Changing Lara

by Anna Jacobs

  ‘Strange. I don’t suppose it can be—’ He broke off abruptly.

  ‘Can be what?’ she prompted.

  ‘My ex. I had to stop her stealing some of my family’s most valuable silver pieces.’

  Lara looked at him in shock. ‘But I thought the arbitration had settled your payment to her.’

  ‘They might have, but has she accepted it?’ He frowned, then shook his head. ‘No. Even she wouldn’t be so stupid, surely.’

  ‘Well, I have no idea who it was but I’m going to get some strong bolts fitted to my doors and the downstairs windows too.’

  ‘I’ll fit them for you.’

  ‘You should get some too, Ross.’

  ‘I will. But we’ll not do it today. I’ve been looking forward to an outing.’

  ‘You’re right. I doubt anyone will be prowling round during the daytime. There are too many golfers around. I’ve been looking forward to visiting an antiques centre too.’

  ‘You seem to love antiques, Lara.’

  ‘Yes, I do. I was going to buy and sell smaller items on the Internet after I retired. Only in a casual way, for my own pleasure, but I’d hoped to make a bit of extra money from it because I’ve proved quite good at spotting a bargain. But anything we find today will be yours, of course, since you’re employing me. I’ll still enjoy the hunt, though.’

  His surprise was evident. ‘Are you expecting to find things to buy? I thought we were just going to scope out prices.’

  ‘I always keep my eyes open, so we might or might not spot something worth buying. Since you’re employing me, the profit will be yours.’

  ‘I don’t agree with that. I’ll pay for anything you find today and we’ll split the profits fifty-fifty.’

  As she opened her mouth to protest he cut in. ‘Don’t argue. It’s only fair because I don’t have your knowledge of antiques so I could never do anything like that on my own.’

  ‘Oh. Well. All right.’

  A couple of minutes later, he said, ‘You’re an amazing woman, you know. What other secret skills are you hiding?’

  She felt flustered and was glad when they drew up at the antiques centre just then and she could ignore his question. There were no secret skills that she could think of. She was rather a boring person, really – a workaholic. Like her son.

  She looked round. ‘This still looks more like a farm building than a shop, doesn’t it? If it weren’t for the sign I’d have driven right past.’

  ‘That’s rather the point of having such a big sign. And this one is not only eye-catching but much cheaper than changing the buildings.’

  Ross parked neatly near two other cars. He seemed brighter today, Lara thought as they walked towards the door. Perhaps he was starting to relax now that he’d had a positive outcome to the hearing and rented out his family home profitably. Less stress was always helpful.

  She stopped just inside the doorway of the centre and he stopped too.

  ‘Something wrong, Lara?’

  ‘No. I’m studying how the centre’s laid out, that’s all. Let’s start in that part to the right, where there are display cases. We can’t look at every single item in a space this big, nor do we need to. We’re not here to check out big furniture. Your aunt collected small objects mainly and those glass cases have lots of things in them which must be more valuable than what’s on tables or shelves or they’d not be locked away. Your aunt’s items are of really good quality, even if not hugely valuable.’

  ‘Good thinking. Just lead the way and I’ll follow meekly behind you. This is where your expertise puts you in charge, your ladyship.’ He tugged an imaginary forelock at her and they both chuckled.

  She pulled out a notebook with attached pen. ‘I won’t remember all the details, so I came prepared. This suits me better than an electronic device because I can tear out the notes later and put them with the same type of memos at home.’

  ‘Why am I not surprised?’

  She looked at him uncertainly.

  ‘It was a left-handed compliment, teasing you about your efficiency.’

  ‘Oh. That’s all right, then.’ She wasn’t used to being teased, but it felt good.

  They moved slowly along the first few display cases, with her noting down prices of relevant items. At the end she stopped and looked at the scribbled figures. ‘I think your aunt’s collection might be more valuable than I’d realised if these prices are typical, though of course these are retail prices. You wouldn’t get this much for them at auctions, where prices can fluctuate unbelievably.’

  ‘It’d make me very happy to get more for them. An old house like my family home is always money hungry. You wouldn’t believe how much I spent catching up on maintenance when I inherited it.’

  After an hour or so, he called a halt. ‘They’ve got a refreshment area over there and a couple of tables. Let’s stop for a break and a snack.’

  ‘Oh, sorry. I keep forgetting that you need to go carefully.’

  ‘I slept well last night and I’m feeling pretty good today, but I don’t want to push myself too hard. Anyway, I’m thirsty.’

  They stood in front of a self-serve system, which seemed to rely on customers’ honesty because there was an open box for payments.

  As she was about to sit down, something caught Lara’s eye on a table of oddments nearby. She dumped her cup down next to his and hurried off, calling over her shoulder, ‘I’ll be back in a minute.’

  Only, she didn’t come back. He watched her pick up a few things, study them and put them down again. Then she moved on to study some pieces of furniture before picking up two wine glasses on her way back and bringing them to their table.

  When she sat down next to Ross, she said in a low voice, ‘I think your aunt’s tallboy is worth rather more than we guessed. There’s one like it for sale at just under £500.’

  ‘What? We won’t get anything like that at an auction.’

  ‘No, but by selling online, we can ask a lower price and still keep more of it for ourselves, because we won’t be paying commission. Though we may have to wait to sell some items, of course.’

  ‘Good thinking.’ He gestured to her hand, which was curved protectively around the two glasses. ‘What have you got there?’

  ‘Oh, just two old glasses. We may make a pound or two on them.’ She gave a quick shake of the head and changed the subject quickly.

  He took this to mean she didn’t want to discuss the glasses now. Were they valuable? They weren’t very big and looked rather scratched.

  Ross had been watching her with great interest, seeing a new side to the unhappy woman who’d needed a comforting hug so desperately. Today her eyes were bright and her whole bearing was that of a person enjoying herself. Her enthusiasm for old things was very attractive. Well, enthusiasm for anything was usually attractive, he’d found.

  She certainly seemed to know her stuff about antiques, too. She reeled off figures, knew what era many items were from before she even picked them up, and showed him makers’ marks he hadn’t even noticed on some items.

  ‘Why on earth did you go into management and sales when you’re so good at this stuff and you obviously love it?’ he asked before he could stop himself.

  ‘To make enough money to retire early and be independent financially. I saw how my husband relished the financial rewards of his hard work as he grew more successful and I wanted that security. Besides, I didn’t know nearly as much about antiques in those days. It was just a hobby I tried to squeeze into a busy life, so I didn’t even consider trying to find work in that area.’

  ‘Didn’t you discuss your career with your husband?’

  ‘Guy was working so hard I rarely saw him and he said there was no need for me to work that hard. But I was determined, so I tried to figure out how I could do better for myself. He wasn’t mean with money, but I wanted to be independent.’

  ‘You know, I think I’d have felt the same.’

  ‘Over the years I picked Guy’s brain
about business and management without him realising and I attended a few management courses. I gradually changed how I was working and made it clear I was available to travel. I took a big step forward when I was given my first overseas project to manage and made a success of it.’

  ‘How long did that take you away from him for?’

  ‘Three months. He was furious about me going off for so long but I enjoyed being in charge of the project and the kids were more or less off our hands by then. He could well afford to hire a housekeeper.’

  ‘Was that why you split up – you working away, I mean?’

  ‘It was the final straw, but we’d been growing apart for a while. Guy didn’t like living alone and said I should rethink what I wanted. He wanted a wife to look after things on the domestic front so that he could go after the money unhampered by such things as managing a house or answering distress calls from kids at uni. And he wanted the physical side of marriage, too.’

  ‘Was it worth the breakup of your marriage?’

  She shrugged. ‘I was ambivalent at the time. Now, I think it probably was. I’m a much stronger person because of it. But who can ever know for certain where another life choice would have taken them? I just wish I’d been more careful about choosing a financial adviser.’

  She shook her head and stared down at her clenched hands for a few moments, then asked, ‘What made you marry a woman like Nonie Jayne?’

  He took that change of subject as a signal that she’d shared enough personal information, so gave her his usual summary answer before suggesting they get back to their investigations. This time they grabbed a shopping trolley to accommodate their purchases, which included one or two inexpensive items for Lara’s house. She’d found a very pretty tray and a bargain box of household oddments.

  ‘You sure you don’t mind me doing this while I’m supposed to be working for you?’ she asked. ‘Only you don’t often get things as cheaply, and I don’t have any odd dishes and bigger bowls.’

  ‘I don’t mind at all. Stop worrying. I’m enjoying our outing.’

  By one o’clock, Lara had filled several pages of her notebook and put a few antiques in the trolley. Ross trailed behind her, starting to feel tired now. She was incredibly focused when she was doing something. He’d rarely seen such utter concentration.

  When she showed every sign of carrying on without a lunch break, he grabbed her arm. ‘That’s me done for the day, I’m afraid.’

  ‘Oh yes! Sorry, Ross. I forgot.’

  ‘I’ve only just started to sag. I’ve not done too badly.’

  As they got into the car, he realised she was fizzing with excitement and holding the bag containing the two glasses with great care.

  She turned to him gleefully. ‘I didn’t say anything in there in case someone overheard and wanted to charge us more, but I think these might be quite valuable. They’re not exactly traditional in size and shape but they look quite old.’

  ‘How can you tell?’

  She waved one hand as if trying to drag the words out of the air around her. ‘I don’t know. I just – have a feeling sometimes. And at a pound each, what have we to lose?’ She peeped into the bag to study them again. ‘I’m pretty sure they’re mid to late eighteenth century and since they haven’t any damage at all, they may be worth over a hundred pounds each, possibly more.’

  He could only gape at her. ‘You’re joking!’

  ‘I never joke about money. We’ll have to have them appraised by an expert, of course.’ She continued to clutch the bag. ‘Drive carefully. We don’t want to damage them.’

  When they got home, she slid out quickly. ‘I’ll take the glasses inside, then come back for my bits and pieces. You go and sit down.’

  He ignored that and helped her carry her oddments in, but was quickly ushered out again.

  ‘I need to get on with some of my own stuff now, if you don’t mind. I’ll take photographs of the glasses and send them to a guy I know first, though. It may be a day or two before he gets back to me. You look like you need a good rest.’

  ‘You seem excited.’

  ‘I am. If I’m right about these, it’ll pay for my food for a week or two.’

  ‘Is that how you think of them?’

  ‘At the moment it’s how I think of everything.’

  ‘Well, let’s hope we get good prices for them and for my aunt’s things.’

  But she’d already gone into her house.

  Ross smiled as he unlocked his front door and carried his things inside. She was such a focused person. What would she be like in a relationship?

  He stared in the direction of her house, puzzled. What had made him think of that?

  No wonder she’d been a success as a project manager – and hadn’t made a success of marriage to an equally focused person. To his mind, you needed two people to put their efforts into a relationship, not one and a half. The old phrase ‘give and take’ was spot on about what was needed on both sides. That was how he and his first wife had been.

  He was enjoying Lara’s company and there didn’t seem to be any nasty edges to her. It’d be hard to live at such an intense pace all the time, though. It’d be interesting to try to coax her into relaxing and see whether that made her happier – if you could be happy after all your savings had been stolen, that was.

  He did hope the police would catch this Crichton guy.

  He sent a wish for that flying into the ether, then smiled at himself for doing it. Diana had always done that, said it never hurt to send good vibes out. Ah, he missed her wisdom and kindness so much still. He didn’t miss Nonie Jayne at all.

  He sat down with a cup of coffee, going over the morning. Why had Lara’s ex dropped by today? Was he trying to get them together again? Ross frowned. He didn’t like the idea of her going off with that fellow. Two workaholics getting together again was a recipe for disaster, surely?

  It was none of his business, of course. She was his neighbour and employee, not his girlfriend. But he thought they might become good friends, perhaps more. He was attracted to her, but it would take more than physical attraction to keep his interest, so he wasn’t rushing into things.

  Nonie Jayne had been gorgeous-looking and good in bed, so beautiful he’d been bowled over by her looks. But she’d turned out to be a poor conversationalist, without an original idea in her head. She’d preferred to watch old movies on TV in the evenings rather than chat and had rarely watched the news or cared about the international situation.

  He’d been stupid to get involved with her. And bored after the first flush of enthusiasm.

  His first wife had been as much a friend as a lover and that had been a far more satisfactory basis for a relationship.

  The question was, did he want to get involved with someone else? Ross smiled ruefully. Well, he’d vowed not to when he broke up with Nonie Jayne, but did you get any choice about being attracted? Not really.

  He could feel his smile fading. You got a choice about what you did with an attraction, though. He’d try to make very sure of someone before he stepped into any close relationship in future.

  But he did like Lara, faults and all.

  A yawn cut off his increasingly tangled thoughts and he went for a lie-down.

  On the Sunday, Lara had intended to drive herself to Darcie’s, so that she wouldn’t be dependent on Guy for when she came back. However he didn’t return her calls, even though she left a voicemail message and texted him to say she’d rather meet him there.

  Unfortunately she got lost in the task of creating a website for selling Ross’s antiques and collectibles online, and to her annoyance, Guy arrived to pick her up before she’d even begun to get ready.

  Scowling, she flung open the front door. ‘I left a message that I’d drive myself over to Darcie’s.’

  ‘Seems silly to do that when you’re on my way there.’

  ‘Don’t be daft! I’m not on your way – unless you’ve moved house since I dropped you off at your flat a few da
ys ago.’

  His voice was mild. ‘You don’t know where I’ve come from today. Did I say I drove here from home?’

  ‘Oh, you always have an answer when you want your own way, don’t you?’

  He grinned. ‘I try to have.’ Then his grin faded to be replaced by a sympathetic look. ‘Had some bad news from the police?’

  She managed a shrug. ‘One sighting, then he vanished again.’

  ‘That’s tough.’

  Before she could stop him, he put an arm round her shoulders and gave her a quick hug. She only just stopped herself responding. Stepping quickly away, she busied herself making sure she had everything she needed in her shoulder bag.

  ‘Right. Let’s go.’ She led the way out briskly, but spoilt her gesture by forgetting to lock the front door till he reminded her.

  ‘Chill out, Lara! We’re not bound to an exact time of arrival at Darcie’s.’

  Why did men keep telling her to chill out or relax? She preferred to keep busy. Especially now. It kept her mind off her problems.

  Ross was just leaving and waved one hand to them. ‘Have a great time with your granddaughter, Lara.’

  She contented herself with a quick wave in response.

  Guy fussed around, closing her car door for her, then getting into the driving seat. ‘Do you tell that man everything you’re doing?’

  ‘We chat. All the neighbours do here. Everyone’s going round to Cindy’s tonight for drinks – she’s another neighbour.’

  ‘Lucky you. I don’t know any of the neighbours in my block of flats.’

  ‘In my experience, one rarely does in what they call executive flats. This place is the best I’ve ever discovered for a single person to live in.’

  ‘But they’re such small houses.’

  She looked at him in surprise. ‘Not all of them. Cindy’s house is quite big, actually. It’s that one.’ She pointed. ‘Only I couldn’t have afforded one of those unless I wanted to work for the company for another year or two. Which I didn’t.’

  ‘What will you do now that things have gone pear-shaped, get a job?’