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He laughs. ‘How did you guess?’
‘You’re a one-man band but you’re too humble to take the praise for single-handedly running the whole paper.’
‘Shucks, there you go with the compliments again.’
‘Calling it like I see it!’
We go through to the cosy little kitchen. The rustic space is warm and inviting, the kind of place you feel comfortable making a mess. It’s not precious and sterile like my kitchen back in London. I’ve never felt so at home like I have here. Finn’s presence only enhances the mood. He looks at ease, his athletic frame propped up against the wooden island, looking like a hot bachelor in his knit jumper and jeans. ‘A glass of red?’ he asks as he pours two glasses and hands one over.
Just as I’m about to compliment the wine, his phone pings and the name Katy flashes up again. ‘Do you need to tend to business?’ I ask, arching a brow.
He shakes his head. ‘It’s not business; it can wait.’
I’m reminded of lunch with Sofia where she also mentioned his phone ran hot but his good manners prevented him from answering it. Is it good manners, or is it leaving some poor woman pining for him?
The phone pings again, and this time a picture flashes into view of a woman who I presume is Katy wearing a bright red dress.
I’m not one to beat around the bush, so I bring it up. ‘Who is Katy?’
‘Sorry, I hate being rude but if I don’t reply she’ll bombard me with texts all night.Usually, I have a hard-and-fast rule never to answer my phone when I’m socialising. It’s one of my pet peeves when your friend is only half there, the other half in cyber space.’ I know this about him, but he sure does get a lot of texts of an evening.
‘Go for it.’
With nimble fingers he texts a reply and within a moment another photo appears, this time she’s in a blue dress. He sighs. And texts again. I can’t help but peek over his shoulder.I like the blue. Take a jacket. Charge your phone. And make sure you’ve got enough money for a cab, OK? Don’t stay out too late. Love you.
Love you?
Before I can jump to conclusions Finn holds his phone up and shows me the two photographs. ‘What would have you chosen, red or blue?’
I frown, not sure where this is going but decide to play along. Finn doesn’t strike me as malicious, so I don’t think he’d be rubbing my face in the fact he’s dating another woman. And are we dating? It hasn’t exactly been confirmed.
I study the two dresses. The red is short and tight, and the blue is long and flowy. ‘Red.’
‘No way! It’s too short.’
‘For what?’
‘For my baby sister.’
There is a God! ‘So that’s why you chose the blue?’
‘That’s exactly why. She’s just started university and is out on her own for the first time. It worries me endlessly.’ Is this why he said before he’s suddenly got more free time? His baby sister has flown the nest?
‘You sound like her parent, not her brother.’
He nods. ‘She complains about that constantly. She’s the baby, but there’s three more just like her. They message me a thousand times a day, giving me a heart attack about every little thing. I’m too protective, they say, but surely there’s no such thing.’
Frankie, Miranda, Katy and Lia.All those texts were from his sisters.
I grin. Finn’s background finally makes sense. All those messages, all those veiled references to him being too busy to follow his own dreams. He must have had a hand in raising them, or else they’re a really tight-knit family. ‘Where are they all?’
He pulls a face as if it pains him to think of it. ‘Out in the big wide world, too far away for me to feel comfortable. Katy is at uni in Sussex. Frankie is in London taking over the world of fashion. Miranda is a nanny in Kent and Lia is on a gap year that’s lastedfourso far. She flits from country to country and wakes me up at all hours because she can never remember the difference in time zones. She’s in Mexico now – the worry has sparked a few grey hairs.’ He points at the hair at his temple, which remains stubbornly black. ‘They’re all amazing, strong women but sometimes I wish they’d be amazing and strong right here in Willow Grove so I know they’re safe, you know?’
When Finn speaks of his sisters his face lights up. He resembles a proud dad, as he swipes through his phone showing me photos of each of them. It’s sweet he’s so close to them and this shows me just what kind of man he really is. There’s a lot more to Finn than meets the eye. ‘Do you have any siblings?’ he asks.
I hesitate for a fraction of a second. ‘Yes, I have a brother, erm. T, we call him T. He’s a handful but I love him to bits. He’s a late bloomer but he’s coming into his own now at the pointy end of his twenties.’ I don’t tell Finn that Teddy’s sudden blooming is one of the things helping to keep me in Willow Grove and the fact that this is tenuous at best. There’s the faint smell of garlic in the air, which reminds me to go to the oven to shake the pan of roast vegetables. Sofia says the shaking is necessary so they cook evenly. I trust her implicitly and am happy to see the potatoes are crisping nicely on all sides.
Dinner is a jovial affair and my sides hurt from laughing. Afterwards, Finn suggests we take a walk along the river to counter our full bellies and red wine lethargy. I leave the dishes in a pile by the sink and make sure I’ve switched everything off.
