I shrug. “I know how it feels when you offer your opinion.”
“Okay, the Suttworth thing is different,” he says, shifting in his seat. “That was business. This was personal.”
“Even worse.”
“I know,” he admits, grimacing. “You ever fight with your brother? The one in New York?”
“Yes, of course. Not so much anymore, but every now and then we’ll have a scrap over something stupid.”
“And how does he get you to talk to him again? Or vice versa?”
“It depends.” I raise my eyebrows at him. “Did you say anything you need to apologize for?”
“A couple of things.”
“Maybe start with that. Tell her you’re sorry and why. It’s a good icebreaker.”
He rests his head back against the seat. “The classic apology, then.”
“It’s always a winner when you mean it.” I pause, and then, because he looks a bit beaten, I reluctantly offer, “You want some cookie?”
“No, but thank you.”
I shrug, reaching down into the M&S bag to pull out one of my drinks, placing it on my tray. He takes one look at it and snorts.
“What?” I ask defensively, opening the can.
“A pornstar martini. In a can.”
“There you go again, all pretentious and judgy. I’m definitely on your sister’s side for whatever it is you’ve fallen out over.”
“Oh come on, you have to expect some backlash when you buy a canned cocktail,” he argues, gesturing to my drink as I take a glug. “You could have at least gone for a good one like a classic gin and tonic.”
“Classic? More like boring. Don’t you ever want to mix things up and go for something interesting? You need to learn to live a little, Jamie.”
“Ha!Says the woman who works for only the best-known brands and arrives early for everything.”
“I like being organized and on time. It shows respect.”
“I agree. I think it’s impressive.” He takes a sip of his drink. “But you telling me to ‘live a little’ seems mildly hypocritical, don’t you think?”
“Oh, so you think because you have a tattoo and a beard, you’re more exciting than me? Is that it?”
He frowns in confusion. “How do you know about my tattoo?”
“I saw it in the car,” I explain, suddenly feeling embarrassed, as though I’ve invaded his privacy. “I didn’t see much of it. Just the top bit.”
“Hey, you two!” Niamh trills, appearing at our row and leaning on the seat in front of us. “Are you enjoying the journey?”
“Oh yes,” Jamie answers, draining the last of his beer. I can’t work out if he’s being sarcastic or not on that one. “Are you having fun?”
“I’m already feeling tipsy,” she admits, before gasping and giving me a sympathetic look. “Freya, I am so, so sorry about the whole Matthew thing at the station. Are you okay?”
As she says it, I realize that I had already forgotten about that awkward moment earlier. It’s quite a nice realization, to be honest, although not so fun that it’s come up again now.
“It was nothing!” I insist, plastering on a smile and holding up my pornstar martini. “Forget about it. I’m having a great time!”
“Phew!” She breathes a sigh of relief. “Freddie was meant to… well, anyway, I’m glad you’re okay.”
