Let Love Win (21 page)

‘Pull over a sec, Nick.’ Ruby wound down her window.

‘I didn’t know you had a handsome chauffeur to take you up there, duck,’ cackled her neighbour.

‘You know me, Margaret, a toy boy in every port.’

‘Well, have a good time anyway, love. You… and the chauffeur.’ The old girl winked discreetly at her young neighbour.

Ruby shook her head. ‘You’ve gotta love her.’

‘She seems like a wise old bird.’

‘Wise, all right. She’s taught me a lot, I can tell you.’

Nick tooted, turned up The Vaccines on the radio and sped off. Intent on their chatter, neither of them noticed his beloved campervan splashing a tall, bespectacled man walking up the road with his black Labrador.

– Chapter Seventy-One –

Michael had got in from his run, sweaty, tired but hopeful. He thought back to what Cali had said. ‘You have to try and gently fill the holes in their hearts that were blown open by grief.’

He had tried but obviously not hard enough. His last text from Ruby had been that she missed him and wanted to meet, but then she had disappeared off the face of the earth. Maybe her phone was broken? Each time he had tried to call her, it was as if she was cutting him off. He didn’t text her as he couldn’t bear the thought of her not replying. He would just have to try and catch her at her house again.

However, he was hesitant about doing this because of what happened last time. Women! If only he could work them out. Maybe she had been drunk when she had said she missed him. Was she still with the husband look-a-like? Quite frankly, the whole business was driving him mad. But something was stopping him from giving up, and that something was so obviously love.

Barney barked. ‘I know, boy, you’re hungry. Let me sort you out.’

Michael lit a cigarette as he reached for a tin of dog food, and then stubbed it out immediately. What was he thinking? He didn’t need to smoke. He’d just been for a run, for goodness sake. Screwing up the packet, he put his foot on the bin pedal. He then got the packet back out of the bin and poured water on it. There was no way he could retrieve them now. As he grabbed a fork from the drawer, he suddenly thought of Ruby and the amazing sex they had had down in the cottage in Dittisham. She loved it when he was all sweaty. Oh, how he fancied the arse off of that girl. He started to feel the usual heating up in his groin - not a good look in running shorts. Good job he was in the privacy of his own home. As soon as the bowl of food was on the floor, Barney began to wolf it down noisily.

Michael clicked open his laptop. Emily, the bitch, was going to get it in more ways than one. It had really thrown him seeing her. He couldn’t deny she looked great, but beauty with her was definitely skin deep. She was an ugly person and he was actually quite glad that his mate had instigated his getting away from her. He wasn’t sure if he could even write about having sex with her any more, but he would try.

Let Love Win by Michael Bell

Chapter 27:
Emily sauntered into the bedroom in just a sexy pink underwear set and a pair of black four-inch stilettos. Michael didn’t even look up, he was so intent on finishing the chapter he was writing.

She bent over the bed and pulled her panties to the side with her fingers. ‘Fuck me from behind - and now.’

‘But your tummy - it might hurt you or the baby.’

‘Oh, Michael, just do it, will you. I want your cock in me good and hard.’

Despite the raunchiness of it all, Michael still had to think of Ruby to get an erection. Emily had turned into some sort of sexual deviant since being pregnant, and although he couldn’t complain, it just made him want Ruby all the more. He had a connection with the fun red-head. The only connection he had with Emily was the baby growing within her.

Fantasising about Ruby coming into the room, pulling him off of Emily, then sitting astride him as Emily masturbated on the bed next to them made him come really quickly.

‘Oh, darling was that it?’

‘Emily, I’m writing.’

‘This bloody book better be a bestseller, is all I can say.’ She harrumphed and stormed to the bathroom to shower.

‘Bloody hell, every time,’ Michael said aloud as his hard-on throbbed through his running shorts. He vowed he would write a thriller next time. It would save him wasting so much writing time on masturbation!

Once he’d cleaned himself up, he sat back at his writing desk. What should he do with Emily? Should they go through with having the baby? It was too late for her to lose it. He couldn’t put a woman through that. Maybe it could turn out it wasn’t his. Brilliant! She could have been seeing someone else all along but they were married too… Hmm. It was too early in the book though, he was only on Chapter 27. No. He would keep on having inane sex with her and carry on seeing Ruby – that would be more exciting for the reader. But then again, what about poor Ruby? It wasn’t fair on her that he was with another woman. He would never do that to her in real life. He cared for her way too much. And the readers might begin to hate his Michael character.

He groaned and pushed his glasses up on to his head. Now what was he going to do with the real Ruby? It was so difficult. She obviously wasn’t interested any more as she would have followed up on that text and not completely bloody ignored it. Sod it, he would call her right now. Damn - her phone was off again! He hoped that she was all right. He showered quickly and grabbed Barney’s lead.

‘Come on, boy, we’re off out for walkies again. I need to know what the hell is going on.’

***

‘You twat!’ Michael cursed as a campervan sped past him as he was rounding the corner to Amerhand Road, soaking both him and Barney.

He took a deep breath as he knocked on Ruby’s door. He felt excited and scared at the same time. Suddenly Margaret appeared out of nowhere, sporting a broken red umbrella.

‘Oh, hello. Michael, isn’t it?’

Michael smiled. You couldn’t beat a nosy neighbour; thanks to them, at least you always knew what was going on.

‘Yes, hello Margaret, how are you today?’

‘Bloody sick of this rain, I know that.’

‘In June too, you’d think it would be sunny.’ Why did old people always talk about the weather? Michael thought back to his 1 May deadline. That was how long he had been going to wait for Ruby. Well, the deadline was way past and he was still hanging in there. The time had just flown!

‘She’s not here, duck. And look at you, you’re soaked through. Why don’t you come in and get yourself warm and dry?’

Barney shook himself, making Michael even wetter.

‘Well, if it’s not too much trouble.’

‘Of course not. Bert is snoring as usual. I’ll be glad of the company.’

Margaret lit her old gas fire and gave Michael a towel to get the worst of the wet off of him. She went to the kitchen and returned with a tray laden with a metal tea pot, three china cups and saucers, a plate of custard creams & two schooners of sherry.

‘Ruby’s favourites.’

‘What, the sherry?’ Michael laughed.

‘She’d kill me telling you, but she does love a sherry too, actually. You don’t have to have one if you don’t want to, but I thought it would warm you through.’

Michael drained his glass in one go and screwed up his face. ‘Blimey, that’s sweet.’

He took off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. They felt sore from too much writing. He put them into their case and placed it on the tray.

‘I thought you might be partial to sweet things, what with courting our Ruby.’ Margaret also downed her sherry, then poured herself another. ‘Well it is Saturday.’ She bent over to put the bottle on the floor next to her and farted without even noticing. Michael decided to ignore this, despite even Barney wincing at the smell. The black Labrador let out a little whimper then flopped in front of the fire.

‘Courting is not quite the word.’

‘Oh, well she speaks highly of you, young Michael.’

‘Does she? Really?’

‘Yes. She was shaken to the core when our George was taken, but you put a smile back on that pretty face of hers.’

‘Not a big enough one, obviously.’

Margaret, ever the matchmaker when she knew it was right, was aware that she couldn’t divulge too much information.

‘You just need to talk to her.’

‘I’ve been trying. But her phone is either off or it cuts off.’

Margaret didn’t dare say that she knew she had been hanging up on him since she had caught him with Emily. But, as he had the dog with him, she guessed that Ruby might be right.

‘So… single at the moment are you, Michael?’

‘Yes, yes, I am.’

‘I didn’t know you had a dog? Ruby never said.’

‘She wouldn’t have. I only just got him. Ooh, listen to that rain.’ Michael didn’t want to get into the Emily conversation with someone like Margaret, as he was sure, especially now she was on the sherry, she would get the wrong end of the stick and not relay it properly to Ruby.

However, he had to ask the question that had been on the tip of his tongue since he had arrived.

‘So… um… do you know where she is? Ruby, I mean.’

‘Gone to her place in the Lakes. The poor girl has been working so hard and what with her volunteering too, needed a break. She hasn’t had a holiday all year. Well, apart from a couple of days in Devon with you, that is.’ Michael was quite taken aback at how much Ruby did tell Margaret.

‘That’s great. She loves it up there. You’re right - some time away will do her good.’

Margaret didn’t think he’d be saying that if he knew she’d gone with The Fireman.

‘So… er… do you know who she’s gone with?’

‘Oh, some old friends of hers, that’s all,’ Margaret blustered. ‘Another sherry, duck?’

‘No thanks, the tea’s just fine.’ Michael reached for a biscuit. He didn’t dare ask what friends, it made him sound like a stalker. He was annoyed that she hadn’t spilled some names, but Ruby was right, she was a wise old bird.

Michael finished his tea as Margaret poured yet another sherry. Bert and Barney snored in unison. The old girl then dropped off too, but shook herself awake after a few minutes.

‘Sometimes,’ she said drowsily, ‘a letter works the best out of anything.

There’s some paper and a pen in the bureau.’ She pointed to the antique in the corner. ‘Now there’s no time like the present. If you write to her, I will make sure she gets it, I promise. She’s turned her phone off, you see. I know that much. Said she wanted some peace.’

With that, the old girl promptly fell back to sleep.

Michael had to laugh. Here he was in a nigh-on stranger’s house, surrounded by three snorers, whilst the woman he loved was away with goodness knows who. At least he had an explanation re. her phone this time round.

A resounding clap of thunder caused Barney to stir slightly. Michael stroked his ears gently. ‘It’s all right, Barn.’

Well, sod it. There was no point trekking home in this foul weather and he didn’t have spare cash for a cab. He looked at the blank page. For a second, he had a vision of Emily on his shoulder sneering, ‘Hah, call yourself a writer.’ He was a writer and write he would.

He scribbled the black biro on the inside of his hand to get it to work and then lifted his head to the ceiling in thought.

Dear Ruby…

– Chapter Seventy-Two –

‘You two took your time,’ Fi shouted from the chaise longue in the luxurious sitting room of
Daffodils
.

‘Have you seen the weather?’ Ruby replied. ‘And Nick’s van only goes sixty miles an hour downhill.’

‘A van, you say?’

‘It’s a campervan, you snobby cow,’ Ruby shouted from the kitchen.

‘Here.’ James handed Ruby a glass of wine and kissed her on the cheek. ‘Have this and stop abusing my lover.’ He shook Nick’s hand. ‘Nice to meet you, mate. Beer?’

‘Great, thanks.’

Ruby went in to see Fi.

‘Can’t believe it’s bloody June,’ she grumbled. ‘This weather is awful.’ Then she looked at Fi’s stomach. ‘Blimey! You’re huge.’

‘Tell me about it.’ She went to a whisper. ‘Not even four months and I’m already like a baby elephant. Mind you, I am eating my way through a tub of pecan ice cream a day. I quite like the fact I can eat what I want when I want.’

‘Well, don’t go too mad. You know how much you hate exercise and it will all have to come off.’

‘Oh, Rubes, don’t go all sensible on me now, will you. We are having sex again, actually at it like rabbits, thank goodness. So I will burn it off later.’

‘I’ll make sure I take the twin bedroom up the other end of the landing then?’

Fi kept to a whisper. ‘Twin, yeah right!’ She smirked. ‘Don’t tell me there’s no hose action on the cards then?’

‘There’s not.’

‘Why not? He’s well cute.’

‘I just want to do something properly for once - you know, get to know him.’ Ruby also couldn’t bear to sleep in a double bed where she had made such passionate love with George on countless occasions either.

‘You wait, another couple of wines and you’ll be rubbing The Fireman’s shiny helmet.’

‘You’re so wrong and so damn coarse.’

‘No, I’m oh so right, my little ginger minger.’ Fi stretched out on the chaise. ‘I bloody love it here.’

‘So do I. It’s just so calming, isn’t it. I can feel Lucas around us as well. Camping it up, wafting house spray around and pouring the largest brandies you’ve ever seen. I so wish I’d known him for longer.’ Ruby suddenly went quiet. ‘Why do people have to die too soon, Fi?’

‘My mam says it’s because they are too good for this world, and I believe that. George didn’t have a bad bone, did he? Life isn’t fair. How you feeling now, anyway?’

‘I’m so much better actually. I was just thinking the other day that without fail, every single day I would wake up and the first thing I would think of was him not being here any more. But now I don’t. I think about my day ahead. And it’s just certain things that trigger my memories of him.’

‘I guess that will happen forever.’ Fi started munching gherkins from the bowl on the side table.

At that moment, James appeared and stoked up the fire. Nick plonked himself down on the sofa next to Ruby.

‘You should be doing this mate,’ James laughed.

‘Ha ha. No, thanks. Can’t believe you had to light it. On the upside, it’s supposed to cheer up tomorrow, so maybe we could go to Derwentwater like you suggested, Rubes? I quite fancy a walk.’

‘Yeah, sounds good. You up for it, you two?’ Ruby looked to Fi.

‘I’ll see how I feel,’ she said. ‘Just walking around the village may be enough for me, to be honest. Millbeck is so pretty and I’m not up for a big hike with Bump on board.’

James walked over to her, knelt down and rubbed her tummy.

‘Aw. It’s so exciting. I cannot wait for us to be parents.’

‘I just can’t imagine Fi changing nappies and doing night feeds. You wait, she’ll have two bottles made up, one full of red wine for her and the other with milk for the baby.’

‘Not funny, Rubes. I will be the perfect earth mother, you wait and see.’

‘I’m sending her back to work and being a house husband.’

‘Hmm. I hadn’t thought of that. Nah. I need a break.’

Nick piped up. ‘A break? That’s the funniest thing I’ve ever heard. Coping with a young baby will be the hardest thing you’ve ever done in your life.’

‘Look at the guru over there.’ Ruby grimaced at her friend’s words. She hadn’t told Fi about Nick’s tragic life story. She jumped up quickly, put her hand out to him and directed him back to the kitchen.

‘Come on, Fireman Redwood, let’s unpack.’

When they were out of earshot, she squeezed his arm. ‘Sorry about that - they don’t know what happened.’

‘Rubes, it’s fine. You are so sweet. But seeing Fi pregnant does bring back so many memories.’

‘I bet it does. Just being here holds a lot for me too.’

‘Maybe I shouldn’t have come.’

‘Don’t be silly. I really wanted you to.’ Ruby went to him, put her hands on his cheeks and brushed his lips with hers. ‘It will be good to get to know each other outside of the bloody Bow Wow.’

‘That place, such a laugh in a way. I mean Simon, love him to death, but what is he all about?’

Ruby chuckled. ‘Oh, he’s just one of life’s eccentrics. And the world would be a worse place without them. A bit like Lucas, who left me this house.’

‘Indeed, but let’s look forward now, eh? Onwards and upwards for us both, Miss Designer Pants.’

‘Miss Designer Pants?’

‘No worse than you calling me The ruddy Fireman!’

‘Oops.’

‘Yes, oops,’ Nick teased her. ‘Right - come on, now it’s stopped raining, let’s get those bags in.’