Page 218 of In at the Deep End

“Nothing.”

“That isn’t your nothing-face.”

Owen smiled. “I was just thinking I may have underestimated you.”

Matt grinned. “I think there’s no may about it.” He cocked his head. “No regrets?”

“None whatsoever.”

He meant every word.

Matt wasn’t too concerned about the lack of people beating down his door, begging him to come and work for them. The truth was, he liked knowing he had a choice. He could find the right job rather than taking the first one offered.

And while he was searching, he’d been helping Owen with the book.

The manuscript was finished now. After months of photographs, notes, memories and arguments over captions, it had finally become the book they’d talked about putting together.

Owen had sent it to three publishers.

Two had asked to see more. One had asked for the complete manuscript. Nothing was guaranteed yet. But Owen was hopeful.

And Matt was so fucking proud of him.

Sometimes, when they were sitting together in the evenings, Owen would open the latest email and read it aloud. Matt would pretend to understand the publishing terminology. Owen would pretend to believe him.

Neither of them cared. The important thing was they were doing it together.

“Callum called earlier,” he told Owen.

“Is he coming over this weekend?”

“That’s why he called, to make sure we’d be here.”

Callum had become one of Matt’s closest friends.

It had taken a little while for them to get there. There’d been an awkward period after everything that had happened, when Callum seemed determined to apologise every time he saw Matt.

Eventually, Matt had told him to stop.

“You’re allowed to be an idiot occasionally.”

Callum had grinned. “Only occasionally?”

“I’ll let you know.”

Now they exchanged messages most days. During his frequent visits, Callum still occasionally gave Owen a look that said he was keeping an eye on him.

Matt found that reassuring.

Eric and Garth had already visited twice, and it became clear from the outset that Owen had more names to add to his fan club list. Matt had missed them when they left.

It was strange how much bigger his life seemed now. Not because there were more people in it, but because he’d stopped keeping pieces of himself in separate boxes.

He had Owen. His parents. Eric and Garth. The people who had become family.

And he had the island. That had become their place.

Whenever they could get away for a weekend, they left the car in Southampton, picked up the bike, and headed for the ferry.