Second Chance - Jane Green [89]
‘I am thinking, my darling, that I want to take a break from thinking about pregnancy and adoption and babies. I just want to live for a little while without thinking about how incomplete our lives are, when they are not really so incomplete at all, so yes, in that respect, I am thinking it would be a great project. Do you understand, my love? I need to centre myself again before diving back into Babyville, and focusing on this house could be just what I – we – need.’
‘I’m glad,’ Paul says after a long pause. ‘And I think you’re right. I feel like everything in our lives has revolved around possible pregnancies for months, and we need a break. The question is, can we do it ourselves?’
Anna props herself up on the pillows and spreads butter and marmalade thickly on a croissant. ‘Here is the thing,’ she says, chewing slowly. ‘There is no way we could do what we originally intended. As lovely as Phil’s plans are, we have not got the money to spare now after the treatments, and I do not know if I think that now is the time to do a big renovation anyway. But,’ she pauses, ‘it would not take that much to make it liveable, and just because it will not look like it is out of the pages of House and Garden does not mean it will not make a wonderful retreat for us.’
‘What do you think it would take?’
Anna counts off the list on her fingers. ‘The one thing that we do need to spend money on is the bathroom.’
‘You mean you don’t want to move in and use the outhouse?’ Paul grins.
‘Exactly. So if we could find a plumber to do the plumbing in that useless bedroom next to the master bedroom, we could have a bathroom; and we could also put one in downstairs. If a plumber does the work and installs the stuff, we could tile and paint it and put new floors down.
‘The kitchen needs more of a facelift than anything else. I would love to replace everything, but we do not have the money, so for now we could paint the kitchen cabinets and replace that horrible Formica worktop with butcher block, then put simple white subway tiles on the backsplash. New hardware on the cabinets would transform them. And I found this place online that sells industrial stainless-steel worktables for nothing, which would be perfect.
‘After that,’ she continues, almost breathless with excitement, ‘we pretty much could get away with sanding and painting the floors, maybe staining them a lovely ebony.’
‘What “we” is this?’ Paul looks at her in amazement. ‘All this talk about sanding and tiling and staining. Since when have you ever tiled anything in your life?’
‘Since before I started Fashionista, my darling. I used to do everything myself. I did my first flat in London with Bob the builder.’
Paul laughs. ‘Tell me that wasn’t really his name.’
‘It actually was.’ She grins. ‘He did everything and I would watch and help out, and by the time I bought my next flat I could do everything myself. I have just never had the time since starting the business. Plus there has never been anything here that really needs doing.’
‘So given that time has always been a problem, when could we do it?’
‘That is what I have been thinking about. I think a plumber could do the bathrooms in a flash; and once they are ready, you and I could go down for a couple of weeks and get most of it done, I think. The biggest key is having everything ordered and there so we are not waiting for anything.’
‘I know you,’ Paul says slowly. ‘You’ve already ordered everything, haven’t you?’
Anna shrugs and looks away. ‘Um… actually, I am not quite sure how to tell you this, my darling, but…’
Paul rolls his eyes. ‘You’re going to tell me it’s done, aren’t you?’
‘Well… not all of it. But I did get a plumber in, and the bathroom stuff has been done, well, the big stuff anyway. Not the tiling, which means we could actually stay there now and get the rest of the work done.’
‘God, Anna. Don’t you think you might have discussed it with me? I suppose you’ve bought everything else too?’
‘Well… Oh Paul. Please do not be angry with me. I only went ahead