Chapter 13
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
MADIGAN
Watching Nick and his mother embrace damn near broke my heart.
In the middle of a bank, in front of a teller, it had been a very, very un-Nick thing to do.
Shocking and powerful in its raw, unchecked emotion, the lingering hug offered far more hope than any words.
Hope for them both, but especially for Nick.
Relief powered through me. It felt like things were on track. I had zero idea what had transpired in that room to warrant such a response, and I was going to have to wait to find out. But it symbolised a significant breakthrough, at least on Nick’s part, and for that I would be eternally grateful.
Chloe interrupted my thoughts with a tap on my shoulder. “Turn here. This is their street.”
I made a left into Towai Crescent and blinked at the upmarket houses lining the wide, leafy street. It was a step or three up from the modest suburb where Chloe resided.
“Austin bought this when he and Belinda got together, just after Brendon died.” Chloe leaned forward in her seat, one hand resting on Nick’s shoulder. “He was promoted to head of the music department at his school and the extra salary gave him a boost.”
Nick said nothing, his gaze roaming the expensive houses. I figured he was thinking the same as me. It was a hell of a lot of property for a schoolteacher, even a head of department.
“You said Belinda’s a nurse, right?”
“Yes, she—oh, there.” Chloe pointed to a concrete and glass house at the end of the street. “That one is theirs.”
I approached the house at a crawl, giving Nick ample time for a good look.
Painted black with tinted glass windows, a bright green lawn, large trees, and a pretty garden, the home was simple but eye-catching.
Not the biggest on the street but not the smallest, either. It had to have cost a pretty penny.
“Belinda has green fingers and quite the eye for design,” Chloe chatted away.
“Austin wouldn’t know a colour swatch if it bit him in the butt, but thanks to Belinda’s talent, the interior looks like something out of a magazine.
Austin certainly lucked out there. And Belinda loves a good bargain.
A small amount of money goes a long way in her capable hands. ”
I came to a stop across the road from Austin’s driveway and stared at the manicured lawn, carefully tended garden, and the large properties either side.
Someone was telling big fat porkies. It would take more than a bit of clever bargain hunting and a small rise in a teacher’s salary to maintain a house on this street.
Chloe pointed to the triple garage. “They have a granny flat at back of that. Austin wants me to sell up and move in with them.”
Beside me, Nick tensed, anger pouring off him in waves. “But that’s not what you want, I take it?”
Chloe shook her head. “I value my independence too much, what I have left of it, anyways. It was a long time coming, as you well know.”
Nick patted Chloe’s hand, which was still resting on his shoulder. “Good for you.”
I caught her quick smile in my rear-vision mirror before she slid back into her seat. “I think it’s time you boys got me home.”
“Good idea.” I pulled away from the kerb and turned right at the end of the street.
Nick’s hand found my thigh, and he shot me a troubled look. I answered with one of my own. The morning had been far from reassuring.
Pulling into the driveway of Chloe’s townhouse, the downward spiral continued. A dark blue nineties Honda was parked in Chloe’s carport.
“Bugger,” Chloe grumbled. “Belinda’s here.”
“Shit.” Nick caught my eye, then turned in his seat. “How do you want to play this?”
Chloe shrugged. “I . . . I don’t know.” Her gaze flitted to the townhouse and back to me, almost panicked. “I . . . can’t think. She can’t know about you. I’m not ready. Not yet. She’s nice enough, but she’ll tell Austin, and he’ll be angry,”
Nick looked helplessly to me. “You’re the story expert.”
I thought quickly. “How about we tell her Chloe wanted to post something, so we gave her a ride.”
“Oh, yes. A birthday present,” Chloe agreed excitedly. “I’ll come up with a name. Those two have no clue about family birthdays.”
“Not bad.” I pulled into the visitor’s car park and cut the engine. “But it doesn’t explain us being here in the first place. Tell her that we couldn’t reach you by phone and so we called in just to give you our contact details before we left.”
Nick looked to Chloe. “What do you think? Will it work?”
Chloe nodded. “It should. Belinda’s much softer than Austin. She and I get along well.”
“All right, then.” Nick unplugged the new phone and its charger and passed them to Chloe. “Put these in your handbag and remember to charge it when she’s gone.”
Chloe snapped her bag shut moments before the front door opened and a pretty blonde woman began making her way down the path toward us.
“She’s coming,” I warned. “And she doesn’t look happy.”
“I’m ready.” Chloe took a deep breath and got out of the car.
Nick and I shared a worried look before joining her.
Belinda came to a stop about a metre away, her arms folded across her chest. “What exactly is going on here?” Her eyes landed on Chloe and her expression softened. “Thank God, you’re okay. I was about to call the police. You look tired.” She shot Nick a pointed glare.
Chloe huffed. “I’m fine. And don’t blame Nick. I asked if he’d mind taking me to the post office. Brendon’s great niece’s birthday is coming up and I wanted to send her something.” She stepped around Belinda and started for the house. “Come on, boys, there’s time for a cup of tea before you go.”
“Let her go.” Belinda blocked our path, her eyes narrowing. “I have a few things to say. Austin told me all about you two and I know that he warned you not to come back.”
Nick’s jaw ticked ominously, and before he said something we’d all regret, I slid my hand over his lower back to remind him what was at stake.
He glanced my way and took a breath. “I’m sorry. Have we met?”
I rolled my eyes and tried not to smile.
“I’m Belinda, Austin’s partner, and Chloe’s—” Belinda hesitated, clearly unsure how to define her relationship to Chloe. “—sometime caregiver. I help out where I can,” she finished, slightly flustered.
“Well, I’m Nick, a friend of Chloe’s, and this is my partner, Madigan.” Nick held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Belinda.”
Belinda stared at Nick’s hand for a long moment before finally shaking it.
Nick eyed her with interest. “And as for Austin’s warning—” Nick’s expression hardened. “—Austin isn’t my friend. Chloe is. And Chloe seems quite capable of making her own decisions.” He levelled a look at Belinda that had most people squirming.
But like most nurses, Belinda was no pushover.
She tipped her chin and threw him an unimpressed look of her own.
“But that’s where you’re wrong,” she answered coolly, brown eyes flashing.
“I may not always agree with how Austin goes about things, but his heart is in the right place. Plus, he is Chloe’s next of kin. ”
And that’s where you’re wrong, I thought, watching Nick’s expression tighten.
“You’ve been here all of two minutes and think you know Chloe. But she’s not the well woman from your past. She hasn’t been herself for a while now.”
“Bring them inside, Linny,” Chloe called from the front step. “They were only doing me a favour.”
But Belinda wasn’t moving.
Nick stuck with our story. “I understand your concern, but we really wanted to leave her our contact details. When she didn’t answer her phone, we decided to drop by in person. When she asked us to take her to the store, we did. That’s it.”
Belinda’s shrewd eyes studied Nick. “She lost her phone.”
Nick nodded. “So she said. Anyway, no harm was done, as you can see.”
Belinda’s shrewd gaze flicked between Nick and me as she weighed our words.
“Maybe,” she concluded, her shoulders relaxing.
“But that doesn’t change things. We don’t know you from a bar of soap, and Chloe is vulnerable.
She means a lot to us. To me. And I won’t have her taken advantage of.
” Her voice broke at the end and she swallowed hard.
“I lost my parents a long time ago and Chloe is like a second mother to me. Parkinson’s is a cruel disease.
It steals your mind piece by piece, and I’ll protect Chloe whenever necessary.
I hope you can understand and respect that. ”
The truth was, I did. It was exactly how I felt about my aunt Shirley. And hearing it from Belinda’s mouth went some way toward reassuring me about the whole situation. At least one person seemed to have Chloe’s interests at heart.
“Of course we respect that,” Nick said evenly, giving nothing away of his true feelings. “And you have nothing to worry about from us. We’ve done what we came to do, so we’ll be out of your hair. But if it’s okay with you, I’d like to call Chloe sometime and see how she is.”
Belinda said nothing for a moment, then she sighed. “I’ll have to check with Austin first. I’ll let you know.”
There wasn’t a hope in hell Austin would allow that, but I said nothing. She didn’t even ask for our number. Then again, if Austin had taken Chloe’s phone, he would already have it.
“Now, if that’s all, I’d appreciate you leaving.” Belinda hurried us along. “I try to share lunch with Chloe a couple of times a week so that I know that she’s eating enough. She’s wont to skip meals.”
“Of course.” Nick stepped back. “Thank you. And hopefully we’ll hear from you soon.”
Belinda said nothing. She simply cast Nick a sceptical look, then turned on her heels and headed up the path.
I slid an arm around Nick’s waist and watched her go. “I think we’ve been dismissed.”
He gave a soft snort and pressed a kiss to my hair. “I hate to say it, but I kind of like her style.”
I handed him the keys and headed for the passenger side. “You drive and I’ll find a place for lunch that won’t clog our blood vessels in six unsatisfying bites.”