Ben leant forward and wrapped his hands around his mug and watched Rosie closely.
She gave him a rueful smile. ‘What’s wrong, Ben?’Did he know about Luke?
‘Have you spoken to Dad recently?’
Rosie shook her head. ‘Nope. He did try calling me the other day and I phoned him back but it went straight to voicemail. We have been communicating through lawyers. He wants me to sell the cottage so we can divide our assets. I told him to take a hike.’
Ben’s eyes widened. ‘Seriously?’
‘Yes,’ said Rosie, ‘though none of this is for you to worry about.’
Ben looked at her sideways. ‘So, you’ve not actually spoken to him in person?’
Rosie shook her head wondering what on earth Dermot had been up to now. It wasn’t as though things could get any worse. Could they? She really didn’t care what he was doing anymore. ‘No, why?’
Ben smiled feebly. ‘He said he would tell you. He promised.’
‘Tell me what?’ she said, curious to hear what the big mystery was.
‘I’m so sorry, Mum. This is part of the reason I wanted to come home. I knew he wouldn’t have the balls to tell you himself. And I’ve been really worried about you. I thought you would be really upset when you found out.’
‘Found out what?’ Rosie was now sitting upright on the sofa.
Ben gulped. ‘That woman he is now shacked up with is pregnant.’
Chapter Forty-Three
Bella had woken in the middle of the night, which was unusual for her as she was normally a good sleeper and had adjusted surprisingly quickly to her new accommodation. Her colleagues all worked different shifts in the hotel covering housekeeping and the bar and restaurant so they were rarely, if ever, all in the shared block at the same time. It was the perfect solution for her right now. For a nominal amount of rent, which also covered bills, Wi-Fi and two meals a day, she could easily save the rest of her salary which was higher than it had been at her previous job. She was also grateful that she didn’t have to work two jobs and she didn’t miss the bar work she’d been doing in Glasgow at all. Ash had been right: things did have a way of working out. She made a mental note to send something to her gran to say thanks. If it hadn’t been for her then she wouldn’t have heard about the job or even considered it as a possibility.
She reached for her phone and saw that Ben had messaged her.
Hey, hope you’re okay? Fancy catching up tomorrow? I’ve got the day off.
A flicker of guilt had been gnawing at her since the night he had texted her asking for some advice. She hadn’t had a chance to talk to him about whatever was on his mind. That was because she was worried he might want girlfriend advice and that was something she didn’t really want to help him with. She quickly composed a message and pressed send.Yes. Definitely x
As she lay there trying to get back to sleep, her thoughts drifted to the plan to visit Ash in Australia next year. She hadn’t yet told her friends from Glasgow the truth about Ash. She wasn’t quite sure why but she wanted to keep it to herself for a bit longer. She couldn’t face the barrage of questions and judgements and the gossip which would then most likely dothe rounds. Then she frowned as she realised that there hadn’t been much communication with her friend group at all since she started working on Arran. She had been a bit disappointed with Lily’s response when she told her about the new job in Brodick. Lily had pulled a face and asked her why on earth she would want to move to the back of beyond for a job. She had been quite dismissive which had hurt Bella more than she cared to admit. The other girls in the group, she now realised, tended to follow Lily’s opinion on things and despite promises to visit, Bella now realised that it was a case of out of sight and out of mind. However, she wasn’t going to feel sorry for herself. People had far bigger troubles to bear and perhaps it was time for her to let go and move on. Her mum always told her that people sometimes came into your life for a reason or a season, and that was okay. Which then made her think about Ben and the reason that they had reconnected again after years apart. She was glad she had taken Ash’s advice and let the worry about Mabel go. The main thing was that she and Ben were friends. If that was all they could be then that was better than nothing. She also reminded herself that it was easy to romanticise a person who had been living on the opposite side of the world. The reality of him being here on the island and geographicallyavailabledidn’t then mean he was guaranteed to fall for her in the same way she had fallen for him. She had to remind herself not to read into anything anymore. She should have learned that lesson with the whole Luke fiasco.
Chapter Forty-Four
Luke had left London first thing to drive to Scotland. Having his car with him on Arran would be so much easier. He was glad that he had never bought himself a flashy sports car during a midlife crisis. The last thing he needed was to draw attention to himself. His black hatchback was ideal for this journey, especially as so many people seemed to drive them these days. He could just blend in with everyone else. Being on the island had been a taster of what his life could be like and he had loved it. He couldn’t wait to get back to Beach Cottage even if it was only going to be for a few more weeks. The mammoth journey would be worth it.
The journey gave him plenty of time to think, especially when he hit traffic near Birmingham, which had also allowed him a chance to press the record button on his phone as Rosie had suggested. He had managed to remember quite a lot, although when it came down to certain details, he did second-guess himself as he couldn’t always remember exact timings and locations and was a bit worried he was confusing some of the escapades. He felt his jaw tighten. He knew there was someone that hecouldtalk to, who could make this book a whole lot better. But for that to work he would need to push his male pride aside and Luke realised that until now he hadn’t been ready to do that. But thisverylong drive north was giving him plenty of time to reflect. Luke had never been the type to hold a grudge but what had happened with Cindy and his brother had been a particularly hard one to forgive. He reached for his coffee in the cupholder and took a sip. Luke knew he needed to rise above it all if he was going to be able to move on. Hearing Linda’s news, and then seeing her, had made him realise just how fragile life was. You just didn’t know what lay ahead. He realised he no longer felt anxiety and panic grab at him in the way thathe had when he first discovered their affair. For months he felt his stomach twist in anger and betrayal when he thought about them together. But he had to accept that if they wanted to be together then who was he to stand in their way. Not that he had done anyway as they were clearly very muchtogether.
Then his thoughts drifted to Rosie. He could actually feel his shoulders dropping and a slow smile spread across his face as he thought about how much he had enjoyed getting to know her the past couple of weeks. Not only was she beautiful and great company, but she had been a tower of strength in helping him power through the book. Especially when she had been dealing with her own marriage woes. It felt like the two of them were kindred spirits and he had Bella to thank for bringing them together again. He couldn’t wait to surprise her.
His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts.
‘Hello,’ he said, without checking the caller ID.
‘Aw-right mate,’ boomed a voice.
Luke’s stomach sank. It was Warren from the golf tournament.God, he was the last person Luke wanted to talk to. ‘Hi, Warren,’ he said flatly. ‘How’s tricks?’
‘Great, mate. Just great. What happened to you then? You pulled a bit of a vanishing trick when I last saw you.’
‘What do you mean?’ Luke wished he would cut to the chase and get to the point of his call.
‘You disappeared when we were playing that game in Scotch land. You were meant to meet me in the bar after.’
