‘I’m glad you came back,’ I say thickly, and I feel his grip on my hand tighten a fraction. ‘How long will you stay?’ I turn my head to look at his face.
‘Ten days.’ He’s still staring at our entwined hands.
‘Oh.’That’s no time at all.
‘How’s Michael?’ he asks. ‘He seemed back to his usual self yesterday.’
‘He is.’
It pains me to remember how distant I felt from Finn when I was suffering through the trauma of Michael’s hospital stay.I thought I might lose my brother at one point, and I’d realised that a world without him in it would be intolerable.
‘He’s the most resilient person I know.’
Finn’s expression has grown serious. ‘I’m sorry I couldn’t be there for you.’
I nod, needing a moment to swallow the lump in my throat.
‘What are your plans for today?’ I ask after a while, changing the subject.
‘I don’t have any. You?’
‘I’ve got to go back to Seaglass this morning and clean up.’
‘Will you open today? After last night?’
‘I don’t know.’
We woke to a text from Amy saying that Chas is stable, but I have no idea when or if he’ll be able to return to work. What if he can’t? The future of Seaglass suddenly feels uncertain, as does the future of everyone who works there.
‘Could you cover for Chas, do you think?’ he asks me.
‘As manager?’ I reply.
He nods.
‘Yeah, I think so. I mean, I’ve worked there long enough. I know the ropes now.’
I decide to text Dan and ask what he thinks. He happens to be with Chas at the hospital when he replies only a minute or so later.
‘The Unc says please open for brunch but feel free to close early. Been a rough night!’
‘How is he?’ I reply, glad to hear that he’s awake and capable of discussing work. That’s a good sign, surely?
‘Already talking about getting onto a surfboard.’
I smile with relief, although I know we’re not out of the woods yet, and then I set about texting the rest of our staff.
‘No Sunday lunch with Michael today then?’ Finn asks me once I’ve discarded my phone and returned to his arms.
‘We don’t do it every weekend any more.’
‘No?’ He seems surprised by this.
‘We catch up often enough during the week that it doesn’t really feel like it has to be a thing. I probably do a roast for us maybe once a month.’
‘That’s nice.’
‘It is. It works well. And it means he can do more Sunday shifts at Chapel Porth. He likes those. It’s the day he’s most likely to see classic cars come in.’
