Page 29 of Only Ever Yours

Chapter Twenty-Eight

Jase

I gulped in fresh air, never more grateful to be outside than I was in that moment.

The late afternoon sun darted in and out of the clouds, a chill in the air as I exited the police station.

It had been one of the more surreal experiences of my life and one I never wanted to repeat, no matter how bad things got.

Sitting alone in a cell for hours on end with only my thoughts for company had me questioning everything in my life.

Almost everything anyway. The only thing I had no questions over was how much I loved Hollis.

If it wasn’t for that, I wouldn’t have been in there in the first place, having defended her from her utter prick of an ex.

I only hoped she saw it the same way and didn’t think I was the one in the wrong.

Exhaustion flooded through my body. All I wanted was to get home, shower, and sleep, hopefully with Hollis nestled by my side.

I’d sent her a message once I knew I was in the clear but hadn’t heard anything back from her. The radio silence unnerved me.

What if she thought I was guilty?

What if she didn’t want anything to do with me now ?

What if someone had convinced her I was a bad person?

The myriad of unanswered questions swirled around in my head as I walked home. Half expecting to find a welcome party, seeing only Finn sitting on the sofa surprised me.

“Hey.”

Finn looked up from his laptop. “Welcome home.” He stood up and enveloped me in a man hug, slapping my back. “You stink, mate.”

After he’d released me, I glanced around. “Is Hollis at work?”

“Think you might need to sit down.”

I frowned but did as he suggested. “What’s going on?” The worst-case scenarios started popping up: her head injury had worsened, and she had been taken to hospital; she wanted to break up with me and had left Finn to break the news…

He took a deep breath, which had me fearing which scenario he was about to break to me. “In exchange for your freedom, she agreed to go and see Gil,” Finn spoke in a monotone.

Fuck .

The absolute worst had happened. “She did what? Did that bump on the head make her crazy?”

Finn shook his head. “She left this early morning with Ella. I don’t know when she’s coming back.”

A million thoughts raced through my sleep-starved brain, all of them culminating in the fact that the woman I loved had gone to see the person who had stalked her and done some seriously weird-as-fuck things.

Instead of waiting here for me. Why did she go with Ella?

Why hadn’t Finn gone with her instead? I rubbed my eyes with clenched fists, unsure as to whether anger or sadness was the overwhelming emotion encompassing me.

Reaching for my phone, I found her contact and pressed the button to connect the call.

Hi, this is Hollis. I’m not available right now. Please leave me a message, and I’ll get back to you as soon as I can.

“Hollis, it’s me. Where are you? I have to talk to you.

Call me back as soon as you get this.” Once I ended the call, I realised I sounded exactly like Gil.

What the hell am I doing? Throwing my phone on the sofa in exasperation, I sank back onto the cushions, staring up at the ceiling as if looking for answers, something I had done a lot of in the recent past.

“Why don’t you get a shower, and I’ll order us a takeaway?” Finn suggested. “Beers will be waiting, too.”

I dragged my sorry arse off the sofa and headed upstairs, hesitating outside Hollis’s room.

After a beat, I stuck my head through the door, just in case she had returned and Finn hadn’t noticed.

The room was resolutely empty although the faint scent of her perfume comforted me. She’ll be back soon, I told myself.

Once in my room, I stripped off my clothes and dropped them into the washing basket.

Wrapping a towel around my waist, I padded into the bathroom and turned on the shower.

Standing under the warm jets for a while helped to soothe the aches and pains that had sprung up from an uncomfortable night tossing and turning and also helped to calm my thoughts.

I pulled on a pair of jogging bottoms and a hoodie, shoved my feet into some comfy trainers and headed back downstairs again, hoping Hollis would be home.

When I saw Finn in the kitchen, unboxing the Indian takeaway onto two plates, my heart sank.

Taking my phone from my pocket, I typed out a message.

I hope you’re okay, Princess. I love you. Come home xx

I stared at the screen for a couple of minutes, hoping to see a read receipt or a reply. Nothing. I flipped the phone screen down on the table and sat opposite Finn, digging into my dinner despite not really having much of an appetite.

He watched my move and looked directly at me. “She’s fine, Jase. Ella’s with her.”

I knew that should have comforted me, but having witnessed what Gil could be capable of, the thought of just the two of them facing up to him made me distinctly uneasy.

Gil didn’t strike me as the type of person who would listen to two women, but what did I know?

We ate in silence until Finn spoke again.

“How are you doing?”

Leaning back, I put down my fork and took a swig of beer. “Honestly? Knackered. Confused. Relieved as fuck. Maybe not all in that order.”

He nodded slowly. “I get it. Being arrested wasn’t something I had you down for.”

“Right? And assault?” I paused. “Although if I had my time over, I’d have beaten seven shades of shit out of Gil for all the trouble he’s caused.” I held my hands up. “Kidding, obviously.”

“You don’t have to tell me about it if you don’t want to.”

I lifted a shoulder. “There’s not too much to tell. I spent most of the time in a cell, then got asked a bunch of questions in the interview room before going back to the cell. When the officer came to tell me the charges had been dropped, I thought he was joking.”

“I can only imagine. It goes without saying you don’t have to work tomorrow,” Finn went on. “I’ve already asked Rod to come in early, and we’re not that busy that we can’t move a few things around.”

Grateful, I nodded. I felt like I needed some time and space. I wished last night hadn’t happened, and we weren’t in this stupid limbo situation. But here we were. A thought occurred to me. “Actually, can you do without me for a few days? I think I’d like to visit my mum.”

Finn’s eyes widened. It wasn’t often I saw my mum, but maybe her hippie shit could give me a little clarity. Time away from Maplebrook, even a couple of days, could be the break I needed.

“Sure, if that’s what you want. Aren’t you going to wait for Hollis to get home first? Then you could go together?”

I wasn’t sure if she would want to come away with me, and I didn’t know if I could handle the rejection if she turned me down. “I’ll go in the morning and see how things are later.” It was a vague answer and one I didn’t have to commit to. “I think I’m going to go to bed. I’m exhausted.”

“No problem. I’ll see you before you go, yeah?”

“Thanks, Finn.” I trudged up the stairs and lay down on my bed, falling asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow.

“Jase! How lovely to see you!” Cherry Dillon flung open the door of her static caravan within seconds of my knocking on it. “I’ve got a class in an hour, and you’re more than welcome to join in if you wish.”

I shuddered. Mum had been teaching yoga to the yummy mummies and waspies of Princelake since she’d moved there about six years ago. “You’re all right, Mum, I think I’ll give that a miss today. I’ve had a rough time of it lately. ”

She gathered me in for a hug, the strong yet familiar smell of incense and patchouli oil overwhelming me. “You can tell me all about it when I get back. I’ll be a couple of hours.”

Then she was gone, leaving me alone again with my thoughts.

This time, however, it felt like I could breathe with them.

The seaside town of Princelake always had a calming effect on me, and no matter how much I made fun of my mother’s crystals and Pilates lifestyle, it somehow always made everything make sense.

I sank down onto her bean bag and shuffled around to get comfortable, then checked my phone like I had been obsessively ever since I’d messaged Hollis last night.

There was still no evidence she had even read the message, and she certainly hadn’t replied.

I started to check out her socials, then stopped myself.

That had been what Gil did, and look how it had turned out.

Tossing my phone on the side, I headed out instead.

No point in wasting the time I had here wallowing.

I took a walk down to the beach, watching the people there: families splashing about in the shallows, dog walkers chatting on the path above the sand, couples enjoying a romantic walk.

The café was open, so I grabbed a coffee and a pastry, then perched on the wall, enjoying the freedom and space from my problems. Unlike the previous day, time sped by, and I heard the church clock strike three.

Putting my rubbish in the bin, I headed back to Mum’s caravan.

She was already there, waiting for me. The aroma of peppermint tea hung in the air, reminding me of the first time I’d seen Hollis again when she’d arrived at the garage, demanding the very same drink while we waited for Finn to arrive.

It seemed like ages ago and yesterday all at the same time.

Cherry held up the pot. “Do you want some? ”

“Go on, then. Figure I should see what all the fuss is about.”

“What are you talking about?” Mum frowned.

I bit my lip. “My, um, girlfriend drinks it.”

“Girlfriend? Jase, why didn’t you tell me?” She rushed over and hugged me. “I need to know everything.”

A wry smile crossed my face. “You might need something a bit stronger than peppermint tea for that.”

“I thought there might be a reason for you turning up here unannounced for the first time in ages.” Mum rubbed my shoulder, then let go, resuming her tea duties. “Let’s get the tea, and we can talk.”

Fifteen minutes later, I’d spilt my guts about everything, minus one significant detail. I hadn’t mentioned Hollis by name. After I’d finished, Mum sat in silence for a few moments, reflecting on what I’d told her.

“Getting arrested isn’t you, Jase. You’ve never been in trouble before. Well, at least, not serious trouble like that,” she said at last. “I can see how you would think your girlfriend has made a deal with her ex in order for you to be released. Maybe there wasn’t enough evidence.”

“Glad to hear you’ve got confidence in me.” I shook my head, placing my cup and saucer on the table in front of me. “And by the way, I won’t be drinking this shit any time soon.”

“Why doesn’t that surprise me? But tell me, who is this woman you’re so worked up over? I don’t think I’ve ever seen you like this before.” She shook her head and smiled. “You’re clearly in love with her, whoever she is.”

I couldn’t deny that. I had it bad for Hollis; she was my everything. Even after all that had gone down in the last couple of days, I still wanted her, needed her, loved her .

“You already know who she is.” I got up and helped myself to a glass of water to rid my mouth of the taste of warm peppermint.

Mum’s brows knitted together. “I do? Did you get back together with one of your exes?”

“Nope. It’s Hollis.”

She leaned forward, eyes wide. “As in Finn Sutton’s younger sister?”

“You know many other people named Hollis?”

Her mouth flapped, no actual words coming out. “Since when? And what does Finn think about it?”

The corners of my mouth twitched as I thought back to Barney and Lenora’s wedding and how Finn had found out about the two of us, thanks to Felicity.

“Let’s just say it was a bit of a shock at first, but Finn knows I would never do anything to hurt Hollis.

Not least because I know he’d hurt me.” A small laugh escaped me, briefly lightening my mood.

“I don’t know Hollis as well as I know Finn, but from what I do know, she’s a smart cookie. She’s not going to be sucked in again by this Gil character if she’d already walked away from him once.”

And that’s why I loved my mum. She had a knack for making everything right, even without doing anything. I had to wait until I’d spoken to Hollis to make sure what she had suggested was true. I picked up my phone and looked at the screen. There was one notification there.

Hollis. Missed call.

My heart pounded in my chest as I immediately tried to call her back.

Not for the first time, all I got was her messaging service.

I still had to wait for the real answers.