Page 72 of Sunshine After the Rain

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Oliver and Rosie had been incredibly supportive, telling me to take as much time off as I needed, but I’d managed to keep on top of the Willowdale Hall project and my work for other clients by working flexibly around supporting Dad. On Monday morning, it was time to return to a routine. I went to Casa Alpaca first thing and helped Emma clean up and feed the herd. Being around the alpacas was so calming. As I stroked Maud’s neck and she nuzzled against me, I pictured Mum and how happy she’d been during the meet and greet. What a blessing that I’d been able to arrange something so special for her before she left us.

Returning to the hall a little later, I showered and changed, then went to the kitchen to make some breakfast. Rosie was pacing up and down between the oven and the island unit, her phone pressed to her ear, and she did not look impressed. Feeling like I might be intruding, I backed away mouthing an apology but she indicated that I was fine to stay.

‘While I do appreciate you calling me first thing this morning,’ she said, her tone strong, ‘it would have been far more helpful if you’d let me know a couple of weeks ago… Yes, I understand that, but look at it from my perspective. You’re the one who set the timetable so I don’t think it was an unreasonable assumption that those timescales worked for you… I don’t think I sound angry at all…’

She glanced at me questioningly and I shook my head.

‘What you can hear is frustration and disappointment… In that case, let’s just forget the whole thing. I’ll pay you for the materials and we’ll call that the end… Yes, I do mean that… You’re seriously asking me why? Because I’m not sure who you’re used to working with but I’m used to working with professionals… You can interpret that however you choose. I just think… Hello? Hello?’

Rosie took her phone away from her ear and scowled at it. ‘He hung up on me. How rude is that?’

‘That didn’t sound like a good phone call.’

‘It wasn’t.’ She flicked the kettle on to boil. ‘Urgh! I hate confrontations. Sorry to land you with this first thing but, if you hadn’t already guessed, that was Dougie Standish. Apparently he’s over-committed on his projects and has decided not to work on the boat house after all because it’s not as profitable as some of his other work.’

My eyebrows shot up. ‘He actually said that?’

‘Yep. Can you believe the audacity? So I’ve sacked him. I’m sorry. I know that wasn’t my decision to make but I can’t bear people who give you the runaround then let you down at the eleventh hour like that. So it looks like there’ll be a major delay on the boat house and probably everything else.’

She dropped a teabag into a mug and made herself a drink, slopping milk all over the work surface and missing the bin with the used teabag, sighing loudly as it splatted onto the floor.

‘Oh, my God! I didn’t offer you a drink, Mel. I’m so sorry.’

‘I think your mind’s elsewhere. You take a seat and I’ll sort it.’

‘He said he’d got another builder lined up to take over but they wouldn’t be free immediately which is the point when the conversation took a bad turn. He said he’d email their details over but I doubt he will now.’

My stomach lurched. Dougie Standish knew Flynn. What if it was him he’d recommended? I tensed as Rosie scrolled on her phone.

‘Oh! He has. Must have done it before I sacked him. Baz Bempton. Anyone you know?’

‘No. Not come across him before.’

Rosie tutted, shaking her head. ‘I can’t imagine we’ll find anyone else at this short notice so there’s going to be a delay anyway. Should I get in touch with Baz? And what about Dougie? Should I apologise and reinstate him?’

Rosie was usually really calm but she looked fraught.

‘Is everything okay?’ I asked. ‘You don’t seem yourself this morning.’

‘I’m nervous and it’s putting me on edge. Oliver doesn’t want to stop being a GP but he would prefer to be closer to home so he’s been putting out feelers. One of the GPs in a practice in Keswick has unexpectedly decided to take early retirement so Oliver’s got a telephone interview over lunch.’

‘That’s fantastic news. Is Oliver nervous too?’

‘He’s taking it in his stride but I’ve got myself into a bit of a state. I want him to get it so badly. No more commuting would mean more time together.’

‘I’m sure he’ll ace it.’ I held up my crossed fingers. ‘Forward me the email with this Baz Bempton’s details and I’ll do some digging before you call him. Wouldn’t want to offer him the job and discover mid-build that Dougie’s fed us a dud.’

I made some toast and took it up to my bedroom while I did some research. Half an hour later, I found Rosie in the library.

‘Bad news. I don’t think I’ve seen a builder with so many negative reviews and complaints. It’s a no for the boat house and a hell no for the rest of the work because he has no experience of renovating historical buildings.’

‘Argh! I should have known that somebody available at such short notice would be no good. I’ll email Dougie and tell him not to send Baz round.’ She released a heavy sigh and shook her head. ‘So we’re back to square one. Nobody for the boat house and nobody for the hall unless I grovel. I don’t suppose you have any contacts from when you lived here before?’

Yes, and he was the best of the best. I thought about what Flynn had said outside The White Willow when he’d congratulated me on securing the Willowdale Hall project.How many times did we fantasise about working on the hall together one day? It’s amazing that one of us has had that dream come true.Flynn deserved this opportunity to have his dream come true too. I looked at Rosie’s eager expression and knew I was going to have to put my personal feelings aside. It was the least I could do after everything I’d put him through. Was still putting him through.

‘There is someone, but it’s been a lot of years and I don’t know what he’s trading as. I’ll do a search and come back to you.’

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