Page 31 of Soul of Discretion

Nick’s lips twitched at that last comment. He shook Peter’s hand. “Pleased to meet you, Mr ‘I’m married to a woman.’ Do you have a real name?”

Peter looked flustered. Simon hadn’t seen his friend that way before. “Of course, I do. It’s Peter Sinclair. You must be the hot Mountie.”

Nick’s gaze flashed to Simon’s and he raised one eyebrow. “Hot Mountie? Wow. I’m honoured.”

His eyes darkened with amusement and Simon moved over to brush a quick kiss against Nick’s cheek. He ignored Peter’s soft gasp and murmured, “Well, I never.”

“Hey there. Yes, Peter arrived rather unexpectedly to ensure I was eating my greens and dressing fit to my station, which to him has always been quite important.”

Peter gave a wave of his imperious hand. “Puhlease. It’s your mother’s instructions I follow on that one. Her Ladyship has certain expectations.”

Simon rolled his eyes. “Of course she does.” He turned to Nick. “What’s this news?”

He pulled Nick over to the couch and pushed him down, then sat beside him. Peter slouched into the easy chair, green eyes missing nothing.

“They’ve released Mrs Teeman back into her home. She insisted on going back.” Before Simon could say anything, Nick forestalled him. “Relax. I have a man with her. She’ll be safe. I also have a patrol coming around every couple of hours to check on things.” He looked worried. “But there’s a chance these guys might still come back. I suggested protective custody but she’s having none of it.” He looked at Simon. “I wondered if you could convince her. Does she have family back in the UK?”

Simon nodded. “Yes, she has a sister and an older brother in Somerset. Perhaps I can convince her to go visit them. But, Nick, the woman is a mess. The chances are they may not want a drug addict on their doorstep. Her sister is a nurse, though, so that might work out.” He bit his lip. “I’ll have to talk to them first. I can’t simply foist her on them, despite the circumstances. She might not want to leave Canada, although with Jack gone, I’m not sure she’ll have much to stay for. She only came here because he did.”

Peter leaned forward. “Simon, if they don’t take her in, I know someone who might. My friend Elaine runs a beautiful rehab centre in the countryside in Devon. I might be able to get her admitted there if you can convince her. That way, she’s not that far from her family.”

Simon flashed a grateful smile. “Cheers, that would be a great backup plan.”

The three men sat silently, and it was Peter who broke the silence. “So, Nick—may I call you Nick?—I understand you two hooked up via crUIzer. What do you think of Simon’s app?”

Nick looked bewildered. “Simon’s app? What do you mean?”

Oh Christ, something else to spring on him. Thanks, Peter. Not.

Simon interjected hastily. “I funded the app and had some input into its creation, but it’s the developer’s app, not mine.” He glared at Peter, who looked unfazed. “The proprietary and intellectual rights are mine, as it was my idea. But my other company handles the development.”

“You own more than the Breakforce Group?” Nick asked slowly. “crUIzer is yours?”

Simon winced at the look on Nick’s face. He looked ready to bolt. Nick already felt vulnerable where Simon’s wealth was concerned, and this wasn’t helping. “I own various other companies. crUIzer is a limited company I set up as an aside to Breakforce. I didn’t like the hook-up apps on the market and thought the market could do with another one.”

“Let me get this straight. You had an idea for something, formed a company and employed people and designed a product now worth millions of dollars?” Nick laughed but it didn’t sound as if he thought anything was funny. “Talk about being an overachiever. How does a guy compete with that sort of lifestyle?”

Simon watched helplessly as Nick’s insecurities made themselves known. He was getting to know his man well.

“Hey, I’m a businessman, it’s what I do.” He reached out and squeezed Nick’s hand. “Like you’re a policeman, a Mountie, and have your own special set of skills I couldn’t hope to have. We might live in different worlds, but that means nothing.”

Peter sat forward. “I suppose this is where I should tell you about Simon’s predilection to old black-and-white cheesy films, accompanied with a bag of salt-and-vinegar crisps. And his insistence on having his childhood teddy bear, Ragwort, in his bedroom, in his own spot on a Queen Anne antique chair. That bear has the best spot in the room, overlooking the marina.”

Simon gaped at Peter. What the hell was he doing, spilling all these stories? Nick, however, looked entranced.

Peter was on a roll. “Oh, and let’s not forget the time he won a kitten at a charity event, took it home, and let it rule the roost. I was cleaning cat hair off his suits constantly. The thing was a shedder of note.” He grimaced. “And the fur balls. Yuck. I found them everywhere.”

Simon groaned. “Peter, what the fuck?”

Peter held up a hand. “Then one day he noticed the kitten was pining because Simon was away so much. So, as much as it broke his heart to let Delilah go, said kitten now resides with my wife and me. It’s now a fairly large cat that Simon feeds treats to every time he visits.”

Nick stared at Peter with confusion. “Why are you telling me all this?”

Yes, Peter, why?Simon thought in frustration.

“Because, Mountie Man, you seem to have a bit of thing about what Simon does. Who he is.” Peter sat back. “I wanted you to know despite Simon’s prowess as a businessman and an earl, even with a title and all, he’s only a man. Someone who needs company, who looks for the same things we all do.” Peter cast a dry look at Simon. “So please don’t put my boss on a pedestal. Once you’ve seen him three sheets to the wind after a night out, with puke everywhere, believe me, you’ll see he’s exactly like you and me.”

There was a hushed silence and Simon held his breath. Damn Peter and his running commentary. The man had a knack of reducing things to what they were.