Page 76 of A Perfect Algarve Villa
‘I’m sorry to hear that, anything I can do to help?’
The lawyer shook his head, then looked up at his client. ‘I’m not ready for this meeting, but I wanted to tell you face to face.’
‘Hey,’ said Mark, offering a smile, ‘if you can stop Tommy building, take as long as you want.’
Pedro groaned. ‘No, Mr Ellis, you misunderstand. This is a different problem.’ The lawyer stared at his papers and whispered, ‘We held a partner’s meeting on Friday afternoon. The senior partner is asking about my special list of clients.’
Mark sat back in his chair, hands clenching the arms.
‘He is threatening to call the police,’ said Pedro.
Mark gulped. Had he colluded in a crime? ‘Do I need a lawyer?’ he asked in a quivering voice.
Twenty-seven
February 11th
Ellis bank balance: (£12,120.76) Overdrawn.
90-Day Rule Tally: Emily: 86 Mark: 81
The fan heater blew a stream of warm air over Mark’s outstretched hands as he leaned closer to the heat source. The electricity-guzzling machine was on to celebrate excellent news: the Ovington Square buyer wanted to accelerate completion to March 31.
Mark would need to speed up the formal valuation of the London house. As overseas tax residents, the couple had to report the London sale within thirty days and pay tax on any increase in value since April 2015. But that would be a fraction of what would be due if they hadn’t emigrated! Mark had filed the Croyde submission (and paid tax on the gain since purchase) two weeks ago. He would chivvy the London valuers along; he didn’t want to draw His Majesty’s Revenue and Customs attention by being late with a filing deadline.
He logged into the banking app and swore. Emily had withdrawn a thousand euros. He thought she’d ditched her spending habit – why couldn’t she have waited a few more weeks before splurging? He’d shown her Miguel’s bill, told her it ate up the cash from the Devon sale. She’d be back working mornings for Miguel soon, which should divert her, but would it galvanizethe interior designer to invoice the balance of the Ellis bill?
Reluctantly, he removed his arms from the jet of warm air. He couldn’t stay hunched over like a downhill skier all morning. He searched around his desk for something to stop him chasing the valuers a second time, then turned off the fan.
He found Emily in the sitting room; she’d drawn up a chair by the window and was hunched over reading. Good, reading was cheap. He coughed, and she lowered the book, resting it on her lap, then scrunched an eye to look at him through the sun.
‘What are you reading?’ he asked.
She turned the book over. ‘It’s a vocabulary book,’ she said, smiling at him. ‘Miguel bought it for me. I thought if we’re going to be out here for another four years, I should try learning some Portuguese.’
‘Impressive,’ he said.
‘Alex called. He’s asked if he and Jess can come and stay for a few days.’
‘When?’
‘Middle of March.’
Mark thought about the overdraft. Would Emily expect to hire Fran and eat out? ‘Have you told Alex we’ve sold the London house yet?’
Emily twitched, as if an insect had landed on her.
He sat down next to her. ‘He’s got to find somewhere to live. He can’t live with us, not without getting a sponsored work visa or marrying someone Portuguese, and this relationship with Jess sounds serious.’
‘Why don’t you tell him?’
He ran his tongue over his lips. ‘I want to try building a relationship with Alex, but he’s always so cold towards me.’
‘Only because you’re so cold towards him.’ She picked up her book. ‘Your plan, your treat, darling. This adventure was your idea, not mine. Do your own dirty work.’
They ate dinner in the sitting room, on their knees, next to the wood-burning stove. The nights were still too chilly to eat outside, and the tall glass doors of the kitchen extension, which would keep the room cool in summer, made it glacial in winter.
‘That was delicious, thank you,’ Mark said.
