Page 71 of Booked for Summer

‘Okay, message received.’ He took the glass of water he didn’t need and set it on the island. ‘Let’s talk about you.’ His eyes skimmed over her face, the pink dye in her hair, the shine in her eyes. ‘You look happier than last time I visited.’

‘Do I?’ She frowned. ‘Well I’m not sure why that is… Oh—’ She clasped her hands together. ‘It must be the books you brought over. I didn’t realise how much I’d missed reading until I got stuck into some of them. I’m not sure how to set that electronic thingy up, I’ll leave that for you to show me, but the big print really helped. And at night, when my eyes are tired, I listen to one of the audiobooks. Did you say you can get more titles?’

‘Yes.’ But only if he pulled his head out of his ass and apologised to the woman he’d wronged. His heart did a familiar, painful flip. He’d tried ignoring it but it didn’t make the ache in his chest any duller. He missed her. Missed seeing her smile, listening to her, and yes, even fuckingtalkingto her.

Bardot appeared, weaving around his legs. Grateful for the distraction, he bent to lift her into his arms. ‘That’s what you wanted, huh?’

Bardot purred, squeezing her eyes shut as he stroked her ears.

‘You can give that cat all the attention you want, but it won’t let you off the hook.’ His grandma walked over, gave Bardot a smile and then lifted her gaze to him. ‘Something else is going on with you and the way you’ve suddenly gone quiet tells me it has to do with this new shop manager. Jade, I believe her name is.’ To drive the point home that she still had plenty of contact with the island, she added, ‘A gorgeous blonde with a sunny attitude who, I assume, was sweet enough to get these books together for me.’

He sighed, wondering how he’d got this transparent recently. For years he’d been able to hide everything, now he had his grandma, Jeremy and Jade all thinking they could read him. ‘You need to feed a man first before you expect him to spill his guts.’

‘Fine. I made you a fish pie. It’s in the fridge all ready, just needs warming up. You sort it out and pour us both a glass of wine. Then we’ll talk.’

A steel edge ran though her voice and he knew she wasn’t going to be happy with anything less than the truth. With the sluggish movements of a man on his way to the gallows, he slipped the pie into the oven, sliced some bread to go with it, then poured out two glasses of sauvignon.

Bardot gazed up at him with her big copper-coloured eyes and he took pity on her, feeding her a few of the treats his grandma wasted her money on. ‘Only fair, considering we’re about to eat fish pie in front of you.’

Fish pie had been his favourite as a kid and it touched him that she’d made it again for him tonight, even though the last time she’d cooked it she’d put a tin of the cat’s salmon into it because she’d forgotten to get some. God knows what she’d substituted tonight.

‘So, this Jade who has you all in a bother,’ his grandma announced the moment he handed her a glass. ‘Are you dating her?’Nope, we’re just fucking. Christ. He couldn’t have this conversation with anyone, let alone her. ‘Oh, I see, it’s like that, is it?’ Eyes fading in terms of their sight, still saw too much. ‘You’re having sex with her but haven’t bothered to ask her on a date?’ Disappointment threaded through her voice. ‘I’m sure I brought you up to respect women more than that.’

Should he try to explain that was how Jade wanted it too, even though he wasn’t convinced it was true anymore, for either of them. Something had changed between them that last time. She’d seen him distressed and come to help. He’d been rude, tried to push her away, but she’d refused to budge. More, she’d listened, consoled him… gone out of her way the next morning to gather large print books to try to help. And in return, what had he done for her?

His stomach rolled over, acid inching up his throat.

He’d asked what would make her regret sleeping with him again, and then done exactly what she’d asked him not to. Made her feel cheap.

Agitated, he rubbed at his face, feeling like the shit he was. ‘I’ve treated her badly and she doesn’t deserve it,’ he admitted.

His grandma gave him a sober look. ‘Are you going to apologise and make amends?’

‘Yes.’ He didn’t have a clue how, but he did know this raw ache inside him wouldn’t let up until he did.

‘Good. Then I hope she’s as warm-hearted as everyone says.’ She took a sip of her wine and settled back against the sofa. ‘By my reckoning the fish pie will take forty minutes to warm up. Plenty of time for you to tell me the whole story, from the start.’

Bardot jumped up onto the sofa and curled into his lap, looking up at him as if to sayyep, I want to hear this, too.

Damn, the women were ganging up on him.

He sighed, took a big gulp from his glass, and started to talk.

ChapterTwenty-Five

Buzzing. That’s all she could hear, a buzzing in her ear. Barely conscious, she reached her hand out towards where the noise was coming from… Her phone? Bleary eyed, she tried to sit up. Was it her alarm?

No, it was Sunday… lie-in day, except, damn that buzzing.

She picked the phone up, and realised it was an incoming call from her sister.

‘Hey?’ She glanced at the time and felt a ripple of alarm. Lauren wouldn’t call her at seven in the morning unless it was an emergency.

‘Jade, thank God you’re there. I need help.’

Her sister neededherhelp? ‘What is it? Are Mum and Dad okay?’

‘Of course they are.’

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