Page 40 of A Fresh Start on Crumcarey
‘This is amazing,’ breathed Maggie.
‘So… the next question is - where do you want it?’ said Luke. ‘I didn’t want to decide for you – obviously!’ he added quickly.
‘I don’t want to be too much trouble…’ said Maggie again.
‘Hush!’ chuckled Luke. ‘You might as well make the most of me while you’ve got me here.’
Luke caught a small flinch as some kind of emotion he couldn’t quite place flashed across her face. It was gone as fast as it had appeared, and before he could wonder if he’d said something wrong, a bright smile reappeared on her face.
‘In that case, I’m not sure,’ said Maggie. ‘The carpet looks even better than I imagined… so now’s definitely the time to change things up a bit! What do you think? Where would you put it?’
‘Well… you’ve got some options,’ said Luke. ‘Wait just a sec.’
Grabbing one end of the bulky sofa, he dragged it over towards one of the walls, before dropping it in place and waiting for her verdict.
She didn’t say anything.
‘So, this is option one!’ he prompted.
Holding up one finger, Luke executed an elaborate dive into the cushions before striking a pose. With his head resting on one hand, he grinned at her as he lifted one leg in the air, doing his best to point his toes like a ballet dancer.
Maggie snorted with laughter.
‘You’d get the dappled light in the mornings – streaming in through the window and hitting you while you enjoy your breakfast,’ he said, putting on a posh accent and pretending he was presenting an interiors TV show.
‘Dappled light?’ chuckled Maggie.
‘Okay, you’re going to have to use your imagination until I’ve had the chance to get rid of those boards and fix that window,’ said Luke, reverting to his normal voice as he struggled to sit up. ‘What do you think?’
Maggie cocked her head. ‘Hmm… maybe… but it’s not quite right.’
‘Okie dokey… how about this then…’
Luke got to his feet and towed the sofa in a semi-circle until it had its back to the window so that it was now facing the wall. Once again, he bounced down into the cushions, this time grabbing an imaginary remote control and pointing it at the wall.
‘Just imagine a fifty-two-inch flat-screen TV right there,’ said Luke. ‘Chillax and watch non-stop adverts and those appalling mini-series back to back!’
Maggie shook her head, looking horrified.
‘No?’ he said, fluttering his eyelashes innocently at her.
‘Adefiniteno to the TV,’ she laughed. ‘And I don’t fancy staring at a blank wall either!’
‘Thank heavens for that,’ said Luke. ‘Alright, gimmie a hand for the next one?’
Maggie nodded. ‘Where are we going.’
‘Swing it around to you?’ said Luke.
Maggie dragged one end in a wide arc while Luke lifted the other and angled it towards the wood burner.
‘There?’ she said, stepping back to take a look.
‘Let me model it for you!’ said Luke, shooting her a grin before pulling on his poker face. Then he raised his armsabove his head like an Olympic diver and leapt onto the lumpy cushions. Milking it for all it was worth, he turned to face Maggie, arms and legs akimbo.
‘I like it!’ she chuckled.
‘You wait till you’ve tried it!’ he said with a wink, waggling his eyebrows and patting the cushion next to him with an exaggerated invitation.
