Chapter 4
The
next few days were interminable. She considered telling Nikki of her plans but decided
against it. She didn’t want Nikki reading things into the situation that
weren’t there. They hadn’t had any contact for almost a week, except for the
few minutes in the visitor’s room and the desire to see Nikki was overwhelming
her. She made her way to one of the corridors that overlooked the garden. It
was a lovely day and if Nikki was anywhere it would be in her beloved garden.
Helen
looked out of the window just as Nikki came out of the potting shed. She moved
closer to the window until her forehead was pressed against the bars. Nikki
picked up a spade and started to dig revealing the muscles in her tanned arms
shown off by the white vest she was wearing. For what seemed an age but could
only have been a minute or two Helen stood watching her then she took in a long
shuddering breath. Nikki was…magnificent, was the only word she could think of.
Suddenly,
Nikki stopped digging and looked straight up at the window where Helen was
standing. Helen took an involuntary step backwards hoping Nikki hadn’t seen her
but when she saw the raised hand and beaming smile she knew she’d been spotted.
She turned away quickly, her heart thumping, and went back to her office.
She
gave herself time to calm down then went out into the garden where Nikki was
still digging.
“Hi,
Helen.”
“Hello,
Nikki. I thought you might be here. I was looking for you.”
Nikki
smiled. “Yeah, I saw you.”
“I
thought I’d check to see if you were here before I wasted time coming down.”
Helen groaned inwardly. Did excuses come any lamer than that?
“So
you weren’t just checking out my muscles then,” she mocked as she raised her
right arm and flexed her muscles. The action made her vest pull tight over her
full breasts and Helen’s eyes were drawn inexplicably downwards. “Or anything
else that takes your fancy.” Nikki said almost inaudibly.
Helen
blushed as she forced her eyes back to Nikki’s face.
Nikki
stuck the spade in the ground and joined Helen on the path. “Why don’t you just
give in, Helen? You know you want to. Come and see me tonight before lock up.
I’ll get rid of Barbara.”
Helen
shook her head. “I can’t, I’m going away for the weekend.”
“Going
away?” Nikki echoed. “Who with?”
“I’m
going alone to stay with a friend.”
“Male
or female?” Nikki persisted.
“Female.
Not that it’s any of your business, “ Helen replied indignantly.
“Is
she gay?”
Helen
stifled a smile. “No, she’s not.”
“Thank
god for that.”
“At
least I don’t think she is,” Helen continued. “I suppose I’ll find out tonight
or maybe tomorrow night though.” She
was enjoying this. Let’s see how Nikki likes being wound up, she thought
mischievously. However, she looked at Nikki’s downcast face and did not have
the heart to carry on with the charade. “Oh, Nikki, I’m sorry,” she laughed
softly. “I’m going to stay with your mother. She’s invited me down for the
weekend.”
Nikki’s
face broke into a huge grin. “I suppose I asked for that.”
“Nikki,
I do have a life outside of here you know.”
“I
know you do, but my mother?” She raised her eyebrows. “Why the invite?”
“She
wants to talk about you.”
“Me?”
“Imagine
what it was like for her not seeing you for all those years.”
“Yes, I know better than anyone what it’s
like not seeing the one you love most.” Nikki’s eyes clouded over and Helen
knew she wasn’t referring to her mother.
“Nikki,
don’t please,” Helen begged.
“Do
you know what it’s like for me, Helen? Do you even care?” she asked bitterly.
“What have I got to offer you? Ten years of snatching brief moments together.”
“Whilst
we’re both at Larkhall, Nikki, that’s the way it has to be. It won’t do either
of us any good if I lose my job.”
“God
forbid I should come between you and your precious job!” Nikki hissed angrily.
“But
you do come between me and my precious job!” Helen snapped back, trying to keep
her voice low so the other women working nearby wouldn’t hear. “So much so that
I can’t do it properly for thinking about you and what happened between us.”
“Then
why don’t you do something about it?” Nikki persisted.
“For
Christ’s sake, Nikki! You know it’s against the regulations.”
“Sod
the regulations!” Nikki exploded. “They don’t stop anyone else!”
“Miss
Stewart! Miss Stewart!”
Helen
spun round. Linda her secretary was hurrying across the grounds. “I’ll just
deal with this, Nikki, and then I’ll come back. Wait for me,” she said over her
shoulder then set off to meet Linda halfway.
“Where’s
the fire, Linda?” Helen said pleasantly.
“There’s
a Mr Laine on the telephone for you, Helen,” she explained.
“Why
didn’t you tell him I’d ring him back?”
“He
said it was extremely urgent and he’d hold on until I found you.”
“Alright,
thanks, Linda.” She was fitter than her secretary and rushed off in front of her.
She closed her office door and picked up the receiver. “Helen Stewart. Sorry to
keep you waiting.”
“Helen,
it’s Phil Laine,” a cheerful voice greeted her.
“Phil,
how are you? How did you know I was here?” Helen was genuinely pleased to
receive his call. They had been at university together and she hadn’t seen him
since they’d graduated but through the grapevine she’d heard he was ‘something
big’ in the prison service.
“Fine
thanks, Helen. I’ve been following your career closely. Very impressed with what
I hear. How are things at Larkhall?”
“You
know, Phil, some days I’d like to lock the buggers up and throw away the keys
and that’s only the officers. I seem to spend half my time fighting with my
staff and the other half fighting with the inmates.”
“So,
if I dangled a very big carrot in front of you would you be interested?”
“How
big?”
“Head
of a new rehab unit for young offenders. You’d be given a free hand to run the
place as you want and all the backing you need. Can I tempt you? The job is
yours, you just have to say ‘yes’.”
Helen
sank slowly into her chair. “Tell me more.”