He gives me a stiff smile, which is out of character for him. “I don’t know, but I plan on getting to the bottom of it.” He clenches his fist in his lap. “Has she said anything to you?”
I shake my head. “Not a damn thing. You two ever going to accept you like each other?”
His laughter is subdued. “I think that ship has sailed. Besides, I can’t do that to my brother, you know.”
He is loyal, it’s one of the reasons we all became friends. We were a motley crew, with our quirks and flaws. Maybe it’s what brought us together. “Talk to him; he might surprise you.”
He shrugs with indifference, but he can’t ignore it forever.
There’s a knock at the open door, and when I peer over Henry’s shoulder, I see Charlie with Simon on his heels.
“Well, damn, look what the cat dragged in.” I stand and walk around to greet Simon, Sophie and Felicity’s best friend.
“Heard you had a fight with a car and lost,” he says, smiling and pulling me in for a quick man-hug.
“Henry, this is Simon, Selene’s godfather.”
“Hey, man.” Henry nods and stands. “I need to get back downstairs,” he says and leaves us to it.
“I wasn’t sure if you were here, but thought I’d check,” says Charlie. “Just picked him up from the airport and thought we’d stop by before going to surprise Sophie at work.”
“She’s going to lose it when she sees you, man.”
He puffs out his chest and then smooths down an eyebrow. “Can you blame her?”
We all laugh. He’s been living in New York. He comes back when he can, but Charlie told me how much she and Felicity both miss him when he’s not here.
“Ryan not with you?” I ask.
“No, he’s coming out in a week or two.”
“Cool, we can do a lads’ night, then?”
He holds out his hand and shakes mine. “You bet ya.”
I look at my wrist and see it’s almost eleven. “Don’t suppose I can bum a lift off you? I can’t drive yet, but I need to clear some shit up with Rachel…”
“Of course, but she’s not at work. Soph said something about her needing to take some time off…something about Marcus and Dubai.”
“What the fuck? Can you drop me to hers on the way?”
“Yeah, no worries.”
Charlie pulls over at the end of the cul-de-sac, and I cut through the bollards on foot. I’m approaching the block of flats when I see Rachel jogging towards the curb. My heart speeds up. She’s beautiful.
“Got it,” she calls out, waving a passport in her hand.
“Hurry up, Mummy. We’ll miss the plane.”
I stop walking, my feet rooted to the pavement.The plane?The car door slams shut and I hear the rev of the engine as the car pulls away. I have to sit on the wall to catch my breath.
What the fuck?
My mind goes into overdrive. She’s taken some time off work… She and Molly were in a car on their way to the airport…
A sudden coldness hits my core. How could she, and not even talk to me first? I rub my temple, my chest tight.
This can’t be happening.
