About to take a swig of beer, Adrian froze, Lenny’s words confusing him, still irritated at the kind of favour Nick had been anticipating.
“How much do I charge for what?”
“For your professional consulting services?”
Finally, he caught on and, after a brief chuckle, put the glass down.
“Don’t even think about it. I am not taking your money just to go and look at an old building that you said yourself might be just a pile of bricks.”
“I can’t ask you to give up your time and provide a professional assessment without—”
“Transport, food and accommodation. That’s all I need. And a promise that if you do decide the place is worth keeping and you need a decent builder—that’s me, by the way—then you’ll give me first dibs at quoting for the job.”
Instead of answering straight away, Lenny appeared puzzled, staring down at his drink, the smile still on his face but his head shaking gently from side to side. When his eyes finally lifted to meet Adrian’s, he appeared ready to say something, but then hesitated.
Instead, what came out was a simple thank you.
* * * *
“Then who’s going to pick me up? Look at this weather.”
Leonard’s mother sat unmoving in the front passenger seat after they had parked under shelter in the municipal parking block in Norwich town centre. Adrian heard Lenny breathe out a second soft sigh of irritation. Sat quietly in the back, pretending not to hear the exchange, Adrian stared out of the rain-spattered window, wishing he could be anywhere else.
“We talked about this last night, Mum. You have your umbrella. So get a bus. You keep telling me you don’t use your bus pass enough. Or if you’ve got a lot of shopping, call a taxi.”
“Taxis are expensive. I don’t see why you can’t wait until I’ve finished. Your father would have. I’m only going to be a couple of hours at the most.”
“Mum, we have a five- or six-hour journey ahead of us. And we need to set off now if we’re going to get there before dark. We’ll be back Sunday afternoon.”
“Sunday? I thought you were going to finish the back garden Saturday.”
“Like I said, I’ll do that next week if the weather improves.”
“If? It’s always if with you.”
“I’m driving away now. So you either get out of the car this minute, or you’ll be coming to Wales with us. Your choice.”
Adrian noted a distinct change in Lenny’s tone. To emphasise his point, Lenny pushed the button to start up the engine. After a moment, his mother yanked on the door handle, got out and made a point of slamming the door behind her. Without turning around, she headed for the carpark lift, which would take her directly to the mall. Adrian sat in the back saying nothing, observing poor Lenny’s stiff posture as he watched his mother step through the elevator doors.
“Not a patch on my mother,” said Adrian, quietly, after sitting there for a moment.
“Sorry?”
“Your mum’s performance. Some of the wobblies my mum threw when I was a kid were worthy of an Academy Award. Your mum doesn’t even swear.”
Lenny laughed and turned in his seat.
“Come and sit up front. We need to get moving.”
Once Adrian sat next to him, securing his seat belt in place, and once they had begun navigating their way out of the car park, Lenny let his frustrations out.
“Honestly, Ade. She drives me crazy. Do this, do that. I’m going to have to sit her down and have a serious chat about the future. I’m forty-bloody-seven and I’ve got a business to run. I can’t be here permanently at her beck and call. Does your mother treat you the same way?”
“Are you kidding? She’s busier than a barman on payday. I try to see her once a week, but she has so many friends. I usually have to book an appointment weeks in advance.”
Lenny laughed aloud, and Adrian sensed some of the tension leave him. After a few moments of quiet, as they waited to join the mainstream traffic, he turned to Adrian.
“Thanks for agreeing to do this, Ade.”
