Nicotine // [michael gray / peaky blinders]

Two

The next morning, Charlie's due down at the Garrison, Blinders business, so I head over to Polly's to see how she's doing this fine morning, and maybe get some breakfast out of it.

"Did you know?" Polly asks, opening the door.

"Did I know what?"

"That he was coming!"

"Who?"

"Michael."

"He's here?!"

"Came last night."

"What?!" I shout, letting myself into the house, but she grabs my arm.

"Calmly." She says and I go to the dining room.

"Hi." I walk in.

"Oh, hello." Michael stands, and I wave him off.

"Sit back down. Nice to formally meet you, Michael. I'm Florence Walker." I smile, sitting down at the table as well.

"You really didn't know he was coming?"

"I tried to call last night, because nobody was here, but nobody answered your line." Michael says and I shrug.

"We had a pub opening last night, which is why I look a bit worse for wear." I say with a laugh.

"How was it?" Polly asks Michael as he eats his breakfast, filling tea cups.

"I was starving, so I would've eaten anything." Michael says, and she turns to me.

"Before you even ask, I'm not hungry. You know me. I need tea." I say, motioning to the cup and she fills it up for me, and I put a sugar into it, stirring it around.

"You tell me when you do get hungry."

"Make me one egg." I say with a roll of my eyes and she goes off to the kitchen.

"Beans as well." Polly says, cracking it into a pan and I nod.

"Go on then." I smile.

"So, are you, are you a cook?" Michael turns to Polly and she shakes her head.

"Not a cook, no."

"The man who came to the house, he was driving a posh car, he looks rich." Michael says, looking between the two of us. "What does he do?"

"Tommy?" I ask, looking at Polly and she's quick to come up with an answer.

"He works with horses."

"Really?" Michael asks with a smile. "I love horses. I've got a bay mare."

"No." Polly and I say together.

It's in their blood, I swear.

"I ride it all the time." Michael says with a big smile as Polly slides the egg out of the pan, slapping some beans down onto the plate as well before joining us, sitting next to me, a smile growing on her face as she hears Michael talk about horses.

"Then it's in the blood." She nods and Michael watches as she takes a sip of her tea.

"I've got about a million questions." He says and I take that as my queue to eat my food as quickly as I can and get out.

"So do I." Polly says and I pick up my plate and go to the sink, placing them inside.

"I'll leave you two to it then. Pol, thank you for the food. I bet I'll see you later." I kiss her cheek after downing the rest of my tea. "Michael, I don't know how long you're going to be here for, but welcome to Small Heath." I say, patting his shoulder and then heading towards the door.