Page 107 of Just Like in the Movies

Helena knew, she realised, about her and Luke, and she approved.

And suddenly, Ruby’s bed hair, and the sweats and what she’d been doing with Helena’s son not five minutes ago didn’t matter nearly as much as all the wonderful emotions suffusing her heart.

She’d always known she couldn’t have Matty back, but having Helena here felt almost like the next best thing.

Helena stepped back and smiled. ‘Your wonderful team have been showing me round the theatre,’ she said, switching from intense emotion to practicalities in a heartbeat, like a pro. ‘It really is such a marvellous place. I can feel Matty here in every nook and cranny. And I know this is where he healed. So, I have a proposition for you that I hope you will accept.’

Ruby wiped her eyes, the tears having welled over at some point. ‘You … you do?’ she said, still struggling to get a grip on the conversation.

Clearly Luke and his mother had one crucial thing in common that she really needed to learn: how to be pragmatic when your heart was overwhelmed.

‘Mom, what are you doing here?’

Ruby swung round to see Luke standing behind her, leaning back against the concession stand, his arms crossed in a stubborn gesture over his broad chest, his damp suit trousers and shirt and the wary frown on his face only making him look more gorgeous. And more hers.

Strangely though, she couldn’t feel the animosity pumping off him she’d noticed before in his conversation with his mother on the phone all those weeks ago.

Her heart did the giddy little leap it always did when Luke was near.

Jeez, she was going to have to get that under control, too.

Had Helena said something about a proposition? What could that mean?

‘Actually, my darling boy,’ Helena said, with all the pomp and circumstance of a woman who had made a living being a legend. ‘I’ve come to buy your share of The Royale.’ She took Ruby’s trembling fingers in hers and squeezed, before turning back to her son. ‘So Ruby doesn’t have to sell it, and I hope …’ Her gaze shifted back to Ruby. ‘I hope I can help her run it, as a silent partner of course, the way I’m sure Matty would have wanted.’

***

Luke jerked upright and released his arms.

What the actual …? His mom was coming through with the finance now, after she’d told him she wasn’t going to?

Even though they’d come to a definite understanding in her dressing room four hours ago, and the end result had been nothing but good, he couldn’t help being kind of pissed by her contrary decision and her terrible timing. So he blurted out the first thing that came into his head.

‘You’re gonna let me loan you the money after all to buy Ruby out?’

He knew it was the wrong thing to say as soon as it had come out of his mouth. Because the look of pure joy on Ruby’s face turned quizzical. It wouldn’t take her long to guess what he’d tried to do, but before he could correct his mistake his mother stepped in to rescue him.

‘No, I’m not letting you loan me the money, because that’s not what Ruby wants.’ She glanced at Ruby. ‘Am I right, dear?’

‘Yes, yes you are. I can’t accept Luke’s money, he knows that,’ Ruby said, sending him a glance over her shoulder that told him she would be having words with him later about trying to trick her into accepting his help, and then staring at his mother as if she were a legend.

And, okay, maybe she was – but she was still his mom and now he had no idea what the hell was going on. And what she was even doing here.

‘So, how are you going to get your hands on the two million pounds The Royale needs to pay off Matty’s debts?’ he asked, because everyone else seemed to be frozen

in place, waiting for an explanation.

He knew how that felt, because he’d been dealing with his mom and her grandstanding gestures for a lot longer than they had.

‘I’ve spoken to my financial team and I made a few calls,’ his mother said, sounding more practical and forthright than he’d ever heard her. ‘It actually wasn’t that hard putting the finances together once I set my mind to it. Does that satisfy you, Luke?’ she said, snapping slightly.

He blinked, realizing he’d been put in his place. Okay, maybe he had underestimated her. But before he could get up the guts to admit as much, Ruby had intervened.

‘Ms Devlin, if you’d like to invest in The Royale, we’d love to accept you as an equal partner.’

‘That’s all settled then, my dear,’ his mom said, positively beaming. ‘And don’t you dare call me Ms Devlin, it’s Helena.’

The theatre’s crew – Jacie and Errol and Gerry and Brynn and Beryl – all stepped up to congratulate them both on the new partnership, Jacie making a pointed comment that she couldn’t wait to tell Gallagher where he could shove his buy-out offer tomorrow, which Luke had to agree with.

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