Chapter Thirty-One Evie’s House
Chapter Thirty-One
Evie’s House
Evie only had time to put the kettle on before a red-eyed Sophia appeared on her doorstep and started crying as Evie wrapped her in a hug. She bundled Sophia inside and onto the sofa in the kitchen, gave her a cup of hot sweet tea and asked what was going on.
“It’s the same old story,” said Sophia. “We just end up arguing about everything. We are going round and round in circles.” She wiped her eyes with a sodden tissue.
“You and I have had this conversation so many times, Evie. I can’t keep doing all the heavy lifting. You know that he won’t even visit London. My family still haven’t met him. It’s ridiculous.”
Her parents and brothers were so important to Sophia, and Evie remembered how she had been welcomed into their warm embrace while living in London. It was one of the few times she remembered being happy there.
“I have never understood why he can’t meet you halfway. It’s not fair. He’s being completely selfish.”
Sophia sighed. “I know, and I feel like it’s becoming too much of an effort to make this work,” she said, flatly. “It shouldn’t be this hard. I’m at the end of my rope.”
“Is it worth going to see him today?” asked Evie. “And try and talk to him?”
Sophia shook her head impatiently. “Why is it always me doing the running? All I did was ask him about Christmas, and his plans. And then it turns into a massive argument.”
She checked her phone, “He hasn’t even tried to call me. Not that I would answer him and you know what, I am not going to spend all day waiting for him to get in touch.”
She turned off her phone and shoved it under a cushion.
Sophia and Evie spent the day together. They talked about Finn and then about Amelia and discussed Freya’s upcoming birthday party.
Evie showed Sophia the work in progress of her painting of Freya, and Sophia looked at it long and hard and told Evie it was beautiful but the hands weren’t quite right.
Evie looked at her friend with affection. “You’re probably the only person honest enough to tell me that and, of course, I know I haven’t cracked it when it comes to her hands. They are too big, aren’t they?”
“Yep, they look like pink bananas but you will fix it and the rest of it is gorgeous. Freya will love it.”
They talked until well past midnight and both women felt better. Sophia’s calm advice had helped Evie’s anxiousness about Amelia, and Evie had convinced Sophia that Finn would call her before she had to go back to London and they would work things out.
But the next morning, when Sophia turned her phone back on, there was nothing from him, and Evie saw the bitter disappointment in her friend’s face.
“Does he know you are getting the last flight back south?” asked Evie.
Sophia nodded. “It’s always the same one.”
“There’s still time,” said Evie, but when she dropped Sophia off at the airport, there still had been nothing from Finn, and there was no romantic gesture at the departure gate.
He was nowhere to be seen. Sophia tried not to cry as she boarded the plane and told Evie maybe it was all for the best and she’d be in touch.
Driving back home in Florence, Evie did a lot of thinking.
She was furious with Finn, and Sophia was well within her rights to give up on him altogether.
And yet, when they were together you could see they truly loved each other, it was much more than terrific sex, but he was going to have to change his attitude, or he would lose Sophia for ever.
Evie decided to take action and when she got home, went online to get as much information and ammunition as possible. A few days later, she called Freya to say she had invited Finn over to her place that evening and could she come over too? She had a plan and needed Freya’s help.
Freya readily agreed. She was very fond of Sophia and thought that although Finn was utterly charming, he needed a boot up the arse, just like Edwyn all those years ago when he was dithering about asking Kate to marry him.
“I can’t believe that clown Finn would let such a terrific woman slip through his fingers. He needs a right talking to and we are the very women to do it,” Freya told Evie.
Finn was feeling sorry for himself when Evie called.
He’d been desperately upset that he’d quarrelled again with Sophia and ruined another of their precious weekends.
When she had stormed off and decided to stay with Evie, he had stubbornly refused to get in touch, waiting for Sophia to make the first move.
He knew he should have gone to the airport with an enormous bunch of flowers and thrown himself on her mercy with a fulsome apology, but instead he went for a long walk, telling himself she should be the one to say sorry for starting an argument with him and then going off in the huff.
He heard the little plane take off and saw it head south, taking the woman he adored back to London, maybe for ever. He cursed himself for being an eejit and immediately texted her to say he was a clown and he was sorry and waited for a reply. But there had been no response from Sophia.
That was three days ago. They never went this long without keeping in touch. It looked like he had completely blown it. He didn’t know what to do and was glad to receive Evie’s call to ask him round for a drink with her and Freya.
He thought that maybe they could help him. Evie had known Sophia for years and Freya was the wisest woman he had ever met, but deep down he thought it was too late, and it was all his fault.
Finn split his time between his messy flat in Stromness, which Sophia referred to as ‘the love nest’, and a no-frills bothy on Hoy where he spent happy hours monitoring sea eagles and chatting with fellow twitchers and amateur birders.
He thought he’d been happy in the past, having a succession of flings with female tourists, bowled over by his Irish accent and prowess in bed.
Sometimes they would have vigorous sex outdoors on the soft grass or on the beach if the weather was fine and he built a fire.
Finn had learned an awful lot from one particular German girl who had done several things to him that he thought would be considered illegal back home in Ireland.
He’d never wanted to settle down and maintained the very idea of weddings, babies and mortgages would bring him out in hives. And then along came Sophia and his heart was no longer his own. He loved her so very much, and if he was honest that was part of the problem.
The depth of his love frightened him. He was terrified of being hurt and broken by his feelings for her, which is why he had been so pig-headed about visiting her in London. He knew he was pushing her away, but he couldn’t stop himself.
He headed to Evie’s with a bottle of whisky, still not having heard from the woman he adored and feeling as though there was no hope. He was given a huge hug from Freya, who then gave him a slap on the hand as though he was four years old.
“You absolute bloody idiot. Why are you still here? You should be on a plane down to see Sophia, full of apologies and an engagement ring in your pocket.”
She snatched the bottle of whisky from his shocked grasp and told him to sit down. Finn did as he was told.
A drink was thrust into his hand and both Freya and Evie drew up their chairs to look him in the eye. “You are both scaring me more than a bit,” he said, cowering into the back of his chair.
“Good,” said Freya. “You should be scared. You are in danger of throwing away the best thing that has ever happened to you. That poor girl deserves better. I’m so cross with you, Finn, I’d dearly like to kick some sense into you.”
Finn looked really worried now. He felt sure Freya could kick like a mule and do him a fair bit of damage. Evie said soothingly, “It’s not going to come to that. We just want to help you.”
Freya grumbled, “We want to help him alright. We want to knock some bloody sense into him.” Finn was totally on the back foot with this ‘good cop, bad cop’ act, and he wailed: “I just need you both to help me. I don’t want to lose her but I don’t know what to do.
I can’t imagine a world without Sophia, but she will never come here to live, and do you honestly see me in a suit and tie working in London? ”
“For the love of God,” said Freya, “would you listen to yourself. No one wears suits and ties anymore. Most people down south are working from home and when they go out they wear shorts and football tops.”
Freya knew that wasn’t exactly true, but she had no intention of letting Finn off the hook.
She went on, “You are just being pig-headed. All Sophia wants is for you to go down and visit her for Christ’s sake.
She thinks so much of you that she wants you to meet her family.
I can’t think why you are being so stubborn. ”
Finn looked tortured, “I know I’m not being fair, but I am just worried when she sees me down there, she will compare me with all those sophisticated fellas and I’ll be found wanting. I won’t be polished enough and she’ll think I’m a culchie.”
Evie and Freya looked at him with exasperated affection. “Do you honestly think a woman like Sophia would ever be as shallow as to worry about fancy clothes and affected manners?” said Freya.
He sighed. “I know. I am being ridiculous but apart from Sophia there is nothing there that interests me, and I feel safe here. I’m part of a community. I’d be a square peg in a round hole down south.”
Evie said, “You know, Finn, I don’t think you have thought this through. I’ve been doing a bit of research on your behalf, and I had no idea that there’s so much wildlife to see down there, and such interesting projects going on.”
He looked at her doubtfully. “Like what?”
“Well,” said Evie artlessly, “Did you happen to know that they have reintroduced wild beavers in Essex?” Freya snorted and almost choked on her whisky.
Finn said, “What’s so funny about that? I love beavers. It sounds brilliant.”
Freya looked at him innocently and said, “Nothing. There’s absolutely nothing funny at all about wild beavers rampaging though Essex, no doubt on the look out for hard wood to gnaw on.”
Evie began to splutter with laughter, which set Freya off again. “Oh I get it. Honestly. What age are you two?” said Finn, exasperated. He added primly, “I have actually read a wee bit about it, and it sounds like interesting stuff. It might be good to see what’s going on for myself.”
Evie hadn’t expected him to fold quite so fast. He was obviously just looking for an excuse to climb down from his self-appointed high horse. She added, “Even if it meant having to go to That London?”
“Well,” he replied, “I do feel bad that Sophia is always the one having to do the commuting. She’s been really good about it, but it costs her a fortune and she’s always exhausted when she first gets here.”
Evie thought she might as well push her luck. “Why don’t you check a few other projects when you are south? There’s all those red kites that have been reintroduced. They are as common as sparrows there now.”
Finn interrupted her. “Actually, sparrows are quite rare now. It’s a terrible shame.”
Evie rolled her eyes. “There you are then, go and see the endangered cockney sparrows while you still can. You can spend some time with Sophia at her place, and you know it might not be as bad as you think.”
Finn smiled at them and looked relieved. “I see exactly what you both did there. You’ve tucked me up like a kipper. You are right, though. Thanks both of you. I’ll call Sophia right now.”
When he left, Freya and Evie looked at each other in triumph and guffawed again. Freya wiped her eyes.
“Oh Evie, that was a stroke of genius, getting Finn to go south by dangling the prospect of beavers in front of him. It’s too much.”
“I don’t care what it takes to keep them together. He just has to meet her halfway and everything will work out fine.”