Ed sighed. He was right, but, “Got to draw the line somewhere. If I was staying, then I’d be replacing them for sure.” Thebut I’m notsat heavy in the air between them, a weight Ed wasn’t too fond of. “Did you see the new kitchen and bathroom when you were here last time?” he asked, shaking off the feeling.
“Not really.”
“Would you like to?” Ed couldn’t help but smile because they’d both turned out great. He might not be staying here, but he could appreciate a job done well.
Oliver smiled. “Yeah, lead the way.”
He took him to the bathroom first. The old avocado suite had been replaced with a modern white one. The walls were now white, and grey tiles covered the floor instead of lino.
Oliver hummed to himself as he took it all in. “I didn’t see it before, but if it was anything like Betty’s old one, then I don’t blame you for ripping it out. This looks good.”
Even though he’d had nothing to do with making it look like that, Ed still felt a tickle of pride. “Thanks.” They’d kept the shower over the bath but gone with a solid shower guard instead of a plastic curtain. He ran his hand over the pristine sink. “I’d be happy to have something like this in my new house.” He probably wouldn’t get a brand new one, but Ed was hoping for something equally modern. “Come on, let me show you the kitchen.”
Oliver followed him out, and as Ed led the way, a question that had been niggling him for the past couple of days worked its way out. Glancing at Oliver over his shoulder he said, “Betty’s your Grandma, right?”
Oliver hesitated. “Why?”
Curiosity piqued, Ed came to a halt just outside the kitchen and turned to face him. “I was just wondering why you call her Betty and not Nan or something.”
“Elise didn’t tell you?” He didn’t appear offended by Ed’s questions, so Ed shrugged.
“Tell me what?”
“Me and Rob say she’s our nan—and she is for all intents and purposes—but we’re not actually related.”
“Ah.” Ed was itching to ask more but kept his questions to himself. It wasn’t really any of his business. If Oliver wanted to tell him, he would. Instead, he turned and walked into the kitchen. “It still needs a couple of things finishing off, but Aiden’s hopefully coming round this week sometime.” He leant against the counter, giving Oliver space to look around. It wasn’t huge by any means, but it was bigger than average, and the new layout made the most of the space.
Oliver ran his fingers along the wood-effect worktop, again capturing Ed’s attention. He had big, capable hands, but his touch was delicate as he inspected the cupboards and the shiny new appliances. Before Ed’s mind could wander to the gutter, Oliver stopped his perusal and mirrored Ed’s stance. “Aiden’s your mate, right. The one whose van you borrowed.”
Ed nodded.
“And his company did this?”
“Yeah.”
“It’s a beautiful kitchen.” He glanced around again, expression turning wistful. “I keep trying to coax Betty to update her kitchen because it’s got to be well over twenty years old. She could make much better use of the space, and that oven is ancient.”
“She not keen on the idea?”
Oliver barked out a laugh and shook his head. “Not keen is an understatement.”
“Yeah,” Ed grinned. “I very much doubt Elise would’ve let me near her kitchen when she was alive.”
“I mean, it doesn’t have to be this grand or anything.” He gestured around them. “Just something simple and safe.”
“Want me to ask Aiden for some ideas? I’m guessing Betty’s is similar to how Elise’s was?”
Oliver perked up a little. “Would you? It might be easier if I had something I could show her instead of just words.”
“I’ll talk to him this week.” Ed smiled, a warm feeling spreading through his chest at the look of gratitude on Oliver’s face.
“Thank you.”
They stared at each other, Oliver’s blue-green gaze seeming to bore right into him until Ed had to look away or risk blushing. He wasn’t used to being looked at with such directness. “Shall we get started?” He stood, picking up the colour charts, then frowned remembering about his lack of paint. “Arse. I really should’ve picked up the paint ahead of time.” He’d been so intent on finishing his work after his family left yesterday, he’d forgotten all about needing to nip to B&Q. While he debated asking Oliver to come with him or telling him to go home for a bit, Oliver got up and wandered over to the hallway.
“You’ve got wallpaper in here, remember.”
Ed joined him, peering over his shoulder at the hall walls. “Oh yeah. I suppose that’ll need to come off.” He caught Oliver’s raised eyebrows out of the corner of his eye. “What?”
