Luke rolled his eyes. The man really was a prick.
‘Great game of golf, eh?’
And the rest, thought Luke. The man really had no shame and didn’t seem one bit bothered that he’d kicked off and caused a scene afterwards which was splashed across the tabloids. Again.
‘Anyways, just phoning to see if you can make up a fourball with me and the lads. Mark Wahlberg was supposed to be joining us but has had to drop out. Filming stuff, you know?’ His voice was then muffled as he spoke to someone else in the room.
Luke shook his head in disbelief.Mark Wahlberg. Yeah right. As if Mark Wahlberg would agree to do anything with this pillock. He laughed as he remembered the word that Rosie and Isobel used to describe Warren. They were right, the man was an utter gobshite.
‘Sorry mate, you still there? That was Beckham on the other line.’
‘Is that right?’What a load of bollocks.
‘What do you think then? A week on Monday at Sunningdale?’
‘Sorry, mate,’ said Luke, who wasn’t sorry in the slightest. ‘I’m out of town for a while. No idea when I’ll be back.’Never, if I can help it and I will also be blocking your calls in future.
‘Aw, mate. That’s a crying shame, that is. We could have done with you to liven up the banter. D’you know what I mean? Banter — you’re my decanter.’ Warren then cackled heartily down the line, clearly delighted at his ability to rhyme two words together.
Luke rolled his eyes again. He needed to end this call pronto. ‘Here’s an idea,mate.Why don’t you try Ally McCoist? I’ve heard he likes a game of golf and I’m sure his banter will be much better than mine.’
‘Ally McCoist?’
‘Yes, you know, the football pundit?’ said Luke tersely.
There was a silence.
‘Sorry, mate, looks like I’ve hit a spot of bad reception, I can’t hear you. Oops, it’s gone all quiet. I can’t hear you. What’s that you’re saying? Sorry, I really can’t hear you. Bye then.’ He ended the call and reminded himself to always check who wasphoning before answering. Then he chuckled. He had no idea if Ally McCoist even played golf and hoped he hadn’t thrown the guy under the bus. He had been too busy thinking about Rosie and Coisty that it was the first name to enter his head.
Two hours later, he pulled over to a service station to stretch his legs and fill up the car with petrol. As he waited in line for a coffee, he quickly tapped out a message on his phone then deleted it again. He and Rosie had exchanged a few texts since he’d been away. He had let her know he was thinking about her.A lot.Should he let her know he was on his way back? Nah, he would just surprise her. He had brought a bottle of champagne from his apartment and planned to stop and buy her some roses at a florist and sweep her off her feet.
When he got back into his car, ready for the next leg of the journey, he took a deep breath and flicked through his contacts until he found his brother’s number. Then he hit dial.
* * *
Speaking to Fred had been the best thing he could have done. As well as passing the time on the long drive, it had helped him to have a frank conversation about how they could move on for the sake of their family and his boys. Fred had apologised profusely again and again and this time Luke had listened. Whereas previously he had ignored all of his calls. He hadn’t wanted to listen to any explanations or excuses as to why he and Cindy had fallen for each other. It wasn’t an easy discussion to have and Luke told Fred that he didn’t need to know all the details about their affair. He just hoped that they were both happy and they could all now move on. Fred had been more than willing to help with the information that Luke needed for the book. As they chatted about the good old days and some of their escapades, it almost felt like they’d never fallen out. Then Luke remembered that they had. Although deep down he couldforgive his brother he wasn’t ever sure that he could forget. The concept of happy family get togethers wasn’t one he could ever imagine. It was still early days but at least they were now talking again which was something.
When he arrived at Ardrossan Harbour several hours later to catch the ferry, he realised what all the text messages on his phone were. He’d had several alerts to let him know that the ferry had been delayed due to technical issues and wouldn’t set sail for another couple of hours. But Luke just shrugged and joined the queue, turning off his ignition when he parked his car in the designated lane. The sky was streaked with white and pink clouds and the water was as still as a pond. He rubbed a hand over his face and yawned. Then he reached into the backseat and grabbed his laptop. In the meantime, he had plenty to keep him busy.
Chapter Forty-Five
Bella woke up and felt a ripple of excitement when she remembered she would be seeing Ben. They hadso muchto catch up on properly rather than their snatched conversations on his breaks and before her shifts started.
He was waiting for her at the Little Rock café and waved as she walked towards him. ‘Hey, how are you?’
‘Good, thanks,’ she said, suddenly feeling a bit nervous. ‘Amazed that we finally have the day off together.’
‘What do you want to do first?’ his eyes lingered on hers.
‘Order some food. I’m starving.’
Ben chuckled.
As he studied the menu, she glanced appreciatively over at him. His hair looked casually tousled and he wore a teal t-shirt with his signature shorts.
‘Ready to order?’ said a smiling waitress, who was clearly also appreciating Ben’s good looks as her gaze lingered on him.
Bella felt herself prickle in annoyance. Then checked herself for getting possessive.What had come over her?
