Page 41 of The Unseen
“He hasn’t phoned.”
“He will.” Gabe carefully lowered the sleeping child into his cot and covered him with the fleecy yellow blanket. “He’s out for the count.”
“Let’s go to sleep. I’m knackered.”
“You go to bed. I’m not ready. I think I’ll watch something on television. I just need a little time to decompress.”
“Gabe, did something happen at work?”
“I had a bit of a run-in with Luke this afternoon. Nothing worth talking about.”
“What sort of run-in?” Quinn asked, instantly alert. Luke had returned from the U.S. and was now teaching at the institute. He’d applied for several grants, but none had come through yet, according to Gabe, so it seemed he’d be a permanent fixture at the institute for the foreseeable future. Quinn hadn’t seen Luke since his aborted attempt at winning her back in New Orleans, but Luke had emailed her when Alex was born, offering his congratulations. Their history was still fairly fresh, and Luke’s email had smacked of regret and resentment against Gabe. Quinn had deleted it without replying.
“There’d been several complaints from female staff regarding Luke’s behavior. I had to give him an official warning.”
“What has he done exactly?” Quinn asked, curious. Luke had always been easygoing and charming, which had attracted her twenty-two-year-old self to him instead of to Gabe, who’d been serious and intense, and not remotely interested in playing games. Luke knew how to make a woman feel attractive and desired, but he could also be a bit cruel and demeaning when he didn’t get his way.
“He’s made several inappropriate comments. Of course, it’s his word against that of his accusers, and I must admit that Inga Sorenson can be a tad oversensitive at times. She nearly bit Monty’s head off when he called her ‘dear.’ Called it sexual harassment.”
“Monty calls everyone ‘dear.’ He doesn’t mean anything by it.”
“I know, but Inga sees an insult behind every bush.”
“What exactly did Luke say to her?”
“He told her she’d make one hell of a sexy Viking, had she been born a few centuries earlier.”
“Some would see that as a compliment, but I can understand why Inga would find it offensive. Luke has no business speaking to her that way in a professional setting.”
“She felt insulted by the comment.”
“Who’s the other woman?”
“Monica Fielding,” Gabe replied with a sigh of frustration. Things with Monica were never easy. Monica and Quinn had never got on, and Monica had done her best to discredit Quinn’s findings due to professional jealousy and a desire to publicly humiliate her. Quinn strongly suspected that she’d even trolled her online. Since Quinn was no longer teaching at the institute, Monica seemed to have turned her resentment to Gabe, who had inadvertently tipped her off that her husband was having an affair, a development that had led to their separation.
“Monica? But Monica and Luke are great friends. What could he have said to her to cause offense?”
Gabe leaned against the doorjamb, hands in the pockets of his jeans. “Monica and her husband have started couples counselling in an effort to save their marriage. Monica isconvinced a reconciliation is imminent because Mark is a changed man.”
“Where does Luke come into this?” Quinn asked. She actually missed office gossip sometimes. It made for much better drama than anything on the telly.
“Luke, being the good friend that he is, told her that had she been a better lover, her husband wouldn’t have strayed, and that unless she learned some new tricks, Mark would wander off again in pursuit of something more exciting than their Saturday night missionary.”
“What a wanker!”
“Monica filed a formal sexual harassment complaint.”
“What did Luke have to say for himself?”
“He laughed it off. Said it was a joke between friends and he never expected her to take offense. He’d offered to teach her the aforementioned ‘new tricks’ out of the goodness of his heart to help her save her marriage.”
“Well, I would think she’s feeling a bit insecure at the moment, given her husband’s infidelity. Luke’s comments must have hit a sore spot.”
“Men rarely stray because their wives are not satisfying them in bed. They stray for other reasons,” Gabe said with a shrug.
“Such as?” Quinn asked, eyebrows raised. “Do enlighten me, so that I know what to look out for.”
She tried to keep her tone light, afraid that Gabe would see how the conversation affected her. Luke had cheated on her repeatedly, and she’d been none the wiser. It wasn’t until he left her for a beautiful American student, Ashley Gallagher, that Quinn had realized their relationship wasn’t nearly as solid as she’d believed it to be. Had she been a boring shag? Did Gabe think sotoo? Was that why he felt the urge to change things up? Quinn’s belly twisted with worry at the possibility.
