was city-smooth and lethal. ‘Worst-case scenario, I press charges against Leighton for fraud. Meantime I have someone dig into his history, find what else is buried. The lawyers will be scrutinising ways of suing everyone involved — Leighton and the media. I play for keeps.’
She wiped suddenly sweaty hands down the sides of her jeans.
‘Scare you?’ He raised an eyebrow.
It would, except she knew he was doing this more for her and JayBay than to protect himself. And Leighton had strained family loyalty to snapping point. She’d already fielded seven calls from family and friends in Jardin Bay. If Leighton was unpopular with Theo, he was plague-poxed at home.
‘I’m not scared.’
‘Good. Do you still want to do this?’
He’d lost her.
‘Facing my family. Pretending we have a relationship.’
Evidently the media presentation of her was as bad as she’d thought. She straightened in her chair. ‘Absolutely.’
‘Keys.’ He threw her a two key combo.
She appreciated the lack of fuss.
‘Security screen and deadlock. I tend to just lock the security screen, but the deadlock sometimes locks itself.’
‘Thanks.’ She slipped them in a jeans pocket. Her credit card was burning a hole in her back pocket. Shame the shops weren’t open yet. Sitting around waiting wasn’t her favourite activity.
‘Do you want to come to the office with me? I’ll introduce you, make sure you have access and you can get the lie of the land.’
‘That would be great.’ Way better than sitting alone listening to the insanity of talkback radio.
It was not yet eight o’clock, but already the streets were busy. As much as Cassie liked the freedom of Jardin Bay, the city energised her. Plus she was wonderfully anonymous. No one would recognise her from the photo Leighton had shared. Determinedly, she shifted focus. ‘You’re lucky to be able to walk to work.’
‘I know.’ Theo swung his briefcase, gesturing that she walk in front of him across the intersection. Cars revved, impatient for the lights to change. ‘I actually bought the house when I joined a sports clinic here. I thought about an apartment with a view of the bay, but the house had more character. The garage was the decider.’
Along the street, shiny, new, glass-fronted multi-storey monsters loomed over and between smaller, older buildings, some of them decidedly rundown with depressed shops huddled inside.
‘Here we are.’
Cassie stopped and studied the building. Red brick and solid, with a sort of elegance despite the fact it had started life as a warehouse, but had been renovated and extended backwards on its plot. The carefully re-painted old lettering said, ‘Brigid Care, 1907’. It was three storeys high.
‘We used to manufacture our products here, but in the 1950s Great-Granddad moved production out to the industrial fringe of the new suburbia. That’s where the workers were building their homes in the post-war construction boom.’ Theo pushed the door open. Inside the light was bright but not too bright, respecting the feel of the Edwardian era and the restrained office fit-out. ‘Fortunately, the family kept the warehouse for sentimental reasons, renting it out till Dad saw St Kilda’s resurgence and its closeness to the business district, and transferred our headquarters here where we could emphasise our history.’
‘Smart.’
So was the wood panelling, black and white chequered floor tiles, hints of brass and the rich red and green of an old-fashioned men’s club’s library — or at least, what she’d seen of them in movies.
Behind the wooden desk, a receptionist stowed her handbag in a drawer and straightened up to smile a greeting at Theo. Probably the same receptionist who’d helped stonewall Cassie yesterday. The woman frankly stared when Theo made introductions and said Cassie had the freedom of the building.
‘I think Jodie saw the news,’ Cassie whispered as she and Theo ascended an imposing set of
She wiped suddenly sweaty hands down the sides of her jeans.
‘Scare you?’ He raised an eyebrow.
It would, except she knew he was doing this more for her and JayBay than to protect himself. And Leighton had strained family loyalty to snapping point. She’d already fielded seven calls from family and friends in Jardin Bay. If Leighton was unpopular with Theo, he was plague-poxed at home.
‘I’m not scared.’
‘Good. Do you still want to do this?’
He’d lost her.
‘Facing my family. Pretending we have a relationship.’
Evidently the media presentation of her was as bad as she’d thought. She straightened in her chair. ‘Absolutely.’
‘Keys.’ He threw her a two key combo.
She appreciated the lack of fuss.
‘Security screen and deadlock. I tend to just lock the security screen, but the deadlock sometimes locks itself.’
‘Thanks.’ She slipped them in a jeans pocket. Her credit card was burning a hole in her back pocket. Shame the shops weren’t open yet. Sitting around waiting wasn’t her favourite activity.
‘Do you want to come to the office with me? I’ll introduce you, make sure you have access and you can get the lie of the land.’
‘That would be great.’ Way better than sitting alone listening to the insanity of talkback radio.
It was not yet eight o’clock, but already the streets were busy. As much as Cassie liked the freedom of Jardin Bay, the city energised her. Plus she was wonderfully anonymous. No one would recognise her from the photo Leighton had shared. Determinedly, she shifted focus. ‘You’re lucky to be able to walk to work.’
‘I know.’ Theo swung his briefcase, gesturing that she walk in front of him across the intersection. Cars revved, impatient for the lights to change. ‘I actually bought the house when I joined a sports clinic here. I thought about an apartment with a view of the bay, but the house had more character. The garage was the decider.’
Along the street, shiny, new, glass-fronted multi-storey monsters loomed over and between smaller, older buildings, some of them decidedly rundown with depressed shops huddled inside.
‘Here we are.’
Cassie stopped and studied the building. Red brick and solid, with a sort of elegance despite the fact it had started life as a warehouse, but had been renovated and extended backwards on its plot. The carefully re-painted old lettering said, ‘Brigid Care, 1907’. It was three storeys high.
‘We used to manufacture our products here, but in the 1950s Great-Granddad moved production out to the industrial fringe of the new suburbia. That’s where the workers were building their homes in the post-war construction boom.’ Theo pushed the door open. Inside the light was bright but not too bright, respecting the feel of the Edwardian era and the restrained office fit-out. ‘Fortunately, the family kept the warehouse for sentimental reasons, renting it out till Dad saw St Kilda’s resurgence and its closeness to the business district, and transferred our headquarters here where we could emphasise our history.’
‘Smart.’
So was the wood panelling, black and white chequered floor tiles, hints of brass and the rich red and green of an old-fashioned men’s club’s library — or at least, what she’d seen of them in movies.
Behind the wooden desk, a receptionist stowed her handbag in a drawer and straightened up to smile a greeting at Theo. Probably the same receptionist who’d helped stonewall Cassie yesterday. The woman frankly stared when Theo made introductions and said Cassie had the freedom of the building.
‘I think Jodie saw the news,’ Cassie whispered as she and Theo ascended an imposing set of
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