Page 38 of The Tape Job
She nods and pours herself a coffee, grabbing another mug and pouring one for me, too. And before I know it, we’re sitting on the sofa acting like we’re old friends or something, watching some crap called ‘Homes Under the Hammer’ that Ryan stumbled upon. It’s about home renovation, and it’s got corny theme music that ends up stuck in my head. The BBC knows what it’s doing because after the second run-down house, I’m hooked—curious to find out what happened with the one-bed-flat in Durham.
“This is good inspiration,” Ryan says during the first commercial break.
“Inspiration for what?” Vicky says.
“Lee and I are thinking about flipping houses.”
“Do you think we could actually do it, though?” I say, fixed on the damn TV.
“I think we could,” Ryan says. “We’ve got the money to do it, bro. If we could get Johnny involved too, he’s good with tools, and you did that woodwork stuff in college.”
Shit, I’d forgotten about the woodwork stuff. It’s been a long time.
“I’ve been talking to Danny, and he’s interested in running a gym. I was considering if that’d be something worth pursuing,” I say.
As soon as the words are out, I realise what I’m implying—that I’m staying, too. I mumble something about us perhaps doing it back home to cover my ass.
“Maybe,” Ryan says, a worry on his face because I know he’s not planning on going back. But when the scene changes to the flat in Durham, we’re quiet again.
“I need to speak to Danny,” he says. “We can look at buying a building suitable for a gym and renovate it first. It can be exactly as we want it then. You can do your PT thing there?”
With excitement in his eyes, he quickly disappears into the room he shares with Jen.
“What PT thing?” Vicky asks.
“Just an idea I’ve got for when I retire. But the house flipping thing is something I’m really keen on.”
“You know these things don’t happen overnight, right? The season will be almost over by the time you buy a place,” she says.
“Well, I haven’t figured out all the details.”
She adjusts herself to sit cross-legged. My eyes immediately dash to her crotch, knowing what fucking joy lies within. I want to get up and walk away, but I’ve got a semi now and she’ll one hundred per cent notice. Everyone knows grey sweatpants are unforgiving.
She moves again, stretching a leg out, but all I see is a vision of that leg slung over my shoulder while I—
“Lee, are you coming? I’ve got to swing by the realtor’s office before I pick Jen up,” Ryan says as he wanders back out of his room with a laptop under his arm.
To my relief, Vicky stands up and excuses herself. I must be staring at the space she’s left because Ryan throws a cushion at my head, startling me.
“Right, yes. I’m coming.”
I wish I was.
Chapter 10
Vicky
I rest my cheek on the cold surface of my desk. Jen pops an earbud out and looks at me. “How did it go?”
“How did what go?” I ask.
“Your meeting with the GM? That’s where you’ve been, right?”
“Oh, Fuck!”
I sit back up in a panic, glancing at the clock. I’m ten minutes late. I’m never late, but since the season opener, I’ve been all over the place. I’m not sleeping properly, I’m hardly eating, and I feel like I’m being followed around by a black cloud.
“Vicky, you’ve got a Post-It note stuck to your face,” Bella, the marketing assistant, says as I walk past her desk.
