Page 12 of Broken Beyond Repair
“Lower away,” Will said with a wink.
“Hey, did you realise it’s been fifteen years since we graduated?” Sydney said, changing the subject before they could get stuck further in the gutter.
“Did you all study business management with James?” Will asked.
“No, Syd did creative writing, and I did sports science,” Rosie replied. “Greg wasn’t a student. I met him in our final year. Sam was in tow—they’re cousins. They eventually moved in with me and Syd.”
Sydney eyed Sam. His top lip lifted a little at her as if he, too, was remembering their early days together, before things changed.
James leaned forward, swiping his drink from the table. “And I was left to feel like the spare wheel.”
“Until you met Matt and abandoned us for London.”
“Urgh, Matt,” Greg moaned. “I never liked him.”
“Neither did I,” Sam added, trying to restrain a laugh.
James lifted a hand to his heart. “What! Thanks for keeping it to yourselves. You could have saved me the heartache.”
“Oh, you wouldn’t change a thing.” Sydney laughed at him good-naturedly. “You love your job, and you wouldn’t have that without Matt.”
“I’d love it even more if Beatrice Russell was on my books!” he prodded her.
Sydney opened her mouth to say no at the same moment a gong went off inside the hotel. James pulled his lips to one side as everyone got up. He’d got the message.
CHAPTER4
Aroad trip in Gertie couldn’t be beaten. With her many windows giving a panoramic view of the surrounding countryside, and a fresh breeze blowing through her sliding windows, her passengers could connect with all of nature’s elements.
Camper life was great — unless it was raining. Then it was like being in a tin can being shot at by a water cannon. Even so, Sydney felt there was a certain level of satisfaction that came from having everything she needed on hand, not to mention the freedom to go anywhere a gust blew or a whim pulled her.
This morning it was to the harbour, somewhere Sydney had for a few yearscalledhome. She dropped James and Will off at the train station on her way out of the city. James pressed her not to abandon him for too long trying to fulfil her lifetime dreams of being a writer — unless she could fit it around her day job. The chances of that dream coming true were slim to nil. He’d shed a tear as he always did over their goodbyes and forced her to make yet another promise — to call if she changed her mind about Beatrice Russell. She’d told him to suck it, though she hoped she wouldn’t live to regret it.
An hour’s drive through the delightful countryside of the South Downs led her to the coast. As Gertie came to a stop in the dirt beside their old house, Sydney took in the familiar view of the harbour in the distance, where the tall masts of the sailboats were lined up in the marina. It was a strange feeling, being back in a place she’d thought she’d never return to. Now that she was parked in the same spot Gertie would reside in, she almost regretted coming back. Some endings shouldn’t be revisited; time would tell if this was one of them.
Sydney left Gertie to bake in the sunshine and wandered down the path from the house to the boat workshop. It was a path she used to tread regularly with a cup of tea or beer in hand. Sam was working away in his usual spot on a boat engine hanging from a trolley, as if time hadn’t moved.
“Hi, Sam,” Sydney said, half lifting a hand to wave.
“Hey.” Sam wiped his oily hands on a cloth. “You made it.”
Their hug was longer than the awkward one they had shared the previous day. They both relaxed into it as old friends meeting after a long time rather than ex-lovers seeing each other for the first time in years.
“Lovely wedding,” Sam continued.
“Wasn’t it?” Sydney replied, relieved with the familiarity of the subject.
“You made quite an entrance.”
“You know me.”
“I know Gertie,” Sam sniggered, taking a couple of bottles of water from a fridge under the counter.
Sydney smiled. He did know Gertie. It had been the three of them until they had split up, and Sydney had left with Gertie. It was the equivalent of one of them taking the dog.
“Here.” Sam held out a bottle. “Let’s sit outside.”
“Thanks.” Sydney pointed to the fridge. “How many times did I say you needed a fridge in here? Glad you finally listened to me.”
