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“Lachlan, maybe there’s something we can do to help. Instead of you resorting to becoming a badass criminal.”

  He chuckled. “Me? Badass? Don’t think so.”

  “Exactly. I know you don’t want to steal from others; it’s not who you are. You’re just trying to help your family.” Love was a powerful motivator. I knew that. “Don’t be afraid to ask for help.”

  “I can’t go around begging people for money.”

  “You don’t have to beg. Just ask. Set up a donation website or something.”

  We walked silently as he appeared to consider this.

  “I don’t know. I’ll have to look for a second job or something. Or get a different one that pays more. But still, it wouldn’t cover all the expenses.”

  “It’s better than taking the risks you’re taking. What happens when you get a criminal record?” said Leo. “Who’s going to hire you then?”

  Criminal record. Dad had a criminal record. But he wasn’t a bad guy. He just got involved with the wrong people and then, later on, tried to do something for his wife. Lachlan could be a younger version of Dad. He could turn out to have the same issues, and who knew, he could even be in danger down the road if he got caught up with the wrong crowd. I couldn’t help but link the two together, but that was what happened when your mind was always burdened with something that hadn’t been resolved. It infiltrated everything else you thought about. And probably always would.

  As we neared the train station, an idea popped into my head. “Hey, I know what we can do to help.”

  Lachlan’s eyes widened. “Got a spare few thousand bucks?” He chuckled.

  “No, but many minds make…many hands make… what’s that saying?”

  “Many hands make light work.” Leo filled in.

  “Knew I was on the right track. Anyway,” I pushed back a chunk of hair off my face, “What if we have a fundraiser?”

  “Like the one tomorrow night at work?”

  “Yeah. Well, it could be something different, like an auction, or maybe night markets or something, and stall holders could donate their sales for the night, and maybe we might be able to get some sponsorship from advertisers to give them exposure, and…”

  “We?” Lachlan asked.

  “Yeah. I’ll help. I’ll organize it. Then it’s not like you’re asking for charity, since I’d be doing it on your behalf.”

  I didn’t know whether Lachlan was about to laugh at my idea, or start crying again. His face did this funny little shake, like he was shocked. Like no one had ever done anything for him before. “Um, this is me.” He gestured to a weathered timber cottage, then looked me in the eye. “Thank you.”

  “I’ll do this for you, as long as you promise no more stealing. Ever. Deal?”

  He took a deep breath and then held out his hand. “Deal.”

  “Because if I find out you’ve gone back to old ways, or—”

  “Tamara. Deal. I promise.” He gave my hand a firm shake, then glanced at Leo.

  “Oh all right,” Leo said. “But don’t let us down. Got it?”

  “Got it.”

  We walked with him up to the porch, and before he could open the door, it opened, and a woman appeared. “Lachlan, home early from work?”

  He scratched his head. “Um, yeah, wasn’t really needed tonight. Sam had an extra set of hands.”

  She nodded.

  “This is Leo, he’s one of the chefs. And Tamara. Kitchen hand.”

  We held out our hands and shook hers one after the other.

  “And future chef,” Leo added. This made me feel all warm inside.

  “Would you like a cup of tea or something?” she asked, pulling her sweater close to her chest.

  “Oh, no, we’re good, thanks,” I said.

  Someone called out, “Mom.”

  “Coming sweetie,” Lachlan’s mother replied. “I better go in.”

  “I’ll go to her, Mom,” said Lachlan, stepping through the door, then turning back. “Thanks for the company on the, ah, walk home.” He held my gaze a little longer than he did Leo’s.

  “Happy to be of help,” I replied.

  “Oh hey,” Leo said, reaching into his pocket. “Almost forgot.” He pulled some cash from his wallet. “Thanks for helping me out the other day. Here’s the money I owe you.” He held it out to Lachlan, and my heart fluttered.

  Lachlan pushed it back. “Nah, doesn’t matter. You keep it. Thanks anyway.”

  His mother tensed up a little, as though she just wanted him to accept it and not be humble. Every little bit counted, I bet.

  Leo held it back toward him. “Seriously, it’s yours.” He gave him a look, and Lachlan softened, gently accepting the money.

  “Thanks.”

  Leo stepped off the porch before Lachlan could change his mind. “See you tomorrow night.”

  “Yep. Thanks again.”

  When we turned onto the cross street, I stopped and slid my arms around Leo’s waist, looking into his dark, midnight eyes. “Thank you. For trusting me to trust him. And for what you just did.”

  “It won’t help them out that much, but it might do something, at least. And remind him that he doesn’t have to be stupid and steal stuff.”

  “It reminded me of something else too,” I said.

  “Yeah? What?”

  “Of just how much I’ve fallen for you.”

  • • •

  We walked home and stopped in the middle of Roach Place, between my house and his. My sisters and the others would be at the movies for a while. It was still relatively early.

  “Your mom still at Mr. J’s, you think?” Leo asked.

  I looked at our neighbor’s house. There were lights glowing behind the curtains. “I think so. If she was home, she’d be waiting up for us with the lights on.” I gestured to the complete darkness of Number Three Roach Place.

  We stood there awkwardly like two lost souls at a crossroads, not knowing whether to join forces with the good side or the bad side, though both options were decent. I could go home and go to bed, have the house to myself and get some peace and quiet while I had the chance (rare in my family), or go back to Leo’s while he had the house to himself and get not so much peace and quiet, but something much, much better—time alone with my boyfriend (even rarer).

  I hoped Mom couldn’t see me out the window. Because, at that moment, I hooked my arm under Leo’s, and turned toward his house. “Aren’t you going to invite me in?” I smiled.

  “You want to come in for a while?”

  I nodded.

  We walked in silence to the front door. Leo took the keys from his pocket, the jingling sounding like the twinkling of stars, if they had a sound. And if they had a taste, I imagined it would be like silver dragées, those tiny metallic baubles that were sometimes sprinkled on cakes to decorate them. Cool, crisp, smooth, and sweet.

  “That was really good of you, you know,” he said as we entered the house. “Giving Lachlan a chance like that. I didn’t even think to understand the reasons behind what he was doing. You made me see things from a different perspective tonight. You’re more mature than me.”

  Even in the dark, I could see his smile. His lips held a slight gloss as moonlight reflected off them, and I wanted to kiss them.

  I stepped closer. He reached for the light switch. I put my hand on his. “Wait,” I said, entwining my fingers with his. “Leave the lights off.”

  When I looked into his eyes, an overwhelming sense of pure connection drew me to him, like he was an essential part of who I was, and I needed to be close to him, to be molded to him as one being. I rose up on my toes as he lowered his head, our faces within an inch of each other.

  And then he gathered me in his arms and drew me to him, his warm body pressed up against mine. Our lips touched, softly at first, then firmly. I brought my hands to the back of his neck, trailed them against his jawline, his stubble both exquisitely soft and enticingly prickly against the skin of my hands, a mishmash of perfectly combined
textures.

  “Do you—are you sure you…?”

  “I want to stay,” I said, understanding his unfinished questions.

  He lifted me up, and I hooked my legs around his waist as he carried me down the hallway, into a room I had not been in before. His.

  He tripped on something as we entered, and I wobbled, but he held me steady.

  “Sorry,” he said with a chuckle. “Forgot my weights were on the floor.” He stuck out his foot and gave them a kick, rolling the dumbbells into the corner, then stepped into the center of the room.

  Moonlight speckled the bed like the twinkling stars I had imagined as he’d unlocked the door. In the darkness of his room, it was like we were in the sky and his bed was a cloud, catching falling stars and spreading them across the surface like an offering to us.

  He lay me down. “Are you sure?” he whispered.

  “Yes,” I said, without hesitation. With Leo I felt safe, cared for, and respected.

  It was time.

  “But, I um, I don’t take anything.” My voice was heavy, my breathing impatient.

  “It’s okay, I have something.” He opened his bedside drawer and I heard the crinkle of a foil packet, then he leaned over me and dropped his forehead gently against mine, looking into my eyes. “I can’t believe it’s taken me this long to get to know you,” he said. “I don’t want to waste another minute.”

  “Me neither.”

  Our lips connected again, and my whole body became soft and fluid, like I really was floating in the sky, and we really were resting on a cloud. I knew it wouldn’t be a completely perfect, unrealistic fairytale; I knew it would be uncomfortable at first, and hurt a bit, and maybe be a bit awkward, but I also knew that it didn’t matter. I was about to experience something I had been waiting for, with the guy I had been waiting for, and I was 100 percent ready. As Leo straightened up and lifted the shirt from his body, and the moonlight threw shadows across the muscles of his chest, all the troubles in my life faded away into the darkness and we were the only things left.

  Now, in this moment.

  Us.

  Chapter 19

  The next morning I floated down the street in a haze of bliss. I felt like I was in one of those ridiculous TV commercials for perfumed body spray or feminine hygiene products, looking all radiant and angelic and happier than anyone should ever be when thinking about those topics.

  Hmm, what to get? I eyed the gifts when I arrived at the newsstand. I didn’t want anything tacky, just something small that would put a smile on Leo’s face and let him know how I felt about him. Not that he didn’t know, though, after last night.

  I moved sideways and collided with someone. “Oh, sorry,” I said, turning toward the person. “Emilia, hi.”

  “Hi,” she said flatly, half looking at her phone.

  “Everything okay?” I asked.

  She let out a heavy breath. “After the cooking competition last weekend, I saw him.” She leaned closer. “Michael.”

  “Your ex? Did you speak to him?”

  She shook her head. “He was on the opposite side of the road as I walked home. He saw me too, but then I looked away and kept walking.”

  “Did he follow you?”

  “I don’t think so. He was standing still and on the phone at the time. He just looked at me.” She grasped my elbow. “But half an hour later, I got a phone call from a blocked number. I didn’t answer. I’d had another one a few days prior but assumed it must be some salesperson cold-calling me. Until I saw him, and then it made me think… what if it was him?”

  I nibbled my bottom lip. “It might not be. Could still be a salesperson.”

  “But this morning, when I opened my front door, the potted plant that sits on my doorstep was in a slightly different position. Like someone had moved it, maybe to see if there was a spare key? Michael’s a perfectionist; he used to move things around if he didn’t like their position. Everything had to be perfect.”

  Even that freaked me out. “Maybe you should call him, confront him, get to the bottom of it. Or talk to the police?”

  “No!” She spoke loudly then glanced around and cleared her throat, lowering her voice. “I can’t give in, can’t let him know he’s getting to me. It’ll just make things worse. I should pretend like nothing’s wrong.” She gave a firm nod.

  “But what about tonight? He’s going to be at the restaurant.” Should I be worried? Was he some crazy stalker guy who was going to poison people and put us all in the news tomorrow?

  “I bet he’ll be on his best behavior. Put on a front with his new woman so everyone thinks he’s a good guy.”

  “And it’s a public place. I mean, nothing could happen with everyone there, could it? He’s not dangerous, right?”

  She didn’t respond.

  “Emilia?”

  “You’re probably right. The event will probably go off without a hitch.” She flicked her hand. “Though, would you mind not leaving work at the end of the night until I’m ready to go too? I don’t want to leave the premises on my own. Better safe than sorry.”

  “Of course,” I said. “And I could ask Leo to—”

  “No, not Leo,” she rebutted. “I don’t want him to think I’m a helpless little woman.”

  “Then my family, I’ll get them to help. We could drive you home. If we can fit everyone in the car. Or Mr. Jenkins might be able to give you a lift, if he takes his own. We’ll figure something out. Don’t worry about a thing.” I patted her forearm. “It’s okay to need help sometimes. You don’t have to do everything on your own.”

  “Thanks.” She shrugged. “I’m just used to it.”

  I turned back to the gifts on display.

  “Anyway, whatcha buying?” Emilia asked.

  “I don’t know yet, just a gift.”

  “For Leo?”

  “Yep.”

  “Lucky boy. You guys are getting serious, huh?”

  My face went hot.

  “Oh. Have you two… you know?”

  I brushed some hair off my face and looked away.

  “You have, haven’t you? I can tell.”

  I picked up a keychain that said, “the key to my heart,” and held it out. “What about this?”

  Emilia ignored my question, grasping my arms gently and turning me to face her. “Last night? He wasn’t at work, so I’m guessing he made the most of a rare night off.”

  I shrugged and nodded.

  Her face turned grayish. “Have you seen him today?”

  “No, why? He’s at work getting everything ready for tonight.”

  “Have you heard from him at all?”

  I shook my head, furrowing my brow.

  Emilia nibbled her bottom lip. A brief shot of concern flashed through me. “Why? Is he hurt or something? Was there an accident at work?” My eyes widened. “Knife injury? Or, oh no, the blender? Is he okay?” I was sounding like Serena.

  Emilia laughed a little. “He’s fine. Well, I’m sure he is, I haven’t seen him. But…” She angled herself closer toward me and glanced around to check no one was eavesdropping. “Just be careful. Now that you’ve, well… you know. He might start to act differently.”

  “What do you mean?”

  She chewed her lip again. “I didn’t tell you this before because I didn’t want things to get weird, but…”

  “But what?”

  “Leo and I were closer than you think.” She looked me in the eye. “The same thing happened between us. We, um, you know.”

  I tilted my head back a little. “You spent the night together?”

  She nodded. “But the thing is, after that, he got all weird. Seemed totally smitten afterward and sent me a couple of nice messages, but then nothing. He went cold. Ignored my messages, was suddenly too busy to see me or talk to me. I got fed up and confronted him after a while, and he said he didn’t feel anything anymore. That he’d made a mistake. That I was a mistake. I think after what happened to his mom and dad, he’s afraid of co
mmitting to anyone in case he loses them.”

  All the elation I’d felt after being with Leo plummeted.

  “He didn’t tell me he’d been with you in that way.” My muscles clenched.

  “Probably for the same reason I didn’t. It would make it too awkward at work. And it’s all in the past now anyway. But I just wanted to let you know, in case he did the same thing with you. Sorry.” She gave me a feeble, apologetic smile.

  “Wow. I don’t know what to say. Thanks?” I scratched my head. “But maybe things have changed since then. Maybe he’s dealt with things a bit better now that…”

  Now that he knows his father didn’t commit suicide.

  “Now that more time has passed.”

  Emilia shrugged. “Maybe. Be careful though. Don’t get too hooked on him. Men can be weird sometimes.” She gazed into the distance. “As I know all too well.”

  “Okay, I guess.”

  Too late. I was already hooked on him. But now that I knew, I could make sure not to overdo the communication and affection so he didn’t feel smothered or trapped or anything.

  I put the keychain down. A gift could wait for another day, once I’d had a chance to see how Leo reacted to us having been together.

  “Anyway, gotta go. See you tonight.” Emilia tapped my arm and walked out, and I followed. But as I turned to walk away from the newsstand, I glanced at the newspapers.

  The headline read: Mysterious poisonings solved.

  Huh? I grabbed the paper.

  The baffling cases of poisonings in several popular restaurants have been solved. The contaminated ingredients have been linked to three farms located downhill from a specialized factory used for the repair and restoration of components in the aeronautics industry. Illegal dumping of waste products has resulted in the introduction of a toxic chemical to the water supply used as a backup for the farms when there isn’t enough rainwater in the tanks. The contaminant had affected the produce during the washing process before the food was shipped off to buyers in the hospitality industry. Continued on page three…

  “Want to buy that one?” The guy at the newsstand asked.

  I looked up. “Sure.” I handed him the cash and walked off, relief relaxing my stride. I had to tell my sisters. It looked like we didn’t have to prevent a poisoning after all.