Chapter Nineteen
‘Oh God, you weren’t kidding. This is truly awful.
’ Ella stared at the horrible colour on Bets’ kitchen walls.
‘I’m not sure I can even describe this colour.
What were you thinking?’ The awful walls notwithstanding, Bets’ living space was wonderful.
‘Thank God you didn’t paint the lounge.’ It would have taken for ever to redo, with those high walls reaching up to the wooden rafters.
Bets’ home was part of a series of converted barns which had been split into several properties. Hers was the smallest of five.
‘The kitchen aside, this place is lovely. I had no idea from the outside.’
‘Thanks.’ Bets giggled. ‘The paint looked different in the shop, it was only when I started, I realised how awful it was and then it was too late to stop. I figured if I kept going it might not be quite so bad when it dried. I was wrong.’
‘Good job you’ve got me then. Look, I even brought you your own painting overalls.’ Ella had found two pairs when she was sorting through Magda’s shed and was already wearing a set.
Bets’ idea of a paintbrush was a semi-bald, sad-looking thing which Ella immediately vetoed in horror. ‘You can’t use that thing! What have you been doing with it?’
Bets looked innocent. ‘I might have used it to clean out a leaky gutter.’
Ella didn’t bother responding to that. ‘And you need proper masking tape, not Sellotape.’ She put her hands on her hips and gave Bets a mock glare. ‘You’re hopeless.’
‘Can’t we just paint carefully around the edges?’
‘No, we’re going to do this properly. You’ll thank me later.’
‘I think I preferred you before. You’ve turned into a bully overnight.’
‘I like to do things properly.’ And she really wanted to do a good job for Bets. ‘Lucky for you I went to B&Q and I have proper nice new paintbrushes and I dug out Magda’s roller and paint trays. Come on, get this overall on. We’ve got work to do.’
Bets dashed off to change, leaving Ella to plan where they’d start.
It was a good-sized kitchen with one wall of cabinets in cream wood which she’d describe as ‘modern cottage’.
The run of units was intersected in the middle with a range-style cooker and opposite was a long wooden island in the centre of which was a ceramic sink.
Ella knew from a brief module on design at college that this was a particularly well-designed kitchen.
She guessed that a fridge would be situated as part of the perfect kitchen triangle of sink, cooker and fridge.
Luckily the wall with the cabinets and cooker was tiled, so had escaped the hideous colour. There were really only two walls that had been painted – unfortunately one of them ran the whole length of the room and then beyond into a little corridor.
‘Ta-dah.’ Bets jumped into the room, hands whipping through the air in a series of karate poses like a little white ninja, making Ella laugh.
She did a quick twirl. ‘I feel like we’re in a girl band or something. We need music. What do you fancy?’
‘Anything?’ Ella’s mind was on where she’d start with the masking tape along the skirting. ‘I think we’ll do this big wall first.’
Bets was busy scrolling through her iPhone. ‘Here you go. Painting music. I’ve made a playlist.’ She plugged the phone into a docking station as Ella poured paint into the tray.
The duck-egg blue colour was going to look lovely in here and co-ordinate beautifully with the cupboards.
‘Here you go,’ Ella handed the roller to Bets.
‘Great,’ she took it enthusiastically and pressed the play button.
‘I’ll be Beyoncé, you can be Rihanna next.
’ The opening bars of ‘Crazy in Love’ filled the room at top volume.
With rolling hips, Bets pranced towards the wall holding the roller up to her face and began to sing along, before flattening herself against the wall writhing suggestively. Ella burst out laughing.
Bets whipped round. ‘Uh oh uh oh,’ she sang, the roller zig-zagging up and down the wall in time to the music.
Her bottom stuck out, waggling with great enthusiasm, as she circled her hips.
‘You’re mad,’ said Ella shaking her head but unable to stop her shoulders shimmying.
The pumping beat had her feet tapping and she snatched up her paintbrush and danced over to the wall.
‘Da de de da, da da,’ they both sang. Bets’ moves grew even more outrageous and silly and before long Ella matched her, swivelling her hips, shaking her shoulders.
As the music built to a crescendo they danced along together, each trying to outdo the other and painted along, every now and then, the paintbrush and roller doubling as a microphone to join in the chorus.
Beyoncé gave way to Rihanna’s ‘Umbrella’ which led to Bets marching around waving the roller in the air for a little while, before she loaded it up again with paint, then managing to get a big blob of paint on her nose, which she brushed off casually with a laugh.
Ella’s face actually ached from smiling and laughing so much.
Gradually things calmed down as Bets’ playlist led on to Lady Gaga, Katy Perry, Taylor Swift and a couple of catchy dance numbers that Ella had never heard of.
By eleven-thirty, they’d worked steadily and completed a whole wall.
‘Oh my, it’s looking so much better already. Why did I live with cat-sick for so long?’
‘Because you’re an idiot,’ teased Ella, from the crouched position where she’d bent to paint the line around the skirting board.
They’d agreed that she did the fiddly bits around the skirting boards and ceilings because she had a steadier hand and as Bets freely admitted, she was far too slapdash for that sort of job.
‘I need a cup of tea,’ said Ella, pleased that she’d reached the last part of the edge of the wall she was doing and was able to stand upright. The ache in her back reminded her she wasn’t used to working like this.
‘I have to admit, boss lady, you know what you’re doing. I would have slapped a coat of paint straight on. None of this washing the walls down first.’
As they drank huge earthenware mugs of tea, Ella noticed the fine lines around Bets’ mouth. She looked tired and a little drawn as she bustled around behind the island counter.
‘Thanks for helping me. Living here must be very different to what you’re used to.
Your friend was very elegant.’ Bets touched her auburn curls self-consciously and stood awkwardly, shifting from one foot to the other.
‘And grown-up and self-possessed. I bet all the girls on Jack’s course are like that. ’
The uncertainty on her face surprised and upset Ella. A stab of guilt hit her as she contrasted Bets’ easy acceptance of Britta’s affectations. Bets had a far more generous nature.
Giving in to a sudden whim, Ella crossed to her and gave her a quick hug.
‘No one on the planet is like Britta.’ Ella sighed and shook her head.
‘And do you know what? She’s not much of a friend, whereas you have been a very good friend to me from day one without ever asking for anything in return. Thank you.’
‘Oh, God, Ella. Please don’t be nice to me today.’ Her face crumpled and Ella saw the madcap dancing and earlier energy for what it was.
‘I’m so mad and so upset with Jack right now.
’ Bets clenched her fists. ‘I just want to cry and then punch him. We’ve been together for so long.
I can cope with him being away most of the time.
I just get on with it. But this is the second time he’s cancelled.
I’m worried he’s gone off me. Met lots of girls who are much more interesting.
Who’ve done more? Been to places? Cleverer than me. ’
‘Don’t be silly,’ said Ella, hoping that she sounded reassuring. What did she know? She had no idea what Jack was like. For all she knew, he could have umpteen girlfriends down in Bristol. ‘He’s probably just busy with exams and things. I guess it must be pretty intensive training to be a vet.’
Bets gave a sad little shrug. ‘I guess.’
Ella wanted to put the sparkle back into Bets.
‘Right, come on. Ready for round two? I fancy something a bit heavier, have you got any Muse? We need a big thumping base.’
‘What a difference already,’ said Devon chugging down a beer and leaning against the island. He’d arrived after all the work had been done although to be fair, he’d had both dogs all day to keep them out of the way. They were now charging around the garden like a pair of dervishes.
‘Do you take commissions, Ella? I could do with some advice for next door. Looks like I’m going to be here for quite some time.’
‘Next door?’
‘Yes, Dad did up the barns a few years ago. Turned them into flats and cottages as holiday lets and for Jack and I to live in if we ever came home. There are five in all. Bets lucked out and got the smallest.’
‘I only need the smallest. I’m here on my own most of the time.’ Her face fell. ‘Although I couldn’t afford to live anywhere half as nice as this and not on my own. Better hope Jack doesn’t dump me.’
‘Hey! Don’t be silly. That’s not going to happen.’ Devon gave her a brotherly nudge. ‘Dad wouldn’t hear of it. Where else would he get the best veterinary nurse this side of the universe?’
Ella winced. He’d rather missed the point. She and Bets exchanged a glance which clearly said, men!
That odd look was back on Bets’ face. ‘So, it’s Saturday night. As we’re all a bunch of Saturday night losers, anyone fancy a takeaway and a Trivial Pursuit marathon?’
‘Sounds perfect,’ commented Devon, tipping back his bottle and swallowing the last of his beer. ‘Count me in.’
Ella considered her options. Being alone in the cottage or here. ‘Sounds good to me too.’
‘Tell you what.’ Bets beamed at them both. ‘You two take the dogs for a walk. And I’ll nip into Tring and pick up a takeaway. What do you fancy? Chinese? Pizza? Curry?’
‘Curry!’ Devon and Ella spoke in unison with equal vehemence as if there was no other choice. Ella caught his eye and they shared a smile.