Smokeheads Read Online Free PDF Page B

bracelet on his wrist.
    ‘Not easy, man. Planning and managing, that’s not my bag. Best thing I ever did, though. Changed my life.’
    Adam nodded and smiled. ‘How about being your own boss? Doesn’t that take a lot of organisation?’
    Luke gazed into the distance for a while. ‘Worth it, if you love what you do.’
    Adam wanted Luke to ask why he was asking, to draw his plans out of him, but Luke was silent. Maybe it could wait till tomorrow. Tonight he had Molly to think about. He felt a trill in his chest at the thought of seeing her later and resisted the urge to check his heart rate.
    ‘What do you think of Molly?’ he said.
    Luke was back to fiddling with the thing on his wrist. ‘Seems cool.’
    ‘Do you think I should go for it?’
    ‘Why not?’
    ‘She’s pretty cute, eh?’
    ‘Yeah.’
    Adam examined Luke for a moment. ‘You know, you don’t talk about your love life at all.’
    Luke smiled and shrugged.

    ‘You got a lady tucked away somewhere we don’t know about?’
    ‘Not as such.’
    ‘What does that mean?’
    Luke just shrugged again and picked up a menu. ‘Can we eat? I’m starving.’
    Adam smiled then shook his head.
    ‘Fucking lezzer.’ It was Roddy and Ethan approaching the table and laughing.
    Ethan nodded towards the redhead tour guide, tidying away tasting glasses across the hall. ‘Roddy struck out and he’s taking it badly.’
    ‘I’m telling you, I know a carpetmuncher when I see one.’
    Ethan shook his head. ‘Maybe she just didn’t fancy you.’
    Roddy looked at him as if he’d grown a second head. ‘Don’t ever fucking say that to me again.’
    Adam and Luke joined in the laughter as Ethan sat down, making an ‘L’ for ‘loser’ with his thumb and index finger on his forehead.
    ‘Fuck the lot of you,’ said Roddy, laughing as well now. ‘Shower of cunts.’
    He looked around the cafe. ‘What do you have to do to get a fucking drink around here?’

8
     
     
    The Ardview was busy, a bustle of post-work Friday drinkers creating a growl of noise and laughter. Everyone seemed to know everyone. Each time the door opened, new arrivals were greeted with friendly antagonism and abuse, like Cheers with hard-earned, liver-damaged cynicism instead of one-liners.
    Adam stood listening to Roddy chat up the barmaid from earlier, who’d finished her shift. She was slumped on a bar-stool glugging double JD and smiling sarcastically. No sign of Molly. Adam turned at the sound of the door as two thick-armed blokes in mechanics’ overalls came in.
    They’d left Ethan and Luke at the B&B, Ethan on his mobile to Debs, Luke doing something on a laptop, both promising to head over soon.
    Adam looked at Ash. She was cute in a gawky kind of way, but looked exhausted, dark bags under her eyes. The exposed skin on her back, neck and arms was tattooed with flowing interlaced Celtic designs. Adam stared at them, trying to make sense of the swirling patterns.
    Ash downed her drink and Roddy offered to get another. How could anyone on Islay drink Jack fucking Daniel’s when they had the best whisky in the world on their doorstep? JD wasn’t even a proper bourbon, made in the wrong American state using the wrong techniques and tasting like a mouthful of iron filings. You might as well drink Whyte and fucking Mackay.
    Roddy waved a fifty-pound note at the big bear of a barman, who ignored him. Ash turned to Adam.
    ‘You two known each other long?’ She sounded wasted already.
    ‘Too long,’ said Adam. ‘Twenty years.’
    ‘Jesus.’ She laughed, throwing her head back. She had a sharp laugh but her eyes were cloudy. ‘And you’ve put up with him all that time?’
    Adam laughed. ‘To be fair, most of that time we’ve been pretty drunk.’
    Ash smiled. ‘I’ll drink to that.’ She raised her glass then frowned when she realised it was empty.
    Roddy appeared with drinks.
    ‘My hero,’ Ash cooed, taking the JD and gulping.
    ‘Been talking about me?’ said Roddy.
    ‘I