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Juno didn’t flinch. ‘Nice one. Go well?’
‘Yeah.’ Euan was smiling, now. ‘I think it did.’
And that was it. The thing that he’d kept so tightly to his chest had turned into something that could be talked about and left alone. Maybe he’d done this on purpose, just to show Sam that. Or maybe he’d just done it for himself.
Whatever. The moment had passed, and Euan had jostled Juno to one side and was lifting one of the heavy sculptures, swathed in plastic, carefully from the van.
‘Watch the bit at the top. Don’t knock it off when you go through the door.’ Juno was shouting instructions, and Euan was cordially ignoring them.
‘I’ve got it.’ The muscles of his arms and shoulders had swelled to take the strain of the load, and Sam watched greedily as he manoeuvred himself and the parcel through the entranceway.
‘Right.’ Now he was out of sight, Juno had consigned her precious piece to fate and Euan’s care. ‘Can you take this box? I think I can manage the smaller piece...’ She gestured to one of the smaller statues, wrapped up in the back of the van.
‘Leave those for the men.’ Sam carefully slid the box out of the van and gave it to Juno. ‘That’s the phoenix, isn’t it? You should carry that in.’
Juno laughed, but took the box anyway. ‘Okay. Perhaps you could get the doors for me.’
Inside the house was a hive of activity, the sound of a radio echoing from the back rooms and David in charge, holding a clipboard. ‘Through there...’ He pointed to a door at the end of the hallway. ‘We’ll lock them in the office so they’re not damaged.’ Euan was on his way back to the van, and stopped when he saw the women.
‘Ah. So the phoenix is home now.’
‘Yep.’ Juno’s tone was as if this was just another phoenix, in just another place, but her face was wreathed in a smile. ‘Watch out! Coming through!’ She bellowed at a young man in overalls, who was a good fifteen feet away, and followed Sam into the bright office, stacked with flat-packed furniture and boxes of computer equipment.
‘Where do you want this?’ Euan appeared, with a second statue.
‘Over there, by the first one.’ Juno gave a nod of approbation and produced a roll of tape with the word ‘FRAGILE’ emblazoned on it in red letters. ‘Better put some of this on them.’ She tore off a long strip, and handed the roll to Sam.
‘Juno...do you do commissions?’ The idea had been rolling around in the back of Sam’s head for the last week, one of those things that get thought about but never done. Suddenly, she wanted it done.
Juno stood and faced her. ‘Kind of. People come in sometimes with drawings or photographs of something they want to have reproduced, and I generally say no to that. But if someone wants to pick a colour, or an emotion, something like that, then I’ll do some sketches and make the piece.’
‘Yes. That’s what I meant. Would you make something for me?’
‘Really?’
‘Don’t look so surprised.’ Sam rolled her eyes and ventured a little business advice. ‘The thing to do when someone asks you that is to say that you can, and then pull out your diary. Look busy. People value something that everyone else wants.’
‘I haven’t got a diary.’
‘Then get a notebook. And when you do, I’d be very grateful if you’d put my name in it.’
‘You’ll be first on my list,’ Juno chuckled. ‘Friend’s dis—’
‘Don’t you dare. No friend’s discount. Can I come by and talk to you about it next week?’ There was the familiar lurch of her heart, the lump at the back of her throat, but this time Sam ignored it and kept talking. ‘It’s for the family of a good friend of mine who died. I want something bright...nothing gloomy because she loved colour. Something to celebrate her.’
Juno nodded. ‘Sorry to hear about your friend. Yes, come to the workshop and we’ll figure out something that does her justice.’
‘Good. That’s great.’ Sam took a deep breath. Somewhere, down in the depths of her heart, Sal was smiling in approval.
CHAPTER TWELVE
THERE WERE ALMOST fifty volunteers. Anyone who could wield a scraper was in one of the teams that David had organised, preparing the walls of the rooms for papering later on today. The younger children were being looked after in a roped-off play area on the lawn, and there was a team of mostly older women in the kitchen, preparing food and washing up.
‘This is fabulous!’ Sam caught David as he hurried through the hallway.
‘Isn’t it? I didn’t think everyone would turn up. Euan!’ David had just caught sight of Euan and he beckoned him over.
‘What have you got me down for?’ Euan peered over his shoulder at the clipboard.
