Page 109 of Kiss Me Like You Mean It

‘There isn’t any gossip,’ I say firmly. ‘I am going out for dinner with a friend. She’s… great.’

‘Great?’ Jack looks unimpressed. ‘What do you mean great?’

‘I mean she’s funny and clever and so fucking gorgeous I can’t see straight, okay?’ I snap. ‘But we’re… it’s… complicated.’

Jack looks stunned by this outburst, as well he might because I was definitely not planning to say any of it, but there’s only so much a man can stand. This whole situation is having a catastrophic effect on my blood pressure and I’m a father now, I need to think about these things.

Eventually, Jack lets out a low whistle. ‘Okay, it sounds like you have a lot going on,’ his tone has softened, ‘and look, I’m not claiming to be an expert on love—’

I snort. ‘I should fucking hope not. Do you even remember how you and Cynthie met?’

‘But,’ Jack pushes on regardless, ‘if you care about this woman that much then you should really tell her. Trust me on this… you don’t want to waste time, life’s way too short, man.’

I wonder how he’d feel if he knew he was giving me this advice about his sister. I honestly don’t have any idea how he’d react, but I do know that not telling him feels wrong.

‘Maybe you could bring her as your date to our wedding,’ Jack says casually. ‘It’s only a couple of months away now.’

I settle for making a vague humming sound of agreement and change the subject to ask about Gran.

‘Yeah, she’s good,’ Jack nods. ‘Apparently her cholesterol numbers aren’t great but they’re getting better, and the cardiologist gave her the all clear, although I usually have to squeeze that sort of info out of Lee.’

Because Lee’s the one taking care of her, I feel the sudden urge to say, but I bite my tongue.

‘I’m pretty sure something’s off between her and Gran. I think they might have had a bit of a falling out,’ Jack muses.

‘About what?’

‘No idea,’ he shrugs, ‘I don’t think it was anything serious. You know those two are thick as thieves. Apparently Lee’s away on business at the moment so Gran’s living her best bachelorette lifestyle, which I really did not need to hear the details on, but which she was happy to share anyway.’

Something compels me to ask, ‘Where is Lee at the moment?’

‘Good question.’ His brow wrinkles. ‘She texted me a few days ago asking me to check in on Gran but she didn’t mention where she was. Thinking about it, she hasn’t been travelling for work as much as she used to.’

‘Since Gran’s heart attack,’ I can’t keep the sharpness out of my voice. ‘She probably feels like someone has to be there.’

Jack grimaces. ‘Fuck. You’re right. I can’t believe I didn’t put that together. Do you really think she’s worried? I mean, obviously straight afterwards, but it’s been a year… Gran’s doing so well… right? There’s no reason Lee can’t be away. She never said anything to me about it.’

I shrug, not ready to ease his guilt on this one. I think it’s time he started paying more attention where Lee’s concerned. It’s obvious she feels like she’s alone in looking after her grandmother, but Jack loves both of them – she should be able to lean on him a lot more. The two of them definitely need to communicate better.

‘You and Lee aren’t in touch much?’ I ask, even though I already know the answer.

Jack frowns, troubled. ‘Not as much as we should be. Cynthie’s pretty good about messaging her and stuff, but we haven’t caught up in person for a while.’

‘It must be hard on her,’ I say. ‘Being on her own.’

Jack looks startled at this. ‘Lee? I don’t think so, you know what she’s like, it’s tricky to get stuff out of her, but she’s always been so self-sufficient.’

Thankfully, before I can say anything to that, he shakes his head. ‘But you’re right that I should make more of an effort. Hey, maybe all of us can get together some time. I bet her and Phoebe would hit it off. You guys should do a trip to the UK, introduce your daughter to her roots.’

‘Maybe,’ I say. ‘In the summer break.’

‘Summer break!’ Jack shakes his head again. ‘So weird that you’re dealing with school holidays now.’ His smile grows. ‘You know I’m really happy for you, right? I know how hard it’s been, but what you’ve built with Phoebe… I’m so fucking proud of you. You’re an amazing dad, and she’s the best.’

‘She really is,’ I say, and now I feel even worse.

‘Okay, I’ll stop being a soppy bastard and let you get ready for your casual evening.’

‘Dick,’ I scoff, but there’s no heat in it and we say goodbye, promising to catch up soon.