“What’s the warrant for?” Jace asked, his features hardening.
“When she lived in Canada, she worked for a company but was eventually let go for poor performance. There was some administrative error after she was terminated, which left her with all her usual access to the company’s accounts and email network. Margie stole over $100,000 dollars over a period of several months, slowly siphoning small sums into her own accounts.”
“Oh my God.” My hand went to my mouth. “That must’ve been what she meant when she told me she couldn’t use her old company as a reference to get work in Dublin. I thought maybe it was because they wouldn’t have good things to say about her. I never imagined it could be anything as bad as this.” And it also explained why she had no trouble stealing a car. It seemed she was no stranger to various kinds of theft.
“The Gardaí are working with the Canadian authorities to have her transported back over there so she can face charges. With a sum that big, she could go away for years.”
I suddenly felt queasy. This was … not what I wanted. At all. I mean, she deserved to face the consequences of what she’d done, but this had all started after Cai had passed. Margie had heard about his death, and her life had spiralled out of control. I tried to remind myself that lots of people lost loved ones and didn’t go out and steal a hundred grand from their ex-employer, but it was still upsetting to imagine what was going to happen to her now.
“Are you all right?” Jace asked, noticing how the news was affecting me.
“I’m fine. I just need a minute.”
“Dad, I’ll call you back later, okay?” Jace hung up the phone while I went to sit on the sofa that faced the roof garden.
“I just … I can’t imagine Margie going to prison. I’m still getting my head around the fact that she was Cai’s mother.”
“You can’t control what other people do or the consequences that they might face. Margie did all those things before she ever knew you, Shannon.”
“I know it’s irrational, and on the one hand, I truly never want to see her again, but on the other, I’m just so scared for her. She’s not cut out for prison.”
Jace’s features were soft as he pulled me into his arms. He held me for a long time, and I closed my eyes, so glad we had each other through all this madness.
“I have to go get Zara from school,” he said after a time.
“She’s probably going to have a million questions about why we’re staying here.” I blew out a gentle breath. “I have no idea what to tell her. We can hardly go with the truth.”
“We’ll just say it’s a little staycation,” Jace suggested. “We’ll make it fun, play some card games. She’ll love it.”
“Okay,” I allowed, relieved Jace didn’t mind taking the lead on all this. Normally, I always had energy for my daughter, no matter how emotionally wiped out I was, but on this occasion, it was nice to have Jace to lean on.
He pressed a kiss to the back of my head, giving me a little squeeze before he withdrew and went to grab his car keys from where he’d dropped them on the coffee table.
While he was gone, I made a start on setting up Zara’s things in one of the bedrooms. Then I called Glenda to let her know I was staying in the apartment, and she wouldn’t need to stop bythis week. She was wary at first, but when I told her she’d still be paid, she was much more chipper about the arrangement.
When Jace and Zara got back, we spent a few hours playing cards, which was Zara’s latest obsession since her granddad had started teaching her. After that, she and Jace had a guitar lesson while I went to take a bath. I smiled as I sank into the warm bubbles, hearing Zara attempt to play what sounded like “Three Little Birds” by Bob Marley. Jace sang along encouragingly, and when I heard Zara’s small voice join in, I felt a little lighter in my soul. Everything was crazy right now, but maybe, like the song said, everything would be all right in the end.
Later that night, after Jace had put Zara to bed, I wondered where he was going to sleep. There was a third bedroom, but his bag still sat in the entryway, no sleep spot selected yet. It was almost ten when I went to make a cup of mint tea and noticed he was still sitting on the couch watching a talk show with the volume low. He stared at the screen, absently toying with his lip ring, like his mind was a million miles away. I approached, briefly touching his shoulder, and he turned his head to me. Sigh. He was so handsome, even with the tired lines around his eyes. It had beena day.
“I’m going to bed now,” I said quietly, and his gaze softened.
“Okay,” he replied, and I shifted awkwardly from foot to foot.
“Are you staying up for a while, or …”
“I’ll stay up a little longer, yeah,” he answered, and my hopes deflated. Perhaps after everything that had happened, he was rethinking us getting back together. We were taking things slow for Zara’s sake but also for our own. After how our marriage had ended, it was a bad idea to rush into something we might not be ready for. Yet I yearned for the comfort of his warm, strong arms, his steady heartbeat in my ear as I rested my head on his chest.
I reached out to touch him but then lost my nerve, retracting my hand at the last second. Jace clearly needed some time to destress after the day we’d had. “All right, well, goodnight,” I said instead.
“’Night, Shannon.”
I went to grab my tea and take it into my room. I sat up waiting on him for a while, but when it became clear he wasn’t going to join me, I shut off the lights and went to sleep. I didn’t even realise I’d forgotten to set my alarm until I woke up, and it was almost nine. With a sense of panic, I darted up in bed and hurried out into the kitchen only to find a note from Jace.
Shannon,
You looked so peaceful sleeping, and I didn’t want to wake you. I’ve taken Zara to school, then I’m going over to Bren’s for a few hours. My parents invited us for dinner at their place, but don’t worry if you’re not feeling up to it. Call me if you need anything.
Jace.
