‘When you say soft, you mean stupid?’
‘No! I mean soft-hearted, too kind. I promise you, she can’t pass a homeless person without giving them money and she never comes back from London without at least ten copies of the Big Issue.’ She paused. ‘If she gets lost, which she does all the time, she asks a Big Issue seller and gives them a tenner for their trouble.’
‘Oh, that is kind-hearted.’
‘And I don’t mind that, or the fact that she cries at almost anything she sees on telly – I can’t even go with her to the cinema – but it’s the worry that when Cressida suggests she’s being selfish, keeping her big house when they could do with most of its value, guilt will make her say: “Yes, that’s true, here you go, darling.”’
‘Did your sister-in-law suggest that?’
‘No, but she will, and Mum will cave in. And she had to work so hard to keep the house after the divorce.’
Explaining what happened – her mother selling the orchard and land for a building plot, something that caused such heartache at the time when no one knew who might buy it and what kind of a property her mother might find next to hers – Helena took another glass of wine, and she knew she would probably wake with a hangover.
‘So what did happen?’ asked Jago, putting down the bottle. ‘Who bought it?’
‘Actually a lovely couple who built a kit house but it looks really nice and they get on well so it all worked out. But poor Mum was beside herself. She had to have hypnotherapy to get through it.’
‘And did that work?’
‘Brilliantly.’ Helena paused and started to get up out of her chair. ‘Thank you so much for the wine and the moan, not to mention the bread and cheese, but I should get back. I have so much work to get through while I still have a space to do it in.’
‘You promised me shortbread. You know builders live on biscuits.’
‘Oh! I’d forgotten. I’ll pop back and get it. It’s still in the car. I usually have to give it away because if I ate all Mum gives me I’d be fat as a pig.’ She laughed. ‘I’ll tell Amy I gave it to you and she’ll be pleased. Mum too.’
‘Why’s that?’
‘Because they’ll think I’m flirting with you, showing normal human behaviour in the presence of a single male. Mind you, we never found out if you are or not.’
‘I am,’ he said quickly. ‘Very single.’
Helena looked at him with a narrow gaze, suddenly aware of how attractive he was.
‘I’m just a man who has no time for romance.’ He said it as if he had no wish to elaborate.
‘Well, there’s something we have in common! Why is it people find it so difficult to accept that one can be perfectly normal but not want to spend time looking for a life partner!’ Helena realised she was just a little bit drunk and her filters were down but she didn’t stop. ‘I don’t want to spend my time on dating apps! I want to be weaving, not swiping left or right, saying yes or no to someone I’ve never met who is bound to be boring. My friends seem to think that I should see every man under seventy as a potential partner.’
He seemed amused. ‘Under seventy? Your friends are tough. I wouldn’t have thought you should look at anyone over about forty myself. Because – how old are you?’
‘Twenty-seven.’
‘Well, make that under thirty-five unless you fancy older men.’
She couldn’t help laughing. ‘I don’t fancy any kind of man – well, I don’t mean that exactly; I do fancy men sometimes but I don’t want to do anything about it. Not just now. I’ve got too much on.’
‘That’s exactly how I feel. I can appreciate a pretty girl or a lovely woman but I’m not going to ask her out. I haven’t time to maintain a relationship. And, like houses, they need maintaining.’
‘And you’re too busy maintaining your property empire,’ said Helena and then hoped it didn’t look as if she was having a dig.
‘I am! Being a slum landlord is very hard work!’
She laughed. ‘I wouldn’t describe you as a slum landlord.’
‘I’m flattered.’ He considered for a moment. ‘Here’s an idea. Supposing we have an arrangement where if one of us needs a partner to go to anything, or wants to get a matchmaker off our backs – Lord, how I hate matchmakers – we can use the other person, say we’re an item.’
Helena exhaled slowly. ‘I don’t actually hate my matchmaker. Amy is my best friend and my mother doesn’t matchmake often, she just sighs and clamps her lips shut if any of my friends has a baby. I’m not sure it would work.’
‘Why?’
‘I’ve been determinedly single for so long. I’m not sure anyone would believe it. It’s so hard to make a living as a craftsperson, I haven’t had time to look for a partner as well.’
‘They don’t have to believe we’ve fallen in love. But if you took me along to something that had Amy or your mum at it, for example, you could just say it’s early days when they ask if we’re an item—’
‘And they will ask,’ said Helena. ‘They will explode.’
‘Of course my mates would tell me I was punching.’
‘What?’
‘Above my weight,’ he explained. ‘But I’ll just shrug in a casual way and say, “If you’ve got it, you’ve got it.” I’ll channel Joey in Friends.’
‘That’s a brilliant plan. And I’ll get the shortbread immediately!’ said Helena. ‘Joey eats everything!’
‘Actually, hang on a minute. I’ve just had an idea. Somewhere you might be able to put your loom for – say – at least another six months.’
‘Well, that’s amazing!’
‘It might not be that amazing. The room needs an awful lot doing to it to make it useable and I can’t do the work.’
‘So …’
‘You’ll have to do it.’
‘Listen, mate, I like DIY as much as the next girl, but I’m not a builder.’
He laughed. ‘You don’t need to be a builder.’ He hesitated. ‘Would you like me to show it to you now? It’s not far.’
Helena suddenly felt very tired and regretted drinking so much wine. ‘Actually, I don’t think now is a good time. I’m a bit drunk and I’d probably say yes to something I’ll think is a really bad idea in the morning.’
He laughed. ‘I’ll come with you to your car and get the shortbread. And I’ll knock on your door tomorrow and arrange a time to see the building.’
When Helena was in bed, reading a couple of pages of her book, she realised she’d spent the nicest evening with a man that she had for a long time. She had resolved to give Amy a little lecture on the benefit of platonic friendships when she stopped herself. Much better to stick to Jago’s plan of letting everyone think they were together. Then Amy would stop going on about her trying to find a boyfriend. She could say she had one and Jago would back her up. She felt very satisfied, not to say smug. Helena was glad now that Amy, after her brave words about checking Jago out, had confessed to her that she actually had her eye on someone else just at the moment and so wouldn’t mind Helena claiming Jago. Everyone would be happy! She even fancied Jago a bit, which would make the whole charade a bit more realistic. Result!