‘It’s looking wonderful.’
Lila’s voice brought him back to the room and he turned to meet her eyes. Her hair was down around her face now and it shone in the afternoon light, contrasting with the gentle blush of her cheeks and the bright blue of her eyes. She was beautiful and being near her was gently changing something inside Ethan, shifting his perspective, even though he was well aware that it could come to nothing. Even if Lila had been interested in him, he wasn’t ready to move on.
Not yet.
Not just yet anyhow.
‘I’m glad you’re pleased,’ he said, scratching at a blob of paint on his forearm.
Lila came to his side and looked at his arm then took it gently in one hand while she ran the thumbnail of the other hand over the paint. The blob gave and she dropped it into a black bag on the floor.
Their eyes met and Ethan realised that she hadn’t let go of his arm. Her cool fingers were still wrapped around his skin and she seemed to notice at that exact moment. Her pupils dilated and her lips parted. Ethan tensed, afraid of what could happen yet curious to know what was possible.
A meow from the doorway broke the spell and Lila released him then stepped away.
‘Oh there you are, Willy.’
The cat entered the room, his tail held high, his eyes surveying the walls as if he’d come to perform an inspection.
‘Stay away from the paint, Willy, or you’ll need a bath and that wouldn’t be any fun for you or for me.’
‘Don’t cats hate water?’ Ethan asked.
‘They certainly do. I had to bath him once because he’d rolled in something out in the fields. It smelt like a dead animal, so there was no way I could have him walking around the cottage like that, sitting on the furniture and sleeping on my bed. Ben was really mad, but I told him that Willy had only done what came naturally to him. To be honest, I think Willy did it to annoy Ben because he rubbed against Ben’s suit jacket that was hanging over the back of a kitchen chair and even dry cleaning couldn’t get the smell out.’
She laughed and Ethan started to smile, enjoying watching how her eyes lit up when she was amused and how little dimples appeared in her cheeks.
‘Perhaps Willy saw through this Ben?’ Ethan suggested.
She nodded, her eyes glazing over now, as if she’d spoken out of turn by mentioning him.
‘Yes. Not exactly a poster boy for a loyal, loving partner either.’ She frowned. ‘Sorry. That makes me sound so bitter and resentful and I’m not. Well… maybe just a teeny bit.’
‘I’m sorry that Ben hurt you, Lila.’
She winced and Ethan wanted to reach out and hug her, to comfort her and reassure her that not all men were cheating idiots. It filled him with irritation that someone could hurt this lovely woman, wound her by betraying her trust and not appreciating her love. Loyalty was very important to Ethan and he imagined that it was to Lila too.
‘Yes… Ben hurt me, but that’s in the past now. Anyway, I’d better let you get on.’ She flashed him a brief smile but her eyes were loaded with sadness and Ethan wished there was something he could do take away her pain. ‘Come on, Willy.’
The cat meowed then followed her out of the bedroom and down the stairs, leaving Ethan alone with his thoughts and a thousand questions that he doubted he would ever have the courage to ask.
8
The next two and a half weeks flew past and soon Ethan’s time at Lila’s was coming to an end. The final day of March had arrived, bringing with it slightly milder days. Sunflower Street was beautiful with spring flowers in full bloom in garden borders, pots and hanging baskets. The weather made Ethan want to sing and whistle as he walked to work but then the thought of finishing at Lila’s made his chest contract.
Ethan and Lila had fallen into a very pleasant routine. Every day, he’d break for lunch around one and Lila would make them some food. He’d tried to insist on bringing sandwiches but Lila had refused to allow it, telling him that it was nice to have company for lunch. So, by way of a thank you and not wanting to take advantage of Lila’s kindness, Ethan had brought something with him every day: a bar of chocolate, some daffodils from his mother’s garden, a tub of ice cream, and today, because it was his final day there, he’d brought a basket of goodies. His stomach clenched as he thought about its contents and what Lila might think about them, but he couldn’t leave without showing her that he did appreciate everything she had done for him and how working at her cottage had helped restore his confidence in his manual skills. How it had helped him believe in the restorative powers of friendship and that life could be good again, because he’d actually had moments over the recent weeks when he’d felt happy.
He knocked on her door and waited, even though she’d told him to let himself in every morning. For Ethan, it just didn’t seem right to do that, so he knocked and waited.
When Lila came to the door, his heart jumped. Today she was wearing a long red skirt with tiny white flowers on it and a loose white jumper that fell off one shoulder. As he followed her into the hallway, he found his eyes drawn to her shoulder, to the smooth creamy skin and the way her hair brushed against it as she moved. He wondered how her hair would feel if it brushed against his cheek, if he wound his fingers in it as he kissed her pretty mouth.
‘I can’t believe you’re almost done here, Ethan,’ she said as he closed the door behind him.
‘Me neither. But I’ll do a good check around today and if there’s anything you’re not happy with or if you spot anything after today, give me a shout and I’ll come right back and sort it out.’
‘Thank you.’ She smiled and pushed her hair back behind her ears, exposing tiny diamond studs. He didn’t think he’d seen her wearing earrings before but they were pretty and brought out the sparkle in her eyes. ‘It’s a gorgeous day, isn’t it?’
‘Beautiful.’ Just like you. The way the observation sprang into his head made him smile. ‘I uh… like your earrings.’
‘Oh… thank you.’ Lila touched them absently. ‘They’re an anniversary gift.’
‘It’s an anniversary?’
She nodded. ‘I bought them for myself to celebrate not getting married a year ago today.’
‘So today’s the day, eh?’
‘It is and the earrings are to remind me what a lucky escape I had.’
‘You did have a lucky escape. I hate to think that Ben hurt you but if you’d married him, he probably wouldn’t have made you happy.’
‘I don’t think he would. Anyway, a year has come and gone and I’m moving on with my life. Hell, I even bought myself diamonds.’
‘And why not?’ Ethan grinned at her. ‘I brought a picnic for lunch. I thought that if it stays warm enough we could eat outside? If you fancy it, that is.’
‘Oh, wow!’ She took the basket from him. ‘How considerate of you.’
He shrugged. ‘It’s nothing fancy, just something to say thanks for making me so welcome.’
‘Ethan, you’ve been doing work for me. I’m grateful to you and I have a feeling that your quote was very reasonable for the work you’ve done.’ She smiled. ‘I know I probably shouldn’t say that, should I? But I can’t pretend, it’s not in my nature and you’ve done such a great job here. My cottage is like new and I’m so excited about enjoying the rest of spring and then summer here as well as the rest of the year. Everything feels so fresh and new.’