The Book Share by Phaedra Patrick

Author:Phaedra Patrick [Patrick, Phaedra]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-04-15T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter 20

Night Cream

Liv tried to call Jake back, but her phone battery was flat. At Dubrovnik Airport, she found a pay phone but couldn’t reach him. She left a voice message explaining her situation and advised him her flight was on time.

She spent the entire return journey home willing the plane to fly faster. The worried lump in her throat meant she couldn’t eat or drink any refreshments during the flight.

When she landed back at Manningham, Liv grabbed her luggage off the conveyor belt and jogged through customs.

Jake and the boys stood waiting with sorrowful faces.

‘Are you okay?’ Jake sped towards her.

Liv’s eyes alighted on the navy fabric encasing Johnny’s arm and holding it across his torso. His fingers poked out of the end, pale and limp. ‘What happened?’ she gasped.

‘Didn’t you get my calls and texts?’ Jake said. ‘I asked the hotel to push a note under your door. Johnny’s broken his arm.’

Liv’s face felt hot with guilt. She hadn’t checked her own bedroom when she left the hotel, only Essie’s suite. ‘I didn’t get the message,’ she said.

‘We should complain. I specifically told them to—’

‘It doesn’t matter. I’m here now.’

‘I slipped on some mud,’ Johnny said dolefully.

Mack stared at him. ‘You said you broke it playing footie.’

‘The ground was muddy.’

‘Okay, lads,’ Jake said. ‘Let your mum catch her breath. She’s only just landed.’ He took hold of Liv’s suitcase and frowned at its weight, testing it with his hand. ‘What have you got in there, more bricks?’ he said.

Liv smiled weakly. The four of them walked towards the exit.

‘How was your break?’ Jake asked her, and she wasn’t sure if he was being sarcastic or not.

She wanted to gush how the sea was the bluest she’d ever seen, how she’d given a stellar performance at the book festival, and how Marlon thought her writing was fresh. She felt like showing him photos of her hotel suite, and insisting they buy a softer mattress. But she kept it all to herself. Instead, she said, ‘It was fine. Tell me what happened to Johnny.’

‘I got a call from one of his mates yesterday, saying he’d had an accident,’ Jake said. ‘I drove over to the park and Johnny was lying on the ground clutching his arm. I took him straight to the hospital and they did an X-ray. He’s fractured it just below his right shoulder.’

Liv flinched as she imagined his pain. Guilt churned in her stomach at not being there to accompany him to hospital, and she couldn’t help wondering if the accident wouldn’t have happened if she hadn’t gone away. The bright skies of Croatia dimmed in her head, as if clouds drifted in front of the sun. Her overseas escape suddenly felt like several weeks ago, rather than mere hours. When they reached the car, she slid into the passenger seat in a daze.

‘It’s a nasty break, the worst kind,’ Johnny announced. ‘The doctor said so. It frigging well hurt. My shoulder was all swollen, like the Hulk.

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