Page 41 of Fix Them Up
Liam shook his head. ‘A serial killer.’
‘I know, right!’
‘I’ve got proper shower gel.’
‘Phew.’
‘It’s five-in-one.’
I groaned. ‘Take me back to the tent. Please!’
He smiled, shaking his head. ‘Let’s not joke about the tent.’
‘Too soon?’
‘Too soon.’
Chapter Thirteen
Liam drove us through a modern estate of houses that all had the same kind of look but different configurations – some detached, semi-detached or terrace style. It was clearly an area that had been regenerated recently because it had that new design to the roads that made it feel like a toy town. We pulled up in front of a detached house with large floor-to-ceiling windows and a huge grey front door. It had to be one of the biggest of the designs.
It was gorgeous, even if it wasn’t to my personal taste. I also hadn’t pegged Liam as modern and sleek. I could see him wearing plaid shirts and chopping trees in a remote cabin in the woods, not wearing a suit, making coffee with an overpriced appliance as this house suggested.
I whistled. ‘Very nice.’
Liam shrugged. ‘I bought it in a bit of a rush about four years ago. I wouldn’t usually go for new builds ’cos they are usually built like shit.’ He glanced out. ‘And so many of these new estates are pushing people from neighbourhoods they’ve lived in since they were born. I could justify this, just about. It was a derelict industrial estate.’
‘They’re pushing people out of their homes? How can they do that?’
‘Compulsory purchase. They have no choice.’
‘That’s not fair.’
‘No. Progress is progress, I guess. Gentrification isn’t a London thing, you know.’ He shot me a wry look.
‘Why were you in such a rush to buy?’
Liam glanced away. ‘I’d broken up with my ex. I moved into a flat in town for a bit, but it wasn’t… practical. I needed somewhere to live and quickly.’
His comments triggered tons of questions, sprouting in my head at speed. But from his tense body language, it was clear that was all the information he would give. So I climbed out of the van, running to the boot in the rain.
Liam’s hand covered mine.
‘Go stand on the porch.’ I wanted to reject his attempt at chivalry, but I was fucking freezing, so I stood undercover as Liam grabbed my bags. Acts of service, indeed. Liam fished for his keys in his pockets and opened the door.
Liam sighed. ‘I’ll put the heating on. Bloody freezing.’
‘Are you sure this is okay?’ I blurted out, making Liam stop.
He turned around and came back to stand in front of me. His hair had dried a little bit in the car, making it curl slightly at the nape of his neck. His eyes flickered around my face.
‘I told you. The annexe is always empty. It feels silly not to use it.’
I took a deep breath, trying to calm the buzzing in my chest.
‘You okay?’ Liam said, frowning. ‘Are you cold?’
‘I’m fine. Just a bit overwhelmed.’
