Rosie clattered her mug down on the coffee table. ‘Oh no,’ she gasped and her cheeks turned red. ‘I always wondered what I’d done with my diary. I thought I had chucked it away. I must have left it at your house.’ She turned to Isobel sheepishly. ‘And your mum put it in that box with the other stuff. I am totally mortified.’
Just then Bella looked between her mum and Rosie as she put two and two together again and finally worked out what had happened. Then she glanced at Luke who was staring at Rosie.
‘IthoughtI recognised you,’ said Luke.
‘Yes,’ said Rosie with an embarrassed chuckle. ‘Once upon a time, we knew each other fairly well.’
‘The Q bar in Sydney . . .’ his voice trailed off.
‘Yes, that was the place. We were supposed to meet up there but you didn’t appear.’
Bella looked over at Luke in shock. He did at least look shamefaced.
‘We left Sydney a day early. I called and left a message at the bar.’
Rosie shrugged. ‘I never got the message. I just assumed you’d done a runner.’ She waved her hand dismissively. ‘Anyway, it’s all water under the bridge now. That was a lifetime ago. It’s just very odd seeing you again now.’
‘So does that mean you’re not my dad?’ whispered Bella, feeling very dejected. Her heart sank as the disappointment washed over her.
‘He is most definitely not your dad,’ said Isobel, gently. ‘Nothing ever happened between us.’ She glanced over at Luke and shrugged.
There was a heavy silence and Bella gulped. ‘I’m so sorry,’ she said, her voice wobbling. ‘What a complete mess I’ve made of all of this.’
‘Oh, Bella,’ said Isobel.
Rosie, who was obviously lost in a distant memory, cleared her throat. ‘Your mum is right, darling. Luke isdefinitelynot your father.’
There was another heavy pause before anyone spoke. Bella was the first to break the silence. ‘I’m sorry, Luke. I am so sorry about all of this. What a mess.’
Luke patted her on the shoulder and at that moment, Bella wished that Lukewasher father. He was actually really nice. Especially as he had been so kind to her today and had come over here with him on a crazy whim. She groaned, feeling completely mortified at the mess she had created by jumping to the wrong conclusions.
She watched as her mum and Rosie continued to look at each other. Something passed between them which made Bella feel uneasy. They definitely knew more than they were letting on. Atleast if Luke was her dad, it would be a bit easier to make sense of than the complicated mess that was now starting to unravel. It was all too much and she sank down on the sofa and burst into tears.
Chapter Seventeen
Throughout his life, Luke had always been told he had the gift of the gab. Even at primary school he charmed the female teachers with his long eyelashes and cute dimpled smile. He had travelled the world, sold millions of records and had a successful career as an actor. He was best known for the role he played in a successful police series on Sky TV. Yet now as he sat in this quaint cottage on this island off the coast of Scotland, which he was physically unable to leave as there were no more ferries tonight, he didn’t have a clue what to say. Or what to do. The usual plaudits and pleasantries that would roll off the tip of his tongue seemed glib and inauthentic. He felt desperately sorry for Bella who looked so vulnerable and lost as she sat with tears sliding down her cheeks. He had spotted a box of tissues on the coffee table and passed them to her. He also felt bad for her mum too. He had no idea what the real story was about the identity of Bella’s father but he could tell from the stricken look on Isobel’s face that there was more to it than him being a one-night stand. He had learned through experience that life was messy and complicated and he was sure she hadn’t withheld the details from her daughter on a whim. There must have been a good reason for it. He just hoped that it wasn’t an awful reason. He shuddered. That didn’t even bear thinking about. Right now, he knew that for their sake he needed to give them some space. Especially as meeting Rosie had now completely unnerved him.
‘Right,’ said Rosie. ‘I’m going to make some tea. I think we need a cuppa or maybe something stronger?’
Luke put his hand up and shook his head. ‘If you don’t mind, I will leave you to it. I think you could do with some space to talk.’ He turned to Bella. ‘I am sorry that this has been so upsetting for you and you didn’t get the answers you wanted.’
Bella choked back a sob. ‘You must think I am completely bonkers.’
Luke shook his head and tried to keep his voice light. ‘There is nothing to say sorry for Bella. You’ve not done anything wrong . . . other than to mix up a few of the facts.’ He shrugged. ‘We’ve all done that plenty of times.’ He could feel Isobel staring at him. ‘For what it’s worth, you did me a huge favour.’
She looked at him confused. ‘How?’
‘Look, I needed an exit strategy to get away from the golf fiasco and from my life in London and so you brought me here which is perfect.’
She frowned.
‘I’ve got some work to do — a book to write — and I’ve managed to get a cottage for the summer. Nobody knows I’m here, well other than you and your mum and, um, Rosie. So I can just keep my head down and get on with it. My agent will be delighted if I can get the book to her on time.’
Bella didn’t look convinced but at least she had stopped crying.
‘Now, I’ll get out your hair and let you talk with your mum.’ He took his phone out his pocket. ‘Mm. The reception doesn’t look that great.’ He rubbed his hand over his jaw and looked at Isobel. ‘Do you think you could do me a favour please?’
‘What?’ said Isobel curiously.
