. ‘The stairs are around the side.’

Bel accepted the key with a watery smile. She hadn’t even been aware there was an upstairs until five minutes ago. She’d noticed the staircase when she took out the rubbish, but always thought it belonged to another shop.

At the top of the staircase, she turned the key in the unassuming timber door and went inside. It opened into an open-plan area with a small kitchen on one side and a doorway that she assumed led to a bathroom on the other. Shafts of sunlight streamed into the room from three dusty windows looking onto the main street, filling the space with a warm, cheerful glow. The place could certainly use a bit of a scrub, but already she could imagine a comfy second-hand lounge and a tall lamp making the perfect reading spot in the corner, with a small kitchen table and bed on the other side.

She needed her own space, now more than ever, after the camera incident. Maybe it was nothing. Maybe she was making more out of it than it really was. However, if she was going to really step into her new life, she needed to do it on her own, without the comfort of a luxury apartment and a boyfriend to pay all the bills.

It had started to feel like she was being kept … owned, like a weird kind of doll or something—as if Tate was dressing her up and playing with her as it suited him. Was she overthinking it? She’d wondered more than once. When she tried to view her situation from an outside perspective, it sounded like every woman’s dream—a gorgeous man who seemed happy to have her with him and share his ridiculously expensive life. But if everything was fine, why did that little niggle of concern keep getting louder with each passing day?

She found Terry in his office and held out the key. ‘I’d like to take it.’

‘Then you better hang on to that,’ he said, nodding his head at the key. ‘Do you need a hand getting your belongings from your current place?’ His tone remained calm and easy, but there was a firmness in his expression that spoke volumes.

‘I don’t have much. I’ll be okay,’ she assured him. She only had one suitcase. ‘Thank you, Terry,’ she said, feeling a little embarrassed that her boss had figured out she was in some kind of trouble, yet so grateful that, despite not knowing the details, he had stepped in and offered her this lifeline without asking any questions. She felt her throat tighten once more.

Now she had a plan, all she had to do was tell Tate.

‘Why would you want to rent when you can stay here for free?’ Tate asked when she told him the news later that afternoon.

‘That was the original plan,’ she said, shrugging. ‘I’m not comfortable having you pay for everything.’

‘I like having you here.’

‘I love being here,’ she said. And she had. When he wasn’t in a mood, everything about their relationship was amazing. He was thoughtful and generous to a fault. But then there were the other times, when he was overprotective and demanding, when he wanted to dictate what she wore. That was just … weird. ‘Everything we did was so fast. And I don’t regret any of it, but maybe we need to take things a little bit slower, to enjoy things a bit more.’

‘That doesn’t make any sense,’ he said, a small frown etching onto his forehead. ‘We’re crazy about each other. Why slow down?’

‘Who is Lucile?’ she asked quietly.

‘What?’ he asked, his eyebrows snapping together.

‘A woman named Lucile came into the shop the other day and introduced herself,’ she said. When he didn’t reply, she added, ‘You didn’t tell me you’d been engaged.’

‘It’s ancient history.’

‘It’s also important.’

‘So, what did she say?’ His intense expression sent a prickle of unease through the pit of her stomach.

‘Not a lot. I was just surprised when she introduced herself as your ex-fiancée.’

‘There’s a good reason she’s my ex—she’s crazy. Clearly she said something else if you’re moving out.’

‘You know I’ve been looking for an apartment, and one came up today out of the blue. It’s not because of Lucile. I feel like we’ve been moving so fast. Nothing has to change between us, we can just move at a bit of a slower pace,’ she added.

‘When you know it’s right, why waste time?’ he countered stubbornly. ‘You said it yourself, we instantly clicked.’

Well that wasn’t entirely true. ‘When did we first meet?’ Bel asked him, deciding to bring up the one thing that had been bugging her from the very start.

‘What?’

‘Do you recall the first time we met?’ she asked.

‘The night of the cocktail party at Glentoberon,’ he said, clearly humouring her.

‘That wasn’t our first meeting.’

‘Yes, it was.’

‘No. It wasn’t,’ she said, shaking her head and standing up from the sofa to take a few steps away. ‘I met you for the first time the day you arrived in Wessex.’

‘I think I would have remembered that,’ he said in a condescending tone.

‘I gave you directions to Glentoberon.’

He gave a small dismissive chuckle. ‘No, you didn’t. I asked someone at the petrol station for directions,’ he said then stopped. His frown grew deeper as he stared at her. ‘No way.’

‘Way,’ Bel said. ‘So we didn’t click instantly. It was only after I’d had my makeover for the wedding. Before that, you didn’t even give me a second glance.’

‘I …’ He seemed to be struggling to make sense of the whole thing. ‘That’s why you’re moving out? You’re punishing me for not recognising you?’

‘No,’ Bel said. ‘Tate, I used to be too scared to change my life. I was happy for everything to stay the way it was because it was easier. Then you walked into that store and everything was different. For the first time ever, I wanted to change everything. I wanted to make you see me— really see me. You were the reason I finally wanted to do something with my life, try new things and see new places. I wouldn’t have done that if it hadn’t been for you. And here I am,’ she said, throwing out her arm and smiling, ‘in a brand-new city, in a brand-new job. I’ve loved and appreciated everything you’ve done for me, but I want to be able to know I did some if it myself. Just because I have my own flat, it doesn’t have to change things. I mean, you go away so often, it won’t be that different.’

‘It changes everything. You know I don’t have much time when I’m back. I don’t want to waste any of it commuting between wherever you are and here.’

‘It’s not that far—’ she started to protest.

‘Were you and Larkin having a good old laugh about this?’ he said, cutting Bel off aburptly and throwing her with the sudden change in direction.

‘What are you talking about?’

‘Was it some kind of dare? Your makeover? The old ugly-duckling-to-swan thing?’

His words genuinely shocked her. ‘Of course not.’

‘Funny you never mentioned that it was you at the petrol station. I guess you didn’t want to risk it.’

‘I wasn’t hiding anything. All it took was contact lenses, a few new clothes and a new hair colour and you were completely brainwashed.’ She’d always thought the Clark Kent and Superman thing was too far-fetched to be believable but, after this, she wondered if maybe there was something to it. ‘It’s not my fault you’re so shallow that you didn’t recognise me.’

He looked away from her and folded his arms across his chest. ‘I won’t stop you leaving,’ he said. His face could have been carved from stone. ‘But if you walk out that door, don’t bother coming back.’

The finality of his statement stole her breath. How could he switch his emotions off so quickly? Did he even have emotions to switch off? Was what they’d had really so meaningless? That emptiness in the pit of her stomach she’d felt after Lucile’s visit returned, and she could no longer ignore what she’d been trying to rationalise ever since that day.

Bel took some time to muster her composure then turned to go and pack her belongings. She fought the urge to cry; she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction.

This Tate was not the same charming man she’d first met. There was certainly nothing about him now that reflected any of Jax Lexington’s qualities. Seeing that coldness … it was like she’d been in the dark and someone had just switched on the lights. This man was nothing like Jax.

He’d gone from someone she’d blindly decided to throw away her old life for to the cold-hearted bastard sitting out there on the sofa, waiting for her to leave. She’d clearly been fooled. Suddenly, Lucile’s warning didn’t seem so hard to credit.

With the last of her things collected from the bathroom and her clothes squeezed into her suitcase, she did a final check, like she was leaving a motel room. Who had she been kidding? This place had never been a home—and it was never going to be her home. Maybe she had been just as guilty of burying her head in the sand and only seeing what she’d wanted to see as he had.

She didn’t look at Tate as she walked to the front door and placed her key on the hall table. She simply opened the door and listened for the last time as it hissed closed behind her.

There was no going back. She could only go forward.