her earnestly.’ Can you wait, love? It won’t be for ever, I promise. I’m expecting to sign a contract with one of the largest wholesalers in the country very soon. I’m hoping the bank will reconsider its position when it sees the substantial increase that the contract’s going to make to our turnover.’
Ellie nodded, glancing down at the gold and diamond ring that confirmed Alan’s love for her.
‘I also have to go away on business for a few days,’ he told her gently. ‘I need to meet with some of our biggest fruit and vegetable suppliers. Unless we can negotiate a better price for their produce, we could have another serious problem on our hands.’ He smiled at her sadly. ‘I know this wait is disappointing for both of us. But we still have each other, and we’ll eventually manage to be together for good.’ He kissed her tenderly. ‘You’ll be okay while I’m away?’
Ellie nodded. ‘But I’ll miss you terribly,’ she whispered.
‘Good,’ Alan whispered back. ‘I couldn’t bear it if you didn’t!’
C HAPTER 11
‘F or God’s sake, what happened?’
Laura looked embarrassed and defensive as she walked into Kerry’s apartment.
‘Nothing – I hit my head on one of the kitchen cupboards.’
‘No, you didn’t! Did Jeff do this to you?’
Laura glared at her. ‘No, of course not! Why would you think that?’
Kerry ushered Laura into the kitchen, urged her into a chair, and turned on the kettle to make coffee. As she took down two mugs from the rack above the stove, she surreptitiously surveyed her friend, noting the livid patch, already turning blue, and the large black circle under her left eye, which Laura was trying to hide by pulling her blonde hair across it. Kerry was well aware that no accidental bump would inflict such a huge amount of damage.
Placing a cup of coffee in front of her friend, Kerry sat down beside her. ‘Laura, you’re a strong woman – you don’t have to put up with this!’
At first, Kerry thought her friend was going to continue denying what had happened, but her kind words seemed to cut through the wall Laura had initially tried to build around herself. Suddenly, she was sobbing, and Kerry put her arms around her, saying nothing, just letting her friend cry. Gently,she patted Laura’s back in a gesture that might be used to soothe a troubled child.
‘You know what you have to do, don’t you?’ Kerry said at last.
Laura rested her head on Kerry’s shoulder. ‘I can’t leave him! He’s been so cruelly treated by his family in the past – I’m his family now, and anyway, I love him. If I leave him, that will just prove that he can’t trust anyone!’
Kerry shook her gently. ‘But you can’t let a man hit you – once they start, it gets worse each time. And there will be another time, believe me. And another. You must get out now, love – before something really bad happens to you.’
Laura looked at her earnestly. ‘I can’t, Kerry, I just can’t. I made my vows for better or worse. Jeff’s just a bit stressed at the moment – I think he’s under a lot of pressure at work – and I want to help him through this rough patch. It will be okay, I promise. Nothing bad is going to happen. Jeff and I will get through this. All I have to do is prove to him that I love him and won’t leave him. Then things will settle down.’
Kerry grimaced. ‘People don’t hurt the ones they love. This shouldn’t be happening to you, Laura.’
Wiping away her tears, Laura looked defiant. ‘I’ve made my choice – I want to be with Jeff! He’s my husband, and I intend spending the rest of my life with him. It was nothing – just a silly argument, and now I’m sorry I said anything to you about it.’
‘What exactly happened?’
‘Oh, nothing really. I wasn’t feeling well – I’ve been feeling a bit queasy in the mornings – and I hadn’t squeezed the oranges for our early morning juice. He got annoyed with me, and one thing led to
Ellie nodded, glancing down at the gold and diamond ring that confirmed Alan’s love for her.
‘I also have to go away on business for a few days,’ he told her gently. ‘I need to meet with some of our biggest fruit and vegetable suppliers. Unless we can negotiate a better price for their produce, we could have another serious problem on our hands.’ He smiled at her sadly. ‘I know this wait is disappointing for both of us. But we still have each other, and we’ll eventually manage to be together for good.’ He kissed her tenderly. ‘You’ll be okay while I’m away?’
Ellie nodded. ‘But I’ll miss you terribly,’ she whispered.
‘Good,’ Alan whispered back. ‘I couldn’t bear it if you didn’t!’
C HAPTER 11
‘F or God’s sake, what happened?’
Laura looked embarrassed and defensive as she walked into Kerry’s apartment.
‘Nothing – I hit my head on one of the kitchen cupboards.’
‘No, you didn’t! Did Jeff do this to you?’
Laura glared at her. ‘No, of course not! Why would you think that?’
Kerry ushered Laura into the kitchen, urged her into a chair, and turned on the kettle to make coffee. As she took down two mugs from the rack above the stove, she surreptitiously surveyed her friend, noting the livid patch, already turning blue, and the large black circle under her left eye, which Laura was trying to hide by pulling her blonde hair across it. Kerry was well aware that no accidental bump would inflict such a huge amount of damage.
Placing a cup of coffee in front of her friend, Kerry sat down beside her. ‘Laura, you’re a strong woman – you don’t have to put up with this!’
At first, Kerry thought her friend was going to continue denying what had happened, but her kind words seemed to cut through the wall Laura had initially tried to build around herself. Suddenly, she was sobbing, and Kerry put her arms around her, saying nothing, just letting her friend cry. Gently,she patted Laura’s back in a gesture that might be used to soothe a troubled child.
‘You know what you have to do, don’t you?’ Kerry said at last.
Laura rested her head on Kerry’s shoulder. ‘I can’t leave him! He’s been so cruelly treated by his family in the past – I’m his family now, and anyway, I love him. If I leave him, that will just prove that he can’t trust anyone!’
Kerry shook her gently. ‘But you can’t let a man hit you – once they start, it gets worse each time. And there will be another time, believe me. And another. You must get out now, love – before something really bad happens to you.’
Laura looked at her earnestly. ‘I can’t, Kerry, I just can’t. I made my vows for better or worse. Jeff’s just a bit stressed at the moment – I think he’s under a lot of pressure at work – and I want to help him through this rough patch. It will be okay, I promise. Nothing bad is going to happen. Jeff and I will get through this. All I have to do is prove to him that I love him and won’t leave him. Then things will settle down.’
Kerry grimaced. ‘People don’t hurt the ones they love. This shouldn’t be happening to you, Laura.’
Wiping away her tears, Laura looked defiant. ‘I’ve made my choice – I want to be with Jeff! He’s my husband, and I intend spending the rest of my life with him. It was nothing – just a silly argument, and now I’m sorry I said anything to you about it.’
‘What exactly happened?’
‘Oh, nothing really. I wasn’t feeling well – I’ve been feeling a bit queasy in the mornings – and I hadn’t squeezed the oranges for our early morning juice. He got annoyed with me, and one thing led to
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