Chapter 18: Chapter 18

A week of absolute calm passed that I spent catching up on work and going on evening dates with Randall. We were growing immensely closer in such a short period but I loved it. He didn't rush anything with me just took his time and always asked me if I wanted to do something. He was an amazing guy but I always felt like something was missing no matter how hard I tried to convince myself otherwise. He was perfect in every sense of the word but I just didn't feel that spark with him and I knew I should just ignore my worry because he never raised one red flag so he was the perfect man to settle down with, it was the right and safe option to stay with him even Haley agreed. I may not feel the sparks but the thrill of being together was good enough and I couldn't spend the rest of my life going from man to man, I needed to settle down before I got too old.

"Your phone has been going off for the past five minutes," Lila annoyedly shoved my phone in my face,

"Huh?" I asked dumbly, taking the phone to see who was calling me, no surprise Gary was the culprit. What did he want? I was enjoying my morning off.

"Hello," I answered

"Hey, uh sorry to have to ruin your day off but we have a problem like getting the police involved problem," he said frantically, I heard yelling and screaming in the background

"What's going on there?" I asked him sitting up straighter

"Uh Sarah came for a little visit completely stoned and is trashing the placing, the security guy tried to stop her but she's got a knife pointing at him," he answered

"Shit," I cursed pinching the top of my nose with a sigh, "I'll be there in ten," I told him

"Alright you might wanna hurry though," he said and hung up

"Everything alright?" Lila asked looking at my stressed face, I looked at her blankly

"Did you move in here?" I asked out of the blue with a frown, it's been weeks since she began staying over and for some time it was fine but now I wanted to know why she was staying for so long, I didn't mind helping her out but it's been two months already.

"You're only asking me that now?" She raised a brow to which I just nodded, "I got vacated from my flat cause I couldn't pay any more and my dad didn't want anything to do with me," she sighed relaxing on the couch, and obviously since her mom was dead she couldn't go to her for help.

"You could've led with that to begin with, you know," I told her, squeezing her thigh in support.

"I know but I was just ashamed and I just got fired so I've been looking for work everywhere," she groaned, Lila was an accountant and used to work for a company nearby but I'm not sure what she did to get herself fired.

"How about this, you can stay here for as long as you need and I'll ask Haley to contact a few high friends of hers to see if they can get you a job," I offered

"Really?" She asked

"Of course," I said with a warm smile pulling her into a hug

"Thank you," she gently said with a relaxed sigh

"Anytime now I have to go sort out Sarah before she makes a bad name for the shop," I said, getting up to go change quickly, by the time I arrived twenty minutes had passed and I felt bad for taking so long.

When I entered the shop my mouth hung open, people had their phones out taking pictures and videos of the crazy woman making a ruckus while holding a butcher knife pointing at anyone that got too close. Sarah didn't look well, her eyes were bloodshot red, her clothes were tattered and smeared with dirt and her hair a wild mane. She didn't look anything like the girl I let go of. She was different and not in a good way, the moment she spotted me when I walked closer she laughed maniacally.

"You dare have the guts to show your face here," she angrily said walking slowly towards me with the knife,

"Take it easy Sarah I'm sure we can talk this out like adults, just put the knife down," I slowly said putting my hands up to show I'm unarmed

"Now you want to be nice, you backstabbing bitch. What kind of boss fires a woman who's pregnant huh?" She shouted, the people in the store turned their eyes towards me in shame like I was the villain now, not the crazy lady holding the knife.

"You know that's not true, you never told me you were pregnant," I said

"Stop lying you even hit me you cunt," she yelled rage fueling her every action

"You know I didn't mean any harm and if it looked like that then I apologize I was just trying to help you," I apologized

"Liar, you help no one but yourself," she spat, stopping when we stood mere inches apart, she pressed the knife against my chest not hard but enough to make a point.

"Just because you were the boss that didn't give you the right to treat me like a piss of shit," she angrily said, pressing the knife harder making me grunt as I tried not to move or agitate her.

"Sarah, what do you want?" I asked sincerely

"What do I want?" she mockingly asked," I want what you take advantage of every single day. I want a job, I want money but most importantly I want a home to raise my child in don't you understand that," she was crying by the end of her sentence.

"You know you can have all those things if you work hard enough and never give up," I said

"Now's not the time to give me an inspirational speech, we're past that as you can see," she said, spreading her arms wide gesturing to the mess she made.

"This can all be forgotten if you put the knife down and come have a chat with me," I offered

"Forgotten? Are you insane I'm going viral so let's give them a show," She deviously smiled lunging for me with the knife aimed at my skull. She didn't move fast enough as I stepped out of the way and extended my foot tripping her, she fell flat on her head quite hard-knocking herself out.

"Shit," I cursed, not meaning for that to happen, I got low to kick the knife away and check if she hurt herself badly. Luckily she just knocked herself out,

"Shows over the cops and ambulance are on their way," Gary shooed everyone away, "We do apologize for the inconvenience but the store will be closed until further notice but feel free to order online on our website," he loudly spoke making sure everybody heard him. Once the crowd dispersed and people left and those who quickly bought some things left the staff began cleaning up and Gary came to help turn Sarah so that she was on her back.

"You alright?" He asked me noticing my silence and odd look

"Ya I'm fine," I wasn't all right in the slightest. Quite frankly I was deeply shaken up but I didn't need the World to know that.

"It's alright if you're not we're all a bit shaken up so if you need to talk to someone just know I'm here," I said

"I said I'm fucking fine," I snapped angrily

"Sorry," Gary apologized and there was an awkward silence between us for a couple of seconds before I sighed and spoke first.

"Sorry for snapping at you," I apologized to him

"No need I get it, I tend to bring out the worst in people," he shrugged his shoulders with a light chuckle

"True," I agreed with a small smile, we waited a couple of more minutes before the cops and ambulance arrived. No surprise Lila's cop friend showed up, I nearly wanted to strangle him.

"Hey Haley," he greeted me with a friendly smile

"Come any closer and I'll bite you," I threatened to narrow my eyes at him

"Uh alright," he awkwardly said with a confused look but kept his distance, "Listen, Haley, I hope there are no hard feelings about the other night sorry if I scared you guys," he apologized, the guy was a young-looking guy with dirty blond hair, piercing blue eyes, pale complexion and broad built that would make any girl stop dead in her tracks.

"Harley," I corrected

"What?" He asked confused

"My name's Harley, Haley is my twin sister," I told him, he looked quite embarrassed to get my name wrong but he played it off coolly with a clear throat.

"Right sorry about that, kinda hard to tell you part when you look identical," he lamely chuckled

"Are you going to take my statement or stand there all day looking like an idiot," I asked with a raised brow

"Sorry, what happened?" He asked and so I told him everything while the ambulance checked Sarah and the baby.

"Just know none of this is your fault," he gently said

"Tell me something I don't know," I answered

"Well you're a bit of a bitch I must say," his forwardness surprised me enough to have some respect for having the guts to say that to my face.

"Damn straight I am, now are you going to tell me your name or do I have to keep calling you sir like you're my teacher," I said crossing my hands over my chest

"And very forward it seems," he chuckled," But my name's Adam Carter at your service," he said, extending his hand for a shake. I shook his hand that held mine firmly and practically covered my tiny hand.

"Harley Glenn as you already know," I said more relaxed now

"Pleasure to meet you," he said with a charming smile

"Likewise," I said with a tight-lipped smile

"So I'll let you be you have a lot to clean up," he said motioning to the mess on the floor

"Don't remind me," I groaned throwing my head back to stare at the sky

"I'm sure you'll do fine just take it easy," he smiled waving bye walking out the door, the paramedics took Sarah in the ambulance to do more tests in the hospital so the store was quiet once more.

"Who was the hunk?" One of my female coworkers asked

"Just an acquaintance," I answered catching her drift

"Is he single?" She asked hopefully

"Linda how the hell am I supposed to know that, go rob a bank and ask him that," I laughed at her eagerness to want the guy.

"I might just do that," she joked," To have his babies would be a blessing," she fanned herself

"I know right he's like a younger Chris Hemsworth," another female coworker fawn over Adam

"Keep it in your pants, ladies we have work to do," I told them hoping they would stop talking about Adam like he was a snack.

"How can I work when all my mind is thinking is him pressing me against the wall," Linda sighed dreamily making me sigh in annoyance.

"Tell me about it and those muscles are yummy," Amelia groaned, making me gag.

"Enough about the officer," I cut them off and they listened heading back to work. It didn't take us long to help clean the aisle up and put everything back where it belonged when everything was back in place and the only problem was the giant hole in the sliding door. We put a poster over it and I called a guy to come to check it out for the next morning.

"Thanks, guys for today enjoy the rest of your evening," I told my staff who were heading home,

"You too," Gary said waving at me, I waved back and locked the store. On my way home I gave James a quick update call

"Hey," he answered

"Hey yourself how are you?" I asked

"Apart from having no balls I'm very dandy thank you," he sounded really happy,

"That's good to hear, how's Garcia?" Garcia was his wife who was such a nice old lady.

"Oh she's fine, she's knitting right next to me, old people and their habits," he said, I heard a smack over the phone assuming she hit him for making fun of her.

"Tell her I say hi," I said

"She says hi back, now what's with the call every time I hear from you it's always bad news it makes me afraid to answer your calls," he joked

"Haha ya that's me opposite of Santa, Sarah had an episode at the store, trashed some things and threatened a few people with a knife including myself and that's not even the cherry on top did you know she's pregnant?" I filled him in.

"Wow I did not," he said in shock," That poor girl," he sighed

"Poor girl? She tried to kill me today," I said in disbelief

"Well you have to understand what she's going through, she's in a tough situation with no one to help so of course, she's going to lash out at you for firing her," he said

"I know and of course I feel terrible for her but she's digging her own grave by continuing to do drugs it's not like I forced her to," I said

"I know but have a heart, extend a helping hand by taking her in for a little while," he suggested

"I would love to but I already have someone staying with me until she gets on her own feet, I can't turn my place into a homeless shelter because it's too small for three people," I answered

"I see I would offer to help but we're not even in the country," she sadly said

"Don't worry I'll figure something out," I said remembering Cole's empty house but that was going to be a very difficult conversation.

"Alright, don't strain yourself too much ok," he said

"I won't, enjoy your vacation," I said

"Thank you we will," he said and hung up, I sighed and tried to focus on the road even though my head was killing me.

When I got home I sighed in joy jumping on my bed in a star position,

"Hello to you too, "Lila came into the room

"I'm so tired," I groaned into the covers

"So then you need some good news then?" Lila asked

"Please yes," I said

"Michi's in questioning after being discovered with Veronica's phone and when they followed all the little clues we left they found a piece of clothing with some DNA belonging to her in the forest and get this a pile of ash in the same area," she gasped fakely

"Wow that worked," I said in awe

"Told you I'm a genius," she smiled proudly

"Mhm well done you," I praised her

"Why thank you peasant now make me some food I'm hungry," she ordered making me narrow my eyes at her

"Kidding I made dinner already," she quickly said, I raised an eyebrow, "Yes I can cook I'm just lazy," she defended herself

"What did you make?" I asked

"I made spaghetti bolognese your favourite," she proudly said

"Oh thank you," I said happily, already hearing my stomach growling. I removed my shoes and took some painkillers before rushing to the kitchen to get a plate of my favourite dish that just smelled so divine. These simple moments of life I truly enjoyed where I didn't have to worry about work or the girl I burned, just watching tv with my friend and forgetting our worries for one night not realising a big storm was heading our way.