‘No, you’re not. Daniel’s the mug.’
Silence engulfed us as I stared into the blackness and digested Michael’s revelations. At least I didn’t love Daniel. What an idiot I’d been, though. Four or five since we met? Was Izzy included in that? Good grief!
‘I’m sorry I was off with you when we first met,’ Michael said, breaking the silence.
I smiled. ‘I understand why. I have a confession to make, though.’
‘Oh yes?’
‘I was a little bit scared of you.’
Michael laughed loudly. ‘Sorry, I probably shouldn’t laugh at that. I’ve been called a lot of things in my life, but I think scary is a first for me. And how do you feel about me now?’
I felt a shift in the atmosphere, as though my next words could forever change things between us. My pulse quickened and my lips dried. I looked into his moonlit eyes. ‘Still a little scared,’ I whispered. ‘But perhaps for a different reason.’
We stared at each other. His breathing was rapid like mine. His face edged closer. Mine did too. Any moment, our lips would meet.
Then some idiots screeched into the car park with their windows down and music blaring. ‘Woo hoo!’ shouted the passenger. ‘Dogging time.’ With a beep of the horn, they screeched out of the car park again.
And the moment was well and truly lost.
‘Erm… I should probably get you back home,’ I said.
‘Yes, and, er, you should probably get to bed. Your bed. For some sleep.’
We clicked seatbelts on and I drove Michael back to the cottage in silence.
‘Good night then,’ I said. ‘And thank you for being honest. It’s about time someone was.’
Michael undid his seatbelt then paused. I wondered if he was going to make a move, but if he was, he obviously thought the better of it. ‘Night, Elise.’ He opened the car door and got out.
Damn! Were we going to kiss? Had my thoughts from earlier been right; that I’d stayed with Daniel after the incident so I could still see Michael? Did I have feelings for him? I hoped not. Because, if I had… Oh goodness, what would I do? I didn’t want to drift from one relationship straight into another. I needed time to get to know myself. Me. On my own. Not one half of a couple.
I reversed Bertie out of his space then drove towards the main road. I could do this. Even if I’d somehow developed a crush on Michael, I could fight it. I needed to be alone. Not forever. But definitely for now.
27
‘Do we really have to spend the next hour or so mingling with a wee bunch of business stiffs?’
I grabbed Curtis’s arm and dragged him up the steps of The Ramparts Hotel, Whitsborough Bay’s only five-star hotel. It was Bay Trade’s fifth anniversary. Nick and his friends Skye and Stuart, the founder members, had decided to celebrate in style with a huge members, ex-members, friends and family party and awards ceremony and I’d felt very proud to receive an invite.
‘It’s an important night for Sarah and Nick so I promised I’d support them. Besides, I’d already said yes before you decided to grace us with your presence again.’
‘You’re sure there’ll be food?’
‘I’m sure. And it’s a five-star hotel so the food will be exquisite. Can we go in?’
‘Aye. But only because of the food, mind.’
‘Tell me how you manage to eat like a horse yet you have the body of a Greek God?’
‘It’s in the genes, Red. And a strict mayonnaise-avoidance technique. That stuff is evil.’
I shook my head and pulled him towards The Castle Room.
They’d certainly pulled out all the stops. Tables adorned in crisp white cloths ran down one side of the room, ready for the buffet. Round tables with balloons, flowers, and candles were filled with guests of all ages, dressed in their finery. I was relieved I’d worn a calf-length green satin dress and heels. I’d have looked out of place in anything else.
Sarah waved and made a beeline for us. Her dark curls were piled up on her head with loose spirals round her ears. She wore a long, flared, midnight blue dress with crystal-covered spaghetti straps and floaty net short sleeves. A spattering of crystals across the waist matched both the dress straps and the ankle straps on her midnight blue heels.
‘I’m so glad you could come,’ she said, hugging me then Curtis. ‘You look stunning, Elise.’
‘And so do you. I love that colour on you.’
‘Thank you. The first drink’s on the house. The buffet will be served in about an hour. Are you okay if I find you in a bit?’
‘Yes, go and mingle,’ I said, smiling. ‘Enjoy.’
Curtis turned towards the bar. ‘On the house? Mine’s a bottle of tequila, then.’
‘I’m not doing tequila shots again tonight. I’m on soft drinks. I’m still not over that gastric flu.’
‘Spoilsport. You used to be fun.’ He winked at me.
‘I’d like to think I’m still fun, but those shots tipped me over the edge last time and, if you cast your mind back, it was as a direct result of them that I tried to seduce Stevie. Epic fail.’
‘Have you made your peace?’ Curtis steered me in the direction of the bar.
‘Yes, although I’d understand if he hated me forever because, the next time I saw him, Daniel broke his nose. Since then, we’ve only texted.’
We reached the bar and Curtis ordered a bottle of lager and a soda water.
‘When was this display of testosterone?’ He passed me my drink.
‘Four weeks ago.’
‘And you really haven’t seen Dimples since?’
‘No. I just said that. We’ve made arrangements to meet up a couple of times, but one of us has had to cancel each time. Why?’
‘Because he’s heading our way right now.’
I turned round so abruptly that I spilled some of my drink down Stevie’s shirt.
‘Oh no! I’m so sorry.’ I grabbed a bar towel and tried to mop his shirt. ‘It’s only water. I promise.’ I blushed as my hand slipped off the towel and onto his chest and I had a sudden desire to wrap my arms round him and get lost in one of his super-hugs. My cheeks burned even more.
‘It’s fine,’ he said, seemingly oblivious to my colour-change. ‘As long as you weren’t aiming for my face. My nose couldn’t take it.’
‘Of course I wasn’t. I—’
Stevie grinned. ‘You’re nearly as easy to wind up as Sarah. It’s great to see you.’ He gave me a kiss on the cheek then shook Curtis’s hand. ‘Good to see you again, mate. Didn’t think this would be your kind of thing.’
‘I’d rather hack my eyes out with a wee spoon, but I’ve been promised food and an early pass out of here. I plan to eat, drink, and completely ignore anyone except you lot because I’m anti-social like that. If we were in Glasgow, I’d be schmoozing like hell to try and get them to the salon. Here, I have nae need to kiss ass.’
Stevie laughed. ‘At least you’re honest.’ He turned to me. ‘Apparently one of the Bay Traders is in a band and they’re pretty good. You’ll stick around for that, won’t you?’