Page 7 of You Only Live Once
‘You’d get to see the kids more, being close. And us, of course, always a bonus.’ He gave a sweeping gesture as though acknowledging his subjects. My brother could be such a dork at times – but I knew he was also a well-meaning one. ‘Plus, you might be able to give Lily some advice about the wilderness currently surrounding this place.’
‘It’s not a wilderness, it’s… private.’
‘If it was any more private, the postman would need a machete!’
‘Stop exaggerating. It’s not that bad.’
Two pairs of eyes gave me an unconvinced reply. I looked at the screen. ‘It’s really not.’
Jack nodded and gave the kind of awkward smile you do when you have been unwittingly dropped into a family discussion. Not that I thought it was that much of an issue. Besides, the postman had only got lost that once.
Jack gave me that smile again. ‘Felix exaggerates. Always has. How do you think he managed to land a hottie like Poppy?’
‘Oi!’ snapped Felix as the rest of us laughed.
‘Felix is right about one thing, though,’ I began tentatively. ‘Staying here would give you the opportunity to see more of the children. You are their godfather. I know you talk on Skype all the time, but it’s not the same, is it?’ I knew the kids adored Jack and that Felix especially had missed spending time with his closest friend in person since he’d left the country years ago.
Jack gave a small sigh that had a distinct air of sadness about it. ‘No,’ he said. ‘It’s not. But I really do get the feeling this has rather been dropped on you and the last thing I want to do is impose on your privacy.’
‘Like Felix said, it’s a decent size house. We’d probably hardly ever see each other.’
Jack still looked unsure, and if I was honest, there was currently a tiny little person running around my brain screamingwhat are you doing?
The words had just come out as I thought about the benefits for Felix and his family. But had I really just invited Jack Coulsdon-Hart to stay with me? On the screen, Jack yawned widely, politely covering his mouth with his hand. It was then I realised how tired he looked. Exhausted, even. And what did Felix mean about him having lived in featureless rooms for so long? I knew that, sadly, his marriage had failed over in New Zealand. But from what I’d heard, he’d made a good life out there. It wasn’t exactly like he was coming home penniless, plus he was, of course, the heir apparent to a whacking great estate – assuming he hadn’t been disinherited. I’m sure Felix would have told me about that, even if I wasn’t party to the village gossip in general, something I was actually quite happy about. The current Earl and Duchess of Marsden hadn’t been thrilled with their eldest son’s life choices, and disinheritance was always a threat they’d held over him, but I got the impression through Felix that if they were to carry through such a threat, it would be more of a relief than anything else. To Jack, anyway.
‘Good!’ said Felix. ‘That’s settled. I’ll pick you up at the airport as arranged. Cancel those hotel reservations and I’ll bring you straight here. That’s all right, isn’t it, Lily?’
Well, it was a bit late to object now.
‘Absolutely fine.’ I smiled up at the screen and hoped it looked genuine.
* * *
By the time Felix arrived with Jack a couple of days later, I’d thoroughly cleaned the house from top to bottom, arranged a food delivery to restock all the cupboards and fridge and prepared a large lasagne, complete with salad, in case Jack wanted something to eat after his long journey. Having seen him sitting in the insipid hotel room and Felix’s comment about him having spent a good proportion of time in such accommodation, I’d put in extra effort to prepare the room I’d set aside for Jack in a way that made it feel as homely as possible. There was water in a glass carafe on the side, some early blooming fresh flowers picked from my wilderness of a garden in a vase on the dresser, and an assortment of luxury toiletries in the adjoining en suite bathroom. I had no idea of the name of any of the flowers, or indeed if any of them were poisonous. Still, as long as he didn’t choose to eat any of them, he should be fine.
If I’d checked my watch once today, I must have checked it a hundred times. My stomach was all in knots, and I couldn’t concentrate on writing or any other task, for that matter. Bloody Felix and Poppy. I knew this was a terrible idea.
Later that evening, when Jack Coulsdon-Hart walked through my front door behind my brother, I took one look at his exhausted face and saw there was a whole story written there, one I didn’t and might possibly never know. But what I did know was that he needed something more right now than just another soulless hotel room.
Felix dropped down a couple of the bags he’d been carrying and leant over, giving me a peck on the cheek, whispering a ‘thanks’ as he did so. Behind him, the sizeable bulk of man that was Jack filled the doorway, looking hesitant to come in.
‘Come in, come in!’ I tried to cover my own nervousness and insecurities with a bright cheery smile and tone. Jack set his suitcase down as I closed the door behind them and then, as I turned back, my gaze caught his and I immediately knew that he saw straight through me. I did my best to keep the smile in place anyway. Fake it till you make it, I told myself, or something like that.
‘How was the flight?’
‘Yeah, good. Thanks. Kind of long.’
‘Quite. Have you eaten?’ I asked, leading them both through into the kitchen.
‘Just something on the plane earlier, but that’s fine, I’m not really hungry. My body clock is all out of whack at the moment.’
‘That’s OK,’ I said. ‘I’ve done a lasagne, but we can have that tomorrow if that’s all right with you. Oh! I suppose I should have asked whether you were vegetarian or anything?’
‘No,’ he replied, laughing. ‘Definitely still a carnivore I’m afraid, much to the chagrin of my ex-wife.’
I waited in case he planned to elaborate, but it soon appeared that this was the entirety of the sentence.
‘You really didn’t have to cook anything for me anyway,’ he said.
