Page 55 of Musical Games
‘Kirsten Bjorkstrom declined to comment,’ Zoe read out loud. ‘But a source close to the production said it was clear Miss Bjorkstrom and the earl shared an intense connection.’ She threw the paper down. ‘I’m going to kill her.’
‘Oh, it’s not her fault, love,’ his mum interjected. ‘Rory’s just a little possessive over you, that’s all.’
‘That’s not the half of it. He went mental because he’d just found out Brad’s been, er, Brad is…’
Jamie watched Sam as she leaned in closer, her eyes wide. ‘Brad has beenwhatexactly?’
Zoe blushed. ‘He is, erm, in a relationship with Barbara,’ she mumbled.
What the fuck? Rory’s mum?
Sam blinked rapidly as if she was trying to turn Zoe’s words into a statement that made sense to her.
‘What kind of relationship?’ she demanded.
Zoe looked down. ‘A, erm, sexual one.’
Jamie’s heart flooded with relief as his sister howled with laughter and his mother repeated the word ‘No!’ over and over again. Sam was arguing with Zoe, refusing to believe it.
‘I saw her coming out of his room in the middle of the night,’ Zoe told her. ‘He was naked and they kissed. It’s definitely sexy sexual.’
Jamie’s relief bubbled up into laughter. The concert was unnecessary. He clapped Sam on the back.
‘Well then, no reason to do the gig tonight, is there? I’ll ring Clive and cancel it.’
She turned to him, eyes flashing. ‘Over your dead body, Jamie. We’re doing the gig and that’s that.’
Anxiety roared back through him, slapping him around the face and kneeing him in the nuts.
‘Well thank goodness that’s not in the papers,’ said his mum. ‘Once again they’ve got the wrong end of the stick. Poor Kirsten, she must be mortified.’
Zoe snorted. ‘By the time I’m finished with her, she’ll wish she’d never been born.’
‘What?’ asked Fi as the room fell silent.
Zoe fiddled with her knife. ‘Last night someone told Rory I was coming back to the castle. So he stayed and went to sleep. In the middle of the night, he woke to find Kirsten in bed with him.’
‘Noooooooooooo!’ shrieked all the women around the table.
Jamie forced a hollow laugh. ‘That’s priceless! I’d pay good money to be woken up like that.’
Sam glared angrily at him and his mum slapped him across the back of the head. ‘Son! That’s enough.’
‘What did Rory do?’ asked Fiona.
‘He leapt backwards out of bed and into the side table. He’s got a black eye and a massive cut above his eyebrow. He came to the cabin in the middle of the night covered in blood, looking like he’d been mugged. It was awful.’
Sam’s mouth was open, her cheeks pale. ‘Is he alright?’
Zoe nodded. ‘I think so. He had an army first aid kit in the truck, so he gave himself some stitches, then sealed the rest up with Steri-Strips.’
Jamie shook his head. ‘Bugger me, he’s bloody Rambo.’
Jamie spentthe rest of the day wishing Duncan was around or Liam was twenty years older. Having Sam, Zoe, his mother and his sister together was deafening. He volunteered to take Liam out for a walk but suspected none of them trusted him not to do a runner as they kept finding reasons why he had to be in sight at all times.
Eventually he retreated to a chair in the living room, watching the clock tick down, his nerves spiking with every second. He’d played a couple of times in the pub and once a few months ago for Brad Bauer. After that experience he swore he’d never do it again. But here he was. About to play, not only for Brad, but as many of the village that could fit in the pub.
With brand new music.
