Page 9 of Sunny Sundays at Primrose Hall

‘Is this the first time you’ve worked with your brother? I used to work for a family firm, my ex’s, so I know how intense it can get.’

‘Yes. I was surprised when he asked me, to be honest with you. But very pleased to be a small part of the Primrose Hall team. You know I’ve only actually known Jackson for a few months?’

Sophie’s eyes grew wide.

‘No? How come?’

‘Well…’ Tom gave a wry smile. ‘It’s a long story, but basically I found out last year that the man who I’d always thought was my father, wasn’t. Which, as you can imagine, came as a bit of a shock.’

‘Yeah…’ Sophie was probably guilty of staring too much, scanning Tom’s features for answers. This newly discovered information made her look at him in a different light, revealing as it did another part of his personality.

‘Although it certainly explained a few things,’ Tom went on. ‘Like why my dad never showed much interest in me when I was growing up and why we pretty much lost touch after he left my mum.’

‘That must have been tough.’

‘It was. What I found most difficult was discovering that my mum had been part of that lie. She obviously knew the truth about who my real dad was, but for whatever reason, decided not to tell me. Now, because she’s no longer with us, I can’t ask her all those questions I have.’

Sophie took a sharp intake of breath, feeling a pang of hurt on his behalf.

‘I’m sorry.’

Tom looked up, his dark brown eyes latching onto hers, the half-smile on his lips matching the shimmer in his gaze.

‘Thanks. It was a big upheaval and caused me a lot of soul-searching, but don’t get me wrong, it’s been mainly a very positive process. It’s like I know who I am now. I found my real dad, Rex, and discovered that I had a brother that I never knew even existed. I now have a family and people who actually look like me.’ He shrugged, turning his palms up to the sky, as though he could still hardly believe it himself. ‘They’ve all been really friendly and welcomed me into the fold.’

‘That’s amazing. Honestly, I would never have realised. When I joined you all for Christmas lunch at the hall, it struck me what a lovely, tight-knit family you were. I’d just imagined, seeing you all sitting round the table, that it was a tradition you’d carried out for years and years.’

‘Nope, not at all. It was my first time spending Christmas with my dad and my brother, so it was pretty special. I have to say I’m very grateful to Pia and Ronnie for smoothing the way, they’ve really been instrumental in including me in family events, which has been great. And now working for “the firm”, hopefully that will be just as rewarding. Although…’ Tom’s mouth twisted in a grimace. ‘Are you telling me it’s not the best idea then, working with your family?’

He tilted his head to one side, inviting Sophie to elaborate.

‘Oh, I’m sure working with Jackson and Pia will be absolutely fine. I used to work for my ex-boyfriend’s family firm, that was all, which was great initially, but then it became awkward when things started to go wrong. Living and working together brings its own problems when there are lots of other factors involved too. I’m just relieved that I’ve been able to move on from that situation.’

‘I’m sorry to hear about that. Was that fairly recently then?’

‘Last year. A friend of mine offered me a place to stay when I was at my lowest ebb and I jumped at the opportunity. I turned my back on my old life; that was my job, my home and Kyle, my ex-boyfriend.’ Sophie’s gaze drifted out of the pub window for a moment. It seemed like a lifetime ago and in the same breath she could recall it as though it was yesterday. ‘It was traumatic at the time, but it was absolutely the right thing for me. Now, I’m much more settled. I love my little cottage, I have a new job and I’m enjoying making my jewellery in my spare time.’

Saying the words aloud to Tom, who was listening interestedly, made her realise just how far she’d come in recent months.

‘Sounds like you’ve been through some pretty big changes too then?’ There was an understanding smile from Tom.

‘Yes. It’s been a difficult couple of years.’ Sophie gave an imperceptible shudder when thoughts of Kyle and everything that had happened filtered into her mind. ‘Nothing like you’ve had to contend with, though,’ she said.

‘I don’t know. All those big lifestyle changes can take their toll. Like me, you’ve moved home, changed job and broken up with your partner all in the space of… a relatively short time. It takes some adjusting to.’

Sophie nodded in confirmation.

‘That’s true. You’ve been through a break-up as well, then?’ Sophie questioned, latching onto his words, wondering how one person could have so much bad luck.

‘Yes. When I found out about my dad, it put me in a bad place. It affected me deeply and I sank into a depression. I had this compulsion to get rid of everything that I knew and loved. Where I lived, where I worked, my relationship. It wasn’t Anna’s fault. She tried to support me through that period, but I was pretty foul to be around at the time. Looking back now, I think it was probably right for us to split up. We’d been together foryears, and I guess we’d got into something of a rut. That whole episode made me take a closer look at my life and decide what I wanted from my future.’ Tom picked up his beer and took a mouthful, lost in contemplation for a moment. ‘I suppose I wanted to get a bit of control back over my life, if that makes sense?’

It made perfect sense to Sophie.

‘Now, you can see,’ he said, with what she’d come to realise was his customary humility, ‘that I’ve got this whole life shebang worked out. I’m single, living alone in a poky one-bedroomed flat and have said goodbye to a hugely successful career, trading it for a variety of part-time jobs. Hey,’ he laughed. ‘Things can only get better.’

9

The poor girl. Tom took another swallow of his beer, shaking his head, wondering what on earth had possessed him. Tonight should have been a light-hearted, convivial affair but instead he’d been left alone with Sophie, who he couldn’t deny was very pleasant company, and for some reason, he had decided to tell her his life story. It was hardly the most upbeat tale, but in fairness to her she’d been nothing but an attentive and interested listener. She was too polite to be anything else, Tom suspected, and was probably just waiting for the right moment, planning her escape. He gathered himself, and plastered on a smile, looking into her eyes, which he’d noticed before were a fetching grey-green colour.

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