“At this time of the day?” He looked at her incredulously. “You could have gone to the beach at least in this heat.”
Abby shrugged. “I’m heading back now anyway, I have lots to do.” She wasn’t sure why she was pushing him away right now, but she was still hurt by what he’d said when they last spoke.
He rolled his eyes. “Let me guess, Jed has you on a tight leash.”
“No, I just take my work seriously.”
“Way too seriously, if you ask me, I thought you were enjoying having time to have fun.”
“Why do you care? You sound like you had fun with that backpacker the other night.”
He balked. “Abby, that was a friend that was visiting, nothing more. A platonic friend.”
“Well, you looked like you hadn’t slept all night when I saw you last. Obviously you like to stay up all night with women and that’s fine because I don’t care.”
He sighed.
“I have to get going. Jed’s waiting for me.” She said the last bit just to spite him.
“Abby—” he said, clutching her arm as she meant to turn away. “You need to be careful with him. Whatever your feelings for him—it’s not my business. But you should know that he tried to kiss Mia, at work one night. No one else was around, and I found him trying to kiss her in the kitchen while she was cleaning. Mia is barely seventeen! He’s a creep, Abby. He doesn’t deserve your time.”
The news didn’t shock her as it might have a few days ago. She felt anger run through her. How dare Jed behave like that? It was one thing to play with her like a puppet, but another to sexually harass someone who was still technically a child.
Noah must have mistaken the anger on her face as being directed at him. “It’s fine, I know you won’t believe me anyway,” he sighed. “Jed has you brainwashed. You’re wrapped around his little finger.”
Abby felt her anger now direct itself at Noah. She was sick of being a pawn in her own life. Did no one think she was capable of being independent? Her parents had been controlling her life for years, Jed had flown all the way over to Australia to better control her, and now Noah was trying to control her by pulling her away from her work and acting like her rescuer to save her from Jed when she was quite capable of doing it herself. “I’m quite capable of making up my own mind about people, thank you very much.”
“Well you don’t seem to be doing a very good job at it so far,” he snapped back.
“Really? As opposed to spending time with a university dropout who has no long-term aspirations apart from working as little as possible, going to parties and surfing?”
Noah recoiled like she had hit him. As soon as the words had crossed her lips, she wished she could take them back, but it was too late now. She crossed her arms and stared angrily at him.
“So that’s what you think of me?” His voice had lost all warmth.
“Noah, I—” He held up his hand.
“Just don’t say anything more. Please.” His face was pained, and he turned away. He didn’t look back as he walked the short distance to the hospital doors and disappeared inside.
Abby bit down on her lip, considering for a moment running after him but instead turning to trudge back to her room.
That afternoon an email from her parents came through. It was clearly written by her mother.
Honey, we haven’t heard from you in a while. You must be working hard—although I must say we have been worried that your lack of replies has been an indication that you are indeed not attending to your studies as per the level we expect. We spoke to Professor Bowron before he left, and he has updated us again today. He has informed us that he will be spending a few weeks to supervise your research as you were in need of some support to continue. We are hoping that this isn’t a result of your behavior impacting your academic output over the past weeks. While we hope and do indeed encourage you to enjoy yourself, your number one priority is to complete your master’s degree to the standard we expect of you. We are confident that with the professor close to you and supervising your work that you be able to finish your required research in Australia and return home to us soon.
We miss you dearly and your father and I are very proud of your work. In light of this information from Professor Bowron, we have decided it time to arrange a conference call with the four of us soon to discuss when we will book your return flights. There are reasonable flights departing on 10 November. In the meantime, if your professor confirms that you are indeed endeavoring to continue with your research to the best of your abilities, we will transfer further funds to pay for the car you crashed (oh why were you driving on such a dangerous road?) and we will not make any further fuss over this situation you have put us in.
The tenth of November was in six days. Abby was fuming even further by the time she finished the last sentence. Her parents had thought the world of Jed since they had met him and by the sounds of it, he had told them that she was losing focus in Australia and needed to be sent home.
What a petty revenge for being rejected, she thought. He could see I have found joy without him, and he wants to set out to take that away from me. And her parents—she wanted to scream at them. They should trust her by now to know that she would never let her work suffer, even when she was falling in love with—with a new place, she told herself firmly.
She had been financially dependent on them throughout college and had chosen a degree they approved of. Luckily for her, she was interested in being a scientist. She had chosen a college based on their preference, and with their insistence she had never held a part-time job as they preferred to keep her reliant on their money so that they could dictate her life.
Enough was enough. Other people were not going to dictate her life for her anymore.
She wanted to make her own choices, and she had never felt the courage inside herself to do that before.
She started to type a furious reply, before deleting it all and leaving the message from her parents unanswered. It would not due to anger them further, she decided. If Jed was in their ear now, then she wouldn’t be able to sway their decision. She would go back to doing what she had always done—work hard and let the results of her work speak for themselves. And maybe if she avoided answering for too long then she could push the departure date out by a few days. Maybe even a few weeks.
The thought of leaving Australia, and this tiny town on the western coast with its beaches, sunsets, stars, the dry red dust that settled everywhere and would stick to the sweaty pores of her skin when she was outside, the suicidal kangaroos and the incredible wildlife; was a thought Abby had been avoiding over the past few weeks, ever since she had started spending time with Noah. She knew it would be coming eventually. She had no reason to stay once her master’s was completed, and she didn’t have far to go on it now. Her parents would have no reason to continue to fund her studies, especially if her professor had told them she was losing focus away from home.
She put her head in her hands, wanting to cry. She had no reason to stay now. Now that she had ruined things with Noah, and the other researchers barely wanted to speak to her with Jed around. She wanted to get out of here, but not back to her parents. She stayed in her room for the rest of the day, not wanting to face anyone at the compound. It was well past dinnertime when she snuck down the halls into the kitchen to try and scavenge leftovers to satiate her growling stomach.
To her surprise, Mia was in the kitchen cleaning. She jumped in fright as Abby entered, then visibly relaxed when she saw who it was. “Oh, it’s you,” she said, sounding pleased. “You gave me a fright.”
“Did you think it was—”
“That old professor, yeah. He’s a disgusting old lech and he creeps me out.” Mia tossed her hair to keep it free from her face as she wiped the benches down.
“I heard what happened. I’m really sorry, Mia.” She was more than sorry. She wanted to punch Jed in his smug face. And she fought the insane urge to giggle at Mia calling him old. She had been so enam
ored by him in the past, but he was old. Too old to be hitting on a seventeen-year-old, that’s for sure. And too old to have been stringing her along for all these years through university. Old and a creep.
“It’s okay,” Mia said, with a brave face. “He grabbed me and wouldn’t let go even when I swore at him. Luckily Noah was coming past. He ripped the professor a new one. Threatened to punch his face in if he looked at me again.” She giggled now. “He looked scared to death. I’m pretty sure he won’t come near me again.”
“I’m really glad Noah was here to help.”
“Me too,” Mia said chirpily. “Anyway, what are you in here for? I thought everyone’d gone into town to see a movie tonight.”
“I was working late. Just wanted some leftovers,” Abby replied, feeling self-conscious that even Mia was included in everyone’s plans but not herself.
“There’s some stuff wrapped up in the fridge, I think. Mum’s about to pick me up. Can you please pop the dishwasher on when you go?” She was already undoing her apron.
“Sure thing, Mia. See you later.”
Mia waved a cheery goodbye and Abby dug into the leftovers, feeling even worse about the things she had said to Noah. So what if he had left college early? It wasn’t for everyone. He was a good guy. A better person than Jed, with all his fancy qualifications and publications in science journals.
And Jed. She pondered what to do about him.
He couldn’t stay here, not after what he had done to Mia. It was far worse even than Noah had let on to her. He’d physically attacked the young woman.
The young girl didn’t seem too upset, but Abby coming on her unexpectedly had certainly made her jump. And what if Noah hadn’t been there to protect her? Who knows what could have happened.
She didn’t know Jed, not really. She only knew the facade he put on when she was around.
She’d confront him tomorrow, she decided. She’d make him leave.
And then—then she could find Noah.
And apologize.
Chapter Eight
The following morning, Abby rose with the sun and put on shorts and t-shirt, not bothering to shower or make herself up. She didn’t care what Jed thought of her today. Leaving her room much earlier than usual, she walked the short distance to Jed’s room, hesitating for a moment before knocking on the door.
Jed answered, looking wide awake, in his boxer shorts and no top on. Abby’s eyes traveled up and down his body with a decided lack of interest. She really had no idea what she had seen in him. Physically he was no match for Noah. His chest was small and weak, and he had a small belly extending over his boxers.
Before he could open his mouth, she pushed into the room. She didn’t care about being overheard, but she didn’t want him to have the option of shutting the door in her face before she could finish what she was about to say.
“You need to leave here, Jed. Today. You’re damned lucky I didn’t report you to the university for what you tried to do to me, but forcing yourself on a teenager, Jed? She is seventeen, for Christ’s sake. You can treat me like a puppet and string me along all you want but don’t—you—dare—“ she pointed a finger at his chest “ever, EVER, sexually harass a child like Mia ever again. I thought you were second only to God when I first met you. But you’re nothing more than a sleaze who uses his students to get his name printed in journals, and to get laid.”
Jed put his hands in the air in a futile effort to stop the torrent of words pouring from her. “Woah, Abby, calm down. I don’t know what you are talking about.”
“You know exactly what I am talking about, you slimy, greasy, PIG.” The last words she practically spat at him. She was shaking with rage at him, and from the adrenalin of confronting someone to whom she had cowed for years. She had submitted to him through all his veiled insults of her work, and his controlling nature, that she had mistaken for caring about her.
There was a terrible pause and Jed’s eyes flicked to the side.
“Jed?” came a small voice.
Abby followed Jed’s eyes, her own eyes widening in shock to see the small face of Julia, surrounded by a halo of brown curls, staring in confusion at her and Jed from the small screen of his iPad. “What’s going on? Is that Abby?”
“I can explain, baby,” Jed said imploringly to Julia’s face on the screen. “There must have been some confusion.”
Abby was rooted to the spot. She didn’t know what to do, with Julia’s big brown eyes welling up in front of her.
“What are you doing with Abby? You told me you were at a conference.”
Abby felt a wave of pity surge over her. She had envied Julia for so long and right now she wouldn’t trade places with her for all the world.
“Hello, Julia. Jed is in Australia. He apparently felt the need to come and supervise my work while I was out here, so he turned up out of the blue the other day. I assumed he would have told you where he was.”
Julia’s eyes opened wide. “Australia? Jed, you told me you were going to Florida. That was why you were packing your warm-weather clothes.”
“I can explain, darling,” Jed said desperately.
“And how about Mia,” Abby said resolutely. “Can you explain to Julia about her, too?”
Julia still looked confused and unhappy. “What about Mia?”
“A woman who Jed was harassing. She works in the kitchens here.”
“She threw herself at me,” Jed said quickly. “I didn’t have anything to do with it. I couldn’t help it. It’s not my fault that she thought I was attractive and made a move on me. I was just trying to let her down gently.”
“She’s seventeen,” Abby said evenly, her anger turned to white-hot rage. “And Noah had to physically haul you off her. That makes you officially a pedophile as well as a sleaze. I wonder what the dean of the college would have to say about that?”
Julia turned green. “Seventeen, you say?” she asked in a near whisper.
“Yep.” She turned to Jed. “Sick bastard.”
“How was I supposed to know that she was seventeen?” Jed whined. “She looks a lot older. She must be very mature for her age.”
Abby openly scoffed at his excuse. “Her school uniform may have given you a clue.”
“You’re just jealous,” he said, his voice full of scorn. “I know you’ve been in love with me for years, and you couldn’t bear to see any of my attention go to another woman. So you accuse me of molesting some young girl in order to get back at me. You’re just jealous that I’m in love with Julia.”
“Celia was only seventeen,” Julia broke in, her voice full of pain. “I believed you over that young undergrad because I trusted you. But you really did try to kiss her, didn’t you? Right after we started dating?”
Jed shrugged. “I don’t remember. It was a long time ago, and it doesn’t matter now anyway.”
“It doesn’t matter?” Julia’s shriek was so piercing it could have been heard on Mars. “It doesn’t matter that you tried to cheat on me and lied about it? Obviously more than once?”
As sorry as Abby felt for Julia, she needed to get out of the room. She turned to Jed coldly. “As I can see you have a bit of explaining to do, you can stay here for the morning. There will be a taxi waiting to take you to the airport in a couple hours. I’ll call it myself.”
“I’m not leaving,” Jed spluttered.
“You best be!” Julia shrieked from the screen, her eyes now red-rimmed. “You best be on the next flight home, so you can come and move your shit out of my house.”
Abby swung out the door, pausing in the doorway. “I expect your letter of recommendation in my inbox by the time you get on your flight home,” she said. She knew Jed wouldn’t dare to not complete it, not now.
“You bitch,” he said. “You’re going to regret this.”
His nasty words didn’t scare her. She didn’t bother to come back with a retort. He could have the last word for all she cared, as long as he was gone and out of her life after tod
ay. And she was feeling safe to assume that the unexpectedly feisty Julia wouldn’t be letting him have the last word when he went home.
As she entered the hallway, she saw a knot of people at the end of the hall. Myra stood at the front of the group, smiling widely. Adam, Aaron, John and Paul were all clustered behind her, trying to play down the fact they had all been eavesdropping.
“Honey, I couldn’t have done that better myself,” Myra welcomed her with open arms and enveloped her into a hug. “I was coming to bust his ass myself for trying to kiss that poor child Mia the other day and what do I come across but the sweet, quiet Abby letting him have it.”
Abby flushed and looked up. “Yeah, I might have got a bit carried away there.”
“Better you than me, I would have wrung his neck if I gotta hold of him and I really don’t need a criminal record.” She chuckled, and the group turned to head into the common area.
“I’ll call him a cab now,” John said. “That son of a—” he stopped. “Sorry. It just gets to me when I have two young girls. I’ll get the taxi to pick him up at ten.” He strode off to make the call.
Paul and Adam muttered about having work to do and walked off awkwardly, still looking a bit uncomfortable about being caught listening. As they walked off Abby overheard Paul saying, “I can’t wait until that arrogant prick is out of here,” and she saw Adam nodding enthusiastically.
Aaron appeared at her shoulder. “That was legendary, Abby,” he said with a grin. “Here I was thinking you were a bit of a doormat when it came to that guy. Remind me to never get on your bad side.”
Abby grinned back. “I was being a doormat.”
“Look, I uh, if you wanted to go hiking with Noah again, I still have socks you can borrow.”
Abby smiled at his kindness, and the not-so-subtle hint he was dropping. “Thanks Aaron, I think I burned that bridge though.”
“Oh.” He deflated. “Well, if you need them…” he turned and left the room, jogging to catch up to the others.
Headlong (Quinn Brothers Book 2) Page 13
