Page 7 of Match Point

I realise he’s looking at me expectantly.

‘Oh. Sure. Of course. I won’t say anything to anyone.’

His frown deepens. I can tell he doesn’t believe me.

‘Promise,’ I add quickly, though I appreciate that doesn’t mean much to him. He doesn’t know me. ‘Anyway, I hope you’ll like it here. I wasn’t expecting a player to rent it. It’s quite small, but it’s a great location. Near to Wimbledon Village, so a good atmosphere. Although I guess you’ll be too busy to really appreciate that. Busy playing in the actual tournament…’

My nervous prattling trails off. He’s sitting with his hands clasped together on his knees, staring straight ahead at the wall, his brow furrowed. Everything about his body language is screaming that he’s uncomfortable with my presence. He’s making me feel unwelcome in my own home.

‘Uh… if you have any questions, though,’ I continue, ‘or need anything—’

‘I’ll talk to the agency,’ he cuts in brusquely.

I’m taken aback by his interruption. ‘Right. Okay.’

‘I’ve got everything I need, so you’re free to go.’

Funny how words can say one thing, but everything else about the way you say them can make them mean something else. His words may make out that I’m ‘free to go’, but there’s nothing about his tone or demeanour that’s giving me a choice in the matter. He’s not even bothering to look at me. His body is angled carefully so he’s almost got his back to me. His voice is sharp and stern, like a pissed-off teacher dismissing an enthusiastic, pestering student.

This guy is telling me to fuck off.

And you know what? He may be a tennis star, but this is my house. According to our terms, he isn’t due to arrive here until this evening, yet he’s strolled in here without any kind of meaningful apology, kicked off his shoes without putting them on the shoe stand, ignored the coasters, and is now making out as though I’m the one at fault. That’s not fair and I’m not going to let him make me feel this small. I’ve been nothing but polite to him.

‘The flat isn’t available until five o’clock,’ I state, putting my hands on my hips and lifting my chest. Yeah, that’s right, Kieran. I’m power-posing at you. ‘So, while I finish packing and sorting the flat out, you are free to go.’

His eyes flash with irritation as he finally makes the effort to look up at me. His jaw tightens and the lines on his forehead deepen as he stares me down. I refuse to be intimidated, holding his eye contact. Neither of us say anything. The silence is deafening.

My phone starts vibrating with a call in my pocket, and I reluctantly tear my eyes from his to check who it is. It’s the number of the holiday let company through which I’ve booked my Lake District cottage.

‘I have to take this,’ I tell him curtly, spinning around and marching out the room towards the kitchen to take the call.

‘Hello, Flora speaking,’ I say, the irritation that’s built from Kieran’s rude behaviour fizzling away at the thought of the quaint cottage awaiting me in the Lakes.

‘Miss Hendrix, hi, it’s Hailey from Simply Cottages. You’ve booked through us for your stay this month in Keswick?’

‘Yes, hi! Are you calling about where I’ll be able to find the keys when I arrive tonight? I think it said in the email that someone would—’

‘I’m so sorry, but I’m afraid we have a problem with the cottage you’ve rented,’ Hailey interrupts, her voice strained. ‘You will no longer be able to stay there.’

My heart drops. ‘But… I’m meant to be arriving tonight for four weeks!’

‘I know, I’m so sorry. It’s completely out of our control.’

‘What exactly is the problem? Because I don’t need anything fancy and I’m sure whatever it is could be fixed. Or if there’s just a leak or something then maybe I could still—’

‘The roof has completely caved in.’

I pause. ‘What?’

‘It’s a nightmare,’ she whines, exasperated. ‘It’s booked out for the entire summer. I’m so sorry about this. You’ll receive a full refund of course and I’ll send over all the details regarding that in an email—’

‘Whoa, whoa, hang on.’ I take a deep breath. ‘Hailey, I have to come to the Lake District. Is there somewhere else I can stay? Surely you have another cottage. You can’t just cancel my booking at the last minute and not offer a replacement.’

‘It’s the height of summer, our busiest time of year. We don’t have anywhere available. I can only apologise.’

‘You don’t understand, I have to leave my place!’

‘Let me ask my manager to speak to you and I’m sure we can not only offer you a full refund now, but a discount on your next booking to make up in some small part for the inconvenience. I’m just going to put you on hold.’

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