‘Well you’re a fine one to talk,’ he laughed. ‘Talk about hypocritical!’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘You told me everything I needed to know in the pub,’ he said, roughly brushing past and making for the front door. ‘And backed it up with that phone call in the studio and anyway, aren’t you the one who’s been going behind my back and asking my brother about me? He told me that you were very interested in my past when he bought you a drink in the pub Friday night.’
‘He didn’t buy me a drink,’ I said, although that was hardly the point.
‘But you did ask him about my relationship history?’
‘Well, yes,’ I admitted, ‘but he didn’t tell me—’
‘Like I said, that’s totally hypocritical when you’ve just lectured me about not knowing the full story about yours. Don’t you think you would have been better off talking to me, rather than Zak?’
We seemed to have reached an impasse and glared at each other, neither wanting to be the one to ask for details first. Not that I was much in the mood for sharing and I daresay he wasn’t either.
‘I don’t honestly think I care enough to carry on with this conversation,’ I told him as he reached for the door.
‘Fine by me,’ he ranted, slamming it behind him and making the house rock again.
Chapter 17
Even though I still hadn’t got to the bottom of what it was that Finn had assumed he knew about me, as I tossed and turned in bed that night, I came to the conclusion that I was just going to have to accept the fact that we were never going to get along.
Whatever the barrier was between us, it had been there from the second we met, and not even a spontaneous moment of passion had been able to shift it. It was hugely inconvenient that I still felt so attracted to him, but I would just have to work harder on getting over that.
It had perhaps been naïve of me when I moved into the square to think that I was going to become friends with everyone, and if it was only him who rubbed me up the wrong way and vice versa, then I supposed that was still pretty good going, given the number of people who lived in the close-knit community.
I would do what Luke had asked of me, and work with Finn when it came to deciding where best to place his sculptures around the garden, but beyond that I would avoid him.
‘So, what exactly was the problem then?’ Chloe asked as I relayed to her the details of what had happened after she left on Tuesday.
I hadn’t mentioned the part Finn played in the farcical proceedings, just the watery welcome home bit, and me resorting to crawling about in my underwear to find the source of the problem to add a comedic twist to the tale.
‘A worn-out sink seal and some knocked pipework,’ I précised. ‘I haven’t used the sink since so it will be dry when I come to mend it at the weekend. I would have sorted it sooner, but what with things being busy here and Saturday to prepare for, I haven’t had time to even get the sealer in yet.’
‘So how are you managing to wash up?’
‘I’m doing it in the bathroom.’
‘And do you know how to fix the problem?’
‘Yes,’ I told her. ‘It’s hardly rocket science, but a plumber would charge plenty to sort it and as it was my fault the pipe got knocked, I feel responsible for the repair. My finances can’t run to a plumber, so…’
‘You’re opting to do it yourself.’
‘Exactly,’ I sighed, for some reason wondering how Finn’s bruise was faring. ‘And I wish I’d never said anything to Luke because…’
My words trailed off as I heard someone crunching along the gravel path. Given my failed conviction to not think about him, I hoped I hadn’t now conjured up Finn’s physical form.
‘Morning, Freya,’ beamed Zak as he appeared around the corner. ‘Morning, Chloe.’
‘Hey, Zak,’ I replied, ignoring the pang of disappointment his appearance didn’t deserve. ‘What are you doing here so early?’
What I really wanted to ask was what he was doing here at all. Given that he’d all but finished work in the house, he was still maintaining an extremely strong presence in the vicinity. Stronger than his brother anyway, and he actually lived on site.
‘Just a couple of things for Luke,’ he told me, ‘including sorting out your