‘Remember when we went to the Isle of Wight?’ Scott said. ‘You two bottled it in the haunted house at that fair, remember?’
‘I was only ten,’ Phoebe protested. ‘It was scary.’
‘You should have seen your faces,’ he laughed, remembering the way they’d both coming running back out through the entrance, barging through the queue still trying to get in. ‘Priceless. You scared one woman half to death!’
‘You were just as bad,’ Tammy said. ‘You wouldn’t even go on the rollercoaster.’
‘I wasn’t feeling great. It was those chips. They didn’t agree with me.’
‘Yeah, right. I think you bottled it.’
‘We all ate the chips, Scott…’ Michelle said and he glared at her. The girls laughed and he had to admit defeat.
The conversation faltered. Michelle looked for a volunteer to help her wash up, but the girls were suddenly conveniently busy. They made their excuses and went up to their rooms, the idea of unpacking their belongings slightly preferable to dealing with dirty dishes. Only George remained, playing on the floor around Scott’s feet as Michelle cleared the table. ‘What did you say that for?’ he asked.
‘Say what?’
‘The thing about the chips.’
‘Oh that,’ she said, shoving a handful of wrappers and scraps into a black sack. ‘I was just messing about. I know you weren’t well that day.’
‘So why did you say it? Made me look stupid.’
‘Sorry, love. I didn’t mean anything by it.’
He got up quick, his sudden movement startling her momentarily. She was worried she’d offended him. He disappeared, only to return a few seconds later with paper, a pen, and his toolbox. He put the toolbox in the middle of the half-cleared table and took out a tape measure, then started studying the wall between the kitchen and the dining room, tapping it with his knuckles and peering into greasy nooks and crannies which looked like they hadn’t been cleaned out in years. Michelle worked around him.
‘It’s not going to be that big a job,’ he said.
‘What isn’t?’
‘Knocking this wall through. Remember what I was saying about opening the kitchen out into the dining room?’
‘I remember. Can we afford to do it?’
‘Afford to do what? It doesn’t cost anything to put a hole in a wall, Chelle.’
‘No, but it’ll cost to make it all good again.’
‘A bit of boarding up and plastering, a lick of paint, that’s all. I reckon I can have it done in a fortnight.’
‘Sounds good.’
‘Let me show you.’
‘Can I just get the washing up sorted?’
‘It’ll only take a second.’
‘Okay.’
She put down the plates and walked over to where he was standing. He started gesticulating like an excited kid, drawing imaginary lines on the wall. ‘I’ll take this much out, then you’ll have double the space in here. Be perfect, won’t it? I might put in another rad and shove a couple of extra sockets in here.’
‘We could do with more plugs.’
‘That’s what I thought. Not sure yet, though. I might just wait and get it done when I get the house re-wired.’
‘But like I said, can we afford it?’
‘Will you stop going on about money all the bloody time? Christ, you’re like a broken record.’
‘I’m just worried, that’s all.’
‘I already told you, the money we spend on the house is an investment. So it’ll probably cost a few grand to get these things done, but they’ll all add to the value of the house.’
‘I know that. We don’t have a lot to play with though, remember? There’s no rainy day fund anymore.’
‘Can’t you see what it’s going to be like? Try and visualise it, Chelle. Getting rid of this wall will really open up downstairs, make it feel more like a home. It’s too dark as it is, too many doors, not enough light.’
‘I know. I can see it. It’s just that—’
‘I tell you, it’s worth borrowing to get this done. We could take out a small mortgage on this place, release some of the equity.’
‘Who’s going to lend us money now, Scott? Come on…’
‘Stop being so bloody negative.’
‘I’m not. I’m all for being positive, love, but we also need to be realistic. If I wasn’t being positive I wouldn’t be here, would I?’
‘I’m going to cost it all up, see what it’ll take.’
‘You don’t listen to a word I say, do you?’
‘I do. Your problem is you don’t have any vision. Just try and picture it all done. It’ll be amazing. I’m going to start looking for work tomorrow and once we’re more established I’ll get myself set up again and start doing a few building jobs on the side.’
‘I thought you said you were done with running your own business?’
‘Did you not hear me? On the side. I’ll do stuff on the quiet. Cash in hand. This house will be beautiful.’
‘I don’t doubt you.’
‘So what’s the problem?’
She sighed and leant back against the table, choosing her words carefully. ‘If you started on the kitchen, how long do you think it would take?’
‘A couple of weeks if I’m working on it full-time. Might as well sort the wiring and the plumbing at the same time.’
‘But what if you’re working?’
‘Don’t know. A month or two, I guess. Evenings and weekends.’
‘And once you’ve started, the kitchen will be pretty much out of action?’
‘Not for the whole time. That’s going to be inevitable to an extent, though, isn’t it?’
‘So what do I do about cooking? I can’t cook in the middle of a building site.’
‘We’ll eat out.’
‘We tried that this morning.’
‘What the fuck’s wrong with you? I’m trying to get this family back on its feet, you’re just putting up obstacles.’
‘It’s just there’s a serious lack of McDonalds, Pizza Hut and Burger King around here. We’ll struggle without a fully functioning kitchen for a couple of days, never mind a couple of weeks or months, and I’m sorry if I sound like a broken record, but I’m really not sure we can afford to do all the stuff you’re talking about doing in one go. I think we need to take our time, plan things carefully, save up…’
‘And I think—’
Tammy burst into the room, mobile phone in hand, seething. ‘Shit.’
‘What’s your problem?’ Scott asked, annoyed he’d been interrupted.
‘This stupid bloody house, that’s my problem.’
She was gone again before either of them could react. Michelle followed her daughter from room to room. ‘Tam, slow down,’ she said, but Tammy was having none of it. She barged past her mother and went out the front door, slamming it behind her. Scott followed her out and chased her down the side of the house. She was coming back the other way now. He tried to stop her but she side-stepped him. ‘What the hell’s wrong with you?’
‘Can’t get a signal,’ she yelled, holding up her phone as if it was going to make a difference. She stared hopefully up at the small screen, willing the ‘Searching’ message to disappear, desperate to see some signal strength.
‘Have you tried upstairs?’
‘Of course I’ve tried upstairs. I’m not stupid. I’ve tried everywhere.’
‘Who the hell do you think you’re talking to?’ he shouted. She stormed off again, as much to put some distance between her and Scott than anything else.
‘Just leave her,’ Michelle said. She positioned herself between the two of them and put her hands on Scott’s chest. ‘Please, love. She’s only doing it because she knows she’ll get a reaction.’
‘Too right she’ll get a bloody reaction. I’m sick of the way she behaves. She’s not the only one who’s having to make adjustments, you know.’