I callmy sister as I drive home. She’s still at the office working on our end of financial year accounts, which was the whole reason we’d been there on a I morning. I ask her to book me a flight up to Palmers for later this afternoon, and to look after my dog and my kid. She doesn’t even bother to ask me why. Amelia is a pain in the arse a lot of the time, but always has my back in an emergency.
Letting myself into my house, despite my anger, I give a small chuckle as I hear Taylor Swift appropriately singing about never getting back together from my sound system.
I walk into my kitchen and find Eden at the bench mixing something in a bowl. Her eyes are instantly on me, and she gives me the sideways smirk I used to find cute, not anymore.
“Get your shit, and get the fuck out,” I tell her.
“What?” She says the word while at the same time giving a little snort of indignation.
Moving towards her, I take the bowl from her hands and sling it in the sink.
“Get your shit and get the fuck out of my house. You are not welcome here.”
Her hands go to her hips, and that’s when I notice she’s wearing one of my fucking tees.
“Your fat little girlfriend been telling tales, has she?”
“Not doing this,” I call out as I move towards the guest room. Finding her bag on the bed, I start stuffing her clothes into it.
“What are you doing? Don’t touch my stuff,” she screams while pulling her bag away.
“Oh, so I can’t touch your stuff, but you can wear mine? Shut the fuck up and get out. I’m fucking done with you. Finn’s about to turn eighteen, there are zero reasons for us to ever have any contact again. After the little stunt you pulled with the cops last night, and Scarlett this morning, I’m more than fucking fine with that.”
“Where am I supposed . . .”
“Back to your husband. You’re his problem, not mine.”
“We’ve split up,” she wails through fake tears, obviously forgetting I know all her tricks and won’t be falling for her bullshit.
“Again, not my problem. Hurry up and put some jeans on, otherwise I’m gonna throw you out like that.”
She pauses before reaching for the hem of my tee she’s wearing. “I need to change my top,” she says as she pulls it up, letting me know she’s got nothing on underneath.
“Keep it, I don’t want it back. You’ve got five minutes. I suggest you use some of that time to book a cab or an Uber,” I tell her as I walk away.
Heading into my room, I pull my gym bag out from under my bed, throw in the clothes I might need, grab toiletries from my bathroom, add them, and then move back towards my front door. With my bag over my shoulder, I open it.
“You’ve got two minutes before I kick your lying arse out of here, Eden,” I call out.
With her bag over her shoulder and dragging a wheeled suitcase behind her, she exits the bedroom and heads towards me.
“I’m the liar? Seriously, Jack, I’m not the one keeping secrets. At least when I fell pregnant, I was upfront and honest. At least I included you in the decision-making.”
“What the fuck are you talking about?” I question while wondering if I have enough fuel in my truck to get me to the airport.
“Ask the chubby redhead. Rumour is, she left Palmers with more than a place at Uni, she had your baby in her belly, and without telling you, she had it adopted.”
I don’t know how I do it, but for the time it takes me to throw Eden out of my house, lock my front door, and get into my truck, I keep my shit together, not even feeling a little bit guilty as I pass Eden pulling her case along my drive.
When I’m sure I’m out of sight of my ex, I pull into the carpark in front of the beach, open my door and vomit.
After rinsing my mouth with the bottled water I pull from the dash, my hands and insides are shaking as I bring Scarlett’s number up on my phone and call her. Not unexpectedly, it goes direct to voicemail.
“We need to talk. Not about yesterday, not about Eden, but about what happened when you left Palmers eighteen years ago.”
I hang up and head for the airport before I even know if I have a flight booked.
CHAPTER18
