There was a certain therapy in physical labour that Linc wasn’t used to and it stopped his mind brewing any issues that lingered, it helped him forget he’d ever had anything to worry about. As they worked, they talked too, about how Harvey hoped to build up a portfolio of renovation projects and therefore his reputation as well as those all-important contacts necessary for when you had your own business.
Linc added the final pieces of old wood from the set of drawers by the door to the pile outside that he’d at last covered in tarp. He’d been so into the job that he hadn’t thought to do that earlier when it was teeming down with rain but after watching Jade head back to her cottage, he’d dragged the sturdy covering from the outside shed Harvey had commandeered for their time renovating. The girls didn’t use it apparently and it was conveniently situated at the side of the garden for them to house whatever they needed.
Linc had Harvey help him with the countertop that had been next to the second of the commercial ovens. The edge didn’t want to come loose and it took both of them to prise it off with the use of a chisel and a bit of strength, the wood disintegrating part-way through and leaving behind the section of it that was much harder to remove. No wonder the bakery was in need of a renovation. It was only up close you could see that although the kitchen might be operational, it was old and battered. The floor had taken some abuse along the way too, with stains and areas that were damaged and likely a tripping hazard.
Once they’d slung the last of the countertops outside, Harvey asked Linc how he was settling in.
‘I only got here yesterday and I’ve visited before, but it’s nice to be staying with Etna.’
‘I imagine she’s a good host.’
‘She looks after her guests, for sure. And it’ll be good to have a change from the norm, spend a bit of time so close to the sea.’ Despite the cooler temperature after the humidity of late June, Linc had worked up a sweat in the kitchen no matter that the door and the windows had been flung open the entire time and he refilled his water bottle at the tap as Harvey took a call.
‘The window man is coming later this afternoon,’ Harvey said once he ended the call. ‘He’ll give us a quote for replacing a couple of panels in the latticed glass at the front of the shop.’
‘I’ll keep an ear out for him and let him in. Do you have to go?’
‘Was it me checking my watch that gave the game away?’ Harvey smiled. ‘I’ve only got an hour for lunch and I need to get back to a property to take a delivery of floor joists. But don’t worry, I’ve got plenty of scheduled time here over the next few weeks and I’ll be around evenings and weekends to get the job done. Just not today.’
‘Your boss doesn’t mind this working on the side?’
He shook his head. ‘I’ve always been very honest about it and he knows I’m trying to get my own business off the ground eventually. He’s a great guy, understanding, but I think he also knows if work was quiet for me on the renovation front then I’d always jump back in on any jobs he has, so maybe it’ll work both ways.’
Linc wished he was as settled in a career. He’d been a teacher for a long time and while he liked the variety of supply teaching, moving here and there depending on where he was needed, he knew the avoidance of a permanent role was part of his problem. He’d wanted to let loose, but in a controlled way – he was a grown-up, after all, and couldn’t throw everything away just because his head had been a bit all over the place for a time after his mum’s illness, his failed relationship and his dad’s health scare. Mind you, sometimes it had been tempting, especially when some of his mates erred more on the side of irresponsibility and didn’t seem ever to think long-term. Perhaps that was what innocence gave you, but when life delivered a few hard knocks it forced you into being a little more realistic, recognising that the future was a vast open space and you could be pulled in any direction.
Harvey picked up his keys to make a move. ‘It looks pretty grim in here without the cabinets and with nothing on the walls.’
‘Blank canvas, remember.’
‘Would you mind continuing with the cleaning up?’
‘I’m working for you, of course I don’t mind. And don’t worry, I’m not about to do a runner – I’ve got it too good at Etna’s place for a start.’
‘You read my mind. And thank you, it’d be great if you didn’t.’ He whistled as he took in some of the grime on the walls. ‘I suppose it’s only to be expected in a food joint. All that baking over the years…any more stuff you might need for serious cleaning is in the shed,’ said Harvey. ‘And before I go, I’ll see Jade.’
Linc realised he’d been hoping his new boss might say that. ‘I’d appreciate it.’
Harvey checked his watch again. ‘I’d say it’s safe given it’s officially the afternoon. She’ll be fine. And I’ll explain that while it’s nice to give her a lie-in, I need to have you working as many hours as possible at this stage. The last thing I want is to get behind.’
‘I get the impression you’ll be talking her language. And suits me too, I hate leaving things until the last minute, too much pressure.’
‘I think we’re going to get along just fine.’ And with that he waved a cheery goodbye.
When Harvey left, Linc went out to the shed to get a big bucket and a mop that was clearly brand new and wouldn’t have its fresh cream strands of thick cotton on the head for long. He found a box of cleaning solution, sponges and cloths as well as a scrubbing brush that looked strong enough for the more brutal stains. But after he’d taken it all into the kitchen he realised the whole place needed a damn good sweep first and went back for the broom.
Linc had been tackling the floor – sweeping, scooping up dirt and throwing it out, then sweeping some more – for a good hour before Etna swung in through the back door armed with an afternoon tea fit for a team of ten workers rather than just him, but he was more than ready for it.
‘You’re spoiling me,’ he told her after washing his hands at the sink that was to stay in place in the kitchen, the metal sturdy and undamaged and perfectly fit to fight another decade or so he suspected.
‘I’m allowed. It’s lovely to have you here.’
Etna was more than ten years older than his dad but to Linc she’d always seemed so much younger than her seventy-two years. She still had the same cropped grey hair he’d seen her with in photographs over the last couple of decades and it suited her now that it was growing a bit longer around the sides, it made her seem younger. Perhaps her secrets to staying youthful were being her own boss, eating good food like this bacon roll with all the trimmings she’d brought him and not having a family to race around after. Maybe this was the winning formula, and he wondered if he’d ever find his.
‘Good?’ she asked him as he bit into a soft roll filled with bacon, eggs, mushrooms and lashings of HP Sauce.
He nodded to show his appreciation and gestured to the other supplies Etna had brought with her, lined up on the window sill. There was a see-through plastic container filled with colourful fruit salad, a jumbo sausage roll wrapped in a serviette and a tub of yogurt sitting alongside an extra-tall latte. ‘Exactly how much do you think I need feeding?’ he laughed when his mouth wasn’t full, although he soon bit into another piece of the bacon roll, the salty taste too moreish to neglect.
‘My memories of you growing up involved your dad saying you ate him out of house and home,’ she laughed, thoroughly enjoying the moment. ‘He used to tell me how he’d go to the supermarket and no sooner had he unpacked than you’d fill up on whatever was there and he’d be adding things to his list for the week after.’
