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“All gone, nothing left.” She said. Berg turned and headed back to his original position next to Tania. “What kind of dog is he? He kind of looks like a shepherd with that colouring but doesn't have the muzzle.”
“He's a Leonberger. They're a breed that has blended the Newfoundland, Saint Bernard and Pyrenean Mountain Dog.”
“He is beautiful. I have a cat at home. Her name is Piddle.”
Allee spoke just as there was a lull in the surrounding conversations.
“Hang on, did you say something about pee?” laughed Mark.
Allee smiled back before answering, “Kind of. I said that my cat's name is Piddle. She's a tortoiseshell, and when she pees, her tail trembles. Hence the name.”
The discussion moved on to pets and their particular traits and idiosyncrasies. Tania began to clear the dinner plates from the table, and Allee stood to help. She shrugged off Tania's protestations, explaining that she wanted to feel useful. She and Tania moved inside, stacking the dishes on the sink before Tania turned and pulled more plates out of the cupboard. Allee went to the fridge and pulled the cheesecake out of where she'd stored it, and then Tania walked over and opened the freezer, pulling out a tub of vanilla ice cream. They worked in tandem, serving the dessert before putting the plates on a large tray and walking back out to the patio.
“Dessert is served!” announced Tania handing out each plate. Praises were heaped on Tania for her skill until she protested that it was entirely Allee's work. Allee blushed under the cheesecake's copious approval, with Beth and Tania both asking her for the recipe.
The conversation soon devolved into a raucous debate on who would win a battle between Batman and Iron Man. After laughing so hard, she snorted and cried, Allee made her excuses and headed back to the apartment.
She got back to her apartment feeling bone-weary yet happy, and fed the impatient feline who was frantically yowling to show her displeasure and hunger.
While Piddle inhaled her food, Allee locked the apartment, turning off the lights as she shuffled into the bedroom, shed her clothes and crawled into bed. Her heart felt lighter, as she knew she had found people that she could trust. She wasn't alone anymore.
Back at Daisy Hill, Noah sat back in his chair, remembering the moment he saw Allee walk out from behind Tania dressed in the bathing suit. She had taken his breath away.
For the first time since Michelle, Noah could see himself dating again. Allee was beautiful but also funny and charming and appeared to share many of his interests. Usually, Noah didn't talk about himself, but he wanted Allee to trust him. He was attracted to her with a fierceness that surprised him, but Noah knew he would have to be patient.
Chapter Ten
Upon waking, Allee felt she'd been given a precious gift; not only was she to move into her new home soon, but she'd also found a group of people who were willing to help her when she needed it the most. Still reeling over all the generous offers, she'd spent Sunday musing over the previous day. Above all, Allee thought about Noah. She was unsure what to do. She found him attractive, but if he desired something other than a platonic friendship, Allee knew that it might take her a while. She still felt emotionally vulnerable and had trust issues when it came to physical interactions. She continued to ponder her options as she got ready for work.
Before leaving, she looked down at Piddle, who was winding her way between Allee's legs and rubbing up against her ankles. She would wait until the weekend and see how Piddle reacted to Noah's presence. The cat was the single creature who knew what Allee had been through and seemed to have an innate sense of who was kind or trustworthy, so her attitude towards Allee's future friends was important.
Over the rest of the day, Allee chatted with her new work friends about the Saturday just gone, but also about the coming weekend. Allee was to go and sign the lease on Thursday afternoon, and she planned to properly check the unit on Friday. She needed to vacate the apartment and return the hire car by Sunday afternoon, so she had to make sure that she had everything she needed before dropping the it off. Even though she wouldn’t have ready access to a vehicle, it also meant that she couldn’t be tracked through it. Besides, there was a bus stop right outside the complex, and seeing how she could walk most places would work out cheaper as well.
The rest of the week flew by in a blur. After taking an hour off over lunch on Thursday to sign the lease, Allee got the keys.
Friday seemed to last forever as she waited with impatience to finally go and check out her new home.
At last, it was time to leave, and Allee left the office, made her way to her hire car, and drove to her new home. She keyed in the code for the gate, and after parking her car in the garage, she unlocked the connecting door and walked into her new home with a sense of elation. She quickly walked from room to room, impressed with their light and space. Everything was in order, and Allee was happy to see that each room had curtains, blinds or shutters of some type, which all looked to be in fantastic condition. The carpets had been steam-cleaned, and the whole place smelled fresh. Before she left, Allee checked that all the keys worked and that she had keys to every lock. Lastly, she glanced over the backyard, noticing the lawn had been freshly mown, and the bins were empty and had been washed out.
Heading back to the apartment to pack, making sure that everything was ready for her move, Allee was satisfied that she'd found the perfect place for her and Piddle and couldn't wait to officially move in.
Saturday dawned bright and sunny, and Allee was up early. Seeing as how she would be doing quite a bit of lifting, Allee had opted to wear a pair of cropped black Capri pants with a black and white striped cotton top. She would have to save up and buy some more casual clothes, as both the weather and the office dress code called for shorts and t-shirts rather than the dressy pants and tops that Stuart had expected her to wear. Except for the odd occasions where Cass had dragged her over to spend time with her extended family, Allee had actively avoided going out to socialise until she moved to Brisbane. So she’d just never needed casual clothes before.
Allee pulled her hair into a ponytail to keep it out of her face, then started taking the boxes and suitcases down to the car. It only took her about ten minutes in total, and the apartment looked sterile without her homey touches. All that was left for her to move was an overnight bag of clothing, a toiletries bag, the bits and pieces of food in the cupboards and refrigerator, and Piddle's assorted paraphernalia. Piddle herself would be left to roam until the very last moment, as Allee did not wish for the cat to be in her crate for any longer than she needed to be, and she didn’t want her underfoot while moving into the unit. Piddle knew something was happening because she had watched as Allee had packed during the week. The cat slunk away as Allee started moving boxes to the car.
Pulling up where she’d planned to meet Beth, Allee felt as though her heart was in her throat. The last time she had done this was down in Melbourne, and she'd been with Cass. This time, she was with someone she had only known a short time, and she expected it to all fall flat. Fortunately, at that very moment, Allee heard her name, and turned to see Beth waving as she crossed the car park towards her.
“All ready to do some intensive shopping?” Beth asked with a bubbly grin.
“Not really, but I know it has to be done,” Allee replied nervously.
Beth gently put her hands on Allee's shoulders and squeezed them lightly.
“I can't pretend to know what you're going through,” Beth said, “or why you have nothing to move, but don't let this scare you. Shopping should be fun!” Beth giggled and grabbed Allee's hand, pulling her into the store, hailing an attractive young lady over to them as they passed the checkouts. “Lau-Lau, we're over here!” she sang out, and the young woman walked over to them. She was short, had a pretty sweetheart face, framed with straight brunette hair, and reminded Allee a little of the actress Reece Witherspoon in the movie Walk the Line.
“Hi there, you must be Allee, I'm Laura; Beth told me that you need to buy a heap of appliances!” She marched towards the area set aside for larger appliances, with Beth and Allee following her. “Well, you've come to the right place, so let's get you started and see what we can get you!”
Two hours later, Beth's Patrol and the trailer she’d also brought along were laden down with the larger appliances, and Allee's hire car was packed with boxes. Beth followed behind Allee, and as they pulled up to the gate of the complex, Allee saw that Andre, Noah, Mark and Sammy were also there, waiting. She keyed the code into the gate and drove in, Beth and the guys following close behind.
