near the bed, two adults in a confined space. He was blocking the doorway, the only exit other than the small square window. She glanced back at it, just in case she needed to escape.
‘I’m Dom,’ he said, holding out his hand. ‘Your new neighbour. Well, sort of. I’m down the road anyway. Maud – the old lady who used to live here – she told me there was someone moving in today, so I thought I’d say hello.’
Very friendly. Suspiciously friendly? Alice had become wary of wolves in sheep’s clothing. Particularly male wolves. She gave a polite smile and shook his hand. ‘Hello. I’m Alice,’ she said. She withdrew her hand quickly and returned it to the safety of Iris’s warm body. It had been odd to see her fingers wrapped in another man’s again. His palm felt rough and his skin was brown, unlike Jake’s pristine white never-done-the-washing-up hands. He was probably a farmhand or something, this Dom. She had a sudden image of him stripped to the waist, throwing hay bales onto a trailer, and felt her cheeks surge with colour.
‘Well, nice to meet you,’ she said briskly, hoping the room was gloomy enough for him not to have noticed her blush. ‘I’d better start unpacking.’
Hint taken, he nodded and ducked carefully as he went out of the room. ‘If there’s anything you need, or anything I can help with . . .’ he began saying.
Alice followed him down the stairs. ‘I’m fine, thanks,’ she interrupted.
He didn’t seem to have heard. ‘Shelves putting up, or a cot fitting together for the baby, or . . .’
‘I can put up my own shelves, thanks,’ Alice told him. She didn’t mean to sound so curt, especially as it was a complete lie, but now she wanted him out. Friendly as he was, he felt like an intruder. She wanted to close the front door again and seal herself into the new house as quickly as she could. Just her and Iris, safe and locked in, where no one could get to them.
‘’Course you can,’ he replied easily. ‘You don’t need some patronizing bloke coming round here with his drill and rawl plugs, do you? Sorry. I’ll leave you to it, then. Bye!’
He raised a hand in farewell, and Alice felt wrong-footed. Had she offended him? ‘Thanks,’ she said, going along the path a few steps after him. ‘Cheers, then. Bye!’
He was off, loping to the gate and dipping his head again as he went through the rambling-rose arch that adorned it. Suddenly Alice wished she hadn’t been so hasty to get rid of him. She hadn’t meant to sound rude, it was just that this was supposed to be her first stab at independence, wasn’t it? It would have been a bit pathetic if she’d caved in and accepted help from the first random stranger.
All right, second random stranger, if you counted that old guy who’d advised her about shoving against the front door. All these men so keen to interfere and meddle with her new start! She felt like some prim Victorian governess repelling their advances, shooing them away.
Anyway, what did this Dom person expect, coming into her house – into her bedroom! – uninvited like that? There was friendly, sure, but there was in-your-face, too. She hoped the rest of the village weren’t going to be so full on. They were probably all discussing her in the shop already. ‘Seems a bit clueless to me. Couldn’t even get into the house on her own!’
‘Right bad-tempered she was to me. I was only trying to help!’
Alice stalked into the house, heaving up a suitcase as she did so. Dom would probably be back on his tractor or mucking out the pigs now, or whatever it was that he did. The old guy would be supping a pint of warm ale on a velour banquette in the Duke of York, the pub she’d seen on the main street. Meanwhile, she had stuff to do. She had to clean the floor before she dared put Iris down on it for starters. She had to tuck the stuffing back into the armchair too, before her eagle-eyed daughter spotted it and tugged out a handful to press into
‘I’m Dom,’ he said, holding out his hand. ‘Your new neighbour. Well, sort of. I’m down the road anyway. Maud – the old lady who used to live here – she told me there was someone moving in today, so I thought I’d say hello.’
Very friendly. Suspiciously friendly? Alice had become wary of wolves in sheep’s clothing. Particularly male wolves. She gave a polite smile and shook his hand. ‘Hello. I’m Alice,’ she said. She withdrew her hand quickly and returned it to the safety of Iris’s warm body. It had been odd to see her fingers wrapped in another man’s again. His palm felt rough and his skin was brown, unlike Jake’s pristine white never-done-the-washing-up hands. He was probably a farmhand or something, this Dom. She had a sudden image of him stripped to the waist, throwing hay bales onto a trailer, and felt her cheeks surge with colour.
‘Well, nice to meet you,’ she said briskly, hoping the room was gloomy enough for him not to have noticed her blush. ‘I’d better start unpacking.’
Hint taken, he nodded and ducked carefully as he went out of the room. ‘If there’s anything you need, or anything I can help with . . .’ he began saying.
Alice followed him down the stairs. ‘I’m fine, thanks,’ she interrupted.
He didn’t seem to have heard. ‘Shelves putting up, or a cot fitting together for the baby, or . . .’
‘I can put up my own shelves, thanks,’ Alice told him. She didn’t mean to sound so curt, especially as it was a complete lie, but now she wanted him out. Friendly as he was, he felt like an intruder. She wanted to close the front door again and seal herself into the new house as quickly as she could. Just her and Iris, safe and locked in, where no one could get to them.
‘’Course you can,’ he replied easily. ‘You don’t need some patronizing bloke coming round here with his drill and rawl plugs, do you? Sorry. I’ll leave you to it, then. Bye!’
He raised a hand in farewell, and Alice felt wrong-footed. Had she offended him? ‘Thanks,’ she said, going along the path a few steps after him. ‘Cheers, then. Bye!’
He was off, loping to the gate and dipping his head again as he went through the rambling-rose arch that adorned it. Suddenly Alice wished she hadn’t been so hasty to get rid of him. She hadn’t meant to sound rude, it was just that this was supposed to be her first stab at independence, wasn’t it? It would have been a bit pathetic if she’d caved in and accepted help from the first random stranger.
All right, second random stranger, if you counted that old guy who’d advised her about shoving against the front door. All these men so keen to interfere and meddle with her new start! She felt like some prim Victorian governess repelling their advances, shooing them away.
Anyway, what did this Dom person expect, coming into her house – into her bedroom! – uninvited like that? There was friendly, sure, but there was in-your-face, too. She hoped the rest of the village weren’t going to be so full on. They were probably all discussing her in the shop already. ‘Seems a bit clueless to me. Couldn’t even get into the house on her own!’
‘Right bad-tempered she was to me. I was only trying to help!’
Alice stalked into the house, heaving up a suitcase as she did so. Dom would probably be back on his tractor or mucking out the pigs now, or whatever it was that he did. The old guy would be supping a pint of warm ale on a velour banquette in the Duke of York, the pub she’d seen on the main street. Meanwhile, she had stuff to do. She had to clean the floor before she dared put Iris down on it for starters. She had to tuck the stuffing back into the armchair too, before her eagle-eyed daughter spotted it and tugged out a handful to press into
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