THE WIDOWER.

CHAPTER 17

Nora woke up with a pounding headache the same nightmares haunting her. She found Quincy watching her as he lay at the foot of the bed. She threw the covers off herself and went to the kitchen to find something for her racing heart and milk was what would work for now.
"When will they stop?" She asked no one in particular. Pouring herself a cold glass of milk, she sat on her kitchen counter and watched the grey sky turn orange as the sun rose in the sky. She had made up her mind to ask for a break from work and let Oyando deal with the case.
   There was something more pressing at the back of her mind. CJ was stuck on her mind like a broken record and she was not pleased with how she left things between them. He was different and her callous heart knew that he was a different kind of man than all she came across. He had his own scars that even made him more appealing. Nora was afraid of what that meant although some part of her wanted to know him more. CJ looked like the kind of men who wanted marriage and family but she did not want that. She was broken and healing has been a distant dream.
"Will you ever get married?" Lora asked her sister while they cooked.
"No! I don't want to." Nora confirmed . " I think you would make a beautiful bride." Lora said with a glee.
"I rather be an ugly one." Nora spoke with a frown .
Lora came closer to her sister and hugged her, "I know there are good men though we have grown up without a good father figure; I believe that one day we all going to get a happy ending just have a little faith sissy." She said with a sad voice.
Nora hugged her back knowing that her sister was hopeful whereas she was not as enthusiastic towards a happy ending.
Life was a sad journey and no guarantee of happiness.
"I am not as hopeful as you but maybe someday we will have a happy ending." Nora answered with a tiny smile.
"Things will work out for good trust me they will." Lora said with a glee.
Lora was the sweetest sister Nora ever had. She found joy and tranquility even in the silliest ideas but Lora was the most fragile human because after an incident that happened Lora was broken.
She could not take it and Nora made a decision to leave home and never go back. She hated her mother for allowing their step father break Lora. She had warned her severally only after that day did her mother take action but it was too late.
Lora was gone and Nora's bitterness increased to the point of threatening to kill her step father.
Her heart became ice and her love for family became ashes.
Nora wiped the single tear that had fallen.
"I miss you sis." She said watching Quincy walk in the kitchen and hop on the counter. She petted him hugging the feline that somehow understood her distress.
After a few tears she put food for the cat and went to take a long shower. It was not fair to treat CJ in such manner and therefore she wanted to apologise personally.
Wearing a black shirt with blue jeans and brown boots she left her hair messy and walked out of the house ready to face CJ before going to hand over the case to oyando.
"Wish me luck." She told Quincy
The cat purred licking his bowl clean. She started the engine ready to face him and she hoped that it was not too late.
His calm demeanor was something that Nora found attractive and she was going to lose her mind if she went on thinking about a man who looked like a distant dream. He looked out of her league and in her profession she knew when to chase and when to let go. If it was another kind of a man maybe it would have ended as a fling but CJ was not that type.
Some crazy parts of her wanted CJ to hate her and see her unsuitable most men did anyway.
She tried pushing Jade away the first years of their friendship but She was cut from the same cloth like CJ. Slowly she accepted her and became like family. Most of the days she longed that Jade could be Lora.
The last time she was home was when she was eighteen and since then she felt disconnected from her blood relation. A few years later after moving away from home she traced her biological father only to realise the man had remarried and started a new family and he had a daughter and a son.
Nora was angry and devastated, she wanted to confront him but refrained for it was no use. He seemed happy and contented while on the other side she was hurt,broken and lost. Her heart was hardened and she swore never to forgive him.
Driving through the gates, Nora parked her car and closed her eyes for composure. She walked to the front door and banged the door after ringing the bell.
The door opened to a CJ wearing an apron and full of flour.
"Is it a bad time?" Nora asked nervously with a tiny smile. She was happy to see him but she shut down those emotions.
"No! Come in." CJ said moving to the side ushering her in. She stepped quietly as a gleeful Olive came running and hugging her.
"Hey there Olive?" Nora signed after a few giggles.
" I am doing okay." Olive signed back .
CJ watched them with a smile.
"We were baking would you join us?" CJ offered as Olive handed her an Apron.
Nora could not resist the happiness that filled the room. She looked at the man she had been rude to passing her a bowl with a pleasant smile.
She wondered why did he not resent her or slam the door on her face. She expected him to show contempt or maybe tell her to go away but here he was smiling at her and helping her read the hand written recipe.
Olive sat on the kitchen stool stirring her ingredients.
Nora sighed and decided to go with the flow