Page 12 of In at the Deep End

Nothing serious. Just neglected.

Matt heard a noise and looked back towards the house. There was a roof terrace on top of what appeared to be another sitting room. A guy stood there, watching them, his hands on the railing that sat atop glass panels. He waved, and Owen waved back.

“That’s my son, Callum.” He cupped his mouth. “Put the kettle on?”

Callum nodded, giving him a thumbs up, then disappeared through a glass door.

“That’s my bedroom. It has these great windows set into the roof. I’m looking forward to having my morning coffee out there.” Owen turned to face him. “I guess we should discuss pay. If you’re going to look after the garden and the pool, and help around the house, the rate needs to reflect that.” He cocked his head. “How does twenty pounds an hour sound?”

Matt did his best not to gape. “I was expecting minimum wage, to be honest.”

Owen frowned. “That’s not even thirteen pounds. No, twenty pounds seems much fairer. I might even be prepared to push it to twenty-five if there’s a lot to do. Besides, if someone’s doing a job I can’t do myself, they deserve paying properly.”

“How often would you expect me to come here?”

“Like you said, I’m not asking for a twelve-hour day. There’ll be a good many hours initially, while I’m setting the house up, but I suspect it’ll tail off after that.” Owen looked around the garden. “So what do you think?”

Matt smiled. “I think this place could look incredible.”

Owen returned his smile. “Funny.”

“What?”

“That’s exactly what I was hoping you’d say.” He gestured to the house. “How about we sit outside with our tea?”

“Sounds good to me.”

They strolled towards the steps.

As they headed back to the open window, Matt found himself smiling. The job sounded perfect. The pay was better than he’d dared hope. And as for Owen Lane…

Well, he definitely wasn’t what Matt had expected.

Maybe leaving Edinburgh early had been the right decision after all.

Chapter Four

Owen took one look at the patio table and grinned. “Wow.”

Callum had brought out a tray containing two cups and saucers, a milk jug, a sugar bowl, and a round fat tea pot hiding under a tea cosy covered in bees. He’d also added a plate of ginger cookies.

Matt smiled. “A mug would’ve done, honest.”

Owen called Callum’s name, and a moment later, he appeared at the window. Owen arched his eyebrows. “You outdid yourself. I didn’t even know I possessed a sugar bowl.”

Callum shrugged. “First impressions count, isn’t that what you always told me?” He gave Matt a nod. “Make the most of it. After this, it’ll be a chipped mug if you’re working out here.” He stilled. “Of course, I’m assuming you will be working here.” He glanced at Owen, who nodded. Callum beamed. “Great. That means I don’t have to worry about being drafted.”

Owen snorted. “Do you have any practical skills, apart from being a whizz with electricity?”

“I’m good at emptying boxes, I’m told.” He heaved an overly dramatic sigh. “Which is what I’ll go back to doing, and leave you two to discuss how hard you’re going to make Matt work.”

“Don’t kid yourself. You love bringing order to this chaos,” Owen teased.

“Yeah, but it’s worth it. With you, once order is restored, it stays that way.” Callum gave Matt another nod. “Good to meet you. I expect I’ll be seeing you whenever I visit.”

“I think that’s likely.”

Owen waited until Callum had disappeared back into the house before pouring the tea. “I suppose I should’ve asked if you prefer coffee.”