Page 21 of Viking Ink

I saw an envelope on the table, Doc’s untidy scrawl on it with my name. Before I could ask, Doc smiled and pointed. “That’s today’s wages, plus a little extra. I realised you probably don’t have your own phone. It won’t buy you one of those fancy phones, but I’m sure you and Simon can find something to get you by.”

I didn’t know what to say. ‘Thank you’ didn’t seem adequate for how much Doc and Simon had done for me in the last twenty-four hours.

Doc made the teas and then pulled out a notepad, and he and I quickly set about working out a roster. Alice, who covered Tess when she was off, was happy to work Tuesday and Thursday, which left me Monday, Wednesday and Friday, and Friday would only be a half day. It gave me plenty of time to busk, and if Simon still wanted a hand at his shop, I could do that.

I was still feeling shaky, but talking about mundane things was helping a lot. Still, a loud rap at the clinic door had me jumping in my chair.

“You sit and finish your tea. It’s probably Simon coming to pick you up.” Doc went to answer the door.

I could hear muffled talking, then Simon’s voice rose. “Where is he?”

I heard Doc answer softly before Simon came striding into the small kitchen. He seemed to dwarf everything with his sheer presence. I supposed to some he could look intimidating, a wall of tattooed muscle and fiery hair, but I saw a man who had come, in a very short time, to represent kindness, compassion, and safety.

Without even thinking, I was out of my chair, and he wrapped me in his large arms.

“Hey now, you’re okay. Doc said you had a bit of a fright.” Simon’s breath tickled the side of my face as I nodded.

I reluctantly let go, feeling a little embarrassed. “Sorry, I just was a bit overwhelmed.”

Simon tutted softly. “Don’t go apologising for needing a hug. Apart from Constable Cranky, how did your day go?”

“It was really good. Doc’s not nearly as grumpy as he lets on,” I answered, laughing when Doc gave an outraged snort.

“If the two of you are quite done with trying to disparage my reputation, I think you can both bugger off and let me have a quiet afternoon.” Doc softened the order with a smile. “Don’t forget the things I told you, Rhys. I’m sure Simon will help you out.”

“What’s this then?” Simon asked.

“Um, Doc suggested I get a bank account and ID sorted out, and that you could help me do it. Plus, I need to find a cheap phone.” It still all seemed very complicated. I had no idea how to do any of it.

Simon, though, nodded, stroking his beard in thought. “We can go to the phone shack on our way home. Probably even pop into the bank branch and ask Poppy what ID you will need. Doc’s right—a phone is a good idea.”

“Do the two of you want to join me at Rhys’s desk when you’re finished?” Docs voice floated out from the reception room. I shared a smile with Simon and we both went to see what Doc wanted.

Doc held out the envelope with my first day’s pay, and then, taking a seat at the desk, he painstakingly picked at the keyboard on the desktop, tongue wedged in the corner of his mouth as he typed. The printer whirred and he handed over a sheet of paper with a flourish. “This says you’re working for me, and gives your address as Simon’s flat. It should help out at least when you’re filling out any forms.”

“Thank you,” I whispered, taking the envelope and letter.

“Well, I think this calls for a celebration lunch,” Simon said, grinning cheerily. “A new job and your first pay. And after, we can go get some food for the flat. I don’t think a packet of cheese slices and two eggs is going to cut it.”

“Chocolate cake is good for lunch, right?” I piped up. I was coming down slowly from my panic and my body was starting to flag, and I felt like a large slice of Dottie’s mud cake would go a long way to making me feel better. I gave Simon my best pleading look.

Simon laughed and shook his head. “Proper food first.”

“But we can negotiate on the cake, right? I think I’ve earned an extra big slice.” It was freeing to be myself around Simon.

“We’ll see,” he conceded.

“That’s not a no,” I countered, waving to Doc as I led Simon out of the surgery.

Chapter 7

SIMON

Rhys got his cake— and an extra slice to take home.

We negotiated that he could have the second slice after dinner. Rhys had a sweet tooth, if the cereal—and I used the term loosely—he’d begged me to grab at the shop was anything to go by. There was more chocolate than anything in it, but I was discovering I was a soft touch when he gave me those sad blue eyes. I made sure to add extra vegetables and fruit to our shop, and a lot of healthy cuts of meat. I enjoyed cooking, but I’d had no reason when it was just me in the flat. Now, I had a perfect excuse to start whipping up some hearty meals.

I wasn’t sure how we’d slipped into this dynamic, but Rhys seemed to want and need my guidance, and I would be lying if I didn’t admit I enjoyed it too. There were things about Rhys that reminded me of littles I had spent time with, but I worried I was stepping over some unseen line. He was a young man in need, and I didn’t want to take advantage of that, no matter how much Rhys called to my Daddy side.

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