* * *
“I can’t believe neon is back in.” Tim held up a hot pink shirt with a glittery heart plastered over the front of it. “Fucking neon...” he shook his head forlornly “...next thing you know everyone will be wearing plastic mesh shoes in outrageous orange and singing 'wake me up before you go-go.'”
He paused for a moment to shudder, and I snatched the shirt out of his hands. “Oh my God.” I showed it to Jenna. “This is so cute!”
Jenna nodded in agreement. “It is cute.”
Tim looked like he was about to burst into tears, and I chuckled. “Seriously, Tim, it’s for Jake’s four year old niece. It’s all about pink and nothing but the pink. She’ll love it.”
He took a deep breath through his nose, lips pressed flat. “Fine,” he muttered, “but I don’t have to watch you buy it.” He turned away as Jenna and I moved to the front counter to pay for our things.
As I was reaching for my purse I got a message from Mac.
M: Can you hit the supermarket on the way out? I’ll send through a list.
We walked out to find Tim chattering away to Casey, who was standing at the entrance of the store, arms folded, nodding vaguely as his eyes continually swept from left to right without actually appearing to move at all. “And so Dean told me to stop being ridiculous because Eric and his brother couldn’t care less. Then with half the people coming being vegans it’s turned the whole thing into…”
Casey grabbed my arm in what appeared to be welcome relief and tucked me close as we started to move along again. I leaned up to whisper in his ear. “Casey, we need to somehow ditch Jenna. I need to get her Christmas present, and I don’t want her to know.”
He stopped and turned around to face Jenna and Tim behind us. As I was still tucked to his side, he dragged me around with him in an awkward shuffle. “I have to visit the men’s room. Unfortunately, that means Evie has to come with me.” He gave me a convincingly apologetic glance. “How about we meet for lunch somewhere in ten minutes?”
I cleared my throat loudly and gave him a look. I planned to buy Jenna a pair of rose gold earrings to match the pretty bangle I’d seen her wear on special occasions, and I was lucky if it wouldn’t take me all day.
Casey rolled his eyes. “Okay, twenty minutes.”
“Alright,” Jenna agreed. “What does everyone feel like for lunch?”
“I could do Mexican. There’s that new place that just opened that makes yummy fresh tortilla chips and salsa.” I smacked my lips.
Tim shuddered. “We’re not doing Mexican, Evie. My insides would go into complete revolt. I vote Yum Cha. I need some steamed dim sim.”
I shot Tim a withering look. “Some badass you are if you can’t handle Mexican food.”
“I’ll have you know―”
“Enough,” Casey growled, looking as though being flayed alive would be enjoyable right about now. “Jesus. We’ll meet at the café we stopped at for coffee on the way in, okay?”
Realising he had just about reached the end of his patience, we quickly agreed and peeled off in different directions.
I held up a pair of solid small hoop earrings to one ear and rose gold studs with intricate threads to the other. “What do you think, Casey?”
He shrugged noncommittally and I turned back to the assistant and sat them down on their casings. “What about those drop earrings there with the diamonds?”
He opened the tray and got them out. “These are forty millimetre and eighteen karat gold. The diamonds are point five carats each.” He held them up to my ears, and I felt his fingers brush my cheek a little. “Are they for yourself? The rose gold compliments your beautiful skin and those gorgeous dark eyes of yours.”
Confident the assistant was simply flirting to help the sale, I battened down the hatches in preparation for a shameless price negotiation and gave him a brilliant smile. Casey, thinking the man was flirting, tucked me back into his side and glared at him in irritation. “We’ll take them.”
“Casey, I haven’t decided yet,” I argued. I turned back to the assistant. “They’re for my uh...” I paused. Did I say boyfriend’s mother or mother-in-law? It wasn't like we were married, but “boyfriend’s mother” didn’t feel enough to encompass the relationship we had.
“Mother-in-law,” Casey supplied before I could say any more.
The assistant rang up the sale and twenty minutes later found us sitting in the café with Jenna and Tim, Casey with his back to the wall and my chair pulled closely to his side.
We placed our order for lunch, and Jenna, having taught Mac everything she needed to know on how to spend money, pulled out her shopping list and turned to me. “Do you have your list?”
I picked up my handbag and sat it on my lap. Casey sighed in exasperation as I repeatedly jabbed him with my elbow while I dug around in its hidden depths. It couldn’t be helped. We were sitting so close I may as well have been in his lap. I gave an apologetic smile.
“I just have to get those shoes we looked at for Mac and then I’m done.”
We chatted until the waitress returned with our sandwiches, and I heard my phone beep a message. I pulled my handbag back up on my lap to dig for my phone and Casey sighed.
“It’s probably Mac with the supermarket list she said she’d send through.”
I frowned at the blocked number and opened the message.
Hello, beautiful Evie. I like your new male accessory. What a collection you have. You certainly managed to land on your feet after last night but not to worry. Your day will come.
My breath hitched as I fumbled the phone with clammy hands and it dropped to the floor. Casey picked it up and promptly read the message, a frown marring his brow.
“Fuck.” He pulled out his phone and started dialling.
Jenna patted my hand soothingly. “What is it, honey?”
I showed them both the message.
“Frank,” Casey said into the phone as he indicated for all of us to round up our things and move out. I looked forlornly at my sandwich as we were ushered out the door, Casey throwing some cash on the counter on our way through, continuing his phone conversation.
Chapter Seventeen
Christmas day was spent at Steve and Jenna’s house by the barbecue and pool since Christmas in Australia was in the middle of summer and hot. The food was kept simple with grilled steak, cold roast chicken, and salads. Presents were unwrapped and Jared loved the coffee machine I’d bought him so much, I spent the next hour making him espresso until he was completely buzzed.
Jared bought me a beautiful pair of diamond stud earrings that I specifically remember eyeing in the jewellery store with Casey, and I made a mental note to message Casey later to say thanks. Later that afternoon, Jared answered a knock at the front door of his parent’s house and returned with a big white box. It was tied with a bright red bow, and I squealed with delight when Jared said the box was for me.
I was lying out by the pool in a cushioned deck chair and sat up as he set the box at my feet. “Who’s it from?”
“Just open it, babe.”
Everyone crowded around and waited for me to open it, Coby and Mac swimming to the pool edge and resting their elbows on the sandstone pavers as they watched. I gave them all a suspicious look when I heard an odd sound and quickly pulled the ribbon apart and took off the big white lid.
I let out a shout when a pair of big brown eyes attached to a ball of soft reddish brown fur and a wagging tail yipped at me. Tears filled my eyes and I brought my hands to my cheeks in disbelief as I raised my eyes to Jared’s.
“You remembered,” I whispered, thinking back to our text message conversation of years before.
“Babe,” he said softly, a smile curving his lips.
E: Do you have any pets?
J: There’s golden orb spider that hangs out under the eaves of our deck. Does that count?
E: It only counts if he has a name.
J: His name is Gideon the Gold. He’s very fierce.
E: Sounds a bit pompous to me.
J: Don’t go hurting his feelings now. He’s also very sensitive. What about you?
E: No. I argued with Mum the day before my sixteenth birthday for a dachshund puppy because I’d always wanted one.
He knew she’d died the next day, so I had left the obvious unsaid.
I reached into the box and picked up the tiny bundle of fur, cuddling him against my chest as he squirmed and wriggled, his sandpapery little tongue attacking my cheek. The puppy got passed around excitedly until I eventually plopped him on the grass.
Mac got out of the pool and flopped down next to us. “Oh, my little baby boy,” she crooned as the puppy wriggled excitedly and climbed all over her. “You are such a cute little man, oh yes you are.” She gave me a meaningful look. “Everyone knows a puppy is a trial baby.”
I could see Jenna’s eyes twinkle at this statement, but she still shook her head at Mac. “I can’t wait for you to have kids, my darling, if you think it’s as simple as raising a dog.”
Mac frowned at her mum as she stood up and wrapped a beach towel around her waist. “Of course I don’t.”
Jenna picked up an empty tray and headed for the kitchen. Mac followed. “You know if Jared and Evie have a baby then you’ll leave the rest of us alone.” Her chatter continued as she followed her mum to the kitchen until I couldn’t hear any more.
Jared crouched next to me on the grass and we watched the puppy for a moment as he did some business before stopping to chew on some grass. “So what are you going to call our little man?”
I sipped my drink thoughtfully. “Peter.”
“Peter?” he laughed.
I grinned. “I have a thing about dogs having human names.”
He ruffled my hair. “Yeah? Why is that?”
“Because it’s cool. Look at him, he’s already got serious street cred.” Peter had his paws up against a small tree, yipping at a tiny garden lizard that scurried away for its life. “Already taking down the creatures of the neighbourhood.”
We watched as he made a swift move for Jenna’s vegetable garden and yanked out a carrot with immense delight. He began barking and dancing around the orange vegetable as though waiting for it to jump up and join in his playful game.
“Oh shit,” Jared muttered. “Peter!” Peter stopped and looked at us. “Would you look at that? He already knows his name.”
The next morning found us in the loft, waking to a shredded couch cushion, a nasty unmentionable on the timber flooring in the corner behind the dining table, and the little Christmas tree I’d set up a week ago on its side. Bits of tinsel lined a festive yet damning trail towards the bathroom from where Travis let out a shout. I immediately scooped Peter up and headed for the safety of the front door.
* * *
A pair of chewed shoes, a shredded roll of toilet paper, numerous inside unmentionables, and a week later, I stood stiffly in the studio dressing room for a photography shoot for Jamieson.
Because Jimmy was still at large, apparently he was some sort of super villain with the special power of invisibility, Jared and Peter had accompanied us and were waiting out in the lounge area while the five of us stood in the dressing room getting ready.