Page 81 of Be More Octopus

'Change of plan, thanks to Lecherous Lars.'

'Lecherous Lars?'

'Yes, he's playing away from home in Spain.'

'Mark and I were just reliving our youth. Mind if we join you?' Jack sat down next to Em without waiting for an answer.

It was Luke's turn to look annoyed now. Em noticed Mark standing behind Jack, looking amused.

'Pleased to meet you, Em.' Mark gave her a peck on the cheek.

'And you at last. I've heard a lot about you.'

'Most of it bad, I'm guessing? I've heard a lot about you too.'

Em smiled, wondering what Jack had been saying.

Luke got up. 'I'm just going to get a refill. Want to come with me?' His body language made it clear that the invitation was aimed at Em only.

'She's fine here,' Jack said.

'I'll be the judge of that, thank you,' Em said, glaring at Jack. It wasn't anything like the situation with drunken Si. She'd been having a friendly conversation with Luke. It wasn't as if she and Jack were officially dating.

'I'd love to come with you, Luke,' she said. 'Excuse me, gentlemen. We'll catch up properly tomorrow, Mark.'

She could feel Jack's eyes burning into her back as she walked into the bar with Luke.

'Is Jack an ex?' Luke asked.

'No, just a friend.'

'Are you sure? He looked jealous to me.'

CHAPTER FIFTY-SEVEN

Em dragged herself out of bed at 8 am to sort out the guests who were leaving early. Lucy was still in a deep sleep on the sofa bed. Em got dressed quietly and went over to the main house to get a drink to avoid waking her. It would also give her some peace and quiet to think about last night's events. Her feet hurt from dancing until the early hours. She’d enjoyed letting her hair down again.

While Em waited for the guests to drop off their keys, she looked at Lucy's photos on Instagram. It looked like they were all having a riot of a time. She saved a few to her camera roll. Luke had exchanged numbers with her before saying good night. He was good fun, but there weren't any fireworks. Not like when she was near Jack.

She heard footsteps on the staircase. Mark walked into the kitchen, looking dreadful.

'You're not seeing me at my best,' he muttered.

'Coffee or paracetamol?' Em asked in a stage whisper.

'You're an angel. Both, please. What time did you get in?'

'Lucy and I left at 2. I thought you and Jack had already gone.'

'Yes, we left well before then. This hangover is mostly attributable to the bottle of whisky Jack forced me to share with him when we got back.'

'Are you two friends again?'

'Yes, as far as I remember. Though my head and my liver currently loathe him. Are you still friends with him?'

'That depends on what sort of a mood he's in today.' She put a glass of water and the packet of painkillers in front of him.

'Thanks. I thought after his heavy-handed interruption last night, you might have gone off him. Is Luke a fixture now? Jack's worried he might be.'