Page 12 of Fix Them Up
‘I’ve changed my mind. I don’t need a Kevin, a Liam, or whatever your name is.’
He turned back, that eyebrow cocked again. ‘You’ve changed your mind?’
I crossed my arms. ‘I mean, I need to look into options anyway. I can’t hire the first builder who walks into my house unannounced –’
Frustration flickered in Liam’s eyes. ‘Youcalledme.’
‘Yes, I know. But either way, I don’t want to hire the first builder. I need to compare quotes.’
I had no clue what I was saying, but I knew I didn’t want to work with this man who had seen me at my worst. He’d seen me angry. He’d seen me cry. He’d seen me hungover. If I were a mafia boss, I’d call in a hit on Liam.
Liam sighed. ‘Look – Lydia asked me to look into it, so I’m going to. She is family, which annoyingly means you are too.’
I bristled at his words. ‘It’s my house.’
‘And you need it renovating.’ He glanced around the hallway like it was a pit of despair. Rude, again.
‘I’ll tell Lydia that I’m not interested. You’re set free of your… obligation.’
‘Let me guess. This is because of the car parking space, isn’t it?’
‘No.’
Those brown eyes flickered with heat. ‘Yes, it is. Admit it.’
‘Well, could you blame me? It was my dad’s funeral.’
‘Youwere the one late for your own dad’s funeral, not me.’
I reared back, reeling. ‘Are you kidding me?’
Liam winced. ‘I didn’t –’
‘Well, you did,’ I snapped back.
Oh, he’d done it now.
I stepped forward, trying to look as intimidating as possible, which was challenging when I hadn’t brushed my hair yet.
‘You know what? I don’t need some entitled, rude builder with an attitude problem. I need someone who will help me, and you are decidedlyunhelpful. I don’t need this.’ I shooed him towards the door. ‘There isn’t the right synergy here.’ I gestured between myself and Liam like Willa does when she explains why clients leave our roster.
‘Synergy.’ Liam gave a bitter laugh that didn’t meet his eyes. ‘Fucking Southerners,’ he muttered loud enough for me to hear as he retreated to his van.
‘Nice to meet you, Kat,’ Liam shouted sarcastically over his shoulder.
‘Ditto,’ I shouted back.
I tried to throw the door shut in a dramatic statement, but it bounced back softly, not matching my vibe. I gave an irritated huff-slash-scream and stomped upstairs to wash the hangover shame off my body.
Then, I would hire the best damn builder in Greater Manchester.
Chapter Five
‘Six months?’ My shrill voice cut through the overgrown garden to the point I was sure the neighbours four doors down probably heard.
‘Yeah, I’m afraid so.’ Mac’s tinkling laughter came down my phone. ‘We’ve got a load of jobs on the go as it is. Six months is a best-case scenario. It could be longer; we can’t always predict problems. I’m sorry.’
Mackenzie’s Construction was the third company I’d rung up, and it seemed the safest bet. Mac was an experienced builder, with generations of builders in her family. Unlike the first builder I’d called, she came with a load of recommendations; she’d quoted for the work without seeing the house and wanted the total paid upfront before she’d even started. Sure, I didn’t know what I was doing for the most part, but I could spot a cowboy builder when I saw one.
