Stepping hurriedly along, she meandered through the people crowding the way. She stepped around someone then bumped into a man coming the other way. "Sorry about that."
"No problems love," he mentioned. "How are you Luce?" She looked at him, noticing his face; her mouth went to form a word but failed. "Don't scream, I just want a coffee and to talk … when I'm done, you can call the police and scream all you want then."
"I can live with that."
He turned and walked with her to a shop; stepping inside, she smiled at the clerk. "Two regulars with cream and sugar along with three croissants." She watched as he paid then they took a seat on the side. She looked at him for a long moment. "How have you been?"
"No complaints, how are you."
"I'm fine." She took a bite of croissant and sipped her coffee. "What brings you around these parts? I thought after the accident you didn't want to come back."
"I had some business to take care of in Leeds." He took a sip and looked at her. "I got remarried, her name is Lila … she's Welsh."
"How is that working out for you?"
"Truth?"
"Truth."
"We have nine kids, eight girls and a boy." He ran his hand over the cup. "I was the problem with us having a child, not you."
"I know; I was also on the pill too."
"Touché."
"Why so many? I didn't take you much of a family man."
"We had three at one time then a pair, last four were solo … shocked the hell outta me when I learned we were finally going to have a boy." Reaching into his pocket, he pulled his phone out and flipped through the photos then turned it to her. "This is Jamie."
"Oh he's handsome, looks like you but those blue eyes … are those hers?"
"Yea, brighter though … she has cornflower blue mixed with a bit of sterling." Turning the phone back, he flipped a few more times then turned it back to her. "All of us together."
She took the phone and held it, looking at the photo as a serene smile crept to her lips. "She is beautiful and those girls are amazing. I particularly like the chic blonde." She handed it over to him, their fingers barely touching. "What's her name."
"Vivianne, I call her Vivi to irritate her." He flipped to another picture and turned it back to her. "This is Opal; she is autistic and has epilepsy. They say she will grow out of it eventually so we have to keep a definite eye on her."
"She looks like she'd be the apple of your eye."
"She is." He turned the phone off and ran his hand over his face. "Was it all that bad?"
"No," she grinned slightly, "some of it was … hot."
"Yea that part definitely." He drained his cup and rose. "I've enjoyed our chat, I need to be going."
"Have another cup with me." Staring at her, he sat back down as the waitress refilled both. "I wanted to tell you that they ended the investigation into Harold … they confirmed it was his body they found in the dump."
"I see," he spoke slowly, lacing his fingers around the cup. "How did they come up with that determination?"
"I gave them what they requested: a sample of his hair from a comb." She took a sip and winked at him. "They didn't think it would match because Harold had been bleach blonde when he went insane and the sample I gave them was his normal brown but it worked out."
"That's good to know."
She reached her hand out and rubbed his. "Bob, don't get down on yourself. There is nothing you could've done for him. You were his brother not his keeper."
"And look how he ruined our marriage."
"That's true he did but look at us now. We can actually sit in a shop and have a civilized conversation for once in our lives." She looked up as the door opened. "Frankly her pictures don't do your wife justice, she's gorgeous."
He turned as she came over and sat. "I was coming to meet you but I ran into Lucy, she asked me to have a cup with her."
"Lucy Saxon, his ex."
"Lila Vauxhall Saxon, his current."
"Vauxhall, what a mouth full … I'd drop it if I were you."
"I plan on it. So … how are you?"
"Quite well; I was telling Bob that they found Harold's body in the dump and the investigation was over. You can come out of hiding now."
"Not really; he and I still have the same face. I don't want the kids to have to go through what you've been put through Luce."
"I'm fine, I'm still standing." She finished her cup and pushed a croissant to Lila. "You eat this one, I'm stuffed." She rose and picked up her bag; as she moved around, she leaned over and kissed his cheek. "Never forget you were the good brother in all this." Patting his arm, she headed out of the shop and vanished.
"What was that about?" Lila asked.
"I have no idea."