Island girl

Everything explained

As Alison found herself approaching Harvey Maxwell's cottage that evening, her mind was still in turmoil over what she had read. She knew that Paul would be inside, she could see the light coming from the window through the blinds, and his car was parked as usual in the driveway.

She would have usually stopped and gone in for five or ten minutes, before going home to her Grandmother, Paul was probably expecting to see her. But how could she knock on his door and try to act like nothing had happened.. It was impossible

Yet if she avoided him, he would also know there was something wrong, and he would want to know what was going on. Part of her wanted to confront him, whilst the other part of her was scared of what she might find out to be the truth.

But then her conscience suddenly pricked her sharply

She had no doubt in her mind that Mickey would take great pleasure in spreading the newspaper story around where ever he could, and she realised she couldn't just let it go.

Whether the story was true or not, Alison decided that Paul had a right to know what was being said about him. She wanted to warn him, and let him know, about what Mickey had discovered, so he was prepared for whatever fallout that followed.

She felt she owed him that much at least.

So with her heart hammering in her chest, she climbed of her bike, and opened the garden gate, walking up the path knocking on the door.

Her mouth had suddenly gone very dry at the thought if facing him to reveal what she had learned, wondering how he would react.

A moment or so later, Paul came to the door, seeing her standing there, he immediately smiled, and then ushered her in, totally unaware of the turmoil in her mind that she was going through

"Hey, I am glad you called in, I just manage to successfully light the fire all by myself earlier," he boasted proudly, "I think I am getting the hang of this rural living at last" he grinned

Alison forced herself to smile, finding she was trembling slightly with nervous tension, still not sure how she was going to tell him, or even if she could tell him.

Watching him now, he seemed so upbeat and happy, so different from the man she had encountered when he first came. She still found it hard to believe what she had just read in that newspaper as she stood here before him, feeling sure it had to be some sort of a mistake.

Then doubts crept in, as she found herself asking how well could she really know him after a few weeks? And could she have been so wrong in her judgment of him?

Paul finally seem to notice her unease, the fact she was unusually quiet, and seem to have trouble looking him in the eye, caught his attention. His smile faded. to be replaced with a slight frown

"What's wrong?" he then enquired, making her quickly looked up to meet his blue eyes

"Is everything ok with your Grandmother?" he then enquired worriedly, aware she had been concerned again about her grandmothers health lately.

"Oh yes, she seems to be alright," Alison hurriedly assured him, then swallowed "It's not that "

"But there is something wrong?" Paul then pressed her warily, noticing the way she continued to shift uneasily.

"Yes, actually, there is," she finally replied, but her throat felt constricted, so she was unable to actually say anything, and feeling like she would choke on her words if she tried, she pulled out the newspaper from her coat, "This," she then informed him dully as she handed it to him.

Something in her demeanour had already made him uneasy, sending the warning bells of in his head, and as soon as she handed the paper, he didn't even have to give it more than a cursory glance before realising what it was all about.