Chapter Two

"C'mon Mum," Toby yelled impatiently, holding open the front door. "Mum..."

"I'm coming, I'm coming..." She called, rushing after the young boy. A cake in one hand and her purse in the other. "Do you have your school bag? Tie? Trainers?"

He sighed and with a roll of his eyes replied, "yes Mum."

"Good ... because I can't come back this morning." She said, locking her door and rushing by her neighbor, with Toby hot on her heels.

"I know. You have already told me a billion times." He laughed and mimicked her voice. "Today's gonna be a busy one. Izzie gave you three cakes to finish by closing and she's leaving after lunch, so we'll have to stay too close up shop."

She smiled, placing the cake on the roof of her car. "Yes well, I'm glad you listen to me." She chuckled, buckling him into his booster seat. "Now pray tha' nothing happens to this one?" She shook her head affectionately as he clasped his hands together and prayed loudly and rather silly that nothing would happen to her bosses cakes.

The smile slipped off her face when she turned around and found Ellie and her partner DI Hardy watching them. She paused, then raised her head high, and shot them both a kind smile, before placing her cake in the car and driving off.

"Toby please be out here as fast as you can this afternoon." She requested, handing him his school bag.

He hugged her tightly, kissing her cheek quickly, "yes mum, I've gotta go. I love you." He said, releasing her and dashing into the school.

Settling hadn't been as hard as she thought it would be. They had quickly fallen into a steady rhythm of work, school, and home. Toby was quickly making friends and connections in the small seaside town. If only the same could be said for her.

...

"Mum," Toby called from the storefront, "I've finished my maths, can I have my cookie now?"

"Just the one," she replied, bringing him out a glass of milk.

"How much longer?" he asked, swinging his legs back and forth in the little booth.

"Not much longer," she promised, locking up the shop and turning the open sign to closed, "now eat your dessert and I'll be ready in a mo'," she instructed, heading to the back to put the finishing touches on the last cake.

Rose froze, as she heard the sound of squealing tires. The building shook as the sound of shattering glass brought her into motion as she dropped her tapered spatula and ran into the front room, "Tony... Tony?" She screamed, she paled as she took in the wreckage before her.

"Toby?" She shrieked, eyes wild and frantic as she took in the black Kia Sportage that sat crumbled and steaming where Toby's table had just been.

"Toby?" She yelled, dropping to the debris-ridden floor as she forced herself to look under the vehicle for his mangled and deceased body.

"Mum!" Toby cried, coming out of the bathroom, eyes wide and frightened.

Rose jumped to her feet and scooped him up, in a tight hug as she smelt his neck as if to prove to herself he was really in her arms, before pulling back to check him over.

"You stay in your sedan," she demanded of the driver, as he tried to get out.

He ignored her and stumbled to his feet as he climbed out of his totaled Kia, swaying. He ran a hand over his face, smearing the blood from the cut on his forehead and his eyes met Rose's in a drunken daze.

"Sit down, you bloody fool," Rose scowled, placing Toby behind her protectively.

"This is bad," the man muttered to himself, looking ready to flee but swaying on his feet.

She forced him into a chair, "sit," she ordered furiously.

"M'sorry," he slurred, eyes flickering around the room and the damage he had caused.

"Of course you're sorry, you twit," She chided, Toby's eyes flickered back and forth, as he clung to her leg, "and you're going to be sorry for a long time," she scowled, rubbing Toby's back to calm herself down, "drinking and driving, nearly murdered my boy. I hope they lock you up and toss away the key you bloody fuckin' moron." She ranted as the officers made their way into the shop.

"Madam, please calm down," an officer instructed her and gently guided them to the back of the bakery. She settled Toby down at her decorating table, handing him another cookie.

She made herself a tea to help settle her rattled nerves as the investigators and policemen worked the scene. They stayed quiet in the back and waited patiently, both growing increasingly anxious to go home.

Rose could hear her boss talking with the officers as they informed her of the accident. "Rose, thank goodness you're both okay," Izzie said, making her way into the back, scooping her up in a tight hug.

"We're fine, Izzie," she chuckled, pulling back to look at the older woman who had been beyond welcoming to them. "I'm sorry about your shop, Iz."

She nodded, "and don't you worry hun," she said sadly and then forced a kind smile, "looks like both you and I have some unexpected time off." Together they shared a small chuckle.

Rose let Toby crawl onto her lap with his cup of milk. He was starting to nod off on her shoulder when the Detective stepped into the room, "I need to get your…," DI Alec Hardy trailed off when he noticed her.

"Rose. Smith," She introduced herself with a polite but forced smile.

"Right, yes, I'm Detective Inspector Hardy," he cleared his throat, "I'm going to need to take your statement, Miss." He declared, holding up a clipboard.

"We were closing the shop," she explained, hugging Toby back against her. "I've worked for Miss Izzie for a few months now, baking, decorating cakes and goodies mostly."

"And what were you both doing here twenty-five minutes past closing?"

"I was cleaning, finishing a cake that needed to be ready by morning." She murmured, eyes shining with tears. She pressed a loving kiss to Toby's temple who smile shyly at Detective Hardy, "Toby, he was doing his homework, watching telly on his tablet as he waited for me, I normally don't work this late, usually, I'm off a little passed three before he's out of school."

He nodded, writing it down.

"I was back here finishing up, I heard a loud noise and the whole place shook like an earthquake. I bolted to the front, I thought, I thought," she trailed off and tears fell down her face, Alec's eyes followed her as she looked at the boy in her arms. It was clear what her thoughts had been, "but he came out of the bathroom, the driver I told him not to get out, but he got out, I told him to set."

"And Mum went off on him," Toby cut in with a tired chuckle, "scolded him something awful."

Alec nodded and hid a smile, "I see."

"Can we go home now?" He asked with a yawn. "I'm hungry."

"And it's passed his bedtime," Rose added, meeting the detective's attractive eyes, for an older man he was quite handsome and scruffy Rose's noted in her tired and frazzled mind.

Alec looked over his notes and finally nodded, "sure, I believe I have everything I need, just fill out this card with your contact information."

Rose scribbled out her mobile number and address and handed him back the paper, "goodnight Detective," she smiled at him, her words coming off a bit flirty as she carried her brother out of the shop.

"Son of..." she cursed as she noticed her car had been hit in the accident. How in the world had she missed that? She placed Toby on his feet, "I'm tired," he whined and hugged her leg as she dug around in her purse for her phone.

"My car," she informed one of the officers. After a couple long minutes of paperwork and scrawling her signature to a few more documents, she had all the necessary paperwork that she'd need to inform her insurance company.

"Would you care for a lift home?" Alec offered her politely.

"I'd really appreciate one," she nodded tiredly, giving him a thankful smile as he opened the backdoor for Toby to crawl in.

"Cool," Toby smiled as Rose buckled him in as he took in the police vehicle.

The ride was quiet as he drove them out of the business district, when he turned off the main road, Alec asked breaking the silence, "how long have you lived in Broadchurch?"

"A few months," she confided, "we vacationed here and loved it, decided to stay."

"Just like that?" He asked, shifting his eyes to the catch her's for a second. "Don't you have friends and family somewhere missing you?"

"No." She shook her head. "We had a little extra money saved and here we are." She explained smoothly, the lie she had learned to make herself believe was true.

"What of his father?" He asked, his voice a bit cool and accusing. His ex-wife's cold dismissal of him from his daughter's life cut through him and into his tone.

"Passed on, it's just Toby and me," she clarified, glancing back at him. "We needed the change, the move has been good for him."

Alec nodded and pulled in her driveway, "be safe Rose, I'll have your car moved to a repair shop as soon as they're done taking evidence."

"Thank you for the ride, Detective."

"Call me Alec," he offered, surprising himself, he rarely gave anyone permission to use his given name.

She smiled a wide grin as if sensing that about him, "goodnight then Alec and thank you."