“Yeah. Took her to buy a camera. Trust my luck to break a $500 camera.” Jason huffed, and Caleb chuckled with mirth.
“Yes that’s you all over. Where is it?” Caleb eyed up the Harley curiously.
“On order. Paid for it but…didn’t take it with us then and there. It’s in the post. Five working days.” Caleb raised a brow but didn’t press the issue. Jason finally met Beth’s timid gaze and grimaced with shame. “…man, Beth I’m so sorry.” He cupped the back of his neck and sighed. “I’m naturally protective and you were so vulnerable and submissive, I couldn’t help myself. It’s my instinct to-”
“I’m sure she understands.” Caleb cut him off with a brief serious expression, before looking down at Beth with a big grin. “He’s a very caring lad. You were never in any danger.”
“…and the dog?” Beth looked around gingerly, and missed the look the two men shared.
“What dog?” Jason folded his arms. “I don’t see a dog?”
“No…but I heard one.” Beth swept her eyes the other way. “It sounded really big.”
“Oh, well, Glen Valley has lots of dogs.” Caleb cleared his throat, shot Jason another look, and then started to walk her to the bakery doorway. “How about you go on in and give your Ma a big hug. I’ll have a chat with Jason about his behaviour.” Jason groaned and waited by his Harley. Their entry was signalled by the door bell, and Caleb handed Beth over to her mother at last. Beth held onto her so tightly she started to cry. Openly at last. Her body shook with her sobbing.
“M-Mum I-”
“Shush baby you’re okay.” Joanna sniffled and stroked the back of her daughter’s messy ginger mane. “Everything’s okay.” No it is not! She thought, but didn’t dare voice that right now. But later? Behind closed doors and with her big sister in her corner, she would voice it repeatedly.
“You’re okay now sweetheart.” Ben came up to join the hug and held the back of her head as he kissed the top of her crown. He then nuzzled her briefly, sniffing, and before jerking back and snapping out of whatever train of thought told him that was normal behaviour. What made it weirder, was the fact her mother had done the same thing a second later. Beth was staring at Ben as her mother sniffed and mouthed at her hair. He cleared his throat in a hurry as he seemed to realise what was happening. “Don’t worry. It’s over now.” He tried to gloss over the weirdness with a brave smile. He put his hand on Joanna’s back to snap her out of her trance. “There is no need for you and Jason to interact anymore now he’s replaced your camera.”
“It’s over now baby.”
“G-good.” Beth gulped and looked squarely at her mother. “He scares me.” She whispered, but they all heard it. Caleb frowned and looked out of the window towards Jason. Beth only felt brave enough to voice her fears now she was in her mother’s arms and Jason was outside the bakery. “He had his hands on me all day. Leading the way, bossing me around, snapping at me one second and fussing over me the next.”
“He’s a good kid.” Caleb interjected, but Beth wasn’t swallowing his snake oil anymore.
“Whatever. I want to go home Mum. Now. Please?” She held her mother’s hands and begged her with every fibre in her being.
“Of course honey.” Joanna nodded vigorously with tears in her eyes. “I’ll lock up. We can come back and finishing unpacking tomorrow. Ben?”
“On it.” Glad to have a task to occupy himself Ben hurried over to the main counter top to retrieve a ring of keys. “I’ll lock up the back first.” For a moment Beth closed her eyes and just let her mother stroke her face and shoulders to continue soothing her. All day she’d wanted her mother and her home, but now…now she wanted her sister.
“Where’s Emma?” Beth asked urgently, and was immediately followed by a groan from the Mayor. She snapped her head round to look at him with confusion. A, why was he still there, and B, why did he react like that?
“Beth?” Caleb hooked his thumbs and put on a pleading smile. “Do me and all of Glen Valley a favour? And try not to rile up your sister too much? Jason is a good kid. He meant well, even if he’s a bit…over protective.” Caleb shrugged. “Choose your words kindly when you tell Emma about what happened today. He was lookin’ out for you, in his own way.”
“…” Beth wasn’t one for confrontation, so she just nodded. I will tell my sister the truth, no matter what you say. She certainly didn’t make a habit of lying to her sister over anything. Nor did she trust the Mayor for a second. That farce outside of squaring off to Jason to have her handed over like that convinced her that this guy as exactly what Emma said he was. A Crook and a creep. “…are you…telling me not to tell my sister the whole truth?” Caleb opened his mouth, shut it, grimaced and ran a hand back through his hair. This dislodged the hair tie and freed it around his face in curtains. He rolled the tie around his wrist and couldn’t stall anymore.
“No, I’m not telling you to lie to your sister. I’m just trying to make you think about how you tell her. You don’t have the full truth either here, and I’d like you to trust me when I say Jason really didn’t mean to make you feel scared.” He put his hands together and openly begged her. “Be kind? Please? The last thing anyone wants is for your sister to go chasing after Jason in a rage.” Caleb laughed awkwardly, and Beth bristled.
God, she would do that, wouldn’t she? She’d go looking for him to give him a piece of her mind, or her left boot. The image of Jason scowling and putting his hands on Emma made her tremor. He was so tall and strong, he manoeuvred Beth around like she weighed nothing. She was petite, sure, but Emma wasn’t that much bigger than her. If he really lost his temper he could really hurt Emma.
“I wont tell her, a-as long as he stays away from me.” Beth countered with a stammer. Caleb frowned at her reaction and dared to look disappointed with her.
“…if that’s what you want, I will order Jason to stay away from you…are you sure-”
“Yes she’s sure.” Joanna spoke up and held her daughter close. “I don’t want him near her either.”
“Agreed.” Ben seconded, and Beth felt a bit safer with their show of support. Caleb seemed reluctant and bitterly disappointed. If he was waiting for them to change their mind, he realised that wasn’t happening when Beth burst into tears in her mother’s arms.
“Alright, fine, I will order the lad to stay from Beth, but she can reverse that order at any time.” Like I ever would! Beth thought to herself as her torment of the day shook her body as she worked it out of her bones. One sob and whimper at a time. It was like she’d been in survival mode but now she finally felt safe enough to let it all out. “I’ll take him with me and talk this out. Leave it with me.”
“Thank you Caleb.” Ben showed his gratitude with a clap to his back as Jo coaxed her daughter toward the back of the bakery. “He needs to stay away from her. God’s sake, he was gentling her dammit.”
“I know, I saw.” Caleb groaned like this was highly frustrating for him?! A burden to deal with. “It’s rare but it happens.”
“Not with my little Bethany it doesn’t.” Ben urged. “Not with him.” Beth turned to look over her mother’s shoulder from the doorway leading to the kitchen. What are they talking about? What’s gentling? What’s rare but happens?
“Come on honey.” Joanna spoke up far more than was needed and alerted to two men that they were in fact still in ear shot.
“Anyway, I’ll deal with it.”
“But-”
“I said I’ll deal with it.” Caleb gave Ben a stern icy stare, then wore a big smile as he waved directly at Beth and Jo. “You don’t need to worry about a thing. I’m looking forward to seeing this place up and running. Save me a bear claw!” Caleb gave Ben another stern look, then marched out of the bakery at speed.
“Let’s go get you nice warm cup of hot chocolate to settle you before we head on home.” Joanna spoke normally again, and Beth eyed her curiously. Did mum just warn them to be quiet? What were they talking about that I wasn’t meant to hear?
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