Page 126 of The Tape Job
“It’s nothing,” I say.
“Are you sure?”
“I went into the lobby to show one mom—anyway, it doesn’t matter. He offered Vicky his rugby shirt.”
Ryan sucks in a breath in through his teeth. “Competition?”
“Nah, she turned it down, but it’s been bugging me. I keep replaying it in my mind. Why is it bothering me so much?” I leave out the bit about me following her tothe washroom.
We go up and circle the landing.
“Probably because of what it signifies to you. I mean, I thought I didn’t care about crap like that, but it bothered me to see Jen wearing Danny’s jersey, and they were just friends.”
“I guess so,” I say, checking out the big-ass windows in the main bedroom.
“And you still don’t know what you’re doing, I guess? Are you back together?”
“She asked me to marry her. Christmas Day.” Sharing that with my brother makes me feel like a weight has been lifted.
“Fuck. What did you say?”
“I suggested we park it because I want to be the one to ask her. It sounds ridiculous, doesn’t it? Hey, this bathroom is huge.”
“We can stick a corner bath-tub in. One with jets and shit. That’s the selling point of this place.”
“What, a bathtub?”
“A bathtub for two!”
We mosey through the rest of the house, mulling over the situation I’m finding myself in. I have no problem with Vicky being friends with a guy, but when said guy offers you his game-worn jersey, there’s a different intention.
“I need to figure this out,” I say to Ryan as we look out of the window of the third bedroom.
“Just give her your jersey,” he says with a shrug.
“Nah, she’s not like Jen. She hasn’t worn one of my jerseys since college. It wouldn’t match her shoes, would it?”
He sniggers. “It’s more for the gesture. Even if it just hangs in her closet with the rest of them.” He wiggles his eyebrows.
“Huh?” I pause for thought again, considering what to do next, but then I notice the dark brown wood everywhere. It’s not Ryan at all. “On a completely different note, are you keeping the mahogany? Because it looks old-fashioned.”
“Nah, we’re ripping all that out. Which is where you come in. I think the walls and ceilings are good, but the base boards, architraves, doors… basically everything wooden is coming out and being replaced. We start on Monday.”
“We?”
“Yeah, Johnny, and Bettsy are helping too. Jen is trying to persuade Danny. The more hands, the quicker we’ll get it done. Then we can have a party.”
“Are you still going ahead with that gym?”
“Yeah, but that’s taking a lot longer because it’s a commercial property.”
We wander around the upstairs for a while longer, assessing what needs to be removed, and I check out the loft space—because I’m nosey. At the top of the stairs, a moment of realisation dawns upon me.
“I can’t start on Monday,” I say. “I need to do something. But if all goes well, I’ll be here on Wednesday.”
“What do you need to do?” Ryan asks.
“I’ll tell you Wednesday, if it all goes to plan.”
