Masked Heart

Chapter Twenty Four

Bret had headed over to his mom and dad's with Eva for a couple of hours to give Rain a bit of a break. He'd noticed her looking a little weary again and was concerned for her. She didn't argue as the thought of a long hot soak and maybe reading a good book were very appealing. But as she climbed out of the bath her phone rang. Wrapping her bathrobe round her she answered.

"Hello?"

"Rain it's Joe. Just thought I'd call and see how things are with you."

"Oh hi Joe. Good, yes thank you."

"You ok to talk?" he asked.

"Of course. Bret and Eva have gone to see his parents and I'm just having a bit of alone time, but no it's fine. How are things?"

"They're ok." He talked a bit about how he was doing and then listened while she told him about Eva, but then, as she expected he started to talk about work. "It's not the same without you here you know? I always felt you listened and tried to make my matches the best they could be, even if I wasn't set to win your stories made me strong. No one here listens to me. I am treated as the rookie boy who knows nothing." She heard the bitterness in his tone and sighed.

"Well you know I can't do anything, Joe. Bret would kill me if I started working again before I'm officially back."

"I thought he was not controlling?" Joe said, a little sharply. Rain switched the phone to her other ear.

"He isn't controlling, Joe. He's just looking out for me."

"Sounds to me like he's telling you what you can and can't do, Rain. I'd have thought you were done with all that kind of thing. If you were with me I'd respect you to make your own choices."

"Joe it isn't like that..."

"I remember when you were with Marc you used to get this look on your face when he walked into the room. It was like you knew he was going to hurt you and you'd almost fold in on yourself. I hated seeing you like that."

"Bret isn't Marc," she said, firmly. She heard Joe sigh over the phone and when he spoke again his voice sounded slurred and she realised he was drunk. It must be evening wherever he was; she wasn't completely sure of where the tour was at the moment.

"You know that I've always loved you, Rainbow. But you always go for the men who like to be in charge, the dominant men who don't let you breathe. Bret is just as bad as Marc you know? I saw him grab you that time; I've heard him tell you what to do. He watches you all the time, like you're his possession or something. He is not good enough for you, Rain. Not good enough."

Rain sighed and shook her head.

"Joe, I love Bret and he loves me. He is nothing like Marc. He has never hurt me and he never would. Please, you just have to accept that nothing will ever happen between you and me. You're my friend and that's all it can ever be."

There was silence for a moment and then she heard a noise like a sob, which made her feel guilty.

"I just... I cannot help the way I feel, Rain. And I know what I see with Bret. Trust me when I say it is only a matter of time before he loses that infamous temper with you and then you'll wish you had listened to me."

"Joe you need to go and sober up," she said and then she ended the call, ignoring it when her phone rang again. For the next hour she had text after text from him, repeating what he'd said over the phone and by the time Bret came in she was more worked up and tired than she'd been when he left her.

Bret took one look at Rain's face as he came in and settled Eva on her playmat in the nursery, then made his wife a strong coffee. Rain looked up from where she had sat down with Eva on the floor and smiled. He looked at her anxiously and then impulsively placed the back of his hand on her forehead. She laughed softly.