Weathering the Storm Ch. 02

With Scarlett needing to be driven home, we decided against having a drink; instead, we enjoyed some more kissing and fondling before reluctantly ensuring we were properly dressed and heading back out to the little Frogeye Sprite.

I opened Scarlett's door for her and she smiled broadly as she clambered in. After walking around and getting in, I pressed the starter and the little car roared into life. As I fastened my seatbelt, I glanced over at her to see that same huge grin on her face.

"What?" I asked. Her smile was infectious.

"I have a boyfriend," she squealed.

"You do! But then it's not like you've not had one before," I pointed out.

"I've not had one like you," she smiled, kissing me on the cheek as I put the car into gear.

We drove back to her place with the Fratellis for musical accompaniment once more, the pair of us singing along to 'Sugartown' as an almost-perfect duet. I reflected back on the awkwardness of our first car journey together less than twenty-four hours previously, and marvelled at the change that had taken place. None of that awkwardness remained, Scarlett having completely disarmed me with the trust she had placed in me.

The sun was low in the sky as they drew up outside Scarlett's home. "Do you want to come in this time?" she asked.

"Absolutely," I said, climbing out and walking around to open her door again.

"Why thank you, kind sir," she giggled, and then swore under her breath.

"What is it?" I asked.

"My mother is on curtain-twitching duty," she explained. "She's gonna be at the door to greet us."

"Aww, she's sweet. She's just looking out for you," I smiled.

"I know, she's just so... full-on sometimes. Ready to get the third degree?"

"You make her sound like the Gestapo or something. Relax, she's not going to scare me off," I said, slipping my hand in hers as we walked up the steps.

Just as Scarlett had predicted, the door opened before we were half way along the short path. "Hi, you two," Susan crooned. "So how was your date?"

"Hi mum. It was amazing, thanks," Scarlett said dismissively, receiving a hug and a peck on the cheek from Susan as she approached.

"Would you like a cup of tea, Joe?" Susan asked. "I was just about to put the kettle on."

"That would be nice," I smiled, and was surprised to also receive a peck on the cheek from Susan as I entered the house.

We sat once more in their small but cosy lounge, Susan having brought in a huge pot of tea and a plate with a variety of cake.

"I love the madeira cake, Susan," I commented.

"I bet you've been baking all day, haven't you, Mum?" Scarlett giggled. "Just to make sure you were prepared." I could tell from Susan's blush that Scarlett had hit the nail on the head.

"So," Susan said, "What did you guys do today?"

"Oh, we had a big breakfast at Copper Beeches and then went for a lovely walk, and then Joe took me to his house to show me around," Scarlett explained.

"Oh, how lovely. So," Susan said with a mischievous grin and a wink, "how long did you take looking round the bedroom?" I choked on my tea, and struggled against the natural urge to cough and spray it across the room.

"MUM!" Scarlett said in horror.

Susan chuckled. "Sorry, sweetheart. I was just teasing. I wasn't expecting an answer; I just wanted to get a rise out of you. Joe, breathe dear," she added, patting me on the back to ease my choking.

"Oh, nice one, mum, almost killing my new boyfriend after our first date," Scarlett scolded.

"Ah, so it's official then," Susan smiled at me as my choking fit finally subsided. I decided to set my cup down in case of future mishaps.

"Yep," Scarlett said, looking at me with concern as my breathing recovered. "I asked him earlier and he said yes, so I guess we are."

"Well, that's nice. If I may say so, sweetheart, I never knew what you saw in that little prick you were dating before!" Susan said bluntly, making me laugh out loud. "Well, it's true, Joe. I didn't like him one bit. He always seemed such a smug, conceited little maggot and he didn't take very good care of my daughter. When she told me last night what had happened, I wanted to go over there and chop his little dick off. Had the car been working, I might have done just that. Nobody hurts my baby."

"Note to self," I chuckled. "Never, ever get on Susan's bad side."

"Oh, I think you're pretty safe," Scarlett giggled. "My mum never made any secret of her dislike of Daniel. She never let him in the house once in all the time we dated, but she invited you right in the first day she met you."

"Well," Susan said, "let's put it this way. You gave my daughter a ride home, and, by all accounts, made sure she was safe, didn't take advantage last night and then came back this morning and fixed our car. I like to think I'm a pretty good judge of character, and I've not got any concerns with you."

I was speechless at her instant acceptance and honesty. "Talking of your ex," I said to Scarlett, "has he made any attempt to contact you since you dumped him?"

"He's probably tried, but I blocked both him and Sarah, my supposed best friend, last night right after I dumped him, so hopefully I'll never have to talk to him again."

"Let's hope not. Anyway, let's talk about something more positive. Any thoughts on what you'd like to do tomorrow?" I asked; the conversation was suddenly interrupted by the buzzing of my phone. "I'm sorry," I added. "I'll just ignore it."

"Oh no, Joe; it might be important!" Susan said. "Please just take the call."

I pulled out my phone and knew they could see the screen - 'Catherine would like FaceTime'.

I swiped to accept the call. "Hi, Sis!" I said.

"Hi!" Catherine smiled as my video came on. I watched on screen as her eyes narrowed. "Where are you? That's not your house!"

"Nope, I'm at my girlfriend's, actually," I answered brightly.

"Oooh, little brother finally has a girlfriend! How did you meet? What's she like? Spill the beans, little brother!"

"Catherine, please!" I admonished. "I'm not on my own here."

"Ooh, is she there?" Catherine cooed. "Does she want to say hi?"

Oh... my... god. Thankfully, Scarlett wasn't bothered in the least, and she leaned in next to me. "Hi, I'm Scarlett! Nice to meet you!" she beamed.

"Oh, hello! Wow, little brother," Catherine smiled, "you're certainly punching above your weight there!"

I just about died of embarrassment. "Well, thanks for that, Catherine," I muttered, blushing to the roots of my hair. "Anyhow, can we take a raincheck on tomorrow?"

"Oh, does Joe have a date?" she teased. I nodded in response. "Well in that case, of course we can. It's about time you met a nice girl, and Scarlett definitely seems nice!"

It was Scarlett's turn to blush. "Hey, if you guys had plans, then I'm sure Joe and I can reschedule!"

Catherine wouldn't hear of it, just as I knew she wouldn't. "Absolutely not. My baby bro has been single for far too long; we can meet any time and you guys should go and have a nice date. Listen, I won't take up any more of your time; we can chat later in the week. Love you!"

"Love you too! Bye sis!" I said as she hung up. "Sorry about that," I apologised.

"Not at all, Joe," Susan smiled. "It's nice that you and your sister get on so well and make time for each other. If anything, you've gone up even more in my estimation.

I blushed. "Anyway, where were we?"

"Plans for tomorrow," said Scarlett. "I know you suggested another drive, and that would be nice. Anywhere in mind?"

"Well, I know a nice spot in the Lake District, right by a river; it's a lovely scenic drive and a great place for a picnic?" I suggested. "The weather should be nice again tomorrow, and a bit warmer than today." Scarlett nodded enthusiastically.

"Oh, that sounds nice!" Susan said. "I've got lots of food, so I can pack the picnic for you both and give you less to worry about."

"That's so kind of you, Susan, but please don't go to loads of effort; I'm sure I can manage," I stammered.

"Oh, nonsense. As Scarlett hinted at earlier," she added, winking at her daughter, "I love to cook and bake. Speaking of which, would you like to stay for dinner?"

I caught Scarlett's warning look, which said, "Abort! Abort!"

"That's very kind of you, Susan, but I'd better be heading home shortly. I had a late night last night and an early start this morning," I replied.

"Oh, of course. You poor thing; you're probably exhausted."

"Well," I explained, "it will be a long drive tomorrow, and I definitely don't want to be drowsy!"

"Very sensible," Susan answered. "So I guess you'll want to be going soon; that's a shame, but maybe you can stop for dinner another night next week instead?"

This time I ignored Scarlett's efforts, basically because I couldn't think of a suitable excuse! "That would be nice," I smiled. "We can sort out the details another time."

"Okay; well, I'll leave you two to your goodbyes, and I'll get started on your picnic then," she said, rising from her chair and heading into the kitchen.

"Phew," Scarlett said. "Sorry, but if you stayed for dinner I know there would be loads of questions, and I don't want her to scare you off. She already quizzed me about you last night, but obviously I couldn't tell her all that much; she's so nosey that she would want your entire life story."

"Maybe she would, but that wouldn't scare me off. I do understand, though; I almost died of embarrassment when she made that quip about the bedroom!" I chuckled.

"Yeah. I think that was her way of letting us know that she's a woman of the world and doesn't mind if we get up to... that sort of thing," Scarlett whispered, leaning in to kiss me.

"SCARLETT!" came a yell. Not Susan - a male voice, from outside.

"Fuck!" Scarlett burst out.

"What?" I said, concerned.

"It's fucking Daniel," she hissed angrily. Next came a loud hammering on the door. "I'm not gonna speak to the bastard."

Susan came in, fussing. "Is that who I think it is?" she asked. Scarlett nodded. "Right!" she said, and marched determinedly to the door, yanking it open abruptly. "What do you want, Daniel?"

"I want to see Scarlett - not that it's any business of yours," he snapped.

I couldn't see the front door from my position on the couch, but I was getting close to getting up and confronting this objectionable toerag.

"She's my daughter, and keeping her away from little pricks that break her heart and treat her like dirt will always be my business," Susan pointed out.

"She's an adult now, or hadn't you noticed? Maybe you should get a life of your own before it's too late, and then you can butt out of hers? I mean, that should be just about possible, even at your age."

That was it; I was really pissed off. I'm generally pretty level headed, but I wasn't about to sit back and let this arsehole talk to Susan in that way. I rose from the couch and walked to the door, with Scarlett following close behind.

"Can I help you?" I said sternly. Susan stood aside to allow me through, and I was face to face with a spotty, greasy guy of about eighteen, a little shorter than me. I began to ponder what Scarlett saw in him, but my thoughts were interrupted when he opened his mouth.

"Who the fuck are you? Scarlett, I can see you hiding behind him. How dare you dump me by text, you bitch!" he snarled.

It took all my restraint not to grab him by the throat, and out of the corner of my eye I saw Scarlett shrinking back. "Well, not that it's any business of yours, because as you just said, you got dumped - but I'm Scarlett's boyfriend," I said in a level tone.

"You fucking slut!" he yelled. "You were fucking this bastard behind my back?"

"I suggest," I spat, "that you choose your words more carefully. Did you know that Scarlett caught you with Sarah last night, doing the horizontal mambo in her front room? You're the only one that cheated here, so take a hint and go. She doesn't want to talk to you, or hear your whiny voice again. Now I want you to apologise to her mum, and I don't want to hear another foul-mouthed word from you. Got that?"

"Fuck you!" he shouted, and made a clumsy attempt to punch me. His movements were so predictable that I easily dodged it and his fist connected with the doorframe instead. I grabbed his wrist in case he made another attempt, but the bleeding knuckles he had received were obviously deterrent enough. I gave his arm a little twist anyway. "Fuck!" he yelled.

"Now, make your apologies and go," I growled.

I half expected more trouble as he pulled his wrist free of my grip, but he just muttered, "I'm not fucking sorry. Have fun being the rebound guy," before turning on his heel and left.

"Well," Susan sighed, "that was unpleasant. Are you guys okay?"

"I'm fine," I said. Scarlett suddenly clung to me. "Scarlett?"

"I'm okay," she whispered. "I was a bit frightened though. He's always been so aggressive and I thought he was going to hurt you."

"Hey," I soothed. "I can defend myself okay; I just don't get aggressive if it can be avoided."

"You did very well," Susan smiled. "I was ready to choke the little bastard myself at one point."

I chuckled. "Yeah, I can't say the thought didn't cross my mind too. He's a feckless little toad though, and not worth the energy."

"Well," Susan said, "if you two are okay now, I'll get back to my baking," and she headed off to the kitchen.

Scarlett held me tightly. "I'm so sorry, Joe."

"What for?" I asked incredulously.

"That you had to deal with that. I should have been stronger and stood up to him myself. You were so calm; he could have hurt you. He's hurt me in the past."

"What?" I bristled.

"Yeah. If I didn't do what he wanted immediately, you know, sex-wise, or didn't do it quite how I wanted, he got rough. He'd jam my head down on his dick until I almost threw up, and then he'd slap me and tell me to try harder," she whispered.

Fuck. "I wish I'd known. I'd have ripped the little punk's head off!" I snarled.

"You're better than that, though, Joe. You're better than him. I just hope this doesn't make you think less of me."

"Oh, Scarlett. Of course I don't! I think you're strong and brave, and nothing that you've said, or what Daniel said or did, could make me think less of you," I said, placing a soft kiss on her forehead.

She leaned up and her lips met mine, kissing me passionately. Her fingers tangled in my hair as I slipped my hands around her waist, and I lost track of time as our tongues entwined.

Finally breaking the kiss, Scarlett whispered, "Joe... I really don't want to be alone tonight, just in case Daniel comes back. Do you think I could spend the night at your place?"

I gaped in surprise. "Of course you can, if you want to! The spare room's all ready, so all you have to do is grab your stuff."

"You... don't want me to sleep in your bed with you?" she asked.

"I'd love that; I just don't want you to feel like you have to," I explained.

"I want that, Joe; I'd love to be held in your arms all night."

"Do you think your mum will be okay with that?" I definitely didn't want to get on the wrong side of her!

"Why don't you go and talk to her about it while I get ready?" Scarlett suggested.

Shit. "Okay," I agreed, giving her one last kiss before heading into the kitchen.

Susan was busily slicing freshly-baked bread to make sandwiches, and turned to face me as I entered. "Hi Joe!" she said brightly. "Everything okay?"

"Erm, yeah, I think so, thanks Susan. Scarlett's a bit shaken up, though," I explained, "and... erm... the thing is..."

"Yes? Spit it out, Joe, I won't bite!" she said, giving me a warm smile.

"She's asked if she can stay at my place tonight," I blurted, staring at my shoes.

"I see. Joe, Scarlett's an adult, and if she wants to stay at your place, for whatever reason, then that's up to her. She used to stay over at Daniel's house sometimes, and I was never happy about that; something about him just didn't sit right with me. With you, I don't have the same worries - I mean, for starters, you've come in here to ask me if it's okay. Just promise me you'll take good care of her?"

"I promise," I said, looking her in the eyes. "I'll look after her to the very best of my ability."

"Then I don't have any problems with it. Now, stop stressing and come and help me pack up your picnic - you'll need to take it with you, and I doubt Scarlett will be too long getting ready. I can hear the shower running upstairs already!"

I chuckled. "She can't be in too much of a hurry; I mean, I'm a domesticated guy - I have indoor plumbing and everything at my place, you know!"

Susan smiled. "You do seem like you have your life pretty together. So, if you don't mind my asking, how on earth was it that you were single?"

Well, I thought, Scarlett wasn't wrong about the life story bit! "I was married in the past. My ex wife and I met at primary school, but we weren't exactly childhood sweethearts or anything - we really didn't get on, which, in hindsight, was something of a common theme for most of our short marriage," I said, giving her a wry smile. "We met up just after I'd finished university - I'd studied in London and had just arrived home - and we just bumped into each other one day and got chatting, which turned into a date... things seemed good at first and we got engaged after six months." I paused and took a deep breath as the unhappy memories began to stir.

"You don't have to tell me if it's upsetting," Susan said soothingly, reading my expression.

"It's okay," I reassured her. "So anyway, after we got engaged, I began to spot little things that I didn't see as warning signs at the time, but looking back, they were there all the time. She was extremely financially driven - I could never earn enough money for her. She had us set up a joint bank account, into which all my salary would go every month, but she kept all her money separate. She kept pushing me to earn more and more money, work overtime, apply for every promotion going... even before we were married, I saw very little of her. Between my grandmother leaving me a big inheritance in her will, and all the hours I was working, I was able to buy a house and be mortgage-free. It needed a little work, but even as it was, it was wonderful. She wanted the house in joint names, but as it was all my money that had paid for it, that was the one thing I put my foot down on."

"That sounds like you made a really wise decision!" Susan said. "I see what you mean about the warning signs - I can see huge red flags there already!"

"Yep. If only I'd seen them myself," I responded ruefully. "Anyway, once we were married, her demands got worse - all my hours at home were spent working on the house, making it just how she wanted it. I didn't get to spend any time on my hobbies, or meeting friends; I just went out to work and then came home to do yet more work. My ex, meanwhile, worked part time, went out with her friends, to the gym, to spas and even on weekends away. When she got back, if I hadn't got as much done as she expected, she'd start an argument. After a few months... things got more aggressive," I explained, my voice croaking on the last part.

"Oh, Joe!" Susan said, giving me a brief hug. That sounds awful!"

"It wasn't pleasant, that's for sure. She never actually hit me, but she liked to shove me around, corner me and yell in my face. Towards the end, she was shoving me into things; I got a busted nose a couple of times and broke my foot when she pushed me on the stairs," I added.

"I hope you did something about it!" she retorted, bristling.

I shook my head sadly. "Nope. I just tried to do more of what she wanted in order to make it happen less. My grandmother raised me to know that it's never acceptable for a man to raise a hand to a woman or a child, no matter what the circumstances, so I never stood up to her. Finally, though, one of her colleagues from work reached out to me to tell me she was having an affair with a co-worker. I did a bit of sleuthing; one night she said she would be working late, so I took the day off and went and sat in a coffee shop opposite her office. She came out at lunchtime, arm in arm with a guy, and they got in his car and went back to his place. I managed to grab a taxi and follow them... they weren't even discreet about it. They were at it on the back lawn within minutes, so I walked up and confronted them."