Wanting His Girl

Chapter | 13

Friday morning had Emily struggling to get out of bed. She had managed to go for her usual run with Jack on Monday and thanks to cricket training on Tuesday and Thursday she was able to avoid having company. Wednesday she told him she was sick and to stay away. With everyone else at work and Carla busy with her parents who had come up from Busselton, the days went by much the same and if not for Sookie on the bed beside her, she would have been completely alone. She turned her phone off, didn't bother checking her emails and couldn't even be bothered getting the mail from the letterbox at the end of her driveway.

She knew she should be thankful to have all she did but losing the bakery had left more of a void than she ever expected. The box of her things still sat in the corner against the kitchen counters wall completely untouched and it was midafternoon by the time she decided to have a shower and try to freshen herself up. She had hardly eaten which didn't help how flat she felt and once dressed she took Sookie to sit outside, not wanting to be inside any longer.

She was nearly asleep when there was knocking on her door and reluctantly she got up to go and see who was there. Opening the door she didn't expect to see Dan who looked back at her sheepishly, a hot pink parcel in his hands. "Hi Emily. I hope you don't me coming round but Gemma gave me your address cause I wanna give you something"

"Not at all, come in" She forced a smile, sensing how on edge he was and as he saw Sookie who stood in the doorway with her hackles raised he hesitated coming in. "Don't mind her, that's Sookie"

"Ok" He stuck close to Emily as he passed the dog that after taking a few sniffs of him as he passed went to lay back in her bed under the air conditioning. "She is pretty fat"

"She's pregnant" Emily laughed, hoping Sookie wouldn't take offense to that statement. "Did you want a drink? I got coke, water, lemonade?"

"Coke would be good" He shrugged, trying to keep his image intact. Emily passed him a can of the soft drink and got one for herself, motioning for him to take a seat in the living area. "Nice place"

"Thanks. So what brings you around?" She was genuinely interested and hadn't gotten around to asking Gemma for his details to compliment his work in the alley. Just thinking about the bakery made the smile leave her face and Dan coughed nervously, thinking the change of mood was because of him.

"I made this for you" He handed her the pink parcel, wondering if she would like it. The last few weeks had been the best of his life and all because of instead of calling the police; she took a chance on him. He had been given a play to stay, was guaranteed three meals a day and not only was he able to do his art around the city but he was being given lessons on how to make it better.

"Really?" Her smile returned, touched that he would do something for a stranger. He looked around the room, focusing on the picture frames not wanting to watch her reaction in case she didn't like it.

"Oh Dan, this is amazing!" She gushed, feeling new tears forming as she discarded the wrapping. It was a simple black frame, nothing special but the sketching held within it was amazing. "There are no acts of kindess to small"

The quote was written into a wall and the male figure writing it was clearly Dan and the woman who stood beside him was her own face staring back at her like a photo would not a drawing. Like the alley way, her side was in color, seeping in over his black and white and she understood the meaning of it all.

The kid was talented.

"Do you like it?" He asked anxiously, fiddling with the top of the can.

"Dan, it's amazing!" Emily leant over giving him a hug and she frowned at how tense he was at the contact before getting up and giving it pride of place in the middle of her bookshelf. As she got up Sookie came over, looking to Dan for attention and seeing her ears and how skinny she actually was his nerves over whether or not she liked the picture were forgotten.