‘Nice to see you, Bella.’ Finn stepped into the conversation. ‘Our parking is about to expire so I’m going to have to steal Elizabeth away.’
‘Oh.’ Bella looked put out. ‘Right. I thought maybe we could go for a drink all together.’
Friedrich looked momentarily horrified. He never had mastered, or even attempted, to keep his thoughts to himself.
‘That sounds great, but maybe another time,’ Finn said, a note of steel to his voice that brooked no argument.
‘Yeah. That’d be fab.’
He nodded and Bella sent him the full wattage smile she’d given my ex earlier. ‘Lovely to see you. We missed you at work today.’ She gave him a wink before wrapping her arms around his neck for a hug. Finn accepted the hug briefly before gently stepping back. Bella’s slight sway on the four inch heels suggested there had been some celebrating this evening already.
‘Ready, Elizabeth?’
More than ready. I turned away from the two, wrapping my coat tighter around me as I did so. Finn took my hand and we walked away.
He didn’t speak until we were back at the car. The northerly wind had funnelled down the street straight at us, taking our breath away and clouds were building, covering the full moon that, away from the light pollution, was likely casting its ethereal light over the landscape, shimmering in lakes and rippling on the sea.
‘So that’s your ex.’
‘Yes.’
‘Quite the charmer.’
‘Not really.’
‘Bella seems quite taken with him.’
‘Well, he can be charming when he wants something.’
‘You were together several years, you said. And planned to get married.’
‘We had a lot in common.’
‘Right.’
‘That was a very loaded word.’
Finn ignored my reply. ‘Are you upset about him and Bella?’
I turned from watching the rain that had begun to streak the windows, the raindrops chasing each other, racing to be first to the bottom.
‘No, not at all.’
‘So why did we have to leave the restaurant so suddenly?’
‘It wasn’t because of that.’
‘So why not come back and just tell me that you’d seen them? I thought we were staying for pudding and coffee.’
‘Are you angry?’
‘No.’
‘You sound angry.’
His voice was calm but there was a tension to it that I hadn’t heard before. ‘I’m confused.’
‘About what?’
