Page 42 of Her Fixer Upper

Charlie reached out and squeezed my hand, smiling as I passed on his advice about worrying.

‘You’re right. But it’s a lot to think about. I’ve always said there are far too many stairs in that house of his.’

‘Now we’re dab hands at building work, we’re always happy to help with adaptations,’ said Charlie.

‘Hmm, not so sure about that,’ chorused Mum and I, which at least made us laugh. If I wasn’t much mistaken, that had been Charlie’s intention in saying it.

By the time I’d finished the conversation, I did at least feel more reassured about Granddad’s prospects, although I knew I wouldn’t be completely at ease until he was safely out of hospital and on the road to recovery.

‘Right, I’ll go and get dressed and then shall we fetch Ted?’ said Charlie, once I’d hung up the phone.

‘Thanks,’ I said, knowing that he would be sacrificing important work time to do me this kindness. Charlie would help me to keep the anxiety at bay.

As we trundled along the country lanes towards Granddad’s house, the Land Rover bouncing over the potholes, Charlie suddenly asked, ‘What was it that you wanted to talk to me about, by the way?’

For a moment, I couldn’t think what he was referring to.

‘The note,’ he prompted. ‘The one you left by my coffee mug. It said, “We need to talk.” One of the most ominous phrases in the English language, if you ask me,’ he added lightly.

‘It is rather,’ I agreed. With everything that had happened, I had completely forgotten about writing it, and it had definitely slipped my mind how melodramatic the note had been. Now I wondered what had possessed me. There was too much uncertainty and change in my life already without adding anything like that into the mix.

‘So, let’s talk,’ invited Charlie. ‘We might as well pass the journey by chatting, rather than by wondering about Arthur’s surgery.’

I opened my mouth, ready to say…what exactly? Because my earlier concerns about Charlie vanishing and not pulling his weight in the house renovation had faded into insignificance given his solid support over the last twelve hours. And as for the other thing that had been on my mind – well, that was a ridiculous distraction. It was probably just a reaction to the amount of time I’d been spending not looking beyond the boundaries of Oak Tree Cottage. It was time to get back to business, and focus on staying strong for my family and taking care of Ted.

‘So, what was it that you wanted to talk about?’ Charlie pressed.

‘Do you know, it’s completely slipped my mind,’ I said. ‘It can’t have been very important. And if it was, it’ll probably come back to me when I’m not thinking about it.’

‘Hmm,’ said Charlie. He didn’t sound convinced, but to give him credit, he didn’t push me further, although I could tell my evasive response had only increased his curiosity. We both knew that I was too organised a person to forget important things.

I responded by reaching out and turning the radio on. The news headlines didn’t exactly make me feel any better with their tales of cruelty and misery, but at least it put an end to what could have developed into a very awkward conversation.

Ted was in a particularly bumptious mood when we opened the door of Granddad’s house, spinning around on the spot, and then running across to pick up his dinner bowl, so we could be in no doubt that he was hungry. It felt wrong to be crossing the threshold knowing that Granddad wouldn’t be here to meet us with his usual cheery greeting. Ted’s noisy exuberance somehow amplified the quiet elsewhere in the house. Granddad normally kept the place immaculate, but I could see spiderwebs in the corners of the room, and when I opened the cupboards to find Ted’s essentials, a collection of junk mail and recycling fell out of them. Granddad had obviously been finding things tough for a while, but had preferred to conceal it rather than lose face by asking for more help. I could have kicked myself for not paying better attention and noticing it sooner.

I set about clearing up so that Granddad would have one less thing to worry about on his return. Charlie opened the fridge and started checking the items within.

‘I think we’re going to have to take the veg and milk with us. They’ll only go off if we leave them.’

I nodded. There was no point in me pretending that Granddad would be coming back in the next few days. The road to recovery that lay before him was going to be long.

‘Chin up, for Ted’s sake,’ said Charlie, gently squeezing my shoulder as I helped him put the food into bags. ‘Let’s drop these off at the food bank on our way back. I think Arthur will appreciate the gesture, and at least we’ll be doing something positive.’

‘Good idea. Right, I’d better get Ted’s stuff together. You’re missing him already, aren’t you, Teddy boy?’

Ted responded by thudding his tail loudly against the radiator, beating a rhythm like he was a drummer in a band.

‘Your master is going to be okay. And you’re a very good boy for getting help to him,’ I said. ‘Lassie had better watch out.’

Charlie gave a final check around the kitchen. ‘You don’t travel light, that’s one thing for certain, Ted.’ He reached down and scratched the top of his head. Ted gave a grunt of approval in response. ‘I think I’ve gathered all his toys. Apart from his bed, food and bowls, is there anything else we need? No medication or anything?’

‘No, I think we’re good. I’ve got his harness and lead. Right, Ted, are you going to come with us?’

When I was describing what happened next on my return to school, Leila almost couldn’t believe me. Because as soon as Ted realised we’d packed up all his stuff, his whole demeanour changed. He went from wiggling with fun to worn down with worry, his tail between his legs, looking between us sadly as he dug his claws into the kitchen floor and refused to move.

‘I think he’s concerned about abandoning Granddad,’ I said, my heart aching all over again. How could I explain the situation to him? ‘I promise, we’ll take you to see him, Ted. He’s going to be okay. But you’re going to have to come and stay with us for a while until he gets fully better.’

Ted wasn’t having any of it.

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