He looked at her more closely for the first time. He’d been so wrapped up in his own thoughts he hadn’t noticed the glamorous clothes she was wearing, nor that she was fully made-up and smelt heavenly. ‘You’re going out.’
‘I am,’ she said, stepping forward and resting her hands on his shoulders. ‘Don’t I get a proper hug?’
His kid sister couldn’t be resisted. ‘Sure,’ he said with a smile.
But he really wasn’t in the mood. In the end it was Lucy doing the hugging and he was the huggee. He sat down on the sofa with relief.
‘Well done for submitting to it,’ she said wryly.
‘Sorry.’ He grimaced. ‘I’m out of practice.’ He took another sip of the wine, enjoying the cool numbing effect. He was drinking more than usual, but he liked how it blunted the edges of a reality he no longer felt he fitted into.
‘That’s no good.’
He focused on his wine and his thoughts as Lucy went into the kitchen and returned with a plate of food and a couple of slices of sourdough bread. His mouth watered. Lucy was the best cook.
‘Here,’ she said, setting the plate on the coffee table beside him. ‘Eat before you drink any more.’
‘Thanks. I’m hungry.’
‘I thought you might be. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have turned up at my door just before dinner.’
‘Aren’t you eating?’
‘No, I’m eating out.’
He raised an eyebrow as he buttered a piece of bread. ‘Where?’
‘What are you, my keeper?’
‘I’m your big brother; same thing. So… big date?’
‘A date. Too early to tell if it’s big or not. Not enough information about him.’
He pulled out his phone. ‘I’ll do some digging if you like. What’s his name?’
‘Oliver,’ she said, as she turned away, rummaging in her capacious handbag and pulling out her keys.
Dan rolled his eyes. ‘Surname?’
‘Don’t know.’
‘You don’t know the full name of the person you’re meeting?’
‘I know he looks good, talks good, and he makes me feel good.’
Dan shrugged and slid his phone back into his pocket. ‘Oh well, in that case, I guess you have all you need to know.’
‘I guess I do.’
As he munched on the salad he watched her check her reflection in the mirror. From the satisfied smile on her face he could tell all was well. He walked up behind her and caught sight of his own reflection beside Lucy’s. They looked similar with their blonde hair — the only blondes in the family. But Lucy looked exquisite and he, well he just looked exhausted, his eyes dull. He quickly looked back to her.
‘You look gorgeous. Hope he’s worth the trouble.’
‘Time will tell,’ she said with a smile, turning to him and placing a kiss on his cheek. ‘I’m off in a minute. I want to call in on Mum before I go. Stay and finish your dinner.’
‘Cool.’ He looked around with relief, suddenly seeing the apartment as a refuge, especially if he’d be on his own. He loved his little sister but he preferred his own company at the moment. ‘I think I will.’ He stepped out onto the small balcony that overlooked the village street and glanced around. Lucy joined him.
From up here he could see the sea at the end of the street one way, and the sharply rising escarpment at the other. It gave him a different perspective on the place. Lucy was a queen in this world. Two doors down was her café, and the family home of MacLeod’s Cottage wasn’t far away. And, in between, the village was full of friends, relatives and strangers. Or, as Lucy would see them, people who were yet to be friends. Not for the first time, Dan wondered why Lucy loved keeping her world constrained. For someone so extrovert he couldn’t help thinking she could conquer the world if she wanted to. But she evidently didn’t want to. And he wasn’t sure why not.
