on the way out, yeah. I’m off down the pub for a pint.’
Standing aside to let him by, Adam raised an eyebrow. ‘Trusting sort, isn’t he?’ he said, his expression curious as he watched him saunter off.
‘I’ve already paid him half of the deposit,’ Kim said, tipping the pushchair back and wheeling it through the front door, which led straight to the lounge. She supposed that made her the trusting one in Adam’s eyes.
She stopped and gazed around the small room. The wallpaper wasn’t too bad, old coffee-coloured Anaglypta. The paintwork was awful, though, a mucky chocolate brown, and the furniture was ugly: a tatty old two-seater sofa and chair standing on a threadbare red and brown floral rug. The floorboards, also painted brown, added to the depressing ambience.
‘Oh,’ said Cassie.
Kim smiled weakly. ‘It’s not too bad,’ she said, aware that she didn’t sound very convincing. ‘Maybe I could get some cheerful scatter cushions and pictures off eBay to brighten it up.’
‘We’ll refurnish it,’ Adam said decisively. ‘If Jonnie boy has any objections to us getting rid of this stuff, we’ll put it in storage.’
Kim looked at him agog. ‘I can’t let you do that, Adam. I do need your support, I won’t lie, but I’m not looking for handouts.’
‘It’s not a handout,’ Adam assured her. ‘I have contacts who will let me have stuff at cost price. And the storage won’t be a problem if we need it. I have a couple of units for house clearance purposes. Don’t worry about it.’
Cassie smiled kindly as Kim glanced uncertainly at her. ‘It’s fine, Kim. We guessed it might need some furnishings, and there’s no way I would rest knowing you were stuck here on your own with a new baby. It’s far too depressing like this.’ Giving her shoulders a quick squeeze, she headed off towards the room adjoining the lounge.
Kim glanced gratefully at Adam. ‘Thanks,’ she said, giving him an appreciative smile.
‘Not a problem.’ Adam smiled warmly back. ‘Shall we?’ He nodded after Cassie.
They found her eyeing the conservatory backing onto the tiny dining room, the walls of which were also a dirty brown. ‘I think we might need a bit of TLC in here too,’ she said, smiling knowingly at Adam. ‘And the conservatory looks a bit dilapidated.’
Adam checked the windows and seals. ‘It’s mendable,’ he said. ‘I could probably do something with it.’
The kitchen wasn’t too dreadful, thank God. Kim had been expecting it to be cold and damp, with cupboard doors hanging off. The cupboards looked sound, though, confirmed by Adam. And the work surfaces were light, a white and grey marble effect.
‘Thick with grime, unfortunately,’ Cassie said, trailing a finger along one of them. ‘Nothing a bit of elbow grease won’t fix, though. I’ll get some cloths and antibacterial spray in,’ she added, giving Kim an optimistic smile and then plucking some wet wipes from her bag and cleaning her hands.
Kim checked the oven, which would need a thorough clean, and then sighed. ‘Thanks, Cassie,’ she said, straightening up. ‘I’m not sure I could do all this without you.’
‘No problem.’ Cassie echoed what Adam had said, leaving Kim wondering how she and Josh had fallen out so badly.
‘Shall I unbuckle Samuel,’ she asked, ‘so we can take a look upstairs?’
Kim nodded. It was obvious that Cassie couldn’t wait to pick him up and cuddle him. Very obvious. She watched as she undid his straps, lifting him gently out of the pushchair and holding him close, then pressing her face to his soft downy head, breathing in the freshly shampooed smell of him. Kim felt for her. She must badly regret falling out with Josh and all that had followed.
Cassie made her way to the stairs leading off the dining room, Samuel nestled against her shoulder. Adam was watching her, a look of deep longing in his eyes. Kim felt even more for him. He must feel so adrift without Josh in his life, and with no children of his own.
‘So, Kim…’ he turned to her as Cassie climbed the stairs, as if sensing her gaze on him, ‘were you and Josh living together?’
Caught unawares, Kim felt slightly off kilter. ‘No.’ She sighed regretfully. ‘He wanted us to, but I didn’t fancy sharing with his housemate. We were looking at properties, but we were still trying to work out dates. You know, for the wedding?’
‘Really?’ Adam’s look was a combination of surprise and hurt.
Kim glanced down and back. ‘I’m sure he was going to tell you,’