Page 99 of Spiralling Skywards
“I had people keeping an eye on you, so I knew you were doing okay. Nan and Grandad weren’t getting any younger, and I knew that at some stage, we would have to look after them in their old age, so I just stayed away.”
“Do you think you’ll ever go back? Would you prefer to live there, not here?”
“You know what, I think I would, but I’d just miss you too much.”
“You can’t live your life for me, Luke. I’d make the effort to get out and see you if you did ever go back. We could have one Christmas here, the next over there. Take it in turns.”
He gave me a one-shouldered shrug.
“We’ll see. There might just be some English girl about to sweep me off my feet, then I wouldn’t wanna be anywhere else but here.”
I smiled. My brother had never really spoken to me about what he wanted with regard to love, settling down, and marriage. I didn’t even know if he wanted children.
“Is that what you’d like?”
“After watching what you and Del have put each other through this past month, I’m not exactly sure. And once you throw that bitch of an ex of his into the equation, no. I think I’m probably better off single. That woman’s priceless, what she tried to do to Del, you couldn’t make that shit up.”
It was my turn to let out a deep breath. I was a little confused by what he’d said about Liam’s wife. What did he mean by “what she tried to do”? I assumed they would be spending Christmas together, and I’d wondered why they weren’t since Luke told me Liam would be joining us.
I had a moment of panic, at the prospect of Liam bringing her along for dinner.
“How come he’s here for Christmas? Why didn’t he go home to his wife?”
“Why the fuck would he go home to his wife? He hopes the new offer he put forward will be enough for her to sign the divorce papers and fuck her off out of it for good.”
My stomach wasn’t sure what way it wanted to go and decided to simply churn inside me.
“They’re still getting a divorce, what about the baby?”
“Not his problem, Sarah.”
I was shocked. After reliving everything we’d gone through during our childhoods spent with a single mum, I thought he’d have a little more empathy for Olivia.
“Wow, that’s a little harsh. Does he feel no responsibility?”
“Why should he? She was lying, the manipulative bitch. After everything she’s put him through, I think he’s being more than generous, but she reckons she has evidence that Liam’s been seeing someone since he moved over here, so she’s threatening to counterclaim the adultery.”
Something wasn’t adding up. I had a bad feeling in my belly. I chugged my wine and the bad feeling got worse.
“On the Monday after everything kicked off at my house Sunday night, Olivia came to see me.”
Luke leaned back in his chair.
“She came to see you? What the fuck for? How’d she know where you live?”
Now it was my turn to do the head scratching thing.
“She said she still has access to company records, I’m listed as your next of kin.”
“No, she does not. Fuck me that woman’s a liar.”
“But you worked for her in Sydney.”
“No I never. D and R holdings is the company she shares with Del, I never worked for them. I worked for DRR, which is Del’s company alone. Where’s my mobile, I’m gonna call him. There’s no way she should be able to access that information.”
He pushed up from his chair and started looking around for his phone.
“Call it for me, Sunshine, I’ve no fucking clue where I left it.”
