Even with the hectic distraction of the office, Leonard had gone back alone to his empty house each night. Never before had doing so been an issue. He had resigned himself to the idea of living out his final days alone in the house he’d once shared with Kris.
Something fundamental had shifted.
A couple of times that week he had found himself in the office whistling or humming tunelessly along to a song on someone’s playlist, something he had never done before and much to the annoyance of those around him.
On Monday, Pippa had texted Leonard the home address for Mary Whitby, his cousin. She had no telephone number or email address, so Kennedy used some of his company letter-headed paper and sent her a note asking if she could call or email him
Every evening, Adrian called—they spoke more than texting now. On Thursday he could not suppress his excitement when he updated Lenny about the progress on the house.
“Damn good choice with Redfern, Lenny. Pippa’s crew will be pretty much done by tomorrow. Honestly, the back garden looks amazing and the front is almost finished. Not only can you see the incredible view at the back now, you can actually tell there’s a house here. I was going to send you photos, but I think you should see for yourself in person. They’re going to wait for you to decide whether you want to replace the patio tiles before adding the finishing touches. We can discuss that at the weekend. Toni’s helped me remove the kitchen wall and open up the back for the new patio doors. And, as instructed, on Monday I ordered them on your account along with the windows you requested, the wooden-framed ones that match the original style. Ten-day turnaround, they say. So they’re being fitted on Friday of next week. I thought getting things sorted out here in the sticks would be far more difficult. Pippa gave me the name of a local guttering expert, someone who can check, then match replacements or patch what you already have. They’ll be here Tuesday. Toni started checking the electrics this morning. They’re not in a bad state of repair but are going to need updating. She reckons she’ll have downstairs done by next Thursday—so we can start plastering the following weekend—and the rest by the Friday after that. I suggest you get those kitchen units ordered A-SAP. Did you get a chance to look at my rough sketches?”
“Wow, slow down a bit. Rough sketches?” Leonard snorted. He had one open on his desktop monitor. “Swear to God, Adrian, these are better than professional architectural blueprints. They’re all to scale too, aren’t they?”
“As near as.”
“Love the idea of steel-grey and white units. Monochrome, but there will enough natural light from the rear doors, and the lighting design above for the evenings to compensate. They’ll also blend with the original dark pine flooring. In fact, I love it all. And I agree with you on the Aga front. They may look fancy and they’re great if you know what you’re doing—but I don’t. I’m going to opt for a simple but large conventional cooker with a double oven. I’ll also go with a double-door fridge freezer. How many bar stools can we fit one side of the kitchen island?”
“Comfortably? Four, with one either end. But I imagine you’ll put a family dining table in the space by the patio doors.”
“I’ve already picked one out and reserved a list of other pieces from my antique site. Got a couple of amazing burnished brown leather Chesterfield sofas and side chairs for the living room. And the table and chairs will complement the Welsh dresser.”
“On that note. Don’t forget the skeleton keys. So we can unlock those drawers. Toni needed the dresser moved away from the wall—to check out the wiring—and had to have a nose around beneath the dust covers. She was really impressed, asked me if you’d consider selling the piece if she gave you a good price. I said she didn’t have a hope in hell.”
Lenny laughed. Adrian already knew him well.
“You’re right. If Luke wanted it in the house, then so do I.”
“Good. One last thing. A slight change of plan tomorrow evening.”
“Sounds ominous.”
“The handbrake on my truck has been playing up for a while and seems to be getting worse. Nothing too serious, but I’m getting it looked at Saturday morning. The thing is, the mechanic’s from a place called Newton—half an hour’s drive away—but doesn’t know the area well. Rather than him getting lost trying to find Bryn Bach, I asked Megan if I could leave the truck in their car park and the keys behind the bar. The Manor Inn’s a pretty easy-to-find landmark. So I thought I’d drive there tomorrow after finishing here and park the truck overnight. But that means I’ll need to meet you at the pub tomorrow, rather than at the house. Is that okay?”
“So you’re not cooking for me?”
“I could still do that. You’d need to pick me up from the pub first.”
“No, it’ll be too rushed. Let’s eat and drink there again.”
“I’m really sorry, Lenny. I had it all planned, a nice cooked dinner. But I don’t want to chance anything when it comes to the brakes, especially on a long drive back to Norwich.”
“Totally agree. I want you in one piece. It’s no problem, Ade.”
“I can still cook for us on Saturday night. I’m buying the food fresh tomorrow. That old fridge of yours is running fine, by the way. A bit noisy but working. I’ve even used the stove a couple of times this week.”
“And haven’t burnt the house down?”
Adrian chuckled. Leonard sensed he had been disappointed about changing their plans, but they would still have the night together.
“House is still standing.”
“See you tomorrow night then. Looking forward to it.”
“Yeah, me too, Lenny. Me too.”
When Leonard ended the call, he smiled to himself, pleased he had no nosy marketing manager looking over his shoulder. Tossing the phone on to his sofa, he looked about the house he had lived in for twenty years, at the familiar but largely empty walls, at the simple, but now tired and uninspiring furnishings.
Since Kris’ death, he had used none of his creativity or enthusiasm to breathe life into his real home, to try and turn the place into somewhere he wanted to inhabit. Instead he treated the space like a mausoleum. All his recent attention and newfound enthusiasm had been focused on Wales.
