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Finn
Finn reached for the brown envelope on the mat by the front door and eyed it suspiciously. Another one from HMRC probably about what expenses he could or couldn’t claim. He tossed it onto the hallway table, intending on reading it later. He’d popped back to his rental house to grab a clean fleece after he’d managed to tip a bucket of dirty water over his other one while clearing out the garden of an elderly couple. The water must have been in there for months and it stank so his fleece needed to go straight into the wash.
As he looked up, he caught sight of himself in the hallway mirror and did a double take. It always shocked him when he saw himself like this in his uniform of green fleece over green polo shirt and with hardwearing black trousers and black boots. But it wasn’t his clothing that made him start, it was his hair, his beard, his face.
When had he got so old?
That thought made him laugh.
Time waits for no man or woman, right?
His once black hair was now grey, his beard matching. He had lines around his eyes and some on his forehead and there were even greys in his thick eyebrows. His nephew often joked that Finn looked like the actor Jeffrey Dean Morgan and apart from his blue eyes, there were times when Finn could see the resemblance. Unlike the actor though, he didn’t have a happy marriage or millions in the bank. He wasn’t struggling financially but didn’t have money to burn and part of that was due to his divorce two years ago when, despite his lawyer’s advice, he’d let his ex-wife take the lion’s share of the money from the house sale and the majority of their belongings. After they’d split, he hadn’t wanted any of it, not even the money really, which he knew was in some ways silly because everyone needed money, but it all felt so tainted. Tainted by what she’d done and by how she’d thrown their marriage away for another man, a colleague she’d apparently fallen for. Now, if he had been Jeffrey Dean Morgan he doubted she’d have let him for another man. But then, that was the wrong way to think because celebs didn’t always have great relationships. They were human beings like the rest of us and so wishing to be like that was pointless because everyone had their own pain to bear. Their own disappointments to come to terms with. Their own broken dreams.
He rubbed a hand over his beard and sighed then frowned at his reflection. No point in standing here wallowing in self-pity. His marriage was well and truly over and life was moving on. He had his business, his sister and her family and plenty of friends in the lovely little village of Wisteria Hollow. That was a lot more than many people had and so he needed to count his blessings and get on with life.
He sucked in a deep breath, opened the front door and stepped back out into the autumnal morning, wondering what else the day had in store for him.
Chapter6
Ellie
Curled up in the corner of the sofa in Darcie’s shop, Ellie cradled her mug of tea between both hands and smiled at her old friend. They’d already started catching up and she’d found out that Darcie had opened the shop a few years back, starting with just a few bits and bobs, but over time she’d added to her stock and now sourced it from a variety of suppliers.
The shop was warm and cosy and had so many things to look at. Ellie thought it must be lovely to have your own shop, although she wasn’t naïve and knew that it would come with a lot of responsibilities like rent, energy bills, taxes and so on. Darcie employed several part time staff and said one of them would be in later for her Saturday shift.
‘So you have two children, right?’ Ellie asked.
‘Yes. Cole who’s fifteen and Millie who’s thirteen.’
‘And are you still married?’
Darcie nodded then pushed a few strands of her brown hair behind her right ear. ‘Yes, to Ross. He works as a mechanic at the garage. We’ve been together since our early twenties. He drives me mad some days, but I love him to bits.’
‘That’s nice.’
‘What about you?’ Darcie’s eyes widened. ‘Sorry, I just remembered that you said you were divorced.’
‘Don’t be sorry. It’s fine. I was married. Cooper and I got together when I was nineteen, which is very young, I now think too young, and we separated and got divorced recently. You know how these things are, it can take time to process it all. But yes, I am divorced and I’m footloose and fancy free.’ She blinked as the reality of it hit her again. She wondered if she’d ever get used to being single after so many years in a relationship.
‘Is it scary?’ Darcie asked. ‘I mean, being alone after so long. It must take some getting used to. Even if your marriage wasn’t great.’ Darcie had always been very open and frank and she didn’t shy away from the difficult questions. Ellie was pleased to find that hadn’t changed.
‘It is a bit scary. I’ve had my wobbly moments... But then everything can be scary. Seeing my kids suddenly grown up felt scary. Finding out that Cooper was cheating was scary. Accepting that it was time to call it a day was scary but… also… kind of liberating. I’m finally in a place where I can please myself. I don’t have to worry about looking after anyone else, not doing their washing or cooking their meals or asking what they want to watch on TV. I can do whatever I want and so I’m trying to focus on those things rather than what I’ve lost. People lose things all the time, don’t they, but life is short and so I’m not going to waste my time wishing for what I don’t have.’
‘You sound like my brother.’
Ellie froze. She hadn’t asked after him yet because she’d been busy finding out about Darcie but now Darcie had brought him up and she found she wanted to know more. ‘How is Finn?’
‘He’s good, thank you. Same old Finn.’
Ellie waited, keen to know more but afraid she’d blush if she asked.
‘He got divorced himself a while back and he was pretty low about it but he’s getting there. He lives in the village in a rental property because they sold the marital home after they split but he has his own gardening business and he’s always busy. Between you and me, I think a lot of the jobs he gets are because women think he’s hot but I’d never tell him that. He wants it to be because of his good reputation and his excellent work. Which it is, mainly, but I think the way he looks helps. Cole jokes that Finn looks like Jeffrey Dean Morgan these days.’
Really?’ Ellie’s mouth had gone dry. Finn had always been gorgeous with his dark hair, intense eyes and deep voice but to hear that he’d aged well and that he was single was… well… interesting news.
‘He’s a fantastic uncle and he’s great with Cole and Millie. He comes over most days to spend time with them and they love him to bits.’
‘Didn’t he have children of his own?’
