Page 64 of All We Want for Christmas
‘Great,’ said Flynn. ‘Take care on the roads.’
‘I will,’ Molly said, although she seemed amused at his concern.
She walked back to her car, but Flynn was momentarily frozen to the spot.
‘Have a nice lunch,’ he said, his eyes telegraphing agony and regret to Lara. ‘See you later, I’m sure.’
‘I’m sure.’
‘Bye Jazz,’ he said, then walked away, got on his bike, and rode off before Jazz could manage to speak.
‘Well,’ she said, with a huff of breath. ‘That wasn’t awkward at all, was it?’
Lara heaved a huge sigh. ‘It was awful! Shall we get back in the car so we can talk before we go in the café?’
Inside the vehicle, Jazz swore softly. ‘Sorry, but this is the last thing I’d ever have expected. Flynn – well, he doesn’t look like a dad. I mean, he’s such a cool guy, I can’t imagine him as a grandad.’
‘He’s thirty-nine and Molly’s only nineteen. Flynn and Imogen – Molly’s mum – had a one-night stand when Flynn was on holiday up here at his grandparents. He was only a teenager himself then.’
Jazz’s contorted expression seemed to reflect the whole tangled situation. ‘But – but is that why he came up to Ravendale? To find her?’ she asked.
‘No. He had no idea Molly existed until she confrontedhim at work. Apparently she’d known who he was for years but only decided to get in touch when she became a mum herself – and then she found out Flynn was coming to work here.’
Jazz exhaled sharply. ‘Wow. That’s a turn up. One hell of a shock for Flynn, and you.’
‘Yes, you could say that.’
‘How do you feel about it? Seeing a grandad?’
‘Well, I’mnotseeing him at the moment. Flynn’s finding the situation all a bit overwhelming and I can’t blame him, so I decided that we should cool things for now.’ And Flynn had – reluctantly – agreed, which was what she wanted … wasn’t it?
Jazz’s eyes widened. ‘You did?’
‘I felt I had no choice. Flynn’s life has been turned upside down, and starting a new relationship is too much on top of finding out he has family he never knew about. And after Rob, I don’t want to be part of any kind of tangled relationship.’
‘I understand, but this is different. How does Flynn feel about you backing off?’
‘I—’ Lara felt a stab of regret. ‘He said he was gutted but I think he also feels torn between his new family and me. I don’t want him to feel like that and so I thought it better for both of us, all of us, to take a step back.’A huge step back, Lara thought. She already felt there was a gaping hole in her life.
‘I’m so sorry. Have you two talked much about it?’
‘Not that much. He’s still processing the bombshell of Molly and I suspect his way of dealing with it is to shut himself off. I think he feels it’s his problem to handle, all alone.’
Jazz snorted. ‘Typical man.’
Lara was inclined to agree but she’d also been out – briefly – with a guy who’d spent their dates unloading all his angst about his previous relationships, his job, even his problems with his unruly dog, who had ‘severe separation anxiety’. Lara had never been able to get a word in. Flynn had taken the opposite approach.
‘I think Flynn’s also used to dealing with stuff himself. He’s been on his own, or at least without any ties, for a long time. Now, a huge load of responsibility has been dropped on him in one go.’
‘Hmm. No wonder he’s feeling like a rabbit in the headlights.’
‘Or a wounded one who’s run away to lick his wounds,’ Lara said, remembering the misery of telling him they should back away from each other. ‘Shall we go inside and have a coffee? Now you know why I didn’t want to tell you this inside the café.’
‘If I’d known, I’d have chosen somewhere else.’
Lara steeled herself. ‘Well, we’re here now, and Molly is clearly happy to share the news, so I’d better get used to the new normal.’
CHAPTER THIRTY-ONE
