Fly with Me Page 9

  The blonde shook her head. “After eight hours tending to customers I like the peace. Plus there’s always something to do.” She gestured to the shed. “I finished painting that yesterday.”

  “By yourself?”

  “Yep.” Del winked. “Got on a ladder and everything.”

  Elissa looked around again, trying to imagine owning anything like this, being game enough to take it on, making that commitment. Then again, to do what she wanted, be what she wanted... Know what she wanted.

  Cripes, if she knew that…

  Taking a deep breath, she smiled at Del, certainly not missing the searching blue-eyed gaze. “Well then, let’s tackle the leaking roof. Are we replacing tin sheets or something?”

  Del laughed. “Nothing so exciting. Even I’m not that handy.”

  “Farris would wish you to be so handy.” Dee started for the shed. “Handy in a totally different way, of course.”

  “Farris needs a woman to occupy his mind.” Del strode to the shed door, opening it and holding it back by toeing a small bucket in front of it. “Maybe we should foist him onto Elissa.”

  “Yeah.” Molly brightened. “New woman in town and-”

  “Oh no.” Elissa peered into the depths of the shed, wrinkling her nose at the smell of fresh paint. “No men. I’m over men.”

  “Ooohhhh. So you did have a boyfriend back in the city?”

  “I’m just over men in general.”

  “Did someone do you wrong?”

  “Let’s rephrase that to I’m over men and women in general.” When silence met this, she looked around to find them all looking at her. “I mean people. I’m over people.”

  “You’re with us,” Dee pointed out.

  “You lot are okay.”

  Ash grinned. “High praise.”

  “Hmm.” Molly squinted at Elissa. “I sense a good story here.”

  “Not one you’ll hear today, let me give you the tip.” Or ever. Seeking to divert them, Elissa picked up a hammer, grimacing inwardly at the grit on the handle. “So, where do we start?”

  Del plucked the hammer from her and hung it back on the hook. “With a step ladder, a rag, and a silicone gun.”

  Having no clue, Elissa looked around.

  Del dug in a bag on the wooden table, pulling out an old rag. “Here, shove this in your pocket.”

  Her pocket? The pocket on her lovely pink slacks? Elissa pulled her hand back. “Uh…”

  “Come on.” Del shook the rag. “No time to waste. There’s a storm coming.”

  That sounded ominous, kind of like the beginning of a horror story.

  Gingerly, Elissa took the rag, using it to wipe her palm free of the grit from the hammer handle.

  Molly leaned her shoulder on the door jam and watched in amusement, but said nothing for which Elissa was grateful.

  “Molly loves cleaning,” Ash stated. “She’s a cleaning freak.”

  “I’m not a freak.”

  “No, you’re a sexy little maid.” Dee held some weird contraption while Del used a pocket knife to slice off the end of a pointy thingy on a tube thingy.

  Everything was a thingy. Elissa had not a freakin’ clue what it all was.

  As if she’d read Elissa’s mind, Del looked at her. “This is silicon made especially for roofs and guttering to seal holes and stop raining getting in. This,” she took the contraption from Dee and slid the tube into it, “is the silicon gun.” She grinned. “You’re coming up the ladder with me.”

  Elissa’s eyebrows shot up. “I am?”

  “Hell yeah. You’re my assistant.”

  “This ought to be good.” Dee grinned.

  Elissa eyed the paint-splattered ladder that Del was pulling away from the far wall. “I don’t think I’d make a good-”

  “Nonsense. Every good woman needs the backup of another good woman. It’s what makes the sisterhood.”

  “Jesus.” Dee rolled her eyes.

  “Grab hold of the other end,” Del instructed.

  It was either do it or refuse, so Elissa gingerly wrapped her hand around part of the ladder.

  “Get a firm grip.”

  She readjusted.

  “Tuck it under your arm.”

  “But it’s dirty.”

  “You noticed. Do it.”

  “But-”

  “I’m going to teach you to do a quick fix-it on the roof if it kills me, and the rate we’re going it’ll kill me. Just grab the bloody thing.”

  Elissa looked at Ash, who just shrugged in amusement. No help from her friend, then. Taking a deep breath, she tucked the ladder under her arm and gripped the lower rung, cringing inwardly as the dusty framework rubbed against her blouse.

  “Right. Onwards.”

  Dutifully she trotted after Del out of the shed and across to the house, where she helped set the ladder against the wall. The top of the ladder didn’t quite make it to the roof.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll shimmy over the top,” Del said.

  “Yeah. Look, I’m not sure-”

  “I am. Follow me.” Del started up the ladder.

  Dee held the ladder and winked at Elissa. “Silicone Lesson 101. Trust me, silicon is your best friend. Learn it, use it, live it.”

  Placing one foot on the first rung, Elissa looked up at Del climbing the ladder like a monkey. “I thought silicon was the stuff used to make fake boobs.”

  “See, silicon is all purpose.”

  Ash looked concerned. “If you don’t want to do this, Elissa, it’s okay.”

  Crap, it was just going up a freakin’ ladder. This was what she’d wanted, something different, doing her own thing. So what if her hands got dirty, her shirt? So what if she got calluses? So freakin’ what?

  This was her chance to be independent for once.

  “I’m fine.” With a quick smile at Ash, Elissa took a deep breath and started up the ladder. Before she knew it she was at the top of the ladder, able to see over the roof which angled a little alarmingly.

  Del waited for her, the silicon gun on the roof. Her sneakered feet gripped the tin securely, and she smiled reassuringly at Elissa as she held out her hand. “Grab on, I’ll help haul you up.”

  “I think I’ll break you.”

  “I’m stronger than I look.”

  This proved true. There was a reassuring strength in the slim woman’s grip, the steady assuredness in her eyes. It gave Elissa courage, plus she had to admit to a small thrill of doing something forbidden, something she’d never have been allowed to do before, never been expected to do.

  Hell, she was going to help fix a leaking roof.

  With renewed vigour she clambered onto the roof, straightening, only to freeze and grip Del’s arm hard.

  Hell, she was going to fall off a leaking roof.

  “Good.” Del didn’t move. “Isn’t this a great view? Now don’t worry, there’s a whole veranda stretched out before us if we happen to tip a little - which we won’t - and our sneakers have good grip. The roof’s not that heavily tilted.”

  Sure. Easy for Del to say.

  Elissa was still hanging on when Del bent and picked up the silicon gun. Give the woman credit, she didn’t shake Elissa off, just turned, allowing her other arm to stay in Elissa’s grip, and started carefully moving forward.

  It was either let go or follow. Elissa followed, realising belatedly that she seemed to be doing a lot of following lately. But as they edged further onto the roof and she didn’t slip, she started to relax, looking around, becoming aware of the breeze in her hair, the magnificent view. She could even see over a couple of the trees to the road, the town beyond.

  “Wow.” Her eyes widened in delight. “Wow. Del, just wow.”

  “I know Isn’t it great? Sometimes I come up here to just sit and look.” Del glanced over her shoulder. “That’s a girls’ secret, by the way.”

  “Because the blokes would have a fit?”

  “Bet your arse.”

  Huh. Elissa watched her sneakered fe
et as they negotiated the roof. “Guess we better make sure we’re not seen then.”

  “I’m more worried about making sure my roof doesn’t leak in the bloody storm.” Del stopped. “Here we go.”

  Elissa knelt down and looked at the tin roof. Rust spread out in a small circle from what looked to be a rather small hole. “That’s it?”

  “Trust me, when water continually seeps through this it’ll play havoc with my ceiling. I just had the ceiling redone a month ago, I certainly don’t want it to be damaged and water stained now.” She looked at Elissa. “Get the rag out of your pocket and give this a little scrub around the edges.”

  “Why?”

  “To get the loose dust and rust off. Make it as clean as we can.”

  “Maybe we should have brought up some soap and water.”

  “Just do it.”

  Elissa plucked the rag from her pocket. “You’re a little bossy. I hadn’t noticed that before.”

  “That’s what comes of growing up with Dee. Now scrub.”

  Elissa rubbed around the hole, the rag catching on several sharp bits. She jerked it off, only to silently swear as several strands of cloth got hooked on the rust. Plucking them carefully off, she sat back to watch Del take the tip off the silicon then expertly apply the silicon to the hole, filling it and smoothing more around the edges.

  “And that’s really going to stop the rain?” She was impressed.

  “Until I can afford another sheet of tin to be put up.” Del nodded. “I hope to have enough soon to re-roof the whole roof. Until then its patch-up jobs.”

  Elissa spotted several more holes with evidence of silicon already used. “You’ve done more.”

  “Not me. Simon and Kirk did it just after summer started.” Del shook her head. “Can you believe they tried to bully me into letting them pay for some new tin? I mean, come on.”

  “I’m sure they meant well.”

  “Oh, they did, but nope.” Del recapped the silicon. “I’m doing this my way. Cripes, I can make do with silicon for another couple of months.” Coming up on her knees, she swept her arms out, the silicon gun dangling from one hand. “Soon I’ll have a whole new roof and no worries. Well, about the roof, anyway.”

  “Guess it’d be a good feeling to do things your own way.”

  “Yep.” Del pushed to her feet. “Let’s check the rest of the roof while we’re here.”

  Walking behind Del, carefully placing her feet where the confident blonde did, Elissa felt her own confidence growing. True, she was just following, but helping even a little, doing what in her world had been termed a ‘man’s job’, made her feel self-sufficient.

  Until she had to go down the ladder.

  On her knees, she looked at the ladder and swallowed. “Oh no.”

  “Do as I do.” Placing the silicon gun down, Del knelt on the roof facing backwards with one foot dangling over the edge. “I’ll go first so if you slip I can help.”

  Elissa eyed the slim woman. “No offence, Del, but if I slip I’m taking you to the ground with me. Nothing is going to save you from my fat arse.”

  “Hey, I’ve saved Dee’s fat arse a few times. I’m sure I can handle yours.”

  “I heard that,” Dee called up from below. “And need I remind you that I’ve saved your skinny arse a few times as well?”

  “There you go.” Del shimmied backwards. “Now, on your knees, sister.”

  “There’s many a man would like to hear those words,” Molly commented.

  “Forget the galahs down below,” Del said. “On your knees and come backwards. I’ll take your ankle.”

  “Ankle?” Molly echoed. “Jesus, Dee, your cousin is into some kinky shit. I’ll have to ask Kirk about the ankle stuff.”

  “She probably means ankle over the shoulder,” Dee replied. “Imagine being on your back and doing that to a bloke. That’s really getting up close and personal.”

  Elissa couldn’t believe the by-play going on below. Not that she really cared right then because she was more concerned in getting onto the ladder without falling arse over tit down it.

  The ground suddenly looked a long-way-away.

  “Don’t look at the ground,” Del instructed. “Come backwards slowly. I’ll guide your foot.”

  “Just be careful,” Ash called.

  “Oh, that helps,” Dee said.

  Elissa was really worried now that she wasn’t going to be able to do it at all. Biting her lip, she edged backwards.

  Del’s hand wrapped around her ankle.

  “Trust her,” Ash called. “She’s not lost anyone off the roof yet.”

  “Yet being the operative word,” Dee muttered.

  Heart already pounding, Elissa swallowed. “I heard that!”

  “Oops. Sorry. You weren’t supposed to.”

  “Ignore them.” Del tapped her calf. “Just do as I say and you’ll be fine.”

  “Elissa started white-knuckling the edge of the roof. “I have to admit, Del, I don’t know that I can do this.”

  “Don’t really have much choice. If you don’t come down we have to ring for help.”

  Sounded like a plan.

  “They’ll send out the bloody fire brigade or something. Before you know it, we’ll have Scott and Simon here with their huge ladders, giving us a tongue lashing. Now I’m not about to do that. Besides, we’re adult women. We got up here, we’re going down.”

  “I’d rather it be in one piece.”

  “Let’s go.”

  Squeezing her eyes shut, Elissa took several deep breaths. Oh shit, oh shit. I have to do this, I need to do this. And that was the catch word. She needed to do this. She needed to do it on her own.

  With Del’s help, true, but on her own nevertheless. No owing anyone, no calling for help.

  Sucking in another deep breath, she opened her eyes, gritted her teeth and readjusted her hands. “Let’s do this.”

  She shimmied backwards under Del’s instruction, glancing to the side over her shoulder to see where the beginning of the step ladder rested. Okay, not too far. She just had to be strong, stop shaking and do it. Just do it.

  Come hell or high water, in ten minutes she could look back and it would all be over. For better or worse.

  Del was a good guide, confident, no-nonsense and calm, guiding her foot to hit the first rung, clamping her surprisingly strong hands each side of Elissa’s calves and then thighs as Elissa came off the edge of the roof and finally - thank God! - stood on the rung of the ladder.

  Surprisingly, it was quiet below, no rude comments floating up while Del guided her. Del descended the ladder, Elissa following, her grip on the ladder tighter than death. A couple of splinters forked into her palm, but she refused to complain.

  Finally, her feet hit dirt. Letting go of the ladder was pure bliss. Knees shaking, she turned to smile at Ash. “Piece of cake.”

  “Have to be vanilla.” Dee studied her. “With white frosting.”

  “Huh?”

  “You’re pale.” Ash gave her a hug. “Well done.”

  Over Ash’s shoulder, Elissa grinned at Del. “Thanks.”

  Del gave her the thumbs up.

  “Where’s the silicon gun?” Molly queried.

  “Aw, shit.” Turning to the ladder, Del climbed it quickly, coming back down with admirable speed clutching the gun in one hand. “Right, let’s get this ladder into the shed and then I’ll give Elissa the grand tour of my most excellent house.”

  Okay, that was more like it. Elissa relaxed. Looking through a house. Way safer than climbing down from a roof.

  But still, as she contemplated her sore palm and picked out a splinter, she had to admit she felt, well, good. Damn good, in fact. Almost elated.

  Her smile was wide when she looked up to see Ash watching her.

  Ash’s eyes crinkled at the corners, her expression relieved. “You’re okay.”

  “Yeah.” Elissa’s smile grew wider. “I am.”

  The rest of the morning was spent
at Del’s house. After a light lunch she dropped them all off at their various homes before heading back to do whatever she had planned.

  Elissa had a quick shower and change of clothes before spending a lazy afternoon sitting on the back veranda reading a book while Ash weeded the vegetable plot. Tilly lay on her back beside Elissa in silent expectation of having her belly rubbed. Elissa rubbed.

  The sky grew darker, grey clouds obliterating the blue, finally little spatters of rain forcing Ash from the vegetable garden and into the house to shower and change. Tilly, disgruntled with the sound of the rain on the veranda roof, jumped off the cane sofa to follow her.

  Elissa watched the rain come down lightly at first then gradually heavier before settling to a steady downpour. It was amazing how beautiful it was, how isolating. Unlike the city, which turned grey and harsh in the rain, the country took on a sodden affect, yet remained fresh, the green seeming even greener. There was no harsh smell of rain on hot pavement, no crowds of people running for shelter.

  She’d no idea rain could be so wonderful.

  Book lying forgotten in her lap, she watched the rain. Here she was, safe under the veranda, enjoying the sight, sound and scent of the rain. Could there be a better way to spend a lazy late afternoon?

  The kitchen light came on, flickering across the veranda. Obviously the darkness was extending to the house.

  Elissa was just contemplating going inside when Ash appeared by her side with Elissa’s mobile in her hand. “It was ringing in your room.”

  “Thanks.”

  “I’m going in to get dinner started.”

  “No worries, I’ll come inside in a minute to help.” Elissa put the mobile to her ear. “Hello?”

  “Elissa.” The familiar voice rasped sharply in her ear. “Where the hell are you?”

  “Calum?” Immediately tension stole through her and she straightened.

  “I’m out front of your place. I’ve left messages but you’re not returning calls.”

  “I haven’t checked my messages.” Hadn’t wanted to, not knowing what was coming.

  “Look, what time are you getting home? I can’t wait outside forever.”

  She looked out at the rain. “Don’t wait for me. I won’t be home for awhile.”