I exhale a weary sigh. I’m not mad at my mother’s suggestion. I’m sad. Sad that she tolerates being disrespected by my father. Sad that she thinks I should do the same with Teagan.
‘Never gonna happen, Mam. Sorry.’ I’d rather be alone forever than tied to someone who makes me miserable.
I reach across the table and pour myself another large measure of whiskey.
Lillian Callaghan hasn’t got a bad bone in her body. Sadly, when it comes to her marriage, she doesn’t have a backbone either. Oh, how I would love to represent her in their divorce. I’d take my father to the cleaners for her, if only she’d give me the green light.
‘Look, son, I know she hurt you, but that’s what we do to the people we love sometimes.’
‘I can’t agree with you, Mam. Look, I just called to say hi. Enjoy your evening. I’ll call over at the weekend with Phoebe, okay? Love you.’
‘Love you too.’ Her words are weighted with sadness.
I’ll think of a way to show Teagan I’ve moved on alone. Hell, I might not even have to. She’ll probably get bored of these dark November nights all on her own. I’m about to call Ava Jackson back and tell her I can’t make it when a knock sounds from the front door.
Did the gates not close behind Matilda? They can be temperamental at times.
I drag myself up, drop my drink onto the coffee table and amble out to the hallway.
Teagan stands on the top step in a knee-length forest coloured trench coat belted at the waist. Her long blonde hair is styled across her shoulders and her lips are painted a bright shade of pink.
‘Phoebe is in bed,’ I tell her, leaning against the doorframe, blocking her entrance.
‘I know.’ She flashes a row of too-white teeth in my face. ‘I came to see you.’ She tugs the belt of her coat, and it falls open. She’s wearing nothing except a set of decadent ivory lingerie.
‘For fuck’s sake, Teagan.’ I tear my eyes away from her porcelain skin. She might look like an angel, but history has taught me she’s the devil in disguise.
‘Are you going to let me in, or what?’ She pouts.
An idea bursts to the front of my brain and I step back, allowing her entry. This is the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone.
Teagan might be unreliable, but there’s no way she’d ever leave Phoebe alone. She’s far from the perfect mother but I trust her to guard Phoebe with her life, when she’s in the country that is. ‘Can you stay for a while?’ I ask over my shoulder as she follows me back through to the living area.
Cat-like eyes light and sparkle. ‘Absolutely.’
‘Great.’ I grab my phone and hit Ava Jackson’s number. It rings and rings.
Pick the fucking phone up, Ava. Okay, it’s been ten minutes instead of five, but she can’t have given up on me already, surely?
Eventually she answers. ‘That was an unusual five minutes.’
‘Oh, you have no idea.’ I glance at my ex who’s shrugged out of her coat and is now sprawled out in some sort of supposedly seductive pose on my couch. ‘Are we still on for that drink? I have a babysitter.’
Teagan’s pupils narrow thunderously. She bolts up into a seating position.
‘Absolutely. But you’re buying. Meet me in Elixir in half an hour.’ I’m not sure if it’s Ava’s sunny voice resounding loudly through the speaker phone that causes Teagan’s jaw to drop open, or the mention of a drink in Dublin’s new exclusive cocktail bar.
‘Can’t wait to see you,’ I throw in a ‘sexy’ for good measure.
‘Keep it in your pants,’ Ava warns me. There’s an edge to her teasing tone.
‘I can’t promise.’ Hello? Who is this flirtatious fucker hijacking my voice?
From the horrified look on Teagan’s face, I couldn't have planned things better if I tried.
I owe Ava Jackson a drink. Or ten.
ChapterFive
