‘Out of all the cafés…’ he began.
Pippa hadn’t seen him since university but he looked exactly the same. His hair still had that deliberately unbothered wave that looked effortless, but you just knew had been tousled meticulously and whipped into shape by every possible expensive haircare product. She blinked. Was this really a horology convention, or was it some sort of secret Cambridge reunion with clocks as an alibi? Because so far, she’d seen more familiar faces than actual functioning timepieces.
‘Sebastian?’ she gasped. ‘What are you doing here?’ she blurted, still not sure this wasn’t a hallucination brought on by rain-induced delirium.
‘Couldn’t miss history in the making, could I? Someone has to be here to make sure Blake doesn’t turn it into a Shakespearean tragedy.’
‘Of course. You’re here for the interview.’
Sebastian Worthington-Frost, seller of timepieces to museums and private collectors, had once argued with Theo so fiercely during a seminar that the rest of the class stopped taking notes and started placing bets. There was clearly still no love lost between them.
As well as being the one to tell Pippa what Theo had been saying about her back in those early days at university, Sebastian had been quick to make it clear that she did deserve her place at Cambridge. She’d respected him for telling her what Theo hadn’t had the decency to say to her face, and given they shared the same enemy, they’d struck up a friendship of sorts in that first term. While Sebastian needled Theo at every opportunity, she had pretended she didn’t care what Theo thought at all. But now, with years and distance between them, she could finally admit, at least to herself, that she had cared, and much more than a little.
It was only later that she’d recognised the pattern to how Sebastian worked. Once the charm wore thin, the mean-spiritedness underneath it had been revealed, and she’d been turned off by Sebastian’s tendency to enjoy other people’s discomfort a little too much. Looking back, she could have kicked herself for the one-night stand she’d had with him at the very start of university. It had been a moment of poor judgement, and she’d regretted it instantly.
Now here he was on Puffin Island. Pippa wasn’t sure how Theo would react to seeing Sebastian. Having her crash his weekend was probably bad enough, but Sebastian, too? That made it look and feel less like a coincidence that could be laughed off.
Pippa reached for her cutlery as Clemmie appeared with a plate of food. ‘This looks divine. Thank you.’
‘You are very welcome. How was your first night?’
‘Very interesting,’ Pippa replied, thinking of Theo and choosing her words carefully. She stole a glance at Sebastian, and, on the spot, decided to keep the detail about sharing a cottage with Theo to herself.
She’d learned to keep Sebastian close enough to watch, but far enough away not to get pulled in again. She’d forged a kind of truce with Theo for this weekend, and she wasn’t going to be the one to break it.
Time had moved on, and all she wanted was peace and to be able to enjoy the talks and events of the conference. She certainly wasn’t planning on inviting unnecessary drama into it. Thinking back, all the university feuding had been absurd, just petty academic spats, and she wished she’d had a conversation with Theo about what he’d said. But hindsight and maturity wouldn’t do her much good now. Neutral, safe answers were the order of the day, especially with the Horace Vale interview looming.
‘On the whole, I got a good night’s sleep,’ she added, keeping her tone light.
‘That’s good to hear,’ Clemmie said with a smile, returning to the counter to serve other customers. ‘The rain was torrential, kept me awake most of the night,’ she called over.
Sebastian’s sharp gaze lingered on Pippa for a moment, though he said nothing, and she concentrated on the plate in front of her, taking a slow, deliberate bite. She wasn’t about to let him see anything, or hear anything, that might stir old tensions.
‘Where are you staying?’ asked Sebastian.
Pippa took a bite of the toast, and gestured towards her mouth while she chewed, giving herself a little time to decide how to play things.
Sebastian, oblivious to her inward unravelling, prodded her. ‘So come on, where are you staying?’ he asked again.
‘I arrived late last night. It’s a cottage, but I can’t remember what it’s called.’ Her heart was thudding in her chest at the lie.
‘I managed to get a room at the B&B. Booked months ago.’ Sebastian leaned in, resting his elbows on the table as if they were back in the university library plotting how to outscore Theo in their next seminar. ‘Have you bumped into Theo yet?’
‘Not yet.’ Another huge lie.
‘Remember those debates? You and me against Blake. He’d get so red in the face, veins practically popping out of his neck. Honestly, some of my favourite days were the ones where we were winding him up. He deserved everything he got. Still does.’
‘What do you mean?’
Sebastian smirked. ‘Time reveals all.’
Pippa studied Sebastian for a moment as she carried on eating. It sounded like actual venom in his voice; not playful teasing, not harmless university nostalgia. It felt like something more, but she couldn’t quite put her finger on it. She forced a polite smile, but her thoughts were elsewhere.Some of your favourite days? Really, Sebastian? You enjoyed wasting your time plotting petty revenge? And you still find that fun?She shook her head slightly.
‘Maybe we should do the same again this weekend. It’ll be just like old times.’
As much as she’d been thankful to Sebastian for sticking up for her at university, she was glad they’d drifted apart and that she’d moved on with life, because grown-up Pippa had no interest in getting dragged into his nostalgia-fuelled vendetta.
She opened her mouth, still thinking of a reply, but Clemmie appeared, cheerfully lifting her empty plate and providing the perfect excuse to stay silent. ‘All done here?’
