The Lost One (Lost Series Book 1) (28 page)

“Did you know she work
s here?” I hiss at her, clearly not pleased. Mum is looking confused with the way I just spoke to Rachel. I’m rather annoyed at her. She could have warned me and I wouldn’t have come to this store. I could have done without the dress.

“Sorry, I don’t usually talk to her about her job, so I didn’t even know what shop it was.” She shrugs, looking truly sorry. I don’t blame her. Who would want to talk to a
sister who is a downright bitch?

“Can I help you ladies?” I hear the disdain in her tone. Turning around to face her, I see she is equally as shocked to see me as I was to see her.

Suck it up, Melodi. You’re the bigger person here.

“Yes, I would like to try on the dress in the window, please,” I ask as politely as I can manage; although, it’s a strain speaking kindly to this bitch.

She smiles, but it’s fake and never meets her eyes. “Sure, if you would like to look around and I will put the dress in the change room for when you’re ready.” She walks away before I manage to say anything else, not that I would want to say thanks to her. She doesn’t deserve kindness.

“What’s going on, you pair?” Mum asks, noticing the tension between us.

Rachel answers her, “That shop assistant is my mole of a sister.” Mum’s hand goes to her mouth in shock at what Rachel just called Athena, her sister. She would grill Abby and me if we spoke to each other like that.

“Don’t speak like that about your sister,” Mum says to her, still rather shocked.

“No, Mum, this girl is one class A bitch. She searched me on the internet and, of course, the whole Abby thing came up. She tried to throw something between Corban and me. Little did she know I had already told him about Abby.”

“Oh, dear…” was all Mum managed. She doesn’t like speaking unkindly toward people.

I don’t hear Athena come up behind us until I hear her say, “The dress is in the change room at the end. Ah…would you like me to take these bags and place them in there so you can shop without hassle?” Clearly, shock is all over my face.
Is she being nice?

“Sure thanks, Athena. That would be great.” I smile at her.

Why is she being nice? Has she finally realised being a bitch gets you nowhere?

She takes my bags and walks away. She is all legs and boobs; I’m guessing fake.

I find some tops and skirts to try on as well. I quickly check my watch, realising I have to be at the doctor’s in the next hour. So I go to the rooms and try on all the outfits. I love them all, especially the dress. It hugs my body perfectly. It has a square neckline, short sleeves, and sits at the right length just above my knees.

I gather everything together and dig for my purse. I take all my bags and clothing items to the desk where Athena is waiting with what looks like an even eviler smile on her face. Something about her just doesn’t feel right. I’ve always had a kind of sixth sense about people, and if I don’t get a good feeling from them, then I don’t want anything to do with them.

Athena is one of those people. She sets my stomach off in uncomfortable knots. The kind you can’t undo.

“Just these please,” I say as nicely as possible, handing over the items.

She runs them through and a smug look crosses her face. “That will be nine hundred dollars, please.” I don’t blink at the price as I know I have plenty.

I hand over my card smiling at her.
“Just on card, thanks.” I match her smug smile with my own. Inside me, I’m doing a little dance with glee that I can rub this is her face.
Take that, you smug bitch.
It approves my payment a second later and the smile is wiped from her face.

“Thanks,
Athena, was good seeing you again.” I take my bags and leave without a glance back.

Stepping on to the curb, I look to Rachel who is grinning with glee. “You rubbed her the wrong way,” she says and I laugh.

“Yeah. Oh, man, she seriously hates me, hey?”

“Girls, don’t be mean,” Mum says, always trying to look for the nice things. She continues, “She is a very pretty girl.” I’m sure Mum nearly chokes on those words. I also start coughing at those words. Yes, she is pretty, but I’m not about to announce it.

“All right, girls, I need to get to the doctor’s,” I announce and we walk off in the direction of the doctor’s office close to the shopping strip.

Rachel calls Jonas to come collect our bags, which are really weighing us down. Mum and Rachel opt to wait in the car since I’m the last client for the day and the surgery isn’t busy. I could have gone to a family planning centre, but this is closer to what we were doing. I sit and wait, thinking how stupid I’ve been. I started my periods today, which is a good sign. Let’s get this contraception stuff sorted.

I hear my name called and I follow the nurse to the room at the end of the hall. I walk in and there is an elderly lady sitting at the desk finishing off her notes from the previous client.

“Hello, dear, please take a seat.” She gestures toward the seat in front of her desk. I take a seat and she proceeds. “How can I help you?”

“Well, I’m looking to go on the pill,” I say and she types away. My chest is vibrating from my pounding heart.

“Have you had unprotected intercourse recently?” My mouth dries at her question.

“Yep, I have,” I answer nervously. My hands intertwine in my lap.

Tap, tap,
tap on the keyboard she goes, and then turns around to the cupboard and pulls out a pee jar.
Oh, crap…

“Please fill this and we will run a test to be on the safe side.” I take the jar and she gives me instructions on where the bathrooms are. As I sit and pee, I silently pray it’s negative. Walking back to the room, my stomach is a bundle of nerves I’m unable to control. I’m not ready for this.

She takes the jar and places a test into it and we wait for a few minutes. I sit and wait. It feels like forever before she finally speaks again.

“Well,
it’s negative dear, but I would like to wait until your next period before I give you a pill, just in case you ovulate late. Some women are like that and they fall pregnant closer to the start of their next period. When did you first have intercourse?”

“About two weeks ago.” She nods silently, thinking things over.

“Yes, just to be on the safe side, come back in a month and we will run another test. If it is also negative, then I will issue you the pill, but in the meantime, use other means of contraception.” She turns back to a different cupboard and hands me a box of condoms. I nearly die. I can just imagine this conversation with Corban.
Corban, you need to put this on.
I think I will just curl up and die. Plus, I didn’t bring my handbag in with me, double die.

“Here you go. Just use these and remember to come back in one month. Do you have any questions?” She smiles at me.

I shake my head, unable to speak.

“All right, we will see you in a month.”

“Thank you,” I whisper. I don’t know if she heard me at all.

I take my box of condoms, trying to hide them while I walk out to the car park. I hope Jonas doesn’t see. I quickly open the door and jump in before he can get out of his seat and help me.

I let out a huge breath.

“How did you go?” Mum and Rachel say in unison. I glace up meeting their eyes. They look excited.

“She couldn’t, well, wouldn’t give me the pill. Something about me ovulating late and that we should run a test in a month’s time. So I have to use these.” I pull the box out from under my leg. They burst out laughing. I can’t help but join in. “Shut up, you pair.”

“Oh, honey, I should have had the contraception talk with you, but I thought the whole
Abby thing was enough to turn you off boys because you never brought one home or ever mentioned one until you met Corban.” She rubs my arm in support. “It’s okay, honey. Everything will be fine and if you’re anything like me, it might take you a while to fall pregnant when the time is right.”

“What do you mean, Mum?” I ask confused.

“It’s took your father and I years before you girls came along. We always thought there was something wrong with one of us and we both got tested and all was clear. We just had to be patient. The day we found out we were expecting twins was the happiest in our life, aside from the day we got married. So don’t worry, dear.” I feel as though a huge weight has just been lifted from my chest and I’m able to breathe again.

Hearing Mum speak those words are a comfort to me. I can only hope nothing happens.

“All right, let’s forget about this and go have a good night. I wonder what the boys are up to?”

After calling the boys, we decide to head back to my place and wait there for them. I dig around for my keys, but can’t find them. I must have left them at
Corban’s. I ring Flick and ask her to bring over the key she has.

She meets us downstairs. She worked today, which sucked. She gave me a huge hug when I got out of the car.

“Thanks for bringing the key around, I think I left mine at work or something.”

“No problem, it gives me the chance to hang with you and your mum.” She turns to Mum, beaming excitedly.

Flick cuts me off. “Hey, Momma,” she announces. I can’t help but laugh at her.

“Hello, Flick,” Mum says, pulling her into a hug. “Thank you for taking care of my
Melodi.”

“No problem, always happy to look out for this gorgeous girl.”

“Come on, you pair, let’s not get sentimental here,” I laugh.

We collect our hoard of bags and cart them up stairs. Jonas takes a heap as well. I can’t believe I bought so much. I hope
Corban doesn’t mind. Meh, who cares what he thinks. He gave me the money to spend and that’s just want I did.

We walk in the door and quickly relieve ourselves of the bags. I thank Jonas for his help and he tells me he is off to get the boys. We are surely keeping him busy this week.

Out of the corner of my eye, I see something on the kitchen bench. Taking a closer look there’s twelve bright red roses and in the dead centre of the bouquet there is one black half dead one.
Who are they from? Corban?

“Aren’t they pretty, well, apart from that one.
Who are they from?” Rachel asks, searching the bouquet for the card, but there isn’t one. Corban would leave a note. I’m one hundred percent sure.

“I don’t know. I think the question is how did they get them into my house?” Why would he give me a black, half dead rose amongst the beautiful ones?

“Perhaps Corban has your key?” Mum says.

“Yeah, maybe, he did drive my car home yesterday.” I feel uneasy about these flowers. I’m positive Jacob has something to do with these. I need to message Blake and see what he has come up with.

“Who wants a drink?” asks Flick, pulling me from my fearful thoughts back to the present. She has cracked open a wine and started pouring.

I quickly push the flowers and what they mean aside and take a glass. I want to enjoy my night with my family and friends.

All
us girls are sitting around chatting when a group of drunk and disorderly men walk in. Even Liam was with them. Where did he come from? He is in the same state as the rest of them. They can hardly walk in a straight line.

“What the hell happened to you lot?” I ask, laughing at the scene before me.

Dad, with his arms around Corban and Axel, is speaking, no, yelling at the top of his voice how much he loves these boys and how they are like his own sons. It’s very touching he feels this way about them after only just meeting them. He is drunk, though.

“We did a daylight pub crawl,”
Corban announces, but not as loud as Dad. He wiggles his eyebrows at me.

Oh, looks like we won’t be going anywhere tonight. I never thought my dad would do something like getting totally plastered. It’s quite a sight. I decide to make a large shepherd’s pie with the help of Mum. We have salad and homemade garlic bread to go along with it. We all lounge around in the living room, eat, and chat about our day.
Corban watches me closely. I can constantly feel his eyes on me. It’s like a laser burning into my skin. I’m sure he has spotted the roses on the bench, and knowing they aren’t from him, it’s worrying him.

At about ten, Jonas comes to get everyone. I give Mum and Dad a kiss goodbye and give hugs to everyone else. When the last person walks out the door, it’s pure silence. You could hear a pin drop.

Walking back to the living room, I decide to grab another wine as I know this conversation is going to need it. I also get another beer for Corban who has been sitting silently all night. He didn’t even sit near me, hold my hand, or anything. It made me feel alone again even though I was surrounded by people. I go sit beside him, take a sip of my drink, and glance up at him. He is watching me like he has all night.

“
Melodi, please tell me what’s going on?” he pleads. I know I have let him down by not telling him. A sense the feeling of failure set in.

Taking a deep breath, I quickly say, “You can’t be mad or do anything stupid as I’ve already involved someone who can handle it.” My voice is shaky and uneven.