Love Me Like You Do

[Laura2015]

Dear readers,

I must be mental. Okay so I've got this idea going around in my head and I'll update it when I can. This is called Love Me Like You Do. I got the title from the Ellie Goulding song.

My username has been changed and I was: Aden_Romeo_Lover2010 but I wanted to go by my name.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=AJtDXIazrMo

Story Title: Love Me Like You Do
Type of story: Medium/Long
Main Characters: Angelo, Ruby, Roman, Charlie, Nicole, Brax, O/C

Other Characters: Amber Taylor-Bennett
BTTB rating: G/T
Genre: Romance and drama
Does story include spoilers: No
Any warnings: No warnings yet. (TBA when needed to be)

Summary: Amber is running. When a file with some shocking news come to her attention, she decides to go to Summer Bay to find out the truth but is she also running?

Cover by Livilulu @ TDA

Prologue

Letting out a sigh Amber Taylor-Bennett scrolled down the website advertising jobs. For the last two months she had been applying non-stop trying to find something to get her back on her feet. Turning to look out of the window she had never expected to be put in this position but she had and she had to deal with it. There was nothing left for her in Brisbane now, not since the accident and she needed to move on. She knew she did and that was why she had started to look for jobs in Sydney and up to two hours within that catchment area.

“You still looking then?” she heard the voice of her flatmate Lucy.

“Of course I am.”

“You don’t have to go you know.”

Amber sighed as she turned to look at her best friend. They had met when they had both started to attend the local university and they had been doing a bachelor degree in business management.

“I do but I have to go. There’s nothing left here for me now,” she told her as she turned her attention back to the screen. It was then that she saw it:

RESTAURANT MANAGER: ANGELO’S

SUMMER BAY

Clicking into the link she began reading through the information and she couldn’t help the smile that appeared on her face. It sounded perfect and she knew it could be the fresh start she was after.

“Have you found something then?” asked a dejected Lucy.

“Yes a restaurant manager in a place outside of Sydney.”

“Sydney? Why would you want to leave Queensland?”

“I told you Lucy I need a fresh start and this will be it.”

“So because of one accident you want to leave. You know no one blames you for what happened, Joel is even giving you a reference.”

“It wasn’t a little accident, Luce, and you know it. This will be good.”

Shaking her head she didn’t want to think about it, she just wanted to leave Brisbane behind and forget it ever happened. Maybe she was running away but she needed this. Brisbane was always meant to be a temporary thing, she didn’t think she be here ten years after graduating but she was. Opening up a e-mail she quickly began typing up the covering letter before attaching her CV.

“Well I still think your making a mistake by going but I’m not going to change your mind am I?” Lucy asked her.

“No,” she replied as her eye went to the folder in front of her. She needed to go and see if it was true but she hadn’t told anyone that piece of information.

“Mummy!” she heard the voice of one of her twins.

“Coming,” Amber called out as she locked the laptop and headed to the twins bedroom.

Her head was spinning and she felt guilty but she knew that she wasn’t ready to talk about that file or the information she had been told. Was it right and why did they wait until she was twenty three and with five year old twins to tell her this information?

[Guest]

Great start

I look forward to more

Update again soon

[Danni02]

Good start. Look forward too seeing where this story goes.

[Inactive User]

Great start

Looking forwards to the next chapter

[Laura2015]

Thanks for the comments. Here is chapter one and underneath some important information about the characters.

15]

Chapter One

Two days later: November 2015

Angelo placed the last of the CV down onto the desk and let out a sigh. He had spent the last hour going through them in preparation for tomorrow’s interviews. The restaurant that he owned was thriving so he had decided to take a step back and hire a manager to run the business in his place. In the three weeks since he had started advertising for someone there had only been ten applications he had seriously thought about asking for an interview.

He was picky as he hoped to buy the downstairs of the surf club or maybe extend the business into the nearby town of Ashley Bay, named after the founding family. Lifting up the CV’s again he reread the one he had been looking at and it sound promising. The application had everything he had wanted to hear and she had the relevant experience, Amber Taylor-Bennett seemed like the perfect person.

Picking up his phone he had decided to invite her to an interview and see if she could fit right into the restaurant. He quickly typed the number into the phone before moments later it was ringing.

“Hello?” he heard a soft voice say at the end of the line.

“Hi this is Angelo Rosetta and I like to speak to Amber Taylor-Bennett, please.”

“Speaking,” she replied.

“Hi, Amber, I like to invite you for an interview for the position you applied for as restaurant manager for Angelo’s in Summer Bay?”

“I would very much like to attend. When were you thinking about?” she asked him.

“When can you come for the interview, I see your in Brisbane.”

“Yes I am but I can get a flight down tomorrow so Wednesday?” Amber suggested to him. She was thinking about childcare but luckily she had a friend who owned a crèche in Sydney and she was sure she wouldn’t mind her attending for the day.

“I can do Wednesday at two o’clock, will that suit?” he asked her, looking at the restaurant rota in front of him. Usually he had Wednesday’s off to be with his daughter Kiara but he guessed he could speak to her mam about changing that.

“Yes that will be great, thank you.”

Angelo smiled and hung up before making a note in the diary before sending it to his supervisor, Kyle. He knew Kyle wouldn’t be happy about being looked over for the management position. However although she didn’t have much experience management wise, she had done the management degree and had been working in restaurants in some form since the age of sixteen. Pushing the chair back he headed out to the restaurant to see it was busy.

Ever since he had changed the menu to classic Italian food and including a delivery service the restaurant had flourish. Seeing Kyle stood at the bar putting some glasses away he walked over to him.

“Kyle, can I have a word?” he asked him.

“Sure what’s up, boss?” he asked Angelo.

“On Wednesday I’m going to be interviewing for the new manager position. I know you’re not happy I’m not considering you but I need someone with at least two to three years experience. In a year I’d think about it but I am wondering if you fancy heading up a department?” Angelo asked him.

“What’s that?”

“Alf mentioned to me yesterday that he’s thinking of taking a step back from running the bar and I’m wondering if you fancy overseeing that. I’m thinking of buying it and the new manager will look after both but I need a supervisor to oversee things when she’s not there.”

“Can I think about it?” he asked him.

Angelo was taken back by it but nodded. “Okay but I want a answer by tomorrow night. Speak to Billie

okay?”

Kyle nodded before he went back to doing the glasses.

*_*_*_*

Watching the cup of coffee be placed in front of her, Amber looked up at Lucy and smiled. She knew her friend was devastated that she was leaving but she needed to accept it. Lucy had been such a rock to her over the last three months but if she was ever going to move on then she needed to leave Brisbane. She would miss the place and the people but she had her memories.

“Come with me,” Amber said and she couldn’t believe the words had come out of her mouth.

“What?”

“Come with me to Summer Bay if I get the job.”

“I’m not leaving Brisbane, Amber, as much as I don’t want you or the twins to go. I’ll miss you,” Lucy finally admitted.

“I know and I’ll miss you too but let’s see if I get the job first,” she told her. Hearing her phone bleeping she took one look at the caller ID and cancelled the call. She didn’t want to speak to him right now not with the memory of the file so very fresh on her mind.

“Yes but what you going to do regarding the twins?”

“I’m going to contact my friend in Sydney and see if she can look after them for the day. The interview is at two o’clock and its only an hour and a half away from Summer Bay.”

“Mummy!” came the voice of her eldest twin, Gabriel Blake through her two storey penthouse suite that her dad had bought for her.

Placing her drink down she walked up the stairs and into the direction of one of the two rooms the twins occupied. Little Gabriel stood at the baby gate to his room, holding his favourite koala teddy bear from their recent trip to the zoo.

“Hey, buddy, did you sleep well?” she asked him as she unlocked the baby gate and lifted him up. Amber walked to the bedroom next door and saw that Alanna Paige was still fast asleep.

“Yes but I’m hungry, mummy,” Gabriel said.

“Come on let’s go and get some breakfast. Alanna is still asleep.”

“Ah you going to wake her?”

“No we’ll let her sleep but tomorrow we’re flying to Sydney.”

“Why?”

“Well mummy is going for a new job so we’ll be going down there and we can look at schools,” she told him, hoping her son would settle into his new school well.

“Oh,” he replied.

Amber smiled and knew he wouldn’t like going to a new school but he was young enough to understand about the move. Her princess, Alanna, on the other hand was a little social butterfly.

*_*_*_*

“Daddy, no stay and play!”

Little Jayden Braxton looked up at his father with his big pleading eyes. Charlie stood behind her son as her heart broke for him. It was the same scene as it had been for the last three days; Jayden didn’t want his daddy to go to work and then Sienna would start, too. Since she had decided to quit working, as the nightclub and gyms that Brax ran made enough money, she had become a stay at home mum.

“Daddy has to go to work Jayden but I’ll be back this afternoon,” he told the little boy who had his arms out for his daddy.

“No, you stay and play!”

“Come on Jayden, you can stay here and play with me and Sienna. Ruby will be coming this afternoon.”

“Uby really?” Sienna asked, standing under her mother.

“Yes Ruby will be coming and maybe Sapphire, too.”

Knowing that mentioning their siblings would be a winning combo would make Jayden drop his attitude. It always led to a temper tantrum and she didn’t need one today. Ruby was coming because she and her boyfriend Romeo had recently announced their engagement and were planning a Christmas, this was only a month away.

“Uby and Sappy?” Jayden asked, changing his attention back to his mother.

“Yes both, baby,” Charlie said as she walked toward him and lifted him up. “And then after we pick Kayla up from school.” Kayla was Brax and Charlie’s oldest child at six and she attended the local primary school.

“We go to Irene’s?” Noah asked giving his best baby eyes.

Charlie laughed, boy did her son know how to negotiate. Going to Irene’s was his favourite thing to do after going to Angelo’s for pizza. There was no way they were going for pizza tonight but she didn’t see the harm in going for dinner at the diner. She might even ring Bianca to see if she wanted to bring Rocco and Harley.

“Yes but you need to let daddy go to work,” she told her son.

“Okay daddy stay morrow and play?” little Noah asked.

“Yes,” Brax told his son. “I’m on the evening shift.”

“Okay bye daddy.”

Charlie laughed at her son as he went running up the stairs to his bedroom. Shaking her head she walked over to Brax and wrapped her arms around his.

“Bring some of that delicious lasagne home tonight?”

Brax laughed; “Okay I’ll let Romeo know.”

Watching Brax walked out of the door before she turned to Sienna. “Let’s go and see what your brother is up too, shall we?”

“Yes. Beach?”

“Yes once Ruby and Sapphire get here.”

This isn't meant as a spoiler but more of important information. I don't want you to get lost.

Amber

• Mother to Gabriel & Alanna - 5

Angelo
· Angelo was engaged to Nicole
· Angelo and Nicole have a daughter, Kiara, whos six. Her birthday is in March

Brax & Charlie
· Brax and Charlie have been married for five years. They are childhood sweethearts.
· They have three children together: Kayla 6, Jayden 4 and three year old Sienna
· Charlie has twin eighteen year old daughters Ruby and Sapphire by her ex, Grant.
· Brax runs a nightclub/restaurant in Yabbie Creek and a gym.
· Ruby is engaged to Romeo and they are planning a Christmas wedding. Romeo works in Brax's restaurant as a chef.

Heath & Bianca
· They have been married for three years
· Heath has sole custody of his daughter Darcy 11 with his late girlfriend Teagan
· They have two sons Rocco & Harley 3

[Inactive User]

Great chapter

Update soon please xx

[Guest]

Great chapter

I look forward to more

Update again soon

[Laura2015]

Thanks for the comments and sorry if this sucks.

Chapter Two

Nicole let out a groan of frustration and threw the designs across her office. For the second time in less than ten minutes she was going to blow. Pushing her chair back, she raised her five month pregnant body and walked out to her studio where she saw her head of design, Lucia, look up at her. With one look on her bosses face, she rose before following Nicole back into the office.

“Nicole,” Lucia said as Nicole turn around and sat on her desk.

“Don’t. I’ve just had a look through the designs and these are nowhere near good enough. How am I meant to trust you with the business when I go on maternity leave if you can’t get the designs right now?”

“I’m sorry!”

“Sorry doesn’t cut it, Lucia, these are weak and poor. Harriet!” she shouted the name of one of the interns who was making her name heard at Nicole by Design.

The door of the office opened as Harriet Sinclair came walking through the door to see her angry boss. She hated being called into the office especially when she was going up against Lucia who was a bitch. She loved working for Nicole but she didn’t like the way she seemed to be singled out.

“Yes, Nicole,” she said.

The young girl excited the office, closing the door behind her. Nicole was beyond stress especially as she was due to go on maternity leave in three months and couldn’t see how she could trust Lucia to run the place. She was seriously thinking of asking her dad’s girlfriend Ricky to run the shop while she was gone. She loved Ricky Sharpe and couldn’t wait until she became her stepmother. When her dad had gotten with Ricky five years ago, she had been delighted for him. Within two years little Brielle 'Elle' had been born.

“Lucia, I’m due to go on maternity leave in three months and right now I don’t trust you to run in my absence. I’m...well I’ve decided I’m letting you go. I can’t trust you anymore and your designs are getting weaker not stronger. When I decided to let you do some designing as I liked your work but all I can see is weak work.”

“Nicole, please, give me another chance. I can do better.”

She just shook her head. Taking on Lucia had been a big risk in the first place and she had been told by many people not to do it. However she had listened to her heart and gone with that decision. She had done with the hope that Lucia would become her second in command but maybe she should have listen to those other people.

“No I’ve made my decision and its final,” she told her. “I’ve got to think about the business. I’m sorry bur I want you to empty your locker and leave.”

Tears were rolling down Lucia’s face but she had to think about her business and brand. She had worked very hard to get her business to where it was. She had gone to study and work in Milan for three years after her relationship with Angelo had broken down. It had been there she had met and fallen in love with Ethan, the man she married five months ago. Unlocking the laptop to her right, she opened up her e-mails and sent one to her HR head, Samara, to inform her of her decision and her need to find someone else.

For the next hour she tried not to think about firing Lucia but more on her business. She had spent the afternoon writing up a new advertisement as Samara had requested and gone through some more of the designs that other employees had handed in. She liked them but it was her label and she needed to start designing herself. It was her name that was going to be out there and not to mention she had a fashion show in three months – just a week before she was due to go on maternity leave.

“Smoothies!” she heard a voice say as she looked up to see Ricky walking in.

“Please tell me you’ve got a banana and strawberry one!” she asked her future stepmother who nodded.

“Yes. You look...well....”

“Peed off?” Nicole asked her as she took the smoothie. Ricky sat down opposite her friend as she nodded. “I’ve just sacked Lucia, her designs have been weak for a while now.”

“Your using your juniors designs?” Ricky asked shocked.

“Yes do you honestly think that fashion houses don’t do that? I’m trying to lessen the load especially with launching the jewellery line and there’s talk of underwear now, too.”

“Have you spoken to Ethan about this?” questioned Ricky.

“He’s pushing for it but let’s see until after the baby is born. So did you drop in for a chat or something else?”

“No me and your father would like to invite you and Ethan out for a meal tonight. I’m sure Angelo will have Kiara,” Ricky told her. “We can go to that new restaurant in Yabbie Creek.”

“Okay that sounds nice. I’m done here for the day anyway. Do you want a lift home?” she asked her.

“Nah I’ve got the car outside but we’ll pick you up say seven?”

“See you then.”

*_*_*_*

Scrolling through the realtors websites, Amber didn’t really know why she was looking at property right now but she wanted to see what was out there in Summer Bay and the surrounding areas. As the daughter of one of the richest men in Australia she needed somewhere that was safe and secure. She could just see the hairy fit her father would have if it didn’t comply to those specifications. He probably, she thought, also be wondering why she wanted to work at all. They’d have the same arguments they always have; I want to work but I’m not working for you, dad, she say as he would smile.

“Have you booked your flights yet?” she heard the voice of Lucy as she entered her study. Groaning she wished her friend would go back to her own home.

“Yes I fly out tomorrow morning at nine. My mam is going to take the children so they can stay in school.”

“Oh okay well I was wondering....look I don’t want you to go. The restaurant isn’t going to be the same without you...”

“I can’t go back there, Lucy. I can’t go anywhere near the place....” Amber replied her voice trembling. “....It’s too soon.”

“It’s been three months, babe.”

“I know how long its been but....god my cousin....there’s so many memories of him there.”

Amber knew that speaking about Drake would be a good thing but that didn’t mean she wanted to go back there. The memories of that night was so fresh in both of their minds.

“I know but you need to start to move on.”

“And leaving Brisbane is how I do that. He came to Brisbane for me, to be with me but because of that decision he lost his life and Joel lost his business. I’m going to go and pick up the boys from school.”

“So are you selling this place?” Lucy asked.

“Not sure yet but I don’t think I’ll be returning.”

Pushing herself back from her laptop, she locked the device before heading off to get changed. She had changed into her tracksuit after dropping the twins off at school, but there was no way she was going to collect them in a tracksuit. Quickly she pulled on a pair of jeans, pulled her hair up into a ponytail and headed out of the door.

As she climbed into her Audi jeep, she was getting, if she was being truthful to herself, sick of Lucy bringing her moving. She didn’t need a hard time over this; she needed the fresh start and if she didn’t get the job in Summer Bay then she had already decided she’d go back to Newcastle. It was the place she had been born, it was where her family’s business was situated and to be honest she missed the place. Her mind was all over the place and before she knew it she was pulling up outside the school.

She had been pretty young, eighteen, when she had gotten pregnant with the twins but she hadn’t regretted having them. Her family had been awesome and she had gone off to university as planned in Brisbane, where her mother was setting up a new restaurant. Her dad, Milo, had paid for board, made sure she had money for food and the bills she needed to pay but also hired a au pair. It meant she could work because she wanted to and go for her degree. The kids’ father wasn’t in the picture and she be happy if she never saw him again.

Reaching the school gates she saw Kirsty Sutherland waiting at the gates. She smiled and waved at the mother of her son’s best friend since kindergarten. Kirsty had a son, Ollie with a ex and she also had five year old twins, Logan and Jasmine.

“Hey, Frankie not picking them up?” Kirsty asked.

“No she’s not. I’ve given her the day off. I’ve got a question, is it right that you used to live in Summer Bay?” she questioned her.

“Yes why?”

“Well I’m thinking of leaving Brisbane and there’s been a job advertised there for the restaurant. It’s called Angelo’s and it be for a restaurant manager. I’m ready to go back to work and it sounds like a great place.”

“It is and funny you should say that because I’ve been talking to Kieran about moving back. My family are still living there and I miss them. Ollie is about to start big school in January so if we move now would be a great time and we’ve learnt about an old building that we could turn into a business of some sort.”

Hearing that Kirsty was thinking about moving back to the Bay, well she couldn’t deny it, it did excite her. It would be cool if her friend could move with her and they could start a new life together. Well let see what the future held for them. If she was going to investigate what was in that folder, then maybe having a friend around would be a good thing.

*_*_*_*

“Auntie Bee!”

Jayden went running into the diner as he spotted his auntie Bee seeing that his cousins Rocco and Harley where sitting already drinking chocolate milkshakes. Smiling Charlie followed her son and little Sienna as they ran to their pregnant aunt. Bianca was six months pregnant with her and Heath’s third child, a little girl who they planned to name Luna Darcy after her elder half sister.

“Hi, Jayden,” Bianca said as she ruffled the boys hair before he went and sat at the table next to them. Rocco, Jayden, Harley and Sienna were sitting at one table while Charlie and Bianca plus Ruby and Sapphire, who had come too, sat at another.

“He’s been desperate to see you and I’ve promised them some time at the beach before we go and pick up Kayla,” Bianca told her best friend as Irene came over to take their orders. Chicken nuggets and chips were ordered for the children while the adults went for chicken wraps.

“Yes the twins have been the same. Hey, Rubes, how’s the wedding planning going?”

Ruby grinned as she looked at Bianca. It had been a year since Romeo had asked her to marry him on Amelia Island off the coast of Florida; it had been one of the most romantic things he had done. He had booked them out a yacht for the day, which she later learned belonged to a friend of his sister Mink who was part of the crew. Anyway it was an overnight charter and out at sea, under the clouds after a romantic meal he had asked her to be his wife. She had said yes and since then they had been planning their December wedding.

“Okay apart from another meeting with the florist and the wedding cake people. I just can’t wait to get married now....” Ruby replied to the questions from Bianca.

“More like you can’t wait for the month long honeymoon in the Caribbean! A private charter yacht!” teased Sapphire.

Ruby was a successful singer, actress and model who’d had been accidently discovered when she had done a trip to a Sydney university. They were to be married in the bay before spending a month aboard. It was true that Ruby had charted the yacht which happened to belong to a close friend.

“Shut up, Sapphire, you and Niall are coming for the last two weeks,” Ruby reminded her younger sister. Niall was her tour manager and Sapphire worked as a her PA on the road.

“Oh yeah I forgot about that.”

“Sappy is forgetful!” Jayden giggled.

“Hey, little bro, you been listening into my conversations?” she asked her baby brother.

“No Ruby never!” the little boy giggled.

“You were Jay!” Sienna squealed at her brother. At four Jayden attended nursery three days a week but as it was Tuesday he had today off.

“Jayden, Sienna, stop arguing or no beach,” Charlie said.

“No, mummy, we be good.”

“Yeah we be good,” Jayden echoed his sister.

“Where’s Romeo today?” Bianca asked as their meals appeared being brought over by Chris and Irene.

“He’s in Tassie until tomorrow and then he’s coming here until the wedding. I can’t wait for us to be married now.”

“I know the feeling,” replied Bianca.

Sapphire looked down at her bare finger. She was jealous of Ruby a little bit, she and Niall had been together for three years now and she had thought he had proposed but he hadn’t. Watching her sister, how successful she was and was enjoying her new life she couldn’t help but be jealous. It seemed her sister had everything she had ever wanted. Oh she knew it was wrong to be jealous of her but she couldn’t help it.

“Mam, are we going to the beach after this?” Jayden asked.

“Yes now eat up because I might get you some chocolate cake.”

[Inactive User]

Great chapter

Update soon please xx

[Guest]

Great chapter

Glad you brought Kirsty into the story.

I look forward to more

Update again soon