CHAPTER SIXTEEN
ASH
Dani burststhrough the door of the Dunbar Hotel where Tommy and I wait in the bar.
“Where are the others?” she asks, a bright smile on her face for once. Her tone is too light and breezy for me this morning.
“Not here Dani. I’ve told you before, we don’t spend twenty-four-seven together.” I’m in a foul mood, but she hasn’t noticed. Nothing gets in the way of business as far as Dani’s concerned.
“They’re late. Is 10am still too early for you guys to comprehend?”
“It was short notice, seeing as you called this meeting an hour ago.” I look to Tommy who shrugs his shoulders.
“I called your mother’s solicitor this morning. Apart from a few minor points that he wants us to look over today, he said it looked good. He was calling your mother this morning anyway, so it looks as if I chased him at the right time.”
“What the fuck?” I can’t help saying out loud. I’m sure Mum was on top of the whole thing, although the solicitor shouldn’t have given Dani any information. She probablycharmed the pants off him somehow. My blood is warming at the casual way Dani blurts this out. It’s not as if we would never sign, but I want us to stay in control of our agreement, not her.
Brett and Max have left the legal side down to me. To be honest, it’s boring paperwork to them, and as they both have parents that are loaded, money isn’t their primary concern. Brett is at university because his mum and dad just wanted him to keep out of trouble, and Max is there because his dad, grandad and uncle all went there. For Tommy and me, it’s a different story. We worked hard to earn our place and our parents made sacrifices for it to happen. Well, Tommy’s did. A student loan was how I made it, but Mum gave me a little money to get food and stuff at the beginning.
Dani doesn’t look at either of us while slipping her giant sunglasses over her eyes, for what purpose I don’t know; we’re indoors, for crying out loud. She barges around to the other side of the bar. “Put some coffee on would you Tommy love. I’m parched and my head is spinning.”
“No probs, coming up,” Tom says. Better him than me. I’m not sure I’d be so polite.
“I’ve been thinking, at some point you lot need to think about your image, maybe appear more band than student.”
“We can talk about it another time. Let’s get the big stuff out the way first,” I tell her as I give Tommy the side-eye, flicking my chin towards the exit. He understands we need to talk and gets my signal, then holds up a finger, indicating we should speak in private.
“Have you got somewhere I can go?” Dani eyes me curiously until I add, “I could do with some privacy to call the solicitor, see exactly where we’re at.”
She smiles at my answer. Dani wants this done as quickly as possible because, according to her, we’ve been draggingour heels. “My office is upstairs and second door to the right.” Cautiously, I jerk my head towards the staircase. It’s a signal for Tommy to follow on when madam has her coffee.
Dani’s office is not what I expect for a young woman, but exactly the right décor for the Dunbar. It’s a vast, oval-shaped room with dark wood furniture. The walls are dark teal, but thanks to the three massive sash windows, the colour doesn’t affect the stream of light coming into the room. I sit on the corner of the desk and try my mum’s mobile, but when she doesn’t pick up, I call my place in the hope I’ve caught her in time. She’s leaving soon to spend a few days at my aunt’s house up the coast.
“I’m cramping your style, Son, and I’m sure you’d like to bring your girl back sometimes. I’ll just go for a few days and give you some space.”
Just for the record, I’m happy to have Mum stay with me where I can keep an eye on her. Now we’ve collected most of her things from the house, there’s no need to have any contact with Dad for a while. This time out with her sister isn’t necessarily a bad thing either. Dad doesn’t know she is going away and will give her time to take a breath.
“Hello, Ashton and Tommy’s phone.”
I grin to myself. “Hi Mum, it’s me. Glad I caught you before you left for Auntie Gem’s.”
“Where are you, Ashton? You didn’t come home again last night. Were you with that girl of yours?”
“I wish I had been.”
“Oh, that doesn’t sound good. Is it over already?”
“No, not at all. Band practice went on until the early hours, and I ended up crashing at Brett’s. I didn’t get to see her last night, or the night before. I’m missing her.”
“That’s a shame, although it’s nice to hear you missed someone for once. You never seem to be with one girl longenough for me to know anything about them, but this young lady has been around a while now. The fact you stay there as much as you do must mean you really like her.”
I huff out, still grinning, “Don’t go getting any ideas. We’re taking this for what it is.”
“And what is it exactly?” she questions.
I’d typically hold back from telling Mum any girl stuff, but I want her to know about Cal. “A few weeks ago, I was hoping we could spend the summer together, but we’ve moved on from there. I’ve liked her a long time Mum, despite this starting as a casual gig for both of us. Now it’s a little more than casual for me. It’s getting to a point where I hate it when she’s not around. The thing is, I’m not sure if she feels the same. Cal is pretty focused on her career and finishing her studies.”
“It sounds as if she’s got her head screwed on, Ashton. If you think this girl is really right for you, and she wants to be with you too, you’ll make it work. I know you will.”
