Chapter 28
Gayle stared at Robyn. ‘What on earth happened to you?’
Robyn looked at Gayle. ‘Why?’
‘It makes a big difference, Robyn.’
‘What does?’ She had no clue what Gayle was getting at.
Gayle flipped the visor down in front of Robyn. In the little mirror, Robyn was smiling broadly back at herself.
Gayle started the engine. ‘You know, I’ve never seen you look so happy. I don’t find it particularly easy visiting Rose because she’s not very happy in her new home, so I’m quite surprised you’ve walked out of that house in such high spirits.’
Gayle carefully manoeuvred the car down the drive to avoid the builders’ trucks.
‘I know it sounds mean to say it, but Rose is probably the last person I’d expect to put a smile on someone’s face; on the contrary, I’d expect her to put a dampener on your mood. That’s happened to me enough times in the past.’ Gayle glanced at her. ‘Well, don’t keep me in suspense. What happened while I was gone?’
Robyn was about to tell her when she got sidetracked. ‘Talking of being gone, that reminds me – you weren’t gone long at all. Was your client out or something?’
‘Or something. Turns out she wasn’t feeling well. She was trying to get in touch but of course I wasn’t home, and I had my mobile switched off. I must remember to switch the thing on, especially when I’m out and about, in case someone calls about Mum – like the community centre, or my neighbour.’
Robyn nodded. ‘Is it switched on now?’
‘Oh, yes. Plenty of messages from my client that I missed, but none about Mum – thank goodness. So, what about you and that great big grin on your face?’
It was true: Robyn couldn’t stop smiling. ‘Well, turns out I’ve got a little job.’
Gayle glanced at her. ‘You have?’
Robyn nodded.
‘Here – on the building site? Are you working in the sales office?’ Gayle glanced at her again.
‘Nope. I’m working for Rose. She told me how unhappy she was with her new house, so I suggested making some changes to the décor and soft furnishings – make her feel more at home. We had a lovely time looking through some supplements, magazines from the weekend newspapers. Thing is, I didn’t expect her to ask me to do it.’ Robyn quickly added, ‘I wanted to help out as a friend, not get paid. I only asked for the money to buy paint, wallpaper, flooring – that sort of thing. But she insisted on paying me a commission.’ Robyn paused, wondering what Gayle’s reaction would be. She added, ‘I wouldn’t want you to think I was taking advantage of them.’
‘You, take advantage of someone?’ Gayle shook her head. ‘I would never think that. In fact, what I do think is that you’re such a kind soul, Robyn, that the shoe might be on the other foot, if you’re not careful.’
‘Huh?’
‘Honey, I just get the feeling, with your sweet nature, people might take advantage of you.’
Robyn frowned. Had that happened to her in the past? She wished she knew. She stared at Gayle. It occurred to her that perhaps Gayle would have liked the money to do the job. ‘Sorry, Gayle.’
‘What on earth are you apologising for?’
Robyn winced. ‘I guess maybe you might have liked the job yourself. I think the money will be good. I get the impression that Rose and George are well off.’
‘Yes, I believe they must be. They sold quite a large house in the street where I grew up. It sold for more than they expected, even though they’d lived there for years and it needed a lot of updating.’
‘Oh, is that how you know them?’
‘Oh, yes. It was strange because when Rose first answered the door, she appeared to recognise you.’
‘Really?’ Robyn said, surprised.
‘Yes, but then she did say her memory obviously wasn’t what it once was, and you weren’t who she thought you were.’
‘And who was that?’
‘She didn’t say.’
Robyn decided that the next time she visited Rose, she’d ask her who she reminded her of.
She stared out of the window at the beautiful scenery – the forests of pines, the shimmering green loch, and the snow-peaked Cairngorm Mountain rising up majestically in the distance. It was the same scenery she’d seen that morning; the same route on the return journey to Aviemore, but for Robyn the scenery would never, ever get old, no matter how many times she travelled this route.
‘So, when do you start?’
Robyn looked at the magazines on her lap. ‘I guess I already have. I did say to her that I haven’t got any professional qualifications in interior design, or references, or anything like that, but she didn’t seem bothered. She just said she trusted me to do the job.’
Robyn turned in her seat when she heard Gayle gasp.
‘She trusts you?’
‘Yes, like a friend. That’s what she said.’
‘Well, you’ve clearly made an impression. Rose does not suffer fools gladly, or make friends easily, I can tell you.’
Robyn felt quite chuffed hearing that. She caught Gayle glancing at the magazines in her lap. She said, ‘I imagine you made some suggestions for her décor?’
‘Oh, yes. It was such fun.’
Gayle smiled. It sounds to me as though it’s something you’re going to really enjoy doing. Perhaps it was something you were studying at university – something arty like interior design.’
Robyn thought that was a possibility.
‘I’d trust you to do up my mum’s place too, you know.’
Robyn smiled at that comment as they drove through Aviemore and approached the small roundabout on the outskirts. A left turn took them along the forest road that ran along the loch. They were well on their way back to Gayle’s mum’s house.
Robyn was still smiling to herself. Little did Gayle know that this was exactly her plan. That was why she had wanted to look at all the old photos of the house back in its heyday, before it fell into disrepair. Of course, she wouldn’t want a commission. She’d insist Gayle accepted it as payment for staying rent-free in the house. She wasn’t sure where the money would come from yet to do up the house, or whether Gayle would even agree to it. But Robyn had been enjoying a rather lovely daydream of turning Gayle’s big old family home into the best house on the street.
‘And you know what they say …’ Gayle gave Robyn a knowing glance and raised her eyebrows.
Robyn felt one of Gayle’s self-help quotes coming on.
‘Whether you think you can, or you think you can’t …’ Gayle nodded at Robyn, ‘you’re right.’
‘Hey, that’s a quote from Henry Ford. I like that one,’ Robyn said, turning in her seat.
‘I thought you might. It’s rather apt, don’t you think?’
‘I do,’ said Robyn, smiling approvingly. ‘But I still feel like a fraud.’ She folded her arms, her smile fading.
‘Hey, how did you know that was a quote from Henry Ford?’
Robyn shrugged. ‘Doesn’t everyone? I mean he was a world-class businessman.’
‘Yes, I suppose he was. But that’s not my point. You actually remembered something.’
‘Huh?’
‘You remembered it was a quote from Henry Ford.’
Robyn looked at Gayle. ‘How strange. I wonder why I’d remember that?’
Gayle shrugged. ‘Perhaps it was something you studied on your university course.’
‘Perhaps …’ mused Robyn, although for some reason she had a feeling that this was not the case.
‘Hey, with your commission, I think I should charge you rent,’ Gayle joked.
Robyn said, ‘I wish you would.’
Gayle kept her eyes on the road as she replied, ‘You’re my guest, and my friend, so I don’t want to hear anything more about that.’
Robyn did. She felt guilty earning money and not paying her way. Thinking of charging rent … Robyn bit her lower lip. She knew she had to bring it up sooner or later – Gayle’s new guest. She was relieved he hadn’t left work early, which would have meant he would arrive before them.
‘I just don’t see how I can charge anyone to stay in this dump,’ Gayle mused as she pulled the car up in front of her mother’s house.
‘It is not a dump,’ Robyn protested. She’d have to get Gayle to change her mind on that score, otherwise poor Nick would have to find somewhere else.
Gayle switched the engine off and turned to Robyn. ‘What’s that in your hand?’ she asked.
‘The magazines.’
‘No, the other hand.’
Robyn showed her the bank card, and the envelope full of cash, and told her what Rose had done.
‘Well,’ Gayle said, ‘the suspense is killing me. How much has she given you to do the job?’ Gayle paused. ‘You don’t want to look – do you?’
Robyn shook her head. She didn’t want to know how much Rose had given her, although she’d have to look sooner or later. ‘I still feel bad for taking her money.’ Worse still, whatever was in that envelope, she guessed was only part of the commission. She bet that Rose gave her another wodge of cash when the work was complete.
Looking at the envelope, Robyn said, ‘Please let me pay you some rent money.’
‘I told you before, you’ll do no such thing. I don’t care how much money is in that envelope, it would be a crime to charge anyone to stay here.’
Nick leapt to Robyn’s mind – yet again.
‘Here, I’ll open the envelope if you won’t.’
Robyn shrugged and passed it to her, wondering how she was going to explain to Gayle that she now had a paying guest. She was going to be really upset.
‘Oh, my god!’ Gayle exclaimed.
‘What is it?’ Robyn sat bolt upright in her seat and looked out of the car window at the house, expecting to see something untoward had happened while they were gone, like some roof tiles blown off, or a windowpane broken.
But there was nothing wrong with the house as far as Robyn could see.
‘What is it?’ she said to Gayle.
Gayle was staring wide-eyed at her. ‘Hmm, you know, I may have to consider charging some rent after all,’ Gayle mused. ‘In fact, quite a lot, if I’m going to be introducing you to fat commissions like that.’
‘What?’ Robyn looked at the wodge of cash, all twenty-pound notes, in Gayle’s hand.
‘Oh, dear.’ It was more than she’d thought. ‘I couldn’t possibly …’
‘You’ve got to take what’s offered in this life, honey,’ said Gayle. ‘If you don’t, there’s a queue of people lining up right behind you to take what’s rightfully yours.’ She nodded her head slowly, as if to say, I know what I’m talking about.
Robyn smiled. ‘Well, in light of that reasoning, you’ll accept some rent money from me after all. Say one hundred pounds a week?’ For some reason, Robyn didn’t know whether that was an acceptable amount or not. ‘Remember, you’ve got to take what’s offered in life,’ she said smugly.
Gayle laughed. ‘Certainly.’ She got out of the car. Not!’ She said emphatically.
Robyn got out of the car too. She had an idea how she was going to approach Gayle about her paying guest. It was simple. Gayle had introduced her to a bit of business, by way of meeting Rose, so she had done the same for Gayle. That was exactly what she intended to tell Gayle.