“She’s not yours either. And she wouldn’t be interested in an old fucker like you.”
His eyes burned. “Who says she has to be interested?”
I didn’t respond. I just walked away, not even slamming the door.
Jameson wasatCòctelswhen I got there, my mood no better than it had been twenty minutes ago when I’d left Colm. She was wearing that yellow dress, the one that made her look like a character from a movie or a book. She looked like sunlight and lazy days in an English beer garden.
I didn’t go over to her like I wanted to; we didn’t do affection in public – that wasn’t me and I wasn’t sure if it was her either, and this wasn’t anything more than a regular hook up.
It couldn’t be.
But I did notice that her smile wasn’t as wide as normal, that she didn’t have her usual glow. She was with her sister, Lala, and the rest of their gang, some of whom I’d gotten to know a little more.
“Your girl doesn’t look right.” One of my bar staff passed on their observations as soon as I walked in. “She’s quiet.”
“She’s always quiet.”
I didn’t correct them calling her my girl. It felt weird, uncomfortable, but also a little bit right.
I dumped a box I’d picked up from the post office on the way over behind the bar and then headed outside to where Jameson was sitting. She was drinking coffee while the rest were on their cocktails, which wasn’t that surprising.
“You okay?” I bent my head down to speak to her.
She turned to look up at me, her eyes too full of trust. “Lala’s heading out to London and Paris for a couple of weeks – longer than we thought.”
Shit. I wasn’t keen on that for reasons Jay didn’t know. “You’ll get some peace then.” It was the best I could come up with.
“Kind of. There’s shit going on at home.” She murmured the words.
“Like what?” I knew. From when she’d told me about what she’d overheard in the beach hut, I’d been building a bigger picture. Watching. Speaking to her mother.
Livi wasn’t an untouchable princess. I’d watched her over the summer, paid more attention than I had done before. She carefully constructed her world around her, choosing her players wisely so she could ensure her image stayed unquestionable. It was what made her safe.
She invested in charities on the island, supported local artists and businesses by sharing their details on social media, had a smile for everyone. Anyone who posed a threat, like I knew Marcus and his father did now, she moved them away, as if they were a chess piece that no longer had any worth and could be sacrificed.
I’d called her about what Jameson had overheard, told her about Ash. She’d been quiet, thoughtful, asking a handful of questions, more about me than anything, as if she needed to check that I was suitable to be around her daughter.
“Look after her. She isn’t like Lala, she isn’t bombproof.”
“I will.”And I meant it. I knew by then the only way I’d hurt her would be by ending it between us because we had an expiry date, and I’d hurt worse.
“I know you will. Maybe more than you think.”
I thought I didn’t know what she meant, pretended she was being strange, that ethereal island princess, but I knew just from watching her she read people better than a librarian could read a book. That was her talent.
I looked at Jameson now, her mother’s features obvious, but she was so fucking beautifullyher. Right then I wanted to fix everything, make everything in her world better. The fierceness I felt burned.
“What’s going on, Jameson?”
“You got ten minutes?”
I nodded, taking her hand and pulling her up off the seat. “Let’s go upstairs.”
There were a few whistles from her friends as we walked away, all of which we ignored. I led her through the bar to the back area where the narrow stairs to the flat above were. She’d been here a few times, when we’d snuck away in the day and I’d made her come on my bed, the dappled light from the curtains that never closed properly kissing her body.
“What’s happened?”
“Livi and Lawrie are splitting up.”
