Page 33 of Strictly Friends
Kenny sighed. ‘Leave it, Ruby. You’re just imagining things.’
She stared at him in irritation, remembering afresh how maddening Kenny could be when he clammed up. Conscious of Jake observing the interaction between his parents, Ruby bit back her response and sipped her fruit juice in silence.
Mac’s question popped into her mind again, and this time Ruby knew the answer. Despite his commendable efforts towards Jake, Kenny wasn’t even close to making things better with her. They needed to speak without Jake present, and soon. It wasn’t just Jake’s future that had to be discussed; it was now painfully clear that until she properly understood Kenny’s past actions, she couldn’t forgive him or, much more importantly, move forward with her own life.
With Priya holding the fort at the office even more effectively than expected, Ruby felt under no immediate pressure to rush back, despite Fi’s hopeful noises. Having come all this way, she wanted to give Jake as much time as possible with his father, but for her own peace of mind, she had to have things out with Kenny. MissIda had offered to babysit Jake whenever Ruby needed, and it was time to take her up on her offer.
Relieved to have reached a decision, Ruby relaxed and tuned back into the conversation between Kenny and Jake.
‘So you see, son, I had to start by learning my way around a boat first. That way, I can fix any engine problems that might happen when I’m out on the water.’
‘That’s so cool! Sam says you take people deep sea diving and that you’re the captain of the boat.’
Kenny chuckled at the awe in Jake’s voice. ‘Sorrel Island might be small, but it’s very eco-friendly with lots of untouched natural habitat to explore, and we always try to give tourists a memorable experience.’
‘Can I come on the boat with you and Sam when you take people out?’
‘If your mum’s okay with it, I’d love to take you with me.’ He looked at Ruby with a silent question, and when she responded with an almost imperceptible nod, Kenny flashed a grateful smile and turned back to Jake.
‘You know what? I’ll take you on a couple of tour bookings next Saturday. Your mum can come too, unless she still gets seasick. Did she ever tell you about the time I took her to the Isle of Wight and how she spent half the weekend throwing up after we went sailing?’
As Jake hooted with laughter, Ruby smiled weakly at the unwelcome memory. Jake looked so cheerful that it would be churlish to ruin the mood by pointing out that she hadn’t felt the need to share any memories of a man who had callously abandoned them. There would be a time to speak her mind and demand proper answers, Ruby reminded herself. Right now, she had to put Jake first, and seeing the joy on her son’s face, her heart swelled in her chest.
You made the right decision, Rubes. Whatever happens.
‘Thanks for the offer,’ she said lightly, ‘but I think the two of you can manage without me. I get sick on a cross-Channel ferry, never mind a small boat.’
‘So, Jake, that’s a date then,’ Kenny said decisively. ‘We’ll do the boat trips in the morning and if you’re still up for it after lunch, you can go horse riding again.’
Jake squirmed in his seat with excitement and was barely able to contain himself when Kenny added, ‘And when you’re a bit older, I’ll teach you how to snorkel. You’ll love the coral reefs and seeing the tropical fish and sea turtles up close. Most of the bays around the island are pretty calm, so it’s ideal for first-timers.’
Trying not to overthink the ‘when you’re a bit older’ part, Ruby covertly observed Kenny from under her lashes.This is the man I remember, she thought sadly.Smiling, upbeat, enthusiastic, and fun... What went wrong with us?
A little later, as they walked into Paradise Inn with Jake between them, holding both his parents’ hands, Ruby couldn’t help the wistful thought that anyone who didn’t know better would imagine they were a happy family returning from a day out.Would it be so impossible to—?
The burgeoning thought died in her mind as her eyes focused on a tall figure in a t-shirt and baseball cap standing by the reception desk chatting to MissIda. He had his back to Ruby and, for a second, she assumed it was Mac. But Mac’s shoulders were not that broad... nor were his arms brown!
As if sensing the scrutiny, the man turned around, and his face broke into a smile. ‘Hi, Rubes.’
Ruby’s eyes widened in shock. ‘Griffin!What on earth are you doing here?’
‘Uncle Griffin!’ Jake screeched, pulling his hands away to rush over to Griffin, who scooped him up into a tight bear hug, almost knocking over a battered guitar case propped against the counter. Placing Jake back on his feet, Griffin reached into a rucksack on the floor and pulled out a threadbare knitted blue rabbit. Holding it up with a cheery grin, he shook the toy gently.
‘You said you needed Jellybean, so I thought I’d better bring him myself!’
23
Ruby rapped on the closed door and strained to hear a reply. There had been no sign of Griffin in the dining room at breakfast and after waving Jake off to play on the beach with Derek and the children, she had checked with MissIda to find out which room she had allocated to her newest guest.
Hearing nothing, Ruby knocked harder. After a few moments, the door opened a crack and Griffin peered through the gap with bleary eyes.
‘Bloody hell, Rubes! Do you know what time it is?’ he mumbled, stepping back to let her in. Wearing nothing but a pair of boxers, he scratched his head, yawned widely, and retraced his footsteps back to bed.
Ignoring the plaintive note in his voice, Ruby marched over to the window and pulled back the thin muslin curtains, letting bright sunlight flood the room. Griffin’s room was smaller than hers, and his balcony faced the side of the house, overlooking MissIda’s immaculately maintained vegetable garden. Taking care not to trip on the rucksack and the open sports bag on the floor, Ruby went over to where Griffin lay prone on the bed.
‘Are you planning to get out of bed today?’ she demanded, ignoring the muffled groan that emerged from his pillow. She sat on the corner of the bed and kicked off her wedges, tucking a legunder her. ‘We’ve been up for hours, and Jake raced through his schoolwork just so he could spend time with you. He got bored of waiting and went down to the beach, so I thought I’d better come and check you were still alive.’
Griffin grunted and rolled over to face her, bunching up a pillow under his head. Even first thing in the morning and suffering from jet lag, the man still managed to look good, Ruby thought enviously.
