Grey Stone by Joss Stirling

Author:Joss Stirling [Stirling, Joss]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780008422660
Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers

Leo had arrived in our absence. I found him sitting at the kitchen table, pile of post in front of him, while Rainbow made him a cup of tea. From the sounds coming from the sitting room, Freddie and Phil had found something to watch on TV, sound up so Leo and Rainbow could talk with some privacy. Of Janice there was no sign until I heard a shower running upstairs. She had already announced that she was planning to stay over.

In Leo’s house.

I was not pleased.

I pressed my cold cheek against his. ‘I’m glad you’re home.’

‘Me too. Thanks for holding the fort.’ He brushed his lips over mine.

Rainbow put a cup in front of him. She’d made it too strong but I noticed that Leo didn’t complain.

‘Do you want a cup, Jess?’ she asked.

‘Not in the mood for tea.’ I got out a bottle of white wine from the fridge. ‘I feel about ready for this. Lauren?’

‘God, yes.’ Lauren moved to the cupboard and grabbed some glasses. ‘Rainbow, why don’t we take these through to the guys and give Leo and Jess a chance to catch up?’

Rainbow fluttered at the sink. ‘Oh right, yes, of course. I’m in the way. I’ve invaded your home. I’m sorry, Leo.’

‘You are not an invasion and not in the way,’ Leo said gallantly, even though I was thinking that she was a little. Having so many people in Leo’s house was odd after months of it just being the two of us.

Rainbow was shepherded away by Lauren, and I got a glass for Leo and a fresh bottle of wine and put it down by him. ‘Do you really want that?’

He smiled and shook his head. ‘Irish tea – that’s what Rainbow always called it at college. Then she’d go on to say something like “strong enough to make your chest hairs curl”, some saying of her grandmother’s.’

I unscrewed the lid of the wine. ‘I’ll have to check later. So,’ I sat down opposite him, ‘how was your day?’

‘One of my best friends got charged with murder, I learned that another is managing a club that appears to have murky links to prostitution and trafficking, and last but not least, Lloyd made some money sleeping with women and appearing in a porn film, which I may now have to watch to see if it’s true.’

‘Things are looking up then.’ I toasted him ironically. ‘Tell me how you know all that.’

He gave me a run-down of his day and I reciprocated with what Lauren had told me by the compost heap.

‘An affair? Christ, I didn’t even guess – so used to them being the perfect couple.’ Leo frowned into his wine. ‘So that was why…’ I could see him reconsidering what he knew of the accident and Lauren’s time in hospital. ‘I would never have suspected…poor Freddie. That must have been gutting.’

‘He hid it well, according to Lauren.’

‘Yeah, he’d do that.’

I topped up his glass. ‘Look, don’t jump down my throat when I say

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