Page 23 of The Question of Us
Nick
Two hourslater we were sitting on opposite sofas with our laptops on our knees and Nat King Cole crooning in the background. The remains of two bowls of ramen that Mads had miraculously thrown together from his refrigerator sat abandoned on the coffee table along with a couple of beers. Low alcohol, but still.
We were scrolling flights to Melbourne, comparing calendars, investigating accommodation in an effort to piece together some kind of plan. I still wasn’t rapt with the idea of chasing Lee over there just to see if we were right, mostly because I wasn’t sure what we could do about it if we were. If Lee stuck with his story and refused to admit anything, we could hardly drag him away. And if this Marty Klein arsehole was behind everything that had happened, then he was hardly going to stand back and let us talk to Lee, let alone try and convince him to walk away.
Mads looked up from his laptop and met my gaze. “We have to remember Marty Klein is meticulous and determined.”
I arched a brow. “Really? I’m so glad you pointed that out.”
A hint of a smile crossed his lips. “I’m just saying we need to be really careful how we go about this. Marty spent two years trying to find Lee. He’s likely seen pics of both of us, maybe even Gazza, so getting Lee on his own and talking could be pretty damn difficult. It’s not like we can rock up to his front door on some cooked-up excuse and pray it’s Lee who opens it, right?”
I agreed. “We don’t even know if Lee is still there. This is all based on assumptions. And don’t look at me that way.” I eyeballed him. “You know it’s true.”
He deflated. “Yeah, I know. We could just head to the town closest to Marty’s stud and discreetly ask around. See what shakes out.”
I stared at him blankly. “Discreetly, huh? And how can we be sure word of our discreet interest won’t get straight back to Marty? The whole town must know him. He’s a local celebrity.”
Mads glowered. “It was just a suggestion, okay?”
Shit.“I’m sorry,” I said, meaning it. “I’m just pissed that I can’t come up with a better solution either.”
Mads sent me a surprised look and I thought back on what I’d said. An apologyandan admission in two short sentences. One for the record books.
We shared a smile and I wagged a finger at him. “Don’t get cocky.”
He waggled his brows. “Wouldn’t dream of it.”
Gazza interrupted our teasing, gliding into the lounge with a glorious shirt billowing around him. He looked more like an exotic bird of paradise than a book restorer and I couldn’t keep the smile from my face.
With Shelby in his arms, he made a beeline for me. “Are you two plotting without me, because if you are, I’m not a happy camper.”
Mads answered for both of us, “We were just discussing how getting close to Lee won’t be easy since Marty likely knows what we all look like.”
“Well, now you can include me in the discussion.” Gazza deposited Shelby onto my lap, then parked his butt in the armchair next to Mads’ sofa. “Your cat’s a menace, by the way,” he told me. “She’s been sleeping on my worktable for the last hour. I had to clean up her drool. Oh, and she snores.”
I grinned. “Yes, she does.” I rubbed Shelby under the chin, then frowned at Gazza. “She was probably pissed at you for making her wait outside this morning.”
Gazza shifted in his seat. “Sorry, not sorry about the whole banished-outside thing. If I’d known Shelby was with you, I would’ve made an exception... for her.” He raised a hand to Mads, who grinned and slapped it.
I shook my head. “Funny guy. But how did she get in? I thought you kept the studio door closed because of the humidity thing.”
Gazza squirmed. “Okay, so I might’ve let her in. But only because you guys were... doingstuff. Loudstuff, I might add.” He glared at both of us. “Shelby was naturally traumatised, as was I. We supported each other through the horror.”
I choked on a laugh, half-embarrassed, half kind of gratified. “You were so played,” I told him. “And now you’ve set a precedent. She’ll pester you to let her in whenever she chooses now. Just don’t ever mistakenly shut her in. She loves a nice piece of leather and a roll of thread does our Shelby. Don’t say you weren’t warned.”
Gazza and Mads exchanged a horrified look, which warmed the black corners of my heart. And as if on cue, having clearly decided she was done with my attention, Shelby leaped to the floor and headed for Mads. One pat on his thigh and she immediately jumped up.
“Do you know how much I hate you right now?” I glared at the cat, who flicked me an unimpressed look before curling into a ball.
“She likes me more than you, remember?” Mads smiled smugly. “It’s a thing. You can’t fight it.”
“Shut up.” I flipped him off, which only made him smile wider.
Gazza’s curious gaze flitted between us. “So, you two are okay then?”
Mads and I shared a look and I let him answer. “We’re still a work in progress, but yes, we talked.”
“Thank God for that.” Gazza drilled me with a decidedly menacing look. “But I’m going to be keeping an eye on you. Madigan is the best man I’ve ever known and he doesn’t deserve you shitting on him.”
