Page 26 of You, As You Are

“Ridiculous!” A little wobbly with her left hand, Vera poured out another cupful from the teapot. “Another strong pair of legs to lift these heavy boxes is no bad thing.”

“But whyhim?” It occurred to Maisie too late that she’d whined. “What about Ronnie?”

“Ronald is seventy-three, petal. He cannot lift anything.”

Can’t lift!?The man hiked up an entire cliffside last weekend, but she wouldn’t say that out loud.

“And with my wrist …” Vera added with a downturned look at her purple cast. As if the thing had stopped her at all from doing whatever she wanted in the last weeks.

Maisie poked her tongue against her cheek, trying to figure out what the game was, here. It might’ve taken them a little longer, but they didn’tneedhelp.

“Fine.”

She waved her white flag after a minute – there was no point in arguing, and the radio had gone suspiciously quiet. Iain hadprobably heard every word of this conversation; the walls were thin in this house, as Maisie learned when Ronnie had been over the other evening. She was sure that a few of the noises coming from the living room that night had had absolutely nothing to do with the film Vera and her boyfriend were supposedly watching.

Perhaps there was an opportunity in this. Iain was attractive in a way that hadn’t intrigued her before, and Maisie was … well, her garden hadn’t been tended to in a while, so to speak. Her hormones were all over the place, and the one that told her to seek comfort in the arms of a man was rather loud these days.

She didn’t know about Iain’s arms, but his broad chest might make a good pillow, though she could never get to that point if she didn’t spend any time with him. Sure he might be a little gruff and brawny and slightly standoffish, but there was a softness there beneath that tough exterior – she knew it.

Why else would he have agreed to help her – a stranger – today if he was solid stone to the core?

What was she thinking? She wasn’t here in Wales to flirt and date. She was here to keep an eye on Vera and only that.

When Maisie stepped back into the living room, Mister Roberts was rubbing himself against Iain’s leg, and Iain was bent over, stroking him.

Him turning up to help her move house she could just about believe. But this?Nope. A rip in time must have happened somewhere in the universe because that demon-sent test of a cat never purred up against anyone like that.

“Here’s your tea, love.” Vera emerged from behind Maisie’s frozen body.

“Thanks, Vera.” The delicate china was tiny in Iain’s hand. Only one of his fingers fitted through the loop of the handle. Maisie didnotneed that image or any associated thoughts of big hands lingering in her mind.

“You drink up, pet. Now where shall we get started?”

Vera started delegating orders as if she were back in the old schoolroom she’d taught in for forty years. That primary school classroom was the reason why everyone born and bred in Aber knew Ms Vera’s face. Maisie couldn’t imagine having that many people recognising her when she was out simply grocery shopping, but hernainalways had a smile for everyone who came up to her to reminisce.

Maisie sidled up to Iain while Vera wiggled her hips to the tune on the radio. “You don’t have to do this,” she whispered.

“Surprised to see me?” he said.

“A little.” She wasn’t so rude as to askwhyhe was here helping a woman he’d met only once to move house.

Holding his teacup against his stomach, he dipped his chin to his shoulder. “I got cornered on the walk yesterday.”

Oh my days.So Maisie had been right: the woman who pushed packed boxes with her feet in front of themhadorchestrated this.

She exhaled her irritation, fingers scrunching up her denim overalls. “I’m so sorry. You can go if you want to. I’m sure that you have other plans.”

“I’m here. Might as well help.”

That wasn’t the point. The point was that her grandma had guilt-tripped him, and Maisie had to follow her trail apologising.

Iain mistook her annoyance for being directed at him. “I can go if you’d rather?—”

“No, it’s just I?—”

“Come on you two!” Vera clicked her fingers. “You can chopse later.”

“Chopse?” Maisie muttered.

---