39. He Went to Lunch
He Went to Lunch
Toby
Noah wasn’t a fan of his white sneakers. Every time I attempted to stuff his foot inside, he curled his toes and kicked his legs. Sighing, I glanced at the nursery ceiling. Would socks do? Probably not.
Gwen had been panicking about Catalina Serrano’s Sunday lunch all week.
She’d twisted herself into a ball of nerves and over-analyzed every detail—her outfit, our outfits, how to style her hair, and what food to bring.
On the nosh front, she’d eventually settled on a cheese platter.
Apparently, you can never go wrong with cheese.
The only problem left to tackle was shoes. I got the sneakers ready, out of sight under the changing table, like a ninja.
“Your mama wants you to meet all her nice friends today,” I told Noah. “You need to look spiffy.”
Not that he wasn’t already looking cute as heck in his overalls with the teddy bear on the front pocket, but I wanted one less thing for Gwen to worry about. I tickled his chubby belly, and when he wriggled in a mass of happy squeals, I popped on the sneakers.
“Winner, winner, chicken dinner!”
I hoisted Noah on my hip and headed for the bedroom.
When I stuck my head through the doorway, Gwen stood beside the dresser, still wearing only her white bra and panties.
Sensible , she called that set. Usually, that sight would’ve had a certain General of the South primed and ready for battle, but Gwen’s frown was a bucket of ice water on my crotch.
Her fingertips traced the edge of the oversized yellow envelope on the dresser.
Twenty-something pieces of paper spelling out every interaction with Kayleigh—that I could remember—were inside.
I’d puked my guts up after writing it all down.
Even a long run hadn’t killed the shame.
The only thing doing that project proved to me was that I’d been a shit husband.
“Do you think you’ll read it?” I asked Gwen from the doorway.
Her head turned, eyes wide. She hadn’t realized I was there.
She’d been off with the fairies since I’d handed her the envelope two nights ago.
I’d expected her to tear it open and pore over every page the second I’d given it to her.
Instead, she’d accepted it with a tight smile, slipped it on the dresser, and the ticking time bomb had sat there ever since.
“The hearing for the restraining order is tomorrow,” I reminded her gently. “Will you open it before then?”
“Yeah. Probably. I just…” She swallowed. “I didn’t want anything to ruin today.”
I nodded. I understood her apprehension. The two of us had been standing hand-in-hand on the edge of a cliff since the night of the party all those weeks ago. Everything I’d said or done to inch us back to safety would come undone once the envelope was opened.
“Nothing’s going to ruin today. It’s going to be awesome,” I reassured Gwen, dialing up the enthusiasm to overcompensate for her nerves.
“Heaps of food, good company. Well, some good company.” Not her stupid brother, that was for sure.
“Plus, we’re coming with a baby and cheese. We’ll be the hit of the party!”
Gwen rolled her eyes, but I could see the hint of a smile. “Zach’s bringing his kids, right?” She grabbed her white sundress off the bed and slipped it over her head.
“Yeah, but John and Maree can’t make it.
They’ve booked a weekend away at the Blue Mountains.
Maree was losing it, though. She’s itching to get a look at Liam in person.
” I grinned. “You should’ve seen it. She fell all over herself trying to explain that the reason she wanted to meet him wasn’t because he’s so handsome , but because he’s such a good businessman . And John…” I shook my head, laughing.
Gwen shot me a wry smile. “Get a bit jealous, did he?”
“A bit? His face was like a beetroot!”
“You’ve been spending a lot of time with John.” She turned around, shimmying her hips and throwing me a look over her shoulder.
I took the hint, passing Noah to her so I could zip up her dress.
I took an extra-long peek at the sliver of pale skin but bit back the urge to trace the gap with my fingertips.
When Gwen was zipped in tight, I resisted the urge to kiss the back of her neck, too.
I missed those little touches so much. Would we ever get back there?
“I like spending time with John,” I said with a shrug. “We’re making progress on his car. He’s teaching me a lot.” I paused. Should I…? “I was thinking, though…” I took a deep breath. “I want to go back to work.”
“At the clinic ?” Gwen’s voice pitched up. “Toby—”
“No. Somewhere else. Not the clinic. I can’t be in the same room as Ian, and there aren’t enough brownies in the world to convince Judy it’s a good idea. She’d be tearing her hair out trying to schedule the two of us so we’re never there at the same time.”
“From what I’ve heard, she’s tearing her hair out anyway.” Gwen held out Noah. We played tag-team, swapping him so that he was on my hip, and she headed to the bed.
My eyebrows popped up. “You talked to Judy?”
“I saw her at the coffee shop this morning.” She sat on the edge of the bed and slipped on her sandals.
“Her exact words were that Ian’s useless.
She said he’s always late, leaves early, and calls in sick.
Money’s flying out the door because now she’s paying through the nose for two fill-ins.
” She grimaced and added a sarcastic, “Surprise!”
I snorted. It was no surprise to me. I’d been running on that hamster wheel for over a year. “Well, that’s what they get. I’ve got zero sympathy when I was the one given my marching orders.”
“You can hardly blame Judy for telling you to leave that day. What else was she supposed to do? You punched Ian.”
“Correction. I punched the s-h-i-t out of him.” I smiled sweetly at Noah.
He chewed on his fist without a care in the world.
Daddy could swear just this once. “ And he deserved it. I don’t know.
I’m just…” I puffed out a breath. “I’ve had a lot of time to think it through… Talk things out with the guys.”
“The guys?”
“Dylan… Zach… John. I’ve figured out where my head’s at, and the whole situation is pretty s-h-i-t.
I busted my butt for months to keep the clinic in the black.
I made a lot of bad choices, but putting aside the personal stuff, no one was in my corner.
I mean, just look how my phone’s been ringing off the hook from everyone making sure I’m okay. ”
Gwen studied me for a moment, her gaze on me instead of the buckle she fiddled with on her sandal. “Is it a good idea to commit yourself to a job somewhere else?”
I shrugged. “The partnership’s going to end.
Dissolving my stake instead of kicking Ian out should make it easier for the lawyer, right?
And running a clinic is a lot of damn work.
I never dreamed of opening a heap of locations or retiring at forty like Ian wanted.
I don’t mind working hard, but I’d be working half as much for someone else, and I’d have a lot more flexibility to look after Noah. ”
“And financially?” she asked, distracted as she buckled her other sandal.
“I’ve got a rich wife who earns mega bucks.
” I waggled my eyebrows, but Gwen shot me a sharp look.
Ouch. I sighed. “You know I’d never put us in a position where we have to worry.
A new job would be less money, but not that much, all things considered.
We always have money from the trust trickling in, and I should get all the capital out of the clinic.
I think this can work. I want this, but it needs to be okay with you. ”
“Your work is your domain, Tobes. If it’ll make you happy and you can still help me manage everything fifty-fifty, go ahead.”
“Really?”
“Sure. It sounds like you’ve thought it through.”
“Oh, yeah. I planned it all out and then talked it through with John. He said it was a good idea.”
Gwen nodded, a small smile dancing on her lips. “Well, if John said so.”
I whistled when I pulled the car to a stop outside Catalina’s big blue house.
Not an apartment. House . In Bondi . Two enormous stories were crammed on a narrow block, the fence almost touching the house on both sides.
We were a few streets from the beach, but a place like this would still set you back some serious cash.
Grinning, I turned to Gwen. “Catalina really is planning for a whole football team of grandkids, huh? This place is huge!”
Gwen swallowed. Her fingers curled around the seatbelt, but she didn’t unbuckle it.
I dropped a hand on her knee. “Hey, it’s okay.” She nodded, but I don’t think she was listening. She was stuck in her head, overthinking. “Lunch will be great.”
“What if…” She bit her lip.
My heart twisted in my chest. I hated seeing her so unsure of herself.
“Catalina’s going to love you,” I said softly, squeezing her knee.
“And your dress. And your hair. And Noah. And that damn cheese platter.” I nodded at the overfilled plate carefully covered in plastic wrap resting on her lap.
“And if all else fails, I’ll bribe Josie Rawles with candy to kick the mean old witch in the shins, and we’ll run for our lives. Deal?”
Gwen laughed. “Deal.” She leaned over and rested her head on my shoulder for a second. “Thanks, Toby.”
“Any time, doll.”
It was too bad someone hadn’t given me a pep talk as we walked up the path. I was ready for just about anything—until Elias opened the front door. Stupid jerk with his stupid handsome face in his stupid fancy clothes wearing stupid loafers .