thanks for the pizzas. They were delicious.’
‘Well thank you for helping with Jamie’s homework. Are you sure you don’t mind helping him? And teaching him to play chess? I hope you don’t feel cajoled into anything – Jamie can get a bit carried away. I’d understand if you didn’t want to or didn’t have time.’
‘Honestly, I don’t mind at all – in fact, I’ll enjoy it. Apart from my work at the university, I don’t have any other commitments,’ Ben told her.
Whilst reassured he seemed genuinely eager to help, Eva wondered if she should be directing the question more to herself as a warning. As lovely as it was seeing her son getting on so well with Ben, the alarm bell was ringing again, asking how wise it was letting Jamie get too close to Ben. For now, she put the worry aside.
‘I’ll put the kettle on. Would you like a coffee?’ She stood up but Ben held up his hand.
‘Please, let me make it for you.’
‘Oh. Thanks. But you know what I’d really like? A cup of tea.’
‘I think I can just about handle that.’ After a few pointers from Eva, Ben filled the kettle on and found mugs.
‘This makes a nice change. Jamie’s happy to help with pizza but he doesn’t seem so keen to master the art of making his mum a cup of tea.’
‘Sounds like a typical boy,’ Ben observed with a lopsided smile.
‘I guess so.’
While Ben made tea, Eva gathered the details of a heating engineer and a plumber she had put aside to give to Ben. She passed them over to him when he rejoined her at the table.
‘This is the name of the heating engineer I’ve used and he’s very reliable. The plumber – well, he knows what he’s doing but just to warn you he’ll arrange a time and then turn up whenever it suits him, usually two hours later.’
Ben frowned. ‘Tradesmen tend to be a law unto themselves, don’t they?’
Eva nodded in agreement. ‘I think that’s why I decided never to need a man for practical things.’
Ben was looking at her and she wasn’t sure that had sounded right.
‘So er, I learnt to do most things around the house for myself – decorating, plumbing, and so on. It’s important for me to be as self-sufficient as possible,’ she clarified, blushing slightly.
Eva took a drink, noticing Ben was holding the piece of paper she had given him loosely between his fingers, a slightly uneasy expression on his face. He shifted uncomfortably in his seat, raking a hand through his hair.
‘Look, there’s probably something I need to tell you.’ He held her gaze for a moment and Eva felt a strange sensation spread over her skin.
‘To be honest, I don’t know if I’ll stay in the house.’ He indicated towards next door with one hand. ‘It probably makes more sense to look for somewhere smaller. Maybe a flat or something …’
‘Oh.’ She hadn’t expected that at all. She wasn’t sure why but she suddenly felt deflated. It shouldn’t matter to her but the prospect of him moving just didn’t sit right with her. It would be a shame, like giving up on the house in some way. And she didn’t particularly like the thought of having another neighbour so soon. She was kind of getting used to this one sitting beside her. The fact he was pleasant, intelligent, attractive … they were side issues. She thought about his situation and supposed she could understand why he might want to move.
Eva took a sip of her tea, casting her mind back to a couple of winters ago. A December afternoon, Jamie and Fraser had settled down to watch a Home Alone film while Eva had given Heather a preview of one of the bedrooms she had recently finished decorating. Clutching a rather large glass of wine, Heather had been so impressed she’d asked Eva if she would decorate her dining room, which – after the rampages of three children – was looking more shabby than chic.
Eva assumed it had been the wine talking but the next day Heather assured her she’d been serious. And so every morning after dropping Jamie at school, Eva had turned up at Heather’s house armed with her tools until a week later she revealed a stylish new dining room her friend had been delighted with.
After that, Heather had asked her to decorate her mother’s living room. Eva bit her lip, feeling suddenly nervous. An idea was forming in her mind, but she hesitated before saying it out loud.
‘Look, this might sound crazy and I’m not sure how you’d feel about it. But I could do it for you. Decorate your front room I mean. Whatever happens, whether you sell or not, it’s probably a good idea to have it done anyway.’ She stole a quick glance at Ben but was unable to read his expression so she carried on regardless.
‘Obviously I’m not a professional but I know I could do a good job. I’ve decorated all my own rooms and I’ve done a few jobs for friends as well …’ Eva stopped. In her own head, it had sounded a reasonable idea but the way his dark eyes were fixed on her now … What had she been thinking? Oh God, she’d made a total idiot of herself and she flushed with embarrassment.
‘Actually you know forget it; it’s a silly idea.’ She laughed weakly.
Ben regarded her thoughtfully, running a hand round the back of his neck.
‘Is it something you’d really want to do?’ he asked doubtfully.
‘Honestly? Yes. I’ve kind of run out of things to do in my house. I enjoy running my business but interior design and decorating is something I’m really passionate about – I’d love to do more of it in fact. I guess it gives me a sense of fulfilment the guest house doesn’t. Plus I like to keep busy.’
A smile touched his lips. ‘I’m beginning to see that.’ He paused and Eva felt his dark gaze settle on her. ‘So what would it involve exactly?’
‘Well, I’d have to strip off all the wallpaper, prepare the walls for painting. I think the window frames need some attention and obviously the ceiling has to be fixed –’
Ben was frowning. ‘I’m not comfortable with the idea of you climbing ladders or doing anything risky – I wouldn’t want you harming yourself.’
‘I’m used to it and I’m fully up-to-date with health and safety procedures, so you don’t need to worry.’ Eva smiled in reassurance but couldn’t deny there was something nice about his concern.
‘And you’d manage to do it all on your own?’
‘Sure. I’d really only need help shifting the furniture out of the way if you could give me a hand with that –’
‘Sounds like the least I could do.’
‘So … does that mean you’re happy for me to do it?’
‘As you say, it’s probably a good idea to have the work done whatever I decide to do with the house.’ He took a deep breath, letting it out slowly and with an imperceptible shake of his head smiled at Eva. ‘As long as you’re happy to do it … then yes, that would work for me.’
Eva felt a small rush of pleasure that he’d agreed.
