Rebecca welled up, and her mother sniffed loudly.
‘I know Mum, I’m sorry.’ Her mother blew a kiss at her, and it made her think of Frank, and Luke. Parents, they all had their little ways of making you feel connected. Loved. ‘I love you. Tell Dad I’ll call soon.’
Her mother wiped at her eyes, draining her glass.
‘Woo, I needed that.’ She grinned, and Rebecca grinned back. ‘I love you, chicken. Can I say one thing?’ She lifted her pinkie finger comically and made a begging face.
‘Go on. One thing. In the spirit of our new mother—daughter friendship.’
Her mother’s grin exploded then, bursting all over her face. ‘I like that. Okay, here it is. Call Luke.’
Rebecca wasn’t expecting that. Picking a man over a comp, and one her mum hadn’t even credit-checked and had vetted by the secret service yet? This was new territory.
‘You heard me say novice, right? He’s entering it for … for fun, so he’s not another Robbie.’
Her mother shook her head. ‘Robbie never made you break down to your mother, dear. Your gran always said to me, “Marry the man who provokes the biggest reaction.”’
Rebecca frowned, pulling a face.
‘It’s true, you know.’ She looked behind her furtively. ‘When I met your father, he made me so cross sometimes, so mad I could spit. He was my best friend, and my partner. The good bits, the life together, that’s why people bother. Call him. You forgave me, right?’
She went to top up her glass once more, but the bottle was empty. She shrugged, reaching across out of reach of the screen, and coming back into frame with another bottle.
‘Mum!’ Rebecca laughed. ‘Do not open that wine!’
She tucked it under her arm, grabbing her glass.
‘I’m going to see your dad! I can have another.’ Picking the phone up, she made a kissing action at the screen. ‘I’m celebrating today. My daughter loves me, and she has a boyfriend.’
Rebecca kissed the screen back.
‘Bye Mum.’
When the camera went off, Rebecca dialled Luke’s number. It went to voicemail. Shit. She dialled Holly, and she answered on the second ring.
‘Hi, you okay? I’ve been waiting for you to call. Hungover?’ How did she know? ‘Luke said he could hear you in your room, singing the tequila song.’ Cringe. No wonder he’d left.
‘Oh God. Is he there?’
‘Er …’
‘I was mad Holly, I didn’t handle it well. Did you know he’d entered me in the competition?’
‘I didn’t till this morning. I told him off too, but he’s really sorry. He was pretty upset Becks, he thinks you hate him.’
Rebecca jumped out of bed, ignoring the roil of her stomach as she tried to look around for something half decent to wear.
‘I don’t hate him, I …’ She pulled a sweater over her head, not bothering to look for a bra. ‘Oh look, can you keep him there? I’m on my way over.’
‘No!’ She had almost rung off but Holly’s shout stopped her just as she was reaching for a pair of jeans. ‘He’s not here. Becks, I’m sorry. His dad had a fall today, doing physiotherapy.’
‘Frank?’ She shoved one leg through her jeans, and got halfway with the other one before realising that her back pockets were at the front. ‘Is he okay?’
‘Yeah Becks, Frank’s okay. He hurt himself, but … Luke left.’
‘Left to go where?’
Holly sighed, and Rebecca knew what was coming.
‘He left on a flight an hour ago. Hans drove him to the airport. He’s gone home.’
Chapter 11
‘Luke!’ Marilyn ran down the hospital corridor at him. ‘What the hell are you doing here?’ She grabbed him in a perfume-soaked hug, and he hugged her to him. A second later, he felt a clip around the ear. ‘I told you not to come! What about Rebecca?’
She looked behind him as though Rebecca was going to pop out.
‘She didn’t make the trip. How is he? Dante is in there at the minute. He doesn’t quit work, does he?’
‘He was there when your dad fell. He blames himself, but he’s doing better Luke. He’s trying.’
Dante popped his head around the door, looking Luke up and down.
‘Lukey boy, you look just like your dad. He’s all ready for you.’ He pulled a face at one of the nurses walking past, and she stuck her tongue out at him. ‘The breakfast is gross here. I’m going to go get him something from the café before I go.’
‘No bacon!’ Marilyn checked, and Dante laughed.
‘Fake stuff only, I know.’ He lolloped off. Luke pushed open the door, and there in a room on his own, was Frank.
‘Hi Dad,’ he said, walking over to the bed. His dad did a double take when he saw who was standing at the door.
‘Luke,’ he said, clear as a bell. ‘Here.’
He motioned for his son to come, and Luke sat on the bed and hugged his father tight. He could feel his dad’s arms slowly close around him. He felt different, fragile in his arms. He patted his son on the back with his good arm. Just like he had since he was born.
‘What are you doing here?’
Luke sat in front of his dad and checked him over. He had a dressing on, covering his newly stitched-up head, and a bruise on his cheek.
‘I came to see you, obviously. You didn’t need to headbutt the floor to see me though, you could have just called.’
Frank chuckled.
‘Rebecca?’
Marilyn was standing beside Frank now. She nudged him, and he ignored her.
‘Is she here?’
Luke kissed his dad on the top of his head and took a seat in one of the chairs next to the bed.
‘That’s a bit of a long story, Dad.’
‘Well,’ Frank said, settling down and patting the bed for Marilyn to sit down. ‘We are here all day.’
Luke smiled sadly at them both, and started to talk about France, the plans
