by Alix Kelso
Bruce, please just call me, or answer when I call you. I need to talk. Please.
Instead of deleting it, he replied: I don’t want to talk to you, Heather. Just leave me alone.
He pressed send. And immediately that black feeling inside him began to disappear.
Leaving his uncle to finish cleaning the bar, he went upstairs to his bedroom and looked at the soul-sapping grey and yellow painting that hung on the wall. Taking it from Heather made no sense. He knew that and had known it all along.
Reaching up, he lifted it from the wall hooks and laid it on the floor, with the painting facing the wall. Now, he didn’t have to look at it any more. That was a relief.
And it was time to return it to its rightful owner anyway. He’d get it wrapped up, book a specialist courier service, and contact his solicitor to arrange for the painting to be sent to Heather’s solicitor’s office in London.
It was time to make a choice. And so he made it. He’d leave the past behind once and for all and move towards the future, a future that he hoped would have Laura in it.
If he hadn’t already jeopardised what they’d begun together.
Chapter 18
The ten-kilometre race had seemed entirely feasible when she’d first signed up. But once she was in the middle of it, Laura could only wonder what on earth she’d been thinking.
She’d begun strongly enough, just like the other enthusiastic participants. Ignoring the athletic specimens who’d raced past, she’d focused only on keeping moving. A few kilometres in, she’d begun to slow down and worry seriously about her pace. And at the halfway mark, with tears in her eyes and a lump in her throat, it seemed impossible that there were still five kilometres to complete.
Rain started to fall. And then it got heavier. She wondered if anyone would notice if she ducked under the race cordon and caught a bus home.
But at least one person would notice, because Bruce was waiting for her at the finish line.
She couldn’t give up. Everything ached, but she had to get to that finish line and prove to herself that the impossible could be made possible.
So instead of thinking about how she hurt every time her feet hit the road, she thought instead of Bruce and of what he now meant to her.
She loved him. There was no question about it.
But she wondered, too, about what it was that he was holding back about the collapse of his marriage. Her mind, tired from the race, offered up sneaky thoughts about whether the thing he was holding back might be big enough to tear apart what they had together.
It had to be. Or why else hide it?
She pushed the ideas away. Every moment they spent together told her only that they were happy.
So, instead of dark thoughts about the secret she feared Bruce harboured, she thought instead about good things. She thought about the grace of unexpected love and how lucky she was to have it come into her life.
And then, as if a miracle had taken place, she saw the finish line in front of her.
She almost laughed as she crossed it and her mind filled with a whirlwind of amazement and sheer exhaustion. Someone in a steward’s vest handed her a bottle of water, while someone else put a medal around her neck and gave her a bag of goodies.
When she glimpsed inside the bag she saw the finisher’s certificate she’d thought of so many times as she’d worked towards this moment.
She pulled out the certificate and smiled as she studied it. A space was already cleared on her bedroom wall to hang it up.
Just then, another runner bumped into her and knocked the certificate from her hand. She grabbed for it, but too late to stop it from landing in a puddle, where it was immediately soaked through.
“Oh no!” She reached down and pulled the sodden piece of paper from the puddle as the clumsy runner who’d knocked into her apologised.
“We can get you another certificate,” said one of the stewards.
Staring at the wet certificate, the ink already running, Laura felt a smile come to her face and shook her head. “I got soaked most of the way around the course. Maybe it’s okay that this got soaked too.”
When she looked up she saw Bruce. As he walked towards her, all the aches in her body begin to lift.
“You’re amazing,” he said, opening his arms.
“Don’t hug me. I’m drenched in sweat, rain, mud, some other stuff I can’t identify.”
“Doesn’t matter.” He hugged her and kissed her. “Well done. You did it.”
“I’m still breathing, and that’s more than I was hoping for at the halfway point.”
He pulled a towel from the backpack slung over his shoulder and began dabbing at her face. “You’ve got mucky spots, let me …”
Something changed in his expression as he looked at her. And despite all that was happening around them – runners crossing the finish line, crowds cheering from the sidelines, noisy stewards directing people here and there – Laura felt like everything had gone still and quiet.
That look in Bruce’s deep grey eyes held her spellbound.
“I love you, Laura.”
She was stunned into silence for a long moment. “What?”
He took her hands and pulled her closer. “I’m in love with you. I’ve been in love with you since that day we spent at your flat when you were sick. I’ve tried to hide it because I didn’t want to scare you off. But I can’t do it any more. I love you.”
She felt the smile curve at her lips. “Why’d you have to go and say something like that when I’m standing here covered in sweat and muck?”
“The sweat and muck don’t matter. You always look beautiful to me.”
They stood in the rain, the bustle of runners around them forgotten.
“I know we’ve only been together a few weeks,” he said. “And I know love’s a big word. I don’t expect you to feel the same way, and I don’t want you to feel obligated to—”
“Bruce, I love you too.”
A look of utter joy and surprise crossed Bruce’s face, and Laura’s heart did a little somersault in her chest.
“I never expected to love you but I do,” she said.
He stepped forward and pulled her close. “I probably should’ve waited for a more romantic moment to tell you how I feel.”
“Oh, I don’t know. Rain can be romantic.”
And she laid her lips against his as the rain turned into a downpour.
The blinds around the banks of windows in Valentino’s were down and the doors were locked, but inside the lights burned brightly as Natalie showed her visitor around. This was the third tour she’d given Ruby Leighton in as many days, and she knew that the woman was more than just an interested viewer.
She was about as in love with the place as Natalie thought it was possible to get.
“I used to come here with my parents for ice cream sundaes,” Ruby said, looking around with unconcealed excitement in her eyes. “When I heard it was on the market, I only wanted to take a look before it changed hands. I almost can’t believe I’m about to buy it.” She glanced at Natalie and shook her head. “I probably shouldn’t be telling you any of this. No doubt I’m blurting away my bargaining position with every word.”
“Don’t think for a minute your enthusiasm for this restaurant will compromise whatever bargaining position you might have. I’m only interested in selling Valentino’s to someone who will love it as much as my husband and I did. Believe me, I’ve had offers already, but not from buyers I’m convinced have this place’s best interests at heart.”
Ruby slid into a booth and took in the restaurant from the new angle. “I’ve previously run two successful bistros. I think I can continue to make a success of this place. In fact, I know I can. I’m not in this only to make a quick buck.”
“Just as well. Anyone interested in making a quick buck ought to start somewhere other than the restaurant business.” Natalie studied the younger woman. “I know you sold your bistros a number of years ago. What makes you want to
get back into the restaurant world again?”
Ruby met her gaze. “It’s a fair question. When I got married I sold my restaurants and that’s something I’ve always regretted. I’m on my own again now and I want to do what I used to love doing, which is running a place like this. But I can’t risk starting again with a brand-new venture. I have a nine-year-old son to support now. It makes sense for me to buy somewhere that’s already successful and thriving.”
Natalie thought about this. “You’re looking for a fresh start.”
“Yes, I am.”
And wouldn’t it just be perfect, Natalie thought, if her decision to sell Valentino’s in order to begin her own fresh start might mean that the woman sitting in the booth found hers?
“It’s been a long time since you ran a place like this,” Natalie said. “Aren’t you worried you’ll be overstretched?”
“You said you have a good assistant manager. I’d hope to keep him on.”
“Well, it’s true that Paul is very good. However, I learned today that he’s decided to use the opportunity of me moving on to shake things up in his own life. He’s been offered a job as a restaurant manager elsewhere and has accepted, so he’s currently working his notice.”
Ruby looked disappointed. “I didn’t want to have to hire any new people as soon as I took over, but if that’s what has to be done, then …”
“There may be another option. Laura, my longest-serving waitress, is as close to assistant manager as you can get without the formal title. I suggest you offer her the job. In fact, I offered her the job before Paul joined us, but she said she enjoyed waitressing and was happy as she was. However, she was indispensable when I was recovering from the shock of losing my husband, and she may feel differently about things now. I feel sure she’s ready for a change in life, and a new role might be exactly what she wants.”
“Wonderful!” Ruby smiled and leaned back in the booth. “Listen, I know we still have details to work out. But there is one thing I want to talk about before our solicitors get involved.”
“Go ahead, ask me anything you like.”
“It’s a little delicate,” she began, kneading her hands together. “I know how drawn out the process can be when it comes to the commercial property market. But I’m happy with the due diligence so far and don’t want to wait any longer than necessary to get started here. I wonder whether you’d be agreeable to finalising a sale as quickly as possible, maybe even within a few weeks?”
Natalie, caught by surprise at the idea of leaving Valentino’s so quickly, found herself glancing around the restaurant. Her gaze settled on a little framed photograph that hung by the side of the bar. Just like the photos in her office, this one showed herself and Angelo, and in this particular shot, they stood beside the new coffee machine they’d just had installed, Angelo grinning as he pressed the buttons on the shiny contraption while Natalie laughed at his antics.
Smiling at the memory, and thinking of all the memories she’d made in this place with the man she’d chosen to spend her life with, Natalie felt something inside her finally let go.
“I can make that timeframe work,” she said, turning back to the woman who would soon be Valentino’s new owner and smiling when the younger woman clapped her hands together in delight.
“Fantastic!”
“You’re going to be very happy here, I just know it. And if you are half as happy as Angelo and I were, you will be lucky indeed.”
Ruby rose from the booth and began walking to the door. “So, what’s next for you?”
And in that moment, Natalie felt a shift deep within her, and the sensation was like a baby bird softly beating its wings for the first time.
“A new beginning,” she said.
Keith rearranged the bottles of single malts on the glass shelves, stood back, and considered. Then he shifted things around some more and adjusted the dimmer on the built-in illumination system he’d just had installed.
But the bottles looked too lined up and regimented. Tinkering once more, he moved a few into clusters and groups.
When he stepped back again, he smiled. It was perfect, and just what he’d been aiming for.
Seeing the new whisky display finished and looking so good made it worth hanging around downstairs in the pub for so long after closing. Just that morning, the electrician had finally finished the lighting installation Keith had decided to invest in. There’d been no time during opening hours to begin stocking the new shelves. And Keith had been too excited to wait until morning.
But now as the clock rolled towards one, he admired the new displays and was happy. Tomorrow once the pub was cleared and cleaned, he’d set out the new whisky menus on the tables and see how the customers reacted. Hopefully they’d pay to try something new, if only for novelty value. And once they realised what they were missing they’d come back for more.
That was the theory, at least.
He hoped the new whisky stock would make the pub some good money. Mostly though, he was looking forward to talking to the customers about the whiskies he’d chosen, just as he’d enjoyed writing the descriptions he’d penned for the menus. It had been fun. And there was nothing wrong with a little fun in life.
A knock at the locked pub doors had him looking up and frowning. Probably some drunken passer-by, seeing the lights still on inside and thinking the place was open.
“We’re closed!”
“Keith, it’s Natalie. I saw the lights were still on. Can I come in?”
He quickly unlocked and opened the door. “It’s a bit late for you still to be up and about, Natalie. Is everything okay at the restaurant?”
“Everything’s fine. But I have some news, and I wanted to tell you right away.”
“Of course, come in.”
Stepping into the pub, she spied the new whisky shelves. “Keith, that looks wonderful.”
“It was more work than I thought it’d be. I thought the electrician would never get it finished. Trust a tradesman to take two weeks on a job that should’ve lasted half an afternoon. Anyway, it’s done now, and I’m pleased with it.”
“It’s totally transformed the bar, Keith. Well done.”
He watched her fidget as she stared at the whisky. “Would you like to try one?”
“Oh no, I think we’ve established that I’m not a whisky drinker.”
“How about something else? You look like there’s something on your mind, and I’m guessing a drink might help you say whatever it is you’ve come here to say.”
She smiled. “You are very good at reading people.”
“I’m a pub landlord. It’s part of the job.”
“In that case, I’ll take a vodka tonic.”
He poured her drink and selected a regular blended Scotch for himself. Tempting though it was to tear open the seals on one of those new single malts, he wanted to get some nice photographs of the display while everything still looked pristine.
He held out his glass, touched it to Natalie’s, and waited. Although he already knew in his heart what she’d come over to tell him. Letting the silence spin between them, even for just a second, would delay, if never change, the inevitable.
“Keith, I’ve informally agreed terms to sell Valentino’s,” she finally said, swirling her drink. “I’ve rejected a couple of offers on the restaurant already because I want to make sure that Valentino’s goes to the right person. I believe I’ve now found that person.”
Keith nodded and then smiled. “I’m happy for you Natalie.”
“That For Sale sign has been up for weeks now, but it didn’t actually feel real until tonight, when I realised that this woman – Ruby Leighton – is the one I’m going to sell to. And once I realised, it felt right. I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t had my doubts about what I was doing.”
“It’s only natural that you’d have doubts.”
“But those all disappeared tonight. The new buyer is keen to move quickly and so, if our solicitors can also move quickly, it’
s likely that I’ll be gone in just a few weeks.”
Shocked surprise hit him, and he saw Natalie register the change in his expression.
“I thought there’d be more time before you left.”
“In truth, so did I. But she’s keen to take over. And I see no reason to delay things when I want to move on with my life.”
He sipped his Scotch and thought about this. “Well in that case, we’ll just have to make the most of the time we’ve got left.”
But Natalie moved closer and laid a hand on his arm. “I can’t, Keith. I can’t see you any more. I know you’re starting to feel things for me ...”
“Natalie—”
“... and the reason I know is because I’m starting to feel things for you too.” She smiled softly. “But I know that there’s no real future for me and you. If we continued seeing one another, we’d both have fun and I’d become very fond of you. But that’s all it would ever be, fun and fondness.”
“I could live with that, Natalie.”
“I’d never allow that, because you deserve better. I’d hate myself for hurting you the way so many other women have hurt you.”
“It wouldn’t have to be like that.”
“Yes, it would. My heart was broken when Angelo died, you know that. But I’ve loved every minute we’ve spent together these past few weeks. Being with you has helped me to believe that I can move on, and that I’m ready to move on. You showed me that, Keith. And it means a lot that you did. And all I hope now is that you can understand that.”
He sipped more whisky and rubbed at his chin. He understood the weight of this moment and understood he could make it easy or hard, make their parting sweet or sour. The choice was his.
Walking around the bar, he refilled their glasses. “I need to stop falling in love with women so easily,” he said and smiled.
She paused, before joining him in laughter. She held up her glass and they silently toasted one another.
“Keith, the perfect woman is out there for you.”
“And if I keep going at my current rate, I might actually find her before I’m ninety.”
