Never Again - 4

Chapter 4 - upping the ante

Erin thought long and hard about how to manage this last action from Jack Reilly. She wasn’t sure what annoyed her most, him paying the bill - after all the accident was his fault, or the fact that he knew her phone number, her name...more about her than was healthy, or safe.

She saw Barney settled in, back in the bed he’d occupied for the last year - the spare sofa in the large farmhouse lounge. Her mother had made dinner, an unexpected treat, and they all sat around the kitchen table. It was a late evening, and she had to be at the train station by half past five the following morning, so she was glad to turn in early, despite the offer of any of the rooms in the house, she took the sofa next to Barney, in case he woke. The sedation was working; he was lethargic and sleepy, just what he needed.

As she was climbing under a duvet on the overstuffed sofa, Erin noticed her phone on the floor beside her. She was still furious, beyond furious at Reilly, she was tempted to text him back, give him a piece of her mind, but that would be foolish, she was too emotional. She’d think of an appropriate response that wasn’t rushed or ridiculous. But it didn’t mean that sleep came easily.

Jack hadn’t slept well, last weekend’s problems were all finally dealt with, Tina was out of his life, he was unscathed, and he should be optimistic, happy even, but he was unsettled, and he wasn’t used to that. He needed sleep to function, and he hadn’t had that. Climbing into the shower, he let the hot water invigorate his face and body, and as he calmed his mind, one image filled it, a dark haired fiery woman with a huge dog.

He’d expected a response after paying the dog’s medical bills, but he’d heard nothing. That disappointed him. With a sigh of frustration he left for training. It was another hard morning; the manager hadn’t fully forgiven them for their lethargy at the last game, so they were given repetitive and mundane training exercises. By lunchtime he was mentally tired. Sitting in the dining room at the training ground, Jack wanted to run out the door for the first time ever.

Josh, a youngster was bragging about his latest conquest, a woman who’d thrown himself at him the night before. Jack knew what it was like, as a footballer, when you walked into a club or bar all the attention flew to you. He’d loved it at first; he’d had his fair share of success in that department. He’d also had more than his fair share of idiots approaching him. He was a target, people showing off, bravado and drunkenness and he’d been in more than one scuffle, and they all ended up on the front page of the tabloids. Jack’s reputation became that of a hard man, and that had helped him on the pitch, but he wasn’t like that really. Saying that it was easier to play along with it than fight it, and until Tina nothing had really gone wrong.

Groaning, he dropped his head to his hands, Tina, and her blackmail. Was it only Friday that he’d had the phone call from his agent that Tina was about to sell photos and stories to a trash paper. They’d managed to limit the damage, but he’d had a real reality check. He’d coasted through life uncaring of the way he treated people, his life was the most important. And by not appreciating that, he’d dismissed Tina from his world carelessly and felt her wrath. The same night he’d almost killed a dog, and it could have been a person, a child. He had to wake up. And now he was wallowing in a pit of self loathing. When had it got so bad?

                “Reilly, what’s up with you?” his best buddy Scott slid on to the seat next to him, “you look like you’re a million miles away!”

Jack smiled, “you’re not far wrong, been a really rough weekend. How’s you?”

Scott Millward had been his best mate in football since they’d been in a youth team together at sixteen; fourteen years had seen them play with and against each other as their careers had rollercoastered around.

Scott raised an eyebrow, and Jack knew this was the first time he’d seen him down, “not like you mate!” Jack could feel his eyes observing him, so he smiled, lightened the mood. “You missed a great night in the Grand Hotel Saturday.”

And so they were back embroiled in the escapades of a handful of his team.

                “Golf?” Scott asked. “I’ve booked our favourite course for three. Nothing else on?”

Jack glanced at his friend, “YOU are the one with eighteen month old twins, doesn’t Danielle object to all these extracurricular activities?”

Scott laughed, “Her mother is staying it drives me nuts!”

Jack laughed, “Ok, I’ll swing by the house and pick up my clubs, meet you at quarter to.”

As he was getting out of the car at the golf club, his phone bleeped, and when he saw the name ‘Erin Thomas’ he grinned.

                “Mr Reilly, I thought I was explicit in my instructions earlier. I have no interest in your money, and I will repay the amount you spent on my dog, who by the way, is named after the World Champion darts player and not the dinosaur. I will send it to your club, and after that I request that you delete my number.”

Jack couldn’t resist smiling widely, named after a darts player...now that wasn’t your average girl, and delete her number? Never!

Erin loved being busy in work, but she found the fact that there was no one at home now that Barney was with her parents rather daunting. She missed her London friends, and her family. But she knew that soon she’d make new friends, that things would get easier. On the way home, she called in to the supermarket and purchased a bottle of wine and a pizza, she fancied a night relaxing watching the football.

She was doing just that when her phone ‘tinged’ and a text message appeared on her phone.

               

                “Delete? Oh no! You’re far too much fun for that! And if you want to give me back anything else, then I suggest you meet me in person. I’m not going to open any mail that gets delivered to the stadium! Think on that Erin Thomas! J”

He put a smiley face on his message! Erin fought the desire to laugh out loud. This man had more cheek than anyone she’d ever known. There was a small part of her that relished the thought of facing up to him, knowing who he was this time, but the rest of her wanted to hate him, to blame her for all the bad things in her life at the moment. Glancing at the empty sofa that belonged to her beloved dog, she nodded in resolution. She would not be flattered by his humour or his flirting.

Scott had beaten Jack easily, and that was a rarity. So as they sat in the golf club both drinking a latte, Scott looked at his friend suspiciously.

                “So, I ask you again, what’s bugging you mate?”

Jack toyed with his spoon in the foam of the milk, “tough weekend.”

                “So you hinted...”

                “Remember Tina?”

Scott grimaced, “fake tan and fake tits? You really do have bad taste!”

Jack laughed ironically, “not my greatest moment, I only dated her three times, but she...well she tried to sell some slightly embarrassing photos, and the descriptions to go with them!”

Scott didn’t see any humour in that, he’d been worried about Jack’s self destructive behaviour for too long, he seemed to be living up to the bad boy reputation the media had labelled him with, and the only place he’d been hot-headed or bad in the past was on the pitch, he was physical, that was part of his game.  “You really need to stop all that shit. You’re better than that, you’re better than her!”

Jack laughed, “I don’t feel that good. I ran over a dog on the way to sort that shit out...so all-in-all a lot to make me think about.” But he didn’t mention Erin Thomas; he quite liked her feisty texts, and didn’t want to share that with anyone.

Scott studied him for a moment, then nodded, glad that Jack was finally pulling himself together. It’d be nice to not wake up to him headlining in the tabloids. He had spent a few too many years creating crap headlines.

It was a lot later when a text reply arrived from the woman in question, “You must lead a sad life if taunting a stranger amounts to fun...each to their own I suppose. I will return the money, if you don’t collect it, then the rather clueless receptionist might benefit from your generosity?”

Jack laughed out loud, God this girl was good! It was so long since someone had stood up to him, life was full of accommodating people, he found her a challenge, and he never backed down from one of them.

Finally it was Friday. Erin had been busy all week, but finally things seemed to be making sense and she was starting to feel more at home, but as she left the clinic, the skip in her step wasn’t for that reason. Michelle was arriving in an hour, and they were all set for a fab girly weekend!

Pulling her cruddy car into the station, she sighed with relief to see an empty bay in the ten minute wait collection zone, and swung in to it. Then jumping out, Erin dashed for the concourse and was rewarded with the sight of the familiar head of copper ringlets bouncing towards her. Michelle had been her greatest friend for ten years, they’d met at a hairdresser salon when they were twenty one, and become firm friends since, and she was the only one who’d witnessed the real bad times of her marriage, the only one who knew the truth, and the only person she could truly be herself with.

Michelle threw herself into the taller woman’s arm, they were polar opposite, Michelle petite at five foot two, curvy and bubbly, Erin five ten, athletic, darker skin, dark hair, there was nothing about them the same, but they were like sisters.

                “Erin Thomas, I have MISSED you!”

Erin smiled, “Chelle, you have NO idea how much I’ve missed you!”

They linked arms dragging her small case behind her as they made for Erin’s car, “so I’ve been relegated to texts this week! WTF has been going on?”

In the safety of her car Erin sighed, “buckle your seat belt, you will NOT believe this week!”

Michelle sat the opposite end of the sofa to Erin, glasses filled with wine in their hands, “so let me get this straight...the man who barged you last Friday was Jack Reilly? He then ran over Barney, Barney’s ok but at your mother’s and now you’re having flirty texts from THE most well known man in British sport?”

Erin chuckled, “he’s a dick, it won’t go further than texting, but it’s a bit flattering when I’m struggling to fit in here, and I’m missing my best mate!”

Michelle chuckled, “and as a married woman I’m desperate for anyone’s gossip to light up my life!”

Erin widened her eyes, “like Dave isn’t one of the most romantic men in the world! Don’t give me that shit! And sorry to disappoint, but there is not and never will be anything more than cheeky texts between me and Jack. OK?”

Mouthing “I think she doth protest too much,” Michelle topped up their glasses.

It was hours later that they went to sleep, Michelle in Erin’s bed under protest, Erin on the surprisingly comfortable sofa.  As she was just about to close her eyes, Erin’s phone beeped, and glancing at her she felt the surge of adrenaline that always greeted seeing Jack’s name on the screen.

Rolling on to her back, she bit her lip as she pressed ‘read’.

                “So you’ve been quiet Ms Thomas, no snapping or feisty texting...hope that doesn’t affect my game tomorrow, I’ve been getting off on your anger in training...worked like a Trojan! Sleep well!”

There was so much insinuation and double entendre in that text that she couldn’t help but laugh out loud, literally. Resting the phone between her teeth she strived for the right response.

                “Sounds like you don’t get out much if a little humour does that to you. I’m wondering if the newspapers lie? As for sleeping...I’ll sleep well...can’t imagine the same for you!”

With a grin she pressed send, then rolled on her side and closed her eyes, “take that Jack Reilly!”

Punching his pillow, Jack was struggling to sleep, he felt wired, he often did the night before a game, but tonight he was worse than normal. His phone beeped, and he smiled, she’d replied!

Reading the message he gasped, the little minx! Then he laughed, she was starting to push ALL his buttons, maybe it was time to pin down Miss Erin Thomas and get to know her a little better!