Read Online Christmas for One: No Greater Love by Amanda Prowse - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Amanda Prowse
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square-framed glasses from his top pocket and, with the end of his propelling pencil against the paper, was talking Meg through the issues.
‘So you see how it’s gone from being an easy job into this nightmare? It’s often the way: the complex aspects of a build glide along, only for the small unforeseen snags to escalate into a drama. I’m aware that this is costing us all time and money.’
Meg knitted her fingers together in front of her, business-like. ‘How long do you think it will take to get everything fixed once we get access?’
Edd tapped his pencil on the drawing. ‘I’ve got the contractors on standby. A day. Two days, max.’
Meg sipped her coffee, then slammed the Styrofoam cup on the tabletop and gasped, ‘Oh my God!’
‘What? What’s wrong?’ Edd and Juno asked in unison.
Meg slapped her forehead lightly. ‘I have just had an idea that is either complete genius or extreme madness. I’m not sure which.’ You can do anything you put your mind to, Meg.
‘And are you going to share it with us?’ Edd removed his glasses and sat back in the chair, intrigued.
Meg turned to Juno. ‘Do you have the superintendent’s number?’
Juno nodded. ‘It’s in my cell.’ She jumped up to retrieve the phone from her bag.
Edd stared at the crazy English woman who was talking in riddles. Juno flipped open the cover of her phone and let her fingers slide down the list of numbers.
‘Can you get him on the phone for me?’ Meg cocked her head and smiled before popping the last bite of muffin into her mouth.
A couple of hours later, Meg stood on the pavement and patted her hair behind her ears. She licked her lips, which were dry with nerves, and sucked spit from her cheeks to unstick her tongue from the roof of her mouth. Her hands were shaking. Was she really going to do this?
The man approached slowly. When she was able to tear her eyes away from the thin combover of hair on his balding head, she focused on the vast bunch of keys swinging from the belt loop on his khaki-brown trousers. Come to Mumma! She smiled. From a similar loop on the opposite side to his keys hung a torch. The paunch of his belly sat over the top of his waistband and was barely contained within the shirt buttons that strained under the tension. Where the material gaped, pouches of white flesh that sprouted dark hairs could be seen. His shirt and trousers were of the same material and from a distance she wondered if he was wearing an ill-fitting jumpsuit. A large white cotton patch was sewn above his breast pocket, edged in red and with his name embroidered in a red scroll font: ‘Victor’.
‘Victor?’ Meg smiled sweetly as she stepped forward.
‘Yup.’
Meg noted how Victor’s bottom lip rose up over his top lip as he stood with his legs splayed and his fingers twitching down by his thighs. He looked like a petulant gunslinger.
‘Thank you for coming down here to meet me. I really appreciate it. Juno, the girl in the café, had your number, thank goodness, or I don’t know what I would have done!’ She simpered, figuring that if Edd had seen fit to flirt with her the night before, it couldn’t be that hard to woo Victor. She just hoped he didn’t see the sweat that peppered her top lip or notice the tremor to her voice.
‘You not from round here?’ Victor tilted his head to one side.
‘No. England, as I said on the phone, I’ve come to visit my grandpa and I can’t believe he’s not here. Must have gone to my mum’s.’
‘In Boca?’ Victor prompted.
‘Yes, in Poker. There’s been a mix-up with dates and I don’t have my key.’ She patted her pockets as though that was where her key might lurk. She caught Edd’s eye as he shook his head and covered his face with his palm.
‘I’m not sure I can let you in, ma’am. It’s ’gainst the rules to allow anyone access without the permission of the owner.’
‘I should think so too,’ Meg countered. ‘But I figured if you’re with me and I
‘So you see how it’s gone from being an easy job into this nightmare? It’s often the way: the complex aspects of a build glide along, only for the small unforeseen snags to escalate into a drama. I’m aware that this is costing us all time and money.’
Meg knitted her fingers together in front of her, business-like. ‘How long do you think it will take to get everything fixed once we get access?’
Edd tapped his pencil on the drawing. ‘I’ve got the contractors on standby. A day. Two days, max.’
Meg sipped her coffee, then slammed the Styrofoam cup on the tabletop and gasped, ‘Oh my God!’
‘What? What’s wrong?’ Edd and Juno asked in unison.
Meg slapped her forehead lightly. ‘I have just had an idea that is either complete genius or extreme madness. I’m not sure which.’ You can do anything you put your mind to, Meg.
‘And are you going to share it with us?’ Edd removed his glasses and sat back in the chair, intrigued.
Meg turned to Juno. ‘Do you have the superintendent’s number?’
Juno nodded. ‘It’s in my cell.’ She jumped up to retrieve the phone from her bag.
Edd stared at the crazy English woman who was talking in riddles. Juno flipped open the cover of her phone and let her fingers slide down the list of numbers.
‘Can you get him on the phone for me?’ Meg cocked her head and smiled before popping the last bite of muffin into her mouth.
A couple of hours later, Meg stood on the pavement and patted her hair behind her ears. She licked her lips, which were dry with nerves, and sucked spit from her cheeks to unstick her tongue from the roof of her mouth. Her hands were shaking. Was she really going to do this?
The man approached slowly. When she was able to tear her eyes away from the thin combover of hair on his balding head, she focused on the vast bunch of keys swinging from the belt loop on his khaki-brown trousers. Come to Mumma! She smiled. From a similar loop on the opposite side to his keys hung a torch. The paunch of his belly sat over the top of his waistband and was barely contained within the shirt buttons that strained under the tension. Where the material gaped, pouches of white flesh that sprouted dark hairs could be seen. His shirt and trousers were of the same material and from a distance she wondered if he was wearing an ill-fitting jumpsuit. A large white cotton patch was sewn above his breast pocket, edged in red and with his name embroidered in a red scroll font: ‘Victor’.
‘Victor?’ Meg smiled sweetly as she stepped forward.
‘Yup.’
Meg noted how Victor’s bottom lip rose up over his top lip as he stood with his legs splayed and his fingers twitching down by his thighs. He looked like a petulant gunslinger.
‘Thank you for coming down here to meet me. I really appreciate it. Juno, the girl in the café, had your number, thank goodness, or I don’t know what I would have done!’ She simpered, figuring that if Edd had seen fit to flirt with her the night before, it couldn’t be that hard to woo Victor. She just hoped he didn’t see the sweat that peppered her top lip or notice the tremor to her voice.
‘You not from round here?’ Victor tilted his head to one side.
‘No. England, as I said on the phone, I’ve come to visit my grandpa and I can’t believe he’s not here. Must have gone to my mum’s.’
‘In Boca?’ Victor prompted.
‘Yes, in Poker. There’s been a mix-up with dates and I don’t have my key.’ She patted her pockets as though that was where her key might lurk. She caught Edd’s eye as he shook his head and covered his face with his palm.
‘I’m not sure I can let you in, ma’am. It’s ’gainst the rules to allow anyone access without the permission of the owner.’
‘I should think so too,’ Meg countered. ‘But I figured if you’re with me and I
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