‘Just a cuppa, please. Do you want to call the Old Bill?’
Rosa was still haunted by the baby’s cry she had heard soon after the break-in. Her gut spoke for her. ‘No. It was an opportunist theft, I reckon, because the fireworks are on. They probably thought I’d be out still. And it’s my fault for not putting the alarm on and for leaving the window open. I’m so bloody trusting – or stupid – one of the two. God!’ Rosa raked a hand through her curls. ‘Josh must never know about this.’
‘I told him we didn’t kiss that night, so I think I can hold onto this one for you,’ Lucas said softly.
Rosa stopped in her tracks. ‘You did?’ He nodded. ‘No wonder Josh forgave me so readily,’ she sighed. ‘I never knew that. Thank you.’ She caught his eye, then coughed. ‘I forget, sugar in your tea?’
‘Sweet enough, me.’ Luke lightened things up. ‘But two, please.’
‘Throw a log on the burner and we can sit in there in the warm,’ Rosa instructed.
They sat next to each other on the sofa, the fire already starting to heat the cosy end of the open-plan lounge.
‘It’s good that Little Ned slept through it all,’ Lucas said.
‘He’s at Mary’s. She’s given me a night off.’
‘Oh, OK.’ Luke took a drink of his tea. ‘I’m glad you didn’t want the police here. Mind you, Davina’s not on duty for a couple of days now.’
‘Is she not staying with you tonight then?’ Rosa asked innocently, knowing full well the answer.
‘We had another row. That’s why I was so angry earlier.’
‘Ah, really?’
‘I don’t know what to do, Rosa. I do like the girl.’
‘What’s the but?’
‘She’s not you.’ Luke smiled. ‘But that was said in jest.’ Rosa put her hand on his knee knowing full well that it wasn’t.
‘I know that me and you can’t be together and I’m kind of getting used to that now. Me and Davina, well, we have fun, a good laugh a lot of the time, but she’s not kind. I mean, I can’t believe she hadn’t remembered the anniversary of Mum dying. I would have understood it, if she hadn’t been involved in the bloody case surrounding her death.’
‘People have busy lives; they forget things.’
‘That is pretty important, so don’t be sticking up for her. And I’m not sure if I can see a future with her. I know I’m still young, but I do want kids, and like you I want to have them as young as possible. I don’t want to be that old dad at the school gates.’
‘I don’t know if she’s that keen on them. She wasn’t too complimentary about Alfie or kids in general the other day, to be honest.’
‘He can be a handful sometimes though, to be fair,’ Luke added. ‘But Danny was in the nick, Alfie’s mum left and, well, Tina is Tina. Full of love, but she calls a spade a spade. So no wonder he’s not the easiest.’
‘I love them all though.’ Rosa poked the fire.
‘Yeah, me too.’
They sat in silence for a second before Lucas went on, ‘The reason I don’t want to let her go – Davina, that is – is ’cos I don’t want to be on my own. She keeps me kind of propped up. Even though I know it’s not right, the thought of not getting little messages or having someone to cuddle at night – just an affirmation that I’m not alone – well, I need that.’
Rosa made a little face. ‘Alec didn’t quite finish his work with you, I don’t think.’
‘I only met him a couple of times. I don’t need a shrink, Rosa.’
‘We all want love, that’s what makes our world go round. But you’ve got to love yourself first though, mate. I found out the hard way, but when you do, I tell you – it is a revelation.’
‘Josh loves you to infinity and back.’
‘Yes, and I love him too, but I am still my own person. I’m going to sound like Mary now, she quoted something so relevant to me from her beloved Kahlil Gibran when I was struggling.’ Rosa reached for her phone and googled what she was looking for. ‘Here it is: “let there be spaces in your togetherness and let the winds of the heavens dance between you.” In other words, you need to find someone to complement you, not rely on you or you on her.’
‘You’re so lovely.’ Luke smiled at Rosa. ‘I fancied you the minute I set eyes on you; you know that.’
‘And you were still a bastard to me.’
Luke sighed. ‘At the beginning, yes. I was with the wrong bloody woman then too.’
‘Carly Jessop is more your type – actually no, she is a lot your type, I reckon.’
‘OK, I have a confession to make.’
‘Oh my God, you haven’t already made a move, have you?’ Rosa asked.
‘I wish. I fancy her and I did feel a rush of something the minute I set eyes on her pretty face.’
‘That’s brilliant, then.’ Rosa became animated.
‘It’s just – what if she doesn’t fancy me? Because I’m not going to mess her around and contact her while I’m with Davina; she seems just too lovely to even consider that. And also, Davina doesn’t deserve that either.’
Rosa kept to herself the fact that she disagreed with the second statement, and instead said, ‘If you don’t take a chance, then you will never know.’
‘She’s bound to have a boyfriend, she’s too gorgeous to still be on the market. How do I play this?’
‘I can get Mary to put a love spell on her if you like.’ They both laughed. ‘I’ve got a feeling that you two will work it out somehow,’ Rosa said. ‘I liked her too. She has a good energy. To see you happy would make me so happy, you know.’
‘It would?’
Rosa said firmly, ‘Of course it would. And what I have learned is, that if it’s right, love will find a way. It always does.’
‘Rosa, I want to ask you something.’
‘Go on.’
‘Can you just humour me and say that if Josh hadn’t come into your life, we could have maybe made a go of it, the pair of us?’
‘I’ve answered this before.’ Rosa took in the man’s soulful and brooding hazel eyes. He was so handsome that she couldn’t deny that sometimes she still did feel an urge to squeeze his face and plant her lips on his.
‘Tell me again.’
‘Timing, the timing was wrong, as it so often is in life and love. Maybe we could have made it – who knows for sure? But what I do know is that I do love you, in a deep, caring way. It’s obviously less than I feel for Josh, and different from what I feel for my brother, and that’s it. If we can keep in this suspended lovely kind of whatever it is, forever, then let’s do it. I never want to hurt you, Luke, and I never ever meant to, before.’
Lucas nodded. ‘I’ll guess I’ll have to take that.’
‘Well, it’s all you’re going to get, I’m afraid. Why don’t you find out more about Carly, see if she’s single? There’s no harm in asking.’
‘And what should I do about Davina?’