Page 51 of Her Fixer Upper

To be honest, the idea of delaying the timetable seemed appealing, as I was dreading the moment when the work was completed and Charlie and I went our separate ways. But it was clear that Charlie was not of the same mindset.

‘I’m still not sure about it,’ I said.

‘Trust me, Freya,’ said Charlie, sounding confident.

Granddad chuckled. ‘Have a bit of faith in the lad. Anyway, it’s exactly like decorating a cake. And he’ll have expert guidance.’

‘What do you mean?’ I said.

‘Arthur means that he’ll be on standby on FaceTime to point out where I’m going wrong, don’t you?’ said Charlie.

‘You mustn’t push yourself too much,’ I said.

‘Don’t worry, I am stronger than I look,’ said Charlie with a twinkle.

‘I was talking to Granddad, as well you know.’

Our conversation was interrupted by someone knocking on the door. Ted let out a whuffling bark in response and stood up on Granddad’s lap, looking ready to defend him from whatever interloper might dare enter.

‘Shh, Ted,’ I hissed, looking desperately around for a hiding place and finding nowhere suitable. ‘What are we going to do with him?’

‘I’ll distract them, you take him out of the window,’ said Charlie.

‘Why am I the one climbing out the window?’

Charlie gave a fake cough which sounded remarkably like Ted’s bark. ‘Because I can do this, plus, as you keep on telling me, I’ve got the gift of the gab, and you’re far too much of a goody two shoes not to give us away by looking guilty.’

And that’s how I found myself with Ted squirming in my arms as I clambered out of the window, which thankfully was a ground-floor one, and then running across the care home garden like a burglar caught in the act.

‘You have a lot to answer for, matey,’ I said to Ted, tickling his nose affectionately as we hid behind Charlie’s car. ‘What’s taking him so long? I’m sure he and Granddad are up to something. What do you think?’ Ted’s response was to fall asleep in my arms, which meant that I was stuck in an extremely uncomfortable half squatting position, not daring to move in case I disturbed him.

‘What’s going on here then?’ an authoritative voice boomed from above. I jumped, making Ted wake up and emit a sleepy groan of protest.

I was about to launch into an obsequious apology for breaking care home rules when I realised that it was only Charlie messing about.

‘Thanks for nearly giving me a heart attack,’ I said. ‘You took your time. And you’ve broken the cardinal rule of dog care – never disturb a snoozing pooch. Ted’s worn out with all the excitement.’

‘Sorry about that. Ser…someone rang while I was on my way out,’ said Charlie. ‘I’ve got to pop out this evening by the way,’ he added casually. Too casually.

‘Sure, no problem. You don’t have to ask my permission,’ I said carefully, hoping that I was managing to keep my disappointment to myself. Since Granddad’s accident, Charlie had been sticking at my side like the supportive friend he was. Now that Granddad was recovering and I was in a better place, it seemed only fair for him to take a bit of time to meet up with Serena, which was obviously what he was doing.

‘How about you? What have you got planned for this evening?’ he asked.

‘Leila mentioned her roller derby team are having an open training session tonight. I thought I’d give it go,’ I said, plucking something, anything out of thin air that sounded a bit more interesting than my original inclination, which had been to stay in preparing for the start of the new term. I blamed the spectre of Serena for making me say it.

‘Like that filmWhip It? Fast-paced, hold nothing back and take no prisoners. Now that sounds like great fun,’ said Charlie. ‘Good for you. I’ll give you a lift there if you like. Isn’t roller derby a sport where everyone comes up with cool alternative names for themselves? You should go for “Hellraiser Hutch” or something like that. That would terrify the opposition.’

‘Not sure I’m much of a hellraiser. And I wouldn’t want to put you out, I’ll get the bus,’ I said, plotting how I could pretend to go for the bus and then return to the house when the coast was clear. I’d only said it to try to make myself sound less lame. I wasn’t sure I was brave enough to follow through on my rash declaration.

‘Don’t do yourself down. You can raise hell when you choose to, and that’s what matters. And it’s no bother for me to give you a lift,’ said Charlie with a smile which told me he’d probably seen through my plan.

True to his word, that evening he drove me to the door of the sports hall where the session was going to take place and waited, waving cheerily, until I’d walked through the doors and been scooped up by the team member in charge of welcoming newbies. Which is how I found myself tying the laces on a pair of borrowed roller skates while Leila did up my helmet and strapped pads around my knees and elbows.

‘The amount of protective equipment is making me seriously worried,’ I said, the nerves jangling in my stomach. ‘I haven’t worn this much kit since Year Ten hockey, which ended up with me getting a seriously bruised ankle and having to hobble around for most of the term.’

‘Which would you prefer, staying here and maybe falling on your bum a few times, or waiting around at home for Charlie to return from his date, or perhaps even stay out overnight, while your heart breaks a little more?’ Leila fixed me with her best no-nonsense expression.

‘That’s not what I’d be doing at all,’ I said, although she’d hit far too close to the truth for my liking. ‘You make me sound pathetic.’

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