Shite, that wasn’t what she’d had in mind at all.
‘I pretty much took over things when Da passed, so she relied on me a lot growing up.’
Oh boy, she was no psychologist, but anyone could see exactly where he’d learned early to be a saviour and suppress his own needs in favour of those of someone else.
‘By the way .?.?.’ he continued. ‘Evelyn suggested I talk to Dave about renovating upstairs as a flat. What would you think of that?’
‘Me?’
He looked sheepish. ‘Yeah, you know, it’d be a two-bedroom flat .?.?. if you were interested. The only thing is, it’d take a while to renovate. I don’t mind living in a building site but I can’t imagine you would.’
‘Yes, well, it’s all a bit awkward, because .?.?. I’ve got an interview for a full-time job. I mean, not a great job or anything, but it means I might .?.?. be leaving. Please don’t tell Dave.’
He raised an eyebrow. ‘You don’t sound very happy about it.’
He could see right through her. Her hand flew up to cover her face, because what she longed for was for him to step forward and take her in his arms.
‘Well, you know .?.?. it’s awkward.’
Pete nodded mutely. She had an inkling he might feel the same. They both stared miserably at the floor while the air between them swirled with sawdust and unspoken feelings.
Chapter 10
‘Ah, ye eejit, why did you tell Pete you have an interview? Now he’s sure to tell Dave. Then Dave will feel let down and have to replace you.’ Rosemarie was adamant.
‘He won’t tell Dave, I made him promise not to.’
‘Anyway, how is taking some watered-down, underpaid version of your old job going to change anything? You know your mother has batshit ideas where you’re concerned.’
‘You can’t say that about my mother, only I can say that.’
‘Sorry, but you’re totally in denial. I can’t listen to this.’
‘Right, Rosemarie, if you’re going to be like that, I’ve got a job to do.’
Ally ended the call and noticed her break was over, so she went back inside and saw Evelyn putting the finishing touches on a coffee walnut layer cake.
‘Now,’ she exhaled, ‘I’m going to rest my feet and have a nice cup of tea before I go home. You wouldn’t drop it down to me, love?’
‘Of course.’
Ally placed the steaming cup on the table in front of her and had a look around. The place looked quiet, so she sat down opposite the older lady, whose knitting needles clicked rhythmically as she worked away on a pale-blue Aran cardigan.
‘Beautiful,’ Ally remarked. ‘Who’s it for?’
‘Myself. Nobody else. More for the doing of it than the wearing.’
‘My grandmother used to knit all the time. She said it kept her sane.’
‘Same. You see, if I’ve something on my mind, I’ll be working away here and I’ll be thinking of this thing, or that thing, which happened in the past.’
‘Like what?’
‘Well .?.?. the cable down this side, that’s the year I spent in the children’s home; the cable pattern on the other side, that’s the different foster homes .?.?. and so on.’
‘And do you find it really helps?’
‘It doesn’t change anything but, let’s say, watching the stitches move from one needle to the other and the rows build up, you feel that .?.?. things are changing, I suppose. So, once things get worked into the pattern, they become a part of something bigger and at the end of a few hours .?.?. I do feel better.’
