Chapter 27
Back in the lounge, Robyn winced from the noise as the work resumed outside.
Rose looked up from the magazine on her lap. ‘Everything all right? You were gone a long time, handing George and Gayle a cup of tea.’
‘Well … I …’ Robyn didn’t want to lie.
‘I thought I heard the doorbell.’
Robyn nodded. ‘Yes, it was the site manager.’
‘Oh, he’s such a nice young man.’
Robyn was pleased to hear it, seeing as she’d invited him to stay at Gayle’s mum’s house.
‘Always stops for a cup of tea.’
‘Was he calling about anything in particular?’
‘Just that the workers were going to be leaving early today, but … um … there’s been a change of plan.’
‘No matter,’ said Rose, dismissing that conversation with a flick of her hand. ‘Now, what do you think of this?’ she said holding up the picture in the magazine for Robyn’s inspection.
‘I would love to see your old house, Rose. Those long velvety curtains you described. I can’t quite picture them. Do you have any photos?’ Robyn thought that seeing Rose’s old house might give her more of a feel for what Rose liked.
Rose shook her head adamantly. She put the magazine down on her lap and turned to face Robyn. ‘You know, I feel in such high spirits just now; better than I’ve felt in a long time. Well, since moving here … and I don’t want to go and spoil it by dragging up the past. This is much better, don’t you think?’ Rose picked up the magazine from her lap and flapped it at Robyn. ‘Don’t look so disappointed, pet. I’ll show you some photos later, I promise.’
Robyn perked up, although she did wonder whether Rose meant later, in a few minutes, or later, during another visit. Perhaps when she had finished looking through the magazines, thought Robyn hopefully.
‘George – is that you?’ Rose leaned sideways on the sofa, looking past Robyn.
Robyn turned in her seat at the sound of footsteps in the hall.
‘Who else would it be?’
‘Well come into the room and let’s have a proper look at your haircut. I wasn’t really paying attention when you came in earlier.’
‘Yes, dear.’
Robyn watched George shuffle dutifully into the room and give a doddery twirl for Rose’s benefit. Robyn realised that Rose had been so busy showing her round the house after her own haircut, and had then been so preoccupied with leafing through the magazines, that she hadn’t taken notice of George’s perfectly coiffed hair.
Rose said, ‘A bit short this time, don’t you think?’
It sounded like a criticism. Robyn got the impression that Rose wasn’t easily pleased. Robyn hoped Gayle hadn’t heard.
‘I thought I needed a good cut and …’ George looked at the floor. ‘Gayle thought so too.’
Rose didn’t offer any further comment, which was just as well because at that point Gayle walked into the room carrying her bag and coat.
‘All finished.’ Gayle piped up, ‘and I must say George looks very handsome. Most men half his age don’t have a head of hair like that.’
George’s face creased in a smile.
Rose looked sideways at him with a hint of displeasure. ‘Oh, do sit down, George,’ she said irritably. ‘You’re making us feel uncomfortable.’
He was making Robyn feel no such thing – just a little sad for him. She really hoped they had new neighbours soon, to give Rose something better to do than nag poor George.
‘Robyn,’ Gayle prompted as she put on her coat.
Robyn looked apologetically at Rose. ‘I’ve got to go now,’ she said. But did she really need to?
Robyn closed the front door. She heard a car start outside, and hoped she wasn’t making a big mistake by deciding not to accompany Gayle on her next appointment. Gayle was going to swing by Rose and George’s afterwards and pick her up. Robyn hadn’t yet mentioned to Gayle her new guest. She thought she’d save that conversation for on the way home in the car.
‘I’m so glad you could stay longer,’ Rose said, her voice carrying from upstairs.
Robyn retraced her steps down the hall. ‘Well, I just couldn’t wait to see what you’d choose for the other rooms in the house.’
Robyn had a feeling that Rose just wanted the company.
In the main bedroom, Rose was having trouble with her colour scheme. In fact, she appeared to Robyn to be a lot less enthusiastic about it all than before.
Robyn hoped she decided to take a break from sorting out the colour schemes for the bedrooms so they could look at her photo albums instead. She suggested this to Rose.
Surely, Rose wasn’t really considering redecorating the entire house? Robyn had thought it was just going to be the lounge. What had started as a way to pass the time, with Robyn showing Rose the various possibilities to transform their bland lounge, had only served to highlight Rose’s dissatisfaction with her entire new-build home.
‘What’s upsetting is that the developer didn’t take the time to find out what I liked in the first place.’
Robyn didn’t have the heart to tell her that all they wanted was her money.
‘Goodness knows what the others will think.’ She looked out of her bedroom window.
‘Others?’ Robyn said as she came over to stand by the window and followed Rose’s gaze down to the foundations of the house opposite, which would belong to her neighbours-to-be. ‘Oh, you mean the people who will be moving in.’
‘They’ll probably be just like us, you know. From a big old house that they’d lovingly done up and stayed in for years.’
Robyn nodded.
‘You know what I would most love.’ She turned to face Robyn. ‘This.’ She looked down at the magazine she was holding, with a photo of rooms full of colour, some wallpapered, and with matching curtains and cushions with delicate flowered prints, making the lounges and bedrooms warm and inviting, not cold and bland.
Now Robyn was worried that what had started out a harmless bit of time-wasting had turned into something else; she had a feeling she was going to land herself right back where she’d started, with Rose tearful about what she had lost when she moved. She looked around for a box of tissues.
‘Do you think they’d do this for me?’ asked Rose, staring at the magazine in her hands.
‘Who?’
‘The developer?’
‘You mean redecorate your place?’
Rose nodded.
Robyn looked at Rose. In that instant, Robyn saw a sad old lady longing for times past and realising that she had made a big mistake moving there. She couldn’t go back. It was all gone.
Robyn didn’t want to answer, but she didn’t have a choice. ‘I don’t think so, Rose.’
‘But why ever not?’ she said crossly. The terse, objectionable Rose was back. Robyn liked that much better.
‘I’ve got a ten-year guarantee if something goes wrong. Well, something has gone wrong – the horribly bland décor.’
Robyn pursed her lips. ‘I’m pretty sure the ten-year guarantee would not cover that sort of thing.’
Rose wasn’t stupid. The look on her face said she knew that too.
Robyn added, ‘Besides, for one thing, it would cost quite a bit of money to do all this.’ Robyn gestured at the magazine in Rose’s hand.
‘Oh, money’s not an issue.’ Rose waved that problem away with a characteristic flick of her hand.
Robyn guessed not; after all, she must have downsized from a large house. Her new home had four bedrooms, so Robyn guessed Rose and George were pretty comfortable, financially.
‘And the other thing?’ prompted Rose.
‘That’s obvious,’ Robyn continued. ‘Look around you. Why do you think it’s decorated like this in the first place, and there’s limited kitchen and bathroom choices too?’
Rose looked around as though she had never seen the place before. Her eyes darting from ceiling to floor, from curtain to door. ‘If they’d only asked me what I wanted, I would have paid more, you know, much more.’
‘Okay, but that’s not it.’ Robyn shook her head. ‘The issue is time.’
‘Time?’ Rose didn’t understand.
Robyn pointed at the magazine. ‘Can you imagine how long it would take for you to make a decision if you had all the choice in the world? How long would it take them to find the perfect materials, colours – things like that?’
Rose considered. ‘Quite a long time.’
Robyn continued. ‘Exactly. So you see, they limit your choices, and the time they spend completing each property, and as we all know, time is …’ she pointed at Rose.
‘Money.’ Rose nodded.
‘Hole in one.’
Rose shook her head slowly. ‘You know, Robyn, you’re one smart lady.’
‘I am?’ Robyn was taken aback. She had a very strong feeling that no one had ever called her that before. Me, smart? Robyn blushed. ‘Thank you.’
‘You’re welcome.’
‘Doesn’t solve my problem, though. I want to make the place more like my home.’ She paused, staring at Robyn. ‘Actually, I’ve just had a grand idea.’ Rose sidled up to Robyn, grinning as she linked her arm in Robyn’s.
Robyn looked at her nervously, wondering what had brought about this sudden display of affection.
Rose patted her hand. ‘There’s no reason why a smart young lady like yourself shouldn’t be able to do all this.’ Rose pointed to the magazine she’d left on the bed.
‘You mean—?’ The words caught at the back of Robyn’s throat.
‘Oh, don’t be so surprised, young lady.’
When Robyn had recovered her composure, she turned to Rose, who was beaming with expectation. ‘I am surprised. I’ve got no credentials to speak of. No references from other clients – nothing.’
‘Oh, come now,’ said Rose, shaking her head as though Robyn was being merely modest instead of genuinely honest. ‘Besides, did I get credentials or references from the girls in that office over there?’ She flung her arm at the window, pointing in the direction of the sales office. She added, ‘I would trust a friend to do a nice job, wouldn’t you?’
‘I guess.’ Robyn replied. ‘And I have got some time on my hands at the moment,’ she thought aloud. ‘But I’d have to find out the cost of the materials—’
Rose held up her hand. ‘Don’t you worry. I know how these things work,’ she assured her. ‘An expense account will be arranged, of course.’
‘An expense account?’ Robyn repeated.
‘Of course.’ Rose sounded pleased with herself. ‘As you said, for materials and things.’ Rose left the window and headed for the door. ‘Oh, and your rate.’
Robyn turned and stood with her back to the window. ‘My rate?’
‘You know, what do they call it nowadays? That posh sounding word. I know, your commission . Silly me, now we wouldn’t want to forget that – would we?’
Robyn shook her head, ‘I’m doing this as your friend. I couldn’t possibly take your money other than for materials.’
‘You can, and you will.’
A car horn sounded outside, then trailed off as though something had died.
‘I think that will be your ride.’ Rose said from the door.
Robyn was surprised that Gayle was back so soon. She glanced out of the window. Perhaps her other client had changed her mind about the haircut, or hadn’t been in when she’d turned up.
Rose said, ‘Don’t go yet!’ She disappeared down the hallway and returned with a black handbag. She got out her purse.
For an awkward moment, Robyn just stood there, staring at Rose. What was she getting out her purse for? She still couldn’t take in what had just happened. What had started out as a way of filling in time and occupying Rose had now turned into a job.
Rose had found an envelope from somewhere. She handed the sealed envelope to Robyn. It had her name scrawled on the front. ‘There’s more where that came from.’
Robyn felt the sealed envelope with her fingers and guessed there was a wad of bank notes insides. She was about to protest that she hadn’t done anything yet, when Rose said, ‘Come on then, what are you waiting for? No time to dawdle.’ She added. ‘And you’ll need these.’ Rose thrust a pile of magazines, along with the cutouts she’d made, into Robyn’s hands.
‘Oh, and this!’ Rose said, getting a plastic card out of her purse.
‘I can’t take your bank card!’ Robyn shook her head.
‘Robyn, it’s fine. It’s not my bank card. It’s a credit card. I want you to use the card to make any purchases for the house.’
Robyn reluctantly took the card, although she’d already decided she would not use it.
Robyn could feel fingers in her back prodding her out of the door. ‘Now, you can come any time with samples like wallpaper, carpet samples, that sort of thing,’ Rose said.
Robyn turned and mumbled, ‘Okay,’ over her shoulder as Rose marched her to the front door.
George appeared at the lounge door. ‘Bye, Robyn. Hope to see you again.’
‘Oh, you most definitely will,’ said Rose as she closed the door.
Robyn walked down the path towards Gayle’s waiting car, carrying the pile of magazine supplements and still wondering what had just happened. Now she had two things to tell Gayle on the way home. She wasn’t looking forward to telling her about her new guest – Nick. Even though he would be paying for his room and board – and she imagined rather generously, as it would be coming out of the developer’s pocket and not his own – what if Gayle just refused to have him to stay?
But she was looking forward to telling Gayle about her new job. She just hoped Gayle didn’t think she was taking advantage of her hairdressing clients. She wasn’t. Not at all. In fact, Rose had rather railroaded her into it. Robyn hoped she was up to the job. She assumed she didn’t have any interior design qualifications or experience. She looked at the magazines and guessed she was about to find out.