Page 89 of Marley
“You know anything?” Maca directed his question to Ash. He was obviously unaware that she was with me when he’d called.
She shakes her head no, but then calls out to Bailey, “He won’t hurt her.”
Everyone once again turned in her direction.
“Hang on a minute, Fin, hang on,” my dad said as he sat down the phone.
“What?” Bailey and Maca both said at once.
She looked up at me, terrified, and I watched her throat move as she swallowed. Then she pulled her classic Ash pose; shoulders back, chin out, that was my girl. She walked farther into the room.
“He won’t hurt her. I spoke to him at the wine bar last week.” She turned and looked in my direction as she said it, probably because she knew that it was news to me. “I popped over there after work with Lorna before going out one night and he was there.”
“And?” Bailey snapped, and that was exactly what his neck would be doing if he talked to her like that again.
“He was half cut and told me that he was in love with George, that he’d planned a future for them together, but if Sean was what she wanted, then he would stand aside and let her be happy.” She looked around at everyone, looking them in the eye, but I could see her fingers and thumbs rubbing together. I knew she was nervous. “He loves her. He’d never hurt her.”
Maca ran his hand through his hair, then over his beard. His shoulders slumped, and I knew what he was thinking in an instant.
“She’ll be back.” I told him, but he shook his head no.
“What about Georgia? Has she said anything about him to you?” He asked.
“Na, I’ve hardly seen her the last coupla weeks. She’s been with you all the time.”
“What about you, Jim?”
“Na, same as Ash. I’ve hardly seen her.”
I’ll call you back in a sec, Fin.” My dad ended his call, just as a wide-eyed Georgia came through the door. She stopped in her tracks and looked at all of us. It was a classic ‘deer in headlights’ moment as she took us all in.
“Where thefuckhave you been, George?” Bailey jumped in first.
My dad moved towards her and wrapped her in his arms. “Princess, you scared the fuckin’ life outta me. Don’t ever, and I meanever,do that again!”
Princess? Fucking Princess? My sister seriously got away with murder.
I watched Maca, watching ‘Princess George’ with a look of ... I don’t know what, on his face. He looked relieved, but still worried. She was back, unharmed by the look of things, but he was obviously as curious as me to know where it was exactly that she’d been all day.
I tune Bailey out as he bollocked my sister and told her what a selfish little bitch she was, and I had to say, I agreed with him on that score.
Georgia made her apologies to everyone, which I was surprised at. Usually she’d just storm off and slam doors, but she took it on the chin and said sorry. I actually thought she meant it.
I gestured to Ash that it was time for us to go. Now that I knew G was safe, I wasn’t hanging around to listen to her get a Frank special. He could go on for hours, my dad, when you displeased him, to the point where your ears would bleed.
By the time we got back to my place, Ash was tired and I was starving, so we called out for pizza and got back on the sofa to watch ‘The Untouchables.’
Mrs. Cooper, our cleaning lady, came over and helped me make a shepherd’s pie on Saturday, and wrote me a list of what I needed to buy for a Sunday roast.
Milo was out with Georgia and Maca while they looked at houses. Everything seemed to be sweet with them when I called to check that morning. I read the shopping list out to Dave over the phone and sent him to the shops to get everything that I needed.
Working for rock stars can be seriously dangerous work at times, I kid you not. Just ask Dave.
Ashley had hardly said a word since she got here. Yesterday was the most I’d heard her speak, and the majority of what she had to say was aimed at other people. I wasn’t sure if she still had the hump with me Saturday afternoon when I leaned against the bedroom door and asked her if she’d like to get out of bed and eat, or if she wanted me to bring her food in on a tray.
The antibiotics had taken full affect at that stage. Her voice wasn’t as croaky, and she wasn’t coughing as much. She’d had some colour in her cheeks for the past few days, and I couldn’t help but notice how pretty she looked as she contemplated my question, quietly.
“I’ll have a bath and then I’ll get up, if that’s all right?” Her reply finally came.
