Love, or Nearest Offer by Adele Geras

Author:Adele Geras [Geras, Adèle]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781784295400
Publisher: Quercus
Published: 2016-07-15T05:00:00+00:00

Josie

‘I thought,’ said Josie, looking up from her desk, ‘that you were getting to be as keen as I am. Clearly you’re not. Am I going to have to have that fight all over again?’

Will had stretched out on the sofa with the newspaper unfolded over his chest. Josie had assumed he was reading, now that Zak was finally asleep. He hadn’t said a word for ages. He’d probably been snoozing. Then he’d sat up suddenly and said, ‘About Mansfield Cottage. Should we think again, d’you reckon?’

Josie sighed. Since they’d made their offer, she had been talking and talking, trying to reassure Will that, really, it was their dream house, that they would be fine and, most important of all, that he would find work. Talking and talking was one way of describing it. Actually, they’d had a couple of real arguments. She’d been near to tears more than once as Will appeared to be digging his heels in. Too far to travel from Mansfield Cottage to London. What would he do when he got another job? It was time to start looking for one. Hanging around the flat, occasionally going out with Zak and fixing every tiny thing that needed attention wasn’t going to cut it for ever. But the last time they’d spoken, Josie had thought she’d nailed it.

‘We agreed ages ago, I thought, that you could start your own business,’ she said, ‘if no one will employ you!’

‘Doing what?’ he’d replied.

‘I’ve had a couple of ideas but I’m sure something will turn up.’

‘That’s mad,’ Will answered crossly. ‘What if nothing does? You have to agree that’s a much more likely scenario.’

Since then they’d batted about lots of crazy ideas and a few sensible ones, like her original idea of a decorating firm. At least, they were sensible in Josie’s opinion.

‘You’re good at so many things, Will,’ she said. ‘Just think of what you’d like to do.’

He’d shut up after that and, to be fair to him, he had started to think about what a business plan might look like, if he could only decide what the business might be. Now he was bringing the whole thing up again.

‘It is ridiculously situated, don’t you think?’ he said.

‘There’s nothing so special about living in London,’ Josie said patiently. How often could she repeat herself? How long would Will keep banging on? ‘I can think of lots of advantages to living in a place where you look out of the window and see green stuff all around. Also, as I’ve told you already, the nearest school looks brilliant. The move’ll be good for Zak. We promised him a dog, remember? You promised, too. He’s going to have to wait ages as it is. Mr Church doesn’t seem in too much of a hurry to move, does he? It took me hours to explain to Zak about house chains. He’s got it now. He knows it might be weeks and weeks before we move in.’

‘It’s a hell of a commute if I get a job in London.

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