It was raining hard on Monday morning. Monica held on until eight fifteen before leaving for work but she couldn’t chance leaving any later. She had escaped a formal warning earlier in the year and she didn’t want to give them any reason to doubt her commitment now. She was worried that Nick wasn’t going to turn up at all but she left her keys with Liz, just in case.
Tammy had already made a dash for Liz’s house in between showers. She was sitting at the kitchen table eating toast and drinking tea when the doorbell rang. Nick was standing on the doorstep, soaking wet.
‘Sorry I’m late,’ he said to Liz, as she invited him in. ‘I didn’t like to assume I could park on the drive so I found a space around the corner.’
‘When the rain stops you can park on Monica’s drive,’ replied Liz. ‘She’s not usually home until six at the earliest. Would you like a cup of coffee before you start?’ Liz offered.
‘I would love one,’ Nick replied, as he sat at the table where Tammy was finishing her toast.
‘Hello again,’ he said, smiling.
‘Hi,’ said Tammy. Sasha had heard the doorbell and came downstairs in her pyjamas. She said hello to Nick before pouring herself a bowl of cereal and retreating into the living room with Tammy to watch TV.
‘How’s the garden coming along?’ he asked Liz.
‘I’ve changed my mind,’ said Liz smiling. ‘I have decided against doing the work myself. I am now going to completely revamp it and I have just signed a contract with a company called Fantasy Gardens to redesign the whole thing.’
‘Sounds expensive,’ said Nick, looking out of the window.
‘It is,’ said Liz, ‘but I think it’s worth it.’
‘Is that your son?’ he asked, pointing to a picture on the windowsill.
‘Yes, it is,’ Liz picked up the framed photograph of Adam taken at Christmas the year before.
‘You don’t look old enough to be his mother,’ said Nick.
‘Thanks,’ said Liz, a little unsure. She wasn’t used to compliments.
Tammy and Sasha appeared at the door. ‘What are we doing today?’ they asked.
‘We’ll settle Nick in so he can get started,’ Liz replied, ‘and then we’ll pot up the Lavender plants for Tammy’s project.’
‘Great,’ said the girls, as they ran upstairs so Sasha could get dressed. Nick finished his coffee and stood up.
‘Right, let’s get this show on the road. By the way, you wouldn’t happen to have a ladder would you?’ Liz was surprised that Nick didn’t have one but she didn’t say anything. She knew, without the need to check that Jim would have at least one and probably two in the garage somewhere, that Nick was welcome to use.
* * *
Upstairs in Sasha’s room Tammy was lying on the bed with her chin supported in her hands.
‘I think Nick really likes your grandma.’
‘I think grandma likes Nick too. He seems nice and she looked really happy to see him at the garden centre.’
‘Wouldn’t it be cool if he asked her out,’ said Tammy smiling.
‘I’m not sure,’ said Sasha. ‘I think grandma is too old for a boyfriend.’
‘Rubbish,’ said Tammy. ‘She’s too young to be on her own. Would you prefer her to be lonely?’
‘Not when you put it like that,’ said Sasha. ‘It would be nice for her to have a friend but you’re forgetting that he may already have a girlfriend, or a wife.’ She added dramatically.
‘You’re right,’ said Tammy. ‘We need to find out.’
The girls accompanied Liz to let Nick in, Tammy was particularly keen to show him her room.
‘I chose the colours,’ she said proudly as she picked up the pale green and cream tins of paint.
‘Lovely,’ said Nick, not convinced. ‘The room will be really bright.’
‘I want cream on this wall and this one,’ said Tammy, pointing to the window and the wall opposite, ‘and the green paint on the other two. The ceiling and the paintwork will be white.’
‘What colour would you like the alcove?’ said Nick, pointing out the fact that it was on a wall that was to be green. ‘I think it would look better if we painted the inside cream.’ Tammy agreed.
‘Well, we’ll leave you to get on with it,’ said Liz. ‘I’ll pop in at lunch time with a sandwich, unless you have brought something with you.’
‘No, I haven’t,’ said Nick. ‘Anything would be good. It’s kind of you.’
‘You haven’t tasted it yet,’ said Liz laughing. ‘Thank me when you’ve eaten.’
Liz and the girls went back to her house. They had serious re-potting to attend to. ‘I think we’ll need a production line,’ said Sasha, her natural bossiness surfacing. ‘If grandma takes the cuttings, you and I can fill the pots with soil and plant the Lavender.’
Liz put on her gardening gloves and went outside. She decided to take cuttings from the old plants as they were really straggly now and probably on their last legs anyway. She would think about replacing them when the garden was finished and made a mental note to discuss where to put the new plants with Finn and Devlin for best effect. They would be starting on Monday of the following week and she couldn’t wait. She was only sorry that Sasha would be going home and was unlikely to see the finished garden, at least not for a while.
Her mind wandered back to Nick and she blushed at the thought of the compliment. The years had been kind to him too. He was still slim and his hazel eyes twinkled when he smiled. ‘He is too young for you,’ she said to herself.
‘Don’t be ridiculous, you’re much too old for this nonsense.’ She had lost count of the number of snips she had made with the secateurs but she had a little pile of cuttings in a heap on the floor in front of her so she took them back into the house.
The pots full of compost were now lined up on trays on the kitchen table, draining board and side-board. The remaining compost appeared to be scattered all over the floor.
‘Great,’ said Liz, as she came back in, ‘but I think you two will have to sweep up before we continue. I’m not having soil walked all over the house.
‘You get the broom,’ said Sasha, ‘and I’ll get the dustpan
‘Oh no,’ said Tammy. ‘You get the broom and I’ll get the dustpan.
‘Toss for it,’ said Liz reaching for a coin. Tammy called and won, Sasha did the sweeping. ‘Another new experience,’ thought Liz, as Sasha seemed to spread the soil around even more.
‘I’m no good at this,’ Sasha whined.
‘Then you need more practice,’ said Tammy laughing.
It seemed to take ages but Liz resisted the urge to help Sasha sweep. It would do her no harm to learn how to do it properly. Besides she was sure that Sasha was making a meal of it so she didn’t get asked to do it again. Big mistake. Liz was wise to that and every other trick. What she hadn’t learnt from Adam growing up she had picked up teaching the children in school over the years.
Sasha had just finished sweeping while Tammy held the dustpan in place when her mobile rang. ‘Saved by the bell,’ she said smugly, as she took it out of her pocket.
It was Georgina. ‘Hi Darling, how are you?’
‘Fine,’ said Sasha, in the sad voice she reserved for her mother.
‘Are you having a nice time, darling?’ Georgina added hopefully.
‘It’s okay,’ said Sasha.
‘What have you been up to?’ asked Georgina.
‘Well,’ replied Sasha, in the saddest voice she could muster. ‘During the day we work in the garden. After dinner we usually go for a walk around the park and yesterday we smashed up some furniture and took all the wood to the dump. Oh, and today I have to clean the kitchen and then plant a hundred pots of Lavender.’
Georgina was horrified. Sasha sounded so miserable and now she was being forced to do the housework and gardening. She couldn’t wait to get home and rescue her.
Liz looked on baffled. It’s not that Sasha was lying, because she wasn’t. It was just that the way she conveyed the information made it sound as though she had been sold to a sweatshop and forced to do hard labour.
‘What was that all about?’ asked Liz, when Sasha had turned off her phone.
‘Guilt,’ interrupted Tammy. Sasha shot her a look.
‘Why the sad voice?’ Liz continued in a sterner voice. Sasha stayed silent. She was slightly ashamed that she had answered the phone in front of Liz. She was really enjoying staying with her grandma but that information wouldn’t pay for Disneyland.
Liz was not very happy. ‘If your mother thinks that you are miserable here I doubt that she will ever let you stay again, not to mention the fact that you are making her worry unnecessarily.’ Sasha hadn’t thought it through. ‘I think the next time she calls you had better make sure you put a happier spin on it.’
‘Yes grandma,’ said Sasha sulkily.
‘OK, let’s get on with the planting.’
Once the floor had been swept Liz set about trimming the leaves off an inch of the stem at the bottom of each cutting so they would not be buried in the soil. Sasha and Tammy used a pencil to force a shaft in the centre of each pot where they placed the cuttings before pushing the soil back in around the stems. After the first dozen or so plants had gone in they became quite expert and the production time rapidly sped up.
‘You’ll have to take them outside to water them and then you will need to cover the pots in something waterproof or your instructions will get too wet and the ink will run. No one will be able to read them.’
‘We could use sandwich bags,’ said Tammy. ‘We have got loads of them next door.’
‘Good idea,’ said Liz. ‘I think I’ve got some of the small ones here somewhere too. I don’t use them anymore.’
Liz opened various cupboards in the kitchen until she found what she was looking for and the girls went off to the office to print off the instruction sheets. They had made them look very professional. The heading stated ‘Help the Bees’.
There were a couple of paragraphs about why we need bees and how they are under threat followed by the instructions on how to care for the plants and when to re-pot them. Finally there was the request to take cuttings and pass them on when the plant got big enough.
‘Stage one complete,’ said Tammy. ‘Now we have to deliver them.’
By the time they had finished it was lunch time, the girls went into the living room to watch television, while Liz made cheese and ham toasties. She made an extra one and took it next door for Nick. When he came to the door his hair looked almost white and his eyelashes and eyebrows had a layer of white dust on them. ‘Rubbing down,’ he said, by way of explanation. Liz knew what he meant as she was the one that did all the decorating at home. Jim loved the garden but he hated painting and he certainly never got involved in rubbing down if he could help it.
‘I’ve brought you a sandwich,’ said Liz, holding out a foil wrapper. ‘Better eat it while it’s warm.’
‘Thank you,’ said Nick. ‘I appreciate it. I will make sure I bring food with me tomorrow.’
‘No need,’ said Liz. ‘I’ll be making something for the girls anyway. How’s it going?’
‘I should be ready to start painting soon,’ he said.
‘I can’t wait to see it finished. Tammy is really excited,’ said Liz. ‘Anyway, I’d better get back to the girls. I’ll see you later.’
‘Thanks again for the sandwich.’
‘We’re making cakes this afternoon. I’ll bring you some later if they are edible,’ she laughed.
Liz had bought some cupcake cases and cake mix as a contingency plan. She thought that if the weather was fine they could do a bit more outside and if not they would make cakes. It was still raining so it was plan B. She had never met a child who didn’t like to bake. Adam loved making cakes when he was little and she was really happy to have the opportunity to cook with Sasha. Liz asked her if she ever made cakes with her mum at home.
‘No,’ said Sasha, sadly, ‘but I’ve made loads with Grandma Betty.’
‘Mum and I were always baking,’ said Tammy. ‘It’s one of the things I miss. I can’t make cakes with Monica. She’s on a diet.’
‘She won’t always be on a diet,’ said Liz, ‘and anyway, I’m not, so get your pinny on.’
Liz gave aprons to Sasha and Tammy. She knew that if the planting was anything to go by she would need to take precautions to minimise the mess. She got out the food mixer and the weighing scales. The girls grabbed the eggs, butter, sugar and flour. Liz gave them the recipe and let them get on with it. The initial stages of cake mixing went fairly well. The creaming of the butter and sugar in the mixer was relatively calm. The eggs proved to be a bit more difficult with one or two casualties on the floor and the worktop before successfully targeting the mixing bowl.
It was the flour that caused the biggest upset. ‘Add the sifted flour gradually,’ were the instructions in the recipe. Of course, the girls tried to add it gradually and it would have worked had they turned the mixer off before adding it, but instead they tipped the bowl of flour into the mixture when the mixer was going full pelt. This resulted in everything in the immediate vicinity being smothered in white dust, which included Liz who was attempting to turn the knob on the mixer to slow it down. Just as she did so the doorbell rang.
Liz opened the door to find Nick standing on the doorstep.
‘Is this a bad time?’ he asked apologetically, looking at Liz who was blinking flour from around her eyes. He laughed at the sight.
‘No, no, come in. We were just decorating the kitchen with flour, weren’t we girls.’ They both stopped giggling for long enough to nod. Nick was still covered in dust but now several specs of white paint, like extra-large freckles, dotted his cheeks and his forehead.
‘I wondered if you had a dust sheet, or failing that any old newspapers that I can put down on the floor while I paint the ceiling?’ he asked.
‘We used to have some,’ said Liz. ‘They may still be in the garage. I haven’t seen them in a while but you’re welcome to them if I can find them.’
He followed her out to the garage and stood in the doorway as she looked on the shelves. ‘Who’s the artist?’ he asked, looking at the half finished canvas on the bench.
‘Artist is pushing it a bit,’ said Liz. ‘I dabble, or rather I used to.’
‘It’s good,’ said Nick sincerely. ‘You should finish it.’
‘I will eventually,’ said Liz. ‘Ah, here they are.’ She pulled at a black bin liner.
‘Let me get that,’ said Nick, and he stood on a toolbox and lifted the bin liner off the shelf.
‘I’ll bring them back in a day or so.’ He added, ‘I’ll wash them when I’ve finished.’
‘Great,’ said Liz. ‘No problem.’ Nick went back to decorating and Liz went back to the kitchen.
‘You’ve got flour all over your face,’ said Tammy.
‘It’s probably an improvement,’ said Liz smiling. ‘It certainly improves you two. You’re not allowed to leave this kitchen until you have brushed all that flour off your clothes. I don’t want it walked through the house.’
‘You too,’ said Sasha laughing. Liz looked down. Her navy blue shirt was almost grey.
Monica was outside Liz’s house by five but popped in to see Nick before picking up Tammy.
‘How’s it going?’ she asked, as she walked through the door, the smell of paint assaulting her nostrils. She opened the kitchen window.
‘Good,’ said Nick. ‘I’ve done the ceiling and undercoated all the woodwork. I’ll give it another coat tomorrow and then start on the walls.’
‘How long do you think it will take?’ she asked.
‘Three days tops,’ said Nick.
‘That’s fantastic,’ said Monica. ‘I hope you don’t mind but I forgot to ask how much you charge. I might not be able to afford you.’
‘A hundred and twenty a day,’ said Nick, ‘as you’re a friend of Liz.’ He winked.
‘Thanks,’ said Monica, relieved. When Nick left Monica popped next door.
‘How’s the decorating going?’ asked Liz.
‘Great,’ replied Monica. ‘He’ll be finished by Wednesday. I think I’ll organise the furniture to be delivered on Thursday. You wouldn’t mind letting them in would you, Liz? Nick might be finished. They didn’t confirm whether it would be a morning or afternoon slot but apparently if you ring them on the day they’ll give you an exact time.’
‘It’s no trouble,’ said Liz. ‘Just give me the details and I’ll make sure I’m here.’