Chapter 26
Chapter Twenty-Six
Jules
“ A re you sure you’re up to this? We can take Riley riding next weekend?”
Mick hovers over me as I perch on the edge of the bed, a shadow in his expression that wasn’t there yesterday. I must have been a mess when he found me lying in that nightclub bathroom. Thankfully, I have no memory of it. By the time I emerged out of a coma-like sleep, Mick had washed the evidence off my body and thrown my clothes into the washing machine.
Riley’s been looking forward to riding her new bike at the park. I don’t want to let her down. “A cup of coffee and toast will fix me up.” I push him away, only for a wave of dizziness to come over me. I grope for his shirt to stop myself from falling.
Mick grunts. “Stop being stubborn.” He scoops an arm under my knees and lifts me.
“What the hell are you doing? I’m too heavy.” His biceps bulge, reminding me of his impressive stamina. I send a silent ‘thank you’ to the small gym set up in our garage.
Mick strides out of our bedroom and into the kitchen, where he deposits me with infinite care on a chair at the table .
Riley slides off her seat and wraps her arms around my legs. “You slept late, Mummy.”
“Yeah. I was very sleepy.”
“You missed Uncle Jake’s pancakes.”
I’m not surprised to hear Jake made breakfast. Claire’s cooking skills are limited to boiled rice and heating food in the microwave. And Mick’s no better.
“How were they?”
She rubs her belly. “Yummy, but not as good as yours. He wouldn’t let me help.”
“Really?” That was mean of him. Although Riley’s culinary skills make Claire appear as skilful as a Michelin chef, so I don’t blame Jake for keeping her away from the kitchen.
“He said he wanted the pleasure of waiting on me like I was a princess.” Riley giggles and returns to her chair where she hunches over the jigsaw. It’s almost halfway finished. Barbie’s visible from the waist down and Ken’s face is complete.
I chuckle into my hand. Smooth, Jake. Very smooth. He’s managed to stroke her ego and avoid an upset stomach.
Mick places a steaming mug of coffee in front of me. I cradle it in my hands and inhale. Caffeine will help clear the remnants of whatever I was drugged with. Warmth floods my face as a wave of self-consciousness ripples through me. How could I have been so na?ve?
A horrible thought hits me.
I tug on Mick’s shirt. “Do you know if Taylor’s ok?” I try to keep my voice even, not wanting to alert Riley to anything being wrong, but if those guys hurt my friend, I’ll never forgive myself.
Mick’s throat works overtime as if he’s swallowing words. “You don’t remember?”
My brain is like Teflon, nothing sticks. “Remember what?”
“She was too busy trying to get lucky to care what happened to you. ”
“What do you mean by getting lucky, Dad? Did she win a prize?” asks Riley. Even though she’s engrossed in her puzzle, she’s still well aware of what’s going on around her. Unlike me last night.
Mick pinches his brow. “Yeah. Something like that.”
“I should call her.”
Mick slides my mobile across the table. “Have a read of the texts first.” His tone is curt, his jaw stretched so tight it could cut glass.
I unlock my phone.
Taylor: The guys want to leave now. Are you coming or not?
Taylor: Jules, stop being a drama queen. You’ve got 2 min. This is my lucky night. I’m not missing out.
Taylor: You’ve got some weird arse friends. Some tiny redhead is going all ninja on the guys. I’m outta here.
The words take a while to sink in. She left without checking on me? Why would she do that? Friends watch out for each other. I flip the phone over so the screen faces the table as if that will erase the reality of last night.
I run my fingers through my hair. It’s soft; Mick must have washed and conditioned it and brushed it afterwards. And I can’t remember a goddamn thing. Anything could have happened to me. An oily sensation crawls up my spine. “Maybe it took longer for Taylor to be affected?”
“Nope.” Mick’s lips curl into a snarl as he pops bread into the toaster. “Jake checked in with the station this morning. The local cops made a house call. It seems she got exactly what she wanted.” His voice lowers to a whisper. “She claims you must have taken something and were blaming it on the men you met.”
How dare she! I had one Valium before I left home to help me relax. Sure, mixing it with alcohol isn’t smart, but I didn’t drink too much. Did I? I tug my dressing gown tighter around my body. What if I did this to myself? I push out of the chair, my legs almost collapsing on me. They’re weak like wet noodles. I totter towards the kitchen island bench so I can be closer to Mick. This isn’t a conversation for little ears. “Did the hospital confirm what the drug was?”
“Yeah.” Mick places a glass of water in front of me and glances at Riley. She’s still engrossed in her puzzle, but he lowers his voice to a whisper. “They found traces of Rohypnol and a relaxant called diazepam.”
Diazepam is the active ingredient in Valium. I didn’t realise it could come up in a blood test. My shaking fingers don’t go unnoticed as I lift the glass to my lips. “You’re sure?”
He leans closer, his mouth hovering over my ear and sending a not-unpleasant tingle through my body. “Yep. Even without the results, it was obvious. You were stripped of your inhibitions. Obsessed with sex.”
My face burns. “Oh.”
“It would have been sexy, except I knew you weren’t aware of your actions and probably wouldn’t remember in the morning, which you clearly don’t.”
He’s not wrong there. The last thing I recall is collapsing in the toilet cubicle before waking up in my bed.
I shuffle back to the table and slide onto my seat. Riley doesn’t register my movements, her focus completely on the puzzle.
Mick sits next to me and whispers, “I’m not sure you’re up to going out today.”
I hate to admit it, but he’s right. My head is woolly, and my legs are rubbery. I feel like I could sleep for a week, and it still wouldn’t be enough. I push my empty cup to the side. “Riley, would it be okay if just you and Daddy went to the park?”
Riley’s hand stops midair, a jigsaw piece poking out between her fingers.
Mick joins in. “Or we could all stay home and enjoy a movie together. ”
My daughter gives me a once-over that’s way beyond her years. “Can we watch Frozen again?”
Mick kisses my cheek. Tears sting my eyes. I don’t think I’ve ever felt more loved than in this moment. “That would be perfect. Thank you. I’ll make it up to you next weekend.”
I settle myself on the couch. Zola jumps up beside me and rests her head on my lap. I stroke her spikey fur and am rewarded with a lick. Shadows flicker at the edges of my vision. I give up fighting them and close my eyes.
What was I trying to prove last night? I’m twenty-nine, not nineteen. The moment we stepped into that nightclub, I knew it was a mistake. One I won’t repeat. But if there’s a positive in this horrid mess, it’s Mick. The way he’s taken care of me and refrained from saying ‘I told you so’ when the words must be dancing on the tip of his tongue has my heart swelling with so much love. He’s steady in a crisis. Unflappable. Dependable. The total opposite of me in every regard. And that’s why we fit so well together. Like two pieces of a jigsaw. It’s a complex puzzle, one that doesn’t always make sense. But it’s ours.