Page 56 of Cosy & Chill
“Ready to see your workroom?”
“I don’t have a workroom.”
Finn hopped off the stool and took his hand. “You do now.”
Leo followed him to the other room. As he stepped across the threshold, his jaw dropped. The walls were no longer white. A gorgeous slate blue made the space feel cosy, while pale grey woodwork added highlights. The floorboards—the parts that were visible around the thick rugs—gleamed freshly waxed and polished. Canvas prints of ice cream displays decorated one wall, and bookshelves covered a second. He had a desk and matching chair, too, and two armchairs that just asked for him to sink into their depths and read. It was as perfect a workroom as he could have wished for.
“Two days,” Leo breathed, finally understanding Finn’s perturbation. “She did all this in two days!”
“Andshe started on the shop. That’s just… not possible.”
Finn turned to the stairs and Leo followed.
At first glance, the store looked as he remembered it. Shelves filled with colourful yarns. His grandma’s purple sofa and lilac armchairs in the bow window. His own side of the store an expanse of gleaming, polished wood.
“Up. Look up.”
He craned his neck as far as it would go and stared at the ceiling and the strip of wall, visible above the shelving. Both were now a dark, purple-tined blue, dotted with scatters of gold and silver stars. “Wow.”
“Right? The ceiling wasn’t even on my list. I thought nobody ever looks up, you know? But Roisin did and now…”
“You’re right.” It was a subtle change. The kind one felt but didn’t notice. It warmed and cheered the whole room. “You think she’s a magician?” he queried.
Finn laughed, and it wasn’t the happy sound Leo had grown used to. “Right now, I wouldn’t care if she turned out to be the Queen of Sheba. Not when I’m worried that all our furniture has fallen off the back of a lorry.”
“What makes you think that? Did you see something?”
“No, but…” Finn turned his head from side to side, taking in the store he’d wanted so much. The unhappiness in his eyes tugged at Leo’s heartstrings. “All of this? The terms for the store, the house that comes with it, Roisin taking over the decorating… It all feels too good to be true. And I’m afraid that it really is.”
Leo had a million tasks on his to-do list, but compared to the fear in Finn’s eyes, none of them were important. He pulled Finn close and wrapped his arms around him. “Let’s finish breakfast, and then we’ll go into town.”
“But Roisin…”
“Roisin gets in whether we want her to or not. We might as well accept that. You’ve been holed up here for days. Let’s go and see Audrey and then talk to the graphic design guys. They should have logo ideas for us by now. We’ll swing by the post office on the way and drop off all your parcels. We can even have lunch somewhere.” He led Finn up the stairs and pushed him towards the breakfast table.
Finn munched on marmalade-laden toast, drank more coffee and—very slowly—the tension released its hold and a sparkle of excitement took its place. “Why are you doing this?”
“Because you’re not meant to turn into a hermit, and this is a joint project. I know we’ve split the jobs to cover more ground, but it isn’t fair that your share of the work keeps you stuck in the building, and I spend all my time outside. When was the last time you’ve worked out?”
Finn rolled his eyes, but the smile stayed on his face. “Is that a subtle way of telling me I’m getting fat? I get plenty of exercise. I’m up and down four flights of stairs all day long!”
“Then walking to the post office should be a cinch, right?”
