She reached the front door and unlocked it just as thunder cracked overhead, the sound so loud it made her jump. Lightning split the sky, followed instantly by torrential rain hammering against the glass.
She backed away instinctively, heart racing, until she felt Jack’s arm around her shoulders.
‘You never did like thunder and lightning,’ he said softly.
‘I don’t want to go out in that,’ she admitted, embarrassed by the tremor in her voice.
‘Neither do I,’ he said. Then, after a beat, ‘I’ve got an idea.’
Moments later they were back in the auditorium, Jack handing her a paintbrush.
She stared at it. ‘This is your idea?’
He nodded, smiling. ‘We’re stuck here. Might as well make ourselves useful.’
She changed into a pair of old overalls left behind by the tradesmen, resigned. ‘I’ll start rolling,’ she said.
Thunder boomed again, sealing her fate.
They worked side by side, laughter and easy banter returning as if it had never left. Bridie watched Jack roll paint onto the wall with practised ease.
Bridie paused, and watched, then followed his lead. ‘You look like you know what you’re doing.’
‘I do,’ he said. ‘I didn’t always have a crew.’
‘You?’ She smiled. ‘Hands-on?’
He glanced at her. ‘It’s been a while. I used to take on individual properties and renovate them, bringing in people as and when I needed help.’
‘You did a lot of the work yourself?’
‘In the beginning, yes. It was the only way to save money and make a decent profit. But as I moved up the property ladder, and started to diversify, that’s when things got tricky, and I realised I needed a crew to do this sort of work while I project-managed.’
‘Bet you never thought you’d be picking up a paintbrush again.’
‘Roller,’ he corrected. ‘I forgot how therapeutic this is.’
He finished rolling one section and paused to dip the roller in the paint. ‘Sometimes …’
‘Sometimes …?’ she prompted.
He paused. ‘Sometimes I miss the old times.’
‘Doing properties yourself?’ Bridie asked. Jack’s wife came to mind. She could just imagine from what she’d heard the demands she placed on him to keep the money rolling in so she could lead the life she’d grown accustomed to.
Jack left the roller sitting in the paint and turned towards the stage. He’d gone very quiet all of a sudden.
‘Is everything all right, Jack?’ She wondered if he was beginning to regret getting involved in all this. Not only was he spending lots of money, but he was also stuck there working on the weekend. ‘Did I say something wrong?’
Jack turned to look at her. ‘Not at all. When I said that I miss the old times, I wasn’t talking about the early days of my property business.’
Bridie creased her brow. ‘What were you talking about?’
‘This.’
Her heart stumbled. ‘This?’
He looked at her. ‘Us. Being here. Before everything got complicated.’
