‘I’d love a tea please, milk, no sugar.’
‘Go on up and I’ll make the tea.’
Ethan nodded then started carrying things up the narrow staircase, taking care not to scratch the walls with the side of the ladder or the painting tray. When everything was in Lila’s bedroom, he shook out the old sheets he’d brought to cover Lila’s bed and furniture then moved everything to the centre of the bedroom, trying not to notice that the room smelt of her sweet fragrance, a heady mix of what he thought might be vanilla and jasmine. He was also trying not to think about that fact that just hours ago, Lila would have been lying in the bed, her pretty face relaxed in sleep, her limbs stretched out, her eyelashes fluttering on her smooth skin.
He took a deep breath and shook his head. He needed to get a grip and fast. Ethan was here to do a job and to start building his reputation as a good worker, not to fall for the clients.
Not that he was in the right place to fall for anyone, of course.
Not at all…
Lila sang to herself as she made a pot of tea then poured milk into two mugs. It was strange knowing that someone else was in her home, upstairs while she was downstairs. But also quite pleasant. She spent so much time alone now with just the cats for company, that having another human being around was comforting and something she could enjoy over the next few weeks while Ethan worked on her cottage.
Tea made, she picked up one mug and carried it upstairs to her bedroom. Ethan had already covered everything with sheets and her room smelt of an unfamiliar fabric softener.
‘They’re old sheets from my mother’s,’ he explained as she handed him the mug of tea.
‘She didn’t mind you using them?’
‘Not at all. Said I was doing her a favour as she needs to have a good clear out.’
‘I did that recently and it’s very cathartic.’ Lila smiled, trying not to stare at him but finding her eyes drawn to his dark hair and brown eyes, to the small mole on his left ear lobe that Lila had a sudden urge to touch. She tucked her hands into her jean pockets to stop herself acting on the impulse.
‘That was why you were at the charity shop?’
‘Yes. Getting rid of some things that were no longer of any use to me but that might be useful to someone else.’
‘I remember something about a wedding dress?’
Lila stiffened. So he knew about Ben.
‘Yes. I needed to get rid of it. And it helps raise money for the rescue greyhounds.’
‘Even better.’ He nodded.
‘I don’t know your mother very well, even though I’ve been here for about five years. Obviously, I know her but only to say hello to her.’
‘She has kept herself to herself a bit more recently.’
‘She’s not the only one.’
Lila hung her head, wishing she hadn’t said that.
‘You too huh?’
She sighed. ‘Only since… my uh… my…’ What did she call him? Ex? Ex fiancé? Ex boyfriend? Shithead? ‘My ex left.’
‘Acrimonious, I take it?’
She nodded. ‘Kind of. Very unpleasant actually. He uh… I mean, you probably know, but he jilted me at the altar. It was awful.’ Heat crawled up her neck and into her cheeks as it always did whenever she told someone about what Ben had done. It was as if her body recalled the humiliation as well as her mind.
‘He’s a fool.’
Lila met Ethan’s eyes and found kindness there. He wasn’t judging, just offering support.
‘Thank you.’
‘So you’ve been lying low, have you?’
Lila nodded. ‘It’s been a strange year.’ She pulled her hands from her pockets and folded her arms across her chest. ‘But I’m coming out the other side.’
‘I’m glad to hear it.’ Ethan sipped his tea. ‘Thanks for this. It’s just how I like it.’
‘You’re welcome. Shout when you’d like another one.’
‘Will do. And thank you.’
Lila turned to leave the room.
‘Oh, Lila?’
‘Yes?’
‘I’ve left a bag in the hallway with my sandwiches in it. I just wanted to check that’s okay? I could go home for lunch but I wasn’t sure what time I’d be done with the first coat and it seemed easier to bring food with me.’
‘No problem at all. Do you want me to put them in the fridge?’
‘No need. They should be fine.’
‘Okay then.’
Lila left the bedroom and padded down the stairs. Ethan seemed like such a kind, thoughtful man but she shouldn’t get carried away. Ben had seemed like a good man in the early days of their courtship and look how that had turned out.
Ethan stood back and surveyed the bedroom ceiling and the walls. They looked good, much fresher already with just one coat. He’d taken care with the painting, trying to ensure that there was an even coverage. The last thing he wanted was for his first customer to have to lie in bed staring at patchy painting.
The window that overlooked the back garden and fields beyond was open and sweet spring air filled the room. The scents of Sunflower Street in spring were familiar and his heart squeezed, taking him back to days when he’d played foxes and hounds in those fields, when he’d roamed the lanes with his friends picking fat, juicy blackberries that turned his lips and tongue purple in the late summer and early autumn, and of winters when it had snowed heavily and he’d run through the fresh snow leaving his mark then fallen backwards and made snow angels, sometimes with his mother when she’d been in a playful mood. He’d had a good childhood, even without a father around, and he had his mother to thank for that. She was a strong woman, admirable in her determination to keep things running smoothly, in the way she loved her son and built a stable life for him.
He’d noticed since he’d been home that she had good days and bad days; on the good days she was happy and busy, on the bad days she was tired and struggled to complete basic tasks like washing-up or pegging out the washing. He was trying to be as helpful as he could, to repay her for everything she’d done for him. He just hoped that she was going to be okay and that this was a temporary setback. She was all he had now and the thought of losing her was unbearable.
He went to the window and closed his eyes, letting the air wash over him, cleanse his mind and soothe the sad thoughts. Everything would be okay, it had to be. Worrying wouldn’t change anything and neither would negative thinking of any kind.
He checked his mobile and was surprised to see that it was after eleven. He wanted to get another coat of paint on the bedroom before he took a lunch break, so he’d get that done then have his sandwiches. Lila had been very kind keeping him supplied with mugs of tea and had brought him some delicious homemade chocolate chip cookies at one point, so he wasn’t ravenous, but he knew that in an hour or so he’d want something more substantial.
Lila looked up from her crochet project and listened carefully. She could hear the murmur of a DJ on the radio upstairs and the occasional creaking of floorboards as Ethan moved around. There was something so reassuring about having another person in the cottage and she allowed herself to imagine for a moment that she wasn’t alone, that she had someone there with her and in her life who cared. Dangerous territory probably, but it was nice to indulge herself for a few moments, to pretend that she had a man who loved her and would be there for her, no matter what. Over the years, she’d done the same when wishing she had supportive and loving parents. To have a mum and dad around who cared about her would have made her life a bit easier, she felt sure. The knowledge that there were two people in her corner, the two people who’d created her would have helped her to feel more secure and less lonely, surely? Sadly, it wasn’t the case at all, and she had only herself and her friends, but then that was more than a lot of people had. Lila tried to be positive and grateful for what she had, to appreciate her lovely home and two cute cats, but on occasion she did wish for parents who gave a damn and for a partner to love.