Page 97 of The Geography of Happiness

“Okay.” There was a lilt to her voice that implied she knew exactly what was happening. “Go easy on him.”

A smile broke over my face. “You’re way too clever for your own good, you know that, right?”

She giggled. “I know a lot of things.”

And there it was again.

After a bit of back and forth with Hannah, Terry eventually came on the line sounding wary and more than a little cool. “Spencer? I thought you were in Adelaide. I said I’d call.”

“I’ve just arrived.” I dropped my voice. “And you can cut the bullshit, Terry. Stop shutting me out.”

“I’m no?—”

“You are. And I’m telling you to stop it, right now.”

He went quiet and I imagined him glancing Hannah’s direction. “Can’t we do this later?”

“No, because I don’t trust you’ll let me do it then either.”

Terry didn’t argue and I sighed.

“I knew it. Now, I don’t need you to talk, because of Hannah, but youwilllisten. I’ll keep it quiet, all right?”

Still nothing.

I turned my face to the wall for privacy from the passing foot traffic and lowered my voice yet again. “I’m gonna take that as a yes. Now I won’t bug you again tonight, but I want you to promise to call me tomorrow. Promise.”

“Okay. Okay. I promise I’ll call,” he yielded.

“Good. Now when is Hannah’s surgery?”

Terry sighed. “She’s on the afternoon list. They thought about two o’clock. Pauline said it could take a couple of hours.”

“Right. Then call me as soon as she gets back to the ward so I know how it went. It’ll be mid-afternoon here. And get yourself somewhere private where you can tell me exactly how you’re doing. None of this bullshitfinestuff you’ve been shoving down my throat, got it?”

The line fell quiet again.

“You do realise, I’m not actually asking,” I growled. But when he still didn’t answer I softened my tone. “Let me care for you, Terry, please. For both of you. Let me in.”

I sensed the back-and-forth conflict raging in Terry’s head and the exact moment he surrendered. “Okay,” he finally agreed. “I’ll find somewhere quiet, butonlyif Hannah doesn’t need me to stay with her.”

“Of course.” Relief flooded my chest and I sagged against the wall. “Now please take care of yourself, and hand me back to Hannah so I can wish her all the best for tomorrow.”

I pictured his troubled face and wished more than anything that I was with him. Why wasn’t I with him?

I waited for Hannah to come back on the line but the next words weren’t hers. They were Terry’s—full of emotion and whisper quiet. But I heard every syllable and my heart tumbled in my chest.

“I miss you, Spencer.” His voice broke just a little. “So damn much. I’m sorry for pulling away. I... I think maybe I’m...”

I tensed expectantly, not daring to hope, but then he sighed and the moment slipped away.

“Just... thank you,” he finished, and the line fell quiet.

It was all I could do not to punch the air, even if I desperately wished he’d finished that damn sentence.

“Are you still there?” Terry sounded worried.

“Yeah, I’m here.” I grinned like a fool. “And yes, Terry O’Connor, I’m falling in love with you too.”

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