“Toni, I promised a persistent work colleague I’d get a photo of us together. Can you take a couple while we still have that amazing sunset in the background?”
“My pleasure.”
Adrian and Lenny sat with their arms around each other until Toni was satisfied. After that, she handed the phone back to Lenny.
“Come and eat. And remember to have a think about what I said, Ade. Maybe see what Lenny thinks. I know you need the work, and Tom’s always on the lookout for good builders.”
“Who’s Tom?” asked Lenny.
“Ah,” said Adrian, as they headed in and sat next to each other at the table. “So how would you feel about having a house guest if I were to get some work in London?”
Chapter Twenty-One
Domestic
The next morning the four of them enjoyed a simple breakfast sitting around the kitchen island, of sliced fresh fruit, and warmed croissants with butter and jam, washed down with tea and coffee. Leonard listened in to the conversation while making a list of the appliances they needed.
Something in the air told him that today was going to be a magical day. All the signs were there. Adrian had spoken about the potential for work in London and needing somewhere to crash, leaving Leonard grinning uncontrollably. Even if he thought himself an atheist like his parents, he could almost believe in some higher power bringing them together, bringing him everything he had ever wanted.
“How did you sleep?” Adrian asked Jack.
“Best night’s sleep in as long as I can remember,” said Jack, who had already showered and looked freshly groomed, as though ready for a photo shoot. “Man, it’s so quiet here. I feel like I’ve slept for a couple of days.”
“Peaceful as a sanctuary,” said Toni, in a loose-fitting burgundy tracksuit for the drive home.
“When people aren’t throwing petrol bombs through the window,” Leonard chimed in.
“Yeah, what was that all about? Have you heard anything more?” asked Toni.
“I forgot to mention, Lenny. PC Lewis called me last Monday. Said they’d found nothing unusual on the traffic cams. But kids were reported in the area, from out of town, causing trouble that holiday weekend. I told him we’d had the alarm system installed, so if anything else happens at night we’ll have the culprit on video.”
His Aunt Millicent had come to the same conclusion. Leonard still couldn’t shake the feeling that someone had explicitly targeted his house.
“What are your plans for today?” asked Toni. “You’re all finished now, aren’t you?”
“Not quite,” said Leonard. “Got a few more things to shop for. Then I want to do some finishing touches. Make the place feel more like a home.”
“Already does, if you ask me,” said Adrian. “I can still smell beef bourguignon from last night. The place finally feels lived in, don’t you think?”
“Once we’ve had a house-warming,” said Leonard. “Then it will.”
“Booked in our calendars. We’ll be here front and centre,” said Jack. “Let us know if you need anything bringing. And on that note, we’d best make a move. Beat the traffic. Long drive back to Norwich.”
Once they had driven off and the breakfast dishes had been tidied, Leonard suggested a road trip into one of Wales’ more substantial cities, Newport, where the shopping promised to be more varied.
Right now he pushed the trolley down an aisle of a homeware superstore while Adrian picked out electrical items. They were already on their second trolley after Lenny spotted a couple of rectangular ottoman-style storage units for the bedrooms. Adrian’s insistence on bringing his truck instead of Lenny’s car had turned out to be a good one. Not only that, but his taste in appliances matched Leonard’s. Only the complicated-looking coffee machine had been Adrian’s choice, not something Leonard—being a hardened tea drinker—would have considered. But just hearing Adrian enthuse over the branded contraption had won Leonard over.
“If we’re going to be spending more time together, you need to know that decent coffee first thing in the morning is non-negotiable, especially if you want me in a good mood. And this baby with reusable pods will be a huge hit whenever you decide to hold dinner parties at the house. Trust me.”
“I do trust you. Personally, I’m more stoked about the four-slice toaster.”
“Coffee brewing and bread toasting. It’s what makes weekend mornings special.”
Leonard thought back to the weekends in his London home. The only thing that had made them special was not being there to wallow in his loneliness. Weekends in Bryn Bach had been another matter altogether, sharing his house and bed with Adrian.
“I’ll take your word for that,” said Leonard, checking his watch. “Hey, once we’ve paid and loaded this into the truck, would you be up for having a spot of lunch in town?”
Adrian grinned and tilted his head to one side.
