Page 65 of Her Fixer Upper

‘Then I guess we’re back to sharing the single,’ I whispered against his ear. By that point, I think both of us were prepared to cast aside any health and safety concerns and go inside the house anyway so we could continue in more comfort. But the jarring sound of yet another slate sliding off the roof and smashing to the ground forced us back to our senses.

‘Perhaps we should get a professional out to assess the damage before we risk anything else. While I’d love to hear you say the earth moved for you,’ said Charlie, his eyes sparkling with mischief, ‘I’d prefer it to be in the heat of passion, rather than because the house was literally falling down around us.’ The expression on his face turned my insides molten.

I rested my forehead against his. ‘I suppose that would be for the best.’

‘I’ll give Serena a call,’ he said. ‘Have you figured out who she is yet?’ He looked amused.

‘Well, apparently she’s not your date.’

‘Serena’s far too sensible to want to get involved with me,’ said Charlie. I pretended to swipe at him, which made him laugh. ‘She’s the builder granddaughter of Arthur’s friend. She runs the firm that supplies us with skips. And she graciously allowed me to attend some of the classes she runs at the building college, giving me some extra tuition so that I could hold my own on the DIY front. Last night I was at a workshop on woodwork, then ended up staying on a mate’s sofa because the weather was so bad. Arthur suggested I take some lessons when I was chatting with him one day, and confessing that however hard I tried, I couldn’t seem to keep up with your fix-it skills.’

‘Hence your sudden talent for plastering and for putting kitchen cupboards together,’ I said with a smile. It was all starting to make sense now.

‘I can’t deny it. You always seemed to be so in control and to know exactly what you were doing. I didn’t want to let you down.’

‘You couldn’t let me down if you tried. And I’m a slave to the instructions, as well you know. But why didn’t you say something?’

‘Because I didn’t want to lose face in front of the woman I was falling in love with,’ admitted Charlie. ‘I might as well confess now that when we were kids I had the hugest crush on you. And as I got to know you better as an adult, that affection grew stronger, until I realised I was completely in love with the woman you’ve become. And I wanted to impress you. It sounds so childish when I put it like that.’

‘You didn’t have to become an overnight success at building to impress me, Charlie. Your kindness, your support, and the way you can always make me laugh did that for you. I wish we’d both said something sooner.’

‘It’s always easier in hindsight. Besides, I was hoping you’d find your own way to overturning The Rules.’

‘I was desperate to, but I was scared at the same time. It felt like there was so much at stake. But I should have known better, and talked to you about it.’

‘Communication is key,’ said Charlie lightly. ‘I’m pretty sure that’s mentioned several times in The Rules.’

‘Damn The Rules,’ I said, before I kissed him to soften the harshness of my words. ‘We don’t need guidelines telling us how to be with each other.’

‘I couldn’t agree more,’ he said.

* * *

Serena’s professional assessment of Oak Tree Cottage was thankfully that it was not in imminent danger of falling down. She did however advise the addition of some scaffolding to support the walls and heavy-duty tarpaulin to cover the holes in the roof before we moved back in again. And she warned us that we were going to have to come up with a better solution before the winter really set in. Thanks to her connections in the trade, she managed to get contractors out on the same day to chop up our beloved oak tree and remove the parts of it that were inside the house. She went away to compile an estimate of how much the new building work was going to cost, but judging by the expression on her face when she’d seen the damage, it was going to be a fair sum.

Once Oak Tree Cottage had been declared safe to re-enter, Charlie and I picked our way through the wreckage of our kitchen, our feet crunching on the new floor covering of leaves, twigs and sawdust.

‘I think we’re going to need more than a fresh coat of paint to make this look good again,’ he said.

When I didn’t reply, he turned to see what I was looking at.

‘You wrote this when we were decorating,’ I said. I pointed at the inscription on the floor, which had been exposed because the cabinet above it had been knocked out of place by the tree. Either side of Ted’s paw print were our signatures, but I noticed that an additional word had been added between them so it now read, ‘Charlie Humphries loves Freya Hutchinson.’

Charlie blushed. ‘It seemed like too good an opportunity to miss,’ he admitted.

‘So that’s why you put the cupboard in place so quickly while I was letting Ted out into the garden. I wish I’d seen it then, it would have saved a lot of heartache. You’re a sentimental soul, Charlie Humphries.’ I stood up and gave him a hug, pulling him tight to me so he could hear the next words I whispered. ‘It’s one of the many reasons I love you.’

‘I should graffiti the kitchen floor more often,’ he murmured in response.

I brushed some broken twigs away so I could see it more clearly.

‘I know the tree has caused us major issues, but I’m also sad that it’s no longer standing. It was so majestic. The place isn’t the same without it. Oak Tree Cottage without the oak tree.’ I shook my head. ‘It seems wrong.’

‘Ah, but you don’t have to worry about that,’ said Charlie. ‘Let me show you something.’

He led me across the garden to a patch of earth just beyond Ted’s run.

‘When I was clearing space for the hound and making the garden doggy-proof, I found a tiny tree which must have sprouted naturally from a fallen acorn. Look.’ He pointed out a small sapling, which was only about a foot high.

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