Nina chuckled and typed a response, her fingers leaving faint white smudges on the screen.
Nina:Let's just say you might not recognise the place. It's a work in progress.
Robby:Need me to call in a professional rescue team?
Nina:I think I've got it under control. Just needs a bit of touching up here and there. Defo a second coat. Or third.
Just as she was finishing texting Robby, there was a bang on the barn doors at the front of the building. Nina wiped her hands on her overalls and hurried to the door. Before she’d opened it, she heard the Shipping Forecast and knew precisely who it was.On behalf of the Maritime and Coastguard agency. There are warnings of gales in Viking, Dogger, Fisher, Trafalgar, Hebrides, and Faeroes.
Birdie held up a brown cardboard box with green printed words on the top. ‘Handmade biscuit delivery. It might have reached my ears that you are in need of sustenance.’
Nina stepped aside and pulled the door back fully. ‘Ha, how did you know? What a day! I am in need of something, true. You’re not wrong. Come in, I'll put the kettle on.’
Birdie stepped in, taking in the freshly painted room. Her chin dropped, and she made exaggerated blinks. ‘Wow!’
‘What do you think?’
‘It's not half bad. It's got character, that’s for sure.’
Nina chuckled. ‘Is that a diplomatic way of saying it's a mess? My painting technique could use a little work.’
‘You’re joking. You’ve done loads.’
Nina gestured to the spraying contraption. ‘It’s that thing. You just point it and go or at least that’s what it says on the box. It’s a bit tricky to get it right.’
Birdie frowned. ‘No cord. What will they invent next?’
‘I know, right? Tea or coffee?’
‘I’ll have a tea, thanks,’ Birdie said as she put the box of biscuits on a dust sheet-covered table and peered more closely at the sprayer. ‘I've heard about these, but I've never actually seen one in action. So, it's as simple as pointing and painting?’
Nina laughed, ‘In theory, yes. In practice, it's a learning curve. Robby likened it to the ones they use at work. Said it was a slow dance with a bit of rhythm needed to avoid drips and misses. Much easier said than done. My arms are feeling it.’
Birdie raised an eyebrow. ‘Interesting advice.’
‘Something about maintaining a ten to twelve-inch distance from the wall and moving at a steady pace,’ Nina explained, demonstrating with a slight sway.
Birdie chuckled, shaking her head. ‘I can just picture it. You slow dancing around the room with a paint sprayer all day long.’
‘It's been an adventure, that's for sure.’
‘This place is transforming already.’
Nina glanced around the room, noting the brighter feel the new paint brought. ‘It is, isn't it? I'm starting to see it come together, even with the imperfections.’
Birdie shook her head. ‘Look how far you’ve come.’
‘I know. It's been quite the journey. You almost wonder what might come next.’
Nina made a cup of tea and they then sat on a couple of upturned paint buckets. Sipping their teas, the conversation naturally drifted from the painting specifically to Nina's wedding plans.
Birdie dipped a biscuit into her tea. ‘What’s the latest on the nuptials?’
‘Nothing to tell on that. At least nothing you don’t already know. Now we’ve decided on The Summer Hotel that’s one thing sort of done.’
‘Have you heard back from Jill yet?’
‘Not yet. I'm hoping she agrees. It would be perfect – intimate, scenic, and it holds a special place in my heart, you know? It’s strange; I kind of feel like I healed there.’
