They both nodded and spent awkward moments sidestepping around each other.
Sophie felt mortified. The last time she had any communication with Jack was on Valentines’ Day when she had texted him that she wasn’t interested in going on a date with him. Did he have to look so heart-stoppingly handsome?
Two hours later, Jack’s mood had deteriorated rapidly. Sophie’s boyfriend had arrived and the two of them had been laughing and dancing together until it made him want to punch something. And now they had disappeared into the marquee where the food was and he just couldn’t face following them.
Instead he devoted himself to playing DJ for the night. He wished he had thought to invite some of his own friends but he had stupidly assumed he would be spending the evening with Sophie and hadn’t bothered. Girls kept coming up to request songs and flirt with him, but he couldn’t be bothered to flirt back more than half-heartedly.
He knew that really he should play the game better and find a gorgeous girl to dance with, and show Sophie he didn’t care. But he failed to muster any enthusiasm for the plan.
***
Sophie picked at some potato salad and smiled at Torrin’s impression of some famous Scottish chef she had never heard of, but her attention was elsewhere. All she could think about was all those girls flocking around Jack, like bees to honey.
Torrin was good-looking too, she reminded herself. But he just wasn’t Jack.
Sophie and Torrin had a quiet table together at the back of the marquee, where they could hear themselves chat properly, but she could still just see Jack from where she sat and it was distracting her.
She sighed and decided she couldn’t pretend anymore.
“Torrin…” she began nervously.
He looked at her expectantly.
“Um…I really like you…”
He rolled his eyes. “Uh oh, I’ve been expecting this. The I really like you… but speech.”
Sophie felt awful. “I’m so sorry, it’s not you.”
Torrin laughed gently. “I might be new to all this dating stuff, but I believe when people normally give the it’s not you line, that it normally is you!”
Sophie opened her mouth to protest but Torrin held up one hand to stop her. “As it happens, on this occasion, I believe you. It’s Jack Parkhurst, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” Sophie said in a small voice, “how did you know?”
“I’ve learned that Compass Court is a hotbed of gossip. I heard that you and Parkhurst meh-be had something going, and what I’ve seen tonight is the two of you avoiding each other to extremes, yet you hardly let each other out of your sight.”
Sophie was momentarily diverted by that idea, but she shook her head. “We don’t have anything going on. But I do have feelings for him, and it wouldn’t be fair for me to keep dating you. I’m sorry.”
“Och, don’t fash yourself. I always thought you were out of my league anyways. And to be honest, lass, in those heels I can hardly reach to kiss you. You’re a giraffe right enough and I am merely human!” He teased her gently.
She whacked him on the arm. “I am not!”
They both laughed, and she looked at him with fondness. “You’re really OK with us not seeing each other anymore? I’d hate to lose you as a friend.”
“I like you a lot, Sophie,” he said sincerely, “But I don’t want a girlfriend who wishes I was someone else. I truly would like to stay friends.” He paused. “So will you go for Jack now?”
“God, no!” Sophie was alarmed at the idea. “I can’t, won’t, go there again. Even if Jack still likes me, he’s made it clear that it wouldn’t ever be serious between us. Basically he would break my heart again.”
“I see.” Torrin nodded. “Shall we keep our break-up quiet for tonight then?”
“Would you mind awfully? It seems a lot to ask of you.”
“Nae bother! I like being the envy of every man here.” Torrin smiled his handsome smile and Sophie felt a huge rush of affection for him.
“Would you be upset though if I had a crack at Felicity St John when we get back to school? She was flirting with me something bad after the rugby, and I think I might be in with a chance,” Torrin asked.
“Oh, you men! Couldn’t you even try to be a bit gutted that we’ve split up?” She gave him another playful punch. “You go for it, have a crack at Felicity if you want. I think being cool about it is the least I owe you after you’ve been so nice about the Jack thing.”
Torrin gave her another serious look, “I am gutted, I’m just good at hiding my feelings. Come on, Sophie; let’s have one more slow dance. And as we’re still pretending to be a couple,” he said with a twinkle in his eye, “I shall feel free to pinch yer arse!”
Chapter Sixteen
“There are darknesses in life and there are lights. You are one of the lights, the light of all lights.”
Bram Stoker, Dracula
Jack gave the music a rest and was looking through his parents’ drink cabinet for something a little stronger than weak lager when Alex found him.
“Oh, there you are.” Alex closed the door to the living room behind him, cutting out the noise of the party.
“Hey, bro, enjoying your birthday?” Jack tried for a jovial tone.
Alex fidgeted a bit and walked a circuit of the room.
“Something on your mind?” Jack frowned at this unusual behaviour in his normally very calm younger brother.
Alex stopped by the drinks cabinet and picked up some vodka before putting it back again unopened. With his back to Jack he said, “Um…Can I ask you for some advice?”
Jack raised his eyebrows as he took a drink from his glass. “That would be a first! What’s up?”
Alex sighed; it was clearly uncomfortable for him. “There’s this girl…” he started.
Jack laughed.
“Oh, never mind!” Alex started for the door.
Jack pulled him gently back. “Sorry, Al. Please go on.”
Alex plopped onto the sofa and said in a rush, “I really like this girl, Diana, but I find it impossible to talk to her, I get all nervous. I think she likes me back. I thought the party would be a good way to break the ice between us, but it’s nine o’clock and we haven't even spoken a word to each other. I just thought that, what with you being good with girls, you might be able to give me some advice.”
Alex took off his glasses and polished them, the way he always did when he was nervous.
Jack was secretly thrilled that Alex thought enough of his skills to ask him. The two of them weren’t all that close, and Jack didn’t really understand Alex half the time, but he genuinely liked him. Jack dropped his normal piss-taking attitude and decided to help Alex out.
“OK, realistically, chatting girls up and being funny is not your strong point,” he pointed out as kindly as he could. “I suggest you don’t try. If you like her then be sincere.”
“That’s all very well,” Alex grumbled, “But I don’t know how to talk to her in the first place to be sincere.”
“Maybe you should forget about words completely? Show her instead?”
“How do I do that?” Alex looked worried.
Jack snapped his fingers as an idea came to him. “Go to the tree house. The ladder is tucked out of sight behind the rhododendron bushes. I’ll get her to meet you there. Just make sure you are there in five minutes. When she sees you there, you won’t need any words, I promise.”
“The tree house? Really?” Alex didn’t look convinced.
“Just trust me, just this once.”
Alex sighed again and stood up. “Well, I don’t have anything to lose. OK, thanks Jack.”
“Happy birthday, bro!” Jack gave him a grin and left the room.
***
Diana Carmel was not having a good party. She wasn’t good in social situations and found it all rather daunting. She had been in two minds about coming, but Sophie, Grace and Rose had insisted. She had cherished secret hopes about getting some time alone with
Alex, but he was the birthday boy and he wouldn’t have time to make small talk with her.
Half an hour earlier she had parked herself firmly at the edge of the dance floor at a table and chairs, where she could watch and nibble some canapés, but people kept asking her to dance and she really didn’t want to.
She was just wondering if she could sneak upstairs to the bedroom she was staying in for the night, when Ellie Parkhurst came over to her.
“Hi, Diana. You’re wanted in the tree house at the bottom of the garden.”
“By who?” Diana was not keen. She was wearing jeans but climbing into a tree house sounded a bit much.
“Errr, Rose I think. I’m pretty sure it was important.” Ellie looked innocently at her.
“Oh no, I hope it’s nothing to do with her parents and Leo?” Diana jumped to her feet.
“Could be, perhaps you’d better go and find out.” Ellie nodded encouragingly.
“Right, I will, to be sure.” She set off into the darkness in the direction Ellie was pointing.
As her eyes became adjusted she managed to avoid a few apple trees before coming to a clump of bushes. A ladder swung in front of her and she looked up. The tree house was lit up above her with hundreds of tiny fairy lights.
“How pretty,” she murmured as she pulled herself onto the ladder. It was actually quite an easy climb, as the ladder was firmly tethered, and as she put one knee onto the platform a hand pulled her through.
She came face to face with Alex. He didn’t say anything, just stepped back to let her get to her feet.
She awkwardly dusted her knees and looked around. It was lovely. Cushions everywhere, the strains of Adele drifting up from below, and Alex standing there, looking crimson, holding out a glass of what looked like champagne, with a question in his eyes.
“Yes, please,” was all she could manage, but she meant it in so many ways.
He handed her the glass. She took a large sip. “Thank you.”
When he still didn’t say anything she said, “Is Rose coming?”
He shook his head, but still didn’t say anything. She finally grasped what this was.
“Ah. Shall I sit down?” She smiled at him. Poor Alex, he had made the first move, inviting her up here, but she realised she might have to take it from here.
She sat and he sat too. “I make you nervous, don’t I?” she said.
“Yes,” he answered. He looked as if he wanted to say more but couldn’t.
“You make me nervous too,” she said.
“I do?” Alex looked surprised.
“I’m not good at small talk,” she continued, pushing on resolutely.
“Neither am I. Well, that’s not quite true. Rose says I tend to prattle on about all sorts of useless things. It’s just you I find hard to talk to. I mean, not that I don’t want to and I’m sure you aren’t actually hard to talk to at all, I just meant…” He stopped before he dug an even deeper hole to fall in.
Diana smiled. “That’s the most you’ve ever said to me, I think it can count as enough small talk for now.”
As Alex watched Diana recline on the cushions he could only think that Jack really did know everything about women, and that Jack had given him the best birthday present ever.
But what was he supposed to do now? He was fairly sure she had just given him his cue to kiss her, but he didn’t know how to start.
He shuffled awkwardly across the cushions to get closer to her. His knee slid into a gap and banged hard on the floorboards beneath him. He tried to ignore the pain and moved forward again. The cushion slid away from him and his glass tipped in his hand, cascading the wine over Diana.
“Oh hell!” He was utterly mortified.
Diana looked slightly annoyed. “If this is a ruse to ‘get me out of those wet things’ then I’m not going there.”
Alex cringed. “It’s not, I promise, I’m so sorry.” He swiped ineffectually at the droplets on her top.
“Do you mind?” She pulled away.
Alex looked at the floor, downcast. “I’ve made a proper mess of this, haven’t I?”
“Yes.” Diana began to look amused. “But as I don’t think I could do much better myself, I guess we will just have to work through it.”
Alex looked up hopefully. Diana put her own glass carefully to one side. “Come here, you clumsy idiot.”
Alex leaned in eagerly for the kiss he hoped she was offering. Too eagerly. Their teeth crashed and his glasses caught in her hair.
“Buggeration! This would never happen to Jack!” Alex retreated again, but his glasses remained in her hair. “I’ve totally spoiled the moment now. I’m so sorry.”
Diana laughed. “Stop apologising. Actually it’s quite sweet. It helps make me less nervous; I’m not exactly experienced at this sort of thing myself. It all seems so straightforward in books, doesn’t it? The hero and the heroine kiss and it’s like a fireworks display.”
“I think this is more like a damp squib,” Alex said forlornly. “You can leave if you want to, I don’t mind.”
Diana untangled his glasses from her hair and set them beside her wine glass.
“Look, let’s try again. Only this time a bit more slowly.”
They kissed, a very chaste kiss. Then they kissed again.
“Fireworks,” said Diana.
“Really?” Alex blinked at her in amazement.
“Really,” said Diana, “But not in here, over there.” She grinned as a rocket went off above them. The planned fireworks display had started at the other end of the garden.
“I suppose you have to go? They’ll all expect you to be there. After all, it’s all for your birthday.” Diana started to get up.
“No. Please don’t! No one will care if I’m there. I’d much rather watch them from here with you.” Alex felt sure that the moment they left the tree house he would lose her again. They hadn’t agreed on anything yet, and his kissing hadn’t exactly been perfect.
“Well, if you’re sure?” Diana settled back down beside him.
They watched the fireworks display in the sky around them, and slowly Alex inched his arm around her.
As she settled into the crook of his arm and then leaned back against his chest, Alex forgot all about the fireworks. All he wanted to do was watch Diana enjoying them. He tightened his grip around her, wishing the moment could last forever.
Chapter Seventeen
“You reason well, and your wit is bold, but you are too prejudiced”
Bram Stoker, Dracula
Rose and Leo held hands secretly under the kitchen table and faced her parents together.
Her father had come into the family den a few moments earlier, found them kissing, and had unfortunately recognised Leo instantly. All hell had broken loose.
He had practically frogmarched the two of them into the kitchen where his wife was clearing up and shut the door behind him.
Her father paced up and down in front of them, while her mother made them all a cup of tea.
“I just don’t believe this!” Paul Falcon stormed, glaring at Rose and Leo. “Of all the people to invite to this house, let alone be found canoodling with! How could you be so stupid, Rose? Don’t you realise who he is?”
“Yes, Daddy, I know exactly who he is.” Rose clung to Leo’s hand a little tighter.
“What I want to know,” Paul Falcon’s voice got louder, “is exactly how long it’s been going on?”
“Stop it, darling,” her mother, Helen, broke in, “Shouting won’t help the situation.”
“And you, young man.” He pointed his finger at Leo, ignoring his wife. “I suppose your father knows all about this?
Leo shook his head. “No, he knows I’m here for Alex’s party, he hasn’t realised the connection to Rose.”
“Well, I think he should damn well know!” Paul strode across the kitchen and grabbed the house phone off the wall. “I want his number and I want it now.”
Leo raised his chin and reeled off the number c
almly.
Paul punched in the numbers and then, apparently hearing it ringing, he went out the door in to the hallway for his conversation.
The three of them in the kitchen sat in silence listening. Vague snatches of angry phrases came through the door.
“Your son…my daughter…plot to insinuate into my house…too right…I thought so too…good, thank you…”
He came back still looking angry, but slightly less so.
“Your father is just as outraged as me.” He addressed Leo, who looked unfazed. “He’s on his way, he’ll be here in about forty-five minutes. I want you to go back to the party for now. Not you, Rose, your mother and I have a few words to say to you first.”
Leo daringly gave Rose a peck on the cheek. “I’ll see you shortly,” he said.
She nodded, then looked worriedly at her parents as the three were left alone.
“You can’t stop me seeing him. I love him,” she said defiantly.
Her father huffed loudly. Her mother put her hand on his arm and spoke seriously to Rose.
“We always said we would take you away from Compass Court if it looked like the Flanagans could get to you there. We will do whatever we have to, to protect you, Rose.”
“You can’t make me leave!” Rose was aghast.
Her father took a calming breath. “There’s so much you don’t know Rose. How dangerous Leo’s family is. They are like the Mafia, for goodness’ sake, and they hate us. They will come after our whole family if given any more reason to and they are all of them just the same. Even Leo.”
“He’s not! He’s just as much an innocent in all this as I am.”
“It doesn’t matter, Rose, you and Toby were threatened and for all we know, it was Leo’s father who made those threats.”
“Hang on a minute! You’re telling me that someone threatened your children and you still blithely went off abroad for six months, just leaving us here?” Rose began to yell.
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