Isle of Waves (23 page)

“Rose Owens was no saint. In fact, if she got the chance, she was a thoroughly wicked woman, and she enjoyed every moment of it. But she had a huge heart and I loved her. Rose was special to me. She saved me, she and Sam. Up to today I’ve only told one person this, but as I stood on Ryde Pier, I thought about throwing myself after Alex’s ashes. Rose never gave me the chance to think like that again. My parents threw me out as a teenager, and my best friend took me in. But Rose… from the moment I met her, she made me family, an Owens. That’s what she did for me. She gave me a wonderful family.

“Have you met Rose’s family? They talk about the Gran who never shopped them to their parents about the broken ornaments, the Mum who took on the bullies and won. The great-grandma with the secret supply of sweeties in the pocket of her armchair. The matriarch with an acerbic tongue if she didn’t like their girlfriends or boyfriends. Rose Owens didn’t hold back, did she?”

“Hell no,” someone muttered.

Wig was pretty sure that was Colin.

“Take your time today to think about your Rose, the one that you loved. She isn’t my Rose or Sam’s or even Jim’s. Some of you have known her for over seventy years. That’s a lifetime of loving someone. Some, like me, just a short time, but we loved her deeply.”

Liam paused as he looked out at the crowd, many with tissues to their eyes. “Rose Owens leaves this world a better place. It’s trite but true. She lived for every moment. Rose was amazing. We loved her.
I
loved her.” His voice broke, and he wiped his eyes.

Sam got up and hugged him, and they sat down together. Wig snuffled into his handkerchief, and Nibs sniffed next to him. If there was a dry eye in the house, then they were heartless bitches who deserved to be turned into stone, Wig thought fiercely.

The funeral director took a moment to let everyone compose themselves, and then she introduced the last song. There had been much discussion in the Owens household about which song to choose. Jim wanted “Morning Has Broken,” but Paul pointed out that a group of gay men singing “purple-headed mountain” would lead to some disgraceful behavior. Mattie refused to have anything by Celine Dion on the basis that Rose thought the
Titanic
movie was pants. In the end they settled on “What a Wonderful World.”

Wig, expecting to hear the Lou Reed version, gaped at Skandik as he started to sing in a beautiful tenor. As the song reached the last chorus people started to join in, and the swell of voices for just a brief time was a fitting send-off for Rose Owens.

Typically not caring what anyone thought, Paul kissed Skandik after he sat down, making the American blush. Wig thought they probably answered the question of whether they were together.

After the funeral people hung around, but Wig and Nibs rushed to the restaurant to prepare for the guests. People were invited for a wake at the Blue Lagoon, timed to arrive between the lunchtime and evening crowd.

“I seriously hope not everyone turns up,” Wig said as they drove back. “I don’t think we’ve got enough canapés.”

“The Owens only invited family and a few close friends. The rest were a surprise, although, knowing Rose, they shouldn’t have been. Mattie said to expect about thirty. Sam said to cater for double that, and we’ve probably got more if we need it.”

Wig squeezed Nibs’s thigh. “You’re amazing. Do you know that?”

“Well, duh!”

“What time is everyone arriving?” Wig looked at his watch and yelped. “God, it’s already two o’clock. When did it get to be that late?”

“Take a deep breath, babe. No one will arrive before half two, and Steve has orders to prepare everything in advance.”

Wig subsided against the seat. He knew he was panicking unnecessarily. They had employed extra staff for the day, the food was organized before they left, and….

“Breathe, Wig. You’re starting to make me worried.” Nibs’s sharp tone penetrated the funk in Wig’s mind.

Wig dragged in a few deep breaths to get the oxygen circulating again. “Okay, then.”

“Feeling better?”

“I will be when this is all over.”

Nibs frowned at him. “What’s got into you? You’re not usually so flaky.”

“Charming.” Wig sighed. “I don’t know why I’m so nervous to be honest. I guess I just want it to go right for Rose. She was special.”

“She was,” Nibs agreed, “but she’d have whupped you over the head for turning into a nervous Nellie.”

“Nervous Nellie? What the hell is that?”

“My gran used to say it all the time. It’s one of those stupid sayings.”

“It’s probably right. I do feel like a nervous Nellie, and Rose would have clipped my ear for getting wound up. I’m going to pour myself a brandy and drink it in the kitchen, then we’re going to give Rose Owens the best damn send-off ever.”

“That’s my boy,” Nibs said.

“And tonight you can fuck me over the sofa until my balls are shriveled up and dry.”

“Nice image.”

“She’d’ve approved.” Wig had a plan. Things were always better with a plan.

“B
AD
DAY
,
boss?” Steve looked at Wig as he poured a double brandy.

“Nibs thinks I’m turning into a nervous Nellie.” Wig sniffed the spirit, the scent alone calming him down.

“Do what?”

“Don’t ask. It was that or flaky. I think I prefer being a Nellie.” Wig knocked back the brandy, gasping as it burnt its way down his gullet. “That’s better.”

“If you say so, although you don’t usually drink during the day. Was it hard?”

“The funeral?”

Steve nodded.

“Not particularly, although Liam’s eulogy had everyone in tears.”

“I thought Sam was doing it.”

“He couldn’t.”

Steve nodded.

Wig liked that about Steve. He was never judgmental about people.

Ben poked his head around the kitchen door. “They’re arriving, Wig.”

“Okay, put them all into the right side away from the toys. It’s a decent day. They can spill out onto the deck if they want to smoke. If we get people in, put them on the left.”

Ben rolled his eyes. “Anything else you want to repeat?”

“No respect,” Wig muttered.

Nibs hugged Wig. “You’ve got them well trained, babe.”

Wig laid his head against Nibs’s chest, comforted by the sound of his heartbeat. “It was good of Karen to come in at short notice.”

“You know she’d come back like a shot if you asked her. She hates it at the arcade.”

“I wish we could,” Wig said. “I miss her being here.”

“Miss who?” Karen said. “Is anyone going to help me? We’ve got a thirsty crowd out there waiting to drink.”

“Coming,” Ben said. “Hurry up, Wig, we need you.”

Nibs gently pried Wig off his chest. “Go on, babe. You’ve got a job to do.”

Wig took a deep breath and smiled at him. “Rose Owens, this is for you.”

“Hell to the yes. Make these people drink. We’ve got some money to make up.”

Wig patted Nibs on the chest. “That’s my boy.”

“
Wig!
” Ben yelled.

“Coming.”

“Later,” Nibs said.

Wig laughed as Steve groaned. Rose would appreciate every minute of this.

F
OUR
HOURS
in, Wig was desperate for a cup of tea away from the crowd. “I’ll be back in ten,” he said.

“No worries,” Ben said. They had all had a short break during the afternoon.

Wig ran upstairs and found Liam and Sam wrapped around each other on the sofa. “You’re hiding.”

“Definitely,” Sam agreed lazily, rubbing Liam’s belly.

“You’re supposed to be down there.”

“We needed a break. We were both finding the sympathy overwhelming.”

“Would you like a cuppa? I’m hiding for ten minutes.”

“Cool.”

“Is there one for us?” Paul said. “Are we allowed to hide too?”

“And us?”

Wig surveyed the line of Owenses walking up the stairs and sighed inwardly. “Tea coming up.”

“I’ll give you a hand,” Skandik said. “I think this is a two-man job.”

“Thanks.” Wig vanished into the kitchen, Skandik following him.

Skandik shut the door and let out an explosive breath. “God.”

“I know just how you feel.” Wig filled up the kettle. “I guess I ought to put the coffee machine on as well.”

“How many escapees have we got?”

“Eleven.”

“I need more milk.”

Skandik opened the kitchen door. “Paul, go get some milk from the kitchen.”

“And tell Nibs where we are,” Wig added.

Skandik passed on the message and shut the door again.

Wig smirked at him. “Had enough?”

“More than enough.” Skandik rubbed his eyes. “Jetlag is a bitch. My tolerance is at a low, and if I hear one more old dear telling me that they have a divorced daughter who would be just right for me, I’ll scream.”

“I suppose they haven’t worked out you and Paul are a couple.”

“They did after Paul stuck his tongue down my throat.”

“I bet they appreciated that show.”

“I don’t know about them but I did. God, I missed him.”

The kettle clicked off, and Wig took the distraction as an opportunity to marshal his thoughts. “Are you back together?”

Skandik sighed. “I… hope so. I really did a number on our relationship, and he’s not forgiven me completely.”

“Dumping him after sex? That was a damn horrible thing to do.”

“I know.” Skandik looked ashamed.

Wig patted his arm. “You love him.”

“Is that enough? What happens to me while we wait? It’s going to be years before we can be together. Two binational couples in one family? Suspicious or what?”

“Can you get a job over here?”

Skandik narrowed his eyes. “What makes you think I’m coming here rather than Paul living with me?”

Wig gave him a
duh
look.

“That was a stupid thing to say,” Skandik admitted.

“Just a bit,” Wig agreed.

Skandik sighed. “Yeah, yeah, I’ll be coming here. Can you imagine trying to force Paul into the closet?”

“What closet? Who wants to put me in the closet? I don’t do closets,” Paul said as he brought in the milk.

“We’d never have guessed,” Skandik said drily.

“The only time I was in a closet was with Susan Jackson. Good times.”

“School?”

“Last year at the Christmas do.”

Wig saw Skandik bite hard on his lower lip. Someone seemed to have issues with Paul’s bisexuality, or maybe it was his casual promiscuity.

Whichever it was, Paul missed it as he said, “Is the tea ready? They’re all gasping out there.”

“You pour the coffee, and Olaf can take out the tea,” Wig said. “I have to go back to work.”

He grabbed a cup of tea and made his escape from the tension in the kitchen.

“Where’s our drinks?” Colin said.

“Paul and Olaf are in charge now. I have to go back to work.”

“Oh dear,” Mattie said, “we spoiled your break, didn’t we.”

Ya think?
Wig gritted his teeth and smiled at her as sweetly as he could. “It’s okay. I’ll get one later. Gotta go.”

He walked slowly down the stairs, drinking his tea. Ben grinned at him as he walked into the restaurant. “Are they all up there?”

“Yup.”

“And you ended up making drinks for them all?”

“Yup.”

“Want to hide in the kitchen for a while?”

Wig sighed. “Thanks for the offer, but I’d better get back to work.” He surveyed the crowd. “They seem dug in for the evening, don’t they?”

“They’ve started to order dinner.”

“They know it’s not on the house, don’t they?”

“Yeah. We made that clear to everyone who orders.”

“That’s okay, then. Nibs would have a heart attack if he thought he was subsidizing dinner too. I’d better go make nice.”

Ben nodded. “Table four needs the bill. Do the Owenses want dinner?”

“I’ve no idea. Do you want to pop up and check while I get the bill?”

“Cool.”

Wig processed the bill for table four and stopped by a small crowd of Rose’s friends from bingo. “May I get you anything, ladies?”

“Good timing, Wig,” Bel Nolan said. Wig knew her as she was one of their regulars. “Four G and T’s and two lattes, plus a large bowl of chips.”

“Coming right up.”

He ordered the chips and made the drinks. As he poured the lattes, Wig looked at the number of people still in the restaurant, friends of Rose’s gathered to mourn her passing and celebrate her life. She would have preferred this to the funeral.

“Aren’t they ever going to go home?” Dan Owens moaned. “I need more beer.”

“Take these over to Bel and her cronies, and I’ll get you another beer.”

“What am I? One of your lackeys?”

Wig ignored his whinging and handed him the tray. “You’re the man who wants a beer.”

Dan grumbled but took the tray and served the ladies, making them flutter as he flirted shamelessly with them.

“Tart,” Wig said when Dan returned with the tray.

“Well, duh.” Dan took a long drink of the beer. “There isn’t enough beer to get me through today.”

“I’m sorry for your loss,” Wig said soberly.

“Me too. I loved that old bat.”

Wig grinned. “I bet you called her that to her face.”

“And more. You should have heard what she called me.” Dan’s lips wobbled. “It’s hard to believe she’s gone. One minute we were celebrating the little brother’s wedding, and the next we’re saying good-bye to Gran.”

“At least she got to see Sam married.”

Dan nodded. “She would have been furious to have missed the wedding.”

“Another beer?”

“I shouldn’t. I’m supposed to be driving back later.”

“You’re not driving with the amount of alcohol you’ve had.” Wig shook his head. “You can sleep on the floor in the lounge.”

“Why I can’t have the sofa bed?”

“Paul and Skandik have got it, and Liam and Sam are sleeping upstairs. It’s the floor or walking home.”

“You make such a tempting offer.”

Wig held out the beer. “Well?”

“The floor it is. Besides, it will be worth it to know Paul can’t do anything with me in the room. I can’t wait to see his face when you tell him.”