Page 44 of Paper Roses

He nods rather reluctantly, and only then do I glance at Eric. He has a smile playing on his lips.

“Can I help you, Eric? Do you need some dynamite to blow next door down so we can get a better garden? Or maybe we can get Tyler to take the roof off and issue us umbrellas.”

He groans. “I do apologise. We shall of course be doing the repairs free of charge and Tyler will never hold a lump hammer again in his life, which is going to be a lot shorter if he doesn’t do as he’s told.”

I snort but Artie looks earnestly at Eric. “He’s a good lad. He was just trying to help.”

“I bet the fall of Troy was predated by someone saying, ‘I know what will help’,” I observe.

Artie laughs, his face lighting up. “You could be right.”

“Well, I’m glad I’ve caught you both in good moods,” Eric says, settling his backside against the low garden wall.

“It’s possibly hyperbole to describe it as a good mood,” I say.

“You’re laughing, aren’t you?”

“That’s just incipient hysteria.”

“Well, I bring news of a slight delay.”

“Oh yes?” I ask resignedly.

Artie makes a disappointed sound, and I squeeze his shoulder. He’s never renovated somewhere before, and he cameinto this project with the usual rosy-eyed ideals of everything going according to plan and budget. I make a mental note to top up Eric with more money. I’ve been helping him stay on the ever-expanding budget. Artie might very well be furious when he finds out, but for now, what he doesn’t know can’t hurt him, and it keeps his own money safe.

“We’ve found water damage in the walls of one of the bedrooms you’d earmarked to be done first. I need to stop work on it until I can be sure there hasn’t been any structural damage.”

“Ohno,” Artie says. “Which one?”

“The one at the front of the house.”

That was supposed to be my room. I grimace. “How long?”

“About a week. And that’s a conservative estimate, because we’ll have to wait for the building inspector to come out, and he’s always busy.”

“But that will only leave us with one bedroom,” Artie says.

I freeze because that hadn’t occurred to me.

Eric grimaces. “Sorry about that, but it is a guest room. Your and Jed’s room is fine and the en suite bathroom in there will be done by the end of day. The decorator comes in a couple of days so that side of the upstairs will be lovely.”

It wasn’t exactly a guest room, but he isn’t to know that. “It’s fine,” I say. “These things happen.”

He gives me a grateful smile and then vanishes into the house. Within seconds, we can hear him bellowing at someone. Artie and I sit in a silence so deep that I swear I can hear his brain whirring.

Then he jumps to his feet and turns to me. “What are we going to do, Jed? That was going to be your bedroom.”

I stand up. “The main bedroom is okay, so you can have that,” I say instantly. I hesitate. “I can always continue to stay at the hotel,” I suggest reluctantly. I don’t want to leave him.

“You can’t do that. Mr Davies will be visiting.”

I relax. “I don’t want to stay at the hotel,” I admit. “And not because of Mr Davies. I’m a little concerned that the squatters might take it upon themselves to come back. I’m not leaving you alone with that possibility.”

“Would they do that?” He gives me a tragic face. “God, I’m so glad you’re doing this with me. It would have been a disaster left to me. I never think of these things happening. I’m such anidiot.”

He’s edged closer and the distress is real in his voice. He’s always been very hard on himself and now I have an inkling as to why. I wrap my arms around him, automatically pulling him closer to comfort him. His heart is beating as fast as a baby bird’s. “If it had been just you, you would have been fine,” I say firmly. “You’re amazing. You’re capable, calm, and very intelligent.”

“Well, I certainly don’t feel it right now.”

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