your step-mum?’
‘Both,’ he smiled.
‘Well,’ I said, ‘just to reiterate, I wasn’t flirting with your brother. As I said before, he’s not my type.’
‘Who is?’ he asked. ‘You never did say.’
I busied myself with my drink and Finn laughed.
‘Fancy another?’ he offered, striding back to the bar before I’d had the chance to say no.
I did manage to get in the round after that, to level things up a bit, but I made sure I had just a half. I was feeling wonderfully relaxed by then and I wasn’t worried about getting back for Nell or anything.
‘You all right?’ Finn asked as I struggled to sit back down after a meandering walk to the loo.
‘I’m fine,’ I sighed, eventually dropping down on to the seat with a heavier than expected thud.
Finn grinned and I smiled back.
‘Thanks for coming to my rescue in the market,’ I said, leaning in a little. ‘I had no idea it was going to be so packed, otherwise I wouldn’t have followed everyone in.’
‘It wasn’t nice what your cousin did to you, was it?’
‘No,’ I agreed, ‘it wasn’t. I’ve never been able to ride in a lift as a result and the London underground is definitely out of bounds.’
‘I’m not all that keen on it myself,’ he admitted, ‘all those bodies packed together and no fresh air. It can’t be healthy, can it?’
‘No,’ I said, feeling momentarily mesmerised as the light caught the Thor’s hammer around his neck and I struggled to focus back on his face, ‘it can’t.’
In my slightly sozzled state, he looked even more like a god in human form. No wonder Chloe had made a beeline for him.
‘I still don’t really know much about you, Freya,’ he said, ‘other than that you have a very mean cousin and that you’re a fantastic gardener. The night we had supper with Luke and Kate, you found out loads about me and now you’ve met my half-brother too, but you’re still something of a mystery.’
I didn’t think there was anything mysterious about me, but if he carried on flattering my professional skills like that, then I would be tempted to tell him everything there was to know, starting from childhood and working my way forward in minute detail. I pushed my glass further away, thinking I shouldn’t have anything else to drink.
‘What are your family like?’ he asked. ‘Any annoying brothers to wind you up?’
‘No,’ I said, ‘I’m an only child. Hence the play dates with the cousin from hell.’
‘Parents then?’
‘Yes, two. Dad’s all right,’ I then blurted out, ‘but Mum’s a total pain in the—’ I clapped my hand over my mouth. ‘Mum and I have a tendency to clash,’ I said, reeling my motor mouth back in. ‘They’re in the gardening trade too. Landscape design consultants, nothing hands-on like me.’
‘Have you ever worked together?’
‘Yes, I did work with them for a while, but it didn’t work out.’
‘What with your mum being a total pain in the—’
‘Exactly,’ I cut in and Finn smiled.
‘So, you weren’t working with them before you moved to Nightingale Square?’
‘No,’ I told him, ‘I was managing the garden on a country estate called Broad-Meadows in Suffolk.’
‘Why did you leave?’
‘The owner,’ I swallowed, ‘my friend, Eloise, she died. She was actually much more than a friend,’ I added, my voice thick in my throat. ‘She was like a grandmother to me.’
‘I’m sorry.’
I took a deep breath, refusing to give in to the wave of emotion the mention of her name still evoked.
‘Her American nephew,’ I carried on, ‘Jackson, inherited, and let’s just say we had different views on how the place should be run.’ I was starting to think of him less often, but I could still recall his confidence-eroding comments. ‘Actually,’ I added, ‘he’d give your Zak a run for his money, because he’s a total narcissist too.’
‘Not an easy person to work with, I take it?’
‘No one works with Jackson,’ I said crossly, ‘you only work for him.’
‘Nothing like Luke then?’
‘Absolutely nothing like Luke,’ I said, reaching for my glass again.
‘So, how did you find out about Prosperous Place? When did you apply for the job there?’
‘I didn’t,’ I told him, ‘I just happened to hear Luke talking about his plans for the Winter Garden on the radio and thought I’d come along and have a look. My mum was fully expecting me to move home once I’d realised I couldn’t cope with staying at Broad-Meadows and seeing the estate sold. Between you and me, she was probably pleased it