Oh fuck. Oh fuck fuck.
He knew that Nancy and Val were staring at him, and he couldn’t bear the scrutiny, didn’t want them to see the reaction that was probably written all over his face, so he distracted himself by staring back down at the phone.
One new text – from Nancy Jenkins.
He opened that, and damn, a second swift boot, to the windpipe this time. A photo of Tress, all dressed up, looking incredible, her head thrown back, giggling. And a comment underneath that said, ‘Shania sent this.’
Noah raised his gaze from the screen to be greeted by two pairs of eyes staring straight into his soul. He opened his mouth to speak, but the words were stuck. If he said it, there was no going back. But they knew. He could see it in the glint of their eyes, in the questions in their raised eyebrows, in the expectant expressions that were encouraging him to spit it out.
‘I love her,’ he whispered.
The statement clearly didn’t live up to their expectations.
‘Sorry, son? My hearing isn’t what it used to be,’ Nancy challenged him.
He shook his head, unable to stop the grin. He bloody loved these two as well.
‘I said I love her,’ he declared, louder, stronger.
‘That’s better. Say it like you mean it,’ Val chuckled. ‘And it’s not a newsflash. We were just waiting for you to realise it.’
‘Am I crazy, Val? What about Tress? Is this the last thing she needs?’
‘Nope,’ Nancy countered, ‘We reckon she feels the same. We’re just waiting for her to realise it too.’
‘I mean, we’re not entirely sure,’ Val piped up. ‘We reckon it’s a solid seventy/thirty. In your favour.’
‘Eighty/twenty,’ Nancy argued. ‘But what about Cheska, son? Have you, erm, spoken to her about this?’
‘Cheska is going to America,’ he sighed, then it struck him immediately that neither of them looked remotely surprised about that. ‘Hang on. You two knew?’
Val had the decency to give an apologetic shrug. ‘Sorry, love, but we did. She told me one night a few weeks ago when she was over helping with Don, but she asked me not to say anything until she’d told you herself. You two want different things. I’m glad she had the courage to chase her dreams. She’s a lovely lass, and she’s going to make a huge difference to a lot of people’s lives in this new job.’
‘And that’s why…’ Another apologetic shrug, this time from Nancy. ‘That’s why we were laying it on thick with the Shania stuff. We just want you and Tress to be happy. You two belong together. It’s plain as day. Just don’t know why it’s taken you so long to see it too.’
‘I get it now, though,’ he sighed. What had started as a revelation after some soul searching on a park bench now felt absolutely right – he just wasn’t sure what he should do about it.
Val leaned forward, like she was about to share a valuable secret. ‘But the thing is, Noah, you’re never going to find out if you’re sitting on that couch. So if you really do love that lass,then I suggest you get out there and you find her and you tell her, before she does something stupid with that arse from the telly.’
28
KELI
The lobby of the St Kentigern had been a bustling hive of tourism and revelry when Keli had burst through the doors like her buttocks were on fire.
Not even the prospect of seeing Ryan sodding Manning could dampen the wave of relief that she was riding. She wasn’t pregnant. There was no doubt that there would be a time in her life when she’d be ready and excited for the opposite to be true, but right now the exhilaration of seeing those words on that stick felt fan-flipping-tastic. She wasn’t going to have a tie to him for the rest of her life. She owed him nothing. Needed nothing from him.
She never knew that emotional freedom could feel this good. And yes, it was going to be a long time before she had sex again, and no, she would never, ever make a mistake as stupid as the one she’d made that had put her in this position in the first place. From now on, there would be two condoms on standby at all times. And bubble-wrap pants. Nothing was getting through those suckers.
It had struck her on the drive over that she could end this here. Walk away. Never see him or think about him again, butno. She’d made a commitment to Laurie and she wasn’t going to back down.
It was a sentiment reinforced by Yvie when she’d called her with the update. There had been gasps at every piece of information. Not pregnant. Gasp. Then lots of happy sweary words. Actually, they were just normal sweary words, but the tone in which Yvie said them made it clear she was punching the air. Keli had gone on to tell her about the meeting with Laurie. Gasp. Recounted everything the other woman had told her. Gasp. Got to the bit about the plan to track him down. Gasp. Read out the text she’d just received from Laurie. Gasp. Then ended with the fact that she was on her way to meet Laurie at that very moment. Gasp.
When Keli was done, Yvie checked she had the absorbed the correct information. ‘Hang on, let me get this straight. You’re going to meet this woman at the St Kentigern, because she has found out where this bloke is going to be tonight, and you are going to go find him and confront him? Together?’
‘That’s about it,’ Keli had confirmed, as she’d swerved the car off the motorway and onto the slip road that led directly into the west side of the city centre, just ten minutes away from the St Kentigern Hotel.
Keli had heard a rustling in the background, movement, and Yvie’s words had faded in and out as if she was exerting herself while she was still on the phone.
