Page 79 of One Bed

‘She wants a proper, messy, emotional, honest relationship,’ Gib quietly stated, without lifting his head. ‘I want to keep it … sanitised, I guess.’

‘Because of your mom?’

Gib jerked his head up, shocked by Navy’s quiet words. It was the first time in nearly twenty years that Navy had mentioned Gib’s mother. He swallowed, trying to force the lump in his throat down. ‘Why mention my mom?’ He hesitated. ‘What do you know?’

Navy’s broad shoulders lifted.

‘Before my folks divorced, I remember my parents talking about yours, specifically your mom. They said she needed to lighten up and get a life.’

They hadn’t been wrong. He shifted in his chair. It felt wrong to discuss his dead mother like this. Then again, Navy was his brother in every way that counted.

‘I want to talk to you about it, but the words just won’t come out of my mouth,’ he admitted, wrapping his hand around the glass the bartender put in front of him. His sigh came from the deepest parts of him. ‘Bea knows there are things I’m keeping back, she thinks I don’t trust her, or that she’s not important enough to me to share my past with her. But, Jesus, if I can’t even talk toyouabout my parents, how can I talk to her?’

Navy gently tapped the edge of his bottle against the bar. ‘Then maybe it’s time to get a professional involved, bud.’

Fuck, he couldn’t think of anything worse. ‘I tried that, remember?’

‘You were sixteen and grieving, and you have distance now,’ Navy pointed out. ‘I also think you need to ProCon it.’

ProCon was a tool Hugh had taught them both. When faced with a difficult decision, they should make a list of the pros and cons and see which column won. Navy pointed his bottle at him. ‘Give me the pros for moving on from Bea, not going to therapy, to keeping life the same as it was before you went to Greece.’

‘Do we have to do this now?’ Gib asked, conscious of a tiny whine in his voice.

‘Now. Go.’

OK,shit. ‘Pros for staying single… It’s easy, and it’s what I know.’ He thought some more. ‘I can work without guilt, I don’t have to think about a partner and her needs. My time won’t be split, and I can devote myself to Caddell.’

Navy made a production of yawning. Yeah, message received: he was boring. ‘Cons?’

There was only one he could think of, and it was huge. He picked up a coaster, rolled it between his fingers and spun it around. He scratched his cheek and pushed his hand through his hair.

‘Stop fiddling and give a con, Gibson. And don’t bullshit me, I know you have one.’

Fuck, he was going to make him say it. ‘Iwon’thaveBeainmylife.’

Navy, the fucker, put his hand behind his ear and leaned forward. ‘Sorry, what was that?’

Bastard. ‘I won’t have Bea in my life.’

Satisfaction glinted in his eyes. ‘And how big a problem is that for you?’ Navy quietly asked.

He forced himself to lift his eyes up and look at Navy. ‘Fucking big,’ he reluctantly admitted.

‘Big enough for you to do something about it?’

The ten-billion-dollar question. ‘Yeah, big enough for me to do something about it.’

Navy used the bar counter as a makeshift drum. ‘Excellent. Because, as Tolkien said, “I would rather spend one lifetime with you than face all the ages of this world alone.”’

‘Oh,fuck off. Seriously, Iwillput your head down a toilet.’

* * *

Six weeks after her birthday bash, Golly decided she needed a Santorini reunion party and bought tickets for her, Reena, Bea, the Two Jacks, Cassie and Nadia to fly to Fira. They arrived late on Friday night, and spent Saturday relaxing, with Nadia offering to make pizzas in the wood-fired oven on the esplanade for supper. It was a bit cold for outdoor entertaining, but they huddled around the huge blaze in the fire pit, drinking red wine and catching up.

Due to Bea’s insane schedule these past few weeks – after coming out as Parker Kane she’d run from print interviews to podcast interviews, to book signings –she’d barely had time to eat, and she’d lost a bit of weight.

No, that was a bit dramatic. She’d had time, everybody did, but she didn’tfeellike eating. Her tastebuds hadn’t worked properly since Gib had left Santorini. But it was lovely to see Cass and Nadia again; she’d spoken to them, but hadn’t seen them. They’d been in New York, and Bea wanted to ask if they’d been working for Gib, but even saying his name hurt.

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