‘Why did you and Ryan split?’
‘You think we were a couple?’ Sheridan raised her eyebrows. ‘Did he tell you that?’
Juliet blinked rapidly, trying to remember exactly what Ryan had told her about Charlie’s mom. They’d barely spoken about her, beyond the fact she was touring with a band while Ryan looked after Charlie. ‘Not really. He said you met while travelling in Asia. I guess I filled in the blanks myself.’
‘Wrongly, by the sound of it.’ Sheridan grinned to take the sting from her words. ‘We were never a couple. Don’t get me wrong, I love Ry, but he drives me crazy, too. Even if he didn’t, he’s totally not my type. So un-rock ’n’ roll.’ She shuddered. ‘Whereas Carl is totally my type.’
‘Carl’s your boyfriend?’ Juliet asked, confused.
‘My fiancé,’ Sheridan said, lifting her hand and waving it until the diamond on her finger caught the light. ‘And this little monster’s father.’
‘I’m going to look really stupid here,’ Juliet said, trying to work out what she was missing, because it didn’t make sense at all. ‘But if you and Ryan were just friends, then how did Charlie happen?’
‘Tequila,’ Sheridan replied, her eyes widening as if to emphasise her words. ‘And pure idiocy. We were good friends, and we decided to travel to Koh Samui together. Even acted as each other’s wingmen on the way. But one night we drank too much and everything else is a blackout. When we woke up in the morning we took one look at each other and promised we’d never mention it again.
‘But then I missed a period, and another, and before I knew it I was at the doc’s having my pee tested. And once Charlie arrived we had him DNA-tested, too, just to make sure he was Ry’s.’
‘He told me he doesn’t like being called Ry,’ Juliet said, trying to take everything in. She’d always thought Sheridan was a lost love, but the fact she wasn’t a rival – past or present – made Juliet happier than she could say. Because she really liked the woman.
‘I know.’ Sheridan nodded happily. ‘That’s why I call him it. Drives him crazy.’
Juliet couldn’t help but laugh. ‘What do you call Carl?’
‘Asshole, mostly. Honey if I’m in a good mood. Which hasn’t been often in the past three months.’
Juliet tipped her head to the side. ‘Will you go back on tour when Ryan gets home?’ If he gets home. Juliet still couldn’t help feeling that he was leaving for good, in spite of what he and Sheridan said.
And in the end it didn’t matter. Either way he didn’t want her.
‘I don’t know,’ Sheridan admitted. ‘We’re looking for a rental in New York right now. Carl’s planning to fly in for Christmas so I’m hoping to have something by then. It would be nice to be near Charlie, I miss him, you know? Even if his dad does drive me crazy. No offence meant.’
‘Do you really think Ryan’s coming back?’ Juliet asked her, unable to swallow the question down any more.
‘He’ll be back. I’ve no doubt about that.’
‘Because he’s got a court case?’ Juliet asked. ‘Or because he’s buying the wharf?’
‘He is? I had no idea.’ Sheridan shrugged. ‘And anyway, of course he’s coming back. I’ve never seen him in such a mess. The cool, calm, irascible Ryan Shaw Sutherland is all crazy and het up. And if he thinks he can run away from all those feelings, he’s gonna have a big surprise.’
‘Maybe he’s not as messed up as you think.’
‘Oh, he’s definitely messed up over you.’ Sheridan nodded her head. ‘You wanna see how I know?’
Juliet gave a half-smile. ‘You’re not going to go through his underpant drawer are you?’
‘Hell no. Even I draw the line at some things.’ Sheridan hopped off her stool. ‘Come with me, I want to show you something.’
Intrigued, Juliet followed her out of the kitchen and into the hallway, where Sheridan came to a stop at the door to the basement. She unlocked it and pushed it open, flicking on the light to illuminate the stairwell. Sheridan ran lightly d
own the steps, with Juliet behind her, until they reached Ryan’s darkroom at the bottom.
‘Should we be coming in here?’ Juliet asked. A sudden image grabbed her mind. ‘We’re not going to find dead bodies or something are we?’
‘He’s not Bluebeard,’ Sheridan said. ‘He’s not scary enough for that.’ Pushing open the door, she turned to look at Juliet. ‘But you should probably prepare yourself. Because there are definite signs of an obsession here.’
They walked into the small room, the light from the stairwell spilling in behind them. Juliet looked around, her eyes becoming accustomed to the dim light, taking in the photos fixed onto the walls, hanging from the drying lines, piled on the countertops.
A few of them were of Charlie. Another couple of the boat. But the vast majority – at least twenty of them – had a single subject.