Page 24 of Worshipped by the BRATVA Grump

“You just call if you need anything,” she says, patting my hand, and I offer her a tight smile in return.

The next morning I wake up with my whole body aching, but nothing compares to the thunderous booming in my head. Mrs Kleine brings me pain relief and a glass of water, then twenty minutes later she appears with a tray of scrambled eggs on toast.

I give her my thanks and once I’ve eaten, I feel well enough to get up.

I make my way downstairs, looking at the photos on her wall as I go. She has an entire family I’ve never met and it makes me feel a little sad. I should have been more friendly to her, included her in my life a little more.

“Thank you,” I say to her when I find her in the kitchen. “I’m truly so grateful to you.”

“Oh, it’s no problem, darling,” she says with a smile as she pulls the tea towel from her shoulder and dries her hands. “I’m glad you called me. It felt good to be useful.”

I point at a photo on the wall of her with three young adults. “Are these your children?” I ask.

“Yes, foster children. I looked after them from when they were small.” She is smiling as she considers the picture. “They were great kids, considering the circumstances. And I’m so proud of each of them.” She points to the eldest girl. “This is Phoebe, she is married now with a baby of her own on the way. She comes by once a month or so, but I’m hoping to go and help her once the baby is here. Then that’s Jamie, he works all over the world now, always travelling. He pops by whenever he is back here. And Tamsin, she was a firecracker. Still is. She is thinking of moving back this way once her tour finishes.”

“Tour?” I ask.

“She is a dancer. She dances on those big fancy boats and even on the television, once…” she trails off with a faraway look on her face. “I couldn’t have children of my own, that’s why my husband left me. But those kids…” she points at the picture, “they were the best thing that could have ever happened to me. That’s not to say it wasn’t a challenge. But every bit of it was worth it to have them in my life.”

I find my face is wet. At some point the tears came again. What I would have done for a woman like Mrs Kleine to have been my mom.

“Hey, hey, hey, sweetheart.” She comes around the kitchen table and wraps her arms around me.

“I’m sorry,” I blubber. I’ve been so emotional since the accident.”

“Totally understandable,” she says, leaning back and wiping a tear from my cheek with the pad of her thumb. “Sit down and have one more cup of tea with me before you leave,” she says, guiding me to a chair.

Mechislav

It’s been a week and I’ve kept my distance from the shop. Eduard has given me extra duties and tried to keep me busy. Jasper has complained I’m even surlier than usual and that the men in the yard are threatening to quit.

I ignore him.

I don’t care.

All I care about is Daisy, and I spend every night parked just out of sight of her bedroom window, and watch her house.

She isn’t in any danger, it’s just the only way to be close to her.

“The Rudakov shipment has gone out,” I tell Jasper, dropping the clipboard on his desk. He has been here running things a lot more since Sammie gave birth to Eduard’s second child a couple of months ago.

“Great,” he says. “You coming to the opening tonight?”

I give him a flat look. He knows very well I won’t be going. Daisy hasn’t called or texted or so much as looked in my direction since she left my place after the car accident.

She made it clear after the first night, she didn’t want to be wrapped up with a man like me. I should have stayed well away.

Now she is all I think about, all I care about, all I want.

“I’m just saying, Delilah mentioned how nervous Daisy is. She might appreciate the support.”

“She doesn’t need my support,” I grumble. “She sure as shit doesn’t want me anywhere near it.”

I grab my car keys and head out. Only I’m at the end of the road where I can turn right and head to my apartment, or left and head over the bridge to the bookstore.

I go left.

I drive past the bookstore on the corner and see the signage that Bodhan put up a few days ago. It’s gold writing over a green sign, much like the previous sign, only this one says All the Words in a fancy script with a stack of books either side of it. Balloons line the windows, the lights are on inside, creating a warm glow that is inviting and comforting all at once.