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She tasted bile at the back of her throat. Retching and crying, Cass made a run for the kitchen, wrenching open the back door.
‘Don’t touch me!’ She was bent over, the fresh air stinging her wet cheeks, and Cass felt Jack’s hand on her shoulder. She heaved in a couple of breaths, beginning to feel a little better.
When she straightened up again, she saw him standing by the back door. ‘Sorry about that. Must be the smell. Turned my stomach.’
‘Yeah. Must be.’ He was watching her intently.
‘I’ll...get some water from the car.’ She walked past him into the kitchen, wondering what Jack was thinking of her.
‘Cass.’ His voice behind her. ‘What we have. It’s only nights, right?’
She froze. Cass had known it was a mistake to let him come here. Talking about it was sure to mess everything up. ‘Yes...’
‘I want one day too. Now... Today...’ When she turned, his eyes were dark, with the same intensity she saw in them every night. Jack walked slowly towards her and wrapped her in a hug.
Without any warning at all, she started to cry. Big choking sobs, while she clung to his jacket. Jack soothed her, kissing the top of her head, holding her tight.
* * *
She’d cried for a long time. Blown her nose and cried a bit more. Jack had fetched water for her from the car, along with the flask of hot tea, and they’d sat on the kitchen doorstep together, sharing a cup of tea. Despite the devastation around them, Jack was beginning to feel that he could get used to this daytime thing.
Someone banged on the door. ‘Stay here. I’ll get it.’ Jack hurried through to the front door, heaving it open.
Martin stood on the doorstep. On the road a small group, mainly men but some women as well, all shod in wellington boots. Jack recognised Ben’s parents, his father carrying a couple of shovels to help clear the mud from the floors.
‘I know Cass doesn’t want any help.’ It seemed that Martin had been appointed to take the first crack at persuading her otherwise.
‘She’s taking any help she can get. Come in.’ Jack stood back from the door and Martin beckoned to the group behind him.
What’s going on? She mouthed the words at him as he entered the sitting room.
‘Your friends have come to help you out.’
‘They don’t need...’
‘Yes, actually, they do.’ Jack put his arm around her, bundling her through to the hallway, which was filling up quickly.
‘Martin...’ Tears welled in her eyes again and she clutched hold of Jack’s sweater.
‘Thanks for coming.’ Jack voiced the words for her and Martin gave a small nod.
‘Where are we going to start, then?’
* * *
The amount that could be achieved by a dozen people in less than four hours was amazing. The house had been aired through, and mud shovelled into buckets to be carted out. Carpets had been taken up and some of the mud had been scraped from the floorboards. In the kitchen, the cupboards and floor were washed clean and the smell of disinfectant started to permeate the air.
The furniture left in the sitting room was beyond repair, and was dismantled and removed. At two o’clock Martin received a text, and called for everyone to down tools.
‘Lunch in the church hall, ladies and gents. Half an hour.’
Cass had slipped from tearful and embarrassed, through red-cheeked and into beaming. Then back to tearful again as she stood at her front door, hugging everyone and thanking them as they filed out of the house.
‘I don’t know what to say...’ She stood in the doorway waving as everyone made their way back along the track to the village.
‘I think you said it, didn’t you? Anyway, I think this morning was all about what the village wanted to say to you.’
‘It was so good of them...’
