Relaxing with a glass of wine after their dinner, Nina talked about Abby's visit.
"I thought that was a bit inappropriate. The way she rhapsodised about that picture. Holding it to her heart and saying she thought it had been lost. I'm surprised she didn't squeeze out a tear."
"I didn't know where to look. I daren't look at you because I knew what your expression would be. The sardonic smile as you tried to resist a mocking round of applause. I'm sorry Nina."
"It's not your fault. Anyway, it was more amusing than annoying."
"And we're left with the boxes of junk and the chairs."
"Maybe we'll get them down from the loft next time Grant and Maria come around and dot them throughout the house.
"That would be funny."
"I thought she would be more interested in the house. If I had lived somewhere, I would want to know how it had been changed. Find something to turn my nose up at. I don't think she even bothered to glance at the kitchen."
"Too difficult?"
"Maybe. The family didn't choose to leave, they had to. It must be a bitter pill for her to see you and me living here."
"It looks way better than it did when the Phillips had it. Once you have done all the decorations it will be amazing."
"You and Grant were saying that it was stuffed full."
"There was a lot of, well, everything in the house. Furniture, ornaments, and paintings. They had a dog, a spaniel I think, that ran around in a manic way. There was paperwork on every surface. Add to that the patterned wallpaper and the different colour carpet in each room, the place looked chaotic. I mentioned the orange room, didn't I?"
"Briefly."
"It was the smallest bedroom. It had a sort of rust coloured carpet and some jazzy, patterned wallpaper which was cream and orange. The whole effect was fairly dazzling. I didn't like it and I don't have the aversion to orange that you do. It would probably have made you have a seizure."
"What did you think when you saw the house again, when we did the viewing?"
"I'd seen the pictures of the place, online, so I knew it was a lot different. The first thing I thought was that it looked much bigger. The kitchen and dining room being knocked through was the biggest improvement. It was strange though, seeing it again."
"Not strange enough to put you off."
"Oh, no. Strange, but also a relief that it wasn't as crammed and crazy as it was before. Tracy, Abby's mum, was quite prim and proper. She would walk through the house as if she had a bad smell under her nose, stepping over stuff and avoiding the dog. They must have had a cleaner, because I never saw her with a duster in her hand."
"I'm glad we didn't buy it from them then. Sorting out the initial mess was someone else's problem."
"Yes, you wouldn't have been keen to buy it. Everything needed doing. New carpets, décor, repairs. It probably had to air for a while, too. There was definitely a whiff of dog about the place, I seem to recall."
"Well, it will look different again when I've finished. I'm glad that we don't have to do too much. Our predecessors had the hard graft."
Nina did a bit of work over the next few days. Sat at her laptop, reading e mails and working on a project, were so much better when done from one's own home. They were meeting Maria and Grant at the pub, The King George, at the weekend, which would be a nice diversion.
On previous trips, Rory and Nina had called at The George, as it was known, to meet people. Everyone was friendly and they seemed to serve decent food, not that she had tried it. There was no trepidation for Nina as she was familiar with the place. Recalling that it was a jeans and T shirt sort of environment, appropriate clothes would be worn.
A delivery brought the paint that had been ordered for the lounge and Nina couldn't wait to start. A few minor repairs to the walls, divots, possibly from where pictures had been hung, to fill and then on with the job. As the colour dried on the wall, it was exactly as hoped. One wall was done by the time Rory came home from work.
"What do you think?"
"I never doubted you, Nina. If you say it should be green, who am I to argue. Seriously, though, it looks great. I suppose that there will have to be more purchases to compliment the walls?"
"Of course. Don't pull a face. I'm not going to go mad. In fact, I spoke to Maria today and she is going to take me to a couple of antique shops for a browse in the next few weeks."
"Antiques, sounds expensive."
"She said antiques, but then said it was more bric-a-brac. Anyway, the shopping is only an excuse to get together and have lunch."
"I'm glad that you two get on. I'm sure you'll meet more new friends, too."
"Yes. I'm just easing myself in gently. You know me."