‘Hmm,’ he sighed, ‘I see what you meant.’
Cassie frowned. ‘What?’
He sighed again, then threw in his killer punch.
‘When you said you felt married to the job, living and working in the same place, forever on call.’
Cassie’s face dropped, she stared into space, contemplating his words. Rory, knowing he’d struck a nerve, continued.
‘It makes you feel like jacking it all in, doesn’t it?’
She faced him, still frowning. ‘Like you did?’
He gave a non-committal shrug. ‘Just remember your comment on being your own boss.’
‘And?’ Cassie was observing him closely with narrowed eyes.
‘I agree with you, that’s all.’ He looked directly at her with an innocent smile.
The pensive expression on her face told him he’d given her food for thought, mission accomplished. For now, anyway.
As the afternoon arrived, Cassie’s fervour gained momentum, though, giving Rory that uneasy feeling again.
‘There,’ she pointed to the signpost. ‘We’ve reached it.’
Sure enough ‘Bowland Rise’ stood before them, waiting to be viewed. Cassie couldn’t get out of the car quick enough. The estate agent was already there, ready and waiting. Rory closed his eyes momentarily, praying he could wrap the whole thing up quickly and convince Cassie that this was so not the property for them.
As they joined the agent, the woman’s eyes homed in on Rory with a flash of recognition. Oh, not that again, he thought dully. He really wasn’t in the mood to be recognised.
‘Pleased to meet you, Rory… I mean, Mr Molloy.’ She gave a wide smile and instantly reached out to shake his hand. Then, as an afterthought, turned to Cassie and offered her hand. The delayed reaction didn’t go unnoticed by either of them.
‘And you must be…’ she quickly referred to her notes.
‘Cassie Wright. I actually booked the viewing,’ Cassie said with a slight edge to her voice, making Rory’s mouth twitch. Good start, he thought with a touch of optimism.
‘Yes, yes, of course,’ replied the agent as she turned to face Rory, giving him her full attention. ‘Shall we start?’ she beamed.
Entering the hallway, Rory’s heart sank even further. Just as he anticipated, it was all white, clean-lined and nondescript.
‘As you can see, it’s all neutral, a blank canvas, you might say,’ she chirped. Then she led them to the open-plan kitchen-diner. True, it was spacious with fantastic views, but again it was all white gloss units and very bling. Rory wanted a farmhouse kitchen, filled with solid oak units, an Aga, quarry tiled flooring and wood burner, not this show room, sterile place with spotless appliances. Cassie looked round the room, but wasn’t giving much away.
‘I’ll show you the lounge.’ The agent opened the door to reveal a large, square box of a room. ‘It’s all under-floor heating,’ she boasted.
Rory thought it lacked a focal point and needed a fireplace. He looked sideways at Cassie for any feedback. There was none. She remained tight lipped. Maybe this was going better than expected.
‘Now for the upstairs.’
Was that a playful grin the agent was giving him?
‘I don’t think so,’ cut in Cassie with force, who had seen enough of the house, and quite frankly, had seen enough of this woman eyeing up Rory.
‘Pardon?’ She blinked. ‘But what about the garden and that wonderful vista?’ she flustered.
‘I think we’ve all had an eyeful already thanks,’ Cassie tartly retorted.
The agent turned to Rory for some clarity. He stared blankly at her.
‘Rory, we’re going,’ said Cassie turning to leave.
