Page 79 of The Secret Holiday Kiss

Daisy nodded. ‘What’s going on, Avery? That man is scamming you. He …’ She had to stop, because her throat had closed up.

‘Hey.’ He put his arms around her, pulled her into his chest and stroked her hair, smoothing out the frizzy strands. He was the one in this awful situation, and he was comforting her. ‘It’s OK. It will all be OK.’

‘How, though? How did it start?’

He pulled back to look at her, and she saw the bleakness in his expression. Exhaustion and despair tightening his features.

‘Tell me.’ She picked up his mug and put it in his hands. ‘Drink some of this and then tell me.’

‘It was after I’d finished work on May’s house,’ he said, once he’d had a sip of his hot chocolate. ‘Spring this year. This guy contacted me; he said he was a local businessman and asked me to renovate three old B and Bs in Great Yarmouth. He was turning them into flats, and the work wasn’t too extensive – it was stuff I’d done before, albeit on a bigger scale, and it seemed like a good job. I did the work, the same standard as always, sent in my invoice and thought nothing more of it.’ He stared out of the window, over the stacked outdoor furniture.

‘Then what happened?’

‘I got a letter. Evidence that my work had compromised the plumbing in the properties, survey reports, photographs. I was blindsided, because I was happy with what I’d done, I had all the paperwork to prove its integrity. But not only were they not going to pay my invoice, they wanted me to cough up for the damage.’ He shook his head. ‘I asked for a meeting, they met me at that place – and I thought it seemed shady. It doesn’t exactly scream “legitimate business” does it?’

Daisy shook her head.

‘I disputed what they were saying, they told me it was my word against theirs, that they had evidence of my bad work and where was mine to the contrary?’ He laughed, but there was no humour in it, and Daisy squeezed his arm. ‘I felt trapped. I was sure I hadn’t messed up, but what could I do?’

‘What did you do?’

‘I refused to pay, and I went to our family solicitor, asked him to help me dispute their claim.’

‘That didn’t work?’

He shook his head. ‘They kept sending letters, demanding payment, and I told them I wasn’t doing it, that I was building a case against them. But they turned up at my house. Threatening, shouting. I was about to go to Mistingham – I’d agreed to Winnie’s build when I was working on May’s cottage, and I didn’t want to let them down. I told this guy, Mark, to leave me alone, and I moved into May’s cottage.’

‘So they got to your neighbours?’ Daisy whispered.

Avery picked his drink up, put it back down without taking a sip. ‘Jeanie is seventy-eight, her husband died a couple of years ago, and she’s always been so kind to me. I was in Mistingham for three days, and they banged on her door relentlessly, threatened her and terrified her.’

‘Oh God.’ Daisy put her hands over her mouth.

‘I realized then that it was a scam. If it was a legitimate claim for bad workmanship, from a genuine businessman, they wouldn’t be threatening me or my neighbours. I went to the police and told them everything. They said the building dispute is a civil case, that they can’t do anything without evidence. There was no CCTV of them harassing Jeanie, and they hadn’t assaulted her or caused any criminal damage. So I told Mark that I’d pay him his damages in instalments, but that I wouldn’t be in Norwich, that taking it out on my neighbours would be redundant because I wouldn’t know about it.’

‘Shit, Avery.’

‘It was probably a stupid move, but it was the only way I could think of to keep Jeanie out of it. I pay them a chunk of money every week, while my solicitor is doggedly working on the case, but these guys are sophisticated, they clearly know what they’re doing, and I’ve almost given up hope. I go to that place every Friday, and I pay them, and I feel awful about it, ashamed, every time.’

‘Avery.’ She ran her hand along his shoulder, soothing and massaging. ‘I am so, so sorry.’ He closed his eyes at her touch. ‘He was the one who punched you?’

‘His bloody attack dog did. That week I’d just – I’d had enough. I refused to pay.’

‘This is terrible,’ Daisy said. ‘There’s nothing else you can do?’

‘They have photographs, fake surveys “proving” my work was bad. They could go to the press, ruin my reputation, and if my solicitor is doing all he can – which sadly doesn’t seem like a whole lot right now – how else can I fight back? I kept all the right documentation, I have the necessary paperwork, what I would consider proof my work was solid, but I don’t think it’s going to be enough. And I’m worried if I stop turning up, they’ll go back to Jeanie, or they’ll find out I’m in Mistingham and start coming after the people I love.’ He rubbed his eyes and looked at her. ‘You should never have followed me in there. I can’t even think about what—’

‘Why haven’t you told anyone? Not May or Harry or … your team at the house? Omari and Kyle? How much money have you had to give him?’

Avery gave her a ghost of a smile. ‘Not everything. My rent in Norwich is low. May’s letting me stay at hers for free, and—’

‘You know that’s not the point,’ Daisy said, trying not to let her frustration show.

‘No, I know.’ He shrugged. ‘But what can I do? I’m not getting anyone else involved. I’m not going to get Kyle or Omari in trouble by asking them to help me against a guy like Mark. It’s not worth it.’

‘So you’re just shouldering it all on your own? While your solicitor sits behind his desk and takes his time?’

‘For now.’