Page 65 of Twist of Fate
“Then why?” My voice is hardly more than a whisper. “I deserve an answer.”
He stares at me for a moment, then tilts his head back, his expression unreadable. “In a perfect world, I would have answered those phone calls. I would have replied to every text, and you would have never needed to leave those voicemails. I would have kept my promise, and you wouldn’t be living in the flat across from me; you’d be living with me. But life is rarely fair.” His jade-green eyes meet mine once again, and I feel my heart stutter with the depth of emotion I see in them. “The day before you left, my father had a massive stroke. I didn’t find out until—well, that doesn’t really matter. Anyway, the man has barely been sick a day in his entire life, and suddenly, he collapses in a boardroom, and that’s it.”
“Is he?—”
“He’s alive,” he confirms. “But, he’ll never recover. And that was the news I was given the day I left you.”
“I’m sorry, Finn. That must have been awful for you. But that doesn’t explain us,” I tell him. I know we were just starting out, but I thought he knew he could rely on me; I could have been there for him. I could have helped. “Why did you delete my number and decide never to speak to me again?”
He looks truly haunted as his eyes meet mine. “You asked why I was working as a tour guide. I believe I once told you I was a bit of a fuckup as a kid.”
“You said you were a little wild in college, yeah,” I answer, briefly recalling the conversation. I remember thinking how different we were at that age. “Well, let’s just say I didn’t get it all out of my system by graduation, and after one too many embarrassing fuckups, my dad decided it was time for me to learn a lesson.”
“He was the reason you were a tour guide?”
He nods. “I thought it would only be temporary, but two years had passed by the time you stepped on that bus. I was always supposed to go back—and that was my singular goal up until I met you. For that short time, I didn’t mind the idea of never going back.”
“But you did go back.”
“I did,” he says softly. “Overnight, I became the acting CEO at twenty-five, and I was suddenly responsible for all our employees and their families.” He takes a deep breath and gives me a meaningful look. “I dreaded coming back here because I knew what it would mean.”
I feel like I already know what he’s about to say.
“My father was the definition of an absentee husband and father. My mam and I never lacked anything—except for him. Every time he skipped one of my rugby games or left my mother alone at a party, he chose the company over us, which is why I let you go.”
Because the business will always come first.
It wasn’t about capital or power for Finn. It was about the people, and he’d never let them down.
“So, what is this, Finn? What was this morning and the moment at the table? Because if you’re not serious about this?—”
“You’re what? Fall back into the arms of your ex-fiancé?”
My eyes widen. “What? No. I told you, we’re just friends now.”
He snorts. “The last thing that guy wants from you is friendship, Ash. You don’t find it odd that he just happens to show up, wanting to be best friends, right after he is transferred mid-season?”
“He wouldn’t do anything to jeopardize his career, Finn. He’s worked for this his whole life to get here. He’s just being nice.” I scoff. “He said with me being so close for the next six months, he wanted to take advantage.”
“Oh, I’m sure he does.”
I open my mouth to rebuff his claim but find myself momentarily speechless. He isn’t right, is he? There was a time shortly after I called off the wedding when I thought Theo would never get over the breakup, that he’d never stop pursuing me. But eventually, he settled into his life in Spain, his notoriety grew, and his obsession over our breakup soon faded.
It wasn’t until my mom died that he truly started making an effort again, but even then it was just a text here and there. It wasn’t until he called to say he was moving to the UK that he really amped up the level of communication.
“He’s just a friend,” I reiterate, and I’m not sure who I’m trying to convince more—him or me. “Regardless of what his intentions are, that’s how I see him. But, as I mentioned this morning, unless you want to pursue this thing between us, what I do or don’t do with Theo or anyone else is none of your business.”
I can see his jaw twitch and his Adam’s apple move up and down. “Noted,” he says, then takes a step toward the door. He reaches for the handle but pauses, not even bothering to look up as he speaks. “You deserve someone who is able to put you first. Don’t settle for anything less.”
Then he leaves, and I’m left standing there, wondering how I’m supposed to find someone else when everything I want has just walked out the door.
* * *
Finn
I’m no stranger to the occasional intimate interlude in a public toilet. Admittedly, it has been a while, and most of those encounters happened late at night in clubs or lively pubs. There’s a reason my father disapproved of my behavior—I earned it.
But, despite being out of practice with this kind of thing, it doesn’t excuse my lack of awareness as I step out of the loo with my head down and my spirits even lower.
