Chapter 19
Teddy was halfway through his lunch when high-pitched laughter mixed with a deep, clipped voice. He put his sandwich down and wiped his hands on the piece of paper towel he’d torn off the spool in the middle of the tearoom table.
“No one will care,” Kylee sing-songed. “Uncle Gabe isn’t here today. He’s teaching.”
“I can’t stay away,” Adrian said, and Teddy rolled his eyes. “I had a great time last night.”
“And this morning.” Kylee giggled.
Nope. Teddy didn’t want to be anywhere near what he suspected was about to happen.
He’d have to find another time to talk to Kylee about Adrian.
Hurriedly, he packed up his sandwich and tossed his apple, orange and muesli bar back into his lunch bag.
He was in the process of standing when Kylee skipped into the tearoom.
“Oh, Teddy. Hey,” she said, sliding her arm through Adrian’s and plastering her body against his.
“Hi,” Teddy said, lifting his lunch bag and picking up his phone and wallet. “Tearoom’s all yours.”
“You can stay,” Adrian said.
“Yeah, Teddy, you don’t have to leave on our account.”
“It’s fine.” Teddy tried to keep his tone indifferent, but if he could hear the hint of frustration in his words, surely Kylee and Adrian could too.
“This is so silly.” Kylee puffed out a loud breath and flopped into the chair opposite where Teddy had been sitting. She tugged on Adrian’s hand until he slid into the one next to her. “I know what you’re going to say, Teddy.”
Nothing. At least not right now. This wasn’t a conversation Adrian could overhear.
“Go on. Spit it out,” Kylee prompted, dragging Teddy back to the conversation he desperately didn’t want to be part of.
“I’m going to stretch my legs before my next patient.
” With back-to-back root canals scheduled for the rest of the day, now was the perfect time to get some fresh air.
He wanted to reply to Jessica’s text from earlier as well.
The one where she asked him if he’d like to have dinner with her and Sam at the pub later in the week.
He’d walked past a bunch of peonies this morning and decided those would be the flowers he tried next.
“You shouldn’t believe everything you hear, you know,” Kylee pressed on, a defiant slant to her brows as she flipped open the pizza box Adrian must’ve brought with him.
“I thought you’d understand that people can change.
I mean, you used to be the biggest player, and now you’re basically married.
Why can’t you believe that Adrian’s changed too? ”
Because there were huge piles of incriminating evidence suggesting Adrian and his family had zero plans to stop doing all the things they shouldn’t?
Because Teddy’s own brother was running a taskforce investigation?
And based on what Teddy had heard Raff and Wilbur talking about last week at trivia, it wouldn’t be wrapping up any time soon.
“Once you meet the right person, you realise all the things you want to change in your life,” Adrian said, and if it was anyone else, Teddy would’ve believed they were being sincere.
“I’ll see you later,” Teddy said. “Enjoy your lunch.” He got halfway down the hall before he realised he’d forgotten his keys. He was about to slip through the doorway when he heard moaning.
Ugh.
“I’m going to need a shot of your morphine to get me over the pain of having to say goodbye.” Adrian simpered, and Teddy’s lunch threatened to reappear.
“Ha, silly.” Kylee’s breathless laugh made his stomach clench. How could she not see what was happening here? “We don’t keep morphine here.”
“You don’t?”
Teddy’s ears perked up.
“It has to be prescribed and collected from the chemist.”
Teddy’s eyes widened when Adrian asked, “What sort of drugs do you have onsite?”
“Nothing super fun.” Kylee giggled.
“I guess that makes sense. It’s not like a doctor’s office or hospital, is it?” Adrian’s tone was easy and breezy, carefully arranged to sound conversational, but each word set off alarm bells in Teddy’s head.
Is this Adrian’s play here?
Infiltrate the clinic and steal their legal drugs?
He was in for a lot of disappointment if that was the case.
Or maybe Adrian was as dumb as everyone said he was.
Teddy could hardly imagine Adrian’s father, Marco, being impressed by what seemed like a very clumsy attempt to case a local business.
Given the volume of drugs the Arturo family moved on the regular—if the rumours were true—the painkillers kept at the clinic wouldn’t even qualify as pocket money for them.
It would be an unnecessary, foolish risk when they had to know they were being watched.
“I have to get back to work,” Kylee grumbled, her voice floating towards where Teddy was frozen in the doorway.
“One kiss before you go?” Adrian said.
Teddy did not need to hear that. He’d come back for his keys later. Right now, he needed to text Raff.
Jessica was having déjà vu.
Owen sat across from her, papers neatly arranged on his desk and a serious expression on his face. Afternoon sunshine sliced through the blinds, scattering shadows across the light grey carpet.
“What Rob’s asking for is going to be hard to achieve,” Owen said, and she released the breath she’d very actively been holding ever since she sat down.
“The court doesn’t like to award majority custody to one parent without a significant reason. You and Rob have been co-parenting successfully for few years now with a pretty even custody split.”
Jessica nodded, pressing her fingers into the pressure points at the back of her neck. She hadn’t been sleeping well (surprise, surprise) and her head was foggy.
“However …”
No. Not however. ‘However’ is just a fancy ‘but’.
“Rob will most likely argue that this new job is going to provide him with more resources and stability for Sam.”
“But Sam’s life is stable, and I’m trying to buy a house here. Really put down roots, you know.”
Owen leant back in his chair and smiled widely. “I heard. That’s great. Congratulations.”
Jessica flushed at the pride in his tone. “I just need a little bit of time to get all my ducks in a row. The money for the house is coming from an inheritance.”
“Have you and Joan agreed on a price?” Owen open a notepad.
“Yes.”
“Do you have a signed contract?”
She shook her head. “There’s another couple who are interested as well, but she hasn’t signed a contract with them either. I’m praying that my inheritance comes through before they sell their other house.”
Owen tapped his pen against the paper. “And when is your money clearing?”
Right after I secretly marry your brother.
“I get a quarter of it in around a month or so.” It was only three weeks to the wedding. As soon as she provided the certificate of marriage, the first lump sum would be released.
“What about a mortgage?”
“I don’t have enough in savings, and my earnings are too low anyway.”
Owen nodded, matter-of-fact as always. “Right. So the current plan is—”
Built on a house of cards? Yes, I’m aware.
“Do you think we’ll get a court date before that?” Jessica asked.
“Why don’t we request mediation first? I’m not saying that we should use it as a delaying tactic, but …”
“We need to?”
Owen smiled kindly at her. “Owning a home will make it almost impossible for Rob to move Sam away. Let’s focus on making that happen.”
“Okay. Yes. I can do that.” She took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose.
“You alright?”
“I’m not feeling a hundred percent but I’m okay.”
I have to be.
She should’ve cancelled their dinner but sod it.
Jessica had wanted to see Teddy, and selfishly, she’d hoped he could tire Sam out for her.
She plucked a fresh tissue from the box, blew her nose and then used another one to wipe her eyes.
The headache that had succeeded in ruining her day had thankfully subsided to a dull thud.
At least she didn’t have to cook dinner. That was a win. They could have a quick meal at the pub, and she’d be home before eight.
“He’s here!” Sam cried from where he was plastered up against the front screen door. “Hi, Teddy! Hi, hi! I’m not allowed to open the door.”
Jessica padded down the hallway in her slipper socks, using her hands to steady her balance when required.
“Hey,” she said to Teddy as he stepped through the doorway, clutching a bouquet of delicate pink peonies wrapped in brown paper.
“You okay?” His eyes narrowed.
“Mummy’s got the sneezles!” Sam wrapped his arm around Teddy’s leg. In the back of her fuzzy mind, Jessica worried that Sam was getting too attached, but she didn’t have the energy to deal with that right now.
“Does she?” Teddy directed the question at Sam, but his eyes didn’t leave hers.
“I’m fine.” Jessica sneezed and, ouch, her throat hurt. “I’ll be ready to go in just a minute.”
Teddy ruffled Sam’s hair and passed him the bouquet and a Matchbox ute with Dino Squad printed down the side. “Hey, bud, can you please put the flowers on the kitchen table? Then you can open that.”
Sam scampered down the hall with Blue trailing after him.
“You don’t look fine,” Teddy said.
Jessica attempted a joke. “Rude.”
Teddy’s lips quirked to the side. “You look hot.”
She coughed, which set off another round of sneezes. “Great. That’s what I was going for.”
That was a lie. Needing to lie down after putting on her jeans, Jessica had decided that her new goal for the evening was simply to stay awake until Sam was in bed.
“Your shirt’s buttoned incorrectly.”
No, it wasn—Okay. “I did that on purpose.”
“Can I?” Teddy lifted his hand to her forehead and held it a few centimetres from her skin.
Her shrug was immediately followed by a sigh when his palm touched her. He was so cold. Deliciously, refreshingly, fantastically cold.