“Sure. What’s up?”
“Nothing serious. I was just wondering if you spoke to Angie in the last couple of days.”
My brow knits together. “Yeah, but it was brief. Has something happened?”
“Not exactly, but I’m worried about her. She’s working like a lunatic, and although she gets home to bath Josh, she carries on working as soon as he’s in bed.”
“I thought she had a nanny to help her out now.”
“Oh, she does. Mrs Trunchbull.”
“What the hell?—”
“Sorry, but she reminds me of the headmistress fromMatilda. It doesn’t help that her name is Agatha.” Calla smirks. “Such a scary-looking woman. Super strict and no fun at all. Josh cried the first time he met her, which is a red flag in my book. I can only think Angie is desperate for help. It’s just not like her. She’s so tired and doesn’t have time for anything but work and Josh, which is why I’m trying to get her to socialise again.”
“Okay, but how can I help when I’m here and she’s all the way across the pond?”
“Well, she’s been seeing this guy—just once or twice?—”
“You know about him?”
“Yeah, of course.” Calla obviously catches the relief in my face. “It’s okay, Tommy,” she says, touching my armagain. “Of course, I’m sad my brother isn’t here to look after her, but Angie can’t be on her own forever, which is why I helped with setting her up.”
“Youset her up?”
“Indirectly. As well as trying to juggle the business and being a single mum, she’s so lonely, which is why I asked my friends if they knew any single men looking for love. That’s how the date with Fraser came about. I don’t know him very well, but my friends do.”
“Oh, cool.” It’s not cool. I’m irritated and maybe Calla can detect my uncertainty. “She’s a big girl, Tommy. She can handle it, but I was giving her a little push. Fraser is a great guy, and if Angie gave him a chance, he could be good for her, which is where you come in.”
“Me?”
“Yes. She’s agreed to go out with him again, but it took some persuading. Anyway, when you next call, can you give her some words of encouragement? She needs more than just work in her life and this could be the start of something beautiful.” She pats my chest and walks into the kitchen. I follow, deep in thought, wondering how soon I can fly home to Braebeach.
“Come on,” Calla calls over her shoulder. “Everyone is waiting.” She turns towards me before picking up a tray of bacon rolls. “Can you grab those plates for me?”
“Sure.” The smell of bacon is not helping my sick stomach and knowing about a second date for Angie is the cause. I don’t know why it bothers me so much. I wish I could check this guy out properly before she dates him again.
Everyone is here, talking with hushed voices, and there’s a weird atmosphere, like someone died.
Ash and Max get up and stride towards me with openarms. This is the greeting I so need. There’s a hug and slap on the back from both.
“Hey, man. How are you holding up this morning?” Ash asks.
“Probably the same as you. The whiskey last night didn’t help.”
“It got me through. I slept like a baby.” Max smirks.
“Babies don’t snore like that, man.” Ash laughs.
They ended up falling asleep on my sofa and left in the early hours. I don’t know about them, but my head is not in a responsive mood this morning.
Dani is mid-conversation with her dad when I amble into the lounge. Bernie flew in from London last night. Now Dani has taken over our management, Bernie spends most of his time at Election Records headquarters in Braebeach. He’s here to help with damage control.
Dani turns around as soon as she hears my voice. “Tommy. I thought you’d never get here.”
“Hey, Dani.” I lift my chin towards her. It’s clear she’s uptight. “Sorry I’m so late. I needed to spend some time with Ozzie this morning before he went to preschool.” Her eyes question me and I answer before she asks. “Yeah, we still need to talk about that.” I haven’t got around to telling Dani or Bernie that my marriage is over.
Straight away, I look at Bernie, who greets me with a hug. “Hey, Bern. How are you doing?” I ask.
