Page 91 of Within Striking Distance
“Perfect timing,” I chuckle.
I help carry the bowls of toppings to the dining table as Everett pulls the tray of baked potatoes from the oven with a tea towel.
“Hot, hot, hot,” he yelps, setting it down in the middle of the table and shaking his hands.
I chuckle, shaking my head. “You never learn, man.”
When I sit down, Tinsley immediately scrambles for the seat next to me. Juliet smiles at me over her daughter’s head as she takes the seat on her other side.
“Can you help me, please?” Tinsley blinks up at me with the same green eyes as her mother.
“Sure thing, Sprout.”
I place a potato on her plate and split it open.
“What are you after?” I ask as I put a dollop of dairy-free butter in the middle.
“Meat and corn, please.”
I pile the requested toppings on her potato, then slide the plate in front of her. “Bon appétit.”
Her eyes widen. “You know French like Mama?”
Everett snorts, and I shoot him a dirty look before turning my attention back to Tinsley. “Un petit peu,” I say, relying on what I remember from high school, which wasn’t much when I spent most of the time skipping class, and when I was in school, I was usually stoned. “I only know a little bit.”
“That’s okay,” she says, patting my hand. “Mama can teach you. She’s a good teacher. She’s teaching me, and one day, I’m going to go to France and see the Eiffel Tower and go to Disneyland.”
Everett’s face drops, and the mood around the table becomes tense. We all know she won’t be going to France anytime soon if her arsehole of a father has any say in it, which of course he fucking does. There’s no way he’d let Juliet take her out of the country for a holiday to visit family, because it’s the only control he has over her.
As I pile my plate with a couple of potatoes and a mountain of meat, avocado, tomato, cheese, and sour cream, my thoughts drift to the bastard and the inadvertent knowledge I gained of his drug use. I wish I could use it to help Juliet rid him from their lives, but even if it would help, I’m bound by patient confidentiality, and breaching those rules could see me face disciplinary action from the university and be barred from future registration with NSW Ambulance.
I feel awful keeping this from Juliet and Everett, but there’s no guarantee it would help their case. It doesn’t put Tinsley in direct harm because she’s never alone with him,so for now, I need to forget what I heard and saw that night. For all I know, it was a once off, and I can’t go off half-cocked accusing someone of being an addict, especially when I have a stake in this as well.
After dinner, we move into the living room and play UNO. By the third game, Tinsley is yawning.
“C’mon, princess,” Juliet says, standing up and reaching for her daughter’s hand. “Time to get you home to bed.”
“I don’t wanna go home,” Tinsley whines while stifling another yawn. “I wanna stay here. Please?” She draws out the word, pouting and pressing her palms together in a prayer position.
Everett shrugs. “It doesn’t bother me. Saves me having to come and pick her up in the morning.”
The thought of Tinsley’s supervised visit with her father tomorrow settles heavy in the room.
“We can both have a sleepover, Mama,” Tinsley says, bouncing up and down in excitement. “You said you and Blake might have sleepovers sometimes.”
“Sounds like a great idea,” I say with a grin, gripping Juliet’s wrist and tugging her back onto the couch with me.
Her cheeks flush, and she casts a quick glance in Everett’s direction. “I don’t know if that’s such a good id?—”
“It’s fine,” Everett interrupts, looking uncomfortable but trying to hide it. “This is Blake’s home, too. You’re both welcome whenever you want.”
“See, Mama? Please, can we stay over? Pretty please?”
“Okay,” Juliet relents, “but you need to go upstairs now and get ready for bed.”
Tinsley jumps to her feet and races upstairs.
I press a kiss to the crook of Juliet’s neck, but she doesn’t melt into my touch the way I hoped, instead shifting away slightly.
