So she’d ignored Sean’s message, and the two from Caitlin asking about laundry.
Not one of them had asked how she was.
What would she have said?
I’m worried I might be on the verge of a breakdown, and by the way I had to call the police because there was an intruder in my kitchen but don’t worry about any of it. I’ll handle it myself because that’s what I always do.
Pushing thoughts of her family out of her head, she followed Finn Cool through to a large airy kitchen.
“This is perfect.” Although if she tried to cook here she’d burn everything because she’d be looking at the ocean views. “I feel terrible about what happened. I never should have called the police.”
“You were right to call them. Particularly after what happened with your mother.” He put the bag on the countertop. “No harm done. I had to sign a few autographs and smile for a few selfies, that’s all. I’ve dealt with worse.”
“I had no idea you knew my mother.”
“She’s a very discreet woman is Kathleen. Also a total badass.” He pulled a couple of plates out of one of the cupboards. “We’ve been friends for a while. If I was a few years older I’d marry her and believe me that’s a compliment because I’m not the marrying type.”
She wasn’t one to read gossipy newspapers or magazines, but even she knew he had an active and interesting social life. Which made it all the more bizarre that he was friends with her eighty-year-old mother.
“I can’t believe she asked you to feed her cat.” Only her mother would ask a celebrity to walk round to her house and open cat food.
“Popeye and I are best friends. He often visits.”
“You know Popeye?”
He grinned. “There aren’t many one-eyed, three-legged cats around here. I consider him an example of resilience at its finest. Nothing stops him exploring, not even my dogs. Popeye is boss of the world.” As he said the words there was a cacophony of barking, a blur of tan and black and three large German shepherd dogs streaked up from the bottom of the garden to the house.
Liza eyed them nervously as they slithered across the tiles. “Are they going to take revenge on me for calling the police?”
“More likely to lick you to death or slide into you. They hate these tiles.” He snapped his fingers and the dogs skidded to a halt, tongues lolling as they looked at him stupidly. “Sit.”
They sat, one with more reluctance than the others.
Liza looked at the rows of sharp teeth. “I’m starting to understand why you don’t need bodyguards.”
“These boys are a deterrent, that’s for sure.” He crouched down and made a fuss of the dogs and she did the same, although a little more cautiously.
One of them rolled over, exposing his tummy, and she rubbed it gently. “They’re gorgeous. What are they called? Not that I’m going to be able to tell them apart.”
“One, Two and Three. Seemed a simple way of naming them at the time. Don’t be fooled by the size of them. They’re terrified of Popeye.” He rose to his feet and so did she.
“We’re all a little terrified of Popeye. He’s the most judgmental cat I’ve ever met. And very emotionally distant.” Like her mother. “And talking of meeting, how did you get to know my mother?”
“Long story. We need food for that.” He washed his hands, then opened the bag she’d handed him and explored the contents. “I haven’t had a lemon meringue pie since I was a kid. I’ll cut us both a slice and we can take it onto the terrace.”
“I made it for you.”
“I believe in indulgence at all times, but even I can’t eat an entire pie myself.”
“You’re on your own here? I assumed you’d have lots of staff.”
“I’m the only permanent resident, although I am subject to a regular invasion from London. My long-suffering housekeeper occasionally visits and rescues me from the depths of my own mess. Her husband does the gardens and the pool. They live in the cottage five-minutes walk from here. They’re around, but not around if that makes sense. They treat me like a son, which is lucky for me.” He cut large slices. “This looks incredible.” His accent was somewhere between an American drawl and a soft Irish lilt. She decided she could listen to him talk all day.
“The eggs are organic. They’re from the Anderson farm.” Why on earth had she told him that? He probably couldn’t be less interested.
“I never eat eggs from anywhere else.” The laughter in his eyes made her flustered.
“You’re teasing me.”
“I’m not. My freezer is also full of their organic, grass-fed beef. I virtually subsidize that place, but still he takes pleasure in driving his tractor at a snail’s pace and making me late for everything. He’s determined to slow the pace of my life from turbo to tractor. He has the biggest scowl in the West Country.”
She’d expected Finn Cool to be aloof, and to try and get rid of her as quickly as possible. She hadn’t expected him to be warm and approachable. She’d smiled more since she’d walked into his house than she had in the past week. Month?
His phone rang but he ignored it. “Drink?”
“Oh—it’s far too early for me but thank you.”
“I was thinking tea or coffee.” He pulled two mugs from a cupboard. “Despite the scurrilous rumors you might hear in the village, I do try and spend at least part of the day sober.”
“I didn’t mean—” She backed away, embarrassed again. “I need to leave. This is too awkward.”
“You don’t need to leave. You need to relax. Come into the garden. It’s impossible to frown while listening to the sounds of the ocean and indulging in lemon meringue pie. Cappuccino? My machine makes the best cup you’ll ever drink.”
She accepted his offer and a few minutes later was sitting on a large terrace with the sun on her face and the sea breeze gently lifting the edges of her hair. Below them was the swimming pool, and beyond that the sea.
Palm trees shaded one side of the terrace and the dogs sped off across the lawn, rolling over each other as they played.
“It always amazes me that palm trees grow here in Cornwall. My mother has the same in the corner of her garden.”
“I know. She’s given me a lot of advice on this garden. Even a few cuttings.”
Her mother had given cuttings to a rock star.
It felt unreal. She, Liza Lewis, was sitting in what was probably the most expensive house in the west of England, with Finn Cool.