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“Pleased to hear it. Now come on tour guide, what’s next?”
“Feast your eyes on this, madam,” said Kate, pointing through to the kitchen.
“Oh. My. God,” said Maddie, practically lying on the kitchen worktop and stroking the Formica with her palms. “Is this original?”
“Yes, seemed too good to rip out. You like it?”
“Love it.”
“OK, prepare yourself. This is my bathroom…”
“What the…” Maddie looked on open mouthed as Kate opened the back door. “You have to take a piss in the garden?”
“Sort of. Come and see.”
Kate had done her best to tart up the outside loo. The plumbers had been back to fit a shower, and she’d white washed the walls and put up a floating shelf covered in plants. Still, the resident spiders claimed it as their home, and there was nothing she could do about the temperature.
“But this is like going back to the dark ages,” said Maddie.
“Best close your mouth. There’s plenty of spiders here that might climb in.” Maddie clamped her mouth shut. “I’ll show you the garden when it’s stopped raining.”
“Does it ever stop raining here?”
“Not often,” laughed Kate, leading her back inside. “Now, up here is the guest suite.”
“Ooh, how posh.”
Kate showed Maddie the guests’ living room, complete with sofa bed, TV, a small table and chairs. The kitchenette consisted of a cabinet she’d found at the dump and repainted, microwave, kettle and toaster. The only new items she’d bought were a selection of colourful bamboo crockery, which had cost more than the all the room’s furniture put together.
Maddie seemed impressed with the upstairs. Once again, she flung herself down on the bed in the guest room.
“That’s my Nan’s old bed.”
“God,” said Maddie, jumping up. “It’s not where she died is it?”
“No, I checked. It’s a new mattress anyway, and new bedding, Marks and Sparks, don’t you know?”
“Don’t you go turning posh on me. I love how simple it is up here.”
“Yes, I thought neutral was the best way to go, more stylish.”
Kate had painted the walls white. White bedding would be a pain to keep clean, but she’d taken the plunge, deciding it looked more upmarket. The odd Kate flourish could be seen in the colourful prints on the walls, and plaid throws on the bed and armchair.
“The bathroom’s lovely,” said Maddie, poking her head in.
“Thanks. You’re my first guest, so you can test out the facilities and let me know what you think. Now, the most important question… beer or wine?”
Maddie looked at her watch. “It’s not even twelve yet! Wine, please.”
*
“Seriously though, Kate, you’ve done an amazing job here.”
The two friends had been settled on the purple sofas for a couple of hours, and were finishing the dregs of a bottle of Sauvignon Kate bought for the occasion.
“Thanks, it’s been a lot of work, but Bob’s been a great help.”
“Bob?” asked Maddie, wiggling an eyebrow.
