And Zoe felt as if she’d been catapulted back in time.
Chapter 22
‘Zoe!’ Finn waved the bottle and the flowers. ‘Great to see you again so soon.’
She took a deep breath, closed her eyes, exhaled then opened her eyes. But no, he was still standing there, looking devilishly handsome and confident as ever. The only difference was that his faded jeans were designer, his blue and white checked shirt was freshly ironed and the sunglasses holding his dark hair back from his face cost about a year’s salary.
‘Finn. How did you find my home?’
‘I asked around. It wasn’t hard, you know. Everyone knows the lovely Zoe, although I was asking for Zoe Gallagher not Russell at first. When did you change your name back?’
‘As soon as I could.’ She groaned inwardly at the thought that people in the village might now link her to Finn Gallagher. She had tried to keep her past private.
‘Well, aren’t you going to invite me in?’ He peered behind her.
Zoe leant forwards and scanned the street. She couldn’t see anyone she knew, so she ushered him in then closed the door quickly.
‘Finn, not to be rude, but why are you here?’ She folded her arms across her chest.
‘Zoe, your body language is so hostile.’ He tucked the wine under his arm then reached out and stroked her cheek. ‘Why so angsty, babe? If I remember correctly, you used to get like this when you needed some Finn loving.’
Zoe ground her teeth together as a shudder passed through her.
‘Finn… we are not together any more. Obviously! And you are in my home acting as if you still… as if we… oh, shit! You’re acting as if the last few years never happened, as if you never screwed my best friend, and as if you have a right to speak to me like this. Which you don’t, by the way!’
He flinched at the coldness in her voice but soon regained his smile. Smiling came easily to Finn.
‘Zoe, babes, no harm meant. I just saw you earlier and wanted to say hi properly. Nice place you got here, if a bit…’
‘A bit what?’
‘Well, it’s small, hon, isn’t it? Not quite what I thought you’d want.’
‘I love this cottage and I love that it’s all mine.’
He nodded. ‘Sure you do, babe.’ He held out the wine and flowers. ‘Anyway, these are for you.’
She accepted them grudgingly.
‘Thank you. There was no need.’
‘I don’t suppose I could have a glass of something? Thirsty work supporting your local charity.’
‘Of course.’ Zoe softened a bit. He had come to Conwenna to help out with Surf for Sighthounds, so perhaps he had changed in some ways. The least she could do was offer him a drink.
She took the wine and flowers through to the kitchen, then got a cold bottle of white out of the fridge and poured some into two glasses. She turned to take them through but Finn was there, filling the doorway, a solid male presence, familiar and yet strange.
He cupped her face as she stood there holding the glasses. She tried to shake him off but the wine sloshed up the sides of the glasses and she worried she’d spill it.
‘I’m sorry for what I did, Zoe. I never meant to hurt you, babes. Boy, do I miss you.’
Zoe held his gaze, stared deep into his dark eyes and took in the familiar contours of his face, his full lips and his shiny dark hair that she used to run her fingers through. He was as handsome as ever, and yes, she loved him. Once. But not any more. That emotion was long gone.
‘I don’t doubt that you do miss me, Finn. I missed you for a while, but you hurt me a lot and it took me a long time to get over what you did.’
He frowned, his black eyebrows meeting above his straight nose. He was so close she could see the thin white lines at the sides of his eyes from frowning in the sun and his aftershave, exotic and expensive as the clothes he wore, was turning her stomach.
‘But you’re over me… over us… now?’
‘Let’s go through to the lounge and I’ll explain. You see, I went to see Amelia recently because I wanted to let go of the anger that’s been holding me back and stopping me finding happiness with anyone else.’
‘You’re still angry?’
‘No, not really, not any more. This is very strange, being here with you, and my initial gut reaction towards you was anger, but I’m keen to put the past behind us and, seeing as how you’ve turned up at my home, it’s as good a time as any.’
Finn nodded and they went through into the lounge and sat down. Zoe told him what she’d told Amelia when she’d visited her in their hometown. And, for once, Finn listened, and didn’t even try to excuse himself for what he’d done to hurt her.
* * *
Nate reached Zoe’s cottage. He’d been back to the beach and to the harbour and everything had been as it should be. All the local business owners had ploughed in and made sure that the day didn’t leave any scars on the beautiful landscape. He’d spoken to his contacts in Luna Bay and the council had ensured that a clean up was underway there, too. With it being a bigger place, they’d had more visitors for the surfing event, so had hired contractors to tidy up afterwards. The council employee Nate had spoken to had praised his efforts with the event and said it had been a great success.
So Nate had run the event successfully for a second time. He wasn’t sure what the profits would be for the greyhound sanctuary as he’d handed the accounting side of it over to Neil Burton, who had more experience dealing with fundraising. All Nate could hope for now was that it had raised a decent amount to help the rescue dogs.
He paused outside the door and turned around and gazed at the beautiful view. The village stretched out below him, a higgledy-piggledy mix of colourful cottages, shops, restaurants and bars that led down to the harbour where he could see people milling around. The boats were still arriving in turn, bringing people over from Luna Bay as well as taking others back. The sun was sinking on the horizon, bathing everything in a warm golden light, and the sky was swathed in oranges, pinks and purples. It was the perfect end to a perfect day. Apart from his mother’s fainting that was, but thank goodness she had only fainted and nothing worse.
Nate had telephoned Richard and he’d said he would ring Paula later on when she woke up. He could tell that Richard was really worried and knew he would have dropped everything immediately and come straight to Conwenna Cove if Nate hadn’t reassured him that Paula was, in fact, all right and had fainted because of the heat and because she was in need of some rest. Nate intended on making sure that his mother did rest, which meant that he couldn’t leave Conwenna as soon as he’d planned, because right now, he needed to be there for his mum.
He turned back to the door and raised his hand to knock but laughter from inside made him pause. Was his mum already awake? But that had sounded like a man’s laughter, and from a man he didn’t recognise.
He knocked quietly, so as not to disturb his mother if she was still resting, and Zoe appeared at the door.
‘Nate… hi… everything sorted now?’
He nodded. ‘All done.’
‘Great.’ She stood in the doorway as if blocking his path. ‘Um, Nate… uh… while you were out, Finn turned up.’
Nate’s heart squeezed. ‘Oh… right. Do you want me to go?’
Zoe shook her head. ‘Definitely not!’ She grabbed his arm. ‘Please come in. I wanted you to know he was here.’
Nate allowed Zoe to pull him into the hallway.
‘He turned up and said he wanted to talk… to clear the air, so to speak. And we have.’ She smiled and her whole face softened.
The floor seemed to shift and sway, as if Nate was suddenly on a surfboard, and he put out a hand to steady himself. Did this mean that Zoe and Finn were getting back together then? She looked so happy… so serene.
‘Are you okay?’ She touched his arm and he stared at her hand, the hand that he had held and that she had run through his hair, the hand that would once have worn Finn’s wedding ba
nd.
‘Yes.’ He rubbed his eyes. How could this be happening? He’d thought he would have a chance to speak to Zoe tonight and that they could finally make some sense of what was happening between them but now… it was too late. Finn had arrived and Zoe’s heart was already his. He pulled his arm away from her and tried to ignore the flash of hurt in her eyes. ‘I just felt a bit surreal there for a moment. Probably need some water.’
Zoe nodded. ‘It was a busy day for you. Come on in and I’ll get you a cold drink.’
Nate followed her inside even though he wanted to leave. He couldn’t walk away because his mum was in there sleeping, and she’d expect him to be there when she woke up. Besides, Zoe had been so kind offering to put her up and Nate didn’t want to seem ungrateful. It was an ironic mess because, normally, he’d have been delighted at the prospect of spending an evening with another surfer, talking about prime locations for boarding and the best waves they’d caught. He could even have arranged to meet up with Finn somewhere when he was travelling, but, as it was, the thought of even speaking to the professional surfer brought a sour taste to his mouth. This man had once been married to Zoe and he had hurt her. That was bad enough, but now it seemed that he’d walked into her life and invited himself to her home as if he had the right.
Nate took a steadying breath as he entered the lounge and tried to relax his face. This wasn’t like him. Nate never got angry or resentful or… was this jealousy? He didn’t do such negative emotions. It wasn’t who he was and he didn’t like it at all. But he had never been in a situation like this before, and he had no idea how he was going to deal with it.
‘Nate! Great to see you again.’
Finn grinned at him from the sofa and Nate assessed the scene that lay before him. There was an open bottle of wine on the table and a huge arrangement of beautiful flowers in a vase on the side that hadn’t been there before Nate left. Finn’s body language suggested that he owned the room, as he lounged with his knees apart and one arm across the back of the sofa – presumably where Zoe had been sitting, because her glass was on the table next to Finn’s.
If this was going to happen then it was going to happen, and Nate realized that he’d have to accept it. He thought the world of Zoe and would be happy for her if this was what she wanted. Of course, Nate knew he could be reading things into the situation, but his nature was to take things at face value and there were so many signs here in Zoe’s lounge. Perhaps this was why she had been reluctant about getting involved. She’d known Nate was going away and perhaps, even if she was unaware of it, she’d been nursing feelings for her ex that had never waned.
It happened. It was life. Nate would survive.
Zoe returned with a tall glass of water that clinked with ice cubes and handed it to Nate, then she perched on the sofa. Nate noted that she took the cushion that was as far away from Finn as she could. Was that for Nate’s benefit, or how she’d been sitting before he arrived?
‘Nate, I was just telling Zoe that love is a wonderful thing and that once you find the person for you, you should never let them go.’
Finn smiled at Zoe and Nate had to fight the anger that surged inside him. An anger he had never experienced before, let alone had to struggle with.
Zoe looked down at her hands where they fidgeted nervously in her lap.
‘You know… I was an idiot in the past and I didn’t treat Zoe very well, but we’ve talked it all through, haven’t we, babe?’
Zoe nodded and glanced at Nate before leaning forward and grabbing her glass of wine.
‘And we’ve sorted it all out now, so there won’t be any more hard feelings.’
‘Great.’ Nate focused on relaxing his hold on the glass of water so it didn’t shatter in his hand. ‘That’s good news.’
‘Yes, we had a good chat and I hope we can put it all behind us now and move on.’ Zoe sipped her wine then placed the glass back on the table. ‘Because that’s what’s best for everyone really, isn’t it?’
She met Nate’s eyes and his heart threatened to shatter into a thousand tiny pieces. Was it best for him? Best for them? It didn’t feel like it.
‘After all,’ Zoe continued, as she stood up and walked over to Nate, before sliding her arm around his shoulders. ‘I told Finn that we’re very happy together and I don’t want any bitterness from my past spoiling that.’
Nate frowned as he looked up at Zoe. Her hand gently caressed the back of his neck above his shirt collar, and her thigh was pressed against his arm.
‘We are?’ he asked, confused.
‘We are, Nate. You and me. Gosh, you must have had too much sun today.’ She gave a light tinkling laugh and the pressure of her hand on his neck increased.
He slid his left arm around her waist and held her tight. ‘Sorry… I’m not with it at all. Yes, you know I love you, Zoe.’
She leant over and kissed his head. It was akin to being in an American television show from the Eighties. It was all so… forced. Surely Finn would see through it all?
But, no. Finn was pouring himself another glass of wine and smiling. He really was the epitome of a laidback surfer dude.
They sat together for another half an hour while Finn finished his wine. Zoe stayed sitting on the arm of Nate’s chair. Then Finn’s mobile started playing some loud rock hit and he swiped the screen before shouting into it. Music came from the other end and a voice that sounded female, then Finn ended the call with a, ‘See ya soon, babe!’
‘I’d better be going.’ Finn got up and tucked his mobile into his pocket. ‘Thanks for the wine and the chat, Zoe. Hope you two will be happy and that you enjoy your travels.’
He crossed the room and when Zoe stood up, he enveloped her in a bear hug. Nate suppressed the flicker of irritation that sparked in his gut. Finn was leaving and he believed that Zoe was with Nate, so he had no need to be jealous now. When Finn released Zoe, he hugged Nate too, and Nate realized that Finn did this to everyone he encountered; it was just his way.
Zoe walked Finn to the door and Nate stayed where he was to give them a moment alone, but she soon returned to the lounge.
‘Well, that’s that then.’ Zoe sighed, then flopped onto the sofa.
‘I guess it is.’ Nate nodded.
‘Nate, I’m sorry about all that then… you know, the being-in-love stuff, but he saw us on the beach and the kiss and—’
‘My goodness!’ Paula exclaimed as she descended the stairs. ‘How long did I sleep?’
‘We’ll talk later, yes?’ Nate nodded at Zoe, and she smiled in return. ‘Hi, Mum, how’re you feeling?’
His mum padded towards him wearing a pair of floral silk pyjamas and a matching lightweight robe.
‘I am actually rather hungry!’ She clapped her hands. ‘Again. It’s being in Conwenna Cove, I swear!’
‘I’ll get a move on with dinner,’ Zoe said, as she got up. ‘I was keeping it warm until you woke.’
‘Sounds perfect,’ Paula replied. ‘Let me lend a hand.’
Nate watched as his mother and Zoe went into the kitchen and he released a long sigh. He knew relationship stuff was complicated and that he’d avoided it for a long time because of that and other reasons, and yet… as he listened to Zoe and his mum chattering away in the next room, he believed that, for Zoe, he would be happy to complicate his life. His reaction to Finn being around had revealed that to him with startling clarity: he hated the thought of Zoe being with anyone else. The question now was whether Zoe would want to be with him.
It was high time he pulled himself together and found out.
Chapter 23
Zoe spent the next three hours laughing with Nate and his mum. They were such good company and Zoe thoroughly enjoyed having them in her home. She’d kept herself to herself in Conwenna Cove but now she was questioning that decision. Sometimes it was better to let people in, surely? Human company was enjoyable and she felt lighter than she’d done in months. Of course, throughout dinner in her small kitchen, she’d be
en able to snatch glances at Nate, to watch how his cheeks flushed slightly whenever his mother praised him or told Zoe about something he’d done in his childhood. Zoe had also caught him looking at her a few times and, when she’d met his eyes, she’d melted at the intensity of emotion she’d seen within them. Nate was handsome, it was true, but he was so much more. He was bright and funny and sweet and kind. The fact that Zoe found him hot as hell was just the icing on the cake.
But where was this going? Where could it go? She knew that she wanted to hold him and kiss him and wake up next to him, but was it possible? Or would he soon head off to foreign climes leaving her nursing another broken heart and trying to rebuild her life?
‘Right, I shall help you with the dishes then I think I’m going to have to go back to bed. I feel so lazy, but I’m really tired again.’
‘Mum, it’s not lazy, you’ve been through a difficult time. You need to rest and recover and that will take a while.’ Nate squeezed his mother’s hand. ‘And, anyway, I’ll do the dishes seeing as how Zoe made dinner and you helped.’
Paula smiled at her son, then at Zoe. ‘Okay then. I know when Nate’s not going to let me plead my case.’ She got up and kissed Nate on the head, then did the same to Zoe. ‘Goodnight, you precious people. Thank you for a delicious dinner, Zoe, and for letting me stay. That bed is amazing.’
‘My pleasure, Paula.’ Zoe got up and started carrying things to the sink, and Nate did the same.
‘Go through to the lounge, Zoe, and sit down. You cooked so this is the least I can do.’
‘Absolutely not! You’ve had a very busy day, Nate. If we do this together, it will be much quicker.’
They worked as a team, washing, drying, then putting things away. Although it took a while, Nate soon seemed to know his way around her kitchen.
‘Shall we go and sit outside? Enjoy the last of the light?’ Zoe asked. ‘I have some wine left in the fridge. And it’s not the bottle Finn brought.’
Forever at Conwenna Cove Page 20