self, although I had to tell her that I was going in to work today....she ’d be upset that I was coming here without her.’
Rachel smiled, ‘You’ve got a special one there Eric.’
‘Yeah. She’s a great kid.....taken a real shine to you.’
‘Well the feeling’s mutual.’
Rachel stretched to pour the hot water into the coffee pot and slipped a couple of slices of toast in the toaster. She poured a couple of mugs of the hot black liquid and sat at the table.
Taking a small sip she sighed, ‘God that tastes great.’
Eric took the toast to the table and sat beside her and buttered a couple of slices.
‘I had breakfast before I came here but great sex gives you an enormous appetite.’ He winked at her and she smiled back at him.
‘So Rachel. Do you want to tell me a bit about yourself or would you like me to shut up and leave your past life alone?’ His tone was casual but she could hear the underlying burning curiosity.
Rachel sighed.
‘Well, I’m from a small island up the West coast....you can maybe tell by my accent...’ she smiled at him, ‘and I guess you could say I had an idyllic upbringing. I’ve got three brothers, who all work in various places around the world. My parents let us have all the freedom kids should have to grow up healthy and strong.’ She paused finding it difficult to say the words she felt she had to say, the truth she had to tell, ‘.......but when I was in America...well..... my parents died within months of each other.’ In fact she had only found out about their deaths when she accidentally came upon mail that Tom had hidden from her. When she had confronted him he had professed he had only kept the letters from her so she wouldn’t be upset. That he couldn’t bear to see her unhappy.
‘Did something happen to you over there Rachel? ’ His voice was soft.
She ignored his question and carried on.
‘I went to university, got my degree and then my first job, a dream job on Mull. And it was there that I met Tom Sullivan....and it was then that.....well..... my troubles started.’
She took another fortifying sip of coffe e and closed her eyes.
‘I met him on the beach. I was about to go out to sample the water in the bay. He was in a yacht, beaching for a picnic. To cut a long story short, he was charming , handsome and very wealthy and he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted......... I was the girl he wanted.’
‘ I was naive, young, inexperienced and he swept me off my feet. He took me all over the world, dressed me in expensive clothes, gave me whatever I wished but he took away everything that was me......’ She drew a deep breath.
‘ If this is too painful Rachel please....’
She stopped him by placing her hand on his.
‘I think I need to tell you the story if you’re to understand the reasons that I find it hard to trust.
‘He made me g ive up my job, gradually cut my contact with friends, took me to his home in Connecticut. He monitored my phone calls, where I went, what I did, chose my clothes. He wanted to marry me and........he didn’t take no for an answer. I left him the night before we were to be married, took a flight to Sweden and hid out in the hills for months, making end meet by tutoring English. I knew he would look for me......he doesn’t give up Eric.’
‘Jesus Rachel.’ Eric shook his head, shocked.
‘I stayed in Sweden until I thought it was safe to return here. I keep reassuring myself that he will have moved on.......telling myself all the reasons why he won’t come after me.’
She kept taking smal l sips from her coffee as if its essence gave her the strength to carry on.
‘ > But I’m just not sure Eric. He controlled every part of my life in the end and his jealousy was ....well.....it scared me.’
She sighed deeply again and held his hand, feeling the strength of him
‘We went to a charity dinner two weeks before I left him. We had seats at different parts of the same table and one of
Rachel smiled, ‘You’ve got a special one there Eric.’
‘Yeah. She’s a great kid.....taken a real shine to you.’
‘Well the feeling’s mutual.’
Rachel stretched to pour the hot water into the coffee pot and slipped a couple of slices of toast in the toaster. She poured a couple of mugs of the hot black liquid and sat at the table.
Taking a small sip she sighed, ‘God that tastes great.’
Eric took the toast to the table and sat beside her and buttered a couple of slices.
‘I had breakfast before I came here but great sex gives you an enormous appetite.’ He winked at her and she smiled back at him.
‘So Rachel. Do you want to tell me a bit about yourself or would you like me to shut up and leave your past life alone?’ His tone was casual but she could hear the underlying burning curiosity.
Rachel sighed.
‘Well, I’m from a small island up the West coast....you can maybe tell by my accent...’ she smiled at him, ‘and I guess you could say I had an idyllic upbringing. I’ve got three brothers, who all work in various places around the world. My parents let us have all the freedom kids should have to grow up healthy and strong.’ She paused finding it difficult to say the words she felt she had to say, the truth she had to tell, ‘.......but when I was in America...well..... my parents died within months of each other.’ In fact she had only found out about their deaths when she accidentally came upon mail that Tom had hidden from her. When she had confronted him he had professed he had only kept the letters from her so she wouldn’t be upset. That he couldn’t bear to see her unhappy.
‘Did something happen to you over there Rachel? ’ His voice was soft.
She ignored his question and carried on.
‘I went to university, got my degree and then my first job, a dream job on Mull. And it was there that I met Tom Sullivan....and it was then that.....well..... my troubles started.’
She took another fortifying sip of coffe e and closed her eyes.
‘I met him on the beach. I was about to go out to sample the water in the bay. He was in a yacht, beaching for a picnic. To cut a long story short, he was charming , handsome and very wealthy and he would stop at nothing to get what he wanted......... I was the girl he wanted.’
‘ I was naive, young, inexperienced and he swept me off my feet. He took me all over the world, dressed me in expensive clothes, gave me whatever I wished but he took away everything that was me......’ She drew a deep breath.
‘ If this is too painful Rachel please....’
She stopped him by placing her hand on his.
‘I think I need to tell you the story if you’re to understand the reasons that I find it hard to trust.
‘He made me g ive up my job, gradually cut my contact with friends, took me to his home in Connecticut. He monitored my phone calls, where I went, what I did, chose my clothes. He wanted to marry me and........he didn’t take no for an answer. I left him the night before we were to be married, took a flight to Sweden and hid out in the hills for months, making end meet by tutoring English. I knew he would look for me......he doesn’t give up Eric.’
‘Jesus Rachel.’ Eric shook his head, shocked.
‘I stayed in Sweden until I thought it was safe to return here. I keep reassuring myself that he will have moved on.......telling myself all the reasons why he won’t come after me.’
She kept taking smal l sips from her coffee as if its essence gave her the strength to carry on.
‘ > But I’m just not sure Eric. He controlled every part of my life in the end and his jealousy was ....well.....it scared me.’
She sighed deeply again and held his hand, feeling the strength of him
‘We went to a charity dinner two weeks before I left him. We had seats at different parts of the same table and one of
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