The High Price of Secrets(22)

                “You just have your coffee black, right?”

                He was impressed she’d both noticed and remembered. Her attention to detail was good—he needed to remind himself of that, and not to slip up the way he had earlier when he’d nearly mentioned Ellen and Alexis by name.

                “That’s right,” he answered, locking the laundry door behind him and returning the key to its spot.

                “You seem to know your way around here pretty well.”

                “We’ve been neighbors a long time. Plus, I’ve been watching the animals the past few weeks.”

                She gave a short laugh. “It’s a good thing that Lucy could tolerate you feeding her then.”

                “Cupboard love,” he commented in response. “Cats are well known for it.”

                “I wouldn’t know,” Tamsyn replied as she added sugar and milk to her coffee. “We never had pets growing up.”

                “Not at all?”

                “No, our father didn’t think they had a place in our household. Occasionally a feral cat would have kittens on the property, but Dad always made sure they were rehomed before we could adopt any of them.”

                Finn thought of the farm dogs his father had always had, even after he’d downsized the stock running on the farm and begun to change his primary business over to growing grapevines. The animals had been as much of an extension of his life as Lorenzo and Ellen had been after his father died. Add to that his mother’s and Ellen’s procession of cats over the years and he couldn’t imagine growing up without a pet. He’d always imagined he’d have a couple of dogs when he finished building the house, but Briana had insisted she was allergic and since her departure, a year ago, he’d been too busy to do anything about it.

                “So where did you grow up that pets weren’t considered a necessary part of family life?” he asked, forcing a smile to try to soften his words.

                “It’s a property similar to where we lunched yesterday, although possibly a bit bigger. We have a vineyard and winery, restaurant and wedding venue, plus luxury cottage accommodation. Of course, when I was little it was just the vineyard and winery and on a much smaller scale. Dad’s family were still working really hard to reestablish what they’d lost after a devastating bushfire when he was in his early twenties. The whole family had to start from scratch.”

                “Sounds like hard work.”

                “I guess it was. We didn’t know any different, though, growing up. And all of us, my brother and my cousins, we all knew we’d be a part of it one day. Each of us has had their place in the family business basically grow around them and their interests.”

                What she said didn’t quite gel with the image he’d always had of her. He’d imagined her living off the luxury, not working hard to be a part of bringing it about. It roused his curiosity even further.

                “And you? What about your place and your interests?”

                Tamsyn picked up her spoon and began absently stirring her coffee.

                “That doesn’t matter now,” she said, her voice empty of emotion.

                Clearly she didn’t want to talk about it, which only served to make Finn all the more determined to find out why. Even he knew when not to push, though. Softly, softly would be the best approach, he decided, taking a sip of the instant brew Tamsyn had poured for him.