I Knew You Were Trouble When You Walked In
Chapter Four.
It had been a few weeks since Tim had been taken away by the Chapman family. Isabelle had formed a small glimmer of hope that her and Zahli's lives may begin to enter the realm of normality. No more late night screaming matches, no more uncertainty, no more drunken visitors at 2am, peering into Isabelle's room with evil prying eyes.
Isabelle hadn't contacted the Chapman family since, except for sending a bouquet of flowers to thank them for what they did for her and her child that night.
At Da Kine Bail Bonds, the family often spoke of the young mum and her baby girl. Leland was always silent on the issue, but Beth had noticed a slight change in his strong and hard demeanour. He was often caught checking with the police that TIm Hardy was still in prison, and Beth had caught him a few times looking up Isabelle's name, taking a quick glance at the photograph that came with Tim's file.
"You should go and check on Isabelle this weekend," Beth softly said as she approached Leland's desk; her long hot pink nails tapping the wood.
"Why would I do that?" Leland asked, almost defensively.
Beth smiled a knowing smile, and shook her head, "I have caught you, Leland. Go and check up on her, alright?"
Leland let out a small chuckle, "Yeah I will."
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There was a soft rap on the front door. Isabelle sat up from her bed, soothing her daughter who was having an afternoon nap. Zahli's eyes opened for a moment before sleepily shutting once again. Isabelle stood adjusting her black tights and rolling up the sleeves on her blue and white striped sloppy joe. She moved from the bedroom, and cautiously walked towards the front door.
Opening it slightly, Isabelle was surprised to see the muscular figure of Leland Chapman standing awkwardly on her front step.
"Um hi?" Isabelle giggled, not really knowing how to react to his presence.
"Hey, I uh..." He trailed off, looking from his black boots back up to Isabelle, "Beth just thought I should come and check up on you, make sure you're okay, y'know?"
Isabelle smiled, and opened the door to let Leland in, "I'm fine. Do you want a coffee?"
"Love one, thanks."
Leland looked around the living room and noticed all photos of Tim had disappeared. Instead black and white photos of Zahli were hung on the wall, "I see you've redecorated."
"I burnt them all," Isabelle laughed, "Had a bit of a bonfire. It was fun."
"Why was I not invited?" Leland pouted slightly, and Isabelle felt her stomach knot.
"I didn't have a number to contact you."
"Good point," Leland laughed.
Isabelle brought the coffee cups to the sofa where Leland had positioned himself. He gratefully took the cup and had a sip.
"What are you really doing here, Leland?" Isabelle asked, her eyebrow cocking slightly. Leland didn't realise when she had become so incredibly pretty. Her eyes glimmered as she stared at him, a small smirk playing on her pink lips.
"Beth told me to -"
Isabelle smiled, "Beth called to check up on me last Thursday."
"Oh," Leland's mouth remained in the 'O' shape and silently cursed his step-mother, "I've been worried about you, about Zahli. I have a daughter around her age and I could never imagine leaving her."
"What's her name?" Isabelle asked, pulling her feet up onto the lounge and letting them rest just near Leland's legs.
"Leiah, and two sons, Dakota and Cobie, with a different mother."
"So Leiah's two?" Isabelle sipped her coffee.
"Nah, three. Dakota's 18, and Cobie is 13."
Isabelle's eyes widened, "Oh my god, how old are you?"
Leland laughed, holding his hand over his stomach, "36."
"Sorry, that was rude," Isabelle blushed slightly.
"No worries," he smiled, a chuckle still present in his tone.
"I just thought you'd be around my age. Like 23-24."
Leland shook his head, and smiled again, "Nope. Married at 18, had Dakota at 18. Divorced at 28. Met my ex and had Leiah."
Isabelle gazed at Leland's heavily tattooed arms, and to his long ponytail, the sides of his head shaved. He wasn't Isabelle's type, but she couldn't help but find him handsome. Something about his smile, they way his eyes shone and his perfect dimples made Isabelle's stomach knot in ways it hadn't before.
"I met Tim at 18, and the rest is history. I never dreamed I'd be a 24 year old single mother with a drug addicted ex boyfriend locked up in jail, living away from everyone in Hawaii."
"Well you always have us."
"I'll always be grateful for that," Isabelle smiled. "Did you want to stay for dinne tonight?"
Leland felt a foreign turning sensation bundling deep within the pit of his stomach. He faced the woman sitting in front of him, and licked his lips slightly, "Yeah, yeah that'd be great."
Isabelle hadn't contacted the Chapman family since, except for sending a bouquet of flowers to thank them for what they did for her and her child that night.
At Da Kine Bail Bonds, the family often spoke of the young mum and her baby girl. Leland was always silent on the issue, but Beth had noticed a slight change in his strong and hard demeanour. He was often caught checking with the police that TIm Hardy was still in prison, and Beth had caught him a few times looking up Isabelle's name, taking a quick glance at the photograph that came with Tim's file.
"You should go and check on Isabelle this weekend," Beth softly said as she approached Leland's desk; her long hot pink nails tapping the wood.
"Why would I do that?" Leland asked, almost defensively.
Beth smiled a knowing smile, and shook her head, "I have caught you, Leland. Go and check up on her, alright?"
Leland let out a small chuckle, "Yeah I will."
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There was a soft rap on the front door. Isabelle sat up from her bed, soothing her daughter who was having an afternoon nap. Zahli's eyes opened for a moment before sleepily shutting once again. Isabelle stood adjusting her black tights and rolling up the sleeves on her blue and white striped sloppy joe. She moved from the bedroom, and cautiously walked towards the front door.
Opening it slightly, Isabelle was surprised to see the muscular figure of Leland Chapman standing awkwardly on her front step.
"Um hi?" Isabelle giggled, not really knowing how to react to his presence.
"Hey, I uh..." He trailed off, looking from his black boots back up to Isabelle, "Beth just thought I should come and check up on you, make sure you're okay, y'know?"
Isabelle smiled, and opened the door to let Leland in, "I'm fine. Do you want a coffee?"
"Love one, thanks."
Leland looked around the living room and noticed all photos of Tim had disappeared. Instead black and white photos of Zahli were hung on the wall, "I see you've redecorated."
"I burnt them all," Isabelle laughed, "Had a bit of a bonfire. It was fun."
"Why was I not invited?" Leland pouted slightly, and Isabelle felt her stomach knot.
"I didn't have a number to contact you."
"Good point," Leland laughed.
Isabelle brought the coffee cups to the sofa where Leland had positioned himself. He gratefully took the cup and had a sip.
"What are you really doing here, Leland?" Isabelle asked, her eyebrow cocking slightly. Leland didn't realise when she had become so incredibly pretty. Her eyes glimmered as she stared at him, a small smirk playing on her pink lips.
"Beth told me to -"
Isabelle smiled, "Beth called to check up on me last Thursday."
"Oh," Leland's mouth remained in the 'O' shape and silently cursed his step-mother, "I've been worried about you, about Zahli. I have a daughter around her age and I could never imagine leaving her."
"What's her name?" Isabelle asked, pulling her feet up onto the lounge and letting them rest just near Leland's legs.
"Leiah, and two sons, Dakota and Cobie, with a different mother."
"So Leiah's two?" Isabelle sipped her coffee.
"Nah, three. Dakota's 18, and Cobie is 13."
Isabelle's eyes widened, "Oh my god, how old are you?"
Leland laughed, holding his hand over his stomach, "36."
"Sorry, that was rude," Isabelle blushed slightly.
"No worries," he smiled, a chuckle still present in his tone.
"I just thought you'd be around my age. Like 23-24."
Leland shook his head, and smiled again, "Nope. Married at 18, had Dakota at 18. Divorced at 28. Met my ex and had Leiah."
Isabelle gazed at Leland's heavily tattooed arms, and to his long ponytail, the sides of his head shaved. He wasn't Isabelle's type, but she couldn't help but find him handsome. Something about his smile, they way his eyes shone and his perfect dimples made Isabelle's stomach knot in ways it hadn't before.
"I met Tim at 18, and the rest is history. I never dreamed I'd be a 24 year old single mother with a drug addicted ex boyfriend locked up in jail, living away from everyone in Hawaii."
"Well you always have us."
"I'll always be grateful for that," Isabelle smiled. "Did you want to stay for dinne tonight?"
Leland felt a foreign turning sensation bundling deep within the pit of his stomach. He faced the woman sitting in front of him, and licked his lips slightly, "Yeah, yeah that'd be great."