Page 13 of A Long Way Back
“How long have you been working forHelper?” Julian asked.
Thank you, God.Ink swallowed his laugh. “This would be my first job with them. What about you?”
“If I get this, it’ll be my second. The eighty-six-year-old guy I was looking after went to live in a nursing home.”
Ink’s brain was jumping all over the place. This didn’t sound as if it had anything to do with Sad Guy. More than one person lived at number seventeen. There were three flats. He’d checked. This sounded like a home-help service for elderly people.
“I thought they said no dogs.” Julian looked down at Dog.
“I’m just minding him. Can we sit outside? If I tie him up, he’ll whine.”
“Okay. I’ll get the coffees. What would you like?”
“Just a straight black coffee. Thanks.”
Ink sat at a table and put his stuff on the ground. No one was looking at him. No one was watching. If it had been Carter earlier, he wouldn’t have given up. If it had been Carter, he’d have called out his name. If it had been Carter, Ink would be on a train right now.
By the time Julian brought out the drinks, Ink was still trying to figure this out. A job offering help, but doing what? He put a handful of coins for the coffee on the table and Julian pocketed them.Pity.
“You’ve got a lot of gear with you.” He nodded at Ink’s stuff.
“I had to leave my flat unexpectedly.”
Julian gave a short laugh. “So youreallyneed this job.”
“I’ve somewhere to go. I’m not that desperate. I might not like the guy.”Oh God, I already do. Sort of.Assuming itwasSad Guy, though he was pretty sure it wasn’t.“What sort of things will need doing, do you know?”Please don’t say the usual.
“The usual, I guess. Shopping, cooking, cleaning, providing company. I can’t understand why more people don’t do this. Free room and boardandyou get paid!”
Ink’s ears pricked up and Dog lifted his head and looked at him.
“Sometimes, depending on how much help the client needs, you can even manage full or part time work as well. My first client was so easy. He slept a lot and I had loads of time to study. I’m at the University of Greenwich.”
Ink didn’t even need to ask leading questions. Julian barely paused to draw breath. Now Ink knew exactly what this morning’s group of people had come for. Someone at 17 Rimmington Road needed live-in help. Although this hadn’t been what Ink had anticipated, maybe this was a job he could do, a reason to stay longer, a chance to legitimately bump into Sad Guy, find out why he was sad, and get him to fall in love with Dog.
Get real. You’re not on their books. You have no references and you can’t get involved with anyone.Reality knocked sense into his head.
He left Dog with Julian while he went into the café toilet to have a quick wash and clean his teeth. By the time they returned to the house, Ink had talked himself out of any chance of this resulting in a job.
“Shit,” Julian mumbled. “Where is everyone?”
He knocked on the door and Ink hung back. The guy who’d spoken on the steps earlier opened it.
“Am I late? Sorry,” Julian said.
“He’s been quicker than I expected. You’re fine. Come on in.” The guy glanced at Ink and gave him a puzzled look before he went inside with Julian.
Ink sat on the step next to Dog and waited.
It seemed no time at all before Julian was emerging and Ink stood up.
Julian shrugged and shook his head slightly as he went past.“Good luck,” he muttered.
The older guy at the door looked down at Dog. “There weren’t supposed to be any pets.”
“He’s not mine.”Sorry, Dog.Of course, Dog immediately jumped up at Ink, wagging his tail.
“I’m Jeff Robertson.” He held out his hand.
