Page 50 of The Reno
Liam shrugged. “I bought it in a bit of a rush about four years ago. I wouldn’t usually go for new builds ’cos they are usually built like shit.” He glanced out. “And so many of these new estates are pushing people from neighbourhoods they’ve lived in since they were born. I could justify this, just about. It was a derelict industrial estate.”
“They’re pushing people out of their homes? How can they do that?”
“Compulsory purchase. They have no choice.”
“That’s not fair.”
“No. Progress is progress, I guess. Gentrification isn’t just a London thing, you know.” He shot me a wry look.
“Why were you in such a rush to buy?”
Liam glanced away. “I’d just broken up with my ex. I moved into a flat in town for a bit, but it wasn’t… practical. I needed somewhere to live and quickly.”
His comments triggered tons of questions, sprouting in my head at speed. But from his tense body language, it was clear that was all the information he would give. So I climbed out of the van, running to the boot in the rain.
Liam’s hand covered mine.
“Red. Just go stand on the porch.” I wanted to reject his attempt at chivalry, but I was fucking freezing, so I stood undercover as Liam grabbed my bags. Acts of service, indeed. Liam fished for his keys in his pockets and opened the door.
Liam sighed. “I’ll put the heating on. Bloody freezing.”
“Are you sure this is okay?” I blurted out, making Liam stop.
He turned around and came back to stand in front of me. His hair had dried a little bit in the car, making it curl slightly at the nape of his neck. His eyes flickered around my face.
“I told you. The annexe is always empty. It feels silly not to use it.”
I took a deep breath, trying to calm the buzzing in my chest.
“You okay?” Liam said, frowning. “Are you cold?”
“I’m fine. Just a bit overwhelmed.”
Anxiety.
It was anxiety.
I knew it but couldn’t say it out loud.
“That’s understandable. You almost got hyperthermia and died tonight.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” I retorted, rolling my eyes. “You are so dramatic. I didn’t get—” Liam’s face morphed into a smug smile. He’d goaded me on purpose to get me out of my head.
Liam smirked. “Can’t resist getting a word in. So I know you can’t bethatoverwhelmed. Come on.” He gestured down the hallway with his head.
The hallway was modern, with light beechwood floors and spotlights. It was completely bare, with no furniture or pictures hanging on the wall. Two doors led off, presumably to a downstairs loo and a lounge, but I didn’t want to nosy around—yet. A beige-carpeted stairway led upstairs. It was like a show home, everything new and shiny, but it showed none of Liam’s personality.
I followed Liam and came into an open-plan kitchen and living room. The kitchen was modern and sleek. In my head, my kitchen would be more farmhouse-traditional, something out of a Nancy Meyers film, with clashing patterns and soft colours. Liam’s kitchen was the opposite—dark grey slab-fronted units with industrial pendant shades hanging above the island. The kitchen had expensive-looking appliances—an in-built coffee machine, a wine cooler and a double oven. It was obvious that Liam had expensive taste.
I sat at one of the metal barstools. “Your house is lovely.”
Liam clicked the kettle on. “I can’t take credit. Someone pulled out of the sale after picking all the fittings. I wouldn’t have picked it out myself, but it’s certainly… out there.”
I frowned. He didn’t like the house? Buying a house you didn’t like seemed strange. I couldn’t imagine it was cheap. It had to be four bedrooms at least, not including the annexe he’d built. He’d built it for his dad, which, I had to admit, was adorable. I was envious that they seemed to be so close.
Even when Liam berated his dad’s working habits, he did it from a place of love. Their relationship was clearly strong enough that Liam could be honest. I wondered if he knew how special it was to have frank conversations with his dad without worrying about their relationship breaking down, that it could be the final straw. I’d never had that. I’d never really been honest with my dad about how his absence made me feel. I’d been too hurt.
And I never got the confidence to stand up to my mum when she put me down, either.
