Page 15 of Wish You Once More
It may have been four years, but she still affected me.
Jonny guided us towards a table which had a tiny blackboard sign on it, saying ‘Jonny R’. Grateful we didn’t have to wait to find a table, I sank down onto the bench and swung my legs over. Immediately, I regretted my choice of seat. Bree was directly in my eye line and it was almost impossible not to stare at her. I pulled my sunglasses back down over my eyes. At least if I continued to look at her, she wouldn’t know.
While we waited for Dad, Jonny filled me in on all the latest news. The normality of it all seemed refreshing. Most of my conversations consisted of working out which town or city we had to be in next, how we were getting there and where we were staying. I finished my beer in record time. I began to get up to get a refill when Dad arrived with a tray of drinks.
“Mat! Great to see you.” He placed the tray on the table and threw open his arms.
I jumped up and embraced him. Guilt prickled at my chest. I should come and see him more often.
We settled back down at the table; grabbing up menus and deciding what to eat. Jonny took the menus back inside, leaving me and Dad alone.
“Before I forget, I managed to find somewhere for Scott to stay.” Dad pulled a sheet of paper from his back pocket and pushed it across the table to me.
I scanned the sheet, noting it was one of the most prestigious properties in the portfolio. Dad hadn’t disappointed. I grinned.
“You’re amazing. Thank you. Let me give him a call and let him know.” I waved the already half empty second bottle of beer at him. “Before I forget.”
Leaving Dad alone, I walked past the table where Bree and her friend sat. I could feel her gaze on me as I walked to a quieter place to make the call. Unsurprisingly, Scott’s phone went straight to voicemail, so I left him a message then tapped out a text to make sure he got the news.
I went back to join Dad. The table which had previously been occupied by Bree now had a family sat at it. How had I missed her leaving?
Would there be a chance to see her at all over the weekend?
And if so, what the hell was I going to say to her?
8
Bree
Ibashed at the ear-splitting sound of my alarm, pretty sure I’d only just dropped off to sleep.
After I insisted we leave the pub last night, I went into the off licence around the corner from our flat and bought a bottle of tequila. What the fuck was I thinking? Tequila was Mat’s drink. I cracked open an eyelid, to see the half empty bottle lying on the floor next to my bed tormenting me.
I groaned and attempted to raise my head from the pillow. The jackhammer currently in residence screamed in protest as I made the move from horizontal to vertical.
Seeing Mat Redmond again had sent me into a spiral I couldn’t get out of.
I’d chewed Callie’s ear off until the early hours of the morning, chatting total shit, talking about everything except what the real problem was. She went to bed, and I vaguely remembered coming into my room and slipping under the covers, drinking directly from the bottle.
No wonder I felt absolutely horrific.
I had to get my arse out of bed, get a shower and head down to Hampton Park, ready to be the face of the Dart Sundowner. Right now, I couldn’t think of anything worse.
There was already a steady stream of messages from Darla, Bryan and the rest of the Committee. Unable to face reading any of them until I’d had a shower and at least one cup of coffee, I stumbled into the hallway towards the bathroom.
After I showered and dressed, in my regulation ‘Crew’ Sundowner t-shirt and jeans, I headed towards the kitchen-slash-living area of the flat. Wrinkling my nose, I could already smell the coffee.
“Callie, you’re an angel.” I had barely entered the room when a large mug of coffee was waved in my direction.
“Thought you might need this.” She wasn’t dressed yet, wearing her best cashmere loungewear instead.
“I take it you’re not joining me then?”
She shook her head. “As you’re out so early, I planned on catching up on my programmes. Thought I’d come to see you later this afternoon.” Callie enjoyed watching a bunch of American reality TV series which I considered less than interesting. Missing out on one of her bingeing sessions was a blessing in disguise.
I sipped my coffee, relishing the strength. It would be needed to get me through the next few hours until it was deemed acceptable to drink alcohol again.
It wasn’t that early, shortly before half ten. Although, I needed to leave now to get to the park for Darla’s final briefing session. There wouldn’t be time for food which, given the churning in my stomach, probably wasn’t a bad thing. Even the thought of anything made me want to hurl.
