‘Have you booked the operation yet?’ Soph asks. Her tone is far gentler than any she’s used so far this evening, and I can sense her compassion from here. But she doesn’t need to go gently on me, because this is a good thing. Having to nail both the logistics and the duplicity around sneaking off to save my daughter’s life is what I’d call a high-quality problem.

I nod. ‘It’s booked in for the first week of August. That’s the absolute earliest I can do it after this month’s pay cheque drops.’

Soph grimaces. ‘Three weeks from now? Okay, so you need to get your ducks in a row with Brendan quick-smart.’

‘I know. I need to do it this week. My current plan is to tell him a family member needs a procedure and to ask him for the time off.’

‘I have a far better plan,’ Athena says crisply. ‘It came to me the other day. Tell him you’ve been called up for jury duty. It’s by far the most bulletproof option. He could be a real pain in the arse if you ask for time off for a family member, but if you say you’ve been called up to do your civic duty, he’ll legally have to agree to it.’

I stare at her. Trust Athena to come up with the most effective lie. ‘That feels so dishonest, though. And can’t you get out of jury duty?’

She nearly spits out her drink. ‘Darling, you’ve lied through your teeth since you applied for this job. What’s one more lie? The key is that it preserves your credibility and your job for afterwards. Just tell him you’ve already escalated it and they won’t waive it. This way, you save face and you get the time off without him being able to do anything about it.’

She’s right, of course. But my mind is still whirring, turning over potential obstacles. ‘Wouldn’t he ask to see a copy of the summons?’

She shrugs. ‘Honestly, I can’t imagine he’d bother. He trusts you, so why would he question what you tell him?’

Ouch. She’s right—he does trust me. Which is why the idea of abusing that trust even further is so painful. That said, I’ve known this entire time that I’ll need to come up with a plausible reason to secure two weeks off from a brand-new, very highly paid job.

I’m already going to hell. One more lie won’t make any difference. And if it gets me on that plane with Tabs, it’ll be worth it.

CHAPTER 26

Brendan