Heal

[JosieTash]

Intriguing that nate went all VERY old school when he found out bout Amelie !!!!

this whole supermarket development near the bay is concrning !!!!

[ldscott]

Well Nate is a little old fashioned! Wasn't expecting that reaction.

Great chapter and can't wait to read more

Lisa x

[Laura2015]

Thanks for the comments and I think Lisa you're a newbie commenter so welcome.

Chapter Eight

Dani walked into the diner as she spotted Sasha who didn’t look happy. The girl was currently her student as she did some mentoring for the uni now she was a successful author. Sasha hadn’t made her mind up wither she wanted to go into journalism or into writing books so she had been placed with Dani who had experience of both.

“Hi, Sasha, what’s the matter?” she asked the young adult.

“I’ve just been informed that someone I really don’t like has moved back into the bay. No scrap that of someone I don’t like, more like hate. She nearly killed my brother and now she’s working for Amelie Cullen.”

“Oh who’s that?”

“Ruby Buckton has moved back into the area after serving only three years! She nearly killed my brother and she is back here. How dare she!” growled Sasha. Dani had never seen her so worked up before but she did understand the girl’s anger as she would feel the same.

“She has served her time, Sasha, and you need to learn to let go of what has happened in the past. I know that is hard but....”

Dani stopped herself. Of course she knew the history that she had killed her former boyfriend Stu in self deference.

“But what?”

“Let’s go down to the pier, shall we, this isn’t the place to talk about this,” Dani suggested.

“Why?”

“Because I don’t think it’s suitable for here. Come on let’s go.”

Sasha sighed but she followed Dani as they headed out of the diner and down the pier. They sat down at the end.

“I know your angry about Ruby coming back to the bay but she has only return because her new employer wanted to return home. Sasha, I know this hard but you’re going have to deal with it.”

“Deal with it? Why should I have to deal with it? She nearly killed my brother and she decides to return. She could have said no to the job,” Sasha explained anger laced in her voice.

No one could blame her for being angry but then again Sasha always had been like a volcano over things. It had cost her many relationships but it was understandable that she was angry by Ruby’s return.

“Maybe but what if she didn’t know Amelie wanted to move back to the Bay before she took the job?”

“Then she could have resigned!” snapped Sasha.

Dani sighed she didn’t need this today not when she was already stressed about an up-and-coming project. She had spoken to Jared that morning who had given her some fantastic news.

“Jobs aren’t easy to find, Sasha. You’re going have to deal with it and maybe you should speak to her first?” Dani suggested. She was good friends with Amelie and if her young charge had a problem with her staff it was going to be awkward and she didn’t it to be awkward.

“So I’m meant to forgive and forget?”

“Yes because sometimes holding things in isn’t going to make it right, it’s going to make it worse. You need to start to move on and being forgiving. Look I’m going now but I was coming to see if you have your assignment you want me to check?” asked Dani as Sasha nodded.

“It’s in my bag at the diner.”

Half an hour later Dani was in Yabbie Creek looking for a outfit for tonight. She had been surprised but delighted when Amelie had rung her that morning inviting her to dinner that evening. So here she was shopping. Hearing her mobile ping she retrieved the item from her bag and smiled when she saw the name on it; Kyle. After her talk with Denny she had sent him a text and he had rang her....

*FLASHBACK – THE NIGHT BEFORE*

“Kyle what do you want?” she asked him as she walked over to the window of her bedroom.

“You’re my girlfriend or am I missing something?”

“So we’re still together then? Not the impression I got a few days ago when you decided to nick back off to Melbourne.”

He sighed; “I’m only here for a month, Dani, and then I’m coming home. You know why I’ve come back, I rather I didn’t but I need to sort out something’s here and then I’ll be back.”

Dani sighed, she didn’t really believe him especially as he had sold the restaurant. “Like what? What’s so important or big that me and Courtney can’t come with you?”

“My mam doesn’t know about us, Dani, and right now I want that to stay that way. She’s...she’ll be the mother in law from hell.”

Dani laughed; “No more than Cheryl Braxton can be.”

“Yes that’s right but I’ll be back as soon as I can,” he told her. “I’ve got to go.”

“Okay bye.”

“Bye I love you.”

The line went dead before she could reply but little did she know Kyle was lying.

*END OF FLASHBACK*

*_*_*_*

The previous night conversation went around and around in Amelie’s head as she prepared her sons dinner. They were having cheese, pineapple and onion Panini’s for dinner and then they were going to go the park with Ruby. Tonight she was hosting a dinner party for Leah and Irene but had decided to invite Dani along, too, as she wanted to catch up with her.

“Mum how much longer?” Wyatt asked as he coloured in as Tristan sat nearby playing with his cars.

“Not long now so why don’t you go and wash up. Tristan, you go and wash your hands for lunch.”

“Okay,” Wyatt said running off and she was glad to see that Tristan copied as Ruby came walking in with Aurora. She had gone to change her nappy and bought the little girl back down, fast asleep after having a bottle.

“You okay?” Ruby asked her as she sat down at the breakfast bar. The kitchen had a large island in the centre and was done in a modern white and sliver.

“Yeah,” she replied as Ruby raised her eyebrow. “Okay no. Nate came around last night, he knows he’s Aurora’s father and he says he wants us to marry.”

“Wow a little bit old fashion, isn’t he?”

“Yes but then he told me the reason why and it is just making me so mad. He has been married before and I know there’s something bigger at play but he’s being so secretive.”

Normally she wouldn’t be so forward with an employee but she felt she had no choice, Ruby needed to know in order to do her job right and that was to protect her children. She loved the younger girl and thought she was great and had fitted right in.

“So you think he’s given you an ultimatum because of whatever he’s hiding?” Ruby questioned just as the boys came running back in.

“Yes but let’s not discuss this in front of the boys. You know the saying out of the mouth of babes.”

Ruby nodded and she did know the saying but she wondered why Nate would do that. When they had met at the hospital she liked him, he was friendly and his style reminded her much of Sid Walker’s bedside manner. So it troubled her as to why he would give Amelie an ultimatum. She was a bright girl and had a idea of what that had been but would Amelie actually go through with it?

“Okay, boys, at your table and your lunch will be with you in a moment,” Amelie told the boys as she took the Panini’s from the sandwich pressure and cut them into four parts.

She waited for a few moments for them to cool while she added some crisps to the side. Dessert would be a fruit salad before they went off to the park to leave Amelie to get ready for tonight. Handing the boys their dinner a short time later she watched as Ruby handed them their drinks before starting on her own.

“Can you watch the boys I need to make a call. I want to phone the agency and get them to advertise for a PA for me,” she told Ruby. She been thinking about it for a while and decided now would be the best time for that to happen as she would needed the extra help.

Ruby nodded as she walked out of the kitchen and to her office. It still wasn’t properly set up but she planned on doing that this weekend. Coming back to the Bay had been one of the best decision she had made but now she just needed to get the surf club back open and trading again.

Later that afternoon

Hearing a doorbell ringing Amelie walked through the house and opened the door to see just the man she wanted to see; Rocco Adamson. The two had met when she had been in Sydney and she had been thinking of him as potential head chef for the restaurant. Tonight she had decided and agreed with him was going to be his work trial and for her and her friends to taste his food.

“Rocco, come in. How was the drive down?” she asked him. Rocco still lived in Sydney with his wife and their two children but they both wanted to bring their children up in the countryside or beachside town.

“Great. How are you? This place is amazing,” he said with a mega white watt smile.

“Thanks, I’m great. The shopping arrived a short time ago and I’ve put it into the storeroom fridge and freezer.”

“Thank, well I’ll get started then.”

Amelie nodded before she headed back to the office where she had been responding to some e-mails and setting up more meetings with business personnel. Taking a sip of her drink she heard the familiar You’ve got mail and opened it up. Her mouth nearly dropped open when she saw the name on the e-mail. A name she was familiar with.

*_*_*_*

Looking at the picture in his hand, he felt anger building up inside of him. Why hadn’t he been told, why had no one told him? If he had known then maybe he could have stopped it from happening. It should have been him but it wasn’t.....

Some questions:

• What is Kyle hiding?
• Who is holding the picture?
• What was the name on the e-mail and will Amelie say yes to Nate's ultimatum?

[Inactive User]

Great chapters

I can understand Sasha's reaction to Ruby beginning back in Summer Bay. Liked how Dani talked to Sasha about it

Update soon please xx

Great chapters

I can understand Sasha's reaction to Ruby beginning back in Summer Bay. Liked how Dani talked to Sasha about it

Update soon please xx

[Guest]

Great chapter

^ I agree with Sarah's comment

Update again soon

[Red Ranger 1]

It'll be interesting to see if Sasha's attitude towards Ruby changes. Hope everything's okay between Dani and Kyle!

[Laura2015]

Came to drop this in and thanks for the reviews for last night chapter:

From Livilulu@TDA

[Laura2015]

Thanks for the comments.

Chapter Nine

Standing in the mirror of her large master bedroom Amelie felt the butterflies in her stomach as she thought about tonight. She was nervous about hosting her first dinner party and even more so in her not-completed house. Yes it was completed in a building sense but she had yet to unpack everything and needed to get that done but she had only been back in town less than a week. Looking down at her dress she wondered if it was too much but then again she had said glamorous and that was absolutely what her dress was.

Reaching for her glass of non-alcholic wine, she took a sip as she could smell the lamb being cooked by Rocco. She ordered his food and knew he would be an excellent addition to the restaurant. Cocking her head to one side her mind drifted back to the earlier e-mail. Her mind was battered and to be honest she wished she could cancel tonight but it would be good to see everyone again. She was excited to catch up with what has been happening in their lives. Checking her dress again she ran a hand through her hair and sighed. The dress was from when she was in the US, it was black with little caps sleeves.

Hearing the sound of the gate intercom blaring through the house, she pulled on her bracelet and headed out of the bedroom and downstairs. Quickly she sneaked her head around into the boys’ bedrooms and smiled when she saw they were still fast asleep. She loved being a mum and would do anything to keep them safe as they were her world. Reaching the entrance hall of her huge home she saw Lola opening the door and admitting Dani into the house. She looked gorgeous in a sweetheart cut, light yellow dress and her hair was pulled up into a ponytail.

“Hi, glad you could come earlier. How’s Courtney?” she asked her friend as she led her through the house and into the large kitchen/dining room.

“Yeah she’s good. Marilyn is looking after her. She’s thinking of opening a daycare centre.”

“That sounds like a good idea for the single mums. If she wants investment I’ll be happy to talk to her,” Amelie told her as she retrieved the wine from the fridge. She wouldn’t be drinking tonight as she was still breasting Aurora. “What would you like to drink white, red or rose wine? This is Rocco by the way.”

“White please. Rocco, your face looks familiar,” Dani said as she watched Amelie take a glass from the cupboard and they had this cute little cocker spaniel design going around them.

Rocco laughed; “I was on Masterchef last year, the first series of the professionals.”

“Ah so are you two friends?”

“You could say that,” Rocco replied.

The door bell went again and Amelie went off to welcome Leah and Irene to her home. She smiled as she opened the large wooden doors before admitting her friends. She wasn’t surprised in the least to see Leah was holding an arrangement of flowers and a bottle of champagne in her hand while Irene held a box.

“Come in,” she told them as she took their coats and handed them to Lola.

“This is for you, it’s so good to have you back in the bay,” Leah told her as she took the flowers and the bottle of wine.

“It feels good to be back but let’s go through to the kitchen. I’ve invited Dani to join us tonight,” she told them.

The three ladies walked through into the large kitchen as they were handed glasses of wine from the waitresses she had hired. With drinks in hands they walked through to the dining room where Amelie had arranged for canapés to be put out which were small prawn crackers, duck rolls and goat cheese with breadsticks and balsamic vinegar. She hoped she wasn’t going over the top but she wanted the girls to have a good time.

“What happened after you left the bay?” Leah asked as she took one of the prawn crackers.

“Rhys and I went to Michigan university as we planned but then I got pregnant with Wyatt. I stayed at uni doing my degree in business management while Rhys got a job. When I graduate we had the boys so decided to move to New York and my dad decided to put Rhys in charge of his new nightclub in Brooklyn. It enabled me to go to Columbia and do a dual business and journalism degree. When Rhys was....died I quit my job I was working at and decided to be a stay at home mum,” she told them.

“So how did you end up in London?”

Amelie raised her eyebrows at this because she couldn’t remember ever telling them she had been in London but then again she was a celebrity. Her parents were rich and famous so that automatically meant she was and she hadn’t exactly shunned the limelight as she attended high profile events. Taking a sip of her drink she wondered if Leah was getting at the fact that she had spoken to Nate but she wasn’t going to bring that up. It was such a sore subject, she had already agreed to meet up with him tomorrow.

“My dad sent me there to head up his restaurant chain,” she answered Leah’s question but she felt like she didn’t need to. She felt like she was being attacked but maybe she was imaging.

“Oh okay so why come back to....”

“Leah!” Dani cried obviously not happy with the way this was going.

“Leah, I invited you here tonight as a friend but why the millions of questions? I feel like I’m being attacked here,” she told her truthfully.

“Is Nate Aurora’s father?”

“That is none of your business, Leah. I asked you here for us to have a nice girly night together but all I’m seem to be getting is abuse. Are you jealous?”

“Jealous? Seriously I’m engaged to Zac so why would I be jealous?”

“I don’t know, Leah, but I think you should go,” Amelie told her. She wasn’t going to sit there and be grilled on something that had nothing to do with Leah.

Leah nodded and headed out of the door leaving the three remaining woman reeling. Why would she walk in and start asking a million questions. Amelie was so angry and she knew she would be having a word with Nate tomorrow. He was forcing her to marry her and he had gone and discussed their private business with other people. Did Leah know that he was forcing her to marry him against her will or the threat he had made? She wondered but right now she wanted to put it out of her mind and enjoy the evening with Irene and Dani. That was what happened.

Rocco made them a gorgeous starter of seared scallops before a main of steak, buttered new potatoes, asparagus and runner beans before a chocolate torte with homemade vanilla ice cream. It was a gorgeous meal and by the end of the night she was laughing and joking with them. It was like the scene with Leah had never happened but it was at the back of all of their minds.

*_*_*_*

Early the next morning Amelie walked into the diner where she was meeting Nate for coffee. The events of the previous night were going around in her head and she had a lot of questions for him. Today was also the first time he would be spending time with Aurora, the boys once again spending the day with Ruby. She knew she needed to start spending more time with them but she made sure she was there for breakfast and evening routines.

“Amelie,” she heard him say before she saw him sitting outside on the balcony.

“Hi I’ll just grab a coffee and then maybe we can go somewhere private?” she asked him. The surf club was nowhere for a baby to be and she hoped he understood that. It was very much a building site as she went about doing interior changes.

“Sure I know just the place,” he told her as she nodded.

Turning to Irene she made her drinks order as she heard Nate talking to Aurora who had just woken up. She would be due for a feed soon and had bought bottles as she thought that maybe Nate would like to feed her. The two headed out of the diner.

“Where do you want to go then?” Nate asked her as they walked along to the car park.

“I don’t know,” she told him honestly.

“We can go to back to yours. We need to talk and I want to spend time with my daughter,” he told her. “Actually there’s a park about five minutes walk away, they have a garden there and a pavilion where you can close the doors. We can talk there, it’s on mutual grounds.”

Amelie turned and looked at Nate. If she was being truthful he was gorgeous and he had the ability to send shivers up her spine. Their time together in London had been amazing, she had loved being with him but she had never introduced him to her sons. The time they had together in the British capital for her had been all about forgetting and escaping the memories that haunted her about Rhys.

“I know the one you’re on about. They must have developed since I left but that sounds good,” she told him.

“Why don’t I go back and get us a picnic or is it too early for that?”

“Yes way too early but let’s go.”

They walked out of the car park and into the direction of the park. They walked in silence not saying much but as they walked Amelie was trying to figure out what to say on the whole marriage thing. She could still feel the sexual chemistry between them but she needed to ignore it. The conversation they had the other night was still very much fresh in her mind.

“You not working today?” she asked Nate as they reached the park.

“Night shift and then two days off. I was thinking we could go up to Sydney then and buy you your engagement ring.”

She froze, oh geez he was still going on about getting engaged. A marriage of convince wasn’t something she was interested in but it seemed like Nate wasn’t going to drop the subject.

“This is a small town, how do you expect us to be able to explain that?”

“We say we fell in love when were in London but you decided to stay in Sydney to help with your father’s business...”

“And what about the explanation, that of me coming to the bay, with a three month old baby in tow?”

“You had to tie up loose ends in Sydney. I have only been back in the bay myself two weeks....”

Her head snapped up, really Nate? She thought, well he had certainly managed to keep that a secret hadn’t he?

[Red Ranger 1]

Woah, what has Nate got over Amelie? Looking forward to more.

[Guest]

Great chapter

Wonder what Nate has got over Amelie?

I look forward to more

Update again soon