61. She Visited His Work
She Visited His Work
Gwen
Toby’s smile was sunshine that only glowed brighter as he pushed open the clinic door and hurried me inside.
“Come meet everyone!”
I couldn’t match the bounce in his step.
Still lopsided with my busted knee, I hobbled down the white corridor, doing my best to look excited for the grand tour of his new work.
Enormous flourishes showed off the reception and the break room, and with his chest puffed out, he introduced me to all the staff as his “beautiful wife, Gwen.”
I smiled and nodded politely as we exchanged small talk about families and details about the clinic barbecue planned for the following weekend. Even hearing his new boss enthusiastically call the event ‘The Great Grill-Off’ reassured me that Toby had finally found his people.
Introductions over, Toby shuttled me down more corridors, stopped, and then thrust open the door. “My room!” He pushed his shoulders back and grinned. “What do you think?”
I stepped inside. There was no sign of the stark white of his old clinic.
My mouth dropped open. I’d stumbled into a mystical forest. A weeping willow and toadstool houses decorated the walls, and sparkling stars on a midnight sky dotted the ceiling.
I nearly missed the tiny woman in the corner, wisps of her lilac hair fluttering as she busied herself, pushing some boxes out of the way.
She looked like she belonged in a fairytale herself.
“You’re back!” The woman spritzed the counter with sanitizer and swiped it over with a paper towel. “And with Gwen!” She tottered over and stuck out her hand. “I’m Nina, but all the kids call me Nan.”
“Nina’s my assistant,” Toby added. “If…”
He left the rest unsaid, but I knew what he was asking: “If that’s okay with you.”
I offered my hand, and Nina latched on, pumping it up and down. “It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said.
“I feel like I already know everything about you!” Nina’s laugh was bold and earthy. “Toby’s been delighting the kids all day with stories about fearless Queen Gwen.”
“Stories or histories ?” Toby winked. “We’ll never know.”
“Well, we certainly know Queen Gwen is excellent at remembering to brush her teeth before bedtime. Even the villainous Wizard Liam doesn’t stop her,” Nina said with another hearty laugh.
“Well, I’d best be going!” She pitched the wadded-up paper towel in the trash and grabbed a pink backpack off the counter.
“My husband will fade away if his dinner isn’t on the table at six o’clock.
I tell him he’s got two perfectly good hands to cook for himself, but, ‘ Nan ,’ he says, ‘ no one makes those potatoes like you ,’ and, well, you can’t argue with that! ”
When the door closed, Toby looked at me, brows drawn down. “Say something,” he pleaded. “No more of this polite talk you’ve been doing. Give it to me straight.”
“Relax, okay?” He didn’t. His lips pressed into a thinner line. “Everyone seems nice, and the barbecue sounds like fun,” I reassured him. “Your new clinic’s amazing.”
The rigid line of his shoulders eased. “And Nina?” he asked cautiously. “I don’t want you to think I chose to work with her because I’m worried about being tempted by someone younger.” He dragged a hand down his face. “That came out wrong. No one can tempt me, but I don’t want you to worry—”
“Tobes.” I arched up on my toes to peck a kiss on his cheek. “She’s got an energy that matches your vibe, and I love that you’re leaning into the whole pediatric angle. This job is perfect for you.”
“Yeah.” He smiled. “I know it’s only day one, but I can’t tell you what a relief it’s been to walk in knowing that no one’s future is resting on my shoulders. There are no dodgy books or any partnership crap to worry about. I come in, work hard, and clock off to get home where life matters most.”
I rewarded his last comment with a long kiss. When I edged back to catch my breath, I danced my fingers up his chest, smirking. “So, tell me about the villainous Wizard Liam.”
“What’s to say? That guy’s bad news. ‘Oh, look at me prancing about like a walking dictionary in my fancy pants.’ Please.
I’m way cooler than him.” Toby’s arm hooked around my back and pulled me closer.
Another passionate kiss followed. “So, my day was objectively awesome. How was your brunch with Mar? Hit me with all the girly gossip.”
“Uh…”
“Out with it.”
We were still working hard to be honest with each other, so rather than dodging the truth, I blurted out, “Kayleigh dropped by the café this morning.”
“Why didn’t you call me!” It wasn’t a question. Toby’s nostrils flared. He was furious.
“Tobes, it’s okay—”
“It’s absolutely not okay!”
“I’m fine.” I patted his heaving chest to comfort him. “Marnie was there. And Romeo. And some other scary-looking guy in a suit I’ve never seen before. Everyone was safe.”
His anger deflated only a little. “You should’ve told me.”
“I didn’t want to spoil your first day worrying about something that ended up being no big deal. Kayleigh carried on about me trying to keep you two lovebirds apart—”
“Never happened!”
“—and creating drama—”
“Pretty sure she’s the one creating the drama!”
“She created a lot more drama when Wayne arrested her.”
“What!” Toby’s jaw hit the floor. “And you didn’t call me! That’s certifiable A-grade gossip, doll!”
“The whole situation was super weird. Kayleigh accused me of sending fake messages.”
His eyebrows popped up. “Huh?”
I shrugged. “She said the police had stopped by and warned her to stop sending you messages. She thought I was some criminal mastermind framing her. Any idea what that nutcase was going on about?”
He rubbed the back of his neck. “Uh, maybe…” His grimace confirmed a yes.
“Tobes.” I stuck a hand on my hip and gave him a pointed look.
“I just assumed it was Kayleigh being, you know… Kayleigh .” He dug his phone out of his back pocket. Brows furrowed, he swiped through his messages and then turned his phone for me to see. “They come through on different numbers. I get ’em, and I send ’em straight to Wayne.”
Unknown
You owe me everything.
“What do you think, doll?”
“I think that’s Ian.”
“Yeah?”
I nodded, swiping to the other unknown number and reading the messages. “He said similar things to me when we were in the underpass.”
Toby’s eyes narrowed. “What else did he say to you down there?”
“Nothing.”
“Nothing, my ass. We’re reporting what happened to you to the police.”
“Toby—”
“Nope. If these messages are from Ian, and he was prepared to attack you in broad daylight… Christ, Gwen! We’ve already reported him for the fraud.
Won’t the cops want to know about the attack on you— both of them—for the investigation?
I bet Wayne noticed you’re all busted up.
You wave him off like it was no big deal?
” Toby raked his hand through his hair as he forced down a deep breath.
“Why do we keep spinning our wheels like this? Why are you being so damn stubborn?”
My husband was a lot more switched on than I’d given him credit for. He wasn’t wrong about any of it. Still… “I’m perfectly fine.”
“Like hell you are. Gwen, I know you’re brave. You’re fearless. But sometimes, being fearless is confronting that bad things can happen to you, too.”
“Toby—”
“You don’t want Wayne and all your old cop buddies to realize you aren’t invincible? Well, too damn bad. Put on your big girl pants, doll, because we’re taking a trip back to the police station.”
“You’re not going to budge on this, are you?”
“Nope.”
With a suggestive smile, I yanked the front of his dental coat and pulled him closer. “What about if I—”
“Nope.” He grinned before he snuck a quick kiss.
“Don’t think your wicked ways don’t tempt me, my fair lady, but this is the right thing to do.
You know it. I know it.” His smile faded.
“Gwen, I’m so sorry for all of this.” He puffed out a breath.
“My family. Me. God, all this drama still hanging over our heads.”
I pressed a gentle finger on his lips. “We’re going to get through this.
” After he pecked a kiss on my fingertip, I traced a line over his cheek and cupped my hand around his jaw.
“I’m working hard with my therapist, and so are you.
We’re both still a work in progress about being fully honest with each other, but we’ll figure that out, too. ”
“But I’m not doing enough .”
“Tobes, come here.” He sulked, refusing with a quick shake of his head.
Too bad. I wrapped my arms around his waist and squeezed him tight.
“Remember the day we had our picnic? I meant what I said. I’m not expecting you to rewrite history; I only want you to learn from it.
Listening, being there for me—that’s everything, and it’s definitely enough.
The noise everyone’s making will quiet down with time, and we’re going to be stronger than ever. No one will ever shake us again.”
His frown didn’t budge. “I hope so.”
“I know so.”
“Promise me one thing, okay? When all this crap is over, I want us to take a vacation in Vanuatu or Hawaii or something. Just you, me, and Noah soaking up some sun.” He waggled his eyebrows. “And I’ll make all the bookings.”
“All the bookings?” I fanned myself. “You know how to get a girl all hot and bothered.”
He grinned. “Let’s see if I can take that up a notch.” He lifted my chin with his finger and captured my lips in a hungry kiss that didn’t stop even when the buzz started in my bag. “Ignore that.” His palm playfully smacked my butt as a distraction.
But the more we pretended not to hear my phone, the louder the vibration seemed to get.
Reluctantly, I inched back. “It could be daycare,” I said.
Toby mumbled his agreement against my neck as I got out my phone. His eyes must have locked on the name flashing on the screen at the same time as mine because we groaned in unison. Toby sighed and, settling against the counter, waved at me to answer the call. I hit the speaker button.
“Hi, Liam,” we sang.
“What a delight,” Liam said evenly. “My two favorite people.”
“You have impeccable timing,” Toby said. “I was just about to defile my wife.”
A pause. “Aren’t you at the new torture clinic?”
Toby shot a sly smile at me. “Yeah?” My cheeks heated, and I swatted his shoulder.
Another long pause. I could imagine Liam pinching the bridge of his nose. “Can you not restrain your primitive urges to at least show some decency to my Gwen?”
“My Gwen,” Toby corrected him.
“Gwen…” Liam pleaded.
I had no sweet words to make Liam any less uncomfortable. “I hope this is important,” I said.
Liam hummed a yes. “I’ve been doing a little detective work. Would you like to see the antics the illegitimate son has been up to lately?”
“Yes,” Toby answered for me.
“No one’s inviting you, sweetheart.”
My husband glared at the phone, and his mouth opened to bite back a rude remark, but I got in first.
“I’m not going anywhere without Toby,” I said.
Amusement danced in Liam’s voice. “A package deal, are you?”
Toby and I glanced at each other and grinned. “Yeah, we are,” I said.
“The real deal,” Toby added.
Liam conceded with a sigh. “Then hurry home to dress up for a night out—both of you. I’m sure Mama will happily mind the little creature. Some things must be seen with your own eyes.”
And he hung up.