‘I don’t know Suzanne well,’ said Kitty, ‘but whatever she’s like as a headteacher, there’s no denying she knows how to connect with the children in her care.’
‘Yeah, she seems great,’ said Nick, wiping his palms on his jeans. ‘Anyway, this form…’
‘Yes, right.’
Kitty moved her chair closer to Nick’s until they were almost touching. She could feel the warmth of his skin, the gentle tickle of his breath when he turned to look at her, and despite her head telling her she was being ridiculous, her body ignored reason,responding instinctively to their closeness in a way that caused her cheeks to burn. She cleared her throat, letting her curls cover her flaming face, and began reading through the statements in the most professional voice she could muster. Nick added his final squiggle of a signature to the forms, and they were finished.
As soon as he laid down his pen, Nick seemed to miraculously recover from his migraine. When his arm brushed Kitty’s as he stood, instead of desire, she felt stung. Had he been lying about the headache? Could he not be bothered to read a simple form? Was he messing with her? Wasting her time?
‘Come on,’ said Nick, holding open the door. ‘We’d better try to catch up with Emily.’
‘How’s your head?’ asked Kitty as she stalked past him.
He had the good grace to blush, but she missed his reply, her long strides putting distance between them as she marched along the corridor.
Chapter 24
‘Alright, mate?’ said Luke, climbing down from a ladder that reached steeply to a roof. ‘How’s it going?’
‘Not too bad.’ Nick stepped around a pallet of plastic-wrapped concrete blocks.
‘And Emily? She’s well?’
‘I hope so. I’ve just dropped her off for her first day at school.’ Nick paused. ‘It was horrible leaving her,’ he said, realising what the uneasiness in his gut meant.
Luke slapped Nick on the back. ‘Listen to you. You’re starting to sound like a proper dad.’
‘Let’s wait for the DNA test, eh?’ Although there was no need for science to tell Nick what he already knew. It wasn’t just Emily’s eyes that confirmed their genetic link. It was the way his heart swelled when he was with her, despite the fear of getting things wrong.
‘Whatever you say, mate,’ said Luke with a laugh.
Nick cleared his throat. ‘With Emily starting school, I was wondering if you had any work you could throw my way? If Iwasn’t skint, I’d be able to take her to the cinema and stuff like that.’
‘Your timing is impeccable,’ said Luke. ‘We’ve had another urgent job come in and we’re spread too thin as it is. Honestly, I thought taking on a couple of labourers would make my life easier. Instead, we’re taking on more work, and I’m just as busy as before.’ He threw out his hands at the crates, slabs and timber piled around them. ‘I can’t offer you more than minimum wage, and it’ll be hard work. You won’t be able to get away with any slacking just because you’re my best mate.’
Nick stepped away, hurt. Was that how Luke saw him? ‘I can work hard,’ he protested.
‘I’m sure you think you can. The trouble is, you don’t have a lot of experience, and I don’t want either of us getting stuck in a situation we don’t feel we can get out of.’ He tipped his head to one side. ‘How about we start off with a one-week trial? We’ll go for a pint at the end of the week, and if both of us are happy, we can make it a more permanent arrangement.’
This wasn’t what Nick had been expecting, not from his best friend. ‘You don’t think I’ll be up to the job?’
Luke laughed. ‘I’m not sure you’ll like the job. Labouring is hard, boring work at times. You’ve got the strength for it, I don’t doubt that, but I have to take our friendship out of the equation.’ His face turned serious. ‘This is my business. If you decide the work isn’t for you, I’d rather we put a stop to things early than end up resenting each other. I’m trying to protect our friendship and my business.’
‘I understand,’ said Nick, hating the new power imbalance emerging between them. Luke as his boss? Was this a good idea?
‘I’m assuming you’ll need to work around school hours?’
‘I hadn’t thought about that.’ Nick winced at how much he had to learn. ‘I could see if someone could have Emily for an hour or two after school.’
‘They have an after-school club,’ said Luke. ‘For your first couple of weeks, why don’t you just work nine till three? That way you can be there for Emily’s school runs, and it will give you both a chance to get used to things.’
‘Sounds good.’ Despite any power imbalance, if Nick had to work for a boss, he couldn’t think of anyone fairer or more thoughtful than Luke. ‘Do we have a deal?’ he asked, holding out his hand.
Luke took his hand to shake, then pulled Nick into a hug. ‘’Course we do.’ He stepped away. ‘Now, why don’t you go home and change into something less smart and come and spend the afternoon shadowing Kev? He can show you the ropes, and you can start properly tomorrow. Do you own any steel-toe-capped boots?’
Nick thought about the racks of expensive trainers he’d bought in the heady days when he was still getting a monthly allowance.
‘I’ll take your silence as a no,’ said Luke. ‘We’re the same size. There’s a spare pair in my van you can borrow until you can afford to buy some of your own.’
