Page 49 of Hearts Colliding
Declan and Joss sniggered but he took little notice of them, all his attention on his nan.
“Nothing says love like pizza from Luigi’s.”
Declan, just shut the fuck up…
“Now, boys, you leave him alone. Everybody’s entitled to a private life. Not that there’s much chance of keeping anything private for long in the Harbour. Just as long as you’re not ashamed of what you’re doing, and it’s not going to harm or upset anybody.” Eva raised a brow.
“No, I’m not ashamed.” He’d never be ashamed of Alex. As for the harm and upset, as they weren’t going public that wouldn’t be put to the test.
For the briefest moment, a wet film blurred his vision but he blinked it away. A wave of tiredness crashed over him and all he wanted was to run from the burning light of scrutiny, jump in the car, and hightail it back to Alex. But he couldn’t. He was on shift. He had his duty to fulfil and had to be where he was needed. Only weeks before, it had been all he’d wanted, but now he didn’t know if that could ever again be enough.
CHAPTERTWENTY-SIX
Alex rubbed at the dull throbbing in his temples. The call from London had been the last thing he needed. Investors getting twitchy for no reason, clients wanting to change the spec on a major city centre development at the last moment — these were the reasons he had to be at the helm, 24/7, of the business he’d sweated blood over, not chasing shadows and ghosts in a house he’d soon be consigning to history.
Rummaging in his desk draw, he pulled out the blister of migraine tablets and popped a couple. Dry swallowing them, he drew in a deep breath, one in, one out, calming his nerves and cooling his irritation. Time was racing and he had only minutes to spare before he needed to grab Henry and be out the door and on his way, but first he had his own call to make. His mobile rang at the same time he picked it up. From his corner cushion, Henry barked before he scampered away.
“It’s me.”
Alex smiled. Just hearing Ryan’s voice was good for his nerves.
“I was about to call you—”
“Good, because I need to see you. It’s urgent.”
Alex’s smile faded. “What’s wrong?” The throb in his temples pounded harder, and his heart began to gallop. Down the line, Ryan sighed heavily.
“I wanted to speak to you last night, but I didn’t get a minute. We were so busy in the pub and by the time we’d cleared up—”
“Ryan! What are you talking about? And what’s urgent? Why do you need to see me?”
“I—I think my nan suspects. About us.”
Alex leant against his desk. Complications, which they’d pushed out of sight, pretending they didn’t exist. He closed his eyes as he rubbed his temple. “What makes you think that?”
“She’s… she’s noticed I’ve been distracted.”
“And have you? Been distracted, I mean?”
“What do you think?”
The stress knotting in his stomach, his pounding headache, the urgent need to be gone, all of it faded as Alex smiled.
“She’s smart, Alex, really sharp. She might be an old girl with funny coloured hair, but that’s just a disguise.” Ryan laughed, but there was no humour in it.
“But how can she know? How can anybody? We’ve not given anyone cause to be suspicious.”
Alex walked over to the tall windows. There was only the large, circular driveway, and the path which curved around and disappeared between low, scruffy bushes, making its way towards gateposts that no longer had gates, and the road beyond. The public path on the hill skirted along the side of the house, but it was impossible to see into the drawing room from there. They’d see the front of the house, but that was all — and Ryan had always parked in the old stables at the back, long since converted to garages.
“I know we’ve been careful. Skulking in the house—”
“What?” Alex jerked, and he gripped the phone hard. “Skulking? You make it sound like we’ve been furtive, and sneaking around.” His grip tightened. But it was exactly what they’d been, hiding in the shadows no matter how bright the sun shined.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it to sound, like us to sound…”
As though they were a grubby, shameful secret. Alex squinted, and rubbed his temple again.
“Alex? You still there?”
