‘Take a seat,’ Isobel said again and waited for them both to sit down. ‘Now is anyone going to tell me what this is all about? Am I missing something?’
Rosie could tell from the sound of Isobel’s wobbling voice that she needed some moral support. She put her glasses on and then tried to casually appear from the kitchen clutching a mug of what was now very cold tea. ‘Hi guys,’ she said cheerily, putting her cup down and going over to hug Bella. ‘We thought you were camping, love? Mind you, I don’t blame you for dodging that. Why on earth anyone wants to sleep in a tent is beyond me. Especially with the midges.’ Rosie looked at the man. He looked vaguely familiar. He was rather handsome too.
‘I’m sorry. I don’t think we have met. My name is Rosie,’ she said reaching over and pumping Luke’s hand energetically. But as her eyes roamed over Luke, her whole body froze. Rosie couldn’t believe who she was seeing. He wasn’t just vaguely familiar; he was actually very familiar. Not onlythatbut he was old enough to be Bella’s father.Oh, God. Was this some kind of daddy issue thing and she was now going for mature men and father-type replacements? Was this why she had come to the island? To tell her mum that she had shacked up with an older man.Jeezo.But whythisman in particular? Isobel would flip in a minute when the penny dropped and she didn’t even dare to think about what Granny Margaret would say when she found out. And why hadn’t Isobel even realised who this guy was? ‘Erm, is this some kind of joke or something?’ She looked over at Isobel in disbelief. ‘Don’t you know who this is, Isobel?’ Then she turned to Bella. ‘Are you going to tell us what on earth is going on?’
Chapter Sixteen
Bella noticed the switch in Rosie’s manner straight away. She was always the warmest and most welcoming person in the room. Now the atmosphere was distinctly chilly and Rosie stood, her arms crossed defensively in front of her, glaring at Luke.
‘What’s going on, Bella?’ Rosie said, her voice icy.
Isobel was now looking at both of them completely bemused.
What was wrong with everyone? Why were they acting so weirdly?Bella wished the ground would open up and swallow her. Especially as Rosie was now throwing daggers at Luke. Bella wanted to be anywhere but here. Despite everything that had happened today, she knew this was a big mistake.Huge.
‘Has anyone ever told you that you look awfully like Luke Giles?’ asked Rosie tersely. There was a moment’s silence as the penny dropped and she and Isobel looked at each other. Then Isobel screwed up her face and squealed. ‘Bloody hell, youareLuke Giles! What the hell are you doing here?’
There was a long and very awkward pause. Bella watched as Luke carefully studied her mum’s face and waited for a flicker of recognition from him.Anythingat all. There was nothing. Then he turned and held out his hand to Rosie. This time Bella could see something in his eyes.
‘Nice to meet you,’ he said, then frowned.
‘Actually, we have met before,’ said Rosie, picking up her mug.
He blushed and looked a bit embarrassed. Then he looked back at Rosie. ‘You do look kind of familiar,’ said Luke.
‘That’s because we have met before.’
And then Bella became completely confused.
‘Bella, please tell me you’re not goingoutwith this man?’ said Rosie incredulously.
‘No!’ she shouted.
‘Thenwhatare you doing with my daughter?’ Isobel challenged Luke. ‘Why are you here? Can’t you find a woman nearer your own age?’ She started to pace, which was never a good sign. ‘This is completely outrageous. I mean, you might be famous butseriously?’
Oh, good gawd,thought Bella. What was wrong with her mum and Rosie? They were behaving like a pair of morons. ‘Have you two been on the wine or something?’ She glanced through the doors out to the garden and clocked the empty wine glasses and the ice bucket. She frowned at them both and shook her head in disappointment. This day was getting worse by the second. This was all she needed. A showdown with her tipsy mother and Rosie.
‘Tsk,’ said Isobel, shaking her head and ignoring Bella. ‘Look at thatTitanicfella who is always hanging around with the young girls. You don’t want to become one ofthosefamousguys who only dates women under the age of twenty-five. That’s just sad andverydesperate. I mean, is that really what you want, Bella? To be hanging around some old guy with a paunch while you frolic on a yacht? It’s aDaily Mailstory just waiting to be written . . .’
Luke widened his eyes in horror and was seemingly patting his stomach to check for the said paunch. Bella glared at her mum. ‘Don’t be ridiculous. Or so rude. That is just disgusting. We’re notdating, Mum. I had to do this because you have refused to tell me the truth all these years.’
‘Bella, what are you talking about?’ demanded Isobel.
Bella sighed and stamped her feet in frustration. ‘For years I have been asking you who my dad is and you refuse to tell me,’ she said.
‘That’s not entirely true,’ said Isobel, tears smarting in her eyes. ‘You know I said he was a one-night stand in Glasgow . . .’
‘You lied!’ shouted Bella angrily.
Isobel looked ashen-faced and Bella momentarily felt awful. She wasnevernormally short-tempered with her mum. But Bella was now on a roll. ‘I found your diary in that box from Gran’s house . . . when she was moving, she asked you to take some of your stuff back? It’s full of old papers and photos and your journal from travelling in Australia.’
Isobel shook her head in disbelief. ‘I don’t understand what you’re talking about. A journal? I didn’t keep a journal.’
Bella looked across at Rosie hoping for some help. But Rosie was staring strangely at Luke.
Isobel sighed. ‘Look Bella, can you just get to the point and tell me what this is all about?’
‘I want to know if it’s true,’ said Bella flatly. She was tired now and the adrenaline from earlier which had kept her going all day had now seeped out of her. ‘Is it true that Luke is my dad? In your journal you wrote that you were off to meet him again at some bay. You’d been having a fling with him in Sydney when he was on tour.’
