Chapter 14
Chapter Fourteen
SOFIA
Choosing what clothes to wear for a day splashing paint about shouldn’t have been that complex.
Overalls were the obvious choice, despite the itch of thick canvas scraping against Sofia’s skin as she’d zipped up the navy jumpsuit and folded the hem over to make them shorter.
The garment was too tight across the bust, highlighting the very different body shapes of her and her sister.
Work overalls suited Luisa’s lithe frame, they hugged Sofia in all the wrong places.
Ordinarily, it wouldn’t matter. She’d never considered herself overly vain, but then she’d never been in the situation of trying to attract the attentions of a man whose interest remained undecided. She was entering new territory.
The second issue they encountered on leaving the house was a hostile taxi driver who refused to allow tins of paint inside his cab.
Their arrival at the community centre was delayed by forty minutes while they waited for their kindly neighbour to drop his children at school and return to transport them to their destination in his fancy off-roader.
His son regularly threw up during car journeys, so he wasn’t bothered by a few tins of paint, he’d assured them.
When they eventually arrived at the community centre, there was no sign of Connor.
They had to make their way through the main hall with their equipment, incurring strange stares from the parents who’d gathered for the ‘music and play’ session.
Several of the children grew curious at the sight of paint-rollers and brushes being carried through the hall, and became excited at the idea of playing with paint—their parents, less so.
Luisa sped up, her reaction to small children on a par with someone facing open heart surgery without an anaesthetic. ‘Weird little creatures,’ she mumbled, as they crossed the hall.
In contrast, Sofia only saw cute, smiling toddlers running about, full of energy and squealing with laughter. When one little girl waved at her, she couldn’t help smiling.
‘Do not engage,’ Luisa hissed, urging her sister to move faster. ‘They’ll suck out your soul first chance they get.’
‘They’re children, not demons, Luisa.’
‘They don’t fool me, I’ve seen The Midwich Cuckoos.’
‘That was a work of fiction,’ Sofia reminded her sister, as she followed her into the meeting room they’d been assigned to paint.
Following their earlier visit to the community centre, Luisa had searched for contact details online and they’d exchanged emails with Connor about arrangements for their visit.
Luisa had instructed Sofia that by the time they finished today, Sofia needed to be in possession of Connor’s personal contact details too.
Sofia was still undecided whether having Luisa act as matchmaker was a gift or a hindrance.
The meeting room was stuffy and smelled dusty, but at least it had been cleared of furniture—apart from two plastic chairs. The grubby carpet tiles couldn’t have been any dirtier if they’d spilled several tins of paint over them.
‘You start sugar-soaping the walls,’ Luisa said, plonking herself down on a plastic chair. ‘My mural design needs work.’ She opened her sketch pad and began chewing on the end of her pencil, lifting her feet to rest on the spare chair.
Sofia unrolled plastic sheeting across the floor. ‘I get all the good jobs.’
‘Preparation is key,’ Luisa said, without looking up. ‘Fail to prepare, prepare to fail.’
Sofia rolled her eyes—her knees were already feeling the discomfort of kneeling on lumpy carpeting. ‘Very inspiring.’
The door opened and Sofia’s heart gave a little kick as Connor appeared. He was wearing a denim-coloured hoodie and baggy cargo trousers, his wavy black hair framing his soft features. He looked adorable. He also looked stressed. There was a weariness about him that tugged at her insides.
‘Hi,’ he said tentatively. ‘Do you have everything you need?’
‘I think so.’ Sofia sat back on her heels. ‘There’s a hardware shop nearby, so we can pop out if we need anything.’
‘You’ll need to change clothes if you’re going to help,’ Luisa said, glancing up at Connor. ‘Painting’s messy work, you look far too neat. Nice hoodie, by the way.’
Connor ran a hand through his hair. ‘I can’t help, I’m afraid. I’m trying to sort out the accounts this morning. We’ve got no income coming in, and I’ve no idea why.’ He gave a half-hearted shrug. ‘Sorry.’
‘That’s a shame. We were looking forward to your company.’ Luisa’s eyes darted between Sofia and Connor mischievously.
Sofia climbed off the floor, feeling at a distinct disadvantage being so low down. ‘Don’t you have an accountant to deal with the finances?’
‘There’s no money to pay an accountant. The manager dealt with everything, but he’s too ill to do anything at the moment. I’ve offered to take over, except I don’t know what I’m doing.’
Luisa clapped her hands, making them both jump. ‘Sofia will help you. She used to be an account manager.’
Sofia glared at her sister. ‘I thought you wanted me to start sugar soaping?’
‘Oh, that can wait,’ she said, dismissing her sister’s concerns. ‘Besides, I’m still working on my design. Go and be useful, I’m happy sketching.’
Sofia turned to Connor. ‘I’m no expert.’
‘Bullshit.’ Luisa pointed her pencil at Sofia. ‘She has a business degree and uses budget software to manage the household expenses. She’s a maths geek. If anyone can fathom numbers, it’s Sofia.’
The concern on Connor’s face lifted. ‘I’d really appreciate your help.’
Sofia tried to keep her expression neutral. ‘Looks like I’ve been redeployed,’ she said, glancing at Luisa, who wiggled her eyebrows and mouthed ‘get his number’.
Praying Connor hadn’t seen her sister’s unsubtle gesture, they left the room, with Sofia wishing she’d brought a change of outfit. The rigid material between her legs rubbed together with such friction she was worried the overalls might ignite. She felt self-conscious enough as it was.
‘Is your sister feeling better now?’ Connor asked, as they headed down the corridor towards the main hall. ‘She’d just come out of hospital last time I saw you.’
‘Luisa’s health is never great, even at the best of times, and this latest infection gave us a real scare, but she’s slowly improving, thanks.’
‘She looks very frail.’
‘I know. The problem is, she loses weight when she’s ill, and because of the issues with her digestion, it takes forever to put the weight back on. If she gets another infection while she’s still weak, she can deteriorate really quickly. It’s a real worry.’
‘It sounds it.’
They entered the main hall and were hit by a wall of sound, children screaming and laughing as they acted out the moves to the ‘Wheels on the Bus’. It was a cute sight, and one that gave Sofia a pang of longing. However much she wanted a decent career, she also wanted a family one day.
Connor glanced at her. ‘Has your sister always had this condition? Sorry, I don’t know much about it.’
‘That’s okay, not many people do. Cystic Fibrosis is a rare genetic disease. Why Luisa has it and the rest of my family don’t is down to statistics and bad luck. Luisa drew the short straw. She’ll always have it, even if she gets a new heart and lungs.’
Connor looked shocked. ‘Is that what needs to happen? A transplant?’
‘Possibly.’ Although it was something the family hoped wouldn’t be needed, and something Luisa was adamant she didn’t want. ‘She’s on a new combination of drugs, which the doctors are hoping will improve things. It’s a waiting game.’
They reached the end of the hall and Connor opened a door. ‘She’s very brave. I mean, she doesn’t act like an ill person, does she? Sorry, that sounds stupid.’
‘It’s okay, I know what you mean. Luisa’s incredibly resilient and she has a great attitude, most of the time. She copes better than I would in her situation. She makes jokes and fools around, but sometimes the mask slips and you can tell underneath the bluster she’s scared.’
‘I would be too.’ He led Sofia into a small office with similar décor to the meeting room, beige walls, cheap furniture, no natural daylight. ‘She said you used to be an account manager?’
‘I was, yes.’ Sofia knew it was time to confess. Besides, she had nothing to be ashamed of, as Elena kept reminding her. ‘That day I met you on the train, I’d just been fired from my job. That’s why I was a bit of a mess.’
‘You weren’t a mess,’ he said, the shake of his head making his hair sway. ‘Not that I saw. I guess that explains the box of stuff you were carrying.’
She tried for a self-deprecating smile. ‘And the crying too. I wasn’t at my best.’
‘Why were you fired?’ He visibly flinched. ‘Sorry, none of my business.’
‘I don’t mind you knowing. It was a bit raw at the time, and I was embarrassed, that’s why I didn’t say anything. I feel differently now, I’m more aggrieved by the situation. They fired me for taking time off to look after Luisa.’
He ran a hand through his hair. ‘That doesn’t seem fair.’
‘It’s not, which is why I’m challenging the dismissal on grounds of disability discrimination.
I’d been in the job five years. It’s only recent months I’ve needed time off after Mum died and Papi had to return to Colombia.
I’ve worked numerous weekends and extra hours getting my work done, but that didn’t seem to count for much. ’
His smile was kind. ‘Luisa’s not the only who’s brave. You are too. Challenging authority isn’t easy.’
Her hand rested on her chest. The cramped room was making her feel warm. ‘I can’t expect Luisa to fight if I don’t fight too. Life isn’t always easy, and sometimes you have to find the courage to stand up for yourself.’