Gen 3 - Chapter Ten: A Fresh Start.

It had been a week since the fire and me and Jasper had been staying in a Hotel, our apartment was destroyed. All my baby pictures of Jasper were gone, our clothes, everything. The hotel wasn't very upscale, but it was all I could afford at the minute. I needed to save every penny to put towards a new place. Jasper didn't really mind where we stayed just as long as he could still see his friends after school. He was a great kid, and I was so glad Alex wanted to get to know him. After all, a boy needs his Father around.

It didn't take to long for the cause of the fire to be found. The Fire Investigator visited me at work Thursday afternoon to explain; apparently there had been a faulty connection and gas had leaked into the apartment next door, and when the neighbours had lit up a cigarette the whole place caught fire. He then went on to explain that the faulty connection would have been down to the Landlord not fixing it properly.

I thanked him for his time and rose from my seat to escort him from the room when he placed a hand on my arm and asked if I would like to go to dinner with him; He was cute, and I couldn't see any harm in going, so said yes. We exchanged numbers and I told him I would call once I had a more permanent address. I bid him farewell and returned to my desk to finish up a few files and call my Solicitors to make an appointment to file a law suit against Mr Gregson before I headed back to the Hotel.

I picked Jasper up from his friends on my way home and we stopped at Pizza Express to get a Chicken and Vegetable pizza, Jasper's favourite, for Dinner. While we ate our pizza we talked about our days, I asked Jasper if he had had a good time at Acting class. At the point he got up to retrieve a letter from his bag and handed it to me; It seemed as though he was finally getting noticed for his talent, a scout had been present at his class today and wanted him to come and audition next Saturday for a new TV show called Bugglez. I congratulated him and said of course I would take him, his face broke into a huge smile. As I rose to clean away the pizza box I ruffled his hair and told him to go get washed and ready for bed.

I had my appointment at the Solicitors this morning before work, so I got myself ready and gave Jasper his breakfast before waving him off to School. I arrived ten minutes early for my appointment and was surprised when I was told to go straight in, I was normally made to wait more than ten minutes after my appointment. My Solicitor Mrs Howe was very good at her job, and had only lost two cases in her twenty five years on the job. I knew I could trust her to win this one too.

I explained everything to her and told her that I wanted compensation for mine and my Son's lives being knowingly put in danger, and loss of possessions. She didn't hesitate to agree with me, and told me to leave it with her, and that she would let me know the minute she knew anything.

By the time I arrived at work I was a little bit late, but thankfully I had already got most of what needed to be done finished yesterday, so I didn't have to rush. The day filled with calls and emails passed quickly and before I knew it it was time to head home. Just as I was about to leave my office my desk phone rang, I placed my coat and folders on a nearby chair and rushed to pick up the receiver before the caller hung up. It was Mrs Howe, she explained that she had spoken to Mr Gregson's Solicitor and told them we planned to sue, which resulted in them quaking in their boots and offering a rather large out of court settlement. I told her that I would gratefully accept the settlement, thanked her for her time and locked up my office.

I fired up the computer and trawled through a couple of Estate Agent websites before finding a house that was within my budget and holding viewings tomorrow. I ran myself a bath and poured a glass of wine to help me unwind a little. I had been lying in the bath for over an hour when I heard my mobile ring, I hopped out of the bath, grabbed a towel and my phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Kay, It's Alex. I was just wondering what you and Jasper were up to tomorrow?"

"Hi.... Alex.. " My voice caught in my throat, I hadn't been expecting him to call, but just hearing his voice sent butterflies fluttering round my stomach.

"Jasper is at his Nan's and I'm going to be looking at a house, and hopefully decorating it too..."

"Oh OK... well, I don't have anything else planned for tomorrow, so if you need a hand decorating just give me a call."

I thanked him and placed my phone back on the side table. I pulled the plug in my bath and watched hypnotised as the water swirled down the plughole. After drying myself and changing into a fresh pair of pyjamas I settled down to watch an old movie I hadn't seen for years; An Officer And A Gentleman. Richard Gere was one of my favourite actors, and I never missed one of his movies on the telly.

I woke up feeling refreshed, I had had a wonderful dream...only, I wished it was real. I decided to cook porridge for breakfast as I hadn't had it for a while, I always ate it with golden syrup and bananas, it tasted delicious washed down with a carton of fresh Orange juice. I was set to view the house at ten so seeing as it was a lovely day I thought it would be nice to walk the short distance there.

The outside of the house was rather bland, but still had that homely feel to it. I headed inside, the living room , dining room, and kitchen were all connected. It had a small downstairs bathroom, three large bedrooms and a large en-suite joining the master bedroom. This was the one. I accepted then and there and made arrangements to pick up the keys this afternoon.

The house didn't need to much decorating, as it was relatively new and painted in Magnolia mostly. I bought some wall paper for the living room, new tiles for the kitchen and bathrooms, and a tin of pale Orange paint with matching border for my bedroom. I knew Jasper would like to decorate his own room, so didn't bother choosing anything for him while I was at the DIY store.

I wanted the house to be ready for when Mum dropped Jasper off Monday morning, but I knew I couldn't get it all finished in just over a day by myself, so I sent Alex a text asking if he still wanted to help. His reply came through a few seconds later, his answer was still yes, of course. I messaged him the address and told him I would meet him there in half an hour.

I arrived before he did and was in the middle of changing into an old t-shirt and jeans so that I could make a start when I heard a knock at the door.

"Come In" I shouted.

I wasn't prepared for the somersaults my stomach did as he came through the door, he was dressed in an old grey t-shirt and dark ripped jeans, and looked so delectable. Stop it Kay, he broke your heart and ruined your life, you can't let him back in so easily... I scolded myself. I banished the thought as soon as it had entered my head, he was only here to be Jasper's Dad... nothing more.

I handed him a paintbrush and tin of paint and we got stuck in. Everytime I brushed a stray hair from my eyes I caught glimpses of Alex staring at me, and couldn't help letting out a little giggle. He must have heard me this time because he asked...

"What?... What's so funny? Do I have something on my face?"

"No, you don't have anything on your face... it's just... I caught you staring at me and, well I.. nothing."

"Oh, you saw that... I didn't mean to stare, it's just you look simply breathtaking when you brush your hair from your face."

I felt my cheeks turn a bright shade of scarlet at his words, a thousand replies were running through my head, but all I could say was "Thank-you."

The atmosphere turned a little dull after that, he went to work on a different room and avoided me as much as possible. I felt bad for not returning his advances, especially after he had made it so clear how he felt about me that night at the Hospital. I was so touched that he seemed to be a changed man, he really did, but I just wasn't ready to give him my heart again. It wasn't that I didn't love, because I did, I had never stopped. I made myself think that I hated him to help my pain over his rejection, I thought that if I hated him it would make it all go away, but it didn't. He hurt me a lot more than I care to admit and it's not something that just goes away with a few words hoping to make it better.

As much as I wanted to I wasn't sure if I could forgive him...

Stay tuned for chapter 11 in a few days :D