Isle of Waves (9 page)

As they got out of the car, Liam and Sam joined them.

“I thought you were going to be late,” Sam said.

“We were catching up on some lost sleep.” Paul yawned, which set off a round of yawns from everyone else.

“Don’t do that,” Sam scolded.

“I can’t help it.”

Nibs looked at Paul. “You look like shit. Couldn’t you go stay at Rose’s or something? The last thing you need is another disturbed night’s sleep.”

“I’m fine.” Paul yawned again to emphasize the point.

“We’re all fine.” Skandik yawned.

“Why don’t you take the hotel tonight?” Liam suggested. “Sam and I can stay over.”

“I think we’re capable of looking after ourselves,” Wig said. “Surely they can’t be stupid enough to try something for a third night.”

“People amaze me with their stupidity all the time,” Paul said.

Skandik nodded. “I had a case where a man tried to kill his wife three times, and she took him back every time, even though she knew it was him.”

“Surely she’d have got the message after the first time,” Nibs said.

“You’d have thought so, wouldn’t you?”

“Are you lot going to stand in the car park all evening, or are you coming in for food?” Chrissie sniped. She had opened a window to scold them, but no one had noticed.

“You mean you’re not going to serve us here, darling?” Wig asked.

She poked her tongue out and closed the window.

Skandik opened the door and someone shot out to clutch onto Liam, who staggered backward into Sam.

“Easy, tiger,” Liam said as he held on to Kathy, his best friend’s teenage daughter.

Wig had a horrible feeling that his quiet dinner was going to turn into another Owens free-for-all, and his suspicions were confirmed when they trooped in to find Jim and Mattie sitting at a long table.

“I’m sorry,” Chrissie murmured as she hugged Wig and Nibs. “This wasn’t my idea.”

“Come here, gorgeous,” Mattie said, squeezing the life out of Nibs before she turned her attention to Wig. “I know we gate-crashed your meal, but we don’t often get a chance to be together.”

Wig hugged her back, because she was Mattie and he adored her, and he rarely got the chance just to socialize with her and Jim. Even at
the wedding meals, he and Nibs had been working rather than
socializing. Nibs slipped his hand into Wig’s after they sat down, and Wig squeezed and patted it gently. He leaned into Nibs, seeking comfort from him, happy when Nibs put his arm around him.

“Don’t ask what’s on the menu because you’re all getting steak,” Chrissie said to whoops from Sam, Liam, and Paul. “All I need to know is how you want it cooked.”

“You’re going to love this.” Paul said to Skandik. “Chrissie does the best steak ever. Sorry, Nibs.” He flashed an apologetic glance at Nibs who shrugged.

“She does. Chrissie’s a better cook than me, I’ll admit that.”

Wig nearly choked on his beer. He couldn’t remember the last time Nibs had admitted to being second best at anything. His lover’s ego required constant stroking—and Wig was happy to stroke Nibs’s anything.

“You have a cynical look on your face, Skandik,” Jim said. “You can’t believe a steak can be good outside of America?”

“America is the home of great steak,” Skandik said. “Truly great steak.”

Tea and Kathy nodded in agreement.

“Half the table is American, Dad,” Sam said, “but one mouthful will convince them that Chrissie’s is as good.”

Liam grinned at his father-in-law. “I don’t need convincing. I’ve been here before, remember?”

“A tenner Chrissie’s food changes your mind,” Paul said to Skandik.

“Dollars or pounds?” Skandik asked.

“Pounds. That way we get more drinks.”

“Deal.”

“Can I join in?” Kathy asked, bright-eyed as she watched the two men haggle.

There was a chorus of “No” around the table and she pouted, sticking out her bottom lip.

“We’ll buy you a drink, whoever wins,” Skandik said.

Kathy grinned. “Deal.”

“Don’t encourage her,” Tea said reprovingly.

Mattie snorted. “Do you think she stands a chance with my boys?”

“Not a one,” Sam agreed and tickled Kathy, who obligingly shrieked.

Wig snuggled closer to Nibs and watched the sideshow without feeling the need to join in.

“You okay?” Nibs’s warm breath brushed his ear.

“I’m….” Wig trailed off. He was far from okay, but he didn’t want to bring the party down. He was happy when Nibs held him tighter, and he relaxed into his embrace.

The meals didn’t take long to arrive. A hush fell, initially to watch Skandik’s reaction, but he kept his face passive as he chewed. Wig, who usually wasn’t fond of slabs of meat that wasn’t Nibs, took a mouthful and closed his eyes as the steak melted in his mouth. No one spoke, obviously feeling that talking took away from the experience.

As Skandik cleared his plate and reluctantly put down his knife and fork, Paul’s grin grew brighter. “Well?” he asked his lover, a distinct challenge in his eye.

The occupants of the table waited with baited breath for
Skandik’s answer.

Skandik sighed and dug out his wallet. “You win. That was an awesome steak.”

Paul and Sam cheered as Skandik handed over a ten-pound note.

“I want a soda, please,” Kathy said.

“You can wait, young lady,” Tea said.

“No, no, a bet is a bet,” Paul said. “What does everybody else want?”

Wig tilted his head to look up at Nibs. “Who’s the designated driver?”

“I’ll drive. You can drink tonight.”

Wig ordered another beer and finished his dinner, like everyone else, making sure every scrap of meat was finished. It was too good to waste. He watched the ebb and flow of customers with a jealous pang. The pub was in the middle of nowhere, yet all the tables were filled. It had been months since the Blue Lagoon had the same full atmosphere. He jumped as Liam touched his arm.

“Are you opening tomorrow?” Liam asked.

“I guess.” He looked up at Nibs, who nodded.

“We can’t afford to stay closed until we sell.”

Conversation died around the table, and all eyes fixed on Nibs.

“You’re selling up?” Paul asked.

“Yep. I’m going to talk to the neighbors tomorrow.”

“You’re joking. Tell me you’re joking. Why are you giving in?”

“Hmmm, let me see,” Wig mused. “It might have something to do with the events of the last two nights.”

“But if you sell, they’ll have won. You’ll have been bullied out of your restaurant.”

Wig heard Kathy ask her mum in a whisper what had happened and Tea shushed her. He leant forward to speak to Kathy. “Somebody tried to burn down the restaurant last night.”

Nibs shrugged, trying to act casual, but Wig could feel the held-in tension pressed up against his body. “Everything comes to an end. Maybe it’s time Wig and I had more time to ourselves.”

“What are you going to do?” Jim asked.

“Open a beach shack somewhere hot. Buy a tearoom near Mount Everest. Who knows?”

“Er, Nibs, you’re just opening another establishment,” Jim pointed out. “That’s not an end, it’s just a change.”

“Do you want to leave?” Paul asked, still with a dangerous note in his voice.

Nibs was silent, and Wig held his breath.

“It’s for the best,” Nibs said eventually.

“And what do you think?” Paul asked Wig.

Wig scowled at him, hating being put on the spot. “I think… I think it’s time we thought of us.”

“And running away is going to solve that?” Paul argued.

“Shut up, Paul,” Sam said. “Leave the guys alone.”

Paul opened his mouth as if to argue, but Skandik touched his arm, and Paul closed it.

Mattie giggled, breaking the tension at the table. “Skandik, I’m not letting you go home.”

Skandik looked at her, a puzzled expression on his face. “Ma’am?”

“We’ve never met anyone who could stop Paul once he got started,” Sam explained. “He’s like a runaway train: loud and a disaster waiting to happen.”

Paul flipped him off and then apologized to Tea and Kathy.

“What about me?” Mattie said, trying to look affronted but given away by her grin. “I’m a lady too.” Her sons and her husband snorted loudly. “Dreadful boys. I don’t know where you get it from.”

“Rose,” they chorused.

Wig sighed inwardly. On the one hand, he was glad the attention had been taken off him and Nibs, and on the other… no, there was no other, he was just glad the attention had been diverted.

“Do you want to go home?” Nibs murmured in his ear.

“Soon. I’m getting tired.”

Jim gave him a shrewd look. “We forget we’re a bit overwhelming.”

“It’s not that.” It was, in part, but there was more to it. Chrissie’s pub was a reminder of what they were about to lose.

“Look, I don’t care what everyone says, I don’t think you’ve thought this through,” Paul started. Oh jeez, Wig thought, the dog was back with its bone. “You can’t just give up because it’s easier to roll over. You have to fight.”

“Sometimes people don’t want to fight,” Skandik said.

“And then you sit in the closet feeling miserable,” Paul snapped.

“But you can get on with your life.”

Wig had the feeling they weren’t talking about the restaurant anymore.

“Paul, give it a rest,” Jim said wearily. “Not everything has a simple solution.”

“In this case, it does.”

“Paul, you’re a copper. How can you be that naïve?” Wig couldn’t keep quiet any longer. “Who are these guys? They’re the ones who’ve destroyed our business and taken away our trade. There isn’t much left to sell.”

“Arguments after the dessert, guys.” Chrissie approached with a tray of plates. “Take your pick. Ladies choose first. Paul gets what’s left over.”

Paul groaned as everyone crowed. “That’s not fair. All the
chocolate ones will go first.”

“Yep. And?” Sam said.

“I’ll share mine,” Skandik promised, and from the flush on Paul’s cheeks, he wasn’t unhappy with the idea.

Wig pinched the crème brûlée, which, while simple, was one of his favorites. Nibs refused dessert, saying he’d wait for coffee. Wig frowned, unable to remember the last time Nibs had refused something sweet. “Sure you don’t want a mouthful of mine?” he asked, offering the spoon.

“No thanks.” Nibs dropped a kiss on his mouth. “Ah, coffee.”

Wig’s plan to leave foiled—or at least delayed—he scraped out the last of the crème brûlée and followed it with hot black coffee. A perfect meal. Wig wasn’t a fan of people choosing food for him. If that was the case, Nibs would have him wearing Hawaiian shirts instead of the simple elegance Wig preferred for himself. But tonight Chrissie had done them proud.

As promised, Skandik and Paul traded spoons of their pudding. It was quite sweet to watch them, in a sickly kind of way, and it shut Paul’s mouth. No one called them out on it, because they all knew this was a freedom Skandik didn’t get back home.

Liam handed Paul a keycard.

“What this for?” he asked.

“Go and get some sleep before you implode.”

“I’m fine,” Paul insisted.

“You’re exhausted and stroppy, and you need to sleep before Wig stands on a box and punches you in the mouth,” Skandik said, tucking Paul into his side. He smirked as Wig scowled at him. “I’m shattered too.”

Mattie’s lip wobbled. “It’s so nice to see my boys so happy. Now we just have to find someone for you, Tea.”

The look on Tea’s face was a mixture of cynical and sad. “Alex is a hard act to follow. Even though it didn’t work out, I never stopped loving him.”

Kathy hugged her mother as hard as she could. “You need to find someone, Mom. Even Dad would have wanted that.”

“He would,” Liam said.

Tea looked at him, tears brimming in her eyes. “I often wonder if Alex would have realized that it was you he loved.”

“Maybe, but he wasn’t designed for me. He liked boobs far too much.”

She waved her hand. “That’s just biology. He loved you, just as Sam loves you.”

Wig wasn’t the only one sniffling as Tea and Liam hugged. He knew from conversations with Liam that it had been a long, hard road between Tea and Liam, and Tea’s anger toward Liam for his relationship with her ex-husband, platonic though it was, had only really subsided since he had met Sam.

“Ready to go, babe?” Nibs asked.

Wig looked up and frowned at the gray color in Nibs’s face. “Are you well enough to drive?”

Nibs nodded. “I’m fine. Just tired. Who do we see about the bill?”

Jim shook his head. “This one’s on us, boys. I hope you get a whole night’s sleep.”

“Me too. Thanks, Jim. We’ll be open tomorrow if you want to pop in with Rose for lunch.” Nibs looked at Sam and Liam. “Are you coming to us?”

“Yeah, we’ll just pick some stuff up from the hotel and come over to yours.”

“’Kay, we’ll change the sheets when we get back.”

“You don’t need to do that,” Sam said.

“Yeah, you probably do,” Paul muttered.

Sam rolled his eyes. “Leave them on the bed. We’ll change them when we get back. We won’t be late. Liam’s already flagging.”

“It’s true,” Liam admitted. “I’m useless these days.” Considering Liam had been knocked over and left for dead a couple of months ago, Wig thought it was a bloody miracle he was still functioning at all.

“Okay, we’ll see you there.”

Wig hugged everyone, including Kathy and Tea, and followed Nibs back to their car. The silence as they shut the doors was blissful, but Wig had something on his mind.

Before they’d got far down the road, Wig laid his hand on the steering wheel.

“Uh, I’m the one doing the driving, babe. You’re in the passenger seat.”

“I know that, moron. Find somewhere to park.”

“Sure, but why?”

“I need to talk.” Wig could not wait another moment to get his worries off his chest.

“Can’t we talk at home?”

“It’s just that… you’re worrying me.”

Nibs pulled into an entrance to a field and switched off the engine. “Me? How?”

“Why didn’t you have pudding today?”

Nibs looked bemused. “You’re worried because I didn’t have pudding?”

“You always have pudding,” Wig pointed out. “Usually stopping at one is the problem. So why not this time?”