‘Look, I know it’s not ideal with it being uninsured, but I really don’t need any more grief about it. Believe me, I’m angry enough with myself for the both of us.’
‘I’m not angry at you. There’s just a lot to do.’
‘I don’t want to take up your time. If you could just drop me at the house, you can get on with your day.’
Jesse turned to look at me, his expression impassive and unreadable.
‘What?’
‘Nothing,’ he replied as he switched on the ignition and then pulled out of the drive.
Thankfully, it was a short journey, otherwise I’d have bitten all of my fingernails down rather than just four. The acrylics I usually had were long gone and, right now, getting replacements was the last thing on my mind. I couldn’t remember the last time they’d looked this much of a state. I added ‘ask Julie about beauty salons’ to my mental to-do list and tucked my hands under my thighs so I didn’t chew them any more.
We turned down the drive and as we got closer, I had to call on all my stoicism not to cry. The base of a tree stood splintered and jagged to the left of the house, the body of it cutting square across the roof of my bedroom. Glass from the one remaining sash window in the bedroom was scattered around, glittering in the bright morning sunlight. Branches and other natural detritus were strewn around the place, and as Jesse pulled the truck to a halt the final indignation was before us. My once beautiful, sleek convertible was now two rather less beautiful cars thanks to the tree that had sliced it right down the middle.
‘I’m guessing that, at least, is insured.’
I ignored Jesse and opened the door, turning first to Ned. ‘Stay here, Ned. There’s glass everywhere and I don’t want you getting hurt.’
Ned looked back at me and, the moment I stepped out, hopped through into the front seat and stayed there. ‘Good boy.’ I smiled, ruffling his ears, then closed the door.
I walked up to the car. Thankfully, yes, it was insured, which was something but, right now, it didn’t help much. I’d loved that car. Also, it was my only means of transport to and from this dead-end place. Now what was I going to do? I pulled my phone out of my pocket, took a few photos and then scrolled down the contacts and stopped as I came to the one labelled ‘car insurance’. I was, if nothing else, organised. Pressing the dial button, I waited. And waited. And then I remembered. There was no signal here. Shit. I wondered if my router had survived the storm. At least the Wi-Fi calling had worked last night long enough to allow Jesse’s call to connect. Turning, I saw Jesse leaning on the front of the pick-up. He studied me for a moment but thankfully didn’t say anything.
‘I suppose I’d better go in and see what I’m dealing with.’
‘Whatwe’redealing with,’ he corrected me.
I stopped and turned to face him. ‘This is my problem, Jesse. I appreciate the rescue last night but?—’
‘It wasn’t a rescue. You’d have been fine. Somehow I get the feeling you’re not the type of woman that ever needs, or would even accept, rescuing.’
‘What’s that supposed to mean?’
‘Exactly what I said.’
‘I suppose you still expect every woman to swoon and drop into your arms – or bed – then?’
He laughed at this, although I hadn’t meant it to be funny. ‘Definitely not. But there’s a difference between being capable and refusing to accept help because you’re too damn stubborn.’
I opened my mouth to reply but he was already on the move.
‘Let’s go and see what the damage is.’
‘I think it’s pretty obvious what the damage is,’ I mumbled a few steps behind him. ‘There’s a bloody great tree in my house.’
Jesse turned, flung an amused smile at me and carried on walking.
Did he have to have quite such a great smile? And, as my eyes followed him, a pretty exceptional bum.
‘Oh…’ was the only word my brain was able to process as we both stood on the threshold, looking at the disaster zone that had once been my bedroom. The only room in the house that had been close to being finished, barring the dodgy windows. Now there was a skylight where the roof used to be. Or at least there was sky.
‘You OK?’ Jesse asked.
I made a noise that could have been taken for affirmation. However, I was definitely not OK. I was, in fact, very far from OK, but it seemed the appropriate reply for the moment. Plus the only other response available to me right now was ‘complete meltdown’ and I was saving that for later when I was on my own. Jesse had caught me off guard last night but I wasn’t about to show any more weakness to him than I already had. I’d learned a long time ago that doing that generally came back to bite you.
‘Do you want to go and check on the chickens?’
I looked at him blankly for a second. ‘Oh my God!’ I took off down the stairs and ran to the field towards the newly painted coop. It wasn’t the best job but, considering it was the first time I’d picked up a paintbrush, I didn’t think they’d mind. The dull-brown colour didn’t do much for me either, but it was the only thing labelled as suitable for outdoor wood I’d been able to find in the outbuilding.
