Chapter 14
One day, Sam would eat an ice cream without ending up covered in the sticky confection.
But Jessica had promised him a treat if they finished delivering all their pamphlets today, and he’d been a trooper.
Soon, they wouldn’t have to deliver pamphlets; she wouldn’t need to do product reviews or teach yoga online.
She could even reduce her hours at the pub to give herself some more time.
She was wiping Sam’s mouth clean when she spotted Joan Mandrill on the other side of the road.
“Joan!” Jessica waved. There was no point in trying to hurry Sam along. Not if she didn’t want his ice cream to end up on the footpath. That would only end in tears.
They met the older woman outside Owen’s law firm. Her pink hair matched Jessica’s strawberry ice cream. “My two favourite tenants! How are you both?”
“I was hoping to see you. There’s something I’d like to talk about.”
“Sounds serious.” Joan pulled a silly face, and Sam giggled.
“Have you signed the sale contract for your house yet?”
Joan’s gaze sharpened, and Jessica had the uncomfortable sensation that she was being X-rayed.
“No. They want to add a condition where the sale is contingent on the sale of another property of theirs. I’m not in a rush to sell, so I’ve said no. Their other property is on the market now.”
A huge weight lifted off Jessica’s shoulders. There’s still a chance I can keep our home.
“Would you consider selling to me instead?” Jessica braced herself for the questions she knew were coming.
“I don’t mean to pry, darling, but how can …”
Jessica had thought about this a lot. While she and Teddy had decided to keep their marriage a secret, it just wasn’t possible to do that with her inheritance, even though it might cause issues with her mother.
Her current plan: to massively downplay exactly how much money would be hitting her bank account.
“I’ve come into a little bit of money recently, and I love your house so much. ”
“That’s wonderful news.” Joan smiled.
Wonderful was a stretch considering her complicated/non-existent relationships with her parents, but Jessica refused to dwell on the past. The only thing she cared about was moving forward. “It’s helpful, that’s for sure.”
“I would like the house to go to someone who would look after it. Those walls hold almost all my favourite memories.”
Jessica swallowed. “The only thing is that I need a little bit of time for the money to come through.”
Jessica had also considered whether she should use some—or all—of her savings as a deposit, but with a new custody battle looming, she needed to be smart about this.
“How much time?” Joan asked.
“A few months. Once my inheritance clears, I’ll be able to pay it all off.
” Her cheeks heated, but she refused to be embarrassed about this next bit.
Or, at least, outwardly embarrassed. “I can’t get a mortgage with my current earnings.
You don’t have to say yes right now. Or set a price.
” Jessica was dangerously close to begging.
“But please just think about it. And know that Sam and I would take the best care of your house. Wouldn’t we, buddy? ”
“We got a cat. Teddy helped us find her. She was hiding under our house,” he said, and Jessica pressed her lips together to stop her groan from escaping. Sam had just given Joan the perfect opener.
“That sounds like Teddy. Lots of big changes happening in your lives lately,” Joan said.
Sam grinned. “Sometimes Teddy comes for dinner too. He’s my friend.”
Twice. Teddy had come over twice, but God love the way four-year-old brains worked.
“Everyone loves Teddy.” Joan shifted her attention from Sam to Jessica.
Jessica’s skin itched under the scrutiny, and she wished she’d brought her wide-brimmed hat with her. She’d underestimated how hard it was going to be to lie to everyone. At least she could be honest when she said, “He’s a good guy.”
Joan clapped. “Well, this has been a very surprising conversation! I’ll call you later when you won’t have little ears around and we can talk some more about the house.”
Jessica made a mental note to reach out to Richard’s lawyer and confirm the timeline for discharging the trust now that she had a wedding date.
“I’d like that. And Joan, things with my mother have always been complicated, and if she finds out about this inheritance, it’ll cause problems for me. I’d appreciate it if you didn’t mention it to anyone?”
“My lips are sealed!” For about five seconds, if she were lucky, but Jessica would take what she could get, especially if it got her one step closer to her dream. A permanent home with Sam in this special little town that had come to mean so much to her.
“I wanted to wish you luck for your big date on the weekend anyway.”
“My big—”
“The Somers Gully fair. We’ll see you there. Lulu and I are tagging along with all her boys and their girls.”
Jessica hoped her smile was warm and hid her nerves about being out in public with Teddy for the first time. Now they didn’t just have to impress his boss but also his whole family.
She also hoped she didn’t let Teddy down. Not when he was doing so much to help her.
Jessica had thought it was stressful choosing an outfit for dinner with Teddy at her house, but that had nothing on the quandary she found herself in now.
This was their first official outing as a ‘couple’. People would be looking at them … judging them … She could hear the whispers already. “What is Teddy James doing with her?” “Do you think she tricked him somehow?” “Why would the region’s hottest playboy want to date a dowdy single mother?”
Do people even still say dowdy?
Jessica flopped back onto her bed, tempted to pull the doona over herself and pretend this wasn’t happening. Her phone chimed.
Mum: Landlord wants the first two months rent to secure the property. You have my account details, right?
What Jessica had was a déjá vu headache. And it was mother-shaped. If she gave Cara money again, she’d never stop asking. Four million dollars was a lot of money—more than Jessica had ever imagined she’d have in her bank account—but she still needed to be smart. Prioritise her and Sam’s needs.
It might be time to do what she’d been thinking about for the last few years and say no.
Protect her own peace, and all that.
With shaking fingers, Jessica typed out a short response.
Jessica: I’m sorry, Mum, but I don’t have any spare cash right now.
It wasn’t a lie. The bulk of her inheritance wouldn’t hit her account until she was married, and her advance was going to be eaten up by showing Joan she was serious and prepping to fight Rob for custody again.
She hit ‘send’ and closed her eyes, bracing for the inevitable vitriol that was surely headed her way.
Mum: Why not? What about your inheritance?
Jessica: I had to spend it on my car. It wouldn’t have been enough to cover your rent anyway.
Okay. That was a lie. But she could always say more had come through later, figure out what to do once she’d protected herself and Sam.
Mum: Typical Richard behaviour. Promise the world and then disappoint. You should have an audit done of his estate. We deserve more.
Jessica tossed her phone onto her pillow and stood, banishing her mother’s messages from her mind. She surveyed her closet and decided she was overthinking this. She could wear her favourite denim shorts. Being comfortable would help her feel more relaxed.
Jessica thumbed through her small selection of clothes, settling on a lilac linen button-up that she’d picked up off the sales rack at Kmart a few years ago.
It was way too big, but she could roll the sleeves and tie the front into a knot.
She pulled her hair up into a messy bun—thanks to her curls, every bun was a messy one—and studied her reflection.
She looked … fine? But fine wouldn’t be enough today.
Jessica remembered what she used to do when she needed a bit of extra bravery: she’d accessorise.
Twenty-year-old Jessica had firmly believed that the bigger her hoop earrings were, the braver she could be.
She rummaged through the little ceramic rose jewellery box on her dresser until she found what she was looking for.
Jessica slipped a pair of large, fake gold hoops into her ears.
Added a chunky gold—fake again—chain that she’d put in her own Christmas stocking last year and hadn’t worn yet.
It still had the tags on it. A swipe of lip gloss and some of the mascara she’d had forever and always made a point not to check the expiry date on, and she was ready.
There was no way she’d manage winged eyeliner when she was this nervous.
Jessica was waiting on the front verandah when Teddy pulled up.
“Wow,” he said when he saw her. “You look great.”
Shyness overcame her. “I look the same as always.”
“Disagree. You’re always beautiful but especially today.”
She was saved from having to stammer through a reply to Teddy’s compliment when he presented her with a small bunch of gerberas that he’d been hiding behind his back.
“More flowers?” she asked as he handed them to her.
Wait. Was Teddy blushing? “Same plan as your nickname, Sunshine. I’m going to keep guessing until I get it right.”
“Teddy …” She blushed. When she met his gaze, he dropped his to the floor and stuck his hands in his pockets. Okay. They were both nervous. That was probably a good thing. “Thank you. I’ll just put these in water quickly.”
“Sure.” Teddy trailed after her as she headed down the hall.
“What’s the plan for today?” she asked once she’d placed the flowers in the middle of the table where they looked like they belonged.
“I’ve got a picnic in the car. And a rug.” Teddy flushed, that adorable blush reappearing on his neck.
Jessica tried not to smile. She really did. She also really failed. “You packed a picnic?”
“Yeah.” Teddy bit his lip, smiling sheepishly at her. “I got a bunch of different things, so hopefully there will be stuff you like.”
Oh, no. Teddy was officially too nice. Although, how low were Jessica’s standards if someone considering her food preferences impressed her? She sighed at herself.
“Remind me again who is going to be there?” she asked.
“My boss. He’s a hard ass so don’t take it personally if he doesn’t like you. I don’t think he likes anyone.”
“Rumour has it he doesn’t even like you.”
Teddy’s grin appeared, but it was missing his usual spark. “Exactly. Even though I’ve been doing all sorts of extra stuff to try and show him he can leave me in charge for a couple of weeks next year. He still says my name like it tastes bad.”
“Right, so we’re going to try extra hard to impress him. Got it. And Kylee? She’ll be there?”
“Yeah.” Then he named a few other coworkers, giving Jessica a quick description of each.
Jessica slung her tote bag over her shoulder and picked up the cat’s-eye sunglasses she’d splurged on for today. “I heard your mum and Joan are going too.”
Teddy rolled his eyes. “They never miss a party.”
“Should we discuss how this is going to work?” Jessica asked before she could change her mind.
“What do you mean?”
“How physical are we going to be with each other? Should we hold hands?”
Don’t ask about kissing.
Obviously, they wouldn’t be kissing.
Teddy scratched the back of his neck and the tinges of pink on his cheeks, his throat deepened to a red. “It’s up to you. Whatever you’re comfortable with.” His voice was husky, scratchy.
Jessica shook her head, and her earrings swung from side to side. “Holding hands is okay.”
“Yeah? Okay. Good. That’s settled then. We’re a hand-holding couple. Got it.” Teddy blew out a long breath, and his nervousness was so charming, so disarming that Jessica had to put him out of his misery, but how?
“Why don’t we take things as they come?” The words were out of her mouth before she’d even realised she’d been thinking of them. Jessica Sonoto never played things by ear. She liked plans and structure and firm boundaries.
But she trusted Teddy, and she knew he wouldn’t do anything that made her uncomfortable.
“Sounds like a plan.”
It sounded like something, and that would have to be enough for her.