BooksBarbecue
Back Again, Rachel
Chapters (98)
  1. Cover
  2. Dedication
  3. Epigraph
  4. 1
  5. 2
  6. 3
  7. 4
  8. 5
  9. 6
  10. 7
  11. 8
  12. 9
  13. 10
  14. 11
  15. 12
  16. 13
  17. 14
  18. 15
  19. 16
  20. 17
  21. 18
  22. 19
  23. 20
  24. 21
  25. 22
  26. 23
  27. 24
  28. 25
  29. 26
  30. 27
  31. 28
  32. 29
  33. 30
  34. 31
  35. 32
  36. 33
  37. 34
  38. 35
  39. 36
  40. 37
  41. 38
  42. 39
  43. 40
  44. 41
  45. 42
  46. 43
  47. 44
  48. 45
  49. 46
  50. 47
  51. 48
  52. 49
  53. 50
  54. 51
  55. 52
  56. 53
  57. 54
  58. 55
  59. 56
  60. 57
  61. 58
  62. 59
  63. 60
  64. 61
  65. 62
  66. 63
  67. 64
  68. 65
  69. 66
  70. 67
  71. 68
  72. 69
  73. 70
  74. 71
  75. 72
  76. 73
  77. 74
  78. 75
  79. 76
  80. 77
  81. 78
  82. 79
  83. 80
  84. 81
  85. 82
  86. 83
  87. 84
  88. 85
  89. 86
  90. 87
  91. 88
  92. 89
  93. 90
  94. 91
  95. 92
  96. 93
  97. 94
  98. Acknowledgements

He smiled some more, skimmed his glance away, then slid it back to her. ‘Did some of it last night.’

‘Hah!’ Shiv was delighted. ‘Knew it!’

Everyone kept ploughing into the food until literally everything was eaten. As soon as the kids left the table Quin set down his glass with an air of surrender. ‘The pretend wine isn’t doing it for me.’

Garrett exhaled. ‘Thank God someone said it.’

‘Usually, two glasses in,’ Quin said. ‘I feel good, but right now life still feels…’

‘…too real. Totally.’ Shiv turned appraising eyes on me. ‘Must be how it is for Rachel all of the time.’

Once again I summoned my game smile. Sometimes I wondered about the energy I expended making drinkers feel okay about the fact that I didn’t drink. With all of that effort, I could have sailed around Ireland in a crate.

Quin was on his feet and opening a bottle of real wine. Gratefully the three drinkers gulped it down.

‘That’s more like it,’ Garrett gasped. He’d drained his glass. ‘Making up for lost time.’

‘We’ll try again with the other stuff,’ Shiv said. ‘But not tonight. And seriously, the dinner was great. Especially with it being vegetarian.’

‘Vegan,’ Quin said.

‘All of it?’

‘Yeah. Plant-based living. That’s me.’ Then, ‘Except for the times I’d prefer a rare steak—’

‘Me too.’

‘—but got to get with the programme, right?’

‘Right!’

They grinned at each other and, glad to see Quin in better form, I asked, with affection, ‘Why did you two ever split up?’

‘Because he was sleeping with my best friend’s sister.’

I knew that. It hadn’t been a real question.

‘You started it,’ Quin replied. ‘Sneaking off for long, flirty lunchtimes with your boss’s boss!’

They both laughed loudly and for a small, very scary, moment I wondered what I was doing with these people.

*

‘Are you going to meet him again?’ Quin asked. ‘Do you want to?’

I didn’t know. For the first time in a long time, I knew where to find Luke. I could corner him and all the conversations I’d had with him in my head I could have for real.

‘No…but…it might be a good idea if we talked out some of the bitterness. Look at you and Shiv, you get on great.’

‘Yeah, we’re friends, because there’s nothing left, no love.’

‘There’s no love between Luke and me either.’

The wound still hurt, but it was a shadow of what it once had been. ‘Maybe this is a chance to tidy up a painful part of my past? But I’m not going after him to try to make it happen.’