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“Do you fancy him?”
“A little bit. He thinks I’m crazy, though.”
“I wonder why?”
“My son, ladies and gentlemen.”
He chuckles. “So he’s, you know, friendly?”
“He’s… unusual.” I don’t want to scare Finn by saying Alex is stern and hard to read. He’s easily intimidated by strict teachers. “He doesn’t smile a lot, but he’s quite funny.”
Finn doesn’t reply, and I decide not to say anything else.
The big car park has wide spaces so people with wheelchairs have plenty of room to maneuver, and it’s only a short distance to the side entrance of the building. The doors open automatically, and we go into the lobby and across to the reception desk. I’ve already explained to Finn about the biophilic building, and he looks around in awe at the Maori carvings and all the plants.
“Hello Rebecca.” I smile at the young woman behind the desk. “We’re here to see Alex again.”
“Hello, Mistletoe!” She smiles at Finn. “And you must be Finn. Pleased to meet you.” She offers him a hand, and he shakes it shyly. “I’ve already buzzed Alex, and he’s on his way,” she says.
I turn in the direction of the offices and spot him immediately, striding through the glass-walled corridor. He looks different today. He’s not wearing his suit jacket, and he’s rolled up his shirtsleeves. His hair also looks less styled, as if he’s been running his hand through it all afternoon.
I’ve been thinking about this guy all weekend, and all day at school today. I didn’t want to. I’m pretty sure he thinks I’m kooky—he was just too polite to say so. He makes me feel… unsettled, and I don’t like that I can’t guess what he’s thinking. But there was something in his brown eyes when he watched me that caused goosebumps to rise all over me.
They’re rising now, as he approaches, and his eyes meet mine.
“Hey, Missie,” he says, holding out his hand.
“Hello.” I shake it, tingling at the feel of his skin on mine. “Um, this is Finn. Finn, this is Alexander Winters.”
“Alex,” he corrects, shaking Finn’s hand. “Don’t listen to her.”
“You shouldn’t say that about his mother,” I scold.
“I’ll be saying it a lot,” he says to Finn with a wink, and Finn grins. “Come on,” Alex says, taking Finn’s wheelchair. “We’re in the boardroom. Everyone’s waiting for the star of the show.”
He strides off with Finn, pretends to steer him into a plant pot, then swerves at the last minute, and Finn laughs.
Taken aback, I follow them along the corridor to the end, where they turn right and enter a large room through a set of automated doors. It has a long wooden table surrounded by black chairs. The room faces a terrace with wide concrete steps that lead down to the Avon. The wall is nearly all glass, and they’ve opened the sliding doors, so it’s full of afternoon sunshine.
The three people sitting at the end of the table stop talking as Alex enters with Finn. Alex steers him around the table, then slots him into a space without a chair. “This is Finn,” he announces. “Finn, this is James, Henry, and you’ve already met Juliette.”
James and Henry shake hands with him, and Finn’s face flushes. He loves the way they’re treating him like an adult.
“Great to meet you at last,” James says. “We’ve heard a lot about you.”
“Yeah,” Henry says, “apparently you’ve finished Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom. I’m so impressed. I’m only about halfway through.” He’s referring to a game on the Nintendo Switch.
“We were just debating whether it’s better than Breath of the Wild,” James says.
“I’ve done them both,” Finn says. “Tears is better.”
“Told you he’d be cool,” Alex says to them. He looks at me then, and his lips curve up, just a little. “Have a seat, Missie.” He gestures to the chair beside his as he sits.
I lower myself down. The middle of the table is filled with plates of food—club sandwiches and rolls, small pies, sushi, and a variety of cakes and biscuits. “Are we interrupting you?” I ask, wondering whether they’re having a board meeting.
“Nah,” Alex says, “we were just about to have afternoon tea, that’s all. We have to have food available whenever we meet, or Henry feels faint.”
“That’s true,” Henry admits.
