‘Yeah, well I dint like what he done all that thinking without saying nothing to me’

‘But he did it for the best of reasons’ Ingrid points out, taken aback by Charlene’s truculent attitude.

‘I int gonna marry nobody what don’t bother to tell me stuff when it’s important and you int going t’change me mind neither’

‘Oh, Charlene...’

‘I come here t’get on wi’me work. I don’t want t’talk about it anymore, right?’ Charlene riffles through a sheaf of papers and straightens her keyboard, staring intently at the monitor.

‘No, it’s very wrong!’ Ingrid throws down her pen ‘A couple of weeks ago you were all upset because you thought he was going to finish with you. Now you’ve found out all he was doing was making sure he could support you so he could ask you to get married and you don’t want him! I just don’t get you at all. I’d be chuffed to bits if I thought someone loved me enough to do all that for me’

‘Yeah...like I got t’fit into his little plan whether I wanted to or not’ Charlene noisily pounds the keyboard, refusing to look away from the screen ‘He never asked me nothing!’

‘He asked you to marry him’

‘Only cos I got a bit angry about his Granddad’s house’ she prods at the backspace several times.

‘You honestly believe that?’ Ingrid’s voice rises with exasperation. ‘He went through all the bother of looking at houses round here, worked out his finances and what the situation was with his job just in case you got annoyed?  For God’s sake, Charlene, listen to yourself!’

‘I don’t care what you think. He could a said summat before but he dint. I done all that work for nothing’

‘I’m sorry you’re disappointed about it but I don’t see that as a reason for treating Jonathan the way you are. You knew he was struggling to afford to keep it on.  Selling it was on the cards from the off, especially if he wanted to settle down and have a family’

‘Yeah, an’ that’s another thing he never even asked me about!’ Charlene gives up trying to type and slams the bottom drawer of her desk ready to get up and go to seek sanctuary in kitchen ‘What if I dint want babies?’

‘Whether you wanted them or not isn’t the issue! He hadn’t asked you anything because he wanted to get it all sorted so that no matter what you wanted, he’d got it covered. Can’t you see that?’

‘No, I can’t and it int no good you keep going on about it’

‘But you’ll have to talk it through with him, surely?’ Ingrid follows her with her eyes, swivelling her chair as she stomps past.

‘I don’t have to do nothing and I int going to. He was getting boring anyway’

‘Char-lene!’

‘He can go sell his house and do what he wants with it cos I int interested no more. I got a new bloke now’

‘You have?’ Ingrid’s jaw drops.

‘Yeah, so none of it matters, does it?’ Charlene disappears behind the partition.

‘No....’ Ingrid sinks back on her chair and puts her head in her hands. ‘I don’t suppose it does’

Samms Plant Hire, Oatfield

Chapter Thirty-four

Pennywell, Bower Lane

‘Sorry I haven’t been before but...Happy New Year...a bit late, I know’ Helen hesitates on the doorstep.

‘Wow!’ Daniel stands back and holds the door open ‘Look at you!’

For a moment she looks puzzled and then smiles, putting a self-conscious hand to her hair ‘Oh, you mean the haircut’

‘I do!’ he gazes at her ‘You look so different’

‘Is that good or bad?’ she asks with a grimace.

‘Now I know you’re having me on. It looks terrific. Happy New Year to you too’ he kisses her cheek.

‘Thank you’

‘You’re very welcome....unless you’ve come to inspect the place. I which case, I’ll shut you the other side of this door until I’ve marshalled the troops into action. Sorry...it’s a tip, it really is. Bodies and bottles everywhere’

Helen waves him down ‘I’ve come to see how you are, not the house. Still looks rather sore’ she eyes the multi-coloured bruising and bites her lip in sympathy.

‘Nothing to what it has been. Come on in...but ignore everything, okay?’

‘If you’ve got guests, I won’t stay. I can always call another time’

‘Cyn’s making coffee. You’ll stop and have one, won’t you? I’ll only get it in the neck if you don’t at least say hello’

‘If you’re sure’

‘Of course I am’ Daniel closes the front door ‘Ignore that lot’ he says pointing out shadowy forms as they pass the darkened sitting room ‘Doug, Graham, John....and one empty one....Where’s Sandy?’

‘Bog’ one of them grunts from a sleeping bag.

Daniel pauses at the bottom of the stairs ‘ALEXANDER?’

‘BLOODY HELL, WHAT NOW, CAN’T A MAN HAVE A CRAP IN PEACE?’

‘LADIES PRESENT AND CINDY’S UP, SO WATCH IT ALRIGHT?’

‘Oh, right’

Helen can sense an embarrassed grimace in his words.

‘Sorry, but he’s just as likely to walk through starkers unless I say something’ Daniel grins over his shoulder.

‘Oh dear, perhaps I better had go after all’

‘Think we’ll be safe in the kitchen. Look who’s here, Cyn’

‘Hello, Mrs. James’ Cindy turns to smile shyly. ‘Oh, I like your hair!’

‘Thank you’ Helen touches it self-consciously one more and, out of habit, tucks one side over her ear. ‘Hello, lovely to see you again and call me Helen, please. Did you have a nice Christmas?’

Cindy gives Daniel a careful look before replying ‘Well....sort of’

‘What she means is, we had to abandon our plans and make do here instead of hitting the bright lights....and the sales’ he adds with a huffy imitation of his daughter.

‘Da-ad! I didn’t say it like that’

‘You mean....because of the nose?’ Helen asks aghast ‘Your whole Christmas was ruined because of your nose?’

‘I couldn’t drive’ Daniel shrugs ‘Well, I could have but I didn’t want to become a statistic’

‘What on earth did you do? There must have been shopping to get and allsorts if you planned to be somewhere else’

‘Meet my personal shopper!’ Daniel puts one arm around Cindy’s shoulder and gives her a hug ‘She was absolutely fantastic, did everything from start to finish and dinner was great, it really was’

‘I burned the sprouts’ Cindy groans ‘How can anyone burn sprouts? But I managed it’

‘God, it stunk!  But she did really well, I’m proud of her’

‘Da-ad’

‘I am, so shut up ...Spent all her holiday here looking after me’

‘You did let me have friends down though’ Cindy reappears from behind the refrigerator door and fills a glass with orange juice.

‘Oh God, yes, thought it was the least I could do. I cleared off upstairs and left them to it’ Daniel elaborates with a grin ‘Headphones and two pillows just about cut out the noise, thank God we’re a bit out of the way or we’d have had the noise police shut us down’

‘Yeah, like you were really quiet last night’

‘That’s different’

‘Hmm, like how? Honestly, Mrs...Helen, it was just a few mates and a game of cards he said but I didn’t see any cards and look at all this!’ she turns as she holds the glass to her lips, indicating with her eyes the clutter of dirty plates on the worktop and  blackened pans on the grease spattered hob.

‘We fancied a bit of a fry up’

‘At three o’clock in the morning? Well, I’m not cleaning up after you. I tidied all on my own after my friends went because you said you weren’t feeling so good but if you were well enough to make all that noise last night, you’re well enough to....’

‘Okay, I get the picture!’ Daniel interrupts with a sheepish grin ‘I’ll do it, alright’

‘The coffee’s nearly ready’ Cindy informs him crisply ‘Nice to see you again’ she switches on a brief smile for Helen’s benefit ‘I’m going back to bed so you’d better be quiet’ the scowl returns for her father.

‘Flamin’ Nora! Anyone would think you were my....’ Daniel drops his head and groans.

Cindy’s expression softens and she kisses his cheek ‘Anyone would think I was Mummy. Yes, I know...but I didn’t get much sleep because of...’

‘Us lot. Okay, sweetheart’ Daniel gives her a hug and kisses her in return ‘Bang on the floor if we’re too noisy. See you later’

‘Bye, Mrs. James....Helen’

‘Bye, Cindy’ Helen grins and lifts her hand in a wave ‘See you again sometime. Sleep well’

‘Don’t know what I’d have done without her these last few days’ Daniel says as the door closes ‘Jeannie was more than good, popping in and out and so forth but she had enough on her plate as it was’

‘It was Jeannie who took you to the hospital, so Harriet was telling me’

‘And back again to have the packing out. That was worse than having it shoved up there in the first place, gas and air, the works!’

‘And is everything healing as it should be?’

‘It’s all okay...or will be. Give it another couple of weeks and you’ll never know it happened. Anyway, enough about me, it’s all water under the bridge now. Kester was mortified and I got a bottle of Malt out of him that must have cost a bloody fortune so I figure we’re all straight. How are you?’ Daniel unhooks two mugs from under the wall cupboard and finds a space on the worktop to put them in.

‘I’m fine. Thank you’

‘He was beside himself, you know’ he says carefully.

‘I do...yes’ Helen flushes uncomfortably ‘Maybe it was wrong to do what I did but...’

‘You’re talking now? I mean properly’

‘Oh yes...more than we have in a long time’

‘Then right or wrong, it did the job’ Daniel declares as he pours coffee ‘Milk?’

‘Yes please’ she nods as the carton hovers over her mug ‘I guess so....but if I hadn’t gone then...’ her eyes stray to the bruising again and she sighs.

‘I said that was water under the bridge and I meant it’ He laughs ‘Bridge...nose...bridge of my nose? Oh never mind’ he grins and hands the mug over ‘I can make things up to Cyn and as for anything else...it’s gone.... past. Okay?’

Helen accepts what he says with a nod and looks round for somewhere to sit, moving one coat from the seat of a chair and laying it atop a pile of clothes on another. ‘I had a call from Noel’ she says over the rim of her mug.

‘The better man won sort of thing?’ Daniel lifts an eyebrow and, setting his coffee amid the debris on the table, sweeps the clothes to the floor with his hand and sits.

‘No, not really...more of a good luck, glad for you both sort of call’

‘Ah...right’

‘Why should you think otherwise?’

‘Oh, no reason’ he shrugs.

Helen’s jaw sets pugnaciously ‘I hope he hasn’t given you the wrong impression...and I hope I didn’t do the same by accepting his help. There is not... nor has ever been anything between us but friendship’

‘Whoa! Climb down.’ Daniel shakes his head and struggles to swallow the first mouthful of his coffee. He grins and wipes his mouth. ‘I didn’t mean anything by that at all’

‘Sorry’

‘No, I am. It’s just that....’ he looks everywhere but at Helen ‘Noel’s a mate and I know....knew...’

‘What he thinks of me? You’re not letting any great secret slip, I can assure you. I’m well aware things could have turned out very differently if I had wanted them to’

‘Oh...right’ he clears his throat and takes another sip from his mug.

‘Maybe you think I was a little naive in taking his offer of the flat but my instincts were right, there was no.....awkwardness’

‘I didn’t think anything of the sort and I’m damned sure you would’ve...coped, shall we say, if there had been. He’s not one for pushing boundaries far, is Noel. Learnt his lesson the hard way, unfortunately’

‘Really?’

‘Let’s just say he was made a fool of and leave it at that. I think you’re the first woman he’s let himself feel anything for since then...’ Daniel makes a rueful face ‘Perhaps I shouldn’t have said that either. Oh well...’

‘He’s happy to stay just friends’ Helen puts her coffee down to rummage in her handbag to answer a beep of her phone. She smiles and taps in a reply to the text.

‘So you’ll be keeping in touch? Brilliant!’ he heaves a sigh of satisfaction ‘I promise you that’s all it will be’ he assures with a smile, leaning forward to pat Helen’s knee ‘Just friends. He won’t take it any further if you’ve set the ground rules’ he shakes his head to underline the point ‘but it’s going to make one hell of a lot of difference to him. I know he comes over as confident when it comes to women, but I know better. He’s been dealt a few gut punches in his time’ He grins suddenly ‘Maybe he’ll relax now and look a bit further than someone else’s wife!’

Helen arches her neck ‘So I was just a practice run?’ she says crossly.

‘No! God no’ Daniel laughs out loud at her indignation ‘What he felt was genuine enough but he’s not that stupid he couldn’t see there were a few obstacles in the way like Kester... and you being married already. That does tend to keep a rein on things’ he smoothes her ruffled feathers ‘Guess he’ll always have a ‘thing’ for you but if he knows it’s going nowhere, he’ll learn to live with it and move on. Kester’s got no objections I take it....about you keeping in touch. It’s not something I’ve got to keep quiet about?’

‘Good heavens, I’ve not come home to conduct some clandestine affair instead’ she replies, slightly mollified ‘Of course he knows. Not sure he’s that keen but he’ll get used to it. It will probably be no more than an exchange of Christmas cards anyway, especially once your lease comes to an end’ She drops her phone back into her bag ‘Talking of which....what do you propose to do?  I should really be looking towards advertising again if you’ve finished all you intended doing while you were here and won’t be staying on’

‘Much as it grieves me’ Daniel says with a downward tilt of his mouth. ‘I’ll be leaving and going back home’ his cheeks puff as he looks around  the room ‘I love this place’ he says on a rush of exhaled air ‘and the village but all good things come to an end as they say. Cyn won’t be away at school for much longer and I really need to be there and making a proper home for her, not use it as somewhere we meet every so often’ He shifts his chair closer and touches her hand, curling his fingers around the edge of her palm ‘I don’t want to lose contact with you either, not now I’ve found you again. I’m still having trouble believing it’s really you.  Guess we’ve both come a long way since then’

‘I think I’ve finally closed the door on that particular episode in my life’ Helen smiles and her eyes light.

‘Seeing you now, I can more than believe it too’ he grasps her hand between both of his ‘You’re a different person entirely...and I am if it comes down to it. I know I’ve said it before, but I owe you a lot. You might not realise and certainly wouldn’t have done at the time, but you changed my life’

‘I’m not so sure about that’ she gives an embarrassed laugh ‘I suppose I ought to be getting back’ she says, slightly discomfited and standing ready to leave.

‘Believe it, okay?’ he says earnestly, his forehead wrinkling as he looks up from beneath his brows. He gives her hand a gentle squeeze and stands up himself.

‘Yes....okay’ she returns his smile with equal warmth.

‘Hellooo...’ Helen turns at the voice behind her ‘and what do we have here? Kept this one quiet you crafty sod’ the man punches Daniel on the arm and, still looking at him, leans to put his mouth close to Helen’s ear ‘Whatever he does for you I can do ten times better, what say we....’

‘This’ Daniel is quick to cut him short ‘is my landlady....she owns the house’ he glares at Sandy meaningfully.

‘Ah!’ he straightens and leaves Helen with a ruffle of her hair ‘Small slip of the tongue there, sorry it found its way into your ear. That coffee I smell?’ he twangs the elastic on his boxer shorts and crosses the room without a backward glance.

‘I think I had better go’ Helen covers a grin with her hand and moves to the door.

‘What say we all get together before Cindy goes back?’ Daniel opens it for her and follows through the hallway ‘You and Kester, we’ll do something, not sure what but that’d be good, yes?’ he says, anxious to make some arrangement before she goes.

‘That would be lovely’ she says, her hand on the lock.

‘Great! I’ll ring you once I’ve got rid of the rabble and we’ll sort something, alright?’ Holding the front door by its edge, he lays his other hand on the small of her back and kisses her cheek.

‘Look forward to it. I’ll see you soon, then....bye for now’