Page 47 of Under A Sicilian Sky
He stared at the table as he spoke. ‘I was working on a fishing boat in the summer holidays when I was home from uni. I hadn’t had much training on the job, and to make matters worse I was doing a two-man job on my own. To cut a long story short, my arm got caught up in a rope attached to a pulley. It could’ve ripped my arm clean off, but I was lucky, I guess. Loads of surgeries followed and my swimming career and dreams of the Olympics were shattered.’ The sadness in his eyes made Ruby’s stomach clench and her eyes sting. ‘Anyway, I got some serious compensation, and after thinking on it long and hard, I decided I should invest it. So, I bought my first property at auction; a run-down apartment in Glasgow that no one else wanted. It was a beautiful old building, but, my god, the place was in a state. Every kind of rot you can imagine, vandalism, anything that could be ripped out and stolen had been. It was a lot of hard graft, especially with only one good working arm, but I did it. Sold it for a massive profit, and I suppose the bug got me. My shoulder healed and I’ve been doing it ever since.’ He paused and fixed his gaze on her. ‘I’ve offloaded on you again. What is it about you?’ He smiled, clearly abashed by his own rhetorical question.
She felt a flutter in her stomach of something she didn’t wish to acknowledge, and rushed on, ‘So, you have lots of houses then?’
He gave a nod. ‘A few, aye. I flip some, but I rent some out too.’
‘And this is your main home?’ she asked with a tilt of her head, enjoying getting to know him.
He lifted his chin, clearly more comfortable on the subject of his houses. ‘This place is where I feel most like myself, I suppose. But I have an apartment in Edinburgh, so that’s where I spend most of my time. My office is in the city too. I bloody love that place, Edinburgh, I mean. Such an incredible city.’ He smiled as if drifting off in his mind before snapping back to the present. ‘Although these days I’m more hands-off. It all runs smoothly without me. Hence my reason for working on the Sicily house.’
Ruby nodded. ‘Do you spend much time here on Skye?’
‘Not as much as I probably should. It’s a base and somewhere with happy memories of growing up. My best mate, Reid, lives in the village too… well, heusedto be my best mate.’ Another look of melancholy washed over him.
The name caught her attention. ‘Ooh, is that the artist who painted the picture that’s on the wall in my room?’
He nodded. ‘Aye, I have a few of his pieces. He’s a bloody talented guy. A good guy too. We were at school together, sat beside each other. We were inseparable when we were kids, we used to play cricket and football on the field down by the church. His brother, Kendric, used to tag along too. And this lassie called Leanna who used to follow Reid around like a lost puppy. She was besotted.’ He laughed lightly at the memories.
Unsure about prying further, Ruby chewed on her lip. ‘Did you have a falling out? You and Reid?’
Mitch pondered for a moment. ‘Not exactly. We just… lost touch. Drifted apart as folks do, you know? He ran off to England to marry a girl he’d met when she was here on holiday. I got really bad vibes about her and I made the mistake of telling him so. That didn’t go down too well.’ He shook his head. ‘She kind of stepped in between him and his friends. By the time they split up and he returned here with his wee lad, Evin, I’d moved to Edinburgh. We still say hello, pass the time of day and stuff when I’m here, but we’re not close like we used to be.’
Ruby felt bad for him. She knew she’d be lost without her rock. ‘That’s a shame. I don’t know what I’d do without Kitty, my bestie. We went to school together too and I’ve known her practically all my life. She’s more like a sister really.’
‘It must be tough, not being able to go round for coffee or out shopping with her, eh?’
She fought back a wave of emotion as she pictured Kitty in her mind. ‘It is. But we speak almost every day. And she’s the one who keeps me grounded. She’s a mum now, so woe betide me if I step out of line.’ She wagged her finger and laughed. ‘She’s got that stern mum voice and she’s not afraid to use it.’ Mitch laughed along with her. ‘Seriously though, it’s good to have someone in my life who I can trust implicitly.’
Mitch opened his mouth to speak just as Shelby arrived in the room, and he closed it again.
‘Hey guys. What’s for dinner?’ she asked in that bright sing-song voice she had apparently found.
Ruby glanced at the clock. ‘Wow, I hadn’t realised the time. It’s almost ten thirty. No wonder my stomach is growling.’
Mitch stood. ‘I’ll rustle up a vat of pasta and sauce. Thirty minutes okay?’
Shelby and Ruby replied, ‘Perfect!’ in unison.
Shelby sat beside Ruby. ‘Probably won’t sleep due to carb overload, but it’ll be so worth it,’ she said with an exaggerated eye roll.
Ruby’s stomach grumbled and she placed a hand over it. ‘I think my body clock is all over the place at the moment.’
Shelby glanced at her belly. ‘Look, I was going to suggest maybe you and I could exercise daily from tomorrow?’ Her eyes widened and she held up her hands. ‘Not that I think you’re getting fat or anything. It’s just… well, exercise is good for PMH.’ She shrugged.
Ruby scowled. ‘What’s that?’
Shelby grinned. ‘Positive mental health.’ She stated it as if it should be obvious. ‘I know tons of workouts we can do right there in the garden. No need to leave the grounds.’
The feeling of claustrophobia that had been niggling in the back of Ruby’s mind jumped to the forefront, and the thought of not leaving the grounds made her stomach knot. ‘Actually, I think I’m too exhausted to eat. I think I’ll go to bed.’ She stood from the table. ‘Sorry, Mitch. I hope you don’t mind.’
He turned and eyed her with concern. ‘Not at all. How about a couple of biscuits to munch on? I’ve got chocolate ones.’
She glanced at Shelby, and in light of their conversation shook her head. ‘It’s okay, sleep is what I need I think.’ And with that she left the room and the sound of Shelby and Mitch chatting behind her.
Once in the quiet serenity of her bedroom, she texted Kitty.
Hey honey, I know it’s late, so I don’t expect you to reply. Just wanted to let you know am in the new house on Skye. It’s lovely. Very homely. But Valerie has sent her assistant here and I don’t really get why. She hardly used to speak to me, but now she’s all friendly and chatty. It’s sweet, but is it wrong that I’m suspicious? She’s even suggested we exercise together, like we’re big buddies. I know I’m being oversensitive and paranoid. Ignore me. I could do with being whipped into shape! Love you. Roo xx
Kitty didn’t reply and Ruby surmised she must be sleeping, so she changed into her pyjamas, brushed her teeth and climbed into the bed.
