“Don’t you have half the builders in the west tendering for this job today?”
I shrug, leading him back towards our vehicles.
“I’ll cancel them. The job’s yours if you want it.”
He shakes his head, his hand coming up to stroke down his beard.
“Is this how they do things in the big smoke these days?”
I can’t help but laugh. This is definitely not the way anyone successful does business.
“Doubtful, but I’m not in the big smoke anymore. I’m here. And if there’s one thing you should know about me it’s that when I find what I want, I don’t bother hanging around. So, what do you say?”
I hold out my hand to seal the deal, and he looks from my face down to it and back up again.
For a second, I think he’s going to decline, and wouldn’t that be a shame. I have a good feeling about Leo Martin. But then his hands snap out to shake mine in a firm, two-handed grip.
“I’d say you’ve got yourself a builder.”
“Great.” My voice wobbles with the power of his brisk handshake. “Would it be okay to have my hand back, though? I’m getting motion sickness.”
His hearty laugh booms across the driveway and echoes off the manor walls.
“I like you, Mr Evans. You’re a funny guy… for a suit.”
“Macsen, please. I thought we’d already dropped the mister.”
“Not when you’re the one paying the bills, Mr Evans.”
Then the big man winks, finally dropping my hand, telling me he’ll be in touch with a more detailed proposal now that he’s seen the place.
“Once you sign off on the initial plans, I can have a crew out here next week.”
He climbs into his truck, and I lean against the passenger door, finishing our conversation through the open window.
“Any idea of a timeframe?”
Leo glances past me, mulling over his response while staring at the house. “It’s a big job, Mr Evans. I’d say a minimum of six to eight months if everything goes smoothly.” He gives me a wry grin, adding, “Which these things have a habit of not doing.” Tugging on his seatbelt, his mouth twists before hitching on one side, and he finishes with, “Depends how cooperative the old girl wants to be. You know you can’t rush a woman if she digs her heels in.”
I look over my shoulder at the grand house he’s describing as if he’s already in love with the place, despite her obvious flaws.
“Nah, I think she’s eager to look pretty again.”
Leo’s smile remains, and with a single nod, he starts his vehicle.
“We’ll soon see. I’ll be in touch, and thanks again for the job.”
“Don’t thank me yet,” I warn, and he pulls away to the sound of my chuckle.
When the dust from the kicked-up gravel settles, I know there’s one more thing I have to do before I can leave.
Something I’ve been putting off for days.
Rex.
“May as well face the music.”
Lily, as I’ve started calling the house, watches intently as I pace the dusty and cracked marble tiles of her majestic hallway.
Phone in hand, I take a deep breath, call myself a few choice names, and then hit Rex’s number.
It wouldn’t surprise me if he didn’t answer. Our phone call a few days ago hardly ended well.
A mixture of relief and apprehension hits me when the call connects, and a few seconds later he answers, his cultured voice abruptly biting out my name.
“Macsen.” His stern tone reminds me of how my father would say the two syllables of my name if I’d been considered naughty, and it’s fitting that Rex doesn’t abbreviate it to his usual ‘Macs’ because my dad would full-name me, too.
“Are you free for a catch-up? I think I owe you an explanation.”
No point delaying this with small talk and platitudes. I owe my oldest friend honesty and respect. Two things I didn’t afford him the other day when we talked.
A drawn-out sigh. “I’ll tell Amy to hold my calls.” A few moments later he comes back online. “Before we start, just answer me one thing.”
“Go ahead.” Don’t ask why. You won’t understand.
“You’re not coming back, are you?”
My eyes close, and when I open them, the first thing I see is the vast expanse of rippling blue ocean through the grimy and cracked back windows.
“No. I…” My words dry up. What can I say that doesn’t sound completely crazy? How can I make him understand why I’d leave everything I’ve worked my entire life for, on a whim?
Only coming here was anything but fanciful. And it wasn’t crazy. Not to me.
After a tense silence that vibrates down the line, Rex offers me a reprieve.
“Okay, so what are your plans? Where do we go from here?”
I don’t want to do this over the phone, so I test the waters.
“I was thinking maybe you fancy a few days off once the Eddington deal is finalised next week. How about coming here so we can talk it all through? You hold all the cards on this, Rex. I’ll play this however you want, but I’d really like to see you. If you can make it?”
More silence, and then he groans long and loud, and I know I’ve got him.
“You’re paying. And I’m not staying in some old folk’s B&B.”
“I wouldn’t dream of it.”
“Don’t smile at me, Macs. I’m serious. If I’m schlepping my arse halfway across the country to the back of beyond, I want luxury.”
I can’t help the small laugh that slips free, and it earns me a threatening growl.
“How’d you know I’m smiling?”
“I can hear it. Smug bastard. You know I can never say no to you.”
“I was counting on it.”
“Luxury, Macs. I’m warning you.”
“I’ll make sure you have all the mod cons, Rex.”
“You’d better.”
I move across the room to close the back doors, listing them as I go.
“Running water, indoor toilet, electricity, and if you’re really lucky, I’ll ask for that expensive four-ply toilet paper you made Amy buy for the office.”
He splutters out an unwilling laugh.
“You tosser. She bought that of her own accord.”
And just like that, our standoff is broken.
If all problems could be solved by quality loo roll, the world would be a much happier place.
“I’ll make reservations. When’s the earliest you can get here?”
I hear the rustle of papers and the squeaky wheels of his office chair.
“Next week, Wednesday until Friday. You’ve got me for two days only, and Macs…”
“Yes?”
“I want to know everything, not because you owe me that as your business partner, but because I’m a worried friend.”
“Don’t get soppy on me, Rex.” I know I’m deflecting, but I can’t address the guilt I feel at abandoning him and everything we’ve worked hard towards. Not yet. Not until I know things here with Ellis are going in the right direction.
“I’m serious.” He doesn’t take the bait, his words matching his tone. “You owe me that, Macs.”