Chapter 32
My mood is bleak as I step onto the platform at Margate and start making my way towards the exit.
It only sinks further when I realise that I’ve been so busy being disappointed about the way the day ended that I’ve completely forgotten to message Liv to let her know that I’ll be home for dinner after all.
Maybe I’ll pick up a ready meal and a bottle of wine.
It feels like a ready meal and bottle of wine kind of night.
To make matters worse, it seems like the phantom Finns are here too; I stop dead as, for a moment, I could swear someone is calling my name.
‘Bloody hell, careful,’ an angry voice says as a solid mass bumps into me, almost knocking me off my feet.
‘Sorry,’ I tell the man, but he’s already gone, obviously in a hurry to get home like everyone else here. I shake myself and resume my walk to the exit. Hearing things is probably the second sign of madness. At this rate, I’ll be a fully paid-up lunatic by the time I get home.
‘Laura!’ the voice calls again, more clearly this time. ‘Over here.’
I turn my head and blink. The spitting image of Finn that I saw on the Tube is standing near the exit, calling my name and waving. I hesitate for a moment, waiting for him to disappear like the other phantoms, but either this is a prolonged psychotic episode, or Finn really is here in Margate.
‘Finn?’ I ask when I reach him, unable to keep the incredulity out of my voice. ‘What are you doing here?’
His grin is so wide that it’s threatening to split his face in two. ‘I’m here for an evening engagement.’
‘Oh,’ I say, swallowing the pang of disappointment. Of course he wasn’t coming here for me. ‘Is this related to whatever you were called away for?’
‘Very much so.’
He’s beaming at me, but I can’t work out why.
‘You don’t look very pleased to see me,’ he says after a moment.
‘I am. I’m just confused.’
‘Let me explain. I wasn’t called away at all. I needed time to change and get into position.’
‘For what?’
‘To see where you went. Although I hoped you’d come back here, there was a possibility you might have made arrangements to meet up with friends or do some sightseeing in London this evening, and that would have derailed my plan.’
‘You followed me?’
He does at least have the grace look a little bashful. ‘Not exactly. I just needed to be certain that you were coming back home.’
‘Why? You’re not making any sense at all, you know that? So far, we’ve got a bogus thing that you’re called away to deal with, and some A-grade stalking so you can implement some mystery plan. I’m not reassured, Finn.’
He looks at me quizzically. ‘It’s a surprise, don’t you see?’
‘No.’
‘My evening engagement is you, if you’re free.’
I stare at him, totally nonplussed now. ‘So you effectively blew me out earlier, only to hotfoot it down here to surprise me? We could have just gone for a drink in London.’
‘We could, but there’s something I need to do, and that can only happen here.’
I narrow my eyes. ‘Was that you on the Tube? Why the change of clothes?’
‘This is a more suitable outfit for the surprise. It gave me a hell of a shock when your face appeared at the window. I think the woman next to me thought I was mad, because I was trying to hide behind her. I don’t think I’m cut out for surveillance work.’
‘This all seems very elaborate and I’m still not completely comfortable that you followed me. What’s supposed to happen now?’
‘Wait and see. We need to grab a taxi from the rank.’ He must sense my hesitation, because he smiles. ‘Don’t worry, I haven’t forgotten.’
He’s making less and less sense. Either that or I genuinely am going mad and this is all some sort of terrible dream.
‘Haven’t forgotten what?’
‘That you’re a martial arts expert.’
I surreptitiously pinch my thigh as hard as I can to try to wake myself up. This must be a dream and it’s just too bizarre for me. Unfortunately, nothing changes apart from the fact that I now have pain in my thigh.
‘Who told you that I was a martial arts expert?’ I ask, bewildered.
‘You did, on the day I arrived at the retreat. As you climbed into my car, you told me quite clearly that you were a martial arts expert so it would end badly for me if I tried anything on.’
A vague memory bubbles up to the surface and I start to laugh. Finally, something in this frankly unbelievable scene is making sense.
‘What’s so funny?’ Finn asks.
‘I lied,’ I tell him.
Now it’s his turn to look confused. ‘Why?’
‘In case you were a murderer.’
‘Did I look like a murderer?’
‘They come in all shapes and sizes. How was I supposed to know?’
‘So you’re not a martial arts expert.’
‘I’ve watched The Karate Kid. Does that count?’
‘The original, or the remake?’
‘Both.’
‘I’m not sure it does. Anyway, I promise not to murder you in the taxi if that helps you feel safe about getting in one with me.’
I look at him. He’s Finn at full wattage right now, and I feel a bit like one of those moths that just can’t help being attracted to the light. He may not be Henry Cavill, but his personality is like one of those cartoon magnets, causing objects miles away to break free and fly towards them.
‘I’ll get in a taxi with you,’ I tell him.
‘Great.’ He takes my hand and leads me outside. Most of the other people from our train are long gone now, and the taxi rank is empty. Thankfully, one pulls in as we make our way over and Finn holds the door open for me.
‘My lady,’ he says, bowing deeply. I scoot across the seat automatically, expecting him to follow but, to my surprise, he closes the door. What the hell is he playing at now?
‘Can you take us here?’ he says, showing the driver something on his phone. I lean forward to try to see it, but Finn has angled the screen so it’s impossible.
‘Of course. Hop in, mate.’
The door opens again and I’m relieved when Finn slides in next to me.
‘Where are we going?’ I ask.
‘Wait and see.’
‘I’m not good at cloak and dagger.’
‘You’re a crime writer,’ he counters.
‘Did you say you were a writer?’ the cabbie interjects. ‘Would I have heard of you?’
‘I doubt it,’ I tell him. This is my default response as it just saves awkward questions.
‘I read a lot of crime,’ the cabbie continues. ‘Have you heard of Larry Spalding? I bloody love his books.’
‘Do you?’ Finn asks, a mischievous smile playing on his lips. ‘What would you say if you had Larry Spalding in the back of your cab?’
‘Probably nothing,’ the cabbie says with a laugh.
‘I had Tracey Emin in here once. I knew who she was, obviously, but I was so busy trying to work out if she’d be offended if I said I loved her work that I ended up keeping my trap shut.
Missed opportunity or what, eh? Anyway, I don’t know what Larry Spalding looks like, so he might have been in the back of my cab already for all I know. ’
‘I don’t think Larry would mind you chatting to him,’ Finn says, clearly loving this now. ‘He’s quite a down-to-earth person on the whole.’
‘Do you know him?’ The cabbie is clearly impressed.
‘I’ve met him a few times,’ Finn tells him. ‘He’s a lot of fun, actually.’
‘Well, if you see him again, tell him that Alan the cabbie from Margate is a super fan. I’ll give you my card if you like. If he’s ever in the area and needs a taxi, you know.’
‘I’m sure he’d love that.’ I can see Finn is struggling not to laugh now, and I’m torn between wanting to punch him in the leg and laugh myself.
‘Right. Here we are,’ the cabbie announces as he pulls up outside a familiar building.
‘The Mermaid?’ I ask.
‘I’ll explain in a minute,’ Finn tells me as he pays the cabbie and makes a show of storing the business card in his wallet.
‘You are a very bad man,’ I say as the taxi pulls away.
‘Nonsense. I probably made his day.’
‘Hm. Are you finally going to tell me what this is all about?’
‘It’s simple. Last time we came here, things didn’t exactly go the way we planned.’
‘That’s one way of putting it.’
‘I fucked it up.’
‘That’s another way of putting it, although I certainly wouldn’t say it was all your fault.’
‘I felt it was my fault. I was kicking myself all the way home. I’d spent so long rehearsing what I was going to say, and then the bloody words failed me at the crucial moment.
’ He shudders. ‘It makes me cringe just thinking about it now. And then, I wanted to contact you and say I was sorry and could I make it up to you, but it just felt like I’d ruined everything.
Then you got in touch with your teatime idea. ’
‘I thought I’d lost you as a friend.’
I swear I see a flash of something that looks like disappointment cross his face, but it’s gone so fast and tonight has been so odd that I’m starting to doubt my own judgement.
‘Anyway. So we could have gone out for something to eat in London, but I felt like dinner here would always be hanging over us. So, I thought we’d come back and try again.’
I’m stunned. Nobody has ever put this much thought into arranging something for me before, and it’s all I can do not to cry as I think about how much planning he must have done. Without hesitation, I reach out, take his face in mine and plant a huge kiss on his lips.
‘What was that for?’ he asks when I finally release him.
‘To say thank you for all of this. To say sorry. But mostly because I wanted to.’
‘I see.’ A smile breaks on his face as I feel his hand gently lifting my chin, and then his lips are on mine again.
I close my eyes, just enjoying the sensation.
It’s not one of those hungry kisses, where you can feel the other person’s tongue practically trying to force your teeth apart.
There isn’t any tongue at all. It’s also not one of those kisses that are so crushingly hard you wonder if your lips are slowly bruising, nor the kind that’s so soft you wonder if it’s actually happening at all.
It’s the kind of kiss you want to carry on forever, so you can just lose yourself in it.
There’s no doubting the message behind it, and my body is receiving it loud and clear.
At least, until a thought comes to me that makes me start to giggle.
‘What?’ Finn looks confused as he breaks the kiss.
‘Goldilocks and the Three Bears,’ I tell him. ‘Your kiss reminded me of that story.’
‘Before you go any further, I need to inform you that you hold my entire masculinity in the palm of your hand right now. If you’re going to tell me that kissing me is like kissing a bear, I might never get over it.’
‘Relax. It was more the beds. One was too hard, one was too soft, and the other… The other was you. Just right.’
‘Really?’
‘I’d need to sample a few more to be sure, but I’m confident.’
‘There are plenty more where that one came from,’ he assures me, before grinning again.
‘What?’
‘I’m changing your nickname. Luggage Laura doesn’t fit any more.’
‘Who am I now then?’
‘Lovely Laura,’ he says simply. ‘I think it’s appropriate, don’t you?’
‘I think I can live with it. Now, I’m starving. Did someone mention dinner?’