Page 98 of Escape to the Country

‘You know,’ said Tom, also venturing inside. ‘It’s in better condition than you think.’ He flicked the light switch by the door and they were both surprised to see the light bulb in the middle of the ceiling come on. ‘So the electricity is still working,’ he said, nodding in thought. ‘A new door would be quite easy to fit.’

‘I don’t think Sam and Annie want any more costs at the minute,’ said Eleanor. Besides, it all seemed a bit unnecessary. ‘Maybe I can manage back at home,’ she said, beginning to turn away. This had been a silly idea. It had been kind of Annie to offer, but it was too much.

‘Look,’ said Tom, still gazing around at the space inside. ‘I can knock up a new door in next to no time. Maybe a workbench as well.’

Eleanor was shocked. ‘You?’

‘I trained to be a carpenter,’ he told her, smiling at her surprised look. ‘I’m actually quite good. If you buy me a beer, we’ll call it even.’

A frown creased her forehead. ‘I didn’t think you drank.’

His smile grew wider. ‘Don’t believe everything you read in the gossip columns.’

She found that the room suddenly felt a lot smaller with him filling the doorway. They locked eyes for a minute before he turned to study the room.

‘You probably need some shelves too,’ he said.

‘Look, are you sure you’ve got time for all this?’ asked Eleanor.

‘No problem,’ he said.

She got the feeling that he wasn’t going to take no for an answer.

He wandered back outside. ‘Did you know there’s an outside tap here as well?’ he said through the window.

Eleanor turned around and tried to focus on the positives. The place needed a good sweep and maybe a bit of weatherproofing. But there was possibility there.

Perhaps Sam and Annie could rent out the space afterwards if they made it clean and tidy, she told herself.

She found that she was smiling. For the first time in a long time, she felt a tiny ping of excitement in her stomach. Maybe this really could work.

After she and Tom had headed back to the house, there was a few more minutes of small talk before he thankfully left.

With relief, she sagged against the back wall. So neither of them had mentioned the kiss. That was good. They could both move on. Forget the whole thing had ever happened.

Except Eleanor wasn’t sure she would ever be able to forget kissing Tom.