appetite, and not just for cock.” His eyebrow arched, and I giggled.
“Speaking of which, you’re looking rather chipper today,” I said.
“Guess who paid me a midnight visit.”
“Mm… in uniform?”
He nodded. “Deliciously so. And he seemed at ease for once. He’d had a few drinks. It was amazing.”
“Then perhaps he’s starting to relax about his sexuality.”
Sheldon shrugged. “One night of wild passionate love with someone I feel hot about is better than one month of being with someone because of some irrational fear of being lonely.”
“You’ll never need be lonely with me around, Shels,” I said, touching his hand.
“You’re a sweetie. I’m so glad you’re here.” He smiled. “Come on. Eat up. And then let’s go shopping and have some fun.”
I smiled. I thought of the hundred thousand pounds sitting in my account. “I should really house hunt.”
“No, you shouldn’t. Live here. It’s my house. My rich parents gave it to me. Rent-free. That way, you can develop your career.”
I sighed. “I’m worried about my mother.”
“Rehab?” he asked.
“I’ve tried. She insists that she’s okay.”
“Maybe she just likes doing drugs,” he said.
I couldn’t argue with that sad surmise. “A form of medication, I suspect. I’m not sure what happened to her. I don’t even know my father. For all I know, she could’ve been raped.”
Sheldon winced. “You’re talented. Beautiful. A heart that’s pure.”
“Thanks.” I smiled sadly. “I do wonder who my dad was. But thinking about the men my mom brought home over the years, I can’t imagine he was anyone to make me proud.”
“At least she kept you safe.”
“She sent me next door to Lilly’s.” I recalled the numerous times, even as a three-year-old, I’d been cared for by our neighbors. Now it was my turn to look after Lilly.
That was what we did—we looked after each other.
* * *
SHOPPING HAD BEEN EXHAUSTING, so I rode a cab for once. He dropped me off at the front of the estate. In the distance, I spied the regulars loitering about in the shadows, among them Jimmy O’Hearn, who I’d grown up with.
Having stopped at the supermarket, I lugged heavy bags of groceries. The grounds at that hour were filled with all manner of comings and goings. People from all walks of life came to buy pills, weed, and heavier stuff. Everything was for sale there.
With a cigarette hanging out of his mouth, Jimmy was attractive in that heavily tattooed bad-boy way. “Hey, come into some cash?” He pointed at my shopping bags.
“I sold some art.”
Some drugged-out guy he’d been chatting with stood close and put his arm around me. “I’ve got some nice sniff.”
I shrugged out of his clasp and looked at Jimmy.
“Hey, leave her alone. She’s family.” Jimmy looked at me with a smirk. “A bit of snob, though.”
After I stuck a finger up at Jimmy, the pimply guy reacted. He didn’t get the joke. “You’re too good for us, are you?”
Jimmy pushed him back. “Lay off her!”
I wore a tight, grateful smile.
He smirked back, which was Jimmy’s way of showing some heart. Guys like Jimmy didn’t smile. Like most people at the estate, he’d had his share of misery. I’d helped care for his mother, who had cancer, when I was sixteen. With only Jimmy and his younger sister there, I brought over soup or leftovers and helped care for her. After that, whenever Lilly and I came home late, he’d make sure nobody tried to hit on us.
I turned and saw Jimmy holding out his hand. “Here, let me take those for you.”
Passing one of my heavier grocery bags, I said, “Thanks. You don’t have to.”
Ignoring me, he took all my bags. His blue eyes shimmered with warmth. He’d always been keen on me.
“Sorry about Ewen. He’s not that bad. He’s just a little crazy in the head, like most of the idiots around here.”
“I’m used to it, Jimmy,” I said.
We trudged up the stairs to the second level, stepping over empty cans and fast-food cartons along the way. The neighbor’s rubbish had been picked at by birds and spilled out everywhere, leaving a stench in its wake. It was a world away from the opulence I’d just experienced at Blake’s home.
I stood at the door. “Thanks. I appreciate it.”
He remained there, looking awkward. “Hey, congrats on selling your art.” He nodded, and I could see he wanted to say more, but he was a little shy around me.
“I’m glad you’re okay. I was wondering how you were.”