Settling himself he pulled his napkin onto his lap and leant in to say good evening to his aunt. Cat saw her deliberately ignore him, choosing instead to turn away and begin a conversation with Étienne with a flutter of false eyelashes. Cat watched her, angered by her blatant rudeness. She noticed her father had seen it too.
‘Glad you could make it, Luke,’ he said getting to his feet and reaching across the table to shake his hand, shooting a cool look in Evie’s direction. Étienne followed suit, leaving Evie shocked and surprised as he deliberately cut her off mid-sentence to add his welcome. As the waitresses arrived with the first course Cat observed the scene quietly, secretly enjoying her discomfort.
As they ate, Cat watched events unfolding across the table. Luke appeared completely at ease during the meal, polite and charming to everyone. Jordan, in contrast, became quiet and sullen, pushing his food around his plate, drinking far too much wine and glaring at everyone. Unhappy, no doubt, because his cousin appeared to be the person everyone wanted to talk to. Luke didn’t seem aware of Jordan’s animosity and entertained everyone with stories about his recent travels
‘So at last your fun time is over? You begin the serious work now?’ Étienne raised a curious eyebrow as the waiter circled the table once more, refilling glasses.
Luke was about to respond but, before he could reply, Gareth got to his feet, the flush in his cheeks indicating more than a few glasses of red had already passed his lips.
‘Can I have your attention, please.’ He tapped his fork noisily against his glass, ‘Étienne’s comment has made me realise this might be an opportune time to break some news,’ he said, grabbing another mouthful of wine before setting the glass down and swaying unsteadily. ‘The Capricorn Group’s current Service Director, Roger Clarke, is due to retire soon. He’s been with the company for over thirty-five years, working first for my father and then for me.’
‘Gareth, do sit down.’ Evie tugged at his shirtsleeve. ‘I’m sure no one here is interested in hearing about Roger’s retirement.’
‘Will you let me finish, please?’ He pulled his arm free and frowned at her before continuing.
‘I did think at one time he’d be irreplaceable. However, now my nephew is back from his travels …’ he reached around Nathan and patted Luke’s shoulder ‘… I think he would make an ideal replacement. And that is why I’m planning to offer him the job. That’s if he’ll take it, of course.’ He flashed a smile at Luke.
The whole room fell silent. All eyes were on Luke. It was clear from his shocked expression he knew absolutely nothing about this.
‘Gareth!’ Evie shot her husband an angry glare and yanked at his sleeve again. ‘For goodness’ sake,’ she hissed.
‘Sorry.’ Gareth gazed at everyone in turn before lowering himself slowly into his seat. ‘I guess I got a little carried away. My apologies.’
Still looking a little dazed from the news, Cat saw Luke suck in a heavy breath. He looked extremely uncomfortable and she didn’t miss the hate-filled glare Jordan shot him.
‘I can see this has come as something of a surprise,’ Étienne remarked, eyeing the still silent Luke as he dabbed his lips with his napkin. ‘But it is a wonderful opportunity, no? And such an honour to be given this senior job in your uncle’s company, eh?’
‘Yes, yes it is,’ Luke agreed, acknowledging Étienne with a brief smile. ‘Such a shock though, I never imagined …’ He shook his head and stared at the remnants of his meal. Moments later, Anton and the team arrived to clear away. Luke simply sat there as his plate was taken away, his eyes downcast, frowning silently. Nathan rescued the awkward moment by getting to his feet and waving the dessert menu to attract everyone’s attention.
‘Right listen, please! I’m about to read out pudding options.’
Anton hovered, ready as usual to explain the contents of each item on the menu – something Evie always seemed to insist on before she made her choice. Cat had no idea why a slim, attractive woman with no known food allergies had to do this. It could be a throwback from her modelling days she supposed, but she simply couldn’t imagine a life where you had to analyse everything before you decided whether or not to put it in your mouth.
Choices made, Anton disappeared. Cat heard Étienne asking her father when he planned to visit him in Garda. Ruan’s response was that he’d love a return visit but only when the busy summer season was over. He spoke of September or October. Nathan shot her a look across the table as if to say ‘we need to talk about this.’ She knew as well as he did that they were capable of looking after the hotel for a few weeks while their father spent some quality time with his old friend. He desperately needed a break but their biggest difficulty, she knew, would be persuading him to go. As she looked at her brother again, a nod towards Ruan and a sly wink indicated Nathan obviously had an idea; one which they would discuss later.
Gareth’s embarrassing moment seemed all but forgotten as the topic turned to golf and the men discussed their planned trip to Ruan’s club the following morning. As they argued about handicaps and other golf jargon she didn’t understand a word of, the door opened and a dark-haired waitress arrived carryingthe desserts on a large tray. Cat saw Jordan’s eyes stray lazily in her direction, watching her as she selected two of the dishes and began distributing them around the table. It took a moment for her to identify the girl as the hotel’s new waitress, Marika Stefanski. As she placed Jordan’s Eton Mess in front of him he gifted her with one of his killer smiles. Marika smiled back and arched her eyebrows provocatively. Gareth cleared his throat, frowning at his son, who ignored him, continuing to watch with interest as she left the room, closing the door quietly behind her. Cat saw him smile secretly to himself and then the moment was gone. By the end of the evening he’d probably have forgotten her because although Marika might be very pretty, Jordan certainly wasn’t into dating waitresses.
Chapter Eleven
Watching Luke across the table as he chatted to Ruan, Jordan tried to pinpoint when his hatred for his cousin had begun. It always seemed to have been there, hovering in the background like a painful open cut that never quite managed to heal. He begrudged the money his father paid out on Luke’s education, something that sent his mother into a frenzy every time it was mentioned. Then there was the way he had been humiliated, having to confirm to a school friend who was staying for the weekend that the scruffy gypsy in front of them was indeed his cousin. Of course it wouldn’t have happened if his friend hadn’t insisted on visiting Carrenporth’s small port to see the fishing boats. Living in the town, an opportunity to see real trawlers and the fishermen unloading their catch was something he didn’t want to miss.
Coming across Luke shabbily dressed in an oil-spattered jumper and worn jeans he decided to avoid him. Even though he called out to him, Jordan hurried past, leaving his cousin frowning at the pair of them as they made off. And then like some great fierce giant with his huge beard and bright ginger hair, Ross Carrack appeared out of the depths of the trawler ahead of them. He’d clambered onto the quayside and blocked their path. In a booming voice he reminded Jordan of who he was and the connection to the scruffy urchin he had been so desperate to avoid. His sermon over, he hauled himself back onto the trawler, calling for Luke to join him.
After that demeaning experience which cost him a friendship and made him a laughing stock at school, all he could think about was revenge. He didn’t have to wait long. A vicious summer storm took Ross and his trawler to the bottom of the sea. But annoyingly Luke prospered. His mother’s suicidealmost a year later hadn’t seen him being shipped off by social services into foster care as his mother had predicted. Instead, he moved in with them, and his father had paid for everything: clothes, education, and even his two years’ travelling. Nothing, it appeared, was too good for Selina’s son. Jordan remembered the feeling of being cast aside; as if he no longer mattered. And now here Luke was, being offered a director’s job. Jordan’s gloom deepened, as did his need for payback. He didn’t know how it would happen, only that it would. And when it did maybe his father would open his eyes and see what a complete fool he’d been putting his trust in someone as undeserving as Luke Carrack.
‘What the hell did you do that for?’
Gareth Hunter loosened his tie and turned to face his wife. This had been brewing all the way home. In fact, he sensed his wife’s hostility long before that in her hate-filled stare the moment he’d made his announcement.
‘I’m sorry, Evie,’ he said as he helped himself to a whisky and turned back to face her. ‘I guess I got carried away. Convivial atmosphere and all that.’ He raised his glass cheerfully.
‘Carried away? Carried away?’ Her voice was shrill. ‘You made a complete arse of yourself and did a great job of humiliating our son.’
‘Ah,’ he took a slug of his whisky, ‘now we’re getting to the heart of the matter. Our son.’
‘Yes, our son. The one who had to sit there listening while you handed a plum job to your sister’s bastard.’
Gareth took another mouthful and set the glass down on the coffee table. ‘I wish you wouldn’t refer to Luke in those terms.’ He glared at her, hating the offensive manner she always adopted when talking about Luke.
