Page 92 of Leather and Longing
He glanced up, then flicked the switch on the mic. “All fixed?”
“Not quite.” Paul shared the details. He scowled. “Adam, there’s something odd here.”
Adam sat back in the chair, his dictation forgotten. “What’s wrong?”
“How could Dean not have switched the cold-water valve back on?”
Adam rubbed his chin. “Maybe he simply forgot. He’s not a plumber, after all.”
Paul wasn’t having it.
“He knew enough to switch off the feeds to the shower, didn’t he? So why switch the hot water back on, but not the cold?” Something else was tugging at him. “And what about the water temperature?” When Adam’s brow creased, Paul realised he hadn’t shared everything and quickly told him about the setting. “You said last night the water hadn’t been that hot before. That points to the setting being altered.”
Adam grimaced. “Yeah, I agree. Thisisodd.”
“I think I should call your sister,” Paul declared decisively.
“God, no.” Adam straightened. “I can hear her already. ‘Haven’t I always said you need to live someplace where there’s assistance when you need it?’” He huffed. “Not bloody likely.”
Paul tried not to snicker. It was an uncanny impersonation of Caroline. Adam’s final words registered. “You already have assistance, remember? You have me.”
Adam’s smile lit up his face. “Yeah, I do.” It was followed by a mock stern glance. “Speaking of assistance, the coffee is flowing like mud around here this morning.”
“Is that a hint?” Paul chuckled. “Coffee coming right up, sir. I’ll let you go back to playing with your PC.”
He dodged the magazine that came sailing in his direction just in time.
For a blind man, Adam’s aim was pretty good.
Chapter Thirty-Three
“You sure about this?”Paul asked him as he locked the car. “I’m only checking because it’s the August Bank Holiday weekend and there are gonna be a lot more people in there than usual. All those tourists staying in self-catering accommodation, mostly.”
Adam gripped his cane. “Bring it on,” he said with a grin. Inside was a different story.
Why did I say I wanted to go shopping with him?
He already knew the answer. Adam had his own little list he shared with no one, a list of activities to be crossed off once he’d accomplished them. They weren’t onerous tasks, but things he’d taken for granted when he was sighted. Shopping for groceries was one of them. Browsing online was another. The biggest—okay, the scariest—item on the list was to go for a walk on his own.
Any day now, though.
Adam was determined to take his life back.
Shopping in Morrisons’ supermarket was a big step along that road.
He walked at Paul’s side, his cane tracing an arc in front of him, Paul’s fingers at his elbow. “Thanks for asking.” It was reassuring to know Paul had his back.
A light squeeze of his arm was response enough.
“I was thinking I’d push the shopping trolley,” he said, trying to ignore his racing heartbeat.
“Oh no, you don’t. If we’re doing this, I’m gonna have you picking stuff from the shelves, choosing produce…” Paul snickered. “You’ll have earned your dinner tonight.”
“Bossy little shit, aren’t you?” Secretly Adam loved it when this side of Paul emerged. It spoke to Adam of self-assurance, an appealing trait in his book.
Paul has a lot of amiable traits.It made spending time with him a pleasant experience.
“Before we go in there, let’s get one thing straight. You may be the big bad Dom, but when it comes to doing the shopping? I’m in charge, so you’d better get used to the idea.”
