Page 29 of The House Swap

‘A house swap then,’ Jem said, nodding. ‘That takes a lot of trust.’

Poppy resisted the urge to bristle. ‘I know Tom and he knows me.’

Jem met her gaze then, his green eyes curious as he studied her. Was he wondering what her relationship was with Tom? He knew they didn’t live together or even live in the same country, but still there was a curiosity in his expression that suggested he suspected there may be more. She thought he was going to ask the question, but then he seemed to think better of it, changing the subject.

Intrigue quickly pushed her irritation to one side as he started to open up about his own life, telling her that his parents had divorced when he was a kid and how his dad had moved to Crete.

‘I hated him for leaving,’ he told her, his tone sober. Something that looked like regret crossed his face. ‘He had met someone new and wanted to start a new life without me and Mum. She – Delia – had a son too. A couple of years younger than me. It felt like Dad wanted to ditch us and start over with a new family. They were together for five years, then after they broke up, he kept contacting me, saying he was sorry. It was too late. The damage was already done.’

‘You’re here now,’ Poppy prompted. There was more she could say, and questions she had, but it wasn’t her place to ask them – not yet. She sensed that right now Jem just needed someone to listen.

‘Yeah.’ His lips curved in a wry smile. ‘He died earlier this year. The bastard left me everything.’

‘I’m sorry, Jem.’ They hadn’t been close, but the man was still his father. ‘Had you seen anything of him in recent years?’

‘Just once. He never gave up trying to reconcile and whenever he came back to England, he would ask if we could meet up. I always said no. The last time he came back was a couple of years ago and he was pretty insistent. The three of us met at Mum’s house and he apologised to both of us for the mistakes he had made. It was all a bit awkward and formal, and I was glad when he was gone. It was like meeting with a stranger. I realise now that he had a terminal diagnosis. He wanted to make peace before he died.’

‘How does that make you feel?’ Poppy asked, her tone gentle.

Jem shrugged. ‘I’m still working that out. I guess there’s a part of me that feels guilty that I never gave him a second chance, but I was never bitter towards him. Angry for a while, yes, but that faded over time. It just felt as though too much time had passed and he was no longer a part of my life. Finding out that he left me all of this is just a bit of a head fuck. The rational part of me says it’s because there was no one else – at least not family – but then another part wonders if he did it to mess with me.’

‘Was he the type of person who played mind games?’

‘Who knows? I was nine when he left.’

Poppy thought of her own family. ‘I can’t imagine how hard that must have been on you,’ she sympathised.

Jem stared at her for a moment, then seemed to check himself. ‘Jesus, look at me. I’m treating this like a therapy session. I think that’s enough about my situation.’

‘I don’t mind. It’s good for you to have someone to talk to.’

‘Yeah, but I’m not going to risk boring you stupid. You might not agree to have dinner with me later this week.’

The sudden grin he gave her was so laid-back and hinted at a spark of mischief that, even as Poppy’s chest fluttered, she wondered if he was being serious.

As she tried to think of a witty response, Jem’s attention was distracted.

‘Keira!’ he called, and Poppy’s head shot round. She spotted her friend heading towards them, carrier bags in each hand.

Part of her felt a little bad that Keira had deemed it necessary to give them some space, but it certainly looked like she had been enjoying herself.

‘You’ve been busy,’ she commented as her friend took a seat at the table.

‘Well, you know me. I love to shop. I got the prettiest bracelet and wait until you see my new sarong. I bought fresh bread for lunch tomorrow too.’

Jem attracted the attention of the waiter while Keira showed Poppy her purchases.

‘Do you fancy grabbing some food while we’re here?’ he asked them both.

Poppy glanced at the already darkening sky. ‘We should probably start walking back. It’s quite a trek.’

‘I can give you a lift back after we’ve eaten,’ Jem suggested. ‘I’m only a five-minute walk away.’

Poppy glanced at Keira, who nodded.

‘That’s kind of you,’ she thanked him.

They ordered more drinks – Jem switching to Coke – and perused the menu.