‘What do I need this for?’

‘After you’ve used the filler. You’ll need to let it dry until it’s completely hard and then sand it down. Like I said, it’s a tricky business. I really do think you should consider getting a professional. Did you say you were having a room rewired?’

Rory shook her head. ‘Not just a room. The whole house needs new electrics, apparently. We turned on a light switch and there was a big bang. The electrician I called in spent a lot of time making tutting sounds as he looked around. I got him off the Internet, so I’m hoping he knows what he’s doing.’ She had been tearing her hair out about the expense of the electrical work. She would have to use Sheila’s money and she hated it. ‘I’ve taken on a bit of a project, to be honest. The estate agent wasn’t entirely truthful. By the time we got the survey back and realised the extent of the work, my daughter and I had already fallen in love with it.’ She didn’t add that everyone, from her mother to her ex-husband, had told her that she was being completely ridiculous. They would have to admit they were wrong when she single-handedly transformed it into a show home. Belle had already made a sign for the front door: The Palace.

‘Then you really do need to think about getting someone in. Otherwise you’ll be looking at hours and hours of hard work. Hard, dusty work. You’ll need a mask.’ He took one from the shelf above the sandpaper and put it onto the pile of products in her arms. ‘Where’s your house? If you’re local, I could pop back with you and take a look at it now, if you like?’

Rory was slightly alarmed at the prospect of taking a strange man back to her house. She hadn’t done that in at least seventeen years, and she wasn’t about to start now. ‘Do you usually offer this kind of service to your customers, or is it just the inept female ones? I’m sure your boss wouldn’t be too pleased with you following me home halfway through the day.’

He looked confused. ‘I don’t work here.’

Rory could feel a deep flush starting at the base of her neck. She started to stammer. ‘I’m so sorry. I thought… Well, you know what I thought… And I was dragging you around the shop.’ The flush had reached her cheeks. ‘I’m so sorry. Why didn’t you tell me?’

He grinned. ‘Because I was taught never to ignore a damsel in distress. Look, I’m a builder. I can get one of my friends to give you a quote on the plastering if you like, then you can decide what to do.