‘I’ll be absolutely fine,’ said Hattie, knowing it to be true. The fact that Lance couldn’t find her was very reassuring.
‘So, a small cod, salt but no vinegar on your chips?’
She nodded. Luke knew her very well. It was a very comforting thought. Comforting and also another feeling she wasn’t ready to acknowledge.
Hattie used the time to clear up, her way of thanking Luke for his hospitality. The house was obviously lived in by a man who didn’t spend much time there. In theory, he was doing the place up: it was a project. But being a builder, he got very little time to attend to his own house. There wasn’t a lot of clutter but there were a few books, plans for buildings, the usual electronics and a lot of dog hair. She tidied the surfaces without disrupting anything, ran the hoover round and then found a cloth and wiped the building dust that must have come in on Luke’s clothes. Then she put plates in the oven to warm for the fish and chips. An insistence on warm plates was one of the idiosyncrasies she and Luke shared.
As she moved around the house, she wondered if Luke’s house would ever be finished when he spent so much time on other people’s. It wasn’t quite her sort of house, she realised. There was nothing wrong with it, but it lacked the charm and character that, say, Mary’s cottage had. Although she knew it would suit many people, if Luke ever got round to completing the work on it.
Hattie set up the sofa bed in the cabin for Xander, and investigated the spare room for herself. She moved a ladder, a saw horse, a couple of buckets and the bags of tools to one corner. Then she saw that it was pleasant enough and had a good bed in it.
She realised at that moment that she would likely need to leave her house before her tenancy was finished. She wasn’t sure how she could stay there knowing Lance could show up at any moment.
By the time Luke and Xander got back she had resolved to email her current landlord, Aiden, and give him the rough details. With luck he would have another property she could move into – and fairly soon. If it was just her, it would have been easy. She could stay with Rose and Sam, or another couple of friends who’d be happy to put her up for a few days, but she had Xander to think about. If she had to, she’d find an Airbnb for them to live in, but it was an expensive option she’d rather not pursue.
In spite of having Frank and Fearless on her lap and something enjoyable to watch on television, Hattie was very glad to hear Luke’s car drive up. He seemed to have been away an age.
‘Sorry to be so long,’ he said as he came in, holding large white wrapped packets. ‘Is the oven on?’
She nodded.
‘I’ll put these in there to keep warm for a bit. I need a beer. Want one?’
Hattie suddenly felt anxious. Luke was being very casual but she sensed it hadn’t been a queue in the chip shop that had kept him.
‘It was so exciting, Hattie!’ said Xander, coming in, holding an even bigger white packet. ‘We saw the carand could see there was a man in it. We parked out of sight so we could spy on it.’
‘I’m not sure Hattie needs all the details,’ said Luke. ‘Do you?’
‘I’d rather know the worst,’ she said.
Luke nodded. ‘You tell her, Xander.’
‘Well, we parked quite far away, pulled into a lay-by, next to the wood, but we could see the car. Luke had binoculars in his car. He’s a bird watcher, you know.’
Hattie did know this, although not about the binoculars.
‘We saw him get out of the car and go up to the house. He banged on the door, really aggressively, and waited. Then he had a good walk round and peered in the windows.’
Hattie shuddered.
‘And then…’ Xander was very excited. ‘Luke rang the police!’
‘Not exactly,’ said Luke. ‘I rang a mate of mine to see if he and his patrol car were in the area. Luckily they were nearby and so were able to find him stalking the house. They had a word, gave him a bit of a warning, and he left.’
Hattie found herself shaking. Luke poured her a glass of whisky. ‘Here,’ he said. ‘It goes really well with fish and chips.’
‘OK,’ she said, having taken a large sip, choked a bit and swallowed. ‘Definitely time to move house.’
Chapter Seventeen
After supper and clearing up, Hattie made up the spare bed with her bedding. She was just wishing Luke and Xander had found her make-up bag and not just her toothbrush when Luke tapped on the door.
‘I wondered if you’d like to borrow something to sleep in?’ he asked, filling the door frame. ‘I haven’t got pyjamas but I could give you a T-shirt?’
‘That would be very kind,’ she said.
‘Is there anything else you need?’
