Fault (Define Book 3) Page 5

  “Come on in!” I shouted, walking back to the safety of the kitchen and the waist-high counter. Grace dropped her helmet and bag in the hall before saying hello to Dad. By the time she got to me, blood was starting to inch its way back to my brain.

  “Hey,” she said, perching on a stool. “So what’s for dinner?”

  “Chicken stir-fry. And home-made ice cream for dessert.”

  “Sounds great. Can I help with anything?”

  “No, I’m pretty much all prepped. Grab a drink and tell me how today went. Were any of the flats any good?” Part of me was genuinely interested, but another part was debating whether I should keep my mouth shut about moving in with us; my very physical reaction to her earlier worried me. Was it just the result of sexual frustration or was I attracted to her? And if I was, was that a problem? The age difference could be. Should be. Shouldn’t it?

  “It was a nightmare. One was smaller than my room in the hostel, one had mouse droppings everywhere and the other had a sleazeball for a landlord. And they all wanted at least five hundred pounds’ deposit and a month’s rent in advance. Which I don’t have. I’ve got another one to look at tomorrow, but I’m starting to think the B&B is going to be my only viable option.”

  Watching her face crumble in front of me, I realised that it didn’t matter what my earlier worries were. This wasn’t about me; it was about her, and right now she needed something good to happen.

  “Follow me,” I said, switching off the gas and making my way towards the stairs.

  “Where are we going?” she asked as we passed the lounge.

  “You’ll see” was all I offered as I climbed the stairs. I stood outside the closed study. “Hear me out, okay?”

  Her eyes were big, but she nodded. I opened the door and stepped inside, motioning for her to join me. “This used to be Dad’s study, but now it’s just an unused room. I—we—would like you to move in with us. I can get a bed and anything else you want. We’d have to share a bathroom, but I promise I’m fully house-trained.”

  “Are you serious?” Her whisper interrupted my rambling.

  “Very. And Dad is completely on board.”

  “How much would the rent be?”

  “Oh God, we don’t want your money. A few hours sitting and your share of the chores will be enough. It’s not like I have a mortgage to pay or anything.”

  “I’m not a charity case.” Her posture straightened and her eyes confronted mine. I needed her to know that this wasn’t a gesture based in pity.

  “I know that, Grace. This is an offer from a friend. I can’t bear to think about you moving into one of those places when we have room here. Please accept.” My voice wavered, so desperate was I to hear her say yes.

  “I’m not going to stay here for free. I’ll accept if you become my landlord. My housing benefit will pay up to fifty-five pounds a week for a room in a shared house. I want you to have that in return for letting me stay here. And I’ll do the sitting and chores as well.” Her stance was resolute. At least I wouldn’t be taking money that would otherwise be hers.

  “Okay, but that includes all food and bills. Fifty-five pounds, two evenings of sitting, and shared chores. Deal?” I stuck out my hand.

  “Deal!” she shouted as she shook my hand.

  I didn’t care that the grin on my face was even bigger than hers. “Right, I’m hungry. Let’s eat and we can sort out the other details afterwards.”

  AFTER CLEARING UP the kitchen and leaving Dad engrossed in the American news channel, Grace and I made our way back upstairs. I sat on the floor, leaning against the wall, and patted the space next to me. “So, what do you need?”

  She looked around the room. “A bed? There’s more than enough storage space here for my stuff. Honestly, that will be fine.”

  “That’s it? What about a few girly touches? I don’t know… cushions and… things?”

  Grace laughed at me sinking in the depths of a world I knew little about.

  “I don’t need that stuff, Noah. It’s just that—stuff. I’ll see if I can get into our house to pick up some more of my things but, trust me, this will be great.” There was the longest of pauses and she inhaled deeply, filling me with dread. “There is something else though. I want a lock. On the inside.” Her voice was edged with quiet insistence. “I can’t sleep without a lock on the door.” My mind was torn between being offended at what the request implied and horrified that she had needed the security of a locked door between her and whatever lay on the other side.

  “No problem. I can sort that tomorrow.” I prayed that my tone sounded like the request was nothing out of the ordinary.

  “Thank you,” she said, reaching over and briefly squeezing my hand in hers. “When can I move in?”

  “I guess it’ll take a few days to get a bed delivered. Friday?”

  I knew as I said it that my life, our lives, would change in three days’ time.

  PACKING UP MY room at the hostel took me all of ten minutes. After thanking Alice, I left the building with a swagger to my step, unable to remember the last time I had felt so positive. Noah had texted me to say the bed had arrived; however, the number of disturbances I’d tried and failed to sleep through the previous night meant I would have still moved in, bed or no bed.

  After parking my scooter in what had become my part of the front drive, I took my bags and looked through the lounge window. I tapped to get Max’s attention, and my heart bloomed under the sun of his smile when he realised who it was. He gave me back that sense of family, of love, that had been slipping through my fingers over the last few years, however much I had tried to cling on to it.

  Noah answered the door almost before the knocker had returned to its resting place, all heavy breathing and glistening with exertion. “I heard the scooter,” he admitted. He pulled his dark blue polo shirt up to mop his face, and I tried unsuccessfully to avoid looking at the taut stomach he exposed. “Putting the bed together has been more difficult than I thought! Let me get your bags, and then a cold drink is in order.” He lowered his shirt and looked down at my rucksack and bag. “Is this all you’ve got?”

  “Yeah. The rest is still at home. Once I’m settled in here, I’ll go and pick some of it up. Jim is back there now but I’ve still got my keys.” Aware I was garbling to avoid thinking about how attractive Noah looked, I picked up my bags. “I’ll just take these upstairs.”

  “No, let me,” he insisted, taking them from me and leading the way. “I’ve just tried the bed and it seems very comfy.” His words brought an image of a sleepy, naked Noah to mind and I blushed.

  “Umm, I’m sure it will be great,” I muttered as I followed him into my new room. “Wow. I wasn’t expecting this!” I took in the white wooden bed and matching drawers, the full-length mirror and the leather tub chair that had all appeared in the two days since I viewed the empty room. “You shouldn’t have gone to this expense, Noah. I’m just thankful for a space to call my own. I didn’t need this.”

  Noah moved over to the bed and sat on its naked mattress, leaving a space for me to join him. “I know,” he said, a smile ghosting his face when I sat next to him. “But I wanted to. This isn’t about finding you somewhere to stay for a few days. I want this to be a long-term answer, Grace, so it’s important to me that you feel at home. This is your room, your home now.”

  My brain whirred at the idea of home being somewhere away from my family, but I was pragmatic enough to know that would have happened when I moved away to university anyway.

  “Thank you. It’s lovely. Do you have some sheets so I can make the bed?”

  “Not yet. Leave your bags and let’s get a drink.”

  I took a long look at my room, smiled to myself and followed him downstairs.

  Sitting in the lounge, I thanked Max for letting me stay and was rewarded with a one-armed hug and a wet kiss on the cheek.

  “That sounds like Bob,” Noah said, almost jumping off the sofa in excitement when a car pulled up outsid
e. He let Bob in, and Max’s face erupted into a grin as he held out his hand.

  “Hello, mate,” Bob said as he shook the proffered hand before sitting down next to me. “Hello, Grace. It’s a pleasure seeing you again.” I was relieved at his lack of questions. “Right then, Max. We’re all set for the evening, aren’t we? Noah has already assured me there are a couple of beers with our names on in the fridge, and I’ve got the takeaway number handy for later.”

  Max grinned.

  “Don’t let him have more than two beers!” Noah said before picking up his car keys. “Come on, then, Grace. Let’s get you some sheets.”

  I was confused enough to do nothing more than wave my goodbyes and follow him out.

  “Where are we going?”

  “To get you some stuff.”

  “Stuff?”

  “Yeah, you know. Bed linen, curtains and so on.”

  “But—”

  “I know. You don’t need stuff. You don’t want me to go to any expense. You can say it all you want, Grace, but I want to do this properly. Please don’t argue with me about it.”

  “Okay” was all I said before getting in the car.

  Ten minutes later, as we pulled onto the motorway, I broke the silence. “Where are we going?” I had been expecting a visit to the local retail park.

  “Ikea.”

  “Ikea?”

  “Ikea. No arguing, remember.” I’d never seen this bossy side of Noah before.

  “Will Bob be all right for that long?”

  “Sure. He’s great with Dad, and Dad enjoys listening to him talk about work. It’s not like Dad needs someone to help with his personal needs. The bathroom is set up specifically for him to be able to look after himself.”

  “How long has he been friends with Bob?”

  “They worked together at the paper for years and were always good mates. He’s been one of the few friends who has stuck with him since the stroke, and I appreciate that.”

  My mind filled with questions about the life Noah now found himself living but knew it wasn’t the right time to probe more deeply.

  We listened to the radio until Noah parked the car. He switched off the engine but didn’t make a move to leave.

  “Grace, you know what I said about not arguing?” He looked across at me, a serious expression on his face.

  “Yeah?”

  “I just meant about me spending money on your room. I didn’t mean you shouldn’t have opinions. I don’t want you to think that you have to go along with everything I say.”

  My heart filled with gratitude at the thoughtfulness of his words, but I didn’t want to let him know that. Yet.

  “Really? So why are we here, then? I hate the whole Scandi-chic thing. This is the last place I would have come to furnish a room if I had the choice.” I managed to keep a straight face after crossing my arms with a humph. However, I felt like the biggest bitch on Earth when I saw his shoulders sag and his smile crumble.

  “Shit, I’m sorry. I just thought you’d be excited at the surprise.”

  “Gotcha!” I smirked and tried to wiggle my eyebrows.

  “Oh, you’re so going to pay for that!” Noah climbed out of the car and grinned across the roof at me. “Last one inside’s a loser!” I didn’t have a chance of catching up with his long-legged stride, so I opted for a dignified walk instead.

  “I’m not going to play your childish games,” I said, holding my chin high for a second before grinning. “Well, not when you have a height advantage, anyway.”

  “Height? What’s height got to do with it?”

  “Your legs are longer so it takes you fewer steps.”

  “But I have more mass to move so that takes more energy.”

  “Don’t start geeking off in physics-speak. I have two words for you: Usain Bolt,” I said, crossing my arms with the smug air of someone who has won the argument.

  “Usain Bolt?”

  “Yes. Are you telling me he would be as fast if he were short?”

  As Noah ran a hand through his hair, clearly at a loss for a reply, he was saved by the arrival of an Ikea employee asking if we wanted a trolley. Accepting the cart, Noah turned to me as we walked into the store.

  “You know what I said about having an opinion? Scratch that. I prefer you quiet.”

  I elbowed him along so I could jointly steer the trolley.

  “IT’S NOT ALL GOING to fit in.” Standing back, I tried to work out a different configuration for loading the various boxes into the back of the car. Two hours of him filling the trolley with almost everything I admired meant that we had far more than the bed linen and lamp I had been looking for. His reply when I said I would pay him back had been non-committal, but I was determined to make sure he and Max didn’t lose out because of me.

  “Of course it will. Dad’s wheelchair fits in here.” Noah shuffled a few boxes and the rolled-up rug before putting the last few items into the small space he had created. “See? There’s a reason I spent all those hours playing Tetris.” His triumphant smile was met with an eye roll from me.

  “Come on, geek boy. I’ll treat you to a takeaway when we get back as a reward.”

  After phoning through an order for Chinese food, I left Noah with Max and Bob and sorted out the purchases he had helped carry upstairs. Once it was put away, I sat in the chair and admired the room’s airy sophistication: all shades of grey, accented with hints of dusky pink. The room represented the new, more grown-up me. I loved it.

  A couple of hours later, Max eased himself out of the chair and looked over to Noah. I stretched out my arms and legs, still feeling over-full after the takeaway, and gave in to a huge yawn.

  “Goodnight, Dad. You need a hand?” Max shook his head and waved as he shuffled off in the direction of his room. Noah turned to me. “I’ll check on him in a few minutes before I come up. Do you want to use the bathroom first?” I hadn’t thought about the practical details of how sharing the upstairs space would work.

  “Umm, okay. Goodnight.”

  “’Night, Grace.” Noah turned his attention back to the TV.

  I went to my room and picked up the bag of toiletries I had been using at the hostel, along with one of my new towels. My aim was to be as quick as possible, to be the model housemate. After cleaning my teeth, I picked up my things and opened the door just as Noah appeared at the top of the stairs. “Bathroom’s yours,” I said, turning into my room.

  “Grace?” The quiet way he said my name caused a shiver down my spine.

  “Yes?” I turned, surprised by my physical reaction.

  “You can leave your things in the bathroom, you know. You’re not a guest. Sleep tight.” He walked into his room before I could thank him or wish him goodnight. I closed my door and turned the key in the newly fitted lock.

  AFTER WHAT HAD been an amazing night’s sleep, my alarm woke me at seven, giving me plenty of time to get ready for work. Knowing the students were always looking at my hair and make-up, some even copying it the following week, I put beach waves in my hair and gave my eyes a punky look.

  “Good morning. Fancy a coffee?” Noah and Max were already in the kitchen, listening to the radio and each drinking a cup of the foul-smelling coffee that was gurgling away in an American-style coffee maker.

  “Urgh, no thanks. I hate the stuff.” I stood on my tiptoes to help myself to a teabag from the cupboard, but the box was just out of reach. I inhaled the clean citrus smell of Noah’s skin as he leant over and passed the box to me.

  “How did I not know that? Dad, did you hear her? Grace doesn’t like coffee. Is this a deal-breaker? Nothing comes between a Carter man and his coffee, you know! Can we cope with someone who doesn’t appreciate the joy of the bean?” Max put his good index finger to his mouth to fake thinking before sending a huge grin in my direction. “Okay, then, but I think she’s got off lightly.” Noah winked at me before moving some of the cupboard contents around. “There you go,” he said, putting the box of teabags onto the bottom s
helf. “Tea where Little Miss Vertically Challenged can reach it.”

  “I’m not vertically challenged. I’m not even short! Well, maybe a little bit shorter than average.”

  “Gotcha!”

  I raised my eyebrows at him but smiled into my mug.

  “Dad and I were going to go grocery shopping today, but I thought you might want to go too. You know, to pick out some things you like. We could go when you get back from work, if you want.”

  “I’m fine with whatever you get. I’m not a fussy eater.” Noah held up his coffee mug as if to prove a point. “Okay, okay. We’ll go when I get in. See you later,” I said, dropping a kiss onto Max’s cheek as I passed him on my way out of the kitchen.

  “Aren’t you having any breakfast?” Noah asked.

  “I’ve just had it.” I pointed at the mug I had rinsed and left on the drainer.

  “That’s not enough.” He started rooting around in a nearby cupboard.

  “I’m fine. I’m not really a breakfast-y person.” Years of never knowing if there would be bread or milk meant I’d got out of the breakfast routine, depending on my free school lunch to keep me going.

  “Take these. Please.” Noah handed me a pack of breakfast biscuits, and I couldn’t refuse.

  “Thank you. ’Bye!” I left the house, a little disconcerted by how it had taken less than twenty-four hours for me to slip into their domestic routine.

  “SO, HOW’S THE new place?” Lauren and I were sat on the edge of the stage, in between the morning and afternoon sessions. I was eating Noah’s biscuits, having forgotten to pick up something for lunch on my way.

  “Great. The room is lovely and they’ve made me feel really welcome.”

  “Doesn’t it feel a bit weird though, living with two older blokes?”