He looked serious for a second. ‘Why on earth would I do that? I was really pleased you’d invited me out.’
I ducked my head, embarrassed by his compliment. ‘Shall we sit down? Tara reserved a table for us – it’s the one in the corner.’
Finn held out his hand and I took it. It felt completely natural to entwine my fingers in his.
‘Lead the way,’ he said.
*
Admittedly, I’d not been on loads of first dates, but the ones I had been on – even with men who I went on to have proper relationships with, like my last boyfriend, Si, – had been awkward and clunky. I’d talked too much, or not enough, worried about what to order, laughed too loudly or in the wrong places, and gone home and agonised over every word and every look.
But with Finn things were different.
Maybe it was because we’d already spent time together, or because we had Elsie and her mystery man to talk about, but there were no uncomfortable silences, no jokes that I didn’t get or silly comments for him to roll his eyes at. We just had a really good time.
‘I’ve found a list of the casualties from the bomb at Biggin Hill,’ Finn told me over our first round of drinks. ‘Lots of women.’
‘Women pilots?’
He shook his head. ‘No, there were female pilots during the war, but not at Biggin Hill. These were from the Women’s Auxiliary Air Force. They’d have been providing support to the base.’
‘So perhaps Elsie’s secret lover was a woman?’
He shook his head. ‘The women and the most seriously injuredmen all went to a different hospital – closer to Biggin Hill. They must have had space for them. It was only the men who came to South London District Hospital. They were supposed to be the less injured chaps, but I believe some of them did die.’
‘That’s so sad, but I guess it’ll help us narrow it down even further.’
‘Indeed.’
‘As long as our bloke isn’t one of the ones who passed away.’
‘I don’t think so, because you said he talks about going back to the base.’ He smiled at me. ‘I might have missed that page in the book altogether if it hadn’t been for you. I was concentrating more on the messages from others, and what they told us about the Blitz in South London, but you went straight to Elsie.’
‘It sounds weird but I feel sort of connected to her,’ I said. ‘Like with her brother, and not having parents. I mean, obviously my brother and my parents aren’t dead, but they are …’ I thought about the right word. ‘Absent. And I like the idea of saying the things you want to say before it’s too late.’
A picture of Micah telling me to write to Max popped into my head and I pushed it away.
Finn was looking at me.
‘What?’ I said.
‘This project – the mural and the new book – they’re important, you know? It’s a good thing that you’re doing.’
‘Well, it’s not like I’m saving lives. But I think it’ll be nice for the residents.’
He nodded. ‘I’m sorry you had such a lot of bother with your family,’ he said, reaching across the table to take my hand again.
I dropped my gaze from his, enjoying the feeling of his skin against mine. ‘Thank you.’ I grinned at him. ‘Tell me about your family. Are they normal?’
*
Finn did not live close enough to The Vine, or to me, to walk me home. But he did it anyway and I was glad. We strolled through the mild evening, chatting about everything and nothing.
When we reached the black gates that led to Bernie’s driveway I stopped. ‘This is me,’ I said.
Finn’s jaw dropped. ‘You live here?’ He gazed through the fence at the large house at the end of the drive.
‘Yes and no.’ I reached up and turned his head to the side so he was looking at the garage. ‘I live up there.’
