Page 20 of Summoning my Grumpy Demon Boss

At four in the afternoon, I peel myself off the sofa and trudge upstairs to the main bathroom. The ensuite is out of action because Luke still hasn’t finished the renovation, but we have another shower and I should take one. My hair is a wild bird’s nest, my armpits stink, and I’m pretty sure there are chocolate crumbs between my boobs.

I’m pulling my singlet off when my phone buzzes on the counter. Steam from the shower billows out from behind the shower curtain, filling the bathroom. The screen lights up with the picture of Oliver and me cuddling by the wharf at Manly. He’s got his arm around me, and he’s holding out the camera. I had stretched up on my toes to kiss his cheek, but he’s too tall and I couldn’t quite reach.

My stomach roils. Sweat beads on the back of my neck and I lean over the sink, retching as the contents threaten to come back up. I can’t talk to him right now. I can’t even look at the picture. I swipe down hastily, dismissing the call and the haunting memory of something that was all a lie.

So much for being smart, huh?

What now, Luke?

I’m still flushed. The room feels too hot. I rush to the window and pull it open, gasping in the chill winter air. There’s no chance anyone will see in. The bathroom window faces the backyard and beautiful old gum trees screen us from any neighbours. There’s not even a fly screen on this window. I guess I’ll have to get Luke to install one. If we even bother finishing the renovation. God, the thought of dividing up everything and selling is one I don’t even want to contemplate right now.

Leaving the window open, I pull aside the shower curtain and step into the shower, without bothering to pull it back again. Let the cool air from outside carry away the steam and my disgust at myself. I rest my head back against the cool tiles and let the warm water sluice down my body until I feel a little better.

After fifteen minutes, I’m feeling a little more human again. I’m not ready to go back home, though. I’m not ready to face Oliver. I’m not ready to face my parents, who think the sun shines out his ass. I’m definitely not ready to go back to work. I wonder how long I can get away with sick leave.

I wonder if anyone would actually care if I just stayed here forever. Would anyone come looking for me? If I break up with Oliver, he might actually get to keep my parents in the split. God knows they love him more than they love me.

I’m being melodramatic, but sometimes I swear it’s true. Dad couldn’t wait for us to get married so he can make Oliver a partner in the firm.

A knife laced with poison stabs me right in the guts. Was Oliver only marrying me so Dad would finally make him a partner? No. Surely not.

But the more I think about it, the more I wonder.

To distract myself, I shave my legs, my bikini line, my underarms. I exfoliate every inch of my body and wash my hair. When I’m scrubbed as clean and smooth as I can get I take the showerhead down—the one nice feature of this ugly ass brown bathroom—and close my eyes, leaning back against the wall of the shower while I try to forget all of it for a moment.

SEVEN

Luke

Jack: Hey could you bring your 6m ladder up to the motel when you have a minute? I think there’s something stuck in the downpipe and I can’t get up there.

I sigh and stuff my phone into the bag with my clothes, then towel off so I can shift faster. There’s no shortage of beautiful beaches around Kraken Cove. So I can have the whole tiny beach to myself if I get up early enough, which is lucky because shifting means I have to get naked or ruin my clothes. Most people around here do not appreciate that.

It’s only when I get back to my truck I realise I’ve left my ladder at Mia’s place. I was up there taking down the old flyscreens on the bathroom window, when the message about the failed tile delivery came through. With one thing and another, I never folded it up and put it back in the truck.

I glance at the time on my phone, 3:45. It wouldn’t be unreasonable for me to drop by and pick it up. I might not even have to bother Mia. In fact, she might have made the trip back to Sydney by now.

That shouldn’t make me feel empty. Like the beach at low tide when the waves seem to be sucked completely away, leaving only sand and bubbles. She’s not mine. She can’t be mine. No matter how much I wish things were different.

I don’t call. No need to make contact if she’s already left. I’ve got the key after all. They expect me to access the property. So I slip on my jeans and get into my truck.

When I park my truck in the driveway, though, it’s clear she hasn’t left yet. Her little white Audi is still there, parked in the same spot as yesterday. I frown at the right rear tyre that looks a little worn to me, then tell myself to mind my own damn business. Still, I might just mention it if I see her before she heads back to Sydney. I know Jim up at the local garage would fit her in real quick if I called and asked him.

Shaking my head at my stupidity, I hop out of the truck and flip down the tailgate, ready for the ladder to slide in. Then I stride to the front door and brace myself. I knock, waiting for the sound of footsteps or the turn of the handle.

Nothing.

I knock again and there’s still nothing. Frowning, I lean in to squint through the glass panel beside the door, but I can’t make out any movement inside. I let myself in through the back gate and walk around to the yard, spotting my ladder straightaway right where I left it. Maybe she’s gone out for a walk or something. If I’m quick, she won’t even know I’m here.

I feel pretty stupid about forgetting my ladder really. You’d think running the business would have taught me to take better care of my equipment, seeing as I’m paying for all of it. Apparently not.

I’m about to fold it up when the sound of water running through pipes snags my attention. This must be why Mia didn’t answer the door. She’s having a shower.

Of course, my mind immediately fixes on the image of her naked and wet beneath a stream of hot water, hands raised to lather her hair with shampoo, exposing her gorgeous body. Shampoo trickles over her flawless skin and between breasts I’d love to cover with my palms and suckers.

I don’t have clear memories of the night we were together. I’ll admit I’d been drinking a little. All the Kraken Cove kids used to hang out and drink down on Bailey’s Beach on summer nights while we were on school holidays. I remember thinking it was just like an angel from heaven fell right in my lap, standing down there on the beach, looking up at her in her red dress. I don’t know how I worked up the courage to talk to her that day at the jetty. Just knew I had to shoot my shot.

I still can’t believe I got so lucky.

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