shotguns. His balaclava fell off and he quickly put on a mask instead, but it was his picture on the mask. What was that all about?
‘Wakey, wakey,’ said a sleepy voice beside me.
I groaned. It couldn’t be time to get up – I was sure I’d only just gone to sleep.
‘I don’t want you to go,’ Thomas said in my ear as he spooned me from behind.
His words jolted me, reminding me that in a few hours’ time I’d be on a coach, trying to convince thirty children not to eat too many sweets, and holding a sick bag for those who didn’t listen.
‘Can’t you tell them you’re really ill?’
‘No!’ I exclaimed as I pushed myself up. This was hard enough without him putting pressure on me. ‘That’s not who I am.’
He reached over to stroke my bare back, sending tingles down my spine. ‘But it’s a big day today. Once the deal’s gone through, we need to go out and celebrate.’
I’d momentarily forgotten about what else was happening today. Maybe that’s what my dream was about. Was it a warning?
‘We can do that on Friday night,’ I said, leaning in to kiss him. ‘We’ll have lots to celebrate then because we’ll officially be living together as well.’
‘Mmm, don’t forget to leave me a key. I’ll take the next few days to move my gear across.’
After dropping Tyson at my mum’s, we’d spent yesterday clearing out the spare bedroom to create some space for Thomas’s stuff, though he assured me he didn’t have much. Still, I wanted him to feel as if this was his home as much as mine, so gently encouraged him to bring whatever he wanted.
‘Will you let me know as soon as Mum’s money hits your account?’ I said, as he kissed me at the door. I don’t know what I felt stranger about; leaving him at my place, or having him in possession of my family’s life savings. Good job I trusted him.
‘I’ll keep you posted every step of the way,’ he said. ‘In an ideal world, both ends of the deal will happen today, but if your mum’s money doesn’t clear then we might be looking at tomorrow.’
‘And then we’ll really have something to celebrate,’ I said, smiling. ‘I love you.’
He kissed me deeply. ‘Love you too. I’ll see you on Friday.’
‘Hey Mum,’ I said into the phone, once I’d gone around the corner and lost sight of Thomas.
‘Hello darling, you okay?’
‘Yes, I’m just on my way into school.’
‘Looking forward to the trip?’
‘Yes and no,’ I said, honestly. ‘If it was a normal week, I would, but Thomas is moving a few of his things into the flat and—’
‘Is he now?’ she teased. ‘So, this is getting serious.’
‘I should hope so,’ I laughed. ‘You’re just about to give him a hundred and fifty thousand pounds!’
‘Are we definitely going ahead with that?’ she asked, a little quieter. ‘I was going to ring you just before I went to the bank to, you know . . . well, just to double check that you’re still happy.’
Despite being more than certain that we were doing the right thing, I still felt almost sick with nerves.
‘Absolutely,’ I said, ignoring it. ‘This is going to allow us to do everything we need to do to the house.’
‘Well, I went out and bought some magazines yesterday,’ she said, sounding like an excited little girl. ‘And honestly, Beth, there are some truly beautiful houses out there.’
I laughed. ‘Yours is truly beautiful – it just needs a little bit of TLC.’
‘Well, I think I’ve found the kitchen I want. It’s a country shaker style with basket handles and a white granite worktop. I was thinking I might get a microwave as well – all the houses in the magazines seem to have one. I probably won’t use it, but it all fits into the kitchen design now, doesn’t it? You should see what can be done these days Beth, and don’t get me started on the bathrooms . . . they have walk-in rain showers now, none of this mouldy old curtain around a bath business. My hips will thank me for that, I can tell you!’
She may have been making a joke of it, but I hadn’t really appreciated, until now, how she’d been living. Having the work done would make a big difference.
‘Let me know once you’ve transferred the money,’ I said. ‘Maybe we can go out at the weekend to have a look around and get some more ideas.’