Page 79 of You, As You Are

Who didn’t listen to music, or at very least the radio, when they drove?

The answer was Iain, apparently. He’d let her connect her phone to the car’s speakers for the journey, and she opted to give him a lesson on why – apart from jazz – early noughties music was superior.

He hadn’t agreed.

Maisie inhaled sharply and spun to take in the room right as Faye’s lips began to part. “The place looks amazing! Better than the photos you sent.”

Her friend gave her a side-eye that knew what she’d done. “Thank you. It’s been a lot of work.” Faye laughed through a relieved sigh. “But we’ve made it happen.”

“You, Peanut. You made it happen.” Bash appeared from the stairs Maisie hadn’t fully noticed, next to a sign advertising upstairs seating, only to wrap his arms around Faye from behind and rest his chin on her head. Faye’s pale cheeks coloured at the praise.

Neither of them had changed at all in the time she’d been gone. They’d video called, of course, for Maisie to know that, but seeing her friends in person was different. Faye’s blonde waves that touched her shoulders had been freshly coloured, whereas Bash’s short, dark cut needed just that. Not to mention the shadow of stubble he wore along his strong jaw. They looked so …righttogether. Maisie couldn’t believe it’d taken them eleven years to realise it.

Snuggling into her boyfriend’s embrace, Faye introduced their guest. “Iain, this is Bash.”

“Nice to meet you.” Bash extended his hand that Iain shook.

“Likewise.”

They stood roughly the same height, though Iain was stockier – muscle built by rugby for power compared to Bash’s more athletic frame. Maisie looked between them, feeling the same kind of strange dread she used to feel whenever she introduced a man to either of her brothers. In some regards, she was doing. Bash had been in her life for a third of it – she considered him family just like her own blood.

Before her fickle nerves overanalysed the studying going on between the two men, she asked, “Where’s Freddy?” Glancing between the pristine tables and chairs as if he could be hiding amongst them.

Faye’s lips curled in a grimace. “He’s looking after the twins this weekend, and he didn’t want to bring them all the way up here.”

The logic was understandable. Maisie wouldn’t want to travel for hours with two seven-year-old boys just for a day trip, either. The last that she’d heard, Freddy’s co-parenting of his nephews wasn’t getting any easier, with his brother-in-law constantly changing their agreement at the drop of a hat.

“Oh, well that’s okay,” she said softly. “What about Sienna?”

“She’s—”

“I’m here.” That voice came like a goddess from above.

“Si!” Maisie dodged between tables and squeezed her arms around the other woman.

“How come Sienna got a hug and I didn’t?” Bash moaned.

“Because you’ve yet to take your hands off of Faye,” Sienna rebuffed as Maisie savoured the hug that was returned. Of their quintet, Sienna was the least communicative, purely because of her aversion to phones outside of working hours. If she could live in a pre-technological era, then she would.

Two of them laughed at that remark before Sienna’s dark, cat-like gaze settled on Iain. “And who is this?”

Maisie felt her stomach grow uneasy – Dolly’s ‘Jolene’sounding familiar to her then. “This is Iain.”

“Right. The hiker.” Bridging the gap between their side and his, Sienna glided to Iain like a dancer on ice, all long limbs and sexily swishing hips. “I’m Sienna.”

“Iain.” His accent sounded stronger when surrounded by Londoners, his stoic demeanour more filled with warmth.

He’s just being polite to your friends,Maisie said to herself.There was no fake couple façade for them to keep up, here. Iain was free to look at anyone else however he liked.

Sienna perused him up and down, just like Faye had said on the phone that she would. “I can see why Granny Vera is trying to set you two up. They don’t make them like you in London.”

Hands came down on her shoulders.“Sienna,”Faye warned light-heartedly, “Iain isn’t here for you to flirt with.” Maisie was thankful thatsomebodypointed it out.

“Why? Was there something I missed?” Dark eyes flicked between Maisie and him.

“No.” Maisie bumbled. “Nothing missed.” Iain had driven her here as afriendand that was all.

Bash cleared his throat. “Are you here all day?”

---