Page 46 of A Summer of Secrets on Arran (Scottish Romances #5)

Luke had left London first thing to drive to Scotland.

Having his car with him on Arran would be so much easier.

He was glad that he had never bought himself a flashy sports car during a midlife crisis.

The last thing he needed was to draw attention to himself.

His black hatchback was ideal for this journey, especially as so many people seemed to drive them these days.

He could just blend in with everyone else.

Being on the island had been a taster of what his life could be like and he had loved it.

He couldn’t wait to get back to Beach Cottage even if it was only going to be for a few more weeks. The mammoth journey would be worth it.

The journey gave him plenty of time to think, especially when he hit traffic near Birmingham, which had also allowed him a chance to press the record button on his phone as Rosie had suggested.

He had managed to remember quite a lot, although when it came down to certain details, he did second-guess himself as he couldn’t always remember exact timings and locations and was a bit worried he was confusing some of the escapades.

He felt his jaw tighten. He knew there was someone that he could talk to, who could make this book a whole lot better.

But for that to work he would need to push his male pride aside and Luke realised that until now he hadn’t been ready to do that.

But this very long drive north was giving him plenty of time to reflect.

Luke had never been the type to hold a grudge but what had happened with Cindy and his brother had been a particularly hard one to forgive.

He reached for his coffee in the cupholder and took a sip.

Luke knew he needed to rise above it all if he was going to be able to move on.

Hearing Linda’s news, and then seeing her, had made him realise just how fragile life was.

You just didn’t know what lay ahead. He realised he no longer felt anxiety and panic grab at him in the way that he had when he first discovered their affair.

For months he felt his stomach twist in anger and betrayal when he thought about them together.

But he had to accept that if they wanted to be together then who was he to stand in their way.

Not that he had done anyway as they were clearly very much together.

Then his thoughts drifted to Rosie. He could actually feel his shoulders dropping and a slow smile spread across his face as he thought about how much he had enjoyed getting to know her the past couple of weeks.

Not only was she beautiful and great company, but she had been a tower of strength in helping him power through the book.

Especially when she had been dealing with her own marriage woes.

It felt like the two of them were kindred spirits and he had Bella to thank for bringing them together again. He couldn’t wait to surprise her.

His phone rang, interrupting his thoughts.

‘Hello,’ he said, without checking the caller ID.

‘Aw-right mate,’ boomed a voice.

Luke’s stomach sank. It was Warren from the golf tournament. God , he was the last person Luke wanted to talk to. ‘Hi, Warren,’ he said flatly. ‘How’s tricks?’

‘Great, mate. Just great. What happened to you then? You pulled a bit of a vanishing trick when I last saw you.’

‘What do you mean?’ Luke wished he would cut to the chase and get to the point of his call.

‘You disappeared when we were playing that game in Scotch land. You were meant to meet me in the bar after.’

Luke rolled his eyes. The man really was a prick.

‘Great game of golf, eh?’

And the rest, thought Luke. The man really had no shame and didn’t seem one bit bothered that he’d kicked off and caused a scene afterwards which was splashed across the tabloids. Again.

‘Anyways, just phoning to see if you can make up a fourball with me and the lads. Mark Wahlberg was supposed to be joining us but has had to drop out. Filming stuff, you know?’ His voice was then muffled as he spoke to someone else in the room.

Luke shook his head in disbelief. Mark Wahlberg . Yeah right. As if Mark Wahlberg would agree to do anything with this pillock. He laughed as he remembered the word that Rosie and Isobel used to describe Warren. They were right, the man was an utter gobshite.

‘Sorry mate, you still there? That was Beckham on the other line.’

‘Is that right?’ What a load of bollocks.

‘What do you think then? A week on Monday at Sunningdale?’

‘Sorry, mate,’ said Luke, who wasn’t sorry in the slightest. ‘I’m out of town for a while. No idea when I’ll be back.’ Never, if I can help it and I will also be blocking your calls in future.

‘Aw, mate. That’s a crying shame, that is. We could have done with you to liven up the banter. D’you know what I mean? Banter — you’re my decanter.’ Warren then cackled heartily down the line, clearly delighted at his ability to rhyme two words together.

Luke rolled his eyes again. He needed to end this call pronto. ‘Here’s an idea, mate. Why don’t you try Ally McCoist? I’ve heard he likes a game of golf and I’m sure his banter will be much better than mine.’

‘Ally McCoist?’

‘Yes, you know, the football pundit?’ said Luke tersely.

There was a silence.

‘Sorry, mate, looks like I’ve hit a spot of bad reception, I can’t hear you.

Oops, it’s gone all quiet. I can’t hear you.

What’s that you’re saying? Sorry, I really can’t hear you.

Bye then.’ He ended the call and reminded himself to always check who was phoning before answering.

Then he chuckled. He had no idea if Ally McCoist even played golf and hoped he hadn’t thrown the guy under the bus.

He had been too busy thinking about Rosie and Coisty that it was the first name to enter his head.

Two hours later, he pulled over to a service station to stretch his legs and fill up the car with petrol.

As he waited in line for a coffee, he quickly tapped out a message on his phone then deleted it again.

He and Rosie had exchanged a few texts since he’d been away.

He had let her know he was thinking about her.

A lot. Should he let her know he was on his way back?

Nah, he would just surprise her. He had brought a bottle of champagne from his apartment and planned to stop and buy her some roses at a florist and sweep her off her feet.

When he got back into his car, ready for the next leg of the journey, he took a deep breath and flicked through his contacts until he found his brother’s number. Then he hit dial.

* * *

Speaking to Fred had been the best thing he could have done.

As well as passing the time on the long drive, it had helped him to have a frank conversation about how they could move on for the sake of their family and his boys.

Fred had apologised profusely again and again and this time Luke had listened.

Whereas previously he had ignored all of his calls.

He hadn’t wanted to listen to any explanations or excuses as to why he and Cindy had fallen for each other.

It wasn’t an easy discussion to have and Luke told Fred that he didn’t need to know all the details about their affair.

He just hoped that they were both happy and they could all now move on.

Fred had been more than willing to help with the information that Luke needed for the book.

As they chatted about the good old days and some of their escapades, it almost felt like they’d never fallen out.

Then Luke remembered that they had. Although deep down he could forgive his brother he wasn’t ever sure that he could forget.

The concept of happy family get togethers wasn’t one he could ever imagine.

It was still early days but at least they were now talking again which was something.

When he arrived at Ardrossan Harbour several hours later to catch the ferry, he realised what all the text messages on his phone were.

He’d had several alerts to let him know that the ferry had been delayed due to technical issues and wouldn’t set sail for another couple of hours.

But Luke just shrugged and joined the queue, turning off his ignition when he parked his car in the designated lane.

The sky was streaked with white and pink clouds and the water was as still as a pond.

He rubbed a hand over his face and yawned.

Then he reached into the backseat and grabbed his laptop.

In the meantime, he had plenty to keep him busy.