at that humiliation?
She wasn’t. She just hadn’t expected to feel this attraction to and interest in Linc again. It had surprised her. All she needed to do was adjust to that surprise factor and she would be fine.
In minutes she was back at the office.
‘Item retrieved and left with the front staff ready for collection.’ She spoke as she stepped over the threshold of the office space.
‘Great.’ Linc was in the process of putting down the office phone extension as he responded. ‘I’ve taken a couple of messages. You’ll know what to do with them.’
He didn’t break into a big smile. She didn’t, either. That earlier moment of blinding connection had passed. So why could she still not seem to be able to tear her gaze from him? And why did he gaze so intently at her? And had she not taken any notice whatsoever of her earlier warnings to herself?
Immersed in those thoughts, she was slow to realise that her cell phone had started to ring.
When she did realise it, she barely gave the caller’s identity a thought. It would be some supplier again. However, she wasn’t sure where her phone actually was.
Cecilia patted her pockets. Her gaze searched the desk. Then, without any warning whatsoever, the worst possible thing happened for her privacy, and perhaps the most heart-wrenching yet hope-inspiring thing for her emotions.
The phone’s voicemail picked up automatically, went straight on to the speaker setting she’d left it on and a tinny prerecorded message from the caller’s end began to play out into the room.
‘Are you willing to accept a call from the Fordham Women’s Correctional Centre? Your sister, Stacey Tomson, wishes to speak with you... ‘
The revealing words blared across the room as though trumpeted through a megaphone by the world’s largest elephant.
‘If you do not want to accept this call—’
She’d left the phone on the filing cabinet. She had received only two other calls like this, and questions filled her mind.
Why had Stacey chosen now to phone? Did it mean their rift might be ending or would they argue again?
So many emotions swirled inside Cecilia in that moment. Hurt. Frustration. Disappointment. Love.
Cecilia quickly crossed the room, grabbed up the phone and fumbled to take it off speaker.
One glance at Linc’s face told her it was way too late to try and hide this, but she managed to change the setting and get the phone to her ear. She wasn’t sure if he’d heard her sister’s voice or not, but when she started towards the door, to leave the room, it was to realise Linc had beaten her to it.
The door clicked shut behind his receding back, and Cecilia could acknowledge both the joy and the pain of finally receiving this call when she hadn’t known when or even if she ever would.
She said hello to her troubled, incarcerated twin.
‘STACEY. HOW ARE YOU? I’ve been hoping you’d call. It’s so hard not being allowed to call you. It’s been such a long time. I’ve missed you so!’
Are you still angry that I said you needed to change your direction in life? I wanted to help you, and it needed to be said!
Cecilia didn’t want the gap between them to widen even more, and yet if she hadn’t challenged Stacey, who would have?
The man who’d disappeared and left Stacey to carry this punishment alone? Who’d appeared to do nothing but manipulate Cecilia’s sister up to that point?
‘Are you okay?’
She couldn’t make herself say Are you okay in jail? Or even, Are you okay in there?
‘Have you been getting the money orders for extra food and things?’
‘Yes, I’ve been getting them.’
Cecilia thought she heard Stacey swallow hard before her sister went on.
‘Thank you for doing that.’
‘You’re my sister.’ Emotion rose in Cecilia’s throat.
‘Cee, I wanted to ask if you’d be willing to start visiting me again.’ Stacey’s words couldn’t mask her emotion. ‘I’ve missed you. I should have called sooner. I was angry, and it’s tough in here. There’s been a lot of adjusting to do—’
‘Of course I’ll visit again. I’ve been dying to see you.’ So much relief coursed through Cecilia that she wanted to laugh and cry at once. ‘We can talk about your future, when you’re finally out of there.’
Surely that would be something they could both look forward to?
‘We can.’ Stacey sounded on the verge of tears before she spoke again. ‘I don’t want to not be talking to you. I guess I felt hurt at a time when I needed you to just love me. But there’s been time for me to think, and to realise I’ve made some really big mistakes.’
‘I’m really sorry, Stacey.’
Cecilia had thought she was doing the right thing in pointing out the bad pathway that Stacey had followed. For some reason she’d thought that because Stacey had been so angry at the time her sister couldn’t possibly have been hurting. Tears sprang to the backs of Cecilia’s eyes again. How could she have been so short-sighted?
‘I should have found a better way to deal with your situation than I did.’
‘You were worried about me, and with good reason.’ Stacey sighed. ‘I can’t understand now how I was so blind. Joe seemed nice at first—a little rough around the edges, but charming with it.’
‘And then the charm wore off.’ Cecilia understood that. She’d been there herself with Hugh. At least in this she could try to rebuild some solidarity with her sister. ‘We’re not very good at finding great men, are we?’
Stacey agreed, and then sounded a little troubled and vulnerable as she went on. ‘I need to tell you that if you start coming to see me it will help my chances of gaining parole, because I’ll be demonstrating that I have a sound relationship with someone reliable. I want you to know that before you come in, so you don’t think I asked just because of it. I’ve missed you and I’m longing to see you.’
‘I believe you, and I want that sound relationship again.’ Cecilia had longed for it over the past months. ‘I’m so glad you phoned, Stacey.’
‘I am, too. I’m allowed to have a sister.’ Stacey’s words were firm, almost defiantly so. ‘And to see you and have a relationship with you. I should have stuck up for that from the start.’
‘Of course you are.’ Cecilia frowned. ‘Who’s told you otherwise? Surely not the authorities there?’
‘Joe did—constantly
