Page 46 of His Own Heaven

All around him, his family said things like “wow” and “what the fuck, man”.

But it was his father who spoke last, his craggy voice disconcerting in its calmness. A sure sign he was disappointed in his son. “I thought you had a policy against sleeping with your employees.”

Toby clenched his jaw so tightly he thought he felt his molars crack.Charlie is a dead man.Breathing deep, he slowly shifted his gaze to meet his fathers. “Technically, she’s not my employee,” he said with a heavy sigh. “She hasn’t signed the employment contract yet.”

Ulysses stood, his eyes narrowed. “Outside. Now.”

With a parting glare at his twin, Toby followed the old man out into the chill of the late evening air. “Dad—”

“What the hell were you thinking, Tobias?” his father whisper-raged. “Taking advantage of a woman you have power over? I raised you better than that.”

Fists clenched tightly, Toby felt every word out of his father’s mouth like the sting of a single-tail whip. Heat blazed under his skin as he listened to Uly’s hushed tirade, and it joined forces with the embarrassment of being scrutinised by his siblings and the hurt of being rejected by Lucy, building and building until it spilled over and words flew out of his mouth on a roar.

“I didnottake advantage of her!”

“You sure about that?”

He scrubbed a hand over his face. “I made it clear from the very beginning that her job was never in jeopardy. She could say no at any time. She could leave at any time. I asked her more than once if she was certain she wanted to continue and she always saidyes.”

His father was unflinching in his cause. “Are yousureabout that?”

Toby wasn’t sure of much at that moment, but he had no questions about Lucy’s consent. “Yes. I’m sure.”

They stared at each other in silence for a minute before Uly spoke again. “Do you have feelings for this woman?”

Toby nodded. “Yes I do.”

Uly rubbed his jaw, then sighed heavily. He looked tired, more than a man his age should. “Take your brother home. You both have work in the morning, and it’s a long drive.”

“We can stay,” Toby said quietly, feeling less like an adult man who owned his own business and more like a kid being dismissed by his father.

He knew what was coming next.

Uly shook his head. “Jane isn’t coming out of there any time soon, and neither is Rafael. Go home, son. Get some sleep.”

And there it was.

He was being sent to his room.

A little while later, he and Charlie were back in his truck, heading home along the Bruce Highway.

“What did Dad want?”

“To ream me out for taking advantage of Lucy.”

Charlie snorted and shook his head. “That’s not what happened and you know it.”

Toby grunted. “Do I?” He gripped the steering wheel tightly, his knuckles blanching with the effort. His father had raised some valid points.

“What? You think Dad is right?” his brother, ever the mind reader, said. Charlie’s voice bristled with irritation. “I’ve met the woman, remember? I doubt anyone could take advantage of Lucy unless she allowed it. And I know the old man means well, but he wasn’t there. I was. And I can tell you without a doubt in my mind that Lucy wasn’t there for fear of her job. She was having fun.”

Toby swerved suddenly to avoid a suicidal kangaroo. Bloody beasts had zero road sense. “Some women are better at pretending to be something they’re not. You know that.”

“I also know you shouldn’t let your past dictate your future,” Charlie shot back, proving he knew exactly where Toby was taking this conversation. Then he sighed and scrubbed a hand over his face. “Listen to me, Tobes. I know you better than you know yourself. You’re the guy who always does the right thing, even if it’s not in your best interest.” Toby opened his mouth to argue, but Charlie held up his hand to stop him. “And I know your version of doing the right thing is making all the decisions by yourself like the control freak you are. But here’s the thing—are you listening to the thing?”

Toby spared Charlie a moment to shoot him a brief glare. “I’m listening.”

“Okay, here’s the thing. If you’re really that unsure of every special moment you shared with that magnificent woman over the weekend, then you need to talk to her about it. And then you need to respect her enough to assume whatever she tells you is the truth. Don’t let Dad get in your head. I mean, let’s face it. The old man doesn’t exactly have a stellar record when it comes to women. I mean really. Take our mother for example.”

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