* * *
The second the laptop screen went blank, Lyndsey helplessly watched her sister dissolve into heart-wrenching tears.
‘I know I should’ve told Deke the truth, but he doesn’t want to hear me moaning all the time.’ Becca swiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. ‘Did you hear the excitement in his voice? He’d just got off-stage in Tokyo and they wowed the fans there. I should be able to cope here in his absence. It’s my job now.’
‘Then treat it like one.’ The automatic response popped out, and she waited for her head to be bitten off, chewed up and spat out again. Instead, there was silence. ‘What would you have done if this sort of situation cropped up in your old life?’
‘That was totally different. I handled high-strung models and the artistic temperaments of my fellow fashion designers, standing on my head. Running a massive house, taking care of a tiny baby who seesaws between being sweet as sugar and possessed by demons, plus a stroppy stepson who’s determined to hibernate in his bedroom for the next two months until he can escape back to school again — that’s another thing completely.’
Lyndsey grasped her sister’s hands. ‘Take a few deep breaths. We’ll work this out together.’ A touch of uncertainty sneaked in. ‘That is, if you—?’
‘Yes. Yes, please.’ A wary smile inched across Becca’s face. ‘You’re going to tell me things I don’t want to hear, aren’t you?’
‘Probably.’ She found it impossible not to smile. ‘The most straightforward thing to solve is the house, so I suggest we tackle that first.’
‘Straightforward?’
The obvious disbelief didn’t bother Lyndsey because the same sort of response was normal from her regular clients. ‘In your last job, did everyone have their assigned work spaces? Did you have cleaners who came in every night? If there was a personnel problem, did your HR person tackle it?’
‘Yes, but how does that relate to my problems?’
‘Your company budgeted for all those things, because they knew a messy work environment and unfocused staff don’t hit deadlines and therefore don’t make a profit.’ She dredged up a bright smile. ‘We’ll start with one of my famous lists.’
‘But how’re you going to have time for all this with everything else you’re trying to fit in. And what about Griff? Are you seriously going to sit back and let the best thing that could’ve happened to you in years, slip away?’
‘Let’s be realistic. It took him long enough to get in touch again, so I clearly wasn’t the only one having second thoughts.’
‘You’re afraid of rejection.’
‘Aren’t we all?’
‘I suppose.’ Becca looked thoughtful. ‘But he’s such a lovely man and you’re super together.’
‘Forget Griff for a minute and let’s make a start. The linchpin of my philosophy is that your home shouldn’t feel like a weight around your neck, but an anchor. A safe, welcoming, comforting place.’ She tweaked a smile. ‘Have you heard of Marie Kondo, the Japanese woman who set off the modern minimalist revolution?’
‘Vaguely.’
‘I was a disciple at first, but found her too rigid.’
‘She’s rigid?’ Becca chuckled. ‘Wow, she must be way over the top for you to say that. I mean, you iron and fold your knickers, for God’s sake.’
Lyndsey ignored the sly dig and carried on as if her sister hadn’t spoken. ‘As I said, my own philosophy developed from hers, but it’s more individually tailored than her one-size-fits-all method. All I want is to free my clients to enjoy their lives more. I’m not aiming for perfection.’
‘Good!’
‘At least with you I can skip a lot of the steps I normally go through with clients, because I’ve been living here so I’ve seen how the house works or doesn’t work for your family. I’ve noticed certain things that are sucking the life out of you, and others that give you joy.’
‘You’ve been spying on me.’ Becca bristled.
‘Not at all.’ Lyndsey exhaled a sigh. ‘This is the part where I tell you things you might not want to hear. A few minutes ago, you claimed you were up for that. But if you’ve changed your mind, say so, and we’ll stop right now.’
‘I suppose you’d better keep going.’
Not exactly the last word in enthusiasm, but she’d coped with plenty of paying clients who only turned to her out of desperation and certainly weren’t a hundred percent invested in the process to start out with. She’d won them all over.
‘Right, the first thing we would do is go around the house together, and in each room, you tell me how being in there makes you feel. Does your anxiety rise in that particular space, or do you find yourself smiling? The reasons behind both extremes of emotion are important, because they help me to guide you the right way.’ She gestured to her computer tablet. ‘I’d make notes as we go, then draw up a plan.’
‘That’s all well and good, Li-Li, but even if the house is straight, the rest of my worries won’t disappear in a puff of smoke.’
