Pippa grabbed his arm in delight. “Finally! How did it happen?”
Frankie preened. “Oh, you know, I was merely my usual charming self.” Then he softened. “Actually, I cooked him a roast dinner one weekend. Sank a bottle of red and then, well, things kind of happened. He’ssoooofunny, Pip. And clever. You know he got his Master’s at Oxford?”
“You don’t need to sell him to me,” Pippa said. “I like him. I do! Although heisyour roommate. Isn’t that a bit risky?”
“Maybe.” Frankie’s smile was uncontrollable. “But he’s put an offer in on a house up Hunter’s Bar, so he’ll be moving out soon anyway. That takes the pressure off a bit.”
Pippa gave his arm another squeeze. “I’ve never seen you so dreamy over a man,” she said.
“Well, most of my previous love interests have been severely lacking on the interest side,” Frankie said.
“Oh, I don’t know, the fellow who practised taxidermy on roadkill was interesting,” Pippa mused. “Not to mention the guy who listed weapons as a hobby.” She glared at her cousin. “Weapons! And yet you still swiped right.”
“You know what I mean.” Frankie rolled his eyes. “Theo is different. It feels different.”
“I’m only teasing,” Pippa told him. “I’m really happy for you.”
“Me too.” Frankie studied her over the rim of his glass. “Now, anything new with you besides seducing handsome and mysterious mansion owners like something out of a Brontë novel?”
Pippa chose to ignore the jibe about Wolfie by sticking out her tongue. “No, my life is still an utter shambles.” Then she froze, her glass halfway to her mouth. “Actually. Something did happen. Alex called me,” she said.
Frankie’s face hardened. “He didwhat?”
“He tried to call me. I didn’t answer.” Pippa’s hand strayed to her bag where her phone waited, as if it would ring again. She relayed the exact message Alex had left.
“What, that’s it? No apology? No explanation?” Frankie growled as Pippa confirmed with a nod. “Prick.”
“It did throw me for a loop,” Pippa admitted.
“And how do you feel about it now?” Frankie asked. “Because when you called earlier you sounded like … well, the old Pippa.” He beamed. “Like, full of verve the way you used to be.”
“I think I’m okay,” she replied honestly.
“Promise?” Frankie set his glass down. “Because it was only a couple of months ago that I couldn’t prise you off my couch thanks to that waster.”
“Really promise.” Pippa felt lighter just saying the words. “I’m not saying I’m 100 per cent over what Alex did, but I’m moving past it. I can see my life without him in it now. And I’m happy about the way it looks.”
Frankie looped an arm across her shoulders and dropped a kiss on her forehead. “Then I’m thrilled.”
Theo reappeared. “Another drink?” he asked.
“Absolutely!” Frankie cheered. “She’s back on the market!”
“No, that’s not what I’m saying.” Pippa tutted as Theo tried to catch the barman’s eye. “And only one more for me,” she went on. “I have to be up early for a meeting about the Summer Fair.”
“Boring!” Frankie chimed.
“No, it isn’t.” Pippa nudged him. “It’s fun!”
“If you say so.” Frankie teased. “Now drink up and let’s see how many phone numbers you can score.”
ChapterSixteen
Pippa slid out of the taxi with a very unladylike hiccup. The ‘one more drink’ had turned into three more drinks and she’d left Theo and Frankie to head on to a nightclub together. It was past eleven and, if she was to meet Erin and Mae for breakfast, then sobering up and sleep was needed.
“Water,” she told herself as she opened the front door. “Pints and pints of water.” As she locked the door behind her, she was aware of beautiful music echoing through the house. Pippa cocked her head. Was that … piano? Curiosity thudded through her as she recognised the tune as a classical piece, one she’d heard recently on a TV advert. Forgetting her need for water, Pippa followed the sound, creeping across the hall to the library.
The room was dim, lit only by a small lamp in the corner that cast a soft golden light around it. The tarp covering the piano had been tossed to the floor and there, hunched over the keys, was Wolfie, playing a solemn melody that was all at once dark and lovely, like a letter to someone long lost. Wolfie’s body was tilted away from her and so Pippa leaned against the doorway, taking the opportunity to observe him unseen. He was completely abandoned to the music, his blond thatch of hair rumpled, like he’d run frustrated hands through it many times. His T-shirt was so thin she could see the muscles in his back rippling as his hands played up and down the keys, his head bobbing in time. There was something about the intensity of his movements, the way he swayed with the rhythm; it was as if the music was being pulled from somewhere deep and painful within his soul. The music trailed off and he reached for a whisky that rested atop the piano. After a large gulp, his long fingers returned to the piano and started a different tune.
