Chapter 21
Ten o’clock came and went. It was SOS DIY day, and the only tradesperson there was Nikki’s husband, Kev, who was busy up a stepladder putting a new starter in one of the strip-lights in the hall, which was literally on the blink. Dan was stood at the ladder’s base keeping him steady.
It had been a massive relief, at least, when Dan went to turn the heating on, and they heard the old boiler clunking to life and the radiators gurgling into action. In fact, Nikki and Andreas gave a whoop! of delight and high-fived each other at that point.
But as one job was fixed, another seemed to line up to fill its place. It was like playing DIY Whack-A-Mole. Cath already had kitchen tap, leaky gents’ toilet, dodgy door handle to kitchen, plus paint the hall – a huge task alone – on her ‘Repairs’ list.
And, the more worrying news was that the oven thermostats were proving very ‘challenging to source’, Kev’d told them with a frown, being listed (unnervingly) as obsolete.
He’d come in to check over the electrical equipment some time ago, hoping to get a head start, and had instead been given a headache.
Cath felt the nagging pulse of a headache too, what with the oven hold-up and no one as yet turning up to help today.
Had the supper club group been too damn hopeful, unrealistic, naive?
Imagining the village were on board and ready to turn out in force?
That the local trades might be happy to help for free?
Cath felt annoyed with herself, for pushing for this idea in the first place. What had she been thinking?
Andreas looked at his watch one more time: twenty-five past ten.
Dan shrugged, his face showing concern. What was going on?
The list in the shop had had several names on.
Volunteers, of all trades, apparently eager to help out for a good cause.
So where were they? Why the delay? Had they found something better to do with their time?
Realised that doing something for nothing wasn’t the best plan business-wise?
Or had they, in fact, felt pressured to add their names to the list, merely appearing to be doing the right thing, in a bid to exit the shop?
‘Right then, while we’re waiting,’ Cath announced, ‘I’m going to get our paint supplies and equipment ready, and organise the hall.
There’s enough paint to start us off at least. Once Kev’s finished up there, I’ve got several dust sheets to lay out to help protect the parquet flooring.
And then, does anyone fancy a cuppa?’ she offered, needing something to keep her busy.
She was feeling restless and a touch irritable, concerned that no one other than their posse was actually going to turn up.
Lily and Nikki had gone to fetch some spare tins of cream paint that were apparently lurking in Lily’s parents’ garage, and seeing the turnout was so low – read: non-existent – also try to twist Lily’s parents’ arms to come along and give them a hand.
Even Will was AWOL – hopefully just running late – without a message or anything, which wasn’t like him.
Cath wasn’t sure, at this point, whether to be cross or concerned about him.
The lads from the shop had come across laden with teabags, instant coffee, a large carton of milk, shortbread biscuits and as promised on the poster, a plastic tub filled with Andreas’s sticky-honey baklava, to keep the ‘workers’, who were of course currently absent, happy.
Dust sheets put out, Cath was now in the old school’s kitchen setting out mugs on the side.
Kev was there now too, sporting a pale-buttocked builder’s bum on the other side of the room, as he navigated the interior of one of the enormous ovens.
Apparently double-checking model and serial numbers, and taking photographs, in his bid to find those elusive parts.
Now that was a sight for a Sunday morning.
Blimey, there was always a crack in the job somewhere, Cath thought, trying to cheer herself up.
‘Cuppa, Kev?’
‘Please, love,’ his deep voice echoed from the oven.
There was time yet, Cath told herself. They had put from ten a.m. after all, and it was advertised as a ‘drop-in’ on the poster in the shop.
‘Hey, sorry I’m a bit late. Sophie’s here for the weekend.’ Will finally strolled in, his tone seeming measured.
At last. She’d been feeling somewhat irritated by his absence. Actually, he looked a bit pale. Did she ask how things were? Had something happened at home?
But then he started talking again. ‘Just popped in to the hall, uhm, it’s pretty quiet, isn’t it?’
‘Yeah, ah …’ Her shoulders dropped and she couldn’t hold back her sigh any longer.
‘Well, it’s just, I really hoped the village would get on board with this.
Some DIY SOS this is; it’s just the SOS bit right now.
’ She couldn’t help but feel disillusioned, and rather cross with herself, to be honest, for leading them all down this path.
There was going to be so much work for their little team now.
‘Hey, come on, there’s plenty of time yet.’ Will’s words were meant to reassure, but as Cath glanced his way, he looked kind of worried too.
‘Ah, you’re right, I think I’m just tired. It’s early in the day. Things can change.’ There was no point being down about it.
‘Okay, so I’ve come to give you a hand taking the drinks back to the gang.’
‘Thanks. And are you okay?’ she dared to ask, more personally, wondering what might have caused his delay, his own disquiet. This might be the only chance they’d get to speak as just the two of them today.
His dark eyes were on hers. He merely nodded, adding, ‘Yeah, I’m fine.’ But Cath knew him well enough to know there was a cover-up going on.
They hadn’t had chance to catch up in person since their steamy session, and that was a week ago now; that had been worrying her, too.
Cath was trying to read the lines between their ongoing messages, giving him the space she knew he still needed whilst letting him know she was there for him, whenever, however.
She was ready to give so much, yet seemingly getting little in return.
Like the village turnout that hadn’t happened, was she just expecting too much from him?
One night of glorious sex didn’t mean a lifetime of promises, after all.
‘Mine’s two sugars, please, pet,’ bellowed a deep voice from the cavern of the oven.
Oops, they hadn’t been alone at all. No chance for any heartfelt conversation now. That was the end of that.
*
‘You okay, petal?’ Andreas asked kindly as they stood side by side sipping their warm drinks.
The slice of sticky baklava only marginally lifted her mood.
‘Yeah, I’m all right, thanks,’ replied Cath, trying to perk herself up.
‘Just hoping we can pull this thing off. There’s so much work involved already.
And we haven’t even got as far as planning the food and the event itself.
’ There was far more to think about than she’d first imagined.
As well as a lunch event, they had somehow taken on renovating a whole village hall. And it was snowballing.
‘Yep, but we will once we get the hall and its facilities up and running, thanks to people like Kev here.’ Andreas gestured.
Kev was stood with the gang, brew in hand. ‘Cheers, mate.’
‘Then, it’ll be more straightforward,’ Andreas continued, ‘and we can get down to planning the event itself.’
‘We’ll darn well give it our best shot,’ said Dan, who’d been listening in, next to his partner.
‘But hey, where’s a plumber when you need one?
’ he added wryly, scanning the hall as though he might summon one up.
The tradespeople who’d put their names forward in the shop were still missing in action just now.
Thankfully, once the coffees were down to the dregs, the hall door creaked open and there stood the first of the volunteers.
John and Mary, Cath’s next-door neighbours, offering to help with the painting, John having been a keen decorator in his time, apparently.
Bless them, they must both be approaching eighty.
Cath’d find them some light tasks. Soon to be followed by – yes!
– three of the hall’s committee, Andreas introducing them as Nigel, Keith and Dorothy.
Nigel came bearing a two-thirds-full can of Dulux Magnolia. The supper group had purchased two large cans of Magnolia from the hardware store in Kirkton to start today’s project off with the proceeds of the shop’s raffle so far, but crikey, paint was expensive.
Slowly but surely, more volunteers began to arrive. Including, rather wonderfully, Lily and her parents, each carrying a five-litre tin of emulsion.
‘Hi, guys. This is Mum and Dad, ah, Anna and Jason.’
‘Hi.’
‘Hello.’
‘Nice to meet you.’
Anna gave a smile. ‘Yeah, I got a bit carried away ordering paint when we did up the barn. Natural Calico, this is. It’s pretty close to Magnolia.
I heard you were on the hunt for that and well, there’s plenty of it, as you can see.
We should have taken it back really, but once we’d finished the job it got stored in the garage, just in case, as you do, and been sat there ever since. You’re more than welcome to have it.’
‘Ah, that’s brilliant, thank you,’ said Cath. ‘And lovely to meet you both.’ Cath was delighted for the paint, of course, but also to see that Lily’s parents were interested in helping and supporting their fabulous daughter, too.
The family had also come armed with rollers, trays and brushes.
Jason returned, loaded up, from their car, saying, ‘Thought we’d come and see what’s happening here, for ourselves,’ as he placed the items down on a trestle table.
‘And of course to say hello to your supper group that our Lily’s been telling us all about. ’
‘That’s wonderful,’ said Dan. ‘Thank you.’