Well, I did ask.
‘I assumed this was your house,’ I admitted, regretting my assumptions for the second time in one day. ‘Can’t you and your dad tell him you don’t want to sell the house?’
‘Hector has convinced my dad selling it is the best thing to do, so it’s me versus them,’ he replied. He clasped his hands together and I saw the muscles in his forearms tense up. ‘Mi abuelo built this place when he moved here from Mexico; all he ever wanted was for it to stay in the family. I talked to a few brokers about renting it out but property taxes in California are crazy and an old place like this, it’s a money pit. I’msupposed to fix the place up, tidy the garden and make sure we get the best price, but I’ve been doing some restoration work while I can. Bringing the house back to life before someone knocks her down.’
‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to bring up bad stuff. I know families are complicated,’ I peered down at the quaint little cottage below. Did it know how much trouble it was causing?
‘No, I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have dumped that on you.’ Ren shook his head, restoring his easy smile as he shifted his weight from one foot to the other. ‘Now you see why I like birds so much. There’s no drama with birds. Actually, there is a little but it doesn’t usually involve shitting all over your grandfather’s final wishes so your brother can make a quick buck.’
‘You don’t know that,’ I said, nodding at a couple of birds as they swooped down in front of us. ‘What about those parrots we saw? They could be fully embroiled in someSuccession-style drama about who’s going to take over the family seed business and you’d never know.’
‘You’re right, I have been blind to their rich inner lives,’ Ren chuckled and a tiny jolt of happiness ran through me when he gave me a grin. ‘That goldfinch over there is clearly a Kendall.’
‘And whatever that thing is, it’s got Roman written all over it,’ I pointed at a twitchy, bright-eyed bird with light grey feathers and dark grey wings as it bounced from foot to foot at the end of the terrace. ‘Cheek of the devil, that one.’
‘With nothing but love, I can confidently say mockingbirds suck,’ he confirmed, and the grey bird gave animpertinent trill and flew away in protest. ‘You said you saw our girl earlier? The red-tail?’
‘Let’s be honest, it could have been Big Bird for all I know,’ I admitted. ‘Have you had any sightings?’
‘Not since Monday but I’ve been busy with the house.’
He looked off into the trees and I remembered that was why he was here, to look for the hawk’s nest, not to hang out with me. And I was supposed to be talking up Bel, not mooning over the way his pupils had dilated, turning his emerald eyes into something deeper and darker and even more inviting.
‘I’ve got a question,’ I piped up, my squeaky voice cutting through the atmosphere like a rusty bread knife. ‘How do you feel about love letters?’
Ren looked back at me, deep, dark, inviting eyes clouded over with more than a little confusion. ‘Sorry, what?’
‘It’s my friend, Bel, she really likes you and she’s written you a love letter.’ I was talking too loud and too fast but I couldn’t stop myself. ‘Which I think is very old school and romantic and not at all weird and much nicer than sending someone a DM.’
‘I never check my DMs anyway,’ Ren replied and I took an internal victory lap. ‘But wow, a love letter.’ He cupped the back of his neck, squinting as he processed the information. ‘No one ever wrote me a love letter before. That’s kind of … romantic?’
‘So romantic,’ I agreed. ‘And Bel is amazing, one of the most incredible women I’ve ever met. You should definitely ask her out.’
‘I should?’
‘Yes,’ I nodded. ‘Shall we call her right now?’
‘Shouldn’t I meet her first?’
‘You’ve already met her. She was at brunch with me yesterday. Dark hair, brown eyes, stunningly beautiful.’
He shook his head. ‘I don’t really remember who you were with …’
‘She said “snigh” and then hid behind her hair.’
‘Oh.’ Ren’s eyes widened with realization. ‘Ohhhh.’
‘She was nervous,’ I added quickly. ‘Completely swept away by you, love at first sight, totally smitten, so she wrote you a letter but she was worried it might come off as a bit intense, which I said was ridiculous because who wouldn’t like to get a love letter so I said I would ask you but, short version, Bel really likes you.’ I forced the corners of my mouth into what I hoped was a convincing smile. ‘And I think you’d like her too.’
‘That is a lot of information,’ he said, backing away from me and moving over towards my sister’s firepit because of course she had a firepit. ‘She really said it was love at first sight?’
‘She said a lot of things, I could be mixed up,’ I replied, following slowly without making any sudden moves. Was that too much? Had I gone too far? I didn’t want to scare him away. ‘The main takeaway is that she really likes you and she’s written you this love letter and you should take her on a date.’
He clasped his hands together, resting his elbows on his knees, manspreading on the sofa in honour of his ancestors. Even the good ones regressed in times of stress.
‘Have you read it?’ he asked.
‘Have I read what?’
