Total pages in book: 235
Estimated words: 227851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1139(@200wpm)___ 911(@250wpm)___ 760(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 227851 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1139(@200wpm)___ 911(@250wpm)___ 760(@300wpm)
“Fuck,” Drew breathes.
“And all of this has left me wondering if maybe Coral could be responsible for drugging Ava and running her off the road,” I add.
“Christ, are you telling me my baby momma is an A-rated psycho?” He stands and starts to walk circles around his office, and Sam looks at me nervously, seeing me fighting to absorb the sting. Drew stops. Looks at me. “Sorry, mate, I wasn’t thinking.”
“Don’t worry about it.”
“Fuck!” He punches the filing cabinet, his hair coming out of place, and for the first time in a long time, I see Drew Davies looking something less than perfect. “I fucking hate her. I hated her before this, and now I fucking hate her more.” He kicks the filing cabinet. “The lying, deceitful bitch.” Dumping his arse in a chair, he drops his head in his hands. “What the fuck am I going to do?”
Sam and I remain silent, because that I don’t have the answer to. Drew’s never talked about having kids. Christ, he’s never even talked about settling down. He’s a fuck and work machine. Women serve only one purpose. To relax. And Coral is probably the furthest away from relaxed a man can get. “We’re here for you, mate,” I say as he emerges from hiding in his hands and flops back in his chair on a tired exhale. He takes a moment. A few breaths. Stares at his mobile. “I haven’t got her number.” Then he looks at me.
I huff at the irony and text it to him. “Listen, she won’t know you know.”
He huffs. “Oh, she’ll know I know.” His teeth grit. “When I bellow down the phone at her.”
“We’ll give you a moment,” I say, not wanting to hear this conversation.
Sam stands with me, and we leave Drew to make the call. “It went better than I expected,” Sam says quietly as we walk through the desks, all eyes back on us.
“What, because he punched the filing cabinet and not one of us?” I pull the door open and step out onto the street, checking the time. A message from John lands, telling me he’s just dropped Ava off for an appointment at Lansdowne Crescent. That’s where I followed Ava to on the Tuesday after she left me. So it was sticky Ruth Quinn’s home. He’s waiting outside. Good man. “I’m just checking in with Ava,” I say, dialing her.
“Jesse,” she answers, whispering. “I’m in a meeting. Can I call you back?”
In a meeting. With that testing client. “I’m having Ava withdrawals. Are you having Jesse withdrawals?”
“Is there a cure?” Her playful tone is a balm to my pounding headache.
“Yes,” I murmur. “It’s called constant contact. What time are you finishing work?” When do I get to lose myself in her and forget the shitty world I’m dealing with?
“I’m not sure,” she says, and I frown. “I have a meeting at two with Patrick.”
“Oh good. You’re finally going to see through on your promise to talk with him.”
“Yes.” She sounds thrilled. Whatever. I bet it won’t be as awkward as the conversation Drew is having with Coral right now. Speaking of which, I wait for her to mention the breaking news. She doesn’t.
“Well,” I say, looking at my watch. “It won’t take that long, will it?”
“No, probably not, but it doesn’t matter because John will be waiting for me, won’t he?”
I smile. “He will.” And you’ll never know how grateful I am that you’re not making a big deal about it. “How are my babies, lady?”
“Our babies are fine,” she says, widening my smile. It’s all I need. Ava and my babies. But . . . is it? I shy away from the mental image of Mum’s face during our encounter. Shy away from the pain. But it’s getting harder to evade it. Amalie’s words are a constant buzz in my brain. “Jesse,” Ava says, back to whispering. “I need to get back. I’ll see you later.”
“What am I supposed to do until later?” Steve’s on a raid, unable to answer any questions, and Drew’s in a full-blown meltdown. Maybe Sam and I can take him for some lunch. If he still has an appetite.
“Go for a run.”
“I already did that. Maybe I’ll go shopping.”
“Yes, go shopping,” she chirps. “I love you.”
“I know.”
“Bye.” She hangs up, and I breathe out, looking over my shoulder. Sam’s on the phone, probably filling Kate in on the events of this morning. I’m still surprised Ava hasn’t mentioned Coral and Drew. I can only conclude that she’s just relieved Drew’s been nailed and not me. Although it could have turned out very differently.
Drew appears at the door of his office, looking like he’s been to war. I expect the filing cabinet has taken a beating again. I can relate. Coral brought that kind of urge out in me too. “I need a drink,” he barks, stuffing his hands in his pockets and marching past. “I’m going to The Manor.”