Page 8 of Promises & Petals in Nettleford-on-the-Wold (Escape to… Nettleford-on-the-Wold #1)

L eaning back on her haunches, Hannah wiped her forehead with the crook of her arm.

She wasn’t sure of the time, but the sun was setting and her whole body was aching.

Gemma had left hours ago and after finishing off cleaning downstairs, Hannah had braved the upstairs.

Well, the landing and the bathroom at least. The bathroom, surprisingly, hadn’t been as horrific as she’d expected, but the mould just wasn’t coming off the walls on the landing.

She’d have to buy some special stuff or something.

Saying that, it was better, so she’d just finish up and then grab a shower being dinner.

Placing the cloth she was using back into the bucket of hot water laced with disinfectant, Hannah wrung it out again before scrubbing at the wall again.

She hadn’t ventured into the bedrooms yet.

Part of her would rather not know if there was any damage in her grandad’s room.

At least for the moment, she could assume it was as he’d left it.

And hers, well, she wasn’t too bothered about that.

Yes, she had some photos and bits and pieces she’d rather were undamaged, but she’d lasted all this time on the road without them after all.

If she could just get this stubborn bit off the wall, then she would call it a night.

Of course, it would need going over with some mould cleaner or something and then repainting once the roof was fixed, but she’d feel as though she’d completed one small part of the job if this bit would only disappear.

Just as she was scrubbing, a loud knock at the door sounded.

The bee knocker she’d given her grandad all those years ago doing its job just as well as it ever had.

She frowned. Who could that be? Gemma, Lucy and Sophie would walk straight inside without knocking, and she wasn’t expecting anyone.

Jumping up to standing, she glanced down at her clothes, her pale pink t-shirt was almost all covered in dust or smears of dried dirty water, save for a small patch on her left sleeve, and she could feel the sweat dripping from her face.

She glanced towards the stairs. Another knock through the cottage dashed any hope that the person would leave.

Perhaps it was her neighbours, either old or new, coming to introduce themselves or else complain about her caravan being parked there.

Although it was in the front garden and now, thanks to Josh’s help with manoeuvring it, was almost completely out of view from the road thanks to the overgrown hedge, but some people. ..

Using the small patch of clean material on her sleeve, Hannah wiped her face roughly, hoping to dab up the sweat at least before running down the stairs towards the door.

With her hand on the door handle, she forced a smile, hoping it would convince whoever was on the other side of the door that she was a good citizen and not a threat to the quiet neighbourhood.

Pulling the door open, she froze. ‘Josh?’

‘Hi, I know it’s a bit late, but I wondered if I could show Freddie here the damage. He’ll be working with me on the roof.’ Josh looked her up and down and frowned. ‘Unless this is a bad time?’

‘Err...’ Hannah’s grip on the door handles tightened.

She couldn’t very well tell him that, yes, this was a bad time.

She was covered in dirt, dust and mouldy water, and she’d never wanted to let him see her in such a state.

Looking down, she pinched the bridge of her nose.

Why did she care so much about what she looked like?

Josh was Sophie’s brother; that was all.

And she certainly wasn’t the soppy teenager with a crush on him anymore.

Looking back up, she smiled and shook her head. ‘No problem. Come on in.’

As soon as Hannah had closed the door again, Freddie stuck his hand out towards her. ‘Nice to meet you, Hannah.’

Looking down at his hand, she held her own up, palm forward, and grimaced. ‘Good to meet you too, but I won’t shake your hand, you don’t know what you might catch. I’ve been cleaning all day.’

Letting his hand drop to his side, Freddie chuckled and instead winked at her. ‘Yes, probably best.’

‘Umm.’Thatwas one way to make her feel grubbier than she felt. Thanks, Freddie. Afterwatchingthem carry a ladder through, shewaved them towards the stairs at the back of the small living room. ‘I’ll leave you to it.’

‘Okay, thanks, Cupcake.’ Josh smiled as he led the way upstairs.

‘Cupcake, you call her Cupcake. Something going on there, is there, mate?’ Freddie’s voice floated down the stairs.

Closing the door again, Hannah tilted her head, trying to catch Josh’s reply, but his voice was too muffled. Running her fingers through her hair, she frowned as she waited for Freddie to answer.

‘Fair enough.’

Huh, so Josh must have told him the embarrassing story of her failed baking attempt at seducing him. Great. Not only was she going to have to endure Josh’s presence in the cottage, but also someone else who would understandably view her as the sad, pathetic person she was. Great.

As the clatter of the ladder sounded, Hannah could feel her cheeks heat from the searing embarrassment.

It really shouldn’t bother her anymore. Not after all his time.

And it hadn’t, until he’d brought the memory scorching to the surface again yesterday.

She needed to get out of here, and she needed to get cleaned up.

Her skin was suddenly itching under the muck clinging to it.

Slipping out of the door, she headed back to the caravan and to little Alfie, who she’d left in there so his small lungs didn’t have to endure the stench of the cleaning products or the mould spores she’d been using.