Beneath the Moon and the Stars (29 page)

‘Did you sleep with him hoping you could change his mind?’

‘No, I knew he didn’t want me in that way, but I just couldn’t stay away from him any longer.’

Alex was quiet for a moment, clearly sensing her discomfort and unwillingness to talk. ‘Would you like me to change the subject?’

‘Yes please.’

‘I have the results back from the CCTV footage.’

Her heart leapt and she suddenly sat up in her chair, ignoring Casey gaping like a goldfish.

‘And?’

‘There is absolutely nothing on there that can link you to Menton Hall. There are no reg plates, no redeemable features on the car and there is absolutely no way you can tell who is driving. It could be a yeti behind the wheel or a smurf and you wouldn’t be able to tell.’

‘Are you sure?’

‘Yes, I swear, I’d be prepared to stand up in a court of law and say the same thing, the tape is clean.’

‘Could it be enhanced further to give a different result?’

Casey suddenly realised what she was talking about and in a huge sign of solidarity he leaned across the table and took her hand, his face etched with concern.

‘No, my friend enhanced it as far as humanly, mechanically and electronically possible. There is nothing on there.’

She smiled with relief. ‘That’s brilliant news. CID won’t be happy that that particular lead was a dead end, but I’m over the moon about it.’

Casey broke into a huge grin and squeezed her hand in celebration.

‘But Joy, maybe you should invest in some tinted windows, just to avoid anything like this happening again.’

‘Not a bad idea.’

‘I better go; we’re blowing up London Bridge today.’

‘Something CID would be very interested to hear about I’m sure.’

‘Nah, this one’s only three foot high. Love you kid.’

She hung up, still smiling.

‘Ok, good news aside, which I am very, very happy about by the way, let’s cut to the most interesting piece of that conversation. You slept with Finn?’

She took her glasses off and rubbed her eyes. ‘Yes.’

Casey studied her face for a moment. ‘This doesn’t end up with a happy ever after does it?’

She shook her head.

‘Oh crap, am I going to have to go round there and rough him up for treating my friend so badly?’

She laughed, she couldn’t help it. ‘Oh my hero, would you?’

Casey let his head fall into his hands. ‘Oh crap, I’m going to die.’

‘But my honour would be restored.’

‘In that case I’m going to need another beer.’

*

Joy was just getting up to see Casey out when Finn came out into his garden. He stopped when he saw them.

‘Hi.’ Finn’s eyes burned into her.

‘Hi.’ So reserved, polite acknowledgements it was then. It was better than going back to the evil glares and bitchiness at the start of their friendship, better than him telling her to get lost.

‘Finn.’ Casey acknowledged his friend coolly and Joy smirked at his loyalty.

Finn glanced at Casey in confusion and then returned the greeting. ‘Casey.’

‘Do you still want me to beat him up?’ Casey asked, theatrically in a stage whisper.

Finding it hard to supress her grin, she shook her head.

‘Thank god for that. So I’ll see you on Friday for your birthday then.’ He leaned down and kissed her, hugging her briefly. ‘I’ll leave you two to… glare at each other. I’ll see myself out.’

With that he left, leaving her and Finn to, as he put it, glare at each other.

Finn moved closer to the fence. ‘I don’t want this to be awkward between us. I really am very sorry.’

‘Stop apologising. You didn’t force me, I wasn’t drunk. I went willingly and if given the choice I’d do it again. Yes I’m hurt that after the way you touched me, made love to me so lovingly last night, you still don’t want me for anything else but sex, but you made it very clear what you were offering and I didn’t expect anything else.’

He ran his hand round the back of his neck. ‘So we can be friends again?’

She nodded grudgingly.

He paused, clearly trying to find some safe ground. ‘So, I thought your birthday was tomorrow?’

‘It is but Alex is blowing up the Houses of Parliament tomorrow and Thursday, it’s a huge job and he can’t get out of it, so we’re going out Friday instead.’

It seemed obvious to extend the invite to him too but did she really want him there at her birthday celebrations, staring at her, making her stomach clench with desire? The tension would be unbearable. She had already invited Casey along to her favourite restaurant but he and Alex were friends now, so they would be fine. Alex would be decidedly frosty towards Finn for making her so miserable. It would probably be best if she didn’t invite him. So not friends at all then, if they couldn’t enjoy a simple meal out without that agonising friction bubbling between them.

‘Are we still ok for tomorrow, we had plans to go out?’ he asked.

He was so awkward. Men and women really couldn’t be friends, especially not after they’d slept together. Joy had forgotten that they were supposed to be going out for the day. At this moment she would much rather spend the day alone doing her ironing rather than deal with this atmosphere hanging over them.

‘Please. Besides it’s already booked and paid for.’

She nodded reluctantly. And the silence stretched between them.

‘Right, well, I’ve got things to do,’ he said, and casting her another guilty look, he walked towards his shed. Sighing inwardly she went back inside.

*

It was late afternoon when Finn knocked on Joy’s back door. She was surprised when she answered it to see him dressed in a black tuxedo. He looked stunning.

‘Hi, erm, could I borrow Darcy for ten minutes or so?’

What a weird question, especially dressed as he was.

‘What for?’

‘Lily wants Darcy and Billy to get married. After going to Casey’s wedding at the weekend, she’s become obsessed with weddings. All her toys have been married off and now she thinks Billy needs a good wife.’

This at least explained the tuxedo. ‘And you’ve dressed up for the occasion?’ There was something so endearing about this.

‘What can I say, the girl has me wrapped around her little finger. I did make the fateful mistake of promising she could do whatever she wanted when she came round today. I didn’t quite envisage this.’

‘Do you always give her what she wants?’

‘Pretty much, I’d be a lousy dad.’

Joy ignored the lump in the throat that wanted to contest this statement and whistled for Darcy. She came running over, wagging her tail furiously.

‘Thanks,’ Finn made to grab Darcy’s collar.

‘Oh no, I’m not missing out on this. Someone needs to make sure Billy’s intentions to Darcy are pure and whether he can financially support her. Shall I get changed?’

Finn looked her up and down. ‘You look beautiful Joy, you always do.’

Joy stood still for a moment as she watched Finn and Darcy go back into his house. It was such a genuine comment.

Lily shrieked with delight when she saw Darcy and after giving the big dog a hug, she ran straight into Joy’s arms.

‘Hello ragamuffin, so Darcy is getting married?’

‘Yes, Billy is lonely, he needs a good wife.’ Lily disentangled herself from Joy’s arms.

‘Perhaps he’s happy being miserable and alone,’ Joy said and saw Finn wince.

‘No, he can’t be, he’d be happier with Darcy to play with every day.’

‘You would think that wouldn’t you Lily, but sometimes it doesn’t work like that.’

As Darcy sat down next to Billy, he snuffled in her ear and she licked his nose. Joy smirked and Lily clapped her hands with obvious excitement.

Lily tied a piece of net curtain over Darcy’s head and attached a flower to her collar.

‘It’s probably a good thing that Billy’s going to make an honest woman out of Darcy,’ Finn whispered. ‘I meant to tell you – when I took Darcy out for a walk the other day, I got distracted for a moment and when I turned around Billy was…’

‘Bumping ugly bits?’ Joy said.

‘Yes. I presume she’s been done?’

‘No. When I got her a year ago, the vet said she hadn’t but was probably too old now to breed anyway. He said I should think about it but there were risks about putting a dog that was her age under anaesthetic. I decided against it. Has Billy?’

Finn shook his head. ‘He’s less than a year old. It was on my to-do list for this summer.’

‘Oh.’ She smiled slightly at the thought of Newfoundland puppies. They would grow quickly and eat a lot. But before she could get carried away with knitting patterns for woolly booties, the wedding was under way.

‘We are gathered here today…’ Lily started in a near-perfect imitation of the same speech Joy had heard many times in weddings up and down the country.

‘Still, I don’t see why Billy should have to marry Darcy because he had a quick… thing with her.’ Joy said sarcastically, so only Finn could hear as the ceremony continued. ‘Heaven forbid that that should be the social convention in this country. You bump ugly bits with someone you care about and then you have to marry them.’

‘I am not marrying you just because we… played hide the sausage,’ Finn hissed.

Joy nearly laughed at this but Lily suddenly shushed them.

‘This is the important bit. Does anyone here present have any reason why these two should not be married?’

‘Is Billy gay?’ Joy asked.

‘I don’t think so, he seems quite keen on Darcy.’

‘Again, not a good enough reason to marry it seems.’

‘So I now pronounce you man and wife, you may kiss the bride,’ Lily said.

Billy lay down and closed his eyes.

‘Oh look he’s bored of her already,’ said Joy.

Finn rolled his eyes, though she could see he was fighting a smirk.

‘Now you two can get married,’ Lily said, her eyes shining happily as she looked at Finn and Joy.

‘No,’ Finn said.

‘No.’ Joy folded her arms across her chest.

Lily’s bottom lip wobbled. ‘Why not? We’re just playing. You said we could play anything I wanted Uncle Finn.’

‘Fine, fine, we’ll get married.’

Joy felt her eyebrows shoot up. ‘We will?’

‘Just say “I do” and it will all be over in five minutes.’

‘So just like last night then?’

Finn gave her a dark look and quite rightly so, he had tremendous stamina.

Lily was already tying the net curtain round Joy’s head. ‘You should learn to say no to her, it will prepare her for when she’s let down by men in the future.’

‘You must hold hands,’ Lily declared.

Joy saw Finn’s jaw clench as he took her hand, sending a jolt of lust spiralling through her.

‘Do you take Joy to be your awfully wedded wife?’

Joy snorted

‘Yes. I do,’ said Finn.

‘Do you take Finn to be your awfully wedded husband?’

‘I do.’

‘I now pronounce you man and wife, you may now kiss the bride.’

Finn bent down and gave her a short, sharp kiss on the cheek. ‘Now how about we let Joy get back to her busy life, and me and you could take Billy for a walk before your dad picks you up?’

‘No you need to kiss her properly. On the mouth.’ Lily giggled. ‘With tongues.’

Joy felt her eyebrows shooting further into her hair.

‘No honey, that’s not appropriate. You shouldn’t really kiss someone like that unless you love them.’ Finn knelt down to Lily’s level.

‘Like that stopped you last night,’ Joy murmured.

The wobbling bottom lip was back. ‘But you do love Joy, I’ve seen the way you look at her, the same way Daddy looks at Mummy – like she is a big piece of chocolate.’

Finn brushed his hair off his face and tears smarted in Lily’s eyes. ‘You do love her, I know you do.’

‘Just kiss me Finn, for God’s sake.’

He stood back up. ‘You’re caving now as well?’

‘Yes, we’d both make terrible parents, just kiss me.’

Lily’s tears vanished. ‘Joy you have to stand on one leg, I’ve seen it in the movies and then you have to smush your faces together like this.’ She moved her hands against each other like she was squashing a bug in between them. ‘And Uncle Finn you have to hold her face.’

Finn took Joy’s face in his hands and she leaned into him, lifting one leg obligingly. He kissed her and as with the night before the chemistry between them was almost tangible. A desperate need crashed through her and as he trailed his hands to her waist and pulled her against him, she could taste the urgency in his kiss as well. The kiss lasted mere seconds before Finn snatched himself away, his eyes dark with lust.

‘Yay!’ Lily clapped enthusiastically.

Joy put a hand to her lips, which were tingling with his taste. Why did every kiss from him have to feel like the prelude to sex? Could the man not just kiss her normally without firing her up? Good lord, her hands were shaking. He stared at her for a moment and thankfully the unbelievable tension was broken when someone knocked on the front door.

‘Yay! Daddy’s here.’ Lily ran to answer the door and Finn tore his attention from Joy to go and greet his brother-in-law.

Joy tried to straighten her thoughts as Lily’s dad came in. He laughed when he saw the net curtain tied round Joy’s head. ‘She got to you two as well did she, she’s marrying everyone at the moment.’

Finn came to stand next to her and slung a casual arm round her shoulders. ‘Yep we’re now man and wife.’ Finn laughed, though his hand traced over her bare skin at her neck – sending shudders down her spine. ‘Darcy and Billy are married too.’

Lily’s dad laughed. ‘Well we better get off Loodles, we’ve got to pick your mum up and then we’re going to Pizza Hut tonight.’

‘Yay!’ Lily ran straight out to the car and her dad gave a little wave of thanks and followed her out.

The tension between Joy and Finn returned as soon as the door was closed. His hand at the top of her neck was now playing with the zip at the back of her dress. Through the frosted glass of the front door, Joy saw Lily’s car drive off up the road. She turned to Finn and he immediately kissed her again. There were no protests this time as she pushed Finn’s tuxedo jacket from his arms. He lifted her onto the nearby dining table as the kiss continued, frantically undoing his trousers. He slid her backwards and climbed up onto the table too. There was no time for any more clothes to be removed and Joy didn’t care. Without taking his mouth off hers, he pinned her with his delicious weight and was inside her a second later.