‘I’m guessing it didn’t go well as I didn’t get an excited phone call from you last night,’ said Beth.
‘Didn’t go well! That’s a bloody understatement. He took me up 257 steps in heels to ask me if I wanted to spend a weekend in a bloody treehouse.’ Carly was indignant.
‘Ooh, a treehouse sounds nice, when’s he taking you?’
‘Did you not hear what I said? 257 steps up to the sodding Whispering sodding Gallery at sodding St Paul’s.’
‘What a lovely thing to do. I think you’re being a bit mean. He’s booked a nice mini-break and he took you to a wonderful place to tell you about it.’
Carly pouted as she stood on the pavement outside the flat. ‘It would have been a perfect place to propose.’
‘Maybe, but there are other perfect places for a proposal.’
‘I’d like it to feel like the world has stopped for one moment, just for me. That’s all,’ said Carly with more than a hint of despondency evident in her voice as she moved to one side to avoid being bumped by frowning pedestrians.
‘I dare say you would and I’m sure that will happen but, in the meantime, you should enjoy the lovely thoughtful man you have and look forward to your weekend in a treehouse.’
‘Thoughtful? 257 steps. In heels!’ was all Carly had to say. She shoved the phone into her bag and crossed the road. She didn’t see Fergus who was watching her closely from the window.
Leo was finishing his sausages and beans when the theatrical musical doorbell of the B&B hummed the tune to ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’. Jean opened the door and preened herself as she greeted Jack. What was it with the women in this village and Jack? He seemed to send them all aquiver.
‘Are you ready?’ he called brusquely, after exchanging pleasantries with Jean.
‘Yep,’ said Beth, grabbing the rusty keys and gently steering Leo away from the table.
‘You’re wearing that?’ asked Jack, blunt as ever, as he gave Beth’s outfit the once-over.
She looked at her fitted white T-shirt, designer skinny jeans and smart low-heeled leather boots. ‘Yes, what’s wrong with it?’ It wasn’t like she was wearing a skirt and heels as she had the first time she’d investigated the property.
‘Nothing wrong at all but you’re about to get absolutely filthy working on the cottage and that outfit will be trashed.’
‘These are the least precious clothes I’ve got and if they get trashed then so be it. But I’ll be careful.’
‘What do you usually wear for this sort of work?’ asked Jack, his expression curious.
It was too early to make stuff up and Leo was listening. ‘This,’ she said and walked out of the door with her head held high. Jack shook his head behind her.
Jean displayed a fixed smile as she witnessed the exchange. ‘Well, have a nice time anyway,’ she said, as she waved them off.
‘Here,’ said Jack, handing Beth and Leo small white face masks. ‘It’ll help to stop the dust.’
‘Thanks but I’m going to play in the garden,’ said Leo brandishing a tennis ball.
‘He’s not had a garden before,’ explained Beth and Jack patted Leo on the back sympathetically.
‘You can do me a favour, keep an eye on Doris here,’ he said as the huge dog skidded up the path to greet them. Doris had a dark face but the rest of her short coat was a golden blonde and she was very nearly the same height as Leo. Beth protectively stepped in front of Leo and Doris seized the opportunity to sniff Beth’s crotch. Jack expertly pulled her away as Beth rolled her eyes; sniffing crotches and licking their own private parts was probably the two main reasons why she wasn’t a dog lover. The third thing that Beth disliked about dogs was when they lifted up both their back legs and dragged their bums along the carpet although she had to admit that was always funny as long as it wasn’t your carpet.
‘I don’t think that’s a good idea,’ said Beth.
‘But, Muuuum,’ moaned Leo from behind her.
Jack was eyeing her as if awaiting an explanation for her actions.
‘It’s a very big dog, and dogs …’ she knew they were all waiting for her to say the word ‘bite’. ‘… dogs can be unpredictable. So, no, I’m sorry but I don’t think so.’
‘Shame. That means she’ll have to spend the day in her cage,’ said Jack, looking forlornly at Doris who was happily bashing her tail against his leg.
‘A cage?’ Leo looked outraged. Beth looked a little shocked too.
‘It’s okay, it’s to stop her wrecking the house.’ The expressions of alarm didn’t change. ‘Seriously, she’s an English mastiff, she’ll eat her way through a wall if I leave her on her own!’
‘But still. Putting her in a cage?’ said Beth, eyeing the behemoth of a dog.
‘It’s a proper extra-large dog cage but she’d rather be with me, obviously.’ Jack pulled a sad clown face.
‘Fine, bring her along,’ relented Beth, and Leo whooped his delight.
‘You’ll grow to love her,’ said Jack, as he patted Doris’s flank and the dog promptly wiped her slobbery jowl down the side of Beth’s jeans as she passed. Beth recoiled in disgust.
‘I doubt it,’ she muttered.
A large estate car was parked outside with a ladder strapped to the roof bars. Doris leaped into the boot and Jack jumped in the driver’s seat.
‘See you there,’ he shouted as he pulled away.
‘Fine,’ said Beth. She didn’t need a lift – she could almost see the willow tree from the B&B, but it would have been nice to be offered one. She put on her sunglasses and took Leo’s reluctant hand.
When they got to the cottage, Leo checked to see if Ernie was under the willow tree but he wasn’t. Jack already had his toolbox out and was studying the boards that covered the windows and the door.
‘Galvanized bolts,’ he said, nodding. ‘That’s good. It means they won’t have rusted. I’ve got just the thing for those.’ He pulled a large spanner from the toolbox and set to work.
‘Let’s get these off and see what we’re dealing with,’ said Jack. Beth wasn’t comfortable with Jack dishing out the instructions but she agreed as she didn’t have a better idea.
As he undid the last bolt Beth stood and took the weight of the large sheet of ply board. At the last second the board slipped in her grasp but Jack stopped it from falling.
‘Ow,’ complained Beth, checking her hands – splinters and a broken nail. She breathed out hard; this was starting to look less and less like her kind of thing. Lifting down the board revealed the window. There had once been white paint on the wooden frame but now most of it had peeled off. However, the sight of the series of perfect little square panes in the windows brought a smile to both their faces.
‘Georgian windows,’ said Jack, helping Beth to put down the board and lean it against the wall.
‘They’re lovely,’ said Beth leaning closer, ‘but not exactly good for keeping the cold out. I expect they’ll need swapping for double-glazed ones.’
‘No!’ said Jack crossly. ‘These are a thing of beauty. I’ll put some linseed oil on to protect them until you can get around to painting them but trust me they’ll keep the cold out. It’s the gaps round the edges that