Chapter 22
Cath arrived at the beach hut two days later to the sounds of sawing – really?
– and more predictably Wham’s ‘Club Tropicana’ blaring out on a portable speaker.
Oh my, what was going on in there? She bloody well hoped the lovely surprise for Will wasn’t going to end up being a shock, for all the wrong reasons.
She suddenly remembered the infamous episode of Changing Rooms, where the homeowners walked in for the big reveal, and ended up shouting, ‘I hate it. Get this mic off …’
She had messaged Nikki yesterday, reminding her of her promise to keep Andreas’s ‘creative flair’ under control.
Nikki replied that she was still working on ‘The Hamptons’ theme, but with Andreas in the mix, who knew what else might happen.
And sawing? Surely the professional builders had done all the woodwork repairs that were needed when they’d sorted out the roof and walls?
Spotting a heap of what looked to be old chipboard, intriguingly piled beside the deck, Cath took a steadying breath, and then cautiously poked her head in through the main door. ‘Hel-lo!’
The sofa bed in the centre of the room had a dust sheet over it, thankfully.
Behind that, Dan looked up, with screwdriver to hand, from a half-built kitchen cabinet unit …
in, phew, a stylish off-white. The old kitchen section had been totally ripped out and was gone, wow. So, that was the pile outside.
Across the other side of the room, Andreas, was in fact the one sawing, umm, what looked to be thick bamboo canes. Goodness knows what they were for?
‘Hi, petal.’ Andreas beamed, as he reached to turn the music down a touch.
‘Hey, lovely,’ said Dan. ‘How’s Will getting on?’
‘Okay, he seems in pretty good spirits. Well, as much as he can be, right now. Still sore and rather frustrated with life.’ Will had actually been a bit grouchy these past few days, understandably.
But the catheter was due to come out in a day or two, and she figured that should help him feel a little more comfortable, and more like himself.
‘Oh God, having surgery down there … it just doesn’t bear thinking about.’ Andreas was being brutally honest.
Dan gave him one of his looks.
‘Sorry, hun. That was probably a bit tactless in the circumstances,’ he added.
‘Don’t worry,’ Cath responded. ‘And yes, it’s a very tender area, the poor lad. Anyhow, what’s been happening here? That new kitchen unit’s going to look great, Dan.’
‘Thank you.’
‘But, umm, I thought we were just giving things a lick of paint?’ she ventured. The lads evidently had grander plans. ‘And what are you making, Andreas?’
‘Now that’s a surprise.’
Cath raised her eyebrows. It was damned hard reining that man in.
‘Just wait until you see it all come together. No need to stress, we’re sticking to the script on neutral wall shades.
In fact, I think Nikki’s found the perfect white plus a moonlight-grey for an accent wall.
She and Lily are off to Homebase to collect the tins.
But hey, admit it, it does need a little livening up.
I’m working on a special feature, that’s all. ’
‘O-kay, well, I’ll reserve judgement on that until I see it.’ Hopefully it might be something that could easily be taken down, or moved, should Will not like it. ‘Right, well, how can I help? Give me a job.’ Cath was keen to get busy.
‘Well, before you get started, I’m desperately in need of a coffee hit. If you don’t mind putting the kettle on, that’d be amazing,’ asked Dan.
‘Kettle?’ Cath quizzed. When they’d left the last time, there was just an old pan. Dan had shifted the portable hob down to the floor, whilst he worked on the new unit, and there on the camping stove was a lovely, traditional-looking black and chrome, kettle. ‘A gift.’ Dan smiled.
‘Oh, you shouldn’t have. You’re already doing so much. But, that’s wonderful, thank you. That’ll come in so handy. Coffee it is then. I’ve brought a new cafetière over with me too, to leave here, and some ground rich-roast Italian.’
‘Oh, a rich, roast Italian sounds good to me,’ called out Andreas giving a naughty laugh.
Dan, shaking his head, then added, ‘There’s a carton of milk in the cool bag, lovely.’
They carried on with their toil, whilst she found three mugs and began to make the hot drinks.
‘We’re back! With our gorgeous ‘Pearl White’ and ‘Grey Whisper’. The Hamptons, here we come.’ Nikki strolled into the hut grinning, with two large paint tubs to hand.
‘More like a “Careless Whisper” the way Nikki paints,’ chortled Andreas, ever the Wham fan.
‘I’ll have you know I decorated our lounge and dining room, single-handedly. I’m quite the pro,’ came Nikki’s retort.
‘And I can do all the delicate skirting boards and edge bits. It’ll be like piping a cake,’ Lily chipped in.
‘Or there’s always good old masking tape,’ added Dan practically. ‘There’s some in my rucksack there.’
‘Ah, okay, thanks. This bungalow glow-up is going to be so cool,’ said Lily.
‘A bunga-glow,’ came Andreas’s pun, quick as a shot.
‘Hah, that’s brilliant,’ said Nikki.
‘Even I have to confess to liking that one,’ agreed Dan.
Cath chuckled.
Lily glanced over to where she was pouring coffee. ‘Hey, hi, Cath. How’s Will?’
‘Hey, hun.’ Nikki came over, pulling her friend into a warm hug.
‘Yeah, he’s okay. One day at a time,’ she responded. ‘But it has knocked the stuffing out of him.’ A sigh escaped her lips.
‘Aw, bless.’
‘We’re all rooting for his speedy recovery,’ responded Dan calmly and supportively.
‘And he’s going to love what we’re doing here,’ added Andreas.
With Andreas likely working on some quirky feature, Cath wasn’t quite so sure about that. But hey, these were their friends and every hammer, nail and brushstroke were absolutely being done with love. If that wasn’t enough, then nothing would be.
After finishing their reviving drinks, more dust sheets were laid out on the floor, which was to stay as the original brown wooden planks, apparently.
Some original features were to remain, at least, which was slightly reassuring, and Nikki had mentioned finding a gorgeous rug in shades of sea and sand for the living area, to go beside the log burner.
With all the talk of extras, as well as the paint, Cath couldn’t help but feel concerned about mounting costs.
Nothing had been said about the money side of all this, and whilst giving up time and skills for free seemed fine and was so lovely of them, letting them cover the costs for all sorts of expensive additions such as a new kitchen unit and soft furnishings, well, that didn’t sit easily with her at all.
She vowed to broach the matter before she left, but for now it was time to dip that brush and go!
Cath’s first brushstroke with the supper club gang felt momentous, the pearly-white shade on the wall looking so fresh and new.
This felt very much like a second chance for this place.
A fresh start for the beach hut, with more adventures and stories for bungalow 12A to come.
She crossed her fingers that these would be Will’s adventures for many years yet, and if she was lucky enough, that she’d be a part of them, too.
With the music on – Lily requesting a change to some Taylor Swift – and Andreas switching tracks to a beaty rendition of ‘Shake it Off’, within the hour, the first coat on wall one was done!
Although Cath was occupied, time also seemed to move slowly.
She was wondering how Will was getting on, and if he might try and contact her.
What they were doing here was great, but she’d never made a good liar; secrets not being her forte.
She’d had enough of lies and deceit from Trev.
She was meant to be doing online tuition at her home in the village, and here she was, on a mad dash to the coast, undertaking what now felt like a DIY ‘experiment’ on his inheritance.
Oh blimey, she hoped Will would like it.
It had seemed such a good idea at the time.
Perhaps her nerves about his recent surgery and ongoing recovery had left her reeling and feeling anxious about everything.
Life was looking so good for the two of them, their relationship was going so well, and then suddenly with the cancer news, they’d found themselves on a knife-edge.
She dripped a blob of paint from her brush onto the floor. ‘Damn it.’
But of course, Dan’s dust sheets were down.
The safety nets were there. Like her friends were, she realised.
Her heart gave a big thank you as she looked around the room; Dan screwing a drawer together ready to place in the new unit, Andreas lining up sawn sections of bamboo, Lily and Nikki painting away, as Lily sang and Nikki hummed to the tunes.
Their friendship life raft was in place. They just had to hang on in there.
*
It was time to head back to Tilldale.
‘Well, I’ll have to love you and leave you, guys. I’ve said I’d be back with Will by late afternoon,’ said Cath. ‘And I’m making supper for them all tonight as Maddie is coming up.’
‘Oh, that’ll be nice for them. You’re so good. Send the patient our love,’ said Nikki.
‘Tell him we’ll pop in and see him again soon,’ said Lily.
‘I’ll bring baklava. It’s a cure-all treat. And we’ll get these keys back to you soon,’ added Andreas.
‘Not quite yet, though. If that’s okay, Cath?’ added Dan. ‘I’ve a feeling we might need to hang on to them for a couple more days. There’s a few more hours work, yet.’
‘Thank you, and no worries, I’m sure Will won’t be looking for them for a while, at least,’ she responded.
‘He’ll still be busy licking his wounds,’ said Nikki.
‘Bloody hell, I hope not,’ Andreas retorted, unable to hold himself back, then collapsing with laughter. He quickly apologised, but Cath was laughing too – as was everyone.
In the midst of the gloom was Andreas’s humour, like a daft beacon of light. Cath was shaking her head, whilst they all grinned. What was he like?!
‘And hey, thank you all so much. For this …’ Cath scanned the room which was already so much brighter, the light now bouncing off the walls.
‘And I’ll send over some money to help out with the paint and everything.
But well …’ She started to fill up. ‘You’re just brilliant. I don’t know what we’d do without you.’
These friends had only been with her for a year, since her traumatic life upheaval and her move to the countryside, and yet she knew already that they’d be friends for life.
‘Group hug,’ said Nikki, downing her paint roller and tray. The others downed tools too, and they made a huddle of love around Cath, buoying her up before she left.