By the time I arrived back at the flat, I felt weary and my head was pounding. Unable to face diving straight into work, I made a strong coffee and stood in the kitchen, resting my back against the chipped worktop, sipping on my drink and trying to empty my mind.
Georgia had shared something unexpected while we were in The White Willow – that Mark had stayed in touch with Flynn and the pair of them met up for drinks at least once a month. I was still reeling from that revelation.
‘I thought it best you know now,’ Georgia had said, her wary expression suggesting she had no idea how I’d take that news. ‘Gives you a chance to get your head round it before you move back. If you need to, that is. Might not bother you.’
I’d given my usual copout response of, ‘I don’t want to talk about him,’ and rapidly changed the subject by admiring the décor of The White Willow. But itdidbother me. A lot. And I knew it was totally unreasonable of me to think that way. From the moment I’d introduced them, Mark and Flynn hit it off and soon developed a strong friendship. We often went out as a foursome and holidayed together before and after the kids came along. Neither of them had siblings and it was as though they’d found the brother they’d always wanted.
When Flynn and I separated, I never asked or expected any of my family to cut him out of their lives. When we divorced, I told them all that I didn’t expect anyone to take sides but I did have one important request. If they did speak to Flynn or even meet up with him, I didn’t want to know about it. Our marriage had ended badly and the only way I was going to be able to get through it was if I severed every tie to him. I therefore understood why Georgia had kept Mark and Flynn’s ongoing friendship from me.
‘I know you said we weren’t to pick sides but I was always going to be Team Mel,’ she’d said. ‘I’ve exchanged pleasantries with him if I’ve bumped into him but I’ve never joined him and Mark on a night out.’
‘I wouldn’t have been angry with you if you had.’
‘I know. But I would. I’d have felt disloyal.’
She shouldn’t have had to make that decision. The four of us had been a tight friendship group. Just because Flynn and I had divorced, it didn’t mean Georgia and Mark had to divorce him too. I’d just assumed that, over time, they would have done. When he’d met up with Mark, had Flynn asked after me? Had they talked about me?
Earlier in The White Willow, I’d been adamant that I didn’t want Georgia to tell me anything about Flynn but now my mind was alive with questions. Where did he live? Had he managed to build another successful business? Had he returned to general construction or was he still doing restoration? I’d loved running a business with Flynn. I’d heard many disastrous stories about couples clashing and strong relationships ending when they tried to work together but, for us, joining forces professionally had strengthened an already solid relationship. We’d made a great team and the business had thrived. When we split up and I reverted to working on my own, I’d struggled at first. I hadn’t realised how much of a sounding board Flynn had become and there’d been a period where I’d floundered, battling with my self-belief.
My thoughts drifted away from work and onto Flynn’s personal life. Was he seeing someone, perhaps even remarried? Had he had more children? And was it wrong of me to hope that the answer to those questions was a resounding no?
‘Nothing to do with you,’ I muttered, tutting at myself for heading down that road.
I tipped the coffee dregs into the sink and dumped my mug beside it. I’d allowed my ex-husband far too much headspace and I really couldn’t go there because, even though I was determined to make the move, I still wasn’t 100 per cent sure about my return to Willowdale and I didn’t want thoughts about Flynn to panic me.
Hoping that losing myself in my work would silence the questions, I wandered over to my desk and plonked myself down on the chair. My heart pounded when I clicked onto my emails and spotted Rosie’s name among the list of unread messages.
To: Melanie Finton
From: Rosie Jacobs
Date: 31 January
Subject: Meeting to discuss Willowdale Hall
Hi Melanie
It was lovely meeting you last night and congratulations on coming third in the quiz. We were third too – from the bottom! Oliver and I were inspired by the love and passion you clearly have for Willowdale Hall and we’re excited to meet you to discuss your work and our plans for the future of the estate.
Oliver’s a GP and I run the riding stables so the best time to catch us both is a Sunday afternoon. If Sundays don’t suit, I’m sure we can work something out. I look forward to hearing back from you and hopefully to working together this year.
Best wishes, Rosie
Talk about going from down in the dumps to high as a kite in the space of thirty seconds. My hands were shaking as I typed in a reply.
To: Rosie Jacobs
From: Melanie Finton
Date: 31 January
RE: Meeting to discuss Willowdale Hall
Hi Rosie
It was lovely to meet you too. I wish I could take some credit for third place at the quiz but, sadly, I contributed nothing! Congratulations on your place. It would be a lifelong dream for me to work on Willowdale Hall. Georgia and I were just talking earlier about how I built the hall out of Lego when I was younger. I’ll have to see if I can piece it back together to show you. Sundays are good for me. Is this coming Sunday too soon for you?
All the best, Mel
