‘Why? What’s happened? Luke, you’re not making any sense. Is it anything to do with that …’ She pulled the phone away from her ear angrily. ‘He rang off,’ she said, looking across at Jodie, her eyes spiking with moisture.
‘What did he say?’ Jodie asked quietly, her concerned expression indicating she realised something was wrong.
‘He’s sorry to have missed me but there’s some business he has to take care of before we can meet,’ Cat said, staring at her phone. ‘He says he’ll be in the club this evening around nineand he’ll explain everything then.’ She looked up at Jodie. ‘He sounded serious, Jodie. It has to do with that woman, doesn’t it? Why is she here? What the hell is going on?’
‘I don’t know. I only wish I did,’ Jodie replied. ‘It’s probably not what you think though.’
‘I don’t know what to think,’ Cat said, shoving her mobile back into her bag and wiping her eyes, her emotional moment over. ‘Do you know, when he confessed what had gone on with Marika and the lies he’d told to cover himself, I asked him if there was anything else in his past that might affect our relationship. He swore there wasn’t and promised he would never lie to me again. But he has.’ She shook her head sadly. ‘How could he do that to me?’
A couple of miles out of Carrenporth, Luke found a pub with a garden overlooking the sea. He ordered lunch, white wine for Tanya and a beer for himself, and they settled on a wide wooden terrace decorated with colourful hanging baskets and tubs.
‘So,’ he said, stretching out and enjoying the warmth of the sun on his face. ‘How did you discover what had happened to me?’
‘Believe it or not, you made the national papers,’ she said, sipping her wine. ‘I couldn’t believe someone like you could have killed anyone. When we were in Bali, out of all the guys there you were the best,’ she added. ‘So I drove down here; called into the local pub and they told me where to find you.’
‘You went to The Smugglers?’
‘Sure I did. They were real nice people, too … though some of them had funny accents.’ She giggled. ‘But they were really sweet. And now here we are.’
‘Tanya, I don’t know what’s prompted your decision to come here …’
‘To see you, of course, silly. I thought maybe …’
The arrival of lunch halted the conversation for a moment. ‘Mmm, this is wonderful,’ Tanya said as she tucked into her prawn sandwich. ‘Anyway, as I was saying, I thought there may be a chance you and I might get together again—’
‘I need to stop you there,’ Luke interrupted, setting his burger back on the plate and wiping his mouth with his serviette. He’d so wished it wasn’t her reason for coming here today. The last thing he needed on his first day of freedom was to have to untangle yet another problem. ‘Tanya,’ he said with a shake of his head, ‘it was one night and we’d both had too much to drink. Besides, next morning you were gone leaving a one line thank you note. No explanation, nothing.’
‘I had to leave in a hurry. I had a text. There had been an accident. You remember Tash, one of the girls I arrived with? Well she had broken her leg and was concussed. I had to get to Flores in a hurry.’
‘But why didn’t you explain that in your note? Or leave your number so I could contact you?’
‘I don’t know,’ she said sadly. ‘I guess when I read the text I panicked. I’m so sorry, Luke. I realised when I got home how much I missed you. I had no idea how to find you and then, as if by magic, there you were all over the tabloids. And now I’m here it looks as if I’ve arrived too late.’
‘Something like that.’ he agreed quietly, watching her wrestle with her disappointment and unsure of what was coming next. The last thing he wanted to have to deal with was an emotional outburst in a pub garden rapidly filling up with lunchtime customers.
She sat quietly for a moment then reached for her wine and took a large mouthful. Finding her bag and a tissue she dabbed her eyes, expelled a deep breath and pasted on a watery smile. ‘Oh, what the hell.’ She gave a shrug. ‘I took a chance coming here and it hasn’t worked out. I’ve no one to blame but myself.I should have known someone like you wouldn’t stay single for very long. So,’ she played with the stem of her glass, ‘who is this new woman in your life? Come on, tell me about her.’
She sat quietly as Luke told her about Cat and when he finished she simply smiled and said, ‘I’m very disappointed but glad you’re happy.’
‘Thank you.’ Luke relaxed, relieved a potential difficult situation appeared to have been avoided. ‘And now I want to hear all about you. What have you been up to since your return?’
‘Me? Oh, I’m working in London at the moment … in advertising.’
‘It must pay well. That’s a pretty expensive car out there in the car park.’
‘My dad bought it for me,’ she volunteered with an amused smile. ‘A sort of welcome home present, and he owns the company I work for, which helps.’
‘Lucky girl.’
‘Yes, I suppose I am,’ she said staring thoughtfully into her empty glass.
‘Another drink?’
‘Better not, I’m driving,’ Tanya said as she checked her watch, ‘and it’s time for me to head back to London. Thank you for lunch, it was lovely to see you again.’
Luke settled the bill and they walked slowly back to the car park.
‘I hope Cat realises how lucky she is to have someone like you,’ she said as she used her remote to unlock the car.
