by Alix Kelso
“It’s Uncle Keith,” Bruce said when the car door opened. “He looks ... yeah, he looks happy.”
Keith got out the taxi, waved it off, then thrust his hands into his pockets and rocked on his heels for a minute, looking up and down Shaw Street, smiling to himself. When a couple of late-night revellers rolled past singing loudly and almost knocked into him, he only laughed.
“Definitely happy,” Bruce said. “I guess the two of them had a good night.”
“I won’t see Natalie until tomorrow afternoon,” Laura said. “Will you update me when your Uncle Keith tells you how it went?”
“Like I say, it looks like he enjoyed himself.”
“I need details. Specifics.”
“He won’t like me sticking my nose in.”
“But you’ll do it anyway?”
Laura watched him shake his head, but thought she saw a smile on his face too.
“Okay, I’ll text you.”
“Thanks, Bruce. Goodnight.”
“Goodnight, Laura.”
After they hung up, Bruce watched for a moment longer as Laura pulled the curtains at her window and gave him a little wave before disappearing from view. His heart was thudding in his chest. Talking to her, he realised, was beginning to have that effect on him.
Bruce heard Keith come through the back door of the pub and head upstairs. If he heard his uncle switch on the television in the living room, he’d take it as a signal and go through. But Keith’s footsteps turned towards his own bedroom at the other end of the landing. Bruce would have to wait to get the lowdown in the morning.
He looked back once more towards Laura’s flat and found that he was still thinking about her.
What are you doing? he wondered, and lowered the window blinds.
The answer came quickly enough. I have no idea.
Chapter 6
Early the following afternoon, Laura was working in Valentino’s, attempting to placate old Mr Davidson – who’d found fault with the cheese panini he’d ordered – while peering out of the restaurant windows for any sign of Natalie arriving. If she had to wait any longer for news on how the big date had gone, she’d burst.
Bruce had sent her a message early that morning, but it had been thin on details, saying only that Keith was still in bed. It was now after one, and he hadn’t been back in touch.
The suspense was killing her. So was Mr Davidson.
“I said I didn’t want tomato on my sandwich,” he complained.
“There isn’t any tomato on it.”
“But there has been.” He lifted the top of the panini and pointed. “Look, there are tomato seeds in here. The chef has put the tomatoes on, then remembered I ordered the panini without tomatoes, and taken them back off again.”
“So what’s the problem? No tomatoes, just like you said.”
Mr Davidson looked appalled. “But the essence of the tomato is in there. I can see the evidence of tomato slime. I can’t eat tomatoes, young lady. They give me the trots. Which means that I can’t eat this sandwich.” He pushed the plate away in disgust. “Tell the chef to make it again, from scratch. No tomatoes!”
She whisked the plate away to the kitchen. “Make another cheese panini for Mr Davidson,” she told Tanya. “No tomatoes.”
“There weren’t any tomatoes on the one I sent out.”
“He says he saw evidence of tomato slime.”
“What the hell is tomato slime?”
But Laura was already heading back out to the restaurant, where Natalie was breezing through the doors with a big smile on her face.
“Good afternoon,” Natalie said, offering a wave to the customers she recognised as she passed their tables before heading behind the bar to make herself an espresso. “Laura, how are you today?”
“I’m good. Um, so how did it go last night?”
Natalie turned, sipping her espresso. “How did what go last night?”
Laura stared. “Your dinner date, with Keith from the pub.”
Natalie arched an eyebrow. “It was a very pleasant evening, thank you.”
When Natalie added nothing further, Laura gaped. “Pleasant? That’s all you’ve got to say about it?”
“Indeed, what more do you need to know? We enjoyed our dinner together and went to a little club that Keith knew, where a very nice jazz trio was playing. All in all, I enjoyed myself.” She sipped some more coffee. “In fact, Keith suggested we ought to do it again.”
Laura’s eyes widened. “That’s terrific. I mean, that’s a great idea.”
“Hmm.”
“So will you go out with him again, do you think?”
Natalie levelled her gaze. “Laura, I know.”
“Know what?”
“I know that you set the whole thing up. You told me Keith had asked me out, and Bruce told Keith that I’d asked him out.”
Laura raised her hands in a calming gesture. “Natalie, let me explain—”
“There’s nothing to explain. What you did was sweet in a roundabout sort of way, and I understand your reasons for doing it.” Natalie reached across the bar counter and patted Laura’s hand. “But don’t do it again. I’m perfectly capable of making my own decisions. Quite how you imagined packing me off on a date with Keith McGraw would make me change my mind about selling Valentino’s is a mystery.”
“That wasn’t why—”
“Yes it was, and there’s no need to pretend otherwise.” Natalie drained her espresso. “Now, I might go out with Keith again as we had a lot of fun. And I must thank you for reminding me that I can have fun again with a man. But me seeing him, or not seeing him, will have absolutely nothing to do with my business decisions. I need your word that there’ll be no more meddling.”
Laura gulped. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be sorry. I don’t expect it, nor am I asking for it. But I do expect you to stay out of my personal life. I’m a grown woman. I don’t need a girl who’s less than half my age meddling. So promise me, no more meddling.”
Laura felt her cheeks burning with embarrassment. “No more meddling.”
“Good.” Natalie set down her espresso cup and squinted towards the window. “Ah, the sign man is here.”
Laura turned as a van pulled up outside the restaurant. A man got out and began hauling a For Sale board from the cargo bay at the rear.
Laura’s heart sank.
By the time she turned back, Natalie was already heading for the door to supervise the sign-hanging.
It had been a stupid plan and she’d known it all along, Laura thought as she watched Natalie step outside and begin talking with the man and gesturing to the front of the restaurant. Natalie simply wanted to move on with her life and there was nothing wrong with that. It was healthy.
Moving on was what you were supposed to do.
The kitchen bell rang. She delivered the fresh panini to Mr Davidson, but didn’t wait to see if he approved. Her heart just wasn’t in their little game today. Glancing at her watch, she was relieved to see there were only five more minutes before the end of her shift.
For the first time in a long time, she couldn’t wait to get out of the place. She didn’t want to see that For Sale sign being drilled into place above the door. That would just be too awful to watch.
When Bruce walked into The Crooked Thistle just after one o’clock, he found Keith behind the bar pulling drinks for Jimmy Pearson and Big Kev, who were already on their stools with the Sunday papers spread out on the countertop.
“Bruce,” Keith said, “how’d it go?”
He shrugged. “A wasted journey. It wasn’t what I’m looking for.”
“There’s no such thing as a wasted journey.”
“That’s philosophical.” Bruce rested his hip against an empty bar stool and tossed down the paperwork tucked under his arm. Jimmy and Big Kev craned their necks to take a look.
“You’re not thinking of buying that place?” Jimmy asked, pulling the paperwork closer and pointing at the ph
otograph of the pub printed on it.
“No, I’m not thinking of buying it.”
“That’s not a good location to buy a pub,” Big Kev said. “A bit rough and ready for the likes of you, son.”
“The boy’s just getting himself oriented, isn’t that right?” Keith said. “Starting his research and thinking about where he might want to locate his next venture.”
“Well, don’t start it anywhere in that part of town.” Jimmy pushed the paperwork back towards Bruce. “Not unless you want to lose all your money.”
“This one’s got a good head on his shoulders,” Keith said. “He knows what he’s doing.”
Surprised by the compliment, so rare from his uncle, Bruce shrugged.
“Take a seat over there,” Keith said, pointing towards the rear of the pub. “I had Marek make up a nice lunch plate for you.” He ducked into the kitchen and reappeared with a tray bearing soup and a sandwich.
“I could’ve sorted myself something before I get to work,” Bruce said.
“Nonsense.” Keith sat down beside him once he’d checked there were no customers waiting to be served at the bar. “And anyway, I want you to take the day off.”
“I don’t mind working, Uncle Keith. I like working.”
“A young man like you should be out enjoying the lovely afternoon instead of being stuck behind this bar working for free. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t mind the unpaid labour. But still, you should go out and do something.”
Bruce studied his uncle and the smile on his face, and thought about his unusually good mood. “I take it you had a nice time last night with Natalie,” he said, picking up the spoon and sampling Marek’s soup.
Keith grinned. “We had a terrific night. In fact, I asked her out again and she said yes.”
Bruce looked up from his soup. He wasn’t surprised Keith had enjoyed the night out and wasn’t surprised that he’d asked to see Natalie again. Keith had always been good in the romance department, at least to begin with. But unease snaked through him just the same, knowing the speed at which his uncle seemed to fall for women.
“Listen Uncle Keith, is that such a great idea? She’s selling her business and moving away. What’s the point in getting involved if—”
“We enjoyed one another’s company. Why not go out again?”
“But, look, the thing is—”
But Keith was waving a hand. “Bruce, Natalie already worked out that you and Laura set us up.”
Bruce laid down his soup spoon. “Are you angry?”
“A little bit to begin with. But I was out having a good dinner with a beautiful, interesting woman. How could I get upset? Plus, she wants to see me again. Who knows what might happen in the future?”
Bruce stared. “Oh God, you really like her.”
“What’s not to like? I don’t know why I didn’t think of asking her out before. Angelo’s been gone two years, I ought to have made a move sooner. She’s an amazing woman, Bruce. Amazing.”
“But—”
“And who knows how quickly she’ll find a buyer for that restaurant. Maybe she won’t even go through with it. If we start spending time together, she might want to stay after all.”
Bruce put his head in his hands. “You sound just like Laura. I knew this would end in tears.”
But Keith just laughed. “Don’t be such a pessimist, son. Nothing is ending in tears. I’m going to take Natalie out again, we’re going to have fun, and maybe it’ll lead somewhere good for both of us.”
Grinning and rubbing his hands together, Keith rose from the table. “Natalie might just be the woman I’ve been looking for all these years. And there’s no For Sale sign up yet. Maybe she’s not as sure about selling as she claims to be.”
Keith returned to the bar, whistling happily. Bruce felt sick inside. Natalie said she’d sell her business, and she would. Having gone through the process himself, he understood that once you took a decision like that, you didn’t just suddenly change your mind.
As he watched his uncle wipe a cloth over the bar top and hum to himself, drawing amused expressions from Jimmy Pearson and Big Kev, Bruce glanced out of the pub windows and saw Natalie step out of Valentino’s and begin talking to a man getting out of a van. Then the man moved a set of ladders into place and began shifting a large For Sale sign into place above the restaurant doors.
His appetite gone, Bruce once more laid down his spoon and sighed.
Chapter 7
The plan was to have a picnic in the park. Having begged off on seeing a movie with John the night before, Laura had suggested they get together after her shift, pick up some sandwiches, and enjoy the summer sunshine while it lasted. It would be nice to laze around on the grass beneath the shade of a tree. And it would be nice, too, to take her mind off Natalie, and off Valentino’s, and to think about something else for a while.
As she changed out of her waitress uniform, she deliberately set her mind to thinking about John instead. The two of them ought to start doing things other than going to the cinema. John was a nice guy, but it was hard to get to know someone when the time you spent together only ever involved sitting in silence while staring at a huge movie screen. It was little wonder things felt flat between them. A picnic might be the perfect way to begin fixing things.
When the doorbell rang, she grabbed her sunglasses and the picnic blanket she’d dug out of the linen closet. But when she opened the door, she found John standing on the landing with a solemn expression on his face.
“Laura,” he said, glancing at the blanket tucked under her arm. “I’m sorry, but I have to cancel the picnic.”
“What?” Her good mood deflated like a burst balloon. “Why?”
“Jeff phoned this morning. He got tickets for Raiders of the Lost Ark. I didn’t even know it was on. Can’t believe I nearly missed it, actually.” He shook his head in disbelief. “Anyway, it starts in an hour. So maybe we could do the picnic thing another time?”
She stared in disbelief. “You’re ditching me for an Indiana Jones film you’ve already seen a hundred times?”
“Not a hundred times. Maybe Jeff’s seen it a hundred times but I haven’t. And I can’t miss this. It’s on the big screen! It’ll be awesome.”
“But I was looking forward to having a picnic with you.”
He glanced at his watch. “Look, I’m picking up a couple of the guys, I have to go.” Leaning over, he gave her a quick peck on the cheek. “I’ll make it up to you, I promise. Thanks for understanding.”
Astonished, she watched him rush down the stairs.
Dumped in favour of Indiana Jones. That hurt.
“I hope you choke on your gigantic bucket of popcorn!” she yelled down the empty stairwell. “Okay, I didn’t really mean that.” She closed her flat door. “And now I’m standing in my hallway talking to myself.”
Sighing, she tossed the picnic blanket back into the linen closet and pulled the sunglasses from the top of her head.
And then paused.
“It’s a beautiful day,” she said, looking at the sunglasses. “What, I’m just going to sit around inside because some guy ditched me? And I’m still talking to myself.”
Grabbing her bag, she pushed the sunglasses back on to her head and locked the front door behind her. She was halfway towards Shaw Street when she realised she had no actual idea what she planned to do next.
A bus was trundling away from the nearby bus stop. She could catch the next bus into the city centre, she thought. Maybe she’d head to Glasgow Green, buy a picnic lunch for her own damn self, and eat it by her own damn self. Why shouldn’t she have a picnic on her own?
Reaching the bus stop, she glanced at the timetable and sat down on the metal bench to wait for the next bus.
She passed a minute scowling across the road at Valentino’s, and at the For Sale sign now fixed firmly in place above the door. It hurt to see that sign up there. It just didn’t look right. She hoped Natalie might be thinking the same thing.
The car horn tooted again. She walked over and looked through the open window.
“Bruce!”
He smiled. “Need a lift?”
“No, I’m waiting for the bus.”
“Where are you headed? Hop in, I’ll drop you.”
“I’m happy to wait for the bus.”
“Laura, let me give you a lift. It’s no trouble.”
He gestured for her to get in. Deciding that the air-conditioned car was a more attractive prospect than another ten minutes on the hot metal bus bench, she opened the door and got into the passenger seat.
“So where are you going?’ Bruce asked as he pulled back into the traffic.
“Nowhere in particular, just heading into town for a wander.” She glanced out the window, then back at Bruce. “I saw Natalie at Valentino’s earlier. It sounds like she had a good time with your uncle. Did he say if he had fun with her?”
Bruce shifted in his seat. “He did. In fact, he’s already talking about how maybe they’ll end up with a great thing going on between them, and she won’t want to leave after all.”
She could tell from his tone that he was unhappy. “You think he’s already falling for her?”
“When it comes to Uncle Keith, when he falls, he falls fast.” He glanced her way. “Does Natalie happen to think the same thing?”
She closed her eyes and groaned. “She had fun, but I can’t say she looked like someone on the cusp of love. In fact, she told me off for meddling. She said they’d see each other again, but it won’t change her decisions about the restaurant. I feel bad for dragging your uncle into this thing.”
Bruce shrugged. “He’s a grown man. He gets caught up too easily with women. The problem is that the women he gets caught up with are always wrong for him. Natalie’s different, she’s a good person. But if he’s going all mushy over her and she leaves anyway, it’ll be an even worse romantic disaster than usual.”