Teaser Tuesday – The Summer House

Today’s teaser comes from The Summer House
Available now – http://rjscott.co.uk/Read-House

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Ash picked up the remaining order of service sheets and looked around. What did you do when there was no visible bin anyway? Or even a box marked Recycling?

“Come on,” Landon snapped. He’d been pissed off all day and Ash ignored his brother enough to have the customary huff of irritation. “We need to get to The Wychwood.”

“I need to find a place to…” He waved the sheets in front of him and just raised an eyebrow when Landon grabbed the whole lot and placed them on the nearest pew.

“Someone will sort it.” He moved to the door and looked back expectantly. “Come on.”

Ash didn’t argue, he was more the type to go with the flow, and probably this one attempt at ethically ridding themselves of the spare services was the most responsibility he could handle for the rest of the day. He fell into stride alongside Landon.

“Who pissed in your cereal?” he asked.

Landon shot him a look. There was anger in his eyes, definite anger. Landon didn’t really do anger. As son and heir to the whole of the Haynes Park Estate and the title of Lord Haynes, he was the sensible one. He didn’t do irrational outbursts of temper; that was Ash’s job.

“Rachel,” Landon admitted.

“And this Rachel pissed in your breakfast?” Ash teased. “Didn’t know you were into that kinky shit—”

“Shut up, Ash,” Landon warned. “Can’t you be serious for one-second?”

Ash held up his hands in mock surrender. “Okay, okay, this is me being serious.”

Landon muttered something under his breath that Ash didn’t catch, although he didn’t need to, he’d heard most of the things Landon had to say about him before. Waste of education, random, directionless, an idiot, yep, he’d heard it all.

“Stop muttering and talk to me.”

“Rachel was at the wedding.”

“Rachel who?” Ash bypassed the remains of a muddy puddle left over from yesterday’s summer rain with a small bounce in his step. The path from the church down the hill to The Wychwood Public House was mostly left to nature and ramblers. He was sure that Ben and Chloe had envisaged a quiet country stroll from church to reception and although the sun was shining today, last night’s summer storm had put paid to dusty pathways and turned the whole thing into a game of jump the puddle.

“Rachel from, you know… the thing…”

Ash wasn’t really following. “The thing. Landon, for fuck’s sake, spit it out.”

“The event at the gallery.”

“Mum’s gallery? The last event? I didn’t go. I was out that night.” Ash waggled his eyebrows. That particular night had been a mutually satisfying meet-up with a guy he’d met in Starbucks. A good night indeed.

“She did. Go that is.”

“Who? Who is she?”

“You saw her. She was the girl with the long dark hair, pretty, has the most amazing violet eyes. She’s little.” Landon held out his hand to indicate where Rachel came up to him, which was kind of mid-chest height. “Bright flowery dress.”

Ash had only really noticed one person today, and it hadn’t been someone in a bright flowery dress.

“You know I don’t look at girls.”

Landon huffed. “Jesus, Ash, she was with a blond man, six foot plus, styled hair, completely your type.”

Ash grinned up at his brother. “Now him I noticed.”

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