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‘Five.’
Evanna winced. ‘That’s a wicked time to start the day.’
‘She doesn’t think so.’ Craig rubbed his eyes with his fingers. ‘We take it in turns to get up with her.’
‘She’s two. She ought to sleep later than that. Have you tried just leaving her?’
‘Annie doesn’t like to do that.’ Craig gave a crooked smile. ‘Can’t bear her to cry. The moment she hears a murmur, she’s in there.’
Evanna lifted two mugs out of the cupboard. ‘It might be worth leaving her for a few minutes. She might just go back to sleep. Logan tried that with Kirsty a few months ago and it worked. She didn’t even cry much, just whimpered a few times and then drifted off again.’
‘Really? So you think that might work for Moll?’
‘It’s possible, but obviously you have to do what feels right for you. Here. Have some caffeine.’ She handed him a brimming mug. ‘I’m sure that we both need it.’
‘Did I wake you? I assumed you’d be up.’
‘I was up.’ She hadn’t really slept all night. She’d just stared at the ceiling, thinking about Logan, and now her eyes pricked angrily and her head ached. It was going to be a long day. ‘Do you want to have another look at the bathroom?’
‘That’s what I was hoping.’
They walked upstairs and Craig wandered into her bathroom. ‘I reckon it will take me and the lads about ten days,’ he said, peering around the bathroom and scribbling something on a piece of paper. ‘Providing there are no hitches.’
‘My life is full of hitches,’ Evanna said wearily, ‘but we’ll aim for the ten days. Will I be able to wash?’
‘Yeah. Well, most of the time.’ Craig frowned up at the ceiling. ‘You want that painted the same blue as the rest?’
‘Yes.’
‘Nice. Looks like a seaside bathroom.’ He nodded approval and then pulled out a tape measure. ‘I’m going to cut some wood to fit there. Has all the stuff we ordered arrived?’
‘It’s blocking my garage as we speak.’
Craig stretched out the tape measure and recorded the length. ‘That’s a standard size. OK. We’ll start tomorrow. I’ll try and make sure the bath is only out of action for a few days. You can shower at Kyla’s.’ He tucked the pencil behind his ear and slid a finger over a pipe. ‘We’ll box this in for you. It will look better.’
‘Whatever you say, Craig.’ Evanna wished she could summon up more enthusiasm. ‘As long as it looks like the picture I showed you, I don’t care how you do it.’
‘It’s a shame we couldn’t have fitted it in while you were on the mainland. Would have meant less disruption for you, but never mind.’ He took a closer look at a hairline crack that was running across the ceiling. ‘I bet Dr MacNeil is pleased to see you home. He told me Kirsty was missing you.’
Evanna tensed. ‘She’s growing fast.’
‘No doubt about that.’ He dropped to his haunches and studied the floor. ‘This will have to come up. Those flashy Italian tiles you chose are going to look the business.’
‘Thanks, Craig. I’ll let you have a key so that you can just come and go while I’m at work.’
He stood up. ‘There’s going to be some dust and mess while we remove the old stuff, but I’ll cover your carpet for you.’
Evanna waved him off and decided that, although it would be fun to have a new, luxurious bathroom, the process was obviously going to be unpleasant.
It wasn’t even nine o’clock and suddenly the day stretched ahead of her. Before her trip to the mainland, she probably would have gone to Logan’s and spent the day playing with Kirsty but now she was wondering whether that was the wrong thing for everyone.
While it was true that she was able to help with the little girl, it was also true that her constant presence was a disincentive to Logan to find someone else. And he needed to find someone else.
Remembering the look of sadness on his face the day she’d made lunch for them, Evanna resolved to try and think about someone who might suit him. Catherine had been wild and adventurous, so clearly that was the sort of woman who interested Logan and, offhand, she couldn’t think of anyone who fitted that description.
Thinking about suitable partners for Logan did nothing for her piece of mind so she drank two cups of herbal tea, ate some fruit and wandered into her garden.
Although it was still early, the sun was already hot and it was obviously going to be another scorching day.
