Total pages in book: 114
Estimated words: 105756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 105756 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 529(@200wpm)___ 423(@250wpm)___ 353(@300wpm)
“Okay, well, what is it?” I slid my phone in my bag, feeling unexpectedly annoyed and impatient.
Cathal shoved one hand in his pocket while rubbing his chin with the other. “I just wanted to make sure you were holding up okay? I know you were closer with your dad these last few years, and it must be hard with him gone.”
“It is hard, and thank you for your concern, but I’m getting through it.”
“Right.” His eyes met mine. “You’ve always been so strong.”
I arched an eyebrow. Was he referring to the fact that he’d left me for Hannah, and I’d managed to recover? At the time, my pride hadn’t allowed me to show much sorrow over the breakup, at least not externally, which I was glad for now. Let Cathal believe he was easy to get over. I deserved a small win since I was the one still single.
A silence fell before he continued, “Well, I also wanted to talk about that bloke, Leonora’s son. You said the two of you were working together to divide up your parents’ estate, and he seems like the type who could easily swindle you out of an inheritance with the suit and the flash car and all.”
“Uh huh, well, you don’t need to worry about that. I’m going back inside.”
When I moved by him, Cathal reached out to grab my arm, and I looked up at him in question. “You don’t understand. These kinds of things happen all the time. I’ve heard of people missing out on huge sums because they weren’t well versed in contracts and all the legal speak.”
I frowned at him. He was being unusually pushy about this, and it set off alarm bells. “Look, Cathal, whatever my father left for me is my business, and whether or not I get swindled is also my business. It’s not your concern.”
It was on the tip of my tongue to blurt out the truth, that my father had very little to leave behind and that Jonathan was actually the reason I had a roof over my head, but I refused to give him the satisfaction of knowing the truth.
He was almost glowering when he finally let go of my arm. “Yes, well, there was actually something else I wanted to speak to you about.”
“Bloody hell. You said you were going to keep it brief,” I complained, and his glower solidified.
“I wasn’t going to say anything, but Hannah mentioned you were unnecessarily rude to her the other week when she was using your office for her break. Cate was cooking cabbage for the residents that day, and the smell makes her sick. She needed somewhere far away from the kitchen to eat; otherwise, she’d end up puking. She said you came in and made her feel like she’d committed a crime or something. She was only in there because you weren’t supposed to be in your office that day anyway.”
Wow, okay. Where the hell had all that come from?
“First off, if Hannah feels I was unfairly harsh, she’s welcome to come speak to me about it. And second, I certainly wasn’t rude to her.”
“You practically bit her ear off for wearing nail polish.”
“I did not bite her ear off. I merely stated it wasn’t permitted, and she needed to remove it. And now, I’m leaving. Like I said, if Hannah is upset, she can talk to me directly.”
“Is it jealousy? Because Christ, Ada, it’s been years—”
“I’ll stop you right there, Cathal,” I interrupted, holding up a hand. “As far as I’m concerned, you and Hannah make a great couple, and I’m glad you found one another. You and I weren’t suited in the long run. There is no jealousy, no ill will, and whatever happens at work is just work. There are no personal feelings involved. I’m simply there to do my job and keep the place running. Now, I’m going back inside.”
With that, I strode away, my stomach in knots after the interaction. It was the most Cathal had spoken to me in a long time, and it seemed convenient that he wanted to talk to me now when I had a handsome, important-looking man like Jonathan turning up at Pinebrook to share lunch with me, not to mention the fictional inheritance he thought was coming my way. Cathal had never struck me as particularly money hungry, though he did enjoy the finer things in life, like eating out at nice restaurants and going on fancy foreign holidays.
But no. He adored Hannah. There was no way he was trying to wheedle his way back into my life just because of a potential windfall.
It was difficult to focus on the quiz because I was too unsettled by the events of the evening. To be accused of being jealous of Cathal and Hannah’s relationship when I’d been nothing but accepting of it for years was galling, infuriating really.