Love at Second Sight Read Free Page B

must have seen him in some of the magazine shots of the band though, and never really taken much notice. Finn was the only one I
registered.
    ‘He’s on the Chillaxin team as well, you must recognise him from there?’ said Effy. ‘He was at one of the meetings. I think he takes photos for the magazine. I knew he looked familiar.’
    ‘If he looks familiar, maybe he’s your soulmate,’ I teased as I turned my attention back to Finn.
    ‘Familiar because he went to the same junior school as us,’ said Effy. ‘Not familiar as in my love destiny’
    ‘Methinks the lady doth protest too much,’ I said.
    ‘I’m not protesting,’ she objected.
    ‘You-oo love him. I’m going to tell Mark.’
    Effy thumped my arm. She’s so easy to wind up sometimes.
    The band struck their last chords, took a bow and made their exit. I noticed the girl with auburn hair make her way backstage and couldn’t help but feel a stab of jealousy.
    Tash pointed at a row of stalls to the side of the dodgem cars. ‘Let’s go and look over there,’ she said. ‘I need to get something for my parents’ wedding
anniversary.’
    We followed her over to the stalls selling lavender soaps and bath gels.
    ‘Finn’s family are looking for a house in Highgate,’ Effy said to me, as she picked up a soap and inhaled the scent. ‘Mum told me.’ Effy’s mum runs an estate
agency up in Highgate village so she always knows all the gossip about who’s selling and who’s buying locally. ‘She said they’re looking for a three-bedroomed house with a
garden room or studio. Probably for Finn, don’t you think? For his band.’
    ‘He’d have pretty fab parents if they were actually looking for a home studio for him. How do you know his dad doesn’t work from home, or his mum?’ I asked. ‘The
studio could be for one of them.’
    ‘I don’t,’ said Effy. ‘I was just speculating.’
    ‘Hmm. You speculate about a lot of things without having all the facts, don’t you, Effy?’ I said.
    ‘I so do not. Like what?’
    ‘Like now with Finn’s parents and before, running away with what the clairvoyant said to me.’
    ‘Ah. So that’s what’s bugging you,’ said Effy.
    ‘It’s not bugging me. I’m merely pointing out that you get carried away by your own imagination sometimes.’
    Tash stood in the middle of Effy and me. ‘OK, you two, pack it in,’ she said, always the peacemaker.
    I wasn’t sure why but I felt grumpy and I could see by Effy’s frustrated expression that I’d got to her too. Maybe the clairvoyant had unsettled me, not with the Henrietta
story, more because she’d been accurate about me feeling that love was painful. That was true, especially after having just seen Finn with another girl.
    ‘It would be cool to know where Finn lived though,’ Tash said, ‘then you could accidentally-on-purpose bump into him, Jo.’
    I turned my nose up. ‘He has a girlfriend. Anyway, not interested.’
    ‘Yeah sure,’ said Tash.
    ‘You could camp in his garden,’ suggested Effy with a grin.
    ‘Yeah and get carried off by the police for stalking along with all his other groupies,’ I replied. I looked back at the stall. ‘Anything here, Tash?’
    She shook her head. ‘Mum might like bath stuff but I doubt if Dad would appreciate it. Any other ideas?’
    ‘I’ll have a think,’ I said as I watched Finn and the auburn-haired girl walk past us. He glanced over and looked me up and down, like he was clocking my jacket, and gave me
the briefest of nods. Despite my promise to myself that I wasn’t going to get into him, I felt my stomach lurch pleasantly when his eyes met mine. Damn , I thought as I turned away.
    A moment later, Effy nudged me. ‘Finn’s coming over.’
    I turned back and indeed, Finn looked like he was heading my way. I felt like my brain was about to fuse. I wanted to talk to him but also didn’t, not if he was with another girl.
    ‘Hello, Jo,’ said a voice to my left.
    I turned to see Mrs