Page 68 of Hit For Six
‘Lola’s only gone for a…’ Monty caught Fumiko’s first words as they zipped past her. But the rest of that sentence died on the breeze.
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
Lola
Once Lola hadinsisted that she was okay and Joaquín had finally taken her word for it, leaving her to lap up some much needed Squiffy therapy, Fumiko had rushed through the front door with several cases.
‘Changed my flights and got an earlier one back. Got a date tonight with a hot chick at some place called The Bubble Bath. You heard of it?’
Hello to you too, thought Lola. She filled Fumiko in on the venue, glad of the distraction from the non-stop Monty messages pinging on her phone. It was a small comfort to know that Saskia was on her side via her hiding place in the curtains but it didn’t change a thing, and neither did Monty’s insistence that he’d abandoned his family. Nobody’s lovelife should be this difficult.
‘I don’t suppose you have any annual leave left?’ Fumiko cut through Lola’s thoughts.
‘I didn’t but now I most definitely do,’ she replied conclusively, ignoring the pang of her heart.
Lola mentally erased the image of her cheering Monty on as he hit a series of incredible sixes at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.
‘Would you, by any chance, be able to take it as of tomorrow? My cousin’s got a bit of acatastrophe on his hands.’
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
Monty
This was likeTrains, Planes and sodding Automobiles. But Monty couldn’t give up, even if he now had company. He’d planned everything about tonight ages ago. It had to happen. Regardless of the fact that Lola might only want to be friends.
Plan A had worked atrociously. After GUP had dropped off his passengers, Monty had persuaded a station dispatcher to keep an eye on Squiffy while he raced down the platform after the departing London bound train. But even after copious amounts of his own version of training, he was too slow, and the locomotive chugged away down the track. Monty and Squiffy had made a quick tour of the station waiting room, in case Lola was on a later departure. Sadly not.
Now it was on to Plan B for Bro-in-law. Monty patted his back pocket for the gazillionth time, satisfied that the surprise was still there. Then he and Squiffy hailed a taxi to Daniel Street to sit in Monty’s car and plead with Dante. Yes, the very notion was extravagance, madness and just a tiny bit humiliating. But if Monty couldn’t milk the perks of his lifestyle during the most significant moments in his life, then what was the point? Dante had to help him. Dante was his only hope.
‘Mate, I can’t just magic up a helicopter ride out of thin air,’ he scoffed at the outlandish request on the other end of the phone, as Monty detected the sound of a golf ball being hit in the background. ‘What you’re asking is impossible!’ Damn it.
‘No such word,’ said Monty defiantly. ‘Do you know how desperate your wife is for me to have babies one day so she can cluck over them? I’m telling you now, this is the only way that’sever likely to happen. I need you to get me to London in the next hour and a half. I need to get to Paddington before Lola.’
He winked at Squiffy, trying to reassure her. The cat miaowed in agreement.
‘Did I just hear a freaking cat?’
‘What? No, of course not. Stop changing the subject.’
‘Be reasonable, Monty! I’m on the golf course in the middle of schmoozing potential clients for what could be a gargantuan deal for said helicopter business.’
‘But you won’t need any of that, Dante, dearest. Happily for you, after last night’s fiasco, I am also your wife’s ticket to a massively wealthier future now I’ve opted out of my inheritance… In other words, it will be passed down to the oldest daughter with the most reliable husband.’
‘You’re a pain in the bloody arse, Monty!’ Dante sighed.And three, two, one.Any second now and he would register his even greater fortune. ‘Shit!Wh-what did you just say? You’d better not be having me on.’
Monty’s face lit up in the briefest of smiles.
‘Keep it under your hat or I might change my mind… But yes, and no… I don’t want to take over Beau-re-mi. Not now or ever. So for the love of God, help a man out, will you? Or do I have to find my own pilot? Because mark my words, I’m headed for your place and I will get Saskia to fly me if I have to.’
‘Okay, okay,’ Dante hissed. ‘But the odds of you making it before Lola’s train are virtually zero.’
‘Do you think I don’t know that? I have to try!’
‘Meet me at the helipad and put your foot down.’ Dante sighed. ‘Luckily, Sas is at home. She’ll buzz you in. I’m going to have to pull out all the stops to make up for my early exit from the fairways with the lure of some legendary fine dining.’
Monty almost told Dante to get the violins out.
***
