Secrets at the Loch (Loch Lannick #5) - Hannah Ellis Page 0,30
She trailed off as she registered what he was wearing. “Were you on your way out?”
He shook his head. “No. Why?”
“You’ve got your coat on. And a hat and gloves.”
“The heating’s not working. It’s like an ice box. I’ve been trying to get the wallpaper off the walls in the hallway, but my fingers were going numb so I put gloves on.”
Lexie shivered. She’d known he didn’t have heating or hot water but hadn’t quite considered the reality of it.
“There’s a guy coming to install a new boiler on Friday,” Nick said. “It’s not so bad. I’ve been going to Elspeth’s for hot showers. And I sleep under about ten blankets. If the chimney wasn’t blocked I could sleep beside the fire.”
“Wow.” She scanned the kitchen, with all the units ripped out. The place really was a disaster zone.
“Anyway, what did you want?” he said cheerfully. “I don’t mean to sound rude, but I was about to go and curl up under my ten blankets before I freeze.”
“I just wanted to say…” She shook her head. Asking him to keep her secret seemed suddenly offensive. Nick wasn’t the type for gossiping. Of course he wouldn’t tell anyone. “You could stay at my place,” she said, hugging herself as the cold crept in.
“No. I’m fine. I didn’t mean to complain.”
“Nick, it’s freezing. And I’ve got a spare room. You should have said something before.”
“So now I’m a charity case?”
“No.” She laughed. “But you just said we’re friends. Friends who check in with each other when they’re upset, and who don’t let each other freeze to death.”
“Well, I forgot to check in, actually.”
She sighed. “You spent all last night checking I was okay. Let me return the favour.”
“By saving me from an icy death?”
“Exactly.”
He pulled his hat further over his ears. “Okay. That would actually be really nice. But don’t tell anyone. Elspeth’s offered for me to stay with them, but I was being stubborn because I don’t want people thinking I regret buying the house.”
“I’m sure it will be worth it in the end.” Lexie tried to open the door, then moved aside and let Nick yank the swollen wood out of the door frame.
He rolled his eyes. “I’m starting to feel like it might have been a mistake. It all feels pretty embarrassing at the moment. I thought it would be a satisfying project, but I was completely unrealistic about the amount of work involved.”
They fell into step as they walked back towards the bunkhouse. “You’ll feel much better about it when you’ve got heating and warm water. Then fixing it up might seem more fun.”
“Maybe,” he agreed. “I’ll be glad when the kitchen’s done. And the bathroom. Then it should feel more like home. At the moment it’s depressing being there.”
She opened the door to the bunkhouse. “You’re welcome to my spare room for as long as you need it.”
Chapter Fourteen
“Were you working today?” Nick asked as he pulled his gloves off, then removed his hat and jacket.
“Aye. At the activity centre. I’ll be there a lot over the school holidays so I’ve got fewer shifts at the pub. Although I spent all evening sitting at the bar anyway. I was surprised you didn’t come in for a drink.”
“Is that why you came over? Because that might be a bad sign if the staff at the local pub are making house visits to check on me when I don’t turn up in the evening.”
“I wasn’t checking on you.” She smiled as she led the way into the living room and took a seat on the couch.
“What did you come over for then?” He sat hunched over, blowing into his hands and rubbing them together.
“I wanted to say …” Her eyes darted around the room. She wasn’t sure where to look. “I just wanted to make sure you knew that what I told you last night … about being pregnant … nobody knows about it so I …”
“I wouldn’t tell anyone,” he said.
“I know. I realised that when I got to your place. I think I just panicked. I’ve never told anyone before and it freaked me out that I’d told you.”
He shifted his weight and sat on his hands. “Do you wish you hadn’t told me?”
“No. I don’t mind that you know.”
“Do you want to tell me what happened?”
She shook her head. “That’s why I didn’t tell anyone. I knew people would ask questions and I didn’t want to talk about it.”