Libby’s cruel act of telling everyone that Leo was Nick’s son and exposing Jess’s little boy to malicious gossip drove her as far as the Burrunan gates with abuse screaming in her head. Only thoughts of protecting Leo and his sisters had forced her to return home without making a scene. But the abrupt halving of Jess’s income and the loss of Leo’s support payments did not apply the same brake. Locking onto outrage about the unnecessary paternity test—clearly Leo was Nick’s son—she’d driven to the marina, demanding to see Nick. The staff at Pirellis’ blocked each of her attempts. She’d barely been allowed inside the reception area, let alone Nick’s office. Short of accosting him in public, which would only create more meat for the gossips to feast on and open Leo up to more harm, she’d had little option but to dip into her savings to pay her bills.
It was at that point she’d conceded for Leo’s sake and agreed to the paternity test.
She’d recently received a copy of the results. The original had gone direct to the medical practice. Jess eyed her bank balance again then logged into her email account and clicked on the message with the subject line, Paternity Test. Her fingers hovered and then frustration rushed in.
“Stuff this!” Logging out, she grabbed her bag and car keys, called a quick goodbye to Patrice and drove to the medical center.
“Tell Libby I’m here and I’m not leaving until I see her,” she informed the receptionist.
“Dr. Hunter’s fully booked today,” Trina said snippily.
Penny appeared from the office just behind reception. “And for the rest of the week. Actually, for you, she’s fully booked forever.”
“I’m not leaving until I see her.” Jess glanced at the full waiting room. “I’ll happily wait and talk to these good people. I’m sure they’ll be interested in hearing all the questionable things the good doctor got up to when she was younger.”
“You’re a truly awful person, you know that?”
Jess shrugged—she’d been called worse. She silently watched Penny pick up the phone and murmur into it.
When the nurse hung up, she said, “Follow me.”
Jess felt the eyes of the waiting room bore into her as she walked down the corridor and into Libby’s consulting room. Libby sat at her desk, dark shadows under her eyes and her arms crossed. She didn’t turn her chair to face Jess or rise to greet her.
“What do you want?”
Despite wanting to slap Libby for being such a princess, Jess strove for the high ground. For Leo’s sake, they needed to find a way to resolve this bitter impasse. “How are you?”
“What. Do. You. Want?”
Jess sat, partly to annoy Libby, but mostly because seeing her friend again after all these weeks had unexpectedly affected her legs. “I want to talk to Nick about his support payments.’
Libby’s eyes chilled to Antarctic blue. “That is never going to happen.”
“Talking or support payments?”
“Both.”
Jess took in a couple of deep breaths and tried to stay calm. “I did what you asked. You’ve had the results of the paternity test for a week. You now have the unequivocal scientific evidence you wanted, proving what we already knew. Leo is Nick’s son. I want the support payments reinstated and back pay for the weeks you’ve …” she swallowed the word spitefully, “… withheld it.”
“I don’t care what you want.”
The statement stung with the same bite of lime juice in a cut. “This isn’t between me and you. It’s between me and Nick.”
“Like hell it is. Nick’s my husband, not yours.”
Jess’s control frayed around the edges. “But I wonder for how much longer? With you controlling where he can go and who he can talk to, life with you must be so much fun for him.”
Libby jerked in her chair. “I hate you so much.”
“I think you established that weeks ago. I’m here to remind you that Nick’s Leo’s father and the law states he must provide financial support.”
“So, you’re suddenly citing the law now it suits you? You don’t have that right when you’ve broken every social more in the book! Nick never wanted that child, you did. You tricked him to get what you wanted.”
“I didn’t trick him.” She ground out the words between clenched teeth. “But I imagine it’s convenient for Nick to tell you that.”
Libby stood so fast her chair skated back and hit the wall. “Get out.”
Jess stayed seated. “You know what? For a caring professional and a friend who insisted we share everything until it suddenly wasn’t convenient to you, you have a filthy malevolent streak.”
“You’re deluded if you thought sharing included Nick!”
It was tempting to tell Libby she was reinventing history but Jess stayed focused on Leo. “Punish me and punish Nick all you like, but don’t punish Leo. He’s an innocent child.”
“He’s absolutely nothing to do with me. And if you come here again, I’ll take out a restraining order against you.”
“Empty words, Lib.”
“I don’t think so. Pip Beyers is a good friend of mine.”
The circuit court magistrate was good friends with them both. “Your memory’s conveniently faulty.”
“Not really. I introduced you to Pip, remember? Just like I sponsored you at the yacht club and book group and the lawn tennis club. The only reason you’ve ever had any social standing in this town is because of me. I took your white trash ass out of the muck you grew up in, but when you screwed my husband, you screwed yourself.”
Libby’s smug face said checkmate and the dragon inside Jess roared, railing against privilege that was never questioned and never required to prove itself. Whereas no matter what she did, be it good or bad, it was held up against all previous misdemeanors dating back twenty years.
“The whole town doesn’t
