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He looked out toward the docks and shrugged again, like he had something to say but couldn’t find the words to say it.
“Hey,” I whispered, taking his hand. “You’ll be fine. You and Doreen are two of the most resourceful people I know. You’ll be back up and running in no time.”
His eyes cut to mine, and there was sadness in the striking blue. “What if they send me back?”
Back?
“Back where?”
“To Melbourne. Or to somewhere else? To another office somewhere.”
A bomb of rage and fear detonated in my chest. Instantaneous, panicky, and seeping hot. The thought of him leaving, even the mere mention of it, had my blood boiling.
“They won’t. They better fuckin’ not.”
“They didn’t exactly give me a choice for this post, did they? They couldn’t ship me off fast enough—”
“Then you tell them no,” I snapped. “You be the Doctor Jeremiah fucking Overton I know, who tells people how shit’s gonna go down. If they thought you were difficult before—if they thoughtIwas difficult before—they haven’t seen nothin’ yet.” I dropped the broom and poked him in the chest. “You kicked arse yesterday. You were fuckin’ brilliant, and you saved lives, and that’s why there isn’t anyone better for the job here than you.”
He put his hand to my neck. “Tully,” he murmured.
I shook my head. “You can’t leave. You have to be here. I just found you.”
He smiled at that. “I don’t want to leave. But I’m almost glad we have no communication with Melbourne or Canberra. That way they can’t tell me that I’m needed elsewhere.”
“If they do, I will walk to Melbourne, if I have to, just to crack some fucking skulls.”
He sighed and dropped his hand from my neck. “I think we need to talk about your violent tendencies when it comes to me. I’m beginning to think I bring out the bad side in you. Your mother mentioned it yesterday.”
Rowan coughed out a laugh. I didn’t even know he was still there.
“I’m sorry,” I said. “Just thinking about someone hurting you makes me see red. I get so fucking mad I want to rip people apart.”
“Well, that’s nice,” Jeremiah said, making a face. “And disturbing, and completely unnecessary. But thanks?”
I took a deep breath in, then exhaled slowly. “Okay, I’ll try to stop threatening people. But they need to stopactuallythreatening you or using you. Or whatever. Then I won’t actually need to threaten them, so technically it’s their fault.”
Jeremiah made a pained face. “I’m not sure that’s how it works.”
I sighed again. “Fine. I promise I won’t threaten physical violence. But you have to promise me you won’t leave.”
His smile was shy and genuine, and he gave Rowan a quick glance before his eyes met mine again. “I promise. Though I should add the caveat that I promise to do everything within my power and that some things may be out of my control, and that’s technically not my fault.”
“Fine. And I’ll add the caveat that some things may be out of my control too. Like if that news reader comes back and shoves her microphone in your face one more time—”
Jeremiah picked up the broom and shoved the handle against my chest. “Shut up and sweep.”
I snatched the broom with a huff, though my petulance was lost on him. He simply turned to Rowan and said, “Tell me what needs doing?”
Rowan grinned. “I really like you, Jeremiah. Come with me.”
I stood there with the stupid broom and watched as they walked inside the admin building.
So I swept the damn yard and picked up debris and sweated my arse off in the brutal humidity until I was done sulking.
It took a while.
Eventually, I ditched the broom and went inside. I found them moving filing cabinets off wet carpet, and yes, I liked very much that Jeremiah slotted right into my family—he was working alongside Rowan and my father, after all—but I’d had enough for today.
