A Suitable Lie Read Free Page B

that?’ I asked Anna.
    She gave a coy nod to my mother and a smile to me that promised much.
    ‘Right.’ I rubbed my hands together. ‘Let’s get this Verocirictor into his bath.’
    ‘Velociraptor, silly,’ replied Pat.
    Between us, Mum and I wrestled Pat into the bathroom and out of his clothes. Once the bath was run, I plunked Pat into the water and placed an enormous tower of bubbles onto the top of his head.
    I turned to leave the bathroom.
    ‘Thanks, Mum,’ I said. ‘I’ll pick him up on the way to work in the morning and take him to nursery.’
    She nodded and almost gave herself a wee hug, she looked that pleased to have him all to herself.
    ‘And don’t be spoiling him.’ I warned.
    She tutted. ‘Silly Daddy. That’s my job.’
    I gave her a look, wanting to know what she thought of Anna, but didn’t ask, knowing she tended to keep her own counsel.
    ‘Have fun, son,’ she said and got down on to her knees at the side of the bath. She studied me as if she wanted to say something. Then settled for, ‘But just take this for what it is, eh?’

3
    C ertainty that Anna was the woman for me arrived in a setting that would have had a film director purring. After a wedding meal for friends of mine at the Marine Highland Hotel in Troon, Anna and I went for a walk. With the fairways of the famous Troon golf course before us and the hills of Arran melting into the horizon, I steeled myself to ask the question.
    It was too soon.
    Was it too soon?
    What if she said no?
    The late-August sun painted the scant clouds above Goatfell a deep crimson. We stood in silence, Anna’s head resting on my shoulder as we enjoyed the calm after the happy tumult of the wedding. Anna looked up at me, her button nose begging for a kiss. I obliged. She giggled and rubbed the spot with the palm of her hand. A feeling settled over me, a cloth of silk floating to land on a cragged rock. Carefully I examined it.
    I had known plenty of moments of pure joy with Pat, but since Patricia’s death there was always something missing. The rough and blemished surface of my soul needed to be clothed in silk and colour. I needed a woman in my life.
    ‘You never talk about, Patricia,’ she said quietly, as if unsure of herself, and studied my expression for a reaction.
    ‘You’ve just thrown me from my…’ I looked into her eyes, trying to judge what was behind the question, and feeling somewhat deflated. ‘I was just about to…’
    ‘And now you’re deflecting me from my question,’ she said with a small smile. She stepped in front of me and held both of my hands.‘I want to get to know you, Andy. And that means I need to know everything…’
    ‘But … I was just about to…’
    ‘I can handle the fact you were married before. We all have a past. You didn’t just appear in my life, fully formed as Prince Charming.’ The breeze lifted a lock of hair and gently left it in front of her right eye. She tucked it back in place, her gaze never leaving mine.
    ‘Prince?’ I snorted and resisted the urge to pretend to fart.
    ‘She must have been pretty special for you to fall in love with her.’
    ‘Well out of my league, actually.’ I leaned forward and kissed her lips. ‘Just like you.’
    ‘You don’t need to do that, Andy.’ Her eyes were full of understanding. ‘I’m not threatened by the thought of your dead wife. In fact I’m impressed at how you’ve dealt with it all and provided a lovely home for your wee boy.’
    ‘Yeah, Andy Boyd. Model father.’ I stepped to the side, and holding her right hand pulled her along with me as I walked towards the golf course that nudged onto the grounds of the hotel. Truth was I read the clear-eyed honesty in her remark and couldn’t handle the compliment.
    We came to a deep sand bunker and seeing that there was no golfers about, Anna removed her shoes and sat on the edge, trailing her toes in the cool of the sand.
    ‘Mind your dress,’ I said. ‘You’ll get