Poppy relaxed into the seat and took a moment to inspect her old friend. Twelve years had changed him, and yet he was the same. Fine lines framing the outer corners of his eyes crinkled as he focused on the road. Time had seen the soft curves of his jawline and cheeks evaporate into sharp lengths. Yet, as always, his chin and cheeks were bare of stubble. Still, there was no denying Ben’s boyish good looks were there, albeit more… manly. Stronger. Defined. The kind that probably had women’s knees going a little – or a lot – wobbly when he walked past. Poppy patted her knees. Solid as two knobbly rocks. Ben may have been good to look at – better than good – but he was the serious, settling down type. And she wasn’t. Which made her interest in Ben strictly platonic.
‘Could you stop staring?’ The corners of his lips lifted up into a smile. ‘I feel like a bug under a microscope.’
Ben’s eyes flicked in her direction, then refocused on the road. Yep, between that smile and those eyes, and the rest of the Ben-shaped package, Poppy suspected Ben had more than his share of admirers.
‘Sorry, Ben the Bug, can’t help it. It’s been ages.’ Poppy stretched her legs, and circled her neck backwards then forwards to release the tension of being cooped up in a metal bird for so many hours. ‘You don’t do social media so I can’t stalk photos of you, and you haven’t picked up a video call from me in longer than I can remember, so I feel like I’m seeing you for the first time in forever.’
‘I didn’t pick up your calls because you call during work hours.’
‘I figured that, eventually. That’s why I called in the middle of the night. I knew you’d have to answer.’ Poppy unzipped her carry-on bag, found a tube of lip balm and applied it, smacking her lips together in satisfaction. She may have had years away from Ben, with minimal contact, but that didn’t mean she didn’t know him.
‘I could have had my phone turned off. Or on silent.’
Poppy grinned at his churlish tone. ‘Not the Ben I know. He’s far too responsible. If your parents needed you, or if work was to have some kind of emergency, I knew you’d need to be on hand to deal with it.’
‘Wow, you make me sound boring… and in need of a life.’ A frown sent lines sprawling across Ben’s forehead.
‘Don’t get all upset about it, Ben. I’m not saying you’re boring, or in need of a life. I just knew you’d answer, that’s all.’ Poppy crossed her arms over her chest and tucked her hands into her armpits. Since when had Ben become so touchy?
‘No, it’s not you. It’s the time. It’s later than I thought. And this driver in front of me is going at a snail’s pace.’ The car surged forward as Ben stepped on the accelerator and manoeuvred into the next lane.
Poppy released her hands and gripped onto the edges of the seat. ‘Steady on, Ben. No need to speed.’
‘I’m not.’ He flapped his hand at the speedometer. ‘There’s no way I’m going to get pulled over and make myself even later.’ He ran his hand through his short, sandy brown hair. The same cut he’d always had. Shorter on the sides, with a little length up top. ‘No, it’ll be fine. It has to be.’
‘Do you want me to call the landlord for you? Explain you’ll be late?’ Poppy held out her hand. ‘My phone’s dead. Give me yours.’
‘No, not a good idea. That’ll make me look like I’m unreliable. He might think I’ll be late with payments. I was hoping to have time to pop home and grab a fresh shirt, but I’ll just have to make do with the one I keep spare in the back. It’s not the exact right shade to go with the tie or jacket, but it’ll do. It’ll have to.’
Poppy bit a laugh back, sensing that giggling at Ben’s super-serious suit dilemma when he was this stressed would only inflame the situation.
‘And you’ll have to wait in the car before I drop you… wait, where am I dropping you?’ Ben’s eyebrow cocked as he glanced at her. ‘You never said. Are you staying at your mum’s house?’
Poppy’s stomach shrivelled. She took a deep breath as the unappetising meal of frittata and fruit salad they’d been served on the plane threatened to deboard. Stay with her mother? Not if she could help it. The plan was to keep her distance as long as possible. Why invite pain back into her life when she’d spent twelve years trying to keep it out? She waved the suggestion away. ‘No, not Mum’s. I’ve found a studio in Muswell Hill. And waiting is fine. I’ve nowhere to be. I’ll just work on my plans while you have your meeting.’
‘Plans? Since when has Poppy Taylor planned anything? You didn’t even plan leaving to head off overseas. You just took off.’
There was no missing the bitter edge to Ben’s words, but no way was Poppy going to explain why she left. Not to Ben of all people. The events that had led to her leaving were best left well alone.
‘I’m not eighteen anymore, Ben. Believe it or not, I’ve become rather good at planning and organising. You have to when you’re travelling. When you move around a lot. The thing is, you’re not the only one who’s planning on starting a business. I’ve one in mind, too. A gift shop, featuring all things unicorn. And I think Muswell Hill may well be the perfect place to set up shop.’
Ben’s lips quirked, then mashed together, then quirked up again.
‘What? You think I’m not serious? You don’t think I can?’ Poppy re-folded her arms, more to stop herself from punching Ben in the arm than to shield herself from his amused disbelief.
Ben’s chest rose and fell, his lips straightened out. ‘It’s not that I don’t think you can, I just didn’t expect you to say that. I mean a business is a lot of work. You can’t just flit in and out. You have to think ahead. You have to be serious. And, well, just how serious is a unicorn gift shop?’
‘It’s very serious. You wouldn’t know. You’ve spent your working life with your head in textbooks and papers and whatnot. Your lack of online presence alone tells me you’ve no idea about the explosion of unicorn everything. People love them. Not just kids either. Teens. People in their twenties. Thirties. Everyone. There are webpages dedicated to them. My social media feeds are dotted with random snaps of them. They’re huge. Which means my unicorn gift shop is going to draw crowds from all around, you’ll see.’ Poppy gave a definitive nod. Ben’s reaction only added fuel to her plans. He thought she was the same old flighty, fun Poppy? Well, he was going to find out otherwise. ‘Anyway, you never told me what business you were planning to open?’ Poppy gazed out at the window, her heart picking up pace as she took in the streets whizzing past. As familiar to her as the back of her hand, these were streets she’d roamed day and night, her mother giving her more freedom than any child should ever have. Freedom, when what she’d really wanted was love. To feel loved. To feel wanted. The only person who’d made her feel that way sat opposite her. But that was a long time ago. Things had changed. She had changed.
‘A gourmet tea shop.’ Ben expertly parallel parked outside a row of houses around the corner from the shops. ‘High-end teas sourced from around the globe. Delicious cakes. Slices. Biscuits.’
‘And who’ll be making these cakes and slices? You?’ Poppy released her seatbelt and got out of the car. She lifted her arms in a long stretch, breathed in the sun-warmed air, and allowed herself a small smile as she took in the terraced homes, many fronted by perfectly clipped hedges perched atop matching brick fences. So different to the wooden one-storeyed Sixties-style bungalows and Eighties-built style-free square boxes that had lined the street she’d flatted in last.
The slam of the car door brought her attention back to Ben, who was expertly knotting his tie.
‘Yes, me.’ He scooped up a suit jacket and shrugged it on, then buttoned it up. ‘I’ll be doing the baking.’
‘Really?’ Poppy released the stretch, then leaned against the car. ‘I know you were the king of Home Economics at school but