‘Yes, please, very much. And… I wondered…’
He eyed her, clearly still firmly on his guard. ‘You wondered what?’
‘You’ve said you can probably help me with getting the cottage straight but there’s so much work to be done and I don’t know where to start. Some I can tackle myself and I need to do that because money’s going to be tight, but I can afford to pay for the harder jobs.’
‘I’d have to charge you the going rate.’
This was beyond the pale and Vee drew herself up to her full height, returning his glare measure for measure. The man was insufferable. ‘Of course I’m not asking for favours. I’d pay whatever you usually charge. On second thoughts, forget it. I’ll find somewhere else to stay and put a card on the board at the shop to attract someone who actually wants the work.’
It was a stand-off. They faced each other across the room. Vee’s spirits were at an all-time low. How had she got herself into this cleft stick? Okay, she’d asked an intrusive question but there was no need for Rick to react like that and now look where it had got her. She should learn to keep her mouth shut.
Rick folded his arms. ‘You’re a fiery one, aren’t you?’ he said, in what sounded like a very patronising tone. Vee didn’t reply. ‘Anyway, the room’s yours if you want it,’ he continued. ‘And Icanfit you in for the work on the cottage straight away, as it happens, so you’re in luck.’
Am I really?thought Vee, but she took a deep breath and nodded. This was no time to make a stand. Desperate times called for desperate measures. ‘Thank you,’ she said. ‘I’ll walk round to Fiddler’s Row and fetch what I need for now. Will you be in when I get back?’
‘It’s okay, I can drive you,’ he said, his voice gruff. ‘You’ll struggle to carry everything.’
‘I’ll manage. See you later.’
Vee turned to leave, already regretting the spiky heels on her boots which had made her feel cool and powerful this morning but which she’d now happily swap for her old trainers. There were already blisters forming on both feet and the walk would definitely rub her toes raw.
‘Look, I know we’ve got off to a bad start but that’s no reason to cut your nose off to spite your face,’ Rick said. ‘Come on, we can go round and get your stuff, and I’ll take a look at what needs doing at the same time. Let’s go.’
Vee considered her other option. It wasn’t tempting. ‘Fine,’ she said, and led the way down the stairs. ‘Thank you,’ she added, trying to sound magnanimous but only succeeding in verging on surly. She sighed. This landlord/tenant relationship looked as if it was going to be a rocky road, and now she’d gone and asked him to work for her too. Rick had seemed friendly to begin with in the shop. What had happened to make him so prickly? It surely couldn’t have just been her thoughtless question. She decided to make a big effort to start again with him. There was a lot at stake here.
‘It’s really weird being back in Willowbrook after so long,’ she said, as they drove back towards Fiddler’s Row. ‘Everything looks the same, and yet…’
‘And yet, you’re so different,’ he said, under his breath.
‘What did you say?’ Vee asked, not sure if she’d heard him right.
‘Oh, just that you must find it so different after all these years. It’s been a long time, you said. Anyway, here we are. Let’s get on with the job in hand and then I’ll give a quote. I can start work tomorrow if you like.’
Vee turned to look at Rick, but he was already climbing down from the van. She did the same and followed him to the front door, flinching all over again as she drew closer to the peeling paint and the broken dragonfly.
‘Hmm, you’re not wrong when you say there’s a lot to do here,’ Rick said, entering the narrow hallway and standing still to look around. The smell of damp, the curling, filthy carpet and the dangling strips of wallpaper were a dismal greeting. It all seemed worse than ever now Vee had been somewhere so much better, and her heart sank.
‘Do you think you can make it liveable?’
Rick considered the question. ‘I can make anywhere liveable,’ he said eventually. ‘The question is, do you really want to live here?’
‘What do you mean by that?’ Vee stared at him, instantly on edge. He blushed.
‘Nothing… nothing at all. I guess I just wondered if it was going to be difficult coming back to a place where you’d lived a good few years ago. I expect you’ve got lots of happy memories though.’
Vee didn’t respond. The question was way too complicated for a simple answer. Instead, she made her way further into the house that had been less of a safe refuge and more of a prison towards the end. It was time to move on, but it wasn’t going to be easy.
5
Being inside Dragonfly Cottage for a second time wasn’t quite as alarming as the first, especially as Rick immediately snapped into professional mode and produced a clipboard and pen. He went right through the house with Vee, making copious notes and coming up with various suggestions that would improve her living accommodation as well as get rid of the detritus of years of neglect.
‘I don’t want to put you on the spot, but exactly how much can you afford to spend here?’ Rick asked, scribbling down the final in a list of figures and completing the sum that he’d clearly been working on in his head. He showed her the total, and she gasped.
‘Not that much. Maybe… two thirds of it, at a push? Is there any way you can pare it back a bit more?’
‘Well, I suppose there is, but to be brutally honest, the only way I can do a decent job for less and still make the place long-term liveable for you is if you do the decorating yourself as we go along.’ Rick looked Vee up and down, and she guessed he was taking in the general appearance of someone who looked to be a stranger to hard work and practical tasks. ‘Any chance of that?’ he asked, raising his eyebrows in what he probably imagined was a humorous expression. It wasn’t.
‘I suppose you think because I look after my nails and wear make-up I don’t know how to graft?’ Vee said, through gritted teeth. She moved a bit closer to Rick, facing him squarely and narrowly resisting the temptation to poke him in the chest. ‘Well, let me tell you, that’s not the case. Definitely not. Here’s a bit of backstory for you. I’m an actor by trade. I was in a touring company until the work dried up. I’ve done some modelling in my time, but I’ve also cleaned houses, waited tables, even done some gardening. I once laid a patio for a friend, and I can paint and decorate too. My most recent work was doing voiceovers and narrating audiobooks, but my dream is to work from home now I’m not handy for central London. Does that answer your question?’
