The hum of an engine, and the sound of music blaring made her glance out of her bedroom window. Ula’s car was almost at the front door, and there was a small white van behind her. That must be the other cleaner.
Lara raced downstairs to open the front door before they reached it. The rain was still pouring down and they’d have to fight their way up the garden path through the overgrowth. She didn’t want to leave them standing on the doorstep.
‘Good morning,’ she beamed.
‘Good morning,’ Ula replied returning Lara’s smile.
‘Nothing good about this weather,’ Ula’s colleague said, although he too was smiling. ‘I was sunbathing yesterday during lunch. Won’t be doing that today.’
‘You could dance in the rain,’ Lara suggested, blushing because a memory had taken her by surprise, and because she shouldn’t have said that aloud, especially as Ula’s colleague was giving her an odd look, as if he thought she might be a little crazy.
She wished sometimes her memories wouldn’t creep up on her that way and come out when she least expected them.
‘I’ll leave that to you. I’m Greg, by the by.’
‘Lara.’ Lara pointed to her chest. ‘You can hang your coats on the rack beside you. Oh. While I think about it, I’ve been adopted by a cat. He … she … it … is currently fast asleep on my bed. I’ve named it Nicodemus.’
Greg raised his brows as he took off his waterproof jacket and hung it up, before taking Ula’s coat from her and hanging it next to his.
‘Righty-oh. We’ll keep an eye out and try not to hoover him up.’ He gave a quick wink.
‘Thanks,’ Lara said. ‘I was about to have breakfast. Just some toast. But would you like tea or coffee?’
‘I’d kill for a cuppa. Milk, two sugars, please. Ula will have water.’
‘Please, yes. Water.’ Ula confirmed.
‘Where do you want us to start?’ Greg asked, glancing into the sitting room. ‘You don’t have much furniture. Or haven’t you moved in yet?’
‘I want to get the repairs and decorating done first,’ Lara said. There was no point in telling him this was not her new home and she wouldn’t be living in the cottage permanently ‘Start wherever you like. Ula and I did a lot yesterday but there’s still plenty to do.’
‘I can see that,’ said Greg, sounding unimpressed. ‘We’ll start in here then.’
He marched into the sitting room and Ula followed behind him.
Lara went to put the kettle on, and while she waited for it to boil, she opened the back door and peered out into her garden. The torrential rain had flattened some of the long grass, and a few of the plants, but it was still more like a jungle than a peaceful place to sit and relax. When she did tackle it, she wouldn’t be surprised to find a long lost tribe hiding amongst the bushes. She might have to employ a gardener at some stage, but she was looking forward to getting stuck in, once the weather improved again.
It was strange to think that, in the last two days she would have spent time with more people – and animals – than she had probably spent time with for the last two years. Maybe longer.
Although she did go into Pliny Software’s offices from time to time, and several people worked there. She was one of a handful of employees who worked from home, but the only illustrator to do so.
And she did go to the company Christmas party every year, but only because Jenny virtually forced her to, and Lara never stayed until the end.
With the exception of one year when she had got totally sozzled on Pliny’s Punch. She still hadn’t got a clue what was inthat, and neither had anyone else, it seemed. But she had ended up in a stationery cupboard with one of the game designers. He was actually rather nice. Although the less said about him the better. It transpired he had both a wife and a girlfriend, neither of whom understood him, or so he said. Lara understood him completely. He was simply a jerk. A jerk who not only designed games for every platform, but who also played them in real life. With people’s feelings.
She glanced towards Tom’s cottage. There were no lights on again this morning and it must be as dark as a dungeon inside in this weather. She had the lights turned on in almost every room, although she would turn most of them off once the cleaners had gone. She’d keep at least one or two on though.
Perhaps Tom preferred to sit in the dark. But why would he? And if he had the TV switched on, surely she would see a flicker of light from that. Maybe he preferred the radio. Or reading. But he would need some light to be able to read in this weather. None of his curtains were closed but she couldn’t see inside.
The kettle clicked off and Lara closed the back door and walked over to the kettle where she made one mug of strong tea with milk and two sugars for Greg, and one mug of coffee for herself. She grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge for Ula and stuffed it under her arm, and then she took them all through to the sitting room where she placed them on the new dining table.
Greg switched off the hoover and smiled, and Ula stopped polishing for one second.
‘Do you know Tom?’ Lara asked, unable to stop a niggling feeling she was experiencing. They both nodded. He was clearly the only Tom in Bluewater Bay. She was going to add that he lived in the cottage across from hers but she hadn’t needed to. ‘Is it usual for him to sit in the dark?’
‘I no understand,’ said Ula, glancing at Greg.
‘Wouldn’t have thought so,’ Greg replied. ‘Why?’
