Forty
Joe was feeling relieved as he and Coco made their way back to the council chambers. For a few moments over lunch, he’d thought Gill was about to tell him she couldn’t continue to see him. All her talk about being still married, her vow never to get involved again, had sent his nerves jangling. But it had been all right in the end. She’d agreed to see him again. Though he got the impression she’d do everything in her power to avoid a repetition of the previous evening when they’d been alone in the dark and things had become heated. Maybe it wasn’t a bad thing to allow everything to cool off for a bit. She had her daughter staying with her, and he had Erica. Neither of them knew what the future held. But he could live in hope, hope Gill’s divorce would be settled, her daughter would find a new life, and Erica would manage to relegate Geoff to the past where he belonged.
The afternoon passed slowly, giving Joe too much time to think about his lunchtime conversation with Gill. Even Coco, lying under the desk, was beginning to make impatient noises by the time Joe closed up his computer and rose from his chair.
When he arrived home, Erica was already there; her shift had finished earlier. Instead of cooking dinner, as she normally did at this time, she was sitting in the living room staring at her phone, an unfathomable expression on her face.
‘Is something wrong?’ Joe asked, while Coco went up to Erica and laid her head on her lap.
‘No, quite the reverse. Look!’ She held out the phone.
Joe looked at the black and white streaks on the screen, trying to make sense of what he was seeing. ‘That’s not…?’ he asked, shocked to the core.
‘My grandchild, yes. I called Briony. She’s fine. Kieren’s fine. She said Geoff’s ropeable, swearing what he’s going to do when he finds me. But she’s promised not to let him know I’ve been in touch. Oh, Joe, it was so good to talk to her.’
‘Are you mad? Didn’t you listen to what I said, what Gill advised? How long do you think it’s going to take Kieren to find out from Briony that you called? And how long before Kieren tells his father?’
‘She promised.’
‘How much is her promise worth? Kieren’s her husband. Do you think she’s going to keep it secret from him?’
Erica clutched her phone to her chest and began to sob. ‘You’re wrong. I know you are.’ But she didn’t sound as sure as she had earlier. ‘I’m going to make dinner.’
‘Wait!’ Joe was filled with guilt. He was angry with Erica for calling Perth, for putting herself in danger, when both he and Gill had expressly told her not to. Maybe he should have told her about Geoff’s call. He could understand how desperate she’d been to get news of home, to talk with Briony about her pregnancy, to check on Kieren. ‘I’m sorry I lost my temper, Erica. It’s late to start preparing dinner. Why don’t I take you out to eat? The Thai’s open on Mondays. I seem to remember you enjoy Thai food.’
‘Oh,’ Erica brightened. ‘I’d like that. I don’t know when I last had a Thai meal. Geoff always said he couldn’t stomach all that Asian muck.’ She frowned. ‘You don’t really think he’ll find out, do you?’
‘I’m sorry to say I do.’
‘But that doesn’t mean he’ll know where to find me… and there’s the AVO.’ Her voice began to quiver.
‘Well, he’s not going to turn up in Pelican Crossing tonight, so why don’t you get changed. You can’t go out to dinner like that.’
Erica glanced down at the nurse’s uniform she was still wearing, the dark blue pants and tunic with her nametag pinned to it. ‘No, you’re right. I’ll shower too. It won’t take me long.’
When she had gone, Coco came over to lay her head on Joe’s lap and look up at him with her soulful eyes. It was as if she was concerned about Erica’s actions too. ‘You and me both, Coco. But what’s done’s done. We just have to hope I’m wrong about Geoff.’ But he was afraid he wasn’t. He knew his brother-in-law too well. Joe’s story about Cairns wouldn’t hold him for long. Geoff was a man who’d stop at nothing to bring his errant wife to heel, and once he heard she’d been in touch with Briony…