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“Yeah, about to leave now. What day do you want to come in and talk to the four of them about You Are Loved?” I was glad that Jackson said he would jump in with me on this and I know he’s serious about it as he’ll be doing a little more studying to learn about that part of the law for us.
“How’s next Monday?” Jackson packs all his stuff away. “I’ll get things ready for Sunday.”
"I'll send them an email, and I'll keep Sunday free. This is the only time we have to get him," I tell Jackson. I have no idea how the hell he’s going to do it, but I know he will.
"Yeah, I know, and I'll see what I can find on him. Might need to get some help to get him though," Jackson tells me. Now the only other person who knows about this is John, and he's not going to tell anyone. I mean he's known for a long time about what I do to these assholes.
"I'll talk to John, and he'll call you," I tell him as I make my way over to Hope.
Hearing the door close, I stand looking at her as she turns the pages of the catalog to change the floor tiles. "Have you found one you like?"
"No, but it's your kitchen, you need to like it," she answers me. I glance at her for a moment; I've never told her that I want her to stay here for good. I've told her that I want her to stay for as long as she wants, but in reality, I want her to stay and never leave.
“We can have a look tonight, please keep your phone on you as I’ll call you the moment I’m free.” Moving closer to her I take her hand in mine. “I’ll try to get back early.” I slowly lean down to give her a kiss.
* * *
I called Hope when I got to work just because I wanted to hear her voice. It wasn't really a long conversation, and it was mostly one way, but I like that I can now talk to her.
I’m still surprised that she spoke to Jackson without me having to say anything to start the conversation and I do like that she’s trying to make an effort with him.
I sit at my desk looking through another proposal that I've said no to. The company that my dad wanted me to get on board with have sent me their whole product now, and I've spent most of the day fine-combing through that. I really didn't think I would care about that, but I've added more notes than I thought I would. This product is going to take more time than I thought it would.
Walking outside to the balcony, I light up a cigarette and sit on the chair. Closing my eyes, I lean back. Hope’s question about wondering where my mother is got me thinking. I haven’t thought about her in a long time but do I want to know where she is now? My finger moves over to the scar on my left hand. Why the fuck would I give a shit about her? She never thought about me when she sold me. Inhaling the smoke, I think back to Hope. How can I make her feel one hundred percent safe? How can I make her walk outside without having to look over her shoulder?
* * *
Walking through the door, I look around for Hope. She's sitting in the yard, and I'm not happy about that, it's cold out there. I'm going to buy her an outside fire pit; at least she will stay warm a little more than she is now. Grabbing a blanket from the sofa, I head outside.
“You need to keep yourself warm,” I tell her walking around to her front and placing the blanket over her. “Have you been putting the lotion on today?”
“Yes, shall I warm dinner?”
“Not yet, I’m going to have a shower. I thought we could watch a movie tonight.” I see her eyes light up. Now that I know she never got to watch TV, I’m planning on having a movie night with her as often as I can.
"That sounds nice." She looks up at me and bites her lip, it's like she wants to ask me something, but is worried about it. This is what I want to stop her from doing; I want her to ask me everything and anything without fear there. "I was playing on the phone, and I got this free book which I really enjoyed reading and I wanted to get another book, but it wouldn't let me." She hands me her phone, and I sit down next to her and have a look.
“First, if you want to read books go to the bookstore and buy the ones you want to read and one day we might get you an e-reader, that you can read on. Have you always liked reading?” I ask her. I would buy her one now, but if I do she would never leave the house, and I want her to go to the store and feel confident to leave the house.
"My mom used to read all the time, but when my parents died, I was never allowed to read. I thought I would try to read today and I really liked it."
I can't help but smile at her. Standing up, I lean down to give her a kiss on the head. "I've ordered you something special, it'll be here tomorrow. I thought that I would get you something nice and comfy to sit on while you read your books. So, I got this really comfy lounger for you, and once I've had a shower, we're going to the bookstore so you can get some more books." I see her body tense up a little.
"Can we go tomorrow, please? I want to stop at the coffee shop, the same as last time."
“Sure, what time do you want to leave? It’s the weekend. Do you want to go visit your friend too?” I ask her. I don’t want her changing her routine just because she’s here.
"No, I see her every other weekend, as she moves around. Can we go in the morning?" Hope's voice goes a little quieter now, and all I can do is wonder what's got her on edge about tomorrow.
"Sure, I'll be down in a little while. Go inside and choose which film we should watch," I tell her, but I just want her to go inside where it's warmer.
CHAPTER21
HOPE
Last night was so nice,it felt right to be in Leo’s arms and watch the movie. I was sitting on the other side of the sofa then he pulled me closer to him. I leaned into his chest as he put his arm over my shoulder while we watched the film.
Putting my thick jumper on, I head downstairs. I was going to clean up after breakfast, but Leo told me to get dressed, and I've learned not to fight with him anymore as he'll win, but never in a way to make me feel scared of him.
