Chapter 29
SLATE
Slate couldn’t get Nancy out of his mind.
He’d thought that she was attractive when he first came to enquire about the room, but her transformation over the past few weeks was nothing short of remarkable.
Jackie and Phyllis had been a part of that, he knew.
Jackie had taken Nancy under her wing and given her confidence whereas Phyllis had shown Nancy how to customise her clothes and was always such a calm influence.
Nancy had looked amazing last night and sang brilliantly too. Okay, she missed the note a couple of times, but she quickly pulled it back together and no one seemed to notice or to care. He was enjoying living here more than he thought he would: they were beginning to feel like one big family.
He wondered if Nancy might want to come out for a drive later. It was such a pleasant day and they could maybe have a pub lunch. He’d stress that it was just as friends, of course.
He dried himself after his shower, pulled on his dressing gown and wandered into the kitchen to make a coffee. Phyllis was already there, sitting at the table nibbling toast. ‘Morning. I think I might use that shower too. Jackie is hogging the bathroom again.’
Slate grinned. ‘She’s probably doing the full works: hair mask, face mask.’ He filled the kettle. ‘Want a cuppa?’
‘I’ve just had one thanks. Good night, wasn’t it?’
‘Yeah, I was buzzing too much to sleep at first.’ He got a mug out of the cupboard. ‘Is Nancy up yet?’
‘Up and out. Her sister’s invited her over for lunch. Apparently one of Dennis’s friends will be there too.’
Slate’s hand froze as he was about to spoon coffee in the mug. ‘A double date?’
‘More of a “making up the numbers” thing.’ Phyllis gave him a curious look. ‘Does that bother you?’
‘Of course not. Why would you ask that?’
He kept his back to Phyllis as he poured boiling water on his instant coffee. Those dark eyes of hers saw far too much.
‘No reason except you asked about her. And you couldn’t take your eyes off her last night.’
‘I was amazed how well she sang, she really held the notes.’ He turned around and leaned his back against the worktop. ‘To tell the truth, I was wondering if she might want to come for a drive today, just to take her mind off things.’
‘So you do fancy her?’ Phyllis said triumphantly.
‘I like her, yes, but it’s only been a couple of months since her husband walked out…’
‘She might be glad of the distraction, as long as you keep it “friends only”. Or were you hoping for more?’
‘Friends is fine. I’m not into heavy relationships.’
‘Then go for it, although it might have to be another day. I don’t think she’s planning on coming back early.’
Slate tried to mask his disappointment.
‘Mind you, if you’re free you might want to go with Jackie. Apparently, some new flats are being built down by the river, and some of them will be available to rent so she’s going to take a look around in a bit. They won’t be finished for a few months, but she wants to get her name down.’
A flat. He wasn’t sure if he was ready to rattle around in a place all by himself, even a small flat.
And he liked living here. He couldn’t stay here forever though, could he?
Nancy had kept it informal, thinking they’d all be moving out soon, plus she had to sell next spring. He shrugged. ‘Okay. Are you going too?’
‘No, I want a caravan,’ Phyllis replied. ‘I don’t think a flat is for me.’
When Jackie finally surfaced, an hour later, Slate asked her if she minded him coming along too.
‘Of course not. I’ll be glad of the company. I was going to mention it to you when I saw you.’
* * *
The project manager took them around the show flat, telling them that the first lot of rentals would be available in the autumn, with more in the spring.
There were a few studio apartments as well as one- or two-bedroomed flats.
He told them that some were for sale outright, some on a part-buy part-rent basis, and some to rent.
‘I’m trying to cater for all the community,’ he said.
‘The studio apartments are a bit too cramped for me. I think I’d go for the one-bedroom flat,’ Jackie said. ‘Or maybe a two-bed if they aren’t too expensive. I like plenty of space.’
‘A one-bed would do me,’ Slate said. ‘Are any of them ground floor?’
‘The ground-floor ones in this development stage are gone, but another block will be ready in February. They’re on the other side, facing the river. Most of them are for sale though, through the shared-ownership scheme.’
Slate went over to the window and looked over at the river, where a colourful barge was sailing by.
He tried to imagine himself living here.
Just him. No one to say good morning to, no one in when he came home.
He hated that. He liked to know that someone else was there.
He’d been like this since Jed had left home.
You’re sixty-five, Slate. Jed’s right – at some point you’re going to have to grow up and get your own place.
‘There’s a lot of interest so you’ll need a holding deposit to secure them once we’ve started building,’ the project manager said, adding that he could put them on the ‘interested’ list and let them know when they would need to pay the holding deposit.
‘I’d like to go on the list for a two-bed apartment,’ Jackie said. ‘How about you, Slate?’
There was no harm in going on the list, was there? ‘I’m potentially interested in a one-bedroom flat,’ he said, decisively.
So the manager took their names and email addresses and promised to keep them updated about the development.
‘I’m glad you put your name down. You’d be mad to let this go. There will be a queue for these flats,’ Jackie told him as they left.
‘I know but I don’t fancy being cooped up in one of those. I like people around me.’
‘Slate, you’re not going to get a better location than this. A view of the river, the quieter area of town, but a short walk to the shops.’
She was right and Slate knew it. The trouble was, he didn’t want to move out of Nancy’s house. He would miss them all. In the couple of months they’d been together, they’d gelled like a little family.
And he’d definitely miss Nancy. More than he cared to admit.