Count On Me

Part Twenty Six

A/N FINALLY! Broken the Top 100 romance. First time since Haunted By The Past! Thank you all for reading, it's the little things that make me smile. Another chapter...maybe this time???? Enjoy, Mz

Chapter Twenty Six

The room was comfortable, a bit feminine with its bag of makeup and row of high heeled shoes in the corner. But with plain navy blue bedding and his own belongings in bags, he felt as at home as he could. But that night as he lay there, looking between the ceiling and the clock on his bedside table, he found sleep evasive. He wondered if it was jetlag, but he'd never had this before and he was used to moving through time zones. It was three am when he pulled himself out of bed and slipped downstairs. A drink and maybe something to eat...it was times like this that he wished he smoked. His smoking colleagues said it was a dead cert to insomnia. Though he wasn't sure he believed that.

A cup of hot chocolate and a biscuit later, he was just making his way back to bed when Lizzie's bedroom door opened. He'd seen her in her pyjamas a lot recently, but it seemed even more intimate there, on the landing, face to face, Lizzie half asleep, pillow creases marking her face, her hair unruly, and he strappy top and shorts, far too revealing. He offered her a smile and she opened her sleepy eyes wider.

"Can't you sleep?"

He shrugged, "blaming it on the travel."

She sighed, "not the room?"

Shaking his head he stepped out of her way, "no. It's a great room, stop worrying, I'm just grateful that I'm here."

Nodding she trudged past him to the bathroom, and he was tucked up under the duvet when he heard her bedroom close a few minutes later. He, however, needed to think cold and ugly thoughts to see his body relax after the encounter with her.

Lizzie didn't really relax the next morning until the front door closed behind Oscar. He was taking Nate in her car to the supermarket, and that would give her time to start de-cluttering and sorting through her sister's bedroom.

It wasn't an easy challenge, fortunately her sister hadn't been a hoarder, years of travelling meant that she lived without many material things, but she had clothes. A lot of them.

It took an hour for her to sort through drawers and the ottoman at the end of the bed. She hadn't touched the wardrobes, but toiletries, personal things...they'd all been sorted into three piles, keep for Nate, trash and then charity, she could fill half a dozen goodwill shops when she started on the real clothes, but even now she'd generated several bags. She'd stored the 'keep' bags in the attic, and disposed of the rubbish. She'd visit the local charity shop later, they'd be glad of the things she'd already stored for them.

She was making coffee when the front door opened and Nate came running in.

"Aunty Lizzie, we bought cake!"

She rolled her eyes at the man who followed him in, but squatted down to his level and gasped, "really? Is Daddy spoiling you?"

Nate gave a little shrug, then rushed to the back door, "can I play on the swing?" When she agreed, he glanced back over his shoulder, "Daaaaad! Are you going to come?"

"Let me unpack the shopping first mate."

Nate's disappointment lasted for a moment, until he was outside and whooping and hollering like the child he was. For a moment Lizzie watched him through the glass and sighed, he was desperate for company, he'd asked for a brother for Christmas, and that had devastated her. She felt that same sense of sadness as she watched him. It was only the sound of noise behind her that dragged her from her reverie.