LOVE IS IN THE HEIR (COMPLETE)

Chapter 10

Edward was gobsmacked.

"I got a job working in a cafe for a crap wage and even the tips went on the mortgage. I had a second job as a cleaner at a doctors surgery first thing in the morning which paid for a room I had in a student house. I liked the doctors job as I got to make myself a cup of coffee and a biscuit in the morning but the landlord had meters in our rooms and I often ran out of money for electric. I had a tiny little electric hob that you use for camping that I could cook on. I made a mean fish finger sandwich," I said smiling at how excited I used to get making them.

"I can make them as well as hot dogs," Edward said proudly making me chuckle. "So with no electric you couldn't cook but what about heating?"

"No I had a fan heater and it obviously needed electric to work so I would just wrap myself up like a caterpillar in blankets and fall asleep as it was too dark to read and I would be shattered. The bathroom was shared and right next to my room so I was treated to all sorts of noises throughout the night," I said making him giggle as I pulled a face. "I would get up in the morning and find people collapsed in there so I would take my toothbrush with me and washed at the doctors whilst cleaning," I explained wondering what he would make of my confessions.

"What brought you here to this place?" he said looking around the room.

"I came to visit Arthur and Mary for the weekend as he was my fathers friend from childhood and I had an open invite at the funeral but if truth be known I was hungry and had no money for food so hoped they might make me sandwich," I said and giggled at the memory.

"What happened to your money?" he asked.

"My ex had some repairs done to the house and I had to pay half towards them as well as the mortgage payment which was all my wages. It was a bank holiday weekend so the doctors was closed. We had a new manager at the coffee shop who was a complete moron and hadn't put me on any shifts and I hadn't ate in two days. I thought its only 27.5 miles away and sunny I'll walk it, so I called to see if I could visit. Well I called the operator and said the pay slot in the phone had took my money and was blocked so she put me through," I shook my head at my old devious ways.

"27 miles!" Edward said. "Did they not come pick you up?" he asked.

"I didn't ask and didn't have time on the call so just said can I come over this weekend for a visit and they said yes. When I got here I was bare foot as the bottom had fell off one of my shoes," I laughed.

"You and footwear are a bad mix," he teased.

"We are," I agreed. "I was also sun burnt and dehydrated. They opened the door and looked me up and down as though to say who they hell are you. I sat in their kitchen with Arthur giving me water to drink and Mary was running a bath and swearing her head off. I could smell fresh cut cucumber, bread and tea. It was heaven. Arthur gave me a huge door step sized chunk of bread and butter with home made Jam it was the best thing I'd tasted in a year. I fell asleep at the table," I laughed.

"Well you had just walked 27 miles," Edward replied.

"Oh further than that, I got lost and my right hip was really sore so I was limping quarter of the way and got chin splints so I had to keep stopping," I rolled my eyes at how stupid I was.

"Painful. What did Mary and Arthur say?" he asked.

"They woke me to force me into a bath. Mary washed my hair and yelled to Arthur 'you can see her ribs' so that was the day Arthur saw me naked," I blushed.

Edward laughed.

"I tried to cover for myself by saying I had overestimated how far 27 miles was and had been ill lately so lost weight obviously it didn't work. Arthur said he would have been more convinced if I had said I had done the walk for charity and tried to get sponsor money. I was kicking myself for not thinking of that one I could have got a pound a mile," I said making Edward laugh too. "Arthur turned himself into a detective the minute I was upstairs with Mary getting into some of her PJ's and having a rest in a fresh made bed. He stole the keys out of my handbag and went to see where I lived. When he was there packing my stuff, as he decided I was going back over his dead body, my ex turned up looking for me and demanded to know where I was as I was £75 short on what he was due that month. I just didn't have it," I said shrugging as I didn't want Edward to think I was one to ignore my responsibilities. "They got into a row and Arthur punched him and got arrested."