Spirited

Chapter 28

“Hi Lisa. Will be in London for a few days next week and was wondering if we could meet for dinner? Col xx”

My heart should have been skipping beats like a defective iPod, but for some reason I was strangely unmoved. Perhaps seeing him again would reignite something, after all, nothing had really changed since last time I’d seen him and I’d felt strongly enough about him then (ie. fancied him enough that I’d put clean sheets on the bed the day we’d gone out for brunch), only to fall foul of The Destroyer of Dreams in the pink anorak. So I texted back and said Yes, that would be lovely and that he should call me. We chatted for a good half hour and then agreed to dinner on the Friday night.

Of course, as soon as Lorcan knew, he teased me mercilessly.

‘Why have the nice guy when you can have the bad boy?’

‘You don’t think you’ve just answered your own question? Anyway, it’s only dinner.’

‘Well, he’d better not bring you back to mine. I don’t want any shenanigans in my spare room, thank you very much!’

‘Lorcan, we’re only going out for dinner.’

‘Yeah right. Lisa and Col . . . sitting in a tree . . . K-I-S-S-I-N-G.’

‘You are so childish.’

‘He’s my brother. I need to protect him.’

‘From what?’

‘Women like you who want to have their wicked way with him.’

‘Lorcan!’

He laughed and pretended to wind me in on the end of a fishing line. ‘So easy,’ he said. ‘So, so easy . . . Have a good time, just make sure he’s home in time for breakfast. Well, OK, lunch.’

A teeny bit of me, for the very worst reason in the world, had wanted him to be the tiniest bit jealous, even though that would go completely against my principles of finding jealousy a very unattractive trait in a man. And even thinking that made me irrationally annoyed with myself. However, we had the filming at The White Hart Hotel to get through before that and I honestly wasn’t sure I could.

‘I’ll never forget the fact that we met in this sauna.’

‘Funnily enough, Lorcan, neither will I.’

‘Are you really going to be OK about this?’

‘Finlay said I didn’t have to film in the room at night so I’ll be fine.’

‘Shame they could find us both a room.’

‘Don’t forget you’re still on spider watch.’

‘And you’re on massage alert. Although I do think you get the better deal out of that.’

‘Don’t flatter yourself. Erm, have you seen anything of Faith recently? She’s not said and I’ve been so busy I’ve barely spoken to her.’

He looked cagey. ‘No, not really.’

‘Oh, shame.’

‘She’s asked me to a few events and I’ve gone if I can. But nothing serious.’

He said no more and I didn’t pursue it. ‘So have you thought any more about Abigail’s request?’

‘Loads.’

‘And have you made a decision?’

‘Well, I’ve narrowed it down to two.’

‘No then. So what’s the problem? Scared to replicate your genes?’