They couldn’t stay at the shop with her. She wasn’t the full time manager. On Monday morning Anna came to see her carrying a foil package. David and Paul followed behind her.
“We come bringing offerings of food and candy,” Anna said. Billy and Mia ran out from the back room and hurled themselves at David and Paul.
“Thanks for this,” Amy said. She hadn’t been able to make herself some food that day. Between the kids and the meeting she had with Debbie this afternoon, she was as tense as a tightly wrapped wire.
“We heard about the day-care problem.”
“Did you also hear about Debbie coming to talk to me?” Amy asked.
“I thought you owned this shop?” Anna said.
“No. I’ve been running it while Debbie deals with her sister’s wedding. I’ve heard she’s been getting complaints about me.” Amy hated it. She speared some chicken onto her fork and took a bite. The complaints about her were getting tiresome. She was a single mother trying to make ends meet. If she lost this job she wouldn’t be able to make the rent. The problems were piling up, not to mention the sneers had increased with the rumours of her being a slut on the rise. Spending the night with Gabriel had been a big mistake. No one would help her now.
“If she upsets you send her to me. I’ll give Debbie a bitch-slap. She needs one. How dare she judge anyone? Her husband ran off with the babysitter a few months back.”
“At least they were the clever ones. They got out of CapeFalls. I’m starting to wonder if I’m sane. I think I should take Mia and Billy and move away from here.”
Anna took her hand and gave her a squeeze. “Don’t let these people run you out of this town.”
“Why do we stay here, Anna?”
“Because leaving would be too easy. The people aside, CapeFalls is a beautiful place to live. Besides, I have a feeling this town is going to be turned upside down, and I wouldn’t miss that for the world.”
Amy sat with her friend through lunch while the Steer brothers played with her kids. When it was time for them to go she saw Mia and Billy didn’t want to go back into her office. There was no room for them to play. They were nearly six years old, and they didn’t have enough time to play.
Debbie came in around two in the afternoon. From the look on the woman’s face, Amy knew she was about to be out of a job. By three she’d taken her few belongings and taken her children home. She knew Debbie hadn’t wanted to fire her, but with over two hundred complaints from the locals she’d had no choice. Over two hundred complaints. Amy didn’t serve two hundred clients in a day.
She shook her head and sat down with the paper at the table. Mia and Billy were colouring in the sitting room. She phoned through ten applications and came up with nothing. Life was about to get difficult.
****
Gabriel was filing away some paperwork when he heard the word about Amy. He couldn’t believe she’d been fired. The gossip stopped the moment he entered the main reception area. There were times he really hated living in CapeFalls. The moment his shift ended, he got in his truck and drove to her house. He knocked on her door and noticed her neighbours giving him funny looks. Amy answered, and he saw she’d been crying.
“What’s the matter?” she asked.
“I heard.”
“From the sounds of everything the whole world knows.” She moved aside for him to enter.
“I want to help.” She put her finger to her lips and pointed in the sitting room. Mia and Billy were fast asleep on the couch.
“They haven’t been sleeping well. You can’t help. The only job I can get is over fifty miles away. I think it is time for me and my kids to move out of CapeFalls.”
“No.” He stared at the two children, hoping his raised voice hadn’t woken them. They were both fast asleep. Gabriel followed her down the short hall into her dining room. He saw the papers spread out with red circles and crosses all over.
“I’ve got no choice, Gabriel. I can’t live here with no job and a town that ridicules me. This has gone too far.”
Gabriel knew he couldn’t let her go. It was selfish of him, but he refused to live without her. CapeFalls was only his home because of Amy. She was the person who made him get up in a morning and work as hard as he did, which was ridiculous considering he’d only known her for a year and a half. His mind was working quickly, trying to find a reason for her to stay.
“Do you like CapeFalls?” he asked. He wouldn’t dream of forcing her to stay in a town she didn’t even like.
“When the people are not being complete bitches to me, yes, I like CapeFalls. It’s a beautiful place to stay.”
“Then come and stay with me. I’ve got the room, and I’d love for you to keep me company,” he said. His heart was racing at the possibility of her coming to live with him.
“I can’t do that,” she said.
“Yes. You can. I want you around, Amy. I like you.” He more than liked her.
She stared at the floor, her head bowed. In another woman he would have appreciated her submissive gesture. With Amy, Gabriel wanted to see her face and her eyes. She had such expressive eyes. Her pose couldn’t take away the fact he wanted to reach out and run his fingers through her dark black hair. Would the strands be as silky as they looked? He’d touched her days ago, but still he wanted more.
“What would the town think?”
“Who gives a f**k what the town thinks? I don’t. Come and live with me, and I promise you won’t have to worry about a thing.”
She stared at him, her eyes filled with tears. “Why are you so nice to me?” she asked.
Because I want you to be mine.
“Are we going to stay with Gabriel?” Billy asked.
He turned round and saw her two children in the doorway. Here was his chance to get them on his side. He would do anything to protect Amy and these two angels. In his mind they were already his to love and care for.
“Would you like to live with me?” he asked. He went to them and knelt down on their level.
They stared back at him. Their eyes large, their mouths slightly parted.
“Would you cook pizza?” Billy asked.
“Yep.”
“What about ice-cream?” Mia asked.
“I can’t cook ice-cream, but I’ll make sure to have a regular supply of chocolate.”
“What about playing?” Billy asked.
“I’ve got a yard where I was going to put a slide and doll house. I’ve got my eye on some toys. You could help me pick if you liked.”