Page 96 of Just Do It
‘I need to book a train ticket.’
Mum and Dad exchanged a look.
‘What?’ I asked.
‘There’s a train strike for the next couple of days.’
‘What?’ My voice pitched to a not entirely attractive level. ‘Finn aside, I need to get back for work.’
Dad gave a shrug. ‘Maybe he should have thought about that when he left you here.’ Finn had most certainly plummeted in Dad’s opinion. Should we manage to patch things up, he had some serious character repair work to do.
I picked up my phone and entered a search. ‘OK there’s a hire car place about twenty minutes away that can do a one-way service. Would you mind dropping me off?’
‘If that’s what you want.’
‘I do, Dad.’
Dad studied me for a beat or two and then picked up his keys. ‘Then I’m ready when you are.’
‘Aren’t you going to have some breakfast before you go?’ Mum asked in a tone of concern. There was a time when a day could easily pass with neither of them particularly noticing that meal times had come and gone whilst they’d been engrossed in their studies. From home, I’d gone to university where, as was the norm with many students, I hadn’t been especially observant to meal times either. Since working I’d attempted to build in a better routine but it was easy to fall back into the pattern of no pattern. Mum and Dad, however, had obviously embraced allaspects of their new life and Mum was now fussing around me. ‘I can make you something quickly.’
‘No, I’m OK, really. But thanks anyway.’
She didn’t seem happy about this.
‘I promise I’ll stop on the way to stretch my legs and I’ll have something then.’
‘Hmm. OK then. But make sure you do.’
‘I will, honest.’
A short time later, Dad was dropping me off at the car rental company, insisting on waiting until he was quite sure I’d got a car and knew where I was going. It had been odd at first having such attentive parents after so long but I’d got used to it quickly and truth be told, I was revelling in it.
The drive back to London was long but the traffic was thankfully kind to me and gave me time to think and plan what I’d say to Finn. I didn’t want to do this over the phone. This was something that needed to be done face to face. And tomorrow I’d do just that.
I stared at the spare desk in my office, then around the room. The decorations had gone, not one trace of tinsel to even hint they had ever been there. It looked barren and bare. And there was one more thing that looked bare. Finn’s desk. I placed my bag slowly beside my own desk, turned and walked back out of the room.
‘Morning.’ I pasted on a smile as Mike began walking towards me.
‘Happy New Year.’ He beamed. ‘How’s you?’
‘Fine, thanks. I hope you had a good one.’ That wasn’t what I’d come down to ask but I liked him and ordinarily I’d have been truly interested. Today, however, I was merely going through the motions.
‘Yep, we did. From what I can remember.’ He let out a booming laugh which echoed in the space. ‘So, what can we do for you today, or did you just come for a nice natter and a cuppa?’
‘That would be lovely, but I’ve got a report to write unfortunately. I know which I’d rather be doing though.’
He gave a nod of understanding.
‘I, um, I was just wondering if Finn was down here?’
A puzzled look replaced his smile. ‘Finn? No, love. I assumed you knew?’
Chills ran through my body and I used every ounce of willpower I had not to let it manifest into a physical shiver.
‘He handed in his notice. Immediate effect. Got a better offer apparently.’ He gave a shrug. ‘Bit of a surprise, I have to say. I’ve worked with him on a few jobs now and he’s always been incredibly reliable. I guess the offer was too good to turn down.’
Unbidden, the image of Mel wrapping her arms around Finn and gazing up at him fluttered into my mind. I swatted it away.
