‘Oh, yeah, I suppose I could’ve. Never mind, water under the bridge and all that.’ Harry didn’t miss the spots of red on Ed’scheeks as he raised his glass of champagne and drained what was left of it. ‘Right, who wants another drink?’ Ed disappeared off towards the kitchen before either of them could reply.
‘Is he all right?’ Kat asked, her smile vanishing into a frown of concern. ‘I was only teasing him about Natasha. We all know she got off with Ed as an excuse to break up with Charlie.’
Harry sighed. ‘I’m not sure what’s going on with him,’ he admitted. ‘Things have been manic at work in the run-up to the holidays so I’ve not had chance to spend a lot of time with him.’ It was true, but it didn’t help Harry feel any less guilty. It might be only by a matter of minutes, but Harry was Ed’s big brother and it was his job to look out for him. He’d been neglecting that responsibility and getting caught up in his own business too much.
Everyone made the mistake of thinking Harry was the more troublesome of the twins, but it wasn’t true. When things had gone wrong, more often than not it had been because of something Ed had done. He’d always been more devil-may-care, act now and apologise later if you happened to get caught. And when things got out of hand with Ed, they could end in real disaster. Like just before they’d turned fourteen, when Ed had dared Harry to go climbing on the treacherous rocks beneath Boscowen Castle known to all the locals as the Hound’s Teeth. That day had changed their lives in so many ways – none of them good.
‘If you want to go and find him, I’ll be okay on my own.’ Kat squeezed his hand then dropped it. The urge to reach for her again, to take more than her hand, was another shock to his system. He’d blame the booze but he’d barely started on his second bottle of beer. This was something else – something new and he wasn’t quite sure what to do about it. Not wanting to let her get away while he tried to figure things out, Harry shook his head. ‘And let Charlie trap you again?’ He lounged back againstthe wall, hoping he looked a lot more relaxed than he was feeling.
‘I doubt he’ll come near me after that act the two of you pulled,’ Kat replied with a grin. ‘But I only popped in here to look for Chloe so I’m heading back to the kitchen anyway so you can play bodyguardandcheck on Ed.’
‘That works for me.’
Her expression grew serious. ‘You really are worried about him?’
Harry shrugged. ‘It’s probably nothing more than me arriving late for the party and him being a couple of drinks ahead of me. Come on.’ He tucked his free hand in his pocket to stop himself from grabbing hers again.
There was no sign of Charlie in the hall, which was good, but no sign of Ed in the kitchen, which wasn’t so great. ‘Maybe he’s outside with everyone else?’ Kat suggested.
Before Harry could reply, Chloe came in from the garden, her eyes lighting up when she spotted Kat. ‘There you are! I was just coming to find you.’
‘And I’ve been looking for you,’ Kat responded with a laugh. ‘But I got waylaid.’
‘Charlie Hicks cornered her,’ Harry put in.
‘Ugh! What’s he even doing here anyway?’ Chloe hooked her arm through Kat’s. ‘Come on, everyone’s outside.’
Harry followed them outside, shivering a little at the difference between the heat of the house and the icy cold air. Most of the people in the garden had abandoned the patio dancefloor and were huddled in groups chatting beneath the warmth of the patio heaters set up in each corner. Harry was relieved to spot Ed talking with their father, two brothers and a tall blond man he recognised as Liam’s business partner, Adam Mountjoy. With Chloe hanging on to Kat, Harry decided to make himself scarce. His cousin was too perceptive for her own goodand he didn’t want anyone cottoning on to these new feelings he had for Kat until he’d had a chance to sort through them himself. He wandered over to join the others. Harry didn’t miss the way his father’s eyes lit up when he saw him. Jago reached out and pulled him close to the warmth of the heater with a quick, one-armed hug. ‘I was just saying to your brothers how happy I am you were able to make it tonight. It’s been too long since I had all my boys together.’
‘Hardly boys, Dad,’ Liam replied with a laugh.
‘Oh, look, I know you think you’re all that now you’re the owner of your own business, but you’ll always be my boys.’
‘You’re getting sentimental in your old age,’ Ed teased.
‘No, I really mean it. You boys mean the world to me and your mum,’ Jago insisted. He was addressing them all, but his eyes were fixed on Harry as he said it.
Harry knew his dad still felt guilty over what had happened, but there were only so many times he could tell him things were okay now. The reason his father felt bad was a Pandora’s box Harry was determined to keep the lid tightly shut on, especially with the mood Ed was in. His father held his gaze a few moments longer as though willing Harry to say something, but this wasn’t the time or the place. After a long minute, his dad gave him a sad smile and shook his head. ‘Well, I’d better go and see what your mum’s up to.’
A swirl of tangled emotions wove through Harry’s gut as he watched his father walk away. As he always did when those unwanted feelings stirred up, he stuffed them down to deal with later. Time to change the subject, and with Adam present, and his dad safely out of the way, he had everyone he needed. ‘I’m glad I’ve got you all in one place because I’ve had an idea and I’d really like your input on it.’
7
Kat and her friends had claimed a prime spot beneath one of the patio heaters and were making good inroads into another bottle. She knew she should probably slow down, but she’d only been half joking earlier when she’d told Ed she planned to drink enough to forget. She glanced at the remaining champagne in her glass and promised herself she’d finish that and then go and find something to eat. ‘So how’s things going with the hotel refurbishment?’ she asked Chloe. ‘Are you ready to get cracking next week?’
‘It would go a lot smoother if Adam bloody Mountjoy would stop constantly interfering.’ She cast a scowling look across the patio to where the man in question was chatting with Harry and his brothers.
Anya gave the kind of long-suffering sigh that told Kat this wasn’t the first time Chloe had complained about him. ‘Oh, come on, Chloe, you know he’s only trying to help. And he was right about moving the bar from where we’d planned it.’
If Anya had intended to mollify Chloe, her comment had the opposite effect. ‘The fact he was right only makes it worse! I’dlike to slap that smug smile right off his face.’ Chloe shot another venomous glance across the patio.
‘I know.’ Anya patted her leg sympathetically. ‘But can you at least wait until the end of our contract before you do?’
Chloe burst out laughing, her mood going from foul to fair in an instant. ‘Okay, I promise.’
‘If things are difficult with Adam, I can speak to Liam about it if you want,’ Issy offered, a small frown creasing her brow.
‘Oh, God, no, that’s the last thing I want! Don’t worry about Adam, I’ll deal with him in my own good time.’ She extended her glass to Issy. ‘What I do want is a top-up. Stop hogging that champagne!’
