The Bow Wow Club Read Online Free PDF Page A

tomorrow.’
    ‘Isn’t it time you made an honest woman out of her?’
    ‘Ruby, shut up.’ Adulthood had not altered their sibling banter or spats.
    Laura Matthews piped up, ‘Ooh it would be lovely to have a wedding to look forward to. Imagine it - my number one son walking down the aisle.’
    ‘Leave him alone,’ Graham chipped in. ‘He’s got plenty of time to get serious.’
    ‘Thanks, Graham, a voice of bloody reason at last. Now come on, Mother, where’s my turkey? There’s a good film starting at three.’
    ‘Queen’s Speech first, Sam, you know that.’
    ‘Really?’ Sam looked to the sky as Ben grunted and put his head on his master’s feet.
    Beep! Back in the sitting room, Ruby scrabbled in her bag for her phone as she heard the unmistakable sound of a text message.
    Happy Christmas Rubes. Hope you liked the present
    Ruby gulped. George always called her Rubes and she wasn’t sure if she wanted anyone else to do so.
    She had been overwhelmed by the fact that Michael had taken it on himself to replace her wedding ring. It had only been in her purse the day that she got mugged as she was taking it to the jeweller’s to get it made smaller. She had lost so much weight since George had died, and ironically she was terrified of it falling off and losing it.
    She took a deep breath.
    ‘All right, sis?’ Sam picked up on her anguish.
    ‘I think so.’
    ‘What is it? Tell me.’
    ‘Look, Sam, don’t tell Mum ‘cos I know she’ll probably give me a lecture, but I’ve met someone and I actually really like him.’
    ‘So, what exactly is the problem? George isn’t coming back, as much as we all want him to, and you have to move on, you know that.’
    ‘He - Michael, his name’s Michael - bought me another wedding ring, sort of pretending he’d found the original.’
    ‘What a decent bloke, I say - how bloody thoughtful. I wouldn’t think to do that. Go with it, Rubes, he obviously likes you. You don’t have to rush anything.’
    ‘But I still love George.’
    ‘Why would you not still love him? I expect you always will. He was a fucking great bloke, we all loved him, but he’d be kicking your arse if he knew you were still moping.’
    ‘Thanks, Sam’ She kissed her brother on the forehead and started to text.
    Cannot believe you found it, thanks so much! Have a lovely Christmas
    Within seconds she got a reply.
    Seek & ye shall find. Call you after the festivities. Have fun xx

– Chapter Thirteen –
    Ruby was just sewing on the final button to a New Year’s Eve creation when her phone ringing made her jump. She loved her work so much that she quite often got into a complete zone and the outside world seemed far away. It had really helped her as it allowed her not to think about George every minute of the day.
    ‘Hi, Ruby, it’s Michael. How you doing?’
    Just the sound of his soothing voice made her heart beat slightly faster. However, she remained cool.
    ‘Hello,’ she said. ‘I’m OK actually. Did you have a good Christmas?’
    She tried hard not to think about the kiss incident as he carried on, ‘Oh, you know, the usual - rows over the television, my sister’s kids screaming. In fact, I’m glad to be home.’
    ‘I sort of know what you mean, but being back home makes me feel a bit lonely when I’ve been with company for a while.’
    ‘Well, we shall have to put a stop to that, won’t we? Look, I wanted to ask you what you were doing on New Year’s Eve.’
    Ruby gulped. New Year’s Eve with a man who wasn’t George was just too much to contemplate.
    ‘I’m sorry, Michael, but I’ve already got plans,’ she told him.
    ‘Oh, OK. Well, that’s good. Would hate to think of you sitting on your own. What are you doing?’
    ‘I’m seeing my friend Fi and her boyfriend James - we’ll probably just go to the wine bar at the end of my road. I’m not a big fan of New Year’s Eve, to be honest.’
    ‘I can imagine how hard it must be. Well, if you change your mind