Page 26 of The Reno
“I’ve seen her house. It needs gutting.”
“I know,” I said, defeated. “This is my last resort.” I couldn’t help the scowl that overtook my features. “You are my last resort.”
“Charming.” Liam gave me a frank look. “There isn’t anything I can do. It should have been booked months ago. In fact, if you could ask all of your lot to schedule in your gentrifying in good time, that would be great.”
He stared straight ahead and took a large gulp of his drink.
“Well, unfortunately, I couldn’t conveniently schedule my dad dying,” I said, smiling sardonically. “And who is ‘my lot’?”
Lydia rolled her eyes. “He means Londoners. Southerners. He’s bitter because we’ve had a load buy up here recently.”
“They’ve priced themselves out of London, so they’ve decided to price us out of houses here instead,” Liam rumbled.
“I don’t know what’s up your bum,” Lydia said. “They all want building work.”
“And they want a personal trainer and their green juices,” Liam said pointedly.
“I know. Unlike some, I’m not complaining. We doubled members at the gym this month.” Lydia shoved Liam, causing him to almost spill his drink. “Now stop being such a downer. I know Kevin manages to squeeze people in all the time.”
Liam’s eyes flared. “Yes, and now his knees are fucked; he doesn’t know the meaning of ‘retirement’, and he hasn’t had a holiday in about fifty years.”
“Kevin is fine,” Lydia insisted.
According to Liam’s tense expression, this was a sensitive topic, and I was struck that my cousin and Liam must be very close if she could comment on Liam’s family like that.
“Kevin is fine because I pick up the slack.” He turned to me. “I’m sorry, but no.” The apology was delivered through gritted teeth. “Even if we had the right ‘synergy’, we don’t have any time.”
Jack cleared his throat. “We’re finishing early on the Joneses’ extension, Liam. I can take over from you, and you could take on this project,” Jack suggested in a light tone as if he was used to pitching ideas carefully around Liam.
“Absolutely not. The Joneses have sticks up their arses. I needto manage it,” Liam retorted.
“Manage the stick up their arse?” Jack asked in mock confusion, making both Lydia and me laugh. Liam just delivered Jack a droll look.
“Liam, come on,” Lydia protested. “Mum, Dad and I will help too. We can all chip in.”
“Thatsounds like fucking chaos.” Liam crossed his arms, all corded muscle and veins. Gym bros were a turnoff for me, but Liam didn’t look like he hit the gym. I knew without seeing… all of him… that Liam didn’t have one of those perfectly sculpted bodies. His arms were a byproduct of his job, freckled, tanned, and defined from lifting heavy materials.
“Take a picture, Red. It will last longer,” I heard a male voice whisper. Liam’s deep eyes sparkled with humour, his lips struggling to stay straight. I flushed and opened my mouth to protest, but a mic made a horrible squeak, making everyone wince.
Lydia’s hands came to her ears, and Jack and Liam grimaced.
“Excuse me!” Sandra’s voice filled the room. “The club committee meeting starts now. If you are attending, please take your seats. If not, the back room is free, and Beverly will be there to pull pints.”
“I only like you pulling my pints, Sandra!” a rather portly man with a receding hairline shouted, making everyone, includingSandra, laugh. Even Liam huffed beside me. It made me wonder what his actual laugh sounded like, if he ever made the noise in his miserable life.
“Oi!” Brian shouted. “That’s my wife.” I hadn’t realised my uncle had slipped in because I’d been too distracted with Liam. Brian sat near the front as if he wanted the front row to his wife’s performance. The man who flirted with my auntie held his hands up in defence, and more laughs pealed through the room.
“God, Mum and Dad make this a bleeding pantomime. Come on.” Lydia shifted us to find seats. “They fill up fast. This is like a stand-up special, with juicy court proceedings and a dash of aCorrieChristmas special all in one. You donotwant to miss it.”
Lydia leaned down to pull out a bag of Wine Gums, silently handing them to someone above us. I looked up to find Liam looming above me. Silently, he took the sweets from my cousin.
“You’re sat in his seat,” Lydia whispered with hushed humour. “I’ve never seen him so stressed.”
“I’m not stressed,” Liam grumbled, ripping open the Wine Gums and throwing three in his mouth simultaneously. It was weird sitting next to Liam. Our chairs were so close that our arms were brushing, sending a cold shiver up my arm. Liam flinched like I’d burnt him, so I shifted in my seat further away from him. God, he clearly hated me. Why did I ever think I could persuade him to help?
“Right,” Sandra announced. “Let’s get started. Chair, would you like to come here and give us an overview?”
A tall woman with braids approached the stage, and it wasn’t until she turned around to address the crowd of about seventy people that I recognised her.
