For The Love Of An Angel

ANGEL

“Sit yourself down.” Sarah was pointing at the stool next to me. “I’ll make you a cup of coffee.”

“Actually.” I dropped the can of polish on the counter, then reached down and grabbed my bag. “I was thinking of going.”

“Going where?” Sarah frowned at me.

I pointed towards the front of the house, and the front door. “Leaving.” I managed a small smile. “You’ve been amazing and I’m so grateful. But …” I shrugged. “I don’t belong here.”

“You will sit down and make yourself comfortable while I fix you a drink.” She cocked a brow. “Then, we’ll talk.”

Although she was smaller than me, I was quickly realising that Sarah was a force to be reckoned with, so I sat down on the stool, clutching my bag in my lap. I watched as she switched on the coffee maker, then walked to the opposite side of the kitchen to retrieve a couple of mugs. 

“Why are you doing this?” I asked, my voice cracking a little. 

“Making a drink?” Sarah huffed. “Damian likes a cup of coffee on the hour, every hour. And we need a break after cleaning some of his house.”

“I didn’t mean that.” I carefully let my bag fall to the floor. “I mean … letting me stay. Giving me food. Making me a hot drink.” I scratched an itch on my head. “I don’t get it.”

She sighed and turned around, leaning against the counter behind her. She folded her arms across her chest and smiled softly. 

“We’re in a position to help you, Angel. So why wouldn’t we?” She cocked a brow and I gripped the material of the jeans in between my finger and thumb, squeezing gently. My vision blurred a little and I blinked back the tears, wiping my nose with the back of my free hand.

“But … you don’t have to go out of your way like this. You could have just given me a hot drink and food and shown me the door last night. But … you didn’t. You haven’t thrown me out. Or asked me to leave. Why?”

“Like I said to Damian this morning, I need help around this house. I can’t cook, clean and take care of this place on my own. No one can.”

I cocked a brow. “So, you just take in random people off the street to help?”

She chuckled. “Damian said pretty much the same thing.” She sighed. “Having other people around the house … it’ll do Damian good. He doesn't go into the office much these days. Always works from home. Conducts most of his business online. Some days, he only ever speaks to me. No calls to anyone in his office or online meetings or anything. It’s not good for him.”

“What about his family?” 

Her shoulders slumped and a sad smile graced her lips. “Damian’s on his own. No brothers or sisters. His parents are … gone. I don’t think he has any aunts or uncles. Cousins. He certainly doesn’t mention any.”

I watched as Sarah turned her attention back to the coffee, her cheerful demeanour changing.  

“So he’s … really alone?” A sharp jab to my chest drew a gasp from my lips. 

“Not completely alone.” Sarah walked over and set a mug of hot coffee on the counter in front of me. “He has Christian, I suppose.”

“Who’s Christian?”

“Christian is none of your business.” The words were said in a deep voice, right behind me. 

Spinning around on the stool, I gasped as I saw Damian standing only a couple of feet away, arms folded over his strong chest, scowling at me.