I made an okay gesture and held up a finger to indicate I’d be a minute. He nodded and returned to rest against the bonnet of the ambulance.
“This has to work, Rory. We can’t lose you again,” Jonas said.
“What’s with the ‘we?’”
“I liked you.”
“Umm, Jonas ...”
He snorted. “Fuck off. Not like that. I’m in love with Simon. We’re getting married.”
“You are?”
“Did Lace not tell you?”
“No. We were ... uh ... busy last night.” I bit my lip and stared at my feet resting on the pedals.
“You did not shag her and run, you fucking dog.”
“I ... Jonas, it wasn’t like that.”
“You’re a cunt.”
The line went dead.
Maybe he didn’t like me after all.
However, he was right. I had been a cunt. Maybe I shouldn’t have slept with her before leaving, but she was mine, and I had to have her one last time. I’d tried to be cruel to make it easier to part, yet in the end, I’d made love to her.
I looked out at the old ambulance. This had to work. I had to get her parents onside with this gesture.
Chapter 27
Lacey
“I THINK I’LL GO HOME tomorrow,” I announced to my parents over breakfast.
“Lacey, no.” My mum tilted her head as she looked me over. “I know you’re upset about Rory, but that’s more reason to stay and be with your family.”
“You chased him away,” I said, with less venom than I felt. I was furious with them, but I was also wrapped in a blanket of devastation and disbelief so couldn’t show it.
My mum gazed at my dad and widened her eyes in a plea for help. He shrugged, and I felt a tiny bit sorry for her in that moment. Why were all men fucking useless? She turned back to me, her voice rising in her petulance. “He would have stayed and dealt with us if he’d had anything about him. He proved our point.”
“It took a lot for him to come up here and face you. He knew how much he hurt you when we split up, and you threw his courage back in his face and brought up his horrible childhood. You dragged me to church all through my childhood and taught me forgiveness, and yet when you’re asked to forgive someone who had a rough life, you failed at the first hurdle. What kind of Christians are you?”
My mother’s face coloured, and my dad picked up his newspaper, trying to pretend he wasn’t there.
“We’re the kind who care about our daughter.” Mum stood and started to clear away the breakfast dishes. Part of me was glad she was uncomfortable, but part of me agreed with her because Rory bailed the moment things got tough.
I got up and headed out the kitchen door, intent on going to my room. Not looking where I was going, I hit what felt like a brick wall and fell back.
Two strong hands caught me. “Yo, Big. Watch it.”
“Jesus, when did you turn into a brick wall?”
“I went through this thing called puberty,” Jonas said with a grin.
“I think we need to switch nicknames.”
“Maybe.” His grin faded as he gazed at my face. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
I shook my head. “Nothing. Well ... you know ...”
“He’s coming back. Fuck knows what he has planned, but I’ve spoken to him.”
“I want to go home, Jo.”
“Wait for him to come back.” His voice was gentle. “I have faith in him. I don’t know why, since he’s an absolute cunt for fucking you and running.”
“How do you know that?”
“He told me.”
I closed my eyes. I wanted to melt into the carpet. “Could the arsehole be any more inappropriate?”
“I’ve heard you two bonking. I’m unshockable. Although, I told him I wasn’t happy about him doing that. You deserve better.”
“I honestly can’t talk to my wee brother about this.”
“Stay a couple more days and I promise I won’t talk about your sex life. We’ll talk about mine instead.” He wiggled his eyebrows and I couldn’t help laughing.
“You’re disgusting. I have no desire to hear about your sex life. The fact you want to hear about mine is freaking weird.”
“He wants to show off because he’s such a stud,” Simon said as he came down the stairs. “Morning.”
“Yeah, I heard him being all studly last night. And you.” I scrunched up my face as I looked between them. “The walls are thin, and my room is next door.”
“Yass. Payback.” Jonas lifted his hand and high-fived his fiancé.
I grinned. “Ah but, they have now invented noise-cancelling earphones, so I was saved.” I pulled out of my brother’s hold and stepped past Simon. “I’m going to read and think about what I’m going to do.”
“Don’t go home yet. He’s going to come through for you.”
I nodded, but I wasn’t going to commit to staying.
“I need to phone that wanker,” I heard my brother say before I closed my room door.
RORY
“I hope that dog is nearly ready,” Jonas growled down the phone.
“Hi Jonas. Nearly there.”
I glanced at the four lads helping me. I’d have to watch my P’s and Q’s. They were finishing the decal on the outside of the ambulance and touching up the paint. It looked great. I’d contacted my friend at the local college where some of our pupils were doing a holiday course in car mechanics. He’d been more than happy to let me come along with the old ambulance and show the boys how to check the engine and make sure it was roadworthy, giving me workshop space during the holiday to fit out the inside.
I’d used my other contacts from my years of playing hockey to drum up funding for the new charity. We were in the process of getting charitable status. It would take longer than the few days I had to convince Lacey, but I had agreements from some donors. However, there wasn’t enough for a full-time wage yet for Lacey. If it was going to work out, Lacey would need to start part-time with the charity and work part time in a regular vet practice to make money. There was a lot to consider and I had put a lot in place without her consent. I needed the woman I loved on board. She might lose her mind at me for organising this, but it was worth the chance.
“Lacey is thinking of coming back down to Glasgow, so you need to hurry,” Jonas, said, drawing me from my thoughts.
“I think it will be ready tomorrow. It’s not fully finalised, but I have enough plans in place. Enough to convince her and your parents, I hope.”
I had one more thing to pick up in the morning before heading back to Glencoe for the charm offensive.
And if that didn’t work, then I guessed Lacey and I were over for good.
Chapter 28
Lacey
“I WISH YOU’D STAY,” Mum whined as I put my bag into the boot of Jonas’s car. My brother and Simon were giving me a lift home, then driving back to Edinburgh.
“There’s nothing to stay for, Mum.”