final love - dani and jamie

chapter one

jamie's pov
rain and wind thundered against my thin window, as i sat peacefully in my flat above the pub - usually it was packed but today with the rain and all that it was unusually quiet. at the moment i would pretty much make any excuse not to go into work and today was the perfect day. the plants wouldn't need watering with all this rain and i could just make up some excuse that theres a flood on one of the roads and i couldn't drive in. its not like hannah and owen would come and check on me, and anyway, my job at the moment was pretty mudane and the pair knew i hated it; so this is how i would waste my day away, sat infront of my small fire, keeping warm from the dying embers that i had tried (and failed to) revive. alone with my book.
with the fire crackling next to me i could feel my head getting heavy and my eye lids slowly drooping every now and then...maybe i could sleep, just for a little bit...i was quite tired...i let my body float into a dreary slumber as i slept through the rain and thunder billowing around outside.

i think it started when they died. lord and lady wingrave tragically passed away a year ago and ever since then i hadn't felt myself. the couple had given me a second chance when no one else had and since then i'd see them as family...so their passing...well it was like loosing two family members. as well as the lord and lady, their two children flora and miles had only been young. i know what its like to loose a parent, all the joy is sucked out of your for months and if not months then years. by visiting the house you could see this had happened to the two small children, their laughter and smiles no longer filled the house yet the cries and sobs did. the whole house felt wrong. miserable and trapped as if we couldnt escape. constantly things around us reminding us that they were gone. that they weren't coming back. as the weeks had turned into months and months into a year i had hated going their every single day. every day i was there it felt wrong. like i shouldnt be. like this wasnt my home anymore (not that i had ever lived there properly but they treated me like family, so to me it became home). this was a place of mourning where i felt like i didn't have the right to be. they weren't my parents, they were the childrens and everytime i went back i remembered that they were suffering more; a lot more. however, i still went every day to check up on the plants, and if i saw the kids, i'd smile and wave and be merry whilst inside i was mourning for them. occasionally i'd run into hannah or owen and again i'd be polite, but i never stuck around for long. i knew they were staying for the children though, because, if they left...the kids wouldn't...they wouldn't have anyone. and with hannah and owen being good people they stayed. they had each other and ever so often you would catch a smile or laugh from one of the kids reminding them why they stayed

***

wrenching my eyes open, i could hear the phone ringing loudly behind me awaking me from my slumber and disturbing my peacefullness. yawning and grumbling, i emerged from my blanket cave and made my way drearily over to the reciever.

"hello" i croaked out - god my morning voice always sounded like i had been licking sandpaper, wait was it even morning? what time was it?! quickly glancing up i peered at the tiny clock next to the sofa reading roughly four thirty...why was anyone calling me at four thrity in the afternoon? it wasnt like anyone was seeing me and if anyone had needed me today they wouldve called this morning!

i listened quietly to the phone adjust to the call with the crackles and breaks in the line before i heard owens voice through the phone
"jamie is that you"

"yes owen its me. its my house you've called and no one else is ever here are they?" (even after everything i still had my sarcstic wit)

"well no i suppse not"

"uh well how are you?" owen didn't usually call anyone (especially me) unless it was an emergency and even then he tried to avoid small talk and just get to the point. after the call about his mums death, he'd never been the same over the phone, always keeping conversation short and words brief. never the less, in person he was always cracking jokes and making people smile. brightening up any kitchen he was in and bringing light into any room which was blessed with his presence...but this had all halted after last year. he still had a grin on his face for the kids, but he dialled it all down a knotch, knowing the kids wouldn't be up for. thinking about it though, maybe it would've been better if he did carry on his jokes and puns, just to give flora and miles a sense of normality and comfort, but it was too late for that now. the laughter had gone as quickly as they had and i had little hope its coming back anytime soon.
after a few seconds of silence i heard his voice again.

"i'm all good thanks love! all goods here but i was actually just going to ask you a favour..."

"i dont like where this is going mate i-"

"no no nothing bad, not a bad favour just i need someone to go and get somebody from london today?..."

"you what?"

"i was wondering if you would be able to go and get someone for me - they're in london"

"i bloody know where they are but why me?" i said shocked

"me and hannah are with the kids!! anyway the road up to bly is flooded and i cant get out but someobody needs to go and get her!"
phew, thank god...the road to bly was actually flooded, no need to feel bad about coming into work today but anyway...

"owen who are we exactly talking about here? youre not just sending me out to get somebody who could murder me in the car ride back are you?"

i couldnt think of anyone else who really knew hannah and owen, let alone flora and miles. the wingraves rarely had people over anyway so it couldnt be a friend?...could it? and london!! that was at least a two hour drive so a four hour drive both ways!! why dont they just get a cab!!

"well jamie i think we forgot to tell you but we've actually hired a new nanny for flora and miles. to tutor them as well and stuff like that'"

"a new nanny?" i mean hannah and owen where busy and the kids probably did need some form of education, so this probably wasn't the worst thing...? "fine ill do it. ill leave in a minute." i said rolling my eyes.

"lifesaver jamie!! bloody lifesaver!! oh and would it be okay if she stayed at your flat tonight?"

"cmon owennn!! ugh you owe me mate."

"lifesaver jamie i mean it!! oh and by the way her names daniel clayton i think. just so you know you're collecting the right person but knowing you and your memory though you'll have forgotten by the time you get there!"

"haha owen very funny. i'll see you tomorrow"

"okay. bye mate"

dani clayton...unusual name i thought before grabbing my keys and heading out the door.