Read Online Frisky Business by Clodagh Murphy - Free Book Online Page B

was looking at her with concern now. ‘You okay?’
    ‘What? Oh yeah,’ she said faintly, ‘I’m fine.’ She looked closelyat him. He had a nice face, she thought – cute rather than handsome, but open and friendly. As far as she knew, he was a nice person. She hadn’t seen him properly in years, but she had always liked him at school. He had loaned her a tennis racket once when she’d broken hers. And he had bought her chips one lunch-time when she didn’t have any money. That was about the sum total of what she knew of him. Could he really be Luke’s father? It didn’t seem possible. And what was she supposed to do now that she’d found him? She couldn’t just say, ‘Oh, by the way, we have a child together.’
    ‘What are you up to these days?’ she asked, her voice sounding far away to her ears.
    ‘Nothing much. Still working for my dad.’
    ‘Computers, isn’t it?’
    ‘Yep. And I’m engaged! Orla and I are tying the knot next year,’ he said, nodding across the room at a girl who was chatting to a group of their old school friends.
    ‘Oh, that’s exciting! Congratulations!’
    ‘Thanks,’ he said, grinning.
    God, this was going to be even more complicated than she’d thought. She glanced back at Orla. She looked so happy – they both did – and they were about to get married. How could she barge into their happy uncomplicated lives with a baby? She wasn’t sure she even wanted to. How good would it be for Luke having a father who was married to someone else, who would probably have children with someone else – a father who wouldn’t have much time for him and might not even want to know him?
    ‘Do you ever hear from David now? Or Katie?’ she asked mechanically.
    ‘No, not a sausage. But I was never really friends with David anyway. He only asked us lot to his parties to show off. And I didn’t know Katie at all.’
    ‘Youdidn’t?’ She watched him carefully, but there was nothing in his expression to suggest he was lying.
    ‘No. Anyway, it’s really nice to see you again, Romy. Thanks for inviting me. It’s nice to catch up with the old crowd. We never see each other anymore. We should do it more often.’
    She took a deep breath, steeling herself to speak. If she didn’t say something now, she never would. ‘I met you last year at David’s party.’
    ‘You did?’ he frowned. ‘I don’t think so.’
    ‘You were Darth Vader?’
    ‘Yep.’
    ‘We … talked. I was dressed as Red Riding Hood.’
    ‘Doesn’t ring a bell,’ he said. ‘But I was pretty pissed that night.’
    ‘We went upstairs. We didn’t take our masks off.’
    ‘Nope, definitely not me.’ She watched his face, but there wasn’t a flicker. Maybe he genuinely didn’t remember. But he hadn’t seemed that drunk.
    ‘It must have been the other Darth Vader,’ he said.
    ‘There was another one? Do you know who he was?’
    ‘No, sorry – don’t have a clue. He had a much fancier costume than mine – probably one of David’s knobhead friends.’
    ‘Oh. Right.’ And there it was – the relief she had expected to feel earlier was seeping through her now like analgesic, softening and relaxing.
    ‘Come over and I’ll introduce you to Orla,’ he said.
    ‘Romy, sorry to interrupt,’ May said, approaching her as she let Derek lead her away, ‘but whenever you’re ready, could I have a word with you about the swing?’
    ‘Sure, May – I’ll be with you in a sec.’
    ‘One of my tenants,’ she explained to Derek when May had retreated to a safe distance. ‘She wants my permission to set up this swing she wants to buy.’
    Dereklooked across at May. ‘She looks a bit old for a swing,’ he said.
    ‘You don’t know the half of it,’ Romy said, rolling her eyes.
    She felt light-hearted as she joined the group around Orla, as if a weight had been lifted from her. She had caught a glimpse of what it might be like to find Luke’s father – all the complications and problems it could