The Waffle House on the Pier - Tilly Tennant Page 0,105
up, Aquaman, because it happened and everyone in the bay will know by tomorrow.’
‘Nobody will come for diving lessons from a man who needed to be rescued by the lifeboat,’ he said, pouting.
‘Of course they will,’ Kat said. ‘By tomorrow everyone’s going to think you’re a hero.’
‘A crap hero, granted,’ Sadie cut in. ‘But they’ll probably book diving lessons just the same.’
He scowled at her and she gave a tired grin. She could joke about it with him now, because ribbing and banter was their default sibling setting, but it was harder to wipe from her mind the image of the boat hauling his floppy body out of the sea. Things could so easily have been very different and far more tragic than they’d turned out to be, and Sadie couldn’t forget that either. Family meant everything, and sometimes that truth got lost in the noise; it took something like today to bring it back into focus again. No matter what else happened from this point on, her brother was here with them and she’d always be thankful for that.
‘Have you been to see Luke yet?’ Kat asked.
Sadie shook her head. ‘I’m going in just a minute. I wanted to see Ewan first.’
‘Don’t you think you ought to? After all, he’s got nobody else here and Ewan has all of us. I think we could spare you for a minute if you wanted to go along the corridor.’
‘Yeah, and I’ll see you at home in a few hours anyway,’ Ewan said.
‘Luke will see me too.’
Ewan looked at her carefully for a moment. ‘Want to tell me what was going on tonight?’
Sadie gave a small smile. ‘I could, but by the time I’d finished the story it would be time for you to go home. It’ll wait.’
He nodded, content to let things go for now.
‘Want to tell me why you were looking for me?’ she asked.
‘Well…’ he began, and he shot an awkward glance at Kat.
‘He came to tell you,’ Kat cut in, ‘that he’s put your grandmother straight on a few things. Namely, that it was his idea you should withdraw your services from the waffle house. She wanted to talk to you about it. I think she wanted to apologise so Ewan came to find you.’
‘Couldn’t you have phoned me?’ Sadie looked at him now.
Ewan shifted awkwardly. ‘It was sort of…’
‘What he had to tell you he wanted to tell you in person,’ Kat cut in again.
‘Why?’ Sadie asked, looking from Kat to Ewan and then back again.
‘Because your grandma was talking about cutting you from her will. Ewan realised that he really had thrown you under the bus because he’d been a total pig-headed dick about everything and he needed to apologise and you can’t make an apology of that magnitude on the phone.’
‘She was doing what?’
‘It’s sorted now,’ Ewan said. ‘I’ve put her straight and she loves you again. It’s me she’s not quite so keen on now.’
‘Well, I’d tell you I feel sorry for you but I don’t.’
‘I thought it was the right thing to do. And don’t forget Mum and Dad agreed to it too.’
‘True. In that case, and in view of the fact you nearly died I’m going to forgive you.’
Ewan smiled. Even now, when he’d been lost at sea and dragged out with mild hypothermia and shock, his smile could still light up a room. ‘He’s alright, you know.’
‘Who?’
‘Goldman.’
‘You mean Luke?’
‘Yeah. Lucky he was passing.’
‘I wish you’d stop calling him Goldman. And I told you so.’
‘For once, I’m going to admit that you were right and I was wrong – but don’t get too used to it. I’m sure it won’t happen again.’
‘I’m sure it won’t,’ Sadie said, her smile spreading as she got up from her chair. ‘I’ll try not to let the dizzy wine of success go to my head.’
She left the room and made her way along the corridor, her brother’s laughter fading with every step, and a few doors later she came across Luke’s room. She knocked lightly and then went in. He was sitting up in bed, looking as annoyed to be there as Ewan had earlier. She took a seat beside him. Neither spoke; they simply looked at each other for the longest moment. Sadie didn’t know what to say and it seemed Luke didn’t either. Eventually, she broke the silence.
‘I’m sorry.’
‘For what?’
‘For all this. You shouldn’t be in here right now; it’s my fault.’