Page 14 of The Loneliest Number
“Some work of interest came up when I needed a change of scenery, so I thought I’d take it. Feels a bit odd to be so far south though.” I wince.But it’s brought me to Pixie, so it can’t be all bad, can it?
“Wow. How long are you here for?” she asks, staring up at the building.
“Six months initially, and then we’ll see from there.”
“That long?” Her eyes widen as she switches her gaze to me.
“Maybe we can catch up over dinner?” I ask, hoping she’ll agree.
“Maybe. What are the chances of a tour?” She nods towards the crumbling building, which I’d known nothing about just a few months ago and has now become my sole focus. “If it won’t get you in trouble, that is.”
I scratch my chin, eyes fixed on her. “The upper floors aren’t for visitors yet, but if you can give me a hand with some of this stuff, I can show you the ground floor.”
“That would be amazing.” Her eyes twinkle with glee. “Yes, please.”
I unlock the van and swing the door open to get her a hard hat. It’s too big when I sit it on her head, pushing her lilac hair down so it covers her eyes. Fuck, she looks cute. Pixie by name, pixie in looks. I let loose a chuckle at the sight.
“Hang on, it adjusts,” I tell her, taking it back to tighten the inner lining strap. “That should be better.” She reaches for it, and I give a nod of approval when she perches it on her head.
“Don’t you need one too?” she asks with a side glance. I grab up my blue hard hat with a white saltire painted on it. “Very patriotic. Why do I have to wear a crappy yellow one and you get a personalised one?”
“Because you’re a visitor and I’ll be a regular.”
“What is it you do, exactly? You know, it’s so funny. I heard some of the guys talking about the owner being Scottish, and it made me think of you. What a strange coincidence that you’re working here, though.” A smile tugs at my mouth as she chats faster than my Scottish granny used to, refusing to stop for breath. She’s watching me expectantly. I’m not sure I’m ready to admit ownership yet; Gran’s bequest to me still feels so fresh, and I don’t even know why it feels awkward to talk to her about it. Perhaps because she’s such a closed book herself? But I can be truthful about why I’m here.
“I specialise in renovating buildings from this era. I’m a stonemason by trade, and this one needs a lot of work.” I barely hold back the wince at the thought of what’s waiting for me inside.
“You must be good if they’ve got you all the way down from Scotland.”
“Aye, something like that,” I tell her, bending to lift the tools and piling them into my hands. Pixie joins me, picking up a couple of heavier items. She’s strong. She gives no indication they’re too heavy as she makes her way over to the side door.
This woman intrigues me; I can’t believe I bumped into her like this. Will she agree to spending time with me while I’m here?
The side door is already unlocked, so I give it a push with my shoulder to get us inside. I hold it open so Pixie can precede me in, her head on a swivel as she tries to look everywhere at once. Her eyes are like saucers and her mouth agape as she stands and takes in all the details.
The bones of this building are unreal. Gran hadn’t been messing around when she gifted it to me. The need to know more about the whole situation grips at me, and not for the first time.Had she visited the building? When did she decide to give it to me? Who the fuck is this William guy? And why did he gift her a grand old beauty like this one?Instead of getting answers to my original questions when I first found out about the building, I’ve only ended up with more, including the perplexities of the date of William’s letter and my grandparents' wedding.
“Just pop them down here,” I tell her. She sets the heavy tools down, and I can’t resist the urge to look her body up and down. She’s tiny compared to me, but there must be plenty of muscle packed in there.
“Where are you working?” she asks, spinning around to stare at the details.
“Mostly assessing this week and peeling back the layers, then coming up with a priority list. I’ll be working with a team to tackle one section at a time. We’ll probably be starting with the basement. Come on.” I take a chance, clasping her hand to tug her along. We walk past a group of guys standing at the top of the stairway to the basement. “Morning,” I acknowledge as we pass.
“Hey, boss,” Archie says, his gaze going straight to Pixie. “Another new team member?” He steps forward, holding out a hand to her with a grin, and I want to punch him in the face. “I’m Archie.” His voice comes out smoother than I’ve ever heard it. “Need a tour, love?”
I’m counting to at least five before I can answer him when Pixie speaks up. “Just visiting, but thank you. Cam’s showing me round.” She gives him a curt nod, and a warmth spreads through me when she does nothing to encourage him. She looks up at me. “Shall we?” She gestures forward with our joined hands.
“Aye, come on. I’ll catch up with you in a bit and we can make a plan for the day,” I tell Archie and the others.
“He called you boss,” Pixie whispers as we move towards a large archway leading to the main room on this floor.
“Did he? I didn’t notice,” I tell her, hoping the warmth in my cheeks isn’t apparent. Seriously, what is wrong with me right now? Being all secretive about owning a building and wanting to punch one of my guys for talking to a woman whose real name I don’t even know. “Hey, given we’re going to be local to each other for a while, would you be willing to share your name?” I ask.
She purses her lips before asking, “You don’t like Pixie? It doesn’t suit me?”
“It suits you wonderfully, hen. But it would be lovely to know your real name.”
“Maybe. Not yet.” The look on her face can only be described as pure mischief. “How ‘bout you earn it when I get to look around the whole building?”
