Chapter 6
6
‘Thank you. I really do appreciate the sentiment but I’m pretty sure everything’s a disaster. What I don’t know at the moment is exactly how much of a disaster it is.’ I looked up at Jesse.
‘We’ll fix it.’
We?
‘I’ll help you get the house secured and weathertight for now and the insurers should send someone out to assess it. They’ll find you somewhere to stay in the mean…’ His words trailed off as I slowly looked up at him through my lashes. ‘Felicity. Please tell me the house is insured.’
I chewed my lip.
‘Felicity…’
The disappointment in his voice speared through me. ‘I tried!’ I said, standing back from him. ‘Nobody would take on the risk because they said the house wasn’t secure. I was in the process of looking into it more. I didn’t expect a sodding great tree to plonk itself right through the roof the moment I moved in!’ I took a step away towards the stairs. ‘Look. Thanks very much for all you’ve done so far but I can take it from here.’
‘Nope.’
I stopped. ‘I beg your pardon.’
He folded his arms across his broad chest, the strong, muscled forearms bare.
Focus!
‘I said, no.’
‘I’m well aware of what you said. What I don’t understand is why.’
‘Well, for a start, you need a lift back to your house.’
In the short time I’d been here, I’d already realised that even thinking about calling an Uber or a Lyft around here was pointless.
‘Fine. Then if you wouldn’t mind dropping me back to my home, I would appreciate it, but as for?—’
‘Let’s discuss this on the way, shall we?’ He glanced at his watch.
I stopped talking but only out of surprise. Who the hell did he think he was, speaking to me like that? OK, yes, he did come to the rescue last night. But still. People didn’t just cut me off like that and tell me what to do!
And yet there he stood, immoveable and as solid as my nemesis tree.
‘Ugh!’ I spun around and ran up the stairs to the guest room.
Having chosen a pair of jeans and a cute T-shirt from the selection Julie had brought over for me, I pulled a sweatshirt over my head and headed downstairs. I shoved my feet into the trainers she had dropped off. I was a little taller than Jesse’s sister but a similar build and thankfully we had the same-sized feet.
I took a seat on the bottom step to do them up, then stood and grabbed the coat she’d also brought.
‘Ready.’
Jesse didn’t reply, merely called Ned to his side and together, we left the house. As we approached the pick-up, Jesse opened the passenger-side door for me but before I could get in, Ned zipped past, jumped up onto the seat and sat facing forward, ready to go.
‘Ned! That wasn’t opened for you.’
Ned looked round at his owner, his eyebrows rumpling in confusion.
‘Is that where he usually sits?’
‘Yes but?—’
‘Then let him stay there. I’ll sit in the back.’ I reached for the handle to the back seats of the pick-up’s cab, but Jesse was there before me.
‘No way. I’m not driving you around like a bloody chauffeur. Ned, back seat.’
His dog looked at him for a moment then turned and scooted through the gap between the front seats into the back. Jesse opened the back door, clipped the dog’s harness to the seat belt and closed the door.
‘Your chariot awaits.’ He indicated the empty front seat.
I gave him a tight smile and got in, yanking at the seat belt as Jesse closed the door behind me before striding around the front of the vehicle and hoisting himself in behind the wheel.
‘Look, I know it’s not ideal with it being uninsured, but I really don’t need any more grief about it. Believe me, I’m angry enough with myself for the both of us.’
‘I’m not angry at you. There’s just a lot to do.’
‘I don’t want to take up your time. If you could just drop me at the house, you can get on with your day.’
Jesse turned to look at me, his expression impassive and unreadable.
‘What?’
‘Nothing,’ he replied as he switched on the ignition and then pulled out of the drive.
Thankfully, it was a short journey, otherwise I’d have bitten all of my fingernails down rather than just four. The acrylics I usually had were long gone and, right now, getting replacements was the last thing on my mind. I couldn’t remember the last time they’d looked this much of a state. I added ‘ask Julie about beauty salons’ to my mental to-do list and tucked my hands under my thighs so I didn’t chew them any more.
We turned down the drive and as we got closer, I had to call on all my stoicism not to cry. The base of a tree stood splintered and jagged to the left of the house, the body of it cutting square across the roof of my bedroom. Glass from the one remaining sash window in the bedroom was scattered around, glittering in the bright morning sunlight. Branches and other natural detritus were strewn around the place, and as Jesse pulled the truck to a halt the final indignation was before us. My once beautiful, sleek convertible was now two rather less beautiful cars thanks to the tree that had sliced it right down the middle.
‘I’m guessing that, at least, is insured.’
I ignored Jesse and opened the door, turning first to Ned. ‘Stay here, Ned. There’s glass everywhere and I don’t want you getting hurt.’
Ned looked back at me and, the moment I stepped out, hopped through into the front seat and stayed there. ‘Good boy.’ I smiled, ruffling his ears, then closed the door.
I walked up to the car. Thankfully, yes, it was insured, which was something but, right now, it didn’t help much. I’d loved that car. Also, it was my only means of transport to and from this dead-end place. Now what was I going to do? I pulled my phone out of my pocket, took a few photos and then scrolled down the contacts and stopped as I came to the one labelled ‘car insurance’. I was, if nothing else, organised. Pressing the dial button, I waited. And waited. And then I remembered. There was no signal here. Shit. I wondered if my router had survived the storm. At least the Wi-Fi calling had worked last night long enough to allow Jesse’s call to connect. Turning, I saw Jesse leaning on the front of the pick-up. He studied me for a moment but thankfully didn’t say anything.
‘I suppose I’d better go in and see what I’m dealing with.’
‘What we’re dealing with,’ he corrected me.
I stopped and turned to face him. ‘This is my problem, Jesse. I appreciate the rescue last night but?—’
‘It wasn’t a rescue. You’d have been fine. Somehow I get the feeling you’re not the type of woman that ever needs, or would even accept, rescuing.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Exactly what I said.’
‘I suppose you still expect every woman to swoon and drop into your arms – or bed – then?’
He laughed at this, although I hadn’t meant it to be funny. ‘Definitely not. But there’s a difference between being capable and refusing to accept help because you’re too damn stubborn.’
I opened my mouth to reply but he was already on the move.
‘Let’s go and see what the damage is.’
‘I think it’s pretty obvious what the damage is,’ I mumbled a few steps behind him. ‘There’s a bloody great tree in my house.’
Jesse turned, flung an amused smile at me and carried on walking.
Did he have to have quite such a great smile? And, as my eyes followed him, a pretty exceptional bum.
‘Oh…’ was the only word my brain was able to process as we both stood on the threshold, looking at the disaster zone that had once been my bedroom. The only room in the house that had been close to being finished, barring the dodgy windows. Now there was a skylight where the roof used to be. Or at least there was sky.
‘You OK?’ Jesse asked.
I made a noise that could have been taken for affirmation. However, I was definitely not OK. I was, in fact, very far from OK, but it seemed the appropriate reply for the moment. Plus the only other response available to me right now was ‘complete meltdown’ and I was saving that for later when I was on my own. Jesse had caught me off guard last night but I wasn’t about to show any more weakness to him than I already had. I’d learned a long time ago that doing that generally came back to bite you.
‘Do you want to go and check on the chickens?’
I looked at him blankly for a second. ‘Oh my God!’ I took off down the stairs and ran to the field towards the newly painted coop. It wasn’t the best job but, considering it was the first time I’d picked up a paintbrush, I didn’t think they’d mind. The dull-brown colour didn’t do much for me either, but it was the only thing labelled as suitable for outdoor wood I’d been able to find in the outbuilding.
Thankfully, unlike mine, their house looked untouched by the storm. I entered the run, making sure the catch was in place, and opened the door to the coop. As I did so, the birds clucked and squawked their way out, hustling and bustling until they got to the bottom and began pecking around at the grass, apparently unbothered by the previous night’s events. A couple toddled over and began pecking at my laces.
‘Right, yes. I suppose you want food.’ I walked over to the storage unit within the compound, scooped out some of the feed, and scattered the grain onto the ground. The birds descended with zeal and began happily pecking away. I moved around them and pulled open the egg door. There sat at least a dozen fresh eggs waiting for collection.
‘Bugger,’ I said, realising, in my haste to see whether my chickens were scattered far and wide, that I’d come out without the basket. Hurrying back, I rushed into the utility through the back door and walked slap bang into a solid chest.
‘Oof!’ I bounced backwards as Jesse grabbed me to stop me falling on my backside. He hadn’t moved at all from the impact. It was like an ant bumping into a rhino.
‘Sorry. I was coming out to find you. How are the hens?’
‘Fine,’ I said, reaching past him to grab the wicker basket I’d bought to collect the eggs in, which was not something I’d ever thought I’d be carrying, if I’m honest. I was more used to hooking a Hermès bag over my wrist, but then my life had taken a massive swerve and right now that was the least of my problems. And I had to admit, I’d never tasted an egg so flippin’ delicious.
‘Want some company?’
‘Sure you’re not just checking that I’m pretending I’ve managed to keep the chickens alive?’
He smiled as we walked. ‘Not at all. The way you dashed out of there told me all I needed to know.’ We approached the run. ‘You painted it?’
‘I know it’s a bit of a mess, so please don’t criticise it.’
‘I wasn’t going to. Looks good.’
It didn’t but I appreciated the compliment.
‘Did you buy the preserver from Brendan too?’
‘No, that was already here. Actually,’ I asked, having popped the last egg in my basket, ‘you couldn’t give me a hand putting the lid back on it, could you?’
‘The paint? Of course.’
‘Great, it’s back in the utility. I don’t suppose you’d like some eggs, would you?’
‘Love some, if you’re sure.’
‘Perfectly. I still have yesterday’s.’ I ran a hand back over my hair, smoothing my ponytail, my go-to hairstyle for the last however many years. ‘I can’t believe I forgot about the hens. I’m not sure I’m cut out to be responsible for other living creatures.’
‘Don’t be so hard on yourself.’ Jesse dismissed my comment immediately. ‘It sounds like this is all quite a different lifestyle for you. You’ve barely been here five minutes. Give yourself a break.’
‘It’s different when something is relying on you for its well-being though. Thank God I’d remembered to put them away last night. That’s one miracle.’
Jesse gave a brief smile. ‘Where’s the paint? Let’s do that and then we can discuss the roof.’
I pulled a large tin out of the cupboard that I’d covered with foil – a tip from the Internet to keep the paint from drying up. It didn’t seem a long-term solution, in case it got knocked over, so I’d kept the tin lid just in case. I lifted it and placed it on the counter.
‘Was it the right stuff?’ I asked, suddenly panicking I might have put something toxic on my birds’ enclosure.
Jesse was removing the foil, a frown settling into place between his brows. ‘Yep, it’s the right stuff.’ He peered at the tin, then the lid, then the tin again. ‘Felicity?’
‘Yes?’
‘Did you remove this lid with a tin opener?’
‘I… yes. It’s a tin, isn’t it? I must admit it seemed a little odd because I’m not sure how you’re supposed to keep the rest. Or is it a one and done? That seems quite wasteful. Could I decant it into something? Why are you looking at me like that?’
He shook his head. ‘Nothing.’
‘No. Tell me. Obviously, there’s something obvious I’m missing here. I’d rather you told me than I be the butt of the village joke.’
‘I would never laugh at you, Felicity.’ His eyes were serious now.
‘You laughed at me trying to get that wood in my car while my protective clothing disintegrated around me!’
The smile returned. ‘Fair enough. But you had just knocked me on my arse in front of everyone so you’ve got to let me have that one.’
It had never occurred to me that Jesse had been embarrassed as well as cross.
‘So come on, then. Tell me.’
Jesse laid the lid back in place. ‘See that groove that runs around the outside of the lid?’
‘Yes.’
‘That’s how you get in.’
‘What? How?’
‘Screwdriver, usually. You stick it in there, maybe a couple of other places until it prises up easily.’
‘A screwdriver.’
‘Yes.’
I looked at the tin. ‘Right. So that’s buggered, then?’
‘Pretty much, yeah. Although I’m sure we can find something to decant it in, like you said. Good idea to try and save it in case you need to do some more treatment.’
I suddenly felt like a massive idiot. ‘I’ll do it later,’ I said. ‘So.’ I raised my eyes to the ceiling. ‘Is it as bad as we feared up there?’
‘I’m afraid the tree through the roof wasn’t a hallucination, as much as we’d both hoped it might be. There’s damage to the furniture and other items in the main bedroom from the rain. Obviously, your bed’s a goner. But, from what I can see, the other rooms look undamaged. Obviously, I can’t really comment on the structural side. That’s above my pay grade.’ He shifted his weight. ‘Sorry, I wasn’t being nosy. I just needed to check to see what we’re dealing with.’
There was that ‘we’ again.
‘Of course. I didn’t think for a moment you were snooping! Honestly, I know it probably doesn’t feel like it, but I’m incredibly grateful for what you and Julie have already done for me. I don’t know what I would have done without you both.’
He shrugged off the compliment. ‘Like I said, we’d have done the same for anyone.’ He began to turn away and I reached out and caught his arm. He stopped, looking down first at my hand then letting his gaze travel to my face.
‘I’m certain that’s true but, in this case, you helped – are helping – me and for that I’m very grateful even if I’m not always very good at showing it. For that failing, I apologise.’
Jesse was silent for a few moments, our eyes fixed on each other. I felt my chest heave under the scrutiny of his gaze.
‘There’s nothing to apologise for. Do you want to come up and take a proper look?’ He stepped away and I felt the loss of his warmth and… something else… The only word I could form in my mind was ‘security’. When he was close, I felt safe. As if nothing could touch me. But now I was alone again. Which was ridiculous, because it’d been a hell of a long time since I’d trusted, or even wanted, a man to provide any sort of security in my life.
It was why I’d always kept my bank account separate from Adrian’s and kept my flat. And he hadn’t seemed to mind. Perhaps that should have been a bigger clue, but I liked my independence so had just assumed the situation suited us both for the right reasons. Besides, Jesse Woods was nothing to me, apart from a helpful and, yes, admittedly pretty damn hot neighbour. And I was nothing to him. The feeling, the thought, was confusing and ridiculous. I shoved it into the dusty corner of my mind where I’d pushed all the things I didn’t want to think about, mentally shut the door on it and dragged a bookcase in front of it for good measure.
‘Coming?’ he asked, one foot on the bottom stair.
‘Yes.’
His features softened for a moment, as if he was mistaking my hesitation for nerves.
I dragged up a smile. ‘Thanks.’
He turned and led the way up to the first floor.
‘Holy shit.’
I went to an exclusive and very expensive private school to enable me to come out with such erudite statements. As you can see, my father got his money’s worth. Then again, in all the scenarios and education we were given, never once had there been a situation even remotely like the one I was currently taking in.
‘Yep. That pretty much sums it up,’ Jesse agreed with my succinct appraisal. ‘But it could have been worse.’
Remaining silent, I turned to face him.
‘I know that seems hard to believe right now,’ he replied, accurately interpreting the disbelief written all over my features.
I looked back up through the large, unplanned skylight I now had in my bedroom roof to the freshly washed blue skies beyond.
‘On the plus side, it’s brighter in here now.’ If I didn’t make light of it, I was going to cry and there was no way I was doing that in front of Jesse. Or anyone. I’d had girlfriends who switched on the waterworks any time they wanted their own way but that had never been my style and I wasn’t about to change now. Also I had the horrible feeling that if I started crying, I might never stop. By rights, I should still be back in London, in a relationship that was working for both of us but with our own freedoms and that would continue in a similar manner even after the wedding. In the meantime, I’d be living in a beautifully styled apartment that overlooked the Thames and crucially had a fully functioning roof. I let out a sigh and felt my shoulders droop, forgetting momentarily that I wasn’t alone.
‘That was a heck of a sigh.’
I started out of my thoughts. ‘Sorry.’
Jesse held up his hands. ‘Nothing to apologise for.’ He scratched the stubble on his chin, dark growth shadowing the sharp features I’d seen on previous meetings. ‘You’re handling it brilliantly, as far as I can see.’
Little did he know that inside my head there was a tiny me screaming hysterically and running round and round in circles.
‘Thanks.’ It seemed like the right thing to say.
‘Did you feel that it was a little dark in here prior to this?’ He pointed up.
‘Obviously, I haven’t had a lot of time to get used to it and my previous apartment had lots of large windows, so it did seem darker compared to that, of course. But yes,’ I said. ‘I think it could have been lighter.’ I paused. ‘This wasn’t exactly what I had in mind though.’
He stood at the doorway, assessing the room. I stepped in and his hand wrapped around my upper arm. ‘Hang on, I want to just check things first. The last thing we need is you taking an unexpected trip into the floor below or getting clonked on the head again by something.’
‘This isn’t enough?’ I asked, flinging my arm out at the obvious damage and kicking myself when my voice broke on the last word.
‘There’s probably nothing else. I just want to make sure it’s safe. OK?’
I stood straighter and nodded. ‘Yes. Of course.’ Then added, ‘Thank you.’
‘Perhaps we can look into enlarging some of the windows with the rebuild. Let a bit more light in?’
‘Is that possible?’
‘I don’t see why not,’ Jesse said, looking up at the ceiling again. ‘We’ll get the tree removed and will be able to see more then, but if you want more light, that’s a good option. I can have a word with an architect I use to see what he thinks.’
‘An architect you use?’
‘Yeah.’
‘I should have asked this before but what exactly is it that you do? Am I keeping you from it?’
‘Not at all. I’ve got my fingers in a few pies, but my main career is property investment.’
‘Renting?’
‘Some, yes. It depends on the area. Something like this I’d have bought with a view to selling. There’s not enough interest for renters in this area.’
‘Is your house one you did up?’
‘Yep. It was a bit of a state when I bought it but I’m pretty happy with it now.’
‘You should be. It’s stunning. So why didn’t you buy this one off your cousin to do it up?’
‘My cousin and I don’t especially get on. He’d made noises about wanting to really settle in the area and this was the perfect opportunity when he was left the house by our grandmother. I offered to help him do it up, but he refused. Said he wanted to do it his way, which I respected.’
I didn’t let on what Julie had told me about Jesse having lent him a pile of money to do it up and him then scarpering with it.
‘As usual, that turned out to be a load of bullshit.’ He turned to me immediately. ‘Sorry.’
‘No need to apologise.’
‘I hadn’t been up here since he got it. I only found out he was selling it once it was a done deal but had understood that the work was finished. He didn’t use anyone local on the job so I had no idea what a state it was actually in when he sold.’
‘That’s a shame. By the looks of your house, if you’d been involved, I’d have at least got what I paid for.’
Jesse remained silent.
‘It’s my own fault. I should have come and looked at it. That’s what you get for making important life choices in the midst of clearing a month’s worth of wine subscription in less than a week.’
Jesse blew out a breath. ‘That’s a lot of wine.’
‘It was a lot of wine.’
‘I don’t understand how the sale was completed so quickly though.’
‘I have an ex who works in property. He’d told me if I ever wanted to sell my flat to contact him. So I did. He had a cash buyer ready who wanted it as soon as possible, I wanted to get out of London as soon as possible and this place was empty. Now I know why. But it’s amazing what can be achieved when there’s a lot of money involved. Within a few days, all the paperwork was signed so I couldn’t have pulled out if I’d wanted to.’ I paused. ‘That particular ex always did like to get things done quickly.’
Jesse rubbed his jaw but I didn’t miss the flash of amusement in his grey eyes.
‘But I’m certainly the one paying for it now.’
The dark brow creased. ‘Paying for it? We’ve all made hasty decisions, Felicity. Agreed, it’s probably best not to make such important ones while three sheets to the wind, but it’s not some sort of punishment. It’s just bad luck. If it had been me, I’d have had that tree removed during the renovation anyway. It was too close for comfort. But apparently my cousin was looking to do the bare minimum and make a quick killing. There will be legal measures you could take, you know? You’ve been sold a lemon.’
I leant on what was left of a pricey table, only for it to creak and falter, having soaked up the night’s rainfall. I stepped back. Clearly that was done for too. I looked at the matchsticks that had once been my sleigh bed. Maybe that wasn’t a bad thing. A new bed that had no associations with my former, failed relationship was perhaps a wise investment. But before I spent any more money, I needed to find out whether any of this was fixable and, if so, how much it was going to cost.
‘Can we make lemonade instead?’
‘Lemonade?’ Jesse asked, confused.
‘You’re right, this place is a massive lemon and, given the chance, I wouldn’t do it again.’ I looked up at him. ‘I know what I said last night but the truth is I’m here now. I burned my bridges in London so I need to make the best of what I’ve done. For the time being at least. In your experience, would it be possible to make something out of this place? Make lemonade out of a real lemon?’
Jesse scanned the room, the ceiling, the sky, before landing back on me.
‘I reckon so.’ And then he smiled and I couldn’t help smiling back.