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‘Oh, OK.’
‘I like that you were coming in to bat for me, though. The only thing my parents actually own is their house, and I hope they’ll be in it for a long time. You can rest assured that, if there’s anything left after we’ve paid for whatever care they might need later, Rachel and I will split it fifty-fifty.’
‘I liked her. How did she and James meet? They’re like chalk and cheese.’
‘He helped her with her divorce. Her first marriage was to this complete tit called Owen, who I suspect thought he could use her to get his hands on the boat and, more importantly, its quota. Thankfully, she saw through him before he could do any real damage and hired James to make sure he didn’t get any rights over the boat in the settlement. The rest, as they say, is history.’
* * *
Although it’s only a few weeks after the trip to meet Noah’s parents, autumn seems to have arrived with a bang and the temperature has dropped significantly. We’re getting some floodlights delivered today in time for the clocks changing, but the weather has generally continued to be kind, so we’re making good progress. I’m humming happily to myself as I wander across to check how much of our latest delivery is actually of any use. My eye is caught by Kayleigh, one of the sales people, leading a couple across from the sales office to the ‘Eton’ show home.
‘What else are you looking at?’ I hear her ask them.
‘We’ve been viewing a couple of properties in Singleton,’ they reply.
‘Oh, so you’re looking at second-hand houses as well?’ She sounds very slightly dismissive of the idea. ‘Don’t get me wrong, there’s nothing wrong with a second-hand house, but you don’t get to stamp your own identity on them in the same way as you do on a new build, do you know what I mean? Here we are.’
My ability to eavesdrop is cut off as the door closes behind them, but I can’t help giggling about the concept of a second-hand house. I’ll store that one away to use on Noah later.
‘How’s it looking?’ I ask Steve, the head sparky, who is checking over the rolls of electrical and internet cabling that were delivered a couple of hours ago.
‘Do you know, it’s what we ordered. To be fair, it’s hard to get electrical cabling wrong, but I wouldn’t put it past them to find a way. I saw Super Mario from the plumbing team earlier, and apparently even the sanitaryware for number seven is correct. Williamsons are obviously having a good day.’
‘Great stuff. All we need are the bricks for number three, and we’ll be onto a winner.’
I’m not telling anyone, but I’m actually on track to hit one of my milestones and earn a bonus. I don’t want to jinx it, hence my silence. If the bricks arrive, and they’re the right ones, we’ll have everything on site that we need to hit it, so I’ve got my fingers and everything else crossed.
No sooner have I indulged the thought than my mobile starts ringing in my pocket. I spot the number and my spirits plummet.
‘Hello, Ross. How are you?’
‘I’m OK, thanks, Ella. Listen, I’m calling about your bricks. It’s bad news, I’m afraid.’
‘I don’t want bad news, Ross, I want bricks. What time are they arriving?’
‘They aren’t. Sorry.’
‘What do you mean, they aren’t?’
‘They were supposed to arrive here yesterday, but they hadn’t turned up by the end of the day, so I chased the factory this morning. I don’t know what to tell you, Ella, but they swear blind that they never got the order, so they haven’t manufactured them. I managed to find the paperwork and tore them off a strip, so they’re going to expedite the process, but the earliest we’ll be able to get them to you is two weeks from today. I’m really sorry, Ella, but it’s out of our hands. I can’t even try another factory, as they’re the only people who make these particular bricks.’
Fuck. I should have known something like this would happen. There goes my bonus, along with my good mood.
‘OK. Well, I guess there’s nothing to be done. Deborah is off today, but I’ll call her in the morning and let her know.’
‘Thanks. I really am sorry, Ella.’ His voice drips with insincerity, and I mouth a couple of obscenities after disconnecting the call.
I need to be alone for a few minutes to vent some of my frustration, so I head straight back to the site office. Unfortunately, Noah is in there doing some resource planning so I swallow the stream of invective that I had prepared, settle at my desk and bring up the plan instead, even though I’m certain I can’t save this one.
‘You look like you’ve just swallowed a wasp,’ Noah observes. ‘What’s up?’
‘I’ve just had Ross from fucking Williamsons on the phone, and the bricks we need for number three won’t be here for another two fucking weeks,’ I bark.
‘Why not?’
‘The factory never got the order, apparently.’
‘Hm. How much do you trust Ross?’ He seems annoyingly unperturbed by my rage.
