Page 36 of You Only Live Once
Jack stuck his nose in his whiskey glass, keeping his eyes averted.
‘You know he turned me down, right?’
‘What?’
‘I only did it because I’d had far too many cocktails. I’d have never gone up to him sober.’
‘Making me feel great over here.’
I waved Jack’s protestations away and looked back to Edward. ‘You should have asked me. It would have been nice.’
‘You turned her down?’ Edward turned to his brother with a confused expression. ‘But I thought you said—’
‘Shall we talk about something else?’ Jack broke in. ‘Have you managed to persuade Father to bestow the title on you instead of me?’
Edward raised a weary brow. ‘What do you think?’
Jack rolled his eyes and took another swig of whiskey before Edward turned back to me.
‘How did I really not know that you were back in the village?’
‘She keeps herself to herself because she doesn’t want to be bothered by oiks like you.’ Jack filled him in and got an elbow to the ribs as a reward.
‘He’s right, to an extent. I live in Meadow Blossom House, but I don’t go out much.’
‘I thought that was owned by some weird old writer woman.’
Jack dragged his hand across his eyes as a huge grin spread across my face. ‘That weird old writer woman would be me.’
‘No, no. This is someone who is really successful apparently. Can’t say I’ve heard of her but not really the sort of thing I read.’
Jack leant down and rested on his brother’s shoulder. ‘I’d stop now if I were you, mate.’
Realisation dawned on Edward’s face. ‘Oh God. It is you, isn’t it?’
I nodded.
‘But someone told me you were old. I mean, not that you’re old, but the woman that lived there. I mean I assumed… maybe I did just assume. Oh hell.’
‘I did tell you to stop,’ Jack reiterated.
‘It’s fine,’ I said, laughing. ‘I’m sure there’s all sorts of rumours around the village about me, but because I tend to stay behind my four walls, I don’t hear them, so it doesn’t bother me.’
‘It shouldn’t bother you even if you did hear them,’ Jack said.
‘No. True. But it’s even easier to ignore things if you don’t know they exist in the first place.’
‘She does have a point,’ Edward agreed. ‘Am I forgiven?’ he asked. I liked Edward. I always had, although he was definitely the quieter of the two brothers, and I hadn’t had a lot to do with him growing up. Now I rather wish I had. He was fun and sweet, and he was good-looking in a quieter, less showy way than his older brother. Not that Jack could help that, but he had certainly made the most of his looks and where they could get him in his earlier years.
‘Of course you are. Although I’m not sure I can forgive you the cheesy chat-up line from earlier.’
‘No, I agree,’ he said. ‘That was unforgivable. I don’t blame you on that front. Nerves get the better of me sometimes.’
‘I think you’re probably best just being yourself.’
‘I’ll remember that.’
‘So, I’m guessing by the fact that you were trying out chat-up lines on Lily that there’s no special someone in your life at the moment?’ said Jack. ‘What about that girl you messaged me about?’
