Emmerdale : Bleeding Love (Ross Barton/OFC fanfic)

That Time When... Who's Jealous Of Who?

The next morning Emmerdale village woke up to a blanket of snow. Twelve days from now it would be Christmas Eve and the village was looking rather festive. Most of the villagers had decorated the bushes in their front gardens with lights and ornaments, and the giant tree that took pride of place in the centre of Main Street looked even more pretty with a light dusting of snow clinging to its needles. Fairy lights adorned the outside of The Woolpack, while inside a cosy, log fire crackled beside a lavishly decorated Christmas tree.

It had been Robert's idea to meet up with Mark again in the pub the next night. Chrissie wasn't sure why her fiancé wanted to spend any amount of time in the company of her sister's ex, but Robert insisted that the bloke was okay. The four of them were at a table beside the fire and while Robert and Mark talked business, Chrissie could sense there was something not right with her sister. Ollie looked like she wanted to be anywhere but here.

"I'm sorry," whispered Chrissie, leaning into her.

Ollie pulled her gaze away from the fire to look at her sister. "For what?"

"This." Chrissie tilted her head towards Mark and Robert who were now laughing at something or other. She rolled her eyes. It was ridiculous how well they were getting along. She couldn't remember them being this friendly when Ollie and Mark were dating.

"It's fine." Ollie dismissed it. She had more important things to worry about. "If they want to be friends there's nothing I can do about it."

"Hmm. There's a lot of it going around." The sisters shared a knowing smile, then Chrissie nudged her shoulder with her own. "Come on, tell me what's really wrong."

"Oh, there's just so much on my mind lately. Too much. Dad...Mark." The raid, she added to herself. "But mainly the estate. I think it might be time to decide what to do with it."

"You're still grieving, Ollie," Chrissie said sympathetically. "There's no rush."

Now Chrissie knew that Ollie had appointed Mark as Executor to her father's estate and, knowing how distraught she had been over her father's death, she understood that there was no way her sister could have managed the responsibility all on her own. Henry Stanford had been a very wealthy man, with properties and businesses all over London, so the decision to sell or maintain those assets, was one not to be made lightly. But Chrissie did feel that hiring Mark may not have been her wisest move, considering their history.

"Has Mark been pressuring you into making a decision?" she added as an afterthought.

Ollie shook her head. "Not at all." Mark was a lot of things, but when it came to handling her father's affairs she trusted him implicitly. Otherwise she wouldn't have asked him. He had a head for business and knew what he was doing. She was grateful, and always would be, that he had taken some of the pressure off her.

"Give yourself time and don't be swayed into doing anything hasty," Chrissie advised. "It's a huge estate and there's a lot to think about, you can't rush these things."

"I know, but it's been almost three months. I don't want to have to think about it, Chrissie, mainly because it makes everything seem all so final." She sighed, willing away the memories that were already lining up to be recognised. "But Dad is gone and he isn't coming back and I have to move forward. He left it all to me and although it's a huge responsibility, I owe it to him to do the right thing."

"I understand, but these things can often take months to resolve. You take all the time you need. I'm sure your father wouldn't want you rushing into anything."

"Mark said the same thing."

"Speaking of, has he given any indication when he's leaving?"

"Tomorrow."