Page 70 of Meeting Mr. Adorkable
“I tell you what you’re doing, Francine. You’re putting our friendship on the line. Yes, I was a mess after Tony. I won’t deny it. But do you think you know everything that happened? You don’t. You only know what I’ve chosen to share with you, and nothing else.”
“Arlo, please. I just don’t want you getting hurt again.”
Arlo snorted. “Yeah, well, you’ve sure got a strange way of showing it. Maybe he will go back home, but maybe he won’t. But that’s for us to discuss, and for us to decide. What we don’t need is any of your help,” he said, spitting out the word, “which is only the interference of a controlling busybody who can’t keep herself out of anybody else’s business. Isn’t whipping Hank’s ass enough for you without trying to do the same to mine? Let me tell you this, lady, you’re not doing that to me. Keep your nose out of my and Lucian’s business.”
Francine reared back, gasping, as Arlo pushed himself to standing.
“Hey, that’s enough, Arlo!” Hank jumped to his feet, his chair toppling to the floor.
“Yeah, buddy, you’re right. It is enough. What I do with my life, and whomever I do it with, isn’t any of her business.” He jammed his forefinger at Francine. “I reckon Gomer’s not the only one around here you need to keep on a leash.”
CHAPTERTHIRTY-FOUR
Lucian settled himself in front of his laptop and clicked the link. A moment later, his mum appeared on screen, thousands of miles away.
“Hey, honey!” Her bright smile and warm voice tugged at the homesickness he’d all but forgotten about. Behind her, he could see an orange and yellow flame crackling in the enormous stone fireplace, its mantle crammed with the many family photographs she liked to surround herself with. “Look who’s come to say hi.” She ducked out of sight of the camera for a second, reappearing to hold up a small, grizzled mutt of a dog.
“Wally!” Lucian cried. He put out his hand, as though he could reach through the screen to ruffle the dog’s rough fur. Wally yapped and lurched forward. Lucian could swear his daft little dog was smiling. The tug of homesickness became a hard yank.
“So, honey, how are things working out in cowboy country?”
“They’re working out good.” More than good.”
Out of sight of the camera, Lucian wrung his hands together. It was time to tell her about Arlo, but it was also time to tell her he wouldn’t be booking his flight home anytime soon. The knots in his gut pulled and tightened.
“That’s great, honey, it really is. Although, I still don’t understand why you chose to—okay, okay,” she said, holding up one hand in surrender as with the other she hugged Wally to stop him from trying to crawl through the computer screen. “But you’ll be coming home soon, and oh my goodness, I for one will be so happy to see you again.
“I’ve missed my baby boy sooo much. Lucian, honey, Danebury has not been the same without you, not at all. Eddie and Bella feel the same. We were saying, just a couple days back, that maybe it’s time for you to come home, now you’ve had some time out. It’s too late for you to work on dressing the house for our Christmas events because those arrangements have already been agreed, but we have the New Year’s Eve ball where you can work your floral magic. We’ve already amended Danebury’s website to announce your impending return from your sabbatical.”
Sabbatical? Was that what they were calling leaving home to go halfway around the world to take time out from the shit storm his life had become?
“You’ll be thrilled with what we’ve got arranged for when you get home…”
He had to stop her, but she was a huge truck heading straight for him, freezing him in its headlights.
“Mum…”
“Honey, the perfect premises have become available in the middle of the high street in the village. We’ve already spoken to the landlord…” She laughed. “Which was all fine and dandy, of course, as we are the landlord.”
The offer to set him up in business, his own florists… He’d forgotten all about it, and here was his mum, laying it all out in front of him as a done deal. She was talking, but he couldn’t hear a word of it. He had to say it now, to stop it all in its tracks.
“You probably need a couple weeks to wrap everything up, but maybe we can agree on a date so we can book you a flight home. Oh, here’s Eddie.”
Lucian’s brother appeared, pulling up a chair next to their mum. His wide grin split his face in two.
“Hello, Lu. Has Mum been filling you in on what we’ve got planned for you?”
What we’ve got planned for you… Lucian’s stomach hollowed; he opened his mouth to speak, but nothing came out.
“This is a great outcome,” Eddie went on, their mum smiling and nodding in agreement. “You’ll have the independence of having your own enterprise, but still be working alongside the core Danebury business — but just at a bit of a distance, as we don’t want any more bee and bride incidents.” A slap on his arm and a deadly glare cut off Eddie’s guffaw. “Sorry. It was just a joke. Clearly not a very funny one.”
Lucian jumped into the microsecond of silence.
“A great outcome for whom? Thanks for planning my life without consulting me.”
His mum and brother gave him identical stares. Guilt spasmed in his gut. They had talked about this before he left, but he’d been too ground down in the dirt to do anything other than nod and agree with a disinterested murmur.
“Lucian, we’ve only got your best interests at heart. Just like we always have.” Thousands of miles away, his mum’s lips curved downwards, her whole being dripping with hurt.
