AllFreeNovel
Share Us
Tess nodded, her eyes downcast. Nate had called Maddy and asked her to take care of Tess until he could locate Darrel Weich. On the off chance my former stalker was able to find us, he didn’t want to risk Tess getting involved. I knew it was hard for him to ask Maddy to step in. He worried that she might see it as either his new relationship or his job interfering with his ability to be a good parent. While he hadn’t outright said it, I suspected his dedication to his job had caused problems in their marriage.
“Grab your pack, then,” I urged. “We better not keep your mum waiting.”
Tess stood and slung her backpack over her shoulder. “Grace,” she said hesitantly.
“Yes, sweetie?”
“Dad isn’t sending me away because I did something to upset him, is he?”
“Oh, honey, of course not.” I hugged her with every fiber of my being. “I promise, it has nothing to do with you. There’s something going on at work that means you’re best to stay with your mum for a little while, but he isn’t upset with you, and we’ll see you again really soon.”
She gnawed on her lip. “You promise?”
“I do.” I kissed her forehead. “Come on.”
Tess looked brighter as we opened the door to greet Maddy.
Maddy pulled Tess close and wrapped an arm around her. “Hi, baby girl. I’m so excited I get to spend some extra time with you.”
Tess perked up further.
“Thanks for taking her,” I murmured to Maddy.
“No problem.” She ruffled Tess’s hair. “Can you go sit in the car? Mummy just needs to talk to Grace for a few minutes.”
Tess glanced from one of us to the other, suspicious, but she agreed.
“Don’t forget to lock the doors,” Maddy reminded her. She adjusted her stance so she could keep one eye on the car and Tess inside it. “Grace, I just wanted to say that I’m sorry about the problems you’re having. I know you and I haven’t always gotten along, and it upsets me that Tess might have been exposed to danger because of whatever is going on, but I do hope everything turns out all right for you.”
I blinked at her, no idea how to respond. Although we’d known each other for years, this was the first time she’d been warm toward me. I’d never expected it.
“Um, thanks.” I gave a weak smile. “Hopefully it won’t be for long. If it stretches on, I’ll go and stay with Kennedy and Liam instead. It’s not fair to interfere with Nate’s ability to see Tess.”
Maddy rolled her eyes. “As if he’d let you out of his sight.”
My lips parted, and I forced myself not to stare. What did she mean by that? If it came down to spending time with me or his daughter, I wouldn’t let him choose me. His relationship with Tess was more important. But my fingers were crossed that the situation would be short-lived.
“I can out stubborn him,” I muttered.
She arched a brow. “Maybe, but I’m not sure you’ll choose to. We both know how long you’ve wanted him.”
I winced, but she didn’t sound angry. She was just stating facts.
“Stay safe,” she said, and with a nod, she left.
I turned to go back inside. As I was locking the door behind me, my phone rang in the other room. I hurried to find it. Alice met me in the hall and handed the phone to me.
“It’s Max,” she mouthed.
I answered and raised it to my ear. “Hi, Max.”
“Evening, Grace.” He sounded relaxed, and tension leached from my shoulders. Nothing was wrong, then. “I’m just calling to check on my favorite patient.”
I smiled and gestured for Alice to precede me to the living room. “I’m on the road to recovery. Alice is too. She’s here at the moment.”
“I’m glad to hear it. Have you been taking it easy as I suggested?”
“Yes, doctor.” I laughed. “We worked a little this morning, and we’ve been watching a movie for the last couple of hours.”
