Page 36 of Happier Days (Family Life in Somerley #1)

CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX

Jack found Ava waiting for him with a huge smile. It was all he could do to stop from cupping her face in his hands and kissing her there and then. But he had to be certain that she wanted to kiss him back the way he wanted her to before rushing in again.

‘Hey, you.’ He returned her smile. ‘Sleep well?’

‘Like a log.’ Ava sighed. ‘I still can’t believe how quiet it is. It sends me off in no time.’

Jack pointed to the door, and they made their way outside. He wanted to reach for her hand but refrained. This wasn’t, after all, a date. He’d simply needed an excuse to see her, and it was the first thing he’d thought of.

‘So, what is it you want to show me?’ she asked once they reached the road.

Jack pointed again, this time to his left. ‘It’s just up ahead, a few minutes’ walk.’

Ava was chatting nineteen to the dozen when Jack stopped outside a property.

It was the middle house of a row of terraced cottages, almost squeezed in.

The garden was untidy, the roof needed fixing and the windows replacing.

Once all that was done, it might become picture-perfect, but it would take some work to get it half decent.

She frowned when he walked through the gate and held it open for her to follow. She was even more surprised when he pulled a bunch of keys from his pocket and held them in the air.

‘I thought you might like to see my latest project.’

‘This is yours?’ She tried hard to hide her shock.

‘As of two days ago. I signed the paperwork for it on Monday.’

Ava thought back to when Jack had left that day for a lunchtime meeting. She waited as he pushed the key into the lock and gave the door a good nudge to get it to open.

Inside was even less impressive.

They had stepped directly into a small sitting room, with an open fire, a burn mark above it on the wall and across the ceiling, and a threadbare navy-blue carpet that had seen much better days.

He led her into the kitchen, a mismatch of cupboards, a pine dresser, and a long worktop with a piece of material hiding goodness knew what underneath it. She wrinkled her nose when the smell of damp rose to greet her.

Jack opened a door that led to a tiny vestibule. ‘There’s a downstairs loo, but I wouldn’t go in if I were you. The guy who lived here before was pretty eccentric, and well, let’s say he wasn’t the cleanest of people.’

Ava covered her mouth with her hand, trying not to gag at the thought.

‘Obviously it will all be ripped out now I can start renovating it,’ Jack reassured her.

Upstairs, there were two bedrooms with bare floorboards and walls, and a shower room. Ava could almost think Jack was mad to purchase such a hideous monstrosity, but then she caught the view out of the front window.

‘And the pièce de résistance.’ Jack took her hand and led her outside.

They were faced with a raised garden, three sets of steps. After climbing them, on the third level she saw an old rickety shed and a tiny patio area.

‘Turn around,’ Jack said.

They were higher than the roof of the house and greeted by the view again. Ava gasped, picturing herself there in summer with a glass of wine and a terrific sunset to look forward to.

‘It’s a bit like all my first drafts.’ Jack sniggered. ‘With the help of a lot of people, plus polish after polish, it turns into something that other people might like.’

‘It will certainly be a labour of love, but I’m sure it will be beautiful. I didn’t know you were in the property business.’

‘I’m not. This is my first time.’

‘You don’t do things by halves,’ Ava replied.

‘It’s for Eliza.’

His comment took her by surprise.

‘If we sell the hotel, and the new owners don’t let her stay there, she will have somewhere to live. It’s been playing on my mind for a while.’

Ava smiled. ‘I think that is lovely. You’re so thoughtful.’

‘My family have been through a lot.’ He shrugged. ‘It’s a simple gesture.’

‘It’s way more than that. She’s going to love it.’

‘I hope so.’ He stepped closer to her then. ‘I’m sorry if I overstepped the mark last night.’

‘You didn’t. It just might make things… awkward, as we have to work together.’

He reached for her hand and interlinked his fingers with hers. ‘Were you taken by surprise?’

‘A little, but I was hoping you’d do it anyway.’

’So you wouldn’t mind if I did it again?’

‘I wouldn’t, but…’ She shrugged.

‘I know.’ He sighed. ‘We have to work together.’

‘And I have to go back to London.’

They smiled at each other. Ava was glad he couldn’t read her mind. But then he’d know that she wanted to take things further. Maybe she should air her thoughts to gauge his response?

Jack wasn’t as slow as her to react.

‘I’m not sure I can keep my lips to myself while you are around,’ he confessed.

Her laugh was dirty now, the cheeky smirk she gave him making his stomach roll over. He decided to take the plunge.

‘Do you think we should finish what we started all those years ago?’

‘You mean have a holiday fling?’ Ava teased.

Jack shrugged. ‘I think we both know it could be more than that.’

She said nothing, but her smile became a grin.

‘You’ve just walked back into my life,’ he said. ‘I don’t want to lose you again.’

‘Let’s take it one day at a time.’ Ava smiled coyly. ‘We need to stay professional in the week, mind you.’

‘And the weekends?’ He pulled her into his arms.

She wrapped hers around his neck. ‘Well, it would be foolish not to spend them wisely.’