“Exactly. To be honest I feel a bit guilty over that. I put it down to Emma being her usual self, the possibility of her expecting didn’t even cross my mind. Although I don’t know why I didn’t realise. The food issues I had when I was carrying… They obviously went down the lead.” Annie laughed. “Or should that be umbilical cord?”
“Maybe I should feel bad too then? I do have a pregnant sister, not to mention a very well-read brother-in-law.”
“Please tell me he’s still information sharing.”
I recalled the last time I saw Mitch. I’d called round to see Vee who wasn’t just cleaning the house when I got there, but deep cleaning it. Nesting, Mitch called it, before giving me a long-winded explanation about how mums-to-be tended to tidy and clean their house more as they approached their due date. “He is,” I replied.
“Good. Because I might need someone to hand when things get a bit much with Em.” Annie squealed in delight. “I can’t believe it, Holly. I’m going to be a grandmother. Talk about the best Christmas present ever.”
I smiled, pleased for my friend. “When’s the baby due?”
“Not until early summer, which gives me plenty of time to dust off the old knitting needles.”
My friend’s joy was infectious and imagining her clicking away with two pointy sticks and a big ball of four-ply, I chuckled in response. “I shall look forward to seeing your creations. And what about Emma? How does she feel about it all?”
“She’s happy, of course. Although admittedly it’s taking a bit of getting used to. She and Josh didn’t exactly plan on starting a family so soon.”
I couldn’t say I was surprised. Emma took a carefree approach when it came to most things in life.
“And daddy-to-be?”
“Strutting around like a peacock.” Annie laughed. “The poor lad hasn’t a clue what he’s got in store. Emma can be a pain at the best of times, but pregnant Em… it’s going to be one hell of a ride.”
I sympathised. Having met Josh a few times, it was evident he was perfect for Annie’s daughter and not just because they made a cute couple. Yes, he was polite and had the boyish good looks to match Emma’s beauty, and as the saying went, opposites attract, but when it came to Emma and her dramatic tendencies, Josh’s patience wasn’t just admirable, it was never-ending. If they gave out medals for tolerance, that young man would be on the podium collecting gold, and I’d have been cheering him on for an award he wholeheartedly deserved. “I’m sure he’ll be fine,” I said.
“And they’ll have me for support,” Annie replied.
“They? You mean Emma and Josh have sorted things out?” Amongst all the excitement, I’d momentarily forgot about everyone’s living arrangements. “They’re a couple again?”
“Yes, thank goodness.” Annie sounded as relieved as I felt.
Instantly, I looked up to the heavens and mouthed my heartfelt thank you to the universe. “That’s wonderful,” I said, pleased to know I could start looking forward to Christmas again. A staycation might not have entailed heading off into the sun, but it did save me from losing face in front of Mum.
Aware that it was because of Fin, I felt a chink in my delight. I knew I’d miss the man and not just for his cooking. On top of his culinary expertise, I enjoyed his banter, his smile, and especially his compliments and just thinking about the way he’d looked at me sometimes made me come over all tingly. Then again, sharing my living space with a man as famous as him and not being able to talk about it hadn’t been easy and the longer he hung around, I supposed the harder that would get. I told myself he was probably moving on to bigger and better things soon anyway. The last thing I needed was to fall for someone who was just going to up and leave at some point. The important thing was securing my staycation.
“Which brings me to the reason I asked you to call.”
“Ruth said you needed a favour and whatever it is, despite your little joke over the cookbook–”
Annie’s laughter interrupted me. “I’m sorry. But when I realised you’d forgotten what I’d told you I just couldn’t resist. What did he say when you showed it to him? Did he see the funny side?”
“I didn’t show him.”
“Why not?” Annie sounded disappointed.
“Because he hasn’t got a clue that I know who he is.” I began pacing up and down again. “And I don’t want to embarrass the man.”
“You mean, he hasn’t said anything himself?”
“Nope.”
“Now that is interesting.”
I stopped still again. “What is?”
“The fact that he’s kept schtum.”
In my view, there were lots of reasons why Fin would have kept the details of his career to himself. Reasons I’d considered over and over again since Annie had given me his cookbook. From wanting to protect his private life, to not feeling the need to brag. Not to mention all the pitfalls in between. The media was littered with kiss and tells and celebrity horror stories about lives going wrong because either they, themselves, or the people around them hadn’t kept a level head. Fin’s silence could simply be a means of keeping himself sane.
“It means he likes you,” Annie said.
“Why would he not?” I asked. “I’m a lovely person.”
Annie laughed. “I don’t mean he likes you. I mean he likes you.”
As much as I wanted to believe Annie, I scoffed. “Rubbish. We both know that man could have any woman his heart desires, and I assure you, his heart most certainly doesn’t desire me.”
“He wants you to get to know Fin the man. Before you find out about Fin the famous TV chef.”
I chuckled. Whereas I read a lot of crime fiction, Annie preferred a wholly different genre. “I think someone’s been reading too many romance novels,” I said.
“I’m telling you. It’s how these things work.”
Shaking my head, I’d never heard anything so ridiculous. “Back to the favour,” I said. “Whatever it is, it’s a yes from me. See it as a gift, to celebrate becoming a grandparent.”
“Really?”
Considering we were best friends, her surprise surprised me.
“You don’t know how happy I am to hear you say that. Honestly, it’s like a weight’s been lifted. I was dreading having to tell Fin he’d have to find a hotel. You know what it’s like around here; everywhere gets booked up in advance. The poor bloke would have been on the streets.”
My face crumpled.
“And what with me now having both Emma and Josh to stay, even if I wanted it to, my place couldn’t fit another body in.”
My mind raced. It wasn’t enough that my holiday of a lifetime had been ruined, my alternative staycation Christmas was about to follow suit. The universe had to be conspiring against me, because try as I might, I couldn’t come up with another explanation.
“I’d hate to think of him on his own on Christmas Day and he’d be much more comfortable at yours.”
I swallowed a whimper. What was Annie talking about? Fin couldn’t stay at mine for Christmas. As nice as the man had proven himself, and as much as I liked him, the only things I really knew about Fin I’d read on the back of a book.