Belinda came to a stop about a metre away, her arms folded across her chest. “What exactly is going on here?” Her eyes landed on Chloe and her expression softened. “Thank God, you’re okay. I was about to call the police. You look tired.” She shot Nick a pointed glare.
Chloe huffed. “I’m fine. And don’t blame Nick. I asked if he’d mind taking me to the post office. Brendon’s great niece’s birthday is coming up and I wanted to send her something.” She stepped around Belinda and started for the house. “Come on, boys, there’s time for a cup of tea before you go.”
“Let her go.” Belinda blocked our path, her eyes narrowing. “I have a few things to say. Austin told me all about you two and I know that he warned you not to come back.”
Nick’s jaw ticked ominously, and before he said something we’d all regret, I slid my hand over his lower back to remind him what was at stake.
He glanced my way and took a breath. “I’m sorry. Have we met?”
I rolled my eyes and tried not to smile.
“I’m Belinda, Austin’s partner, and Chloe’s—” Belinda hesitated, clearly unsure how to define her relationship to Chloe. “—sometime caregiver. I help out where I can,” she finished, slightly flustered.
“Well, I’m Nick, a friend of Chloe’s, and this is my partner, Madigan.” Nick held out his hand. “Nice to meet you, Belinda.”
Belinda stared at Nick’s hand for a long moment before finally shaking it.
Nick eyed her with interest. “And as for Austin’s warning—” Nick’s expression hardened. “—Austin isn’t my friend. Chloe is. And Chloe seems quite capable of making her own decisions.” He levelled a look at Belinda that had most people squirming.
But like most nurses, Belinda was no pushover. She tipped her chin and threw him an unimpressed look of her own. “But that’s where you’re wrong,” she answered coolly, brown eyes flashing. “I may not always agree with how Austin goes about things, but his heart is in the right place. Plus, he is Chloe’s next of kin.”
And that’s whereyou’rewrong,I thought, watching Nick’s expression tighten.
“You’ve been here all of two minutes and think you know Chloe. But she’s not the well woman from your past. She hasn’t been herself for a while now.”
“Bring them inside, Linny,” Chloe called from the front step. “They were only doing me a favour.”
But Belinda wasn’t moving.
Nick stuck with our story. “I understand your concern, but we really wanted to leave her our contact details. When she didn’t answer her phone, we decided to drop by in person. When she asked us to take her to the store, we did. That’s it.”
Belinda’s shrewd eyes studied Nick. “She lost her phone.”
Nick nodded. “So she said. Anyway, no harm was done, as you can see.”
Belinda’s shrewd gaze flicked between Nick and me as she weighed our words. “Maybe,” she concluded, her shoulders relaxing. “But that doesn’t change things. We don’t know you from a bar of soap, and Chloe is vulnerable. She means a lot to us. To me. And I won’t have her taken advantage of.” Her voice broke at the end and she swallowed hard. “I lost my parents a long time ago and Chloe is like a second mother to me. Parkinson’s is a cruel disease. It steals your mind piece bypiece, and I’ll protect Chloe whenever necessary. I hope you can understand and respect that.”
The truth was, I did. It was exactly how I felt about my aunt Shirley. And hearing it from Belinda’s mouth went some way toward reassuring me about the whole situation. At least one person seemed to have Chloe’s interests at heart.
“Of course we respect that,” Nick said evenly, giving nothing away of his true feelings. “And you have nothing to worry about from us. We’ve done what we came to do, so we’ll be out of your hair. But if it’s okay with you, I’d like to call Chloe sometime and see how she is.”
Belinda said nothing for a moment, then she sighed. “I’ll have to check with Austin first. I’ll let you know.”
There wasn’t a hope in hell Austin would allow that, but I said nothing. She didn’t even ask for our number. Then again, if Austin had taken Chloe’s phone, he would already have it.
“Now, if that’s all, I’d appreciate you leaving.” Belinda hurried us along. “I try to share lunch with Chloe a couple of times a week so that I know that she’s eating enough. She’s wont to skip meals.”
“Of course.” Nick stepped back. “Thank you. And hopefully we’ll hear from you soon.”
Belinda said nothing. She simply cast Nick a sceptical look, then turned on her heels and headed up the path.
I slid an arm around Nick’s waist and watched her go. “I think we’ve been dismissed.”
He gave a soft snort and pressed a kiss to my hair. “I hate to say it, but I kind of like her style.”
I handed him the keys and headed for the passenger side. “You drive and I’ll find a place for lunch that won’t clog our blood vessels in six unsatisfying bites.”
Nick rolled his eyes. “Spoilsport.”
