Page 34 of Love Me Till Wednesday

‘I’ll get a flat with enough space so you can still have your own bedroom. It might not be as palatial as the one you’ve got here, but you’ll have somewhere to sleep and dump your stuff.’

Sam leaned back in his chair. ‘I suppose Dad’s new place does look like a shit hole.’

‘So I gather from your sister. Now, are you going to engage with this process or not?’

‘Can’t you put it in storage until I get back?’

‘And when will that be?’

‘I’m not sure. I’ve got a few irons in the fire, you know. I’ll keep you posted.’

He sounded just like Greg. Always hard to pin down to anything.

‘Looks like I’ll have to put it in storage then.’

‘Can I go now?’ Sam had already pushed his chair back from the table in preparation for making his escape.

‘It’s been lovely talking to you. Thank you for sparing me so much of your precious time.’

‘Anytime, Mum,’ Sam replied, ignoring her sarcasm. ‘I’ll call you soon.’

Lisa caught a brief glimpse of Sam waving before he disappeared off the screen altogether. That was probably the last she’d hear from him for a couple of months.

Lisa heard the front door open as she closed the laptop.

‘Mum, are you home?’

Jim. At least he’d responded to the call to come and get his stuff.

‘I’m in the kitchen,’ she shouted.

‘Nanny, nanny, nanny,’ her granddaughter Sophie yelled as she charged down the steps towards her.

‘Slow down, sweetheart. You might slip on the floor.’

‘I have my trainers on. I am perfectly fine.’ Sophie replied in her most grown-up voice.

‘Thanks for coming over. I wasn’t expecting to see you today,’ Lisa said to Jim as he followed his daughter into the kitchen.

‘You said it needed doing,’ Jim said, pinching a satsuma from the fruit bowl on the island and starting to peel it.

‘It’s just you normally take Sophie to ballet on a Saturday morning.’

‘I haven’t got ballet today. Miss Diamond is on holiday. What’s all this mess?’ Sophie pointed to the pile of Sam’s clothes on the work surface.

‘It’s your uncle Sam’s. I’m having a clearout.’

‘You’re not moving yet, are you?’ Jim asked.

‘The buyer’s a developer, and he wants me out ASAP.’

‘Elise texted me to say you were upset about it. I think she was hoping I might be able to help out financially, but all my money’s tied up in the business.’

‘I know. I’m not expecting a handout. I’d be fine about moving if the future owner wasn’t proposing to ruin it. But at least I got a good price out of him. Anyway, there’s still some of your stuff in the loft.’

‘Why aren’t all your things at our house, Daddy?’ Sophie asked.

‘Because there wasn’t enough room for it in the first flat Mummy and I lived in. And I never got around to moving it when we bought a bigger place.’ He turned to Lisa. ‘Can I check it out because I’ve forgotten what’s up there?’

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