Beneath the Moon and the Stars (21 page)

She sat up in confusion, realising she was in his lounge. Her head was pounding and her stomach rolled. She quickly realised she was only wearing Finn’s shirt, that she was naked underneath. She pulled the shirt down to her knees in embarrassment.

His bare chest was covered in a thin sheen of pink glitter, though around his nipple, the pink glitter was concentrated in what was clearly the shape of a mouth. Suddenly memories of the night before flooded through her. Memories of stripping naked in her garden, of Zach’s offer of sex, and with horror she recalled licking Finn’s nipple.

She let her head fall into her hands. ‘Oh god, oh no.’ She couldn’t look at him. ‘I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.’

‘Don’t be.’

She peered at him through her fingers. He didn’t look angry. He stood up and knelt in front of her, offering her a glass of water. ‘Are you feeling ok?’

She took the glass and stared at him. ‘Why are you being so nice?’

‘I can be nice.’

She rubbed her hand across her face. ‘Oh god it’s like Jekyll and Hyde. One second you’re been all sweet and lovely and wonderful, and the next you’re yelling at me over something stupid. Two days ago you shouted at me because I’d managed to get Lily covered in mud when I was looking after her, yesterday you apologised, brought me flowers, practically asked me on a date–’

‘It wasn’t a date.’

Joy ignored the interruption. ‘… and kissed me. You kissed me. Jesus, that kiss was like nothing else. You can’t tell me that you didn’t feel anything from that kiss. Then you ignored me for the rest of the day. You couldn’t even smile at me when I saw you last night. Now, you’re being all sweet and looking after me. I molested you. Oh god, I’m no better than Craig Peters, forcing myself on you when I was…’ She tried to recall what had happened, had she been drunk?

‘Hallucinating,’ Finn supplied helpfully. ‘Probably from a dodgy mushroom quiche.’

There had been the quiche that someone had left on her doorstep, she had presumed it was a peace offering from someone in the village. She had eaten the quiche, made some more maquettes for her next few strikes, eaten some more quiche and then… the ants. They had been all over her, in her hair, her clothes, even under her skin. She shuddered as she thought about it, but now her mind was a bit clearer she knew she had been hallucinating. Finn had said as much the night before, that she was off her face on something.

‘The big difference between you and Craig Peters is that you molested someone that actually wanted to be molested.’

Joy felt her eyebrows shoot up into her hair.

‘I really fucking like you, shit – it’s driving me insane how much I want you. I’ve been trying to deny it and punishing you for my feelings. It’s not fair on you and I’m sorry. That kiss, you… licking my nipple, it’s just making it so much worse. But it’s not just lust or sex. I want to take care of you, not because I think you need taking care of, because you clearly don’t, but because I want to look after you and protect you.’

Joy put her hand on his face, stroking the stubble on his cheeks.

‘But this is exactly how I fell for Pippa and I can see it’s happening all over again.’

She let her hand fall from his cheek. ‘I’m not Pippa.’

He shook his head. ‘I can’t do a relationship. I just can’t. And I don’t just want sex either because I’d get hurt or I’d end up hurting you and I really don’t want to do that. I promise, no more angry looks or stupid mood swings. But I’m hoping we can be friends. And as your friend I’d like to take care of you. So are you hungry?’

She nodded, unable to find any words.

‘Eggs on toast? Eggs are supposed to be good for settling the stomach.’

She nodded again and Finn stood and quickly made for the kitchen.

*

‘I need to have a shower and walk Darcy,’ Joy said, sleepily, trying not to stare at the strange nice version of Finn that had manifested itself overnight. Over breakfast there had been secret smiles and little looks and it was confusing as hell for her. At least she knew where she stood when he was angry and grumpy.

‘I can walk her. I have to walk Billy anyway so it’s no hassle.’

She peered at him through heavy eyes. Why did he have to be so nice? Every time he was kind she felt herself falling for him a little bit more and it hurt even more the next time he was angry with her. She just didn’t have the energy to argue against his offer of help.

She stood up and Finn offered her his hand and she took it, glad of the support, her legs were wobbly and she had the worst hangover of her life.

Finn led her out into his garden and then through the gate to hers. Zach was in his own garden and he glanced over as they came out of Finn’s house, hand in hand.

‘Oh I see,’ Zach said, letting himself through the connecting gate. ‘So you had a problem with me sleeping with her but it was ok for you to fool around with her?’

‘Nothing happened,’ Finn said.

‘So what’s with all the glitter all over your chest then?’

Finn tried to wipe it off but it stayed resolute. ‘It’s not what it looks like.’

Joy’s head was pounding and she had no time for Zach today. ‘Before you start getting all judgemental, you should look at your own morals. Last night I was high on magic mushrooms or something. I was clearly having hallucinations yet you were more than willing to take advantage of my vulnerability and sleep with me. I have no time for men like that.’

Zach looked mortified.

Joy made to walk into her house but Zach stopped her with his hand on her arm. Finn moved closer, glaring down at Zach, and he quickly released her.

‘Joy, I’m not… I didn’t… I’m attracted to you. Look I’m sorry if you thought I was a bit of a creep. You know how I feel about you. It was hard to ignore those feelings when you were naked and so horny.’

She brushed past him, pulled Finn in after her and closed the door on Zach’s horrified and guilty face.

‘I’m going for a shower.’

‘Do you need some help?’

‘Ha!’ She gestured to their hands that were still linked. ‘We’ve already crossed over the boundaries of friendship in so many different ways. Showering together is going to destroy any last hold of the friendship that you’re clinging to so tightly. I really like you, you know that, but if you honestly think that we can shower together with all these sparks flying between us and nothing happen, then sure by all means, you can come and wash my back.’

She walked upstairs, not even sure anymore whether she actually wanted him to follow her or not.

*

Finn watched her go upstairs, her red hair looking like fire against his white shirt. It took every ounce of strength he had not to follow her.

He turned away before he got a glimpse of her bum under his shirt as she reached the top of the stairs.

Friends. How long was that going to last exactly? He put some fresh food and water down for Darcy, let her out into the garden and went back to his own house to get changed.

When he came back into Joy’s house a few minutes later with Billy, he could hear the sound of the shower upstairs and he closed his eyes and counted to ten.

Who was he kidding? He stood more chance of sprouting wings and learning how to fly than of succeeding in being just friends with Joy.

He opened his eyes and spotted the quiche on the kitchen unit. He broke it apart with his hands, keen to see the mushrooms himself to put his mind at ease. He wasn’t an expert on mushrooms but his dad was a gardener, just like him, and had taught Finn what different mushrooms looked like. He knew that some mushrooms had different effects; some caused hallucinations, some caused sickness and stomach pains and some caused organ failure and death. Death in many cases was prolonged, sometimes two or three weeks after eating them. Thankfully, these weren’t deadly ones but they were highly hallucinogenic and nothing like any variation of edible mushroom. Someone had deliberately used these to poison her.

The reaction to him sharing Joy’s lease with the villagers the day before had been met with various degrees of disbelief. As much as they all adored him, they wanted to believe that Joy was a monster even more. This was going to have to stop. He gave Casey a quick call and he agreed to come round in an hour.

He put Darcy on her lead and was about to go and that’s when he saw them. Sitting on the breakfast bar were three intricate plasticine animals, a stag, a scorpion and a bear. They were fantastic, so detailed, so lifelike… and so going to get Joy into trouble if Casey saw them. He looked around for somewhere to stash them. He opened a drawer, threw them in, grabbed Darcy and Billy and left.

Chapter Twelve

Finn sat down on the hilltop, Billy was sniffing around behind him, but he had Darcy still on the lead next to him. She wasn’t his dog and had no idea whether she would come back when he called.

God that woman. He couldn’t stay away from her, couldn’t stop thinking about her. It was lust, pure and simple. If he slept with her, things would be better between them, the air would be clearer. At the moment there was so much sexual tension flying around that it was impossible to ignore. He had tried to push her away, but she had clawed her way into his life and his heart whether he liked it or not.

And now it seemed she could be the diamond thief. He didn’t want to believe that of her but the evidence was mounting up.

Suddenly aware that Darcy was no longer sitting at his side, he whirled round to find her. There was Billy, getting the quick, hard shag he so desperately needed. His tongue was hanging out of his mouth with a demented grin on his face. Darcy, though quite willing to stand there and let Billy have his wicked way with her, seemed quite bored by the whole affair. Women, they were all the same, they bored easily and were soon onto the next willing man. Pippa had been bored very easily, and Joy would be the same. She would move on soon, once she tired of this village, this home – and he would never see her again. He wasn’t going to allow himself to get hurt again.

He stood up and clapped his hands at the two dogs, but Billy was already finished. Dismounting the huge dog, Billy looked at her hopefully as if waiting for some compliment on his prowess. Darcy didn’t even give him a backward glance as she ambled over to a pile of poo and sniffed at it half-heartedly. He grabbed her lead and headed towards home. Billy had a skip in his step as he trotted along, and grinned up at Finn as if to say, ‘See, that’s how you do it, a quick, harmless shag and everyone is happy.’

*

When Joy came downstairs later, Finn and Casey were waiting for her. She smiled at her friend, though she wasn’t sure what look to give Finn. They certainly couldn’t be friends, that much was clear and she didn’t really know where that left them.

It took a second to realise that Casey was very serious.

‘Finn told me about the magic mushrooms.’

Joy’s face fell. ‘I don’t take drugs if that’s what you’re thinking. Jeez, Joy lives in a nice house, drives a nice car, she must be a drug dealer. Well thanks very much, both of you.’

‘Calm down little fire cracker,’ Casey laughed. ‘Come and sit down. I’m under no illusions that you’re making meth in your cellar and selling cocaine to the kids at the school. Finn said someone made you the quiche with hallucinogenic mushrooms in it. This is very serious.’

Joy sighed. ‘I can’t believe someone would try to kill me over this Mrs Kemblewick fiasco. Maybe it was a gift from someone really naïve about mushrooms.’

‘Did the quiche come with a card?’ Casey said.

Joy shook her head.

‘You seem very blasé about all this, someone tried to poison you,’ Finn said.

‘I’m not blasé. I want this to stop, I do. But we don’t know who’s doing it. I’m not sure if it’s one person or every idiot in the village. I’ve tried to tell them who I am, you’ve tried, how did that work out for you?’

‘Not good.’

‘Exactly. What am I going to do, sue the whole village for harassment? I’d like to see that stand up in a court of law.’

‘You can’t let them win,’ Finn said.

‘If I’d let them win, I would have moved out by now.’

‘I’m going to take the quiche tray in for fingerprinting, see if we can start from there,’ Casey said. ‘I’m also going to arrange for CCTV to be installed round the front and back of the house, see if we can catch these little bastards. In the meantime, I’d like you to keep a diary of all the events and as gross as it sounds, the next time that dog crap gets shoved through the door, I want you to keep some of it.’

‘Are you kidding me?’

‘That dog crap is coming from somewhere. That can be analysed too. If we can link it to a specific dog, then we can link it to the owner. We’re going to stop this.’

Joy nodded wearily.

Casey stood up to go. ‘Come on Firecracker, show these bastards some of that fire.’

She smiled and he kissed her on the head and left, leaving her on her own with Finn. Immediately the atmosphere crackled with sparks and tension.

She stood, not really knowing what to do with herself, Finn stood too.

‘Thank you for taking Darcy for a walk.’

‘My pleasure.’

Wow this was all very polite, she could go and shake his hand in a minute.

‘You look better.’

‘I feel better.’

Silence. Man this was awkward. She felt at a loss for something to say. She wanted to kiss him. She wanted him to grab her and kiss her like he’d done in the garden the other day. Surely he wanted that too. She had to say something now. The silence was dragging on too long.

‘So I guess your carer duties are officially over.’

Finn reached out with one finger and briefly stroked the back of her hand. His touch sent a jolt of electricity zinging through her. ‘Pity. I was kind of enjoying it.’ He stepped back, a smile playing on his lips. ‘Well you know where I am if you need me. Big spider in the bath or scary movie you don’t want to watch alone, I’m your man.’

‘I’ll remember that.’

He smiled and ducked out the back door.

Joy had to stop herself doing a little giddy dance. She was sure she could find something he could help her with. Then the phone rang and as she answered it the smile fell off her face.