Page 29
‘I’m well, thanks, Mr Bartoli-Barr.’
‘Hey!’ Rocco said as he peered in at Bella. He smelt of cigarettes and a very strong woman’s perfume that clashed with his own Davidoff Cool Water aftershave.
‘The whole village is out of power,’ Maria said, glancing up. ‘We were on our way to Douglas’s to pick Rocco up when everything went black. It was so creepy, like something in a horror film.’
‘Could you not manage to walk home yourself?’ Frankie said to her brother with an eye roll.
‘Have you seen the weather?’ Rocco said. ‘It’s blowing a hoolie!’
‘Yeah, he wouldn’t want to risk messing up his hair,’ Jay said, then gave a chuckle.
‘Oi, when did you two start ganging up on me?’ Rocco complained.
Frankie cleared her throat. ‘Any goss from tonight?’
‘Nah, just the usual. All fuelled by cheap beer, paint-stripper vodka and some horrendous Bulgarian stuff being passed off as red wine.’
‘I swear you’re the only twenty-year-old who takes a bottle of expensive red wine to a party,’ Frankie said.
‘And I’m not doing that again. I saw some idiot adding lemonade to it. It was a Chianti Classico!’
‘And one you’re going to have to replace because your nonna brought that round for us to have on Christmas Day!’ their mum Maria said.
Rocco pulled a face. ‘Oh, shi… sugar,’ he quickly corrected himself as Maria gave him a stern look.
She laughed, then peered closely at Frankie and Jay, and Frankie was glad it was dark because she was sure she was blushing. Could her mother be a mind-reader and know they’d nearly kissed? Or had they nearly kissed? Was it just in Frankie’s imagination because she wanted it to be true?
‘You’re both soaking!’ her mum said in puzzlement.
‘The roof of your shed blew off,’ Jay said. ‘Frankie was worried about the music so we carried everything into the garage.’
‘Thanks, guys! I’ve some Motown classics there.’ Frankie’s dad went over to the window and looked out at the garden to inspect the damage from afar.
Maria took a step back from the whelping box. ‘I think Bella’s done. She’s calm now and her breathing’s fine. Six puppies, eh! I’ll get the vet to give her a check over in the morning. Oh they’re little beauties, aren’t they! What a good girl. Let’s clean her up. And she’ll need fresh water.’
‘I’m on it!’ Frankie’s dad said.
Maria pulled a large copper saucepan down from the rack hanging above the range cooker. ‘Go get some more logs for the burner, Rocco,’ Maria said as she got the milk out of the fridge and poured it into a saucepan. ‘Jay, call your mum. She’ll want to know you’re safe as the weather’s atrocious. You can stay the night in Rocco’s room, we’ve still got that camp bed at the back of his wardrobe.’ She turned on one of the gas rings and lit it with a long match. ‘Right, I’m going to make Bella some scrambled eggs and us all hot chocolate and you can both tell me all about tonight’s drama.’
Frankie and Jay exchanged a shy smile. Frankie knew there would be some points of the evening she would omit from telling her mother.
CHAPTER 14
ROCCO, NOW
Rocco ambled slowly along the edge of the loch, on the Monday afternoon, absent-mindedly looking for stones that would make good skimmers. He stood on the shoreline, then with a well-practised flick of his wrist, threw one of the flat round stones he’d collected. It skimmed across the surface of the water then swept upward slightly; once… twice… three times… plop. It sank into the water. Rolling another stone over in the palm of his hand, he gazed out at the little circles in the loch.
He threw the next stone. One… two… and was distracted by a honey-coloured spaniel whizzing past him and launching itself in the water.
Rocco turned to see Frankie walking toward him, numerous leads dangling from her arm.
‘I wonder when Sally will work out it’s not a ball you’re throwing. How’s your leg?’
Rocco shrugged. ‘It’s fine now. Is that Bruno?’ He peered round Frankie to look at the dog trailing a little behind.
‘It certainly is.’
Hearing his name the boxer padded over to Rocco, sat down beside him and solemnly looked out over the water.
