Archie frowned. ‘Hey. Sorry, where did you pop up from?’
Darby pointed to the wood storage. ‘I was in there.’
Archie smiled. ‘Hiding in the woodshed. Okay.’
‘Ha. No, I was putting things in there for well, anyway, someone’s collecting my old kitchen cupboards. It’s dry there and means they can come whenever it suits them.’
‘Right you are.’ Archie eyed Darby’s outfit. ‘Doing a spot of DIY?’
Darby brushed her top off and suddenly felt embarrassed. Looking presentable, she was not. This man had now seen her a few times, each of them, she’d not looked her best. ‘Yes, actually. In my wisdom, I decided to tackle a job I’ve been meaning to do for a long time. Like a really long time. Like years.’
‘Uh huh.’
‘You know what it’s like.’ Darby wondered if he did. She imagined that in his cosy little life tucked up in Pretty Beach somewhere, Archie would be a dab hand at DIY and everything else. He looked like the sort of together person who would be good at just about anything. Unlike the loser men that had been inherlife. It flashed through her brain that he probably had a cosy little perfect family too, all together in a neat, happy unit. Also, unlike her. If there was one thing her family unit was, it wasn't neat. A bit like a lemon, she didn’t know what else to say and so just stood there saying nothing.
The gadget beeped. ‘I’m not a huge fan of DIY personally.’ Archie deadpanned.
Darby raised her eyebrows. ‘Oh, right, I assumed, doesn’t matter, anyway. Nope, that’s why this job has been on my list for five years.’
‘I have many jobs like that of my own.’ Again, the gadget beeped.
Darby frowned. ‘What is that?’
‘It’s reading highly scientific properties of this Grade II listed wall.’
‘Right. Is that what you do? Fix listed walls.’
‘Something like that.’
‘Right, well, I’d better get on. What a day it’s been already and I still have loads of clearing up to do. Best laid plans and all that.’
Archie glanced at his gadget. 'Need a hand? I've just finished taking readings from this riveting bit of medieval stonework.’
Darby thought about the carcasses. She went to say no and then changed her mind. ‘That would really help me out.’
‘No worries.' Archie checked his watch.
'Actually, you don't have to help me. I’m fine.'
Archie didn’t appear fazed. ‘Fair enough.’
Darby backpedalled like crazy. ‘Umm, yes, it would help me out if you’ve got time.’
Archie pocketed the measuring device. In a pocket near the legs. 'You sure about that?’ He winked.
‘Yep, love to, absolutely positive.’
‘Great.’
Looking back toward the house, where the remaining cupboard sections were stacked, the thought of Archie helping her was very appealing. ‘Thank you.’
‘What’s the story on the cupboards, then?’
'It's not really a story, just a job I should have done ages ago. I've been staring at them since I moved in, and this morning I finally snapped and decided they had to go. Typical me, really. I think I will crash and burn later, but there you go. It feels good to have done it.'
'Ah, the impulsive renovation approach. I've been there before.'
Back in the kitchen, Darby internally sighed at the chaos. Externally, she blinked many times at the specimen who had offered to help her.
