Twenty
Matt was up on the roof of the farmhouse, helping to replace the broken tiles they’d discovered when the roof timbers were repaired, when a large Transit van drove into the courtyard, performed a U-turn and then backed up towards the barn opposite. He watched as Sally jumped out and ran to open the doors, stepping to the side to beckon to the driver to reverse a bit further.
He felt his heart give a little skip and he smiled as he turned back to the job in hand. Today was the day when Sally officially took up residence at Bramblebush Farm. The fact she was holed up in Essie Walton’s motorhome inside the barn was a moot point. As far as she was concerned, she was now legally allowed to live on the premises and that was that. He’d grinned at the determined tilt of her chin when she’d uttered those words, remembering the day he’d first seen her in the school woods when she’d held an identical stance – hands on her hips, chin set firm and a look on her face that dared anyone to come over and bully the young boy she was protecting. Matt still hadn’t told her that they shared a little bit of their past and he wasn’t altogether sure how to bring it up. After all, did he really want to tell her that she’d been his schoolboy crush? How on earth would that go down? It could potentially make things rather awkward and as he was looking at the best part of four months before this job was completed, that could be a lot of embarrassing silences. No, it was better to keep it to himself – for now anyway. Maybe one day…
It was as he bent over to pick up some more nails that a movement below caught his eye. One of his workers, Darren Connors, was making his way over to the barn. Matt stopped to watch him as he was supposed to be unloading materials from the trucks parked in front of the house. He saw him approach Sally, speak to her for a few seconds and move towards the back of the van where he began carrying boxes and furniture into the barn where it was being stored until Sally could move into her new apartment area when it was ready.
Matt hesitated, unsure on what to do. He really needed Darren to finish unloading the trucks as they had to go back to pick up more loads, however, he didn’t want to appear churlish by telling him to return to doing the job he was being paid for. He’d spotted Darren watching Sally when she was on site and he clearly fancied her. Matt had experienced a mixture of emotions when this realisation had hit him, jealousy being one of them, but he didn’t feel it was his place to say anything.
He looked at his watch and decided he’d give Darren ten minutes and then he’d pull him back to his first task. He figured that was being fair.
‘So, now it all makes sense…’
‘I’m sorry? What?’
Sally looked at her brother’s back as he walked past her, grinning like the Cheshire cat.
He put the box he was carrying on the floor and came to stand beside her.
‘Stud Muffin out there. Good looking bloke, decent job, clearly has the hots for you… that’s why you’ve moved down here. You’ve got a nice bit of country totty all lined up.’
‘Christopher! Behave yourself! I have not!’
She punched her brother’s arm, laughing when her fist barely made contact due to him knowing what was coming and skipping out of her way.
‘It looks like it to me…’
‘Shhhhh! He’s coming back.’
She smiled at Darren walking towards her, another box from the van in his arms and judging by the way he was holding it, it was a heavy one full of books and not one containing her underwear. Something she was rather relieved about.
Behind Darren’s back, Chris was making kissy-kissy motions and she could feel the heat rising in her cheeks. She glared at her brother before saying to Darren, ‘Oh, that looks like a book-box, probably best to put it over there.’
When he bent down to place the box on the floor, his t-shirt stretched across his back and the seat of his trousers tightened, treating her to a show of his physique that was far from unpleasant.
She was still watching him when he stood, turned around and caught her eye which made her blush even more. She quickly opened the box nearest to her and made a show of trying to locate the kettle.
Darren stepped over to her and said, ‘I need to head off back to work now. The boss has reminded me that I have to finish unloading the truck.’
He was standing so close to her, the heat from his body was making the hairs on her arms rise. The smell of his sweat mingled with his aftershave or deodorant and it was a heady combination.
‘Urm, err, right! Yes! Thank you for your help, I really appreciate it.’
‘Anytime. You only need to ask.’
A slow, lazy smile spread across his cheeks and his blue eyes twinkled before he spun on his heel and marched out of the barn.
In the brief moment before he turned away, she was hit with a sudden twinge of recognition but before it could take hold in her mind and become something more definitive, her brother gave her a hefty nudge in the back.
‘Bloody hell, sis, you don’t want him making those moves on you in a hay barn.’
‘Huh? Eh?’
She looked at Chris in confusion and the vague thought slipped away.
‘Well, if it got any hotter between the two of you, all combustible material would be at risk.’
‘Stop it, it’s not like that.’
‘No? It certainly looked like it from where I was standing. Like I said, a bit of hot country totty! Mother will be pleased.’
‘Oh, bugger off!’
This time her punch didn’t miss.