It took almost a week of non-stop work, but we finally decorated and furnished the entire house.
Having the windows open all day, every day helped to get rid of the new-paint smell.
Our kitchen cupboards were fully stocked with food, pots, and pans.
Ava and her parents had come over the night before to see the place.
Ava had loved it; her parents had too, but I could tell they were disapproving of the fact I was living with David.
“What do we do now, then?” I asked David, the Sunday morning after we’d finished decorating. “I mean, we don’t have to do anything. There are no walls to paint or furniture to assemble… We’ve done the shopping…”
David shrugged and flopped down onto our new sofa with a beer in his hand.
“I think there’s a cricket match on.”
I started at him for a moment, before smiling wryly and sitting down next to him.
He flicked onto the cricket and we watched in a companionable silence for a while.
“I set you a bank account up,” David said randomly. “It’s with my bank, but everything’s in your name.”
“Oh… thanks. I don’t have much money to put in it, though.”
“I put some in for you. Well, I put two hundred thousand into a locked account until you’re twenty one, and I split ten thousand pounds into two ISA’s and an everyday savings account.”
I stared at him.
“You… you don’t have to give me your money,” I said stiffly, feeling uncomfortable.
“It doesn’t matter, Triss. I told you, I have a lot of money from Karen’s dad. I have no idea what to do with it.”
“Invest it in something,” I said. “Shares or something.”
“I don’t know anything about the stock market, really. I’d forget I have them probably.” He shrugged. “It doesn’t matter, Triss,” he said again.
I knew I wouldn’t change his mind, so I dropped it; reluctantly.
“Perhaps we could do something to celebrate getting everything finished tonight…” He suggested tentatively. “Dinner? Or we could go to the cinema?”
I nodded.
“I don’t mind the cinema. I’d like to see Contraband.”
“Mark Wahlberg?”
“Yeah.”
David nodded agreeably.
We spent the rest of the afternoon watching the cricket and talking.
David’s mother called at about three, and he spent a long while trying to explain to her why he’d changed his number.
I spent half of the conversation trying not to laugh at him.
“Didn’t she realise you’ve moved?” I asked once he hung up.
“No…” He looked guiltily at me. “She doesn’t know I divorced Karen.”
“Why not?”
“She loves Karen.” He mumbled. “She sees her as the daughter she never had.”
“Sorry,” I said after a moment, not really sure what to say. “Will she be angry?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps.” He rubbed his ear awkwardly. “I just… don’t want to disappoint her.”
He sighed and sat back down next to me.
I squeezed his hand reassuringly.
“Perhaps you could invite her over for dinner? Show her this place and tell her then.”
“I suppose I could,” he said doubtfully.
“Ask her over next Friday. I’ll make dinner.” I offered.
“Alright.” He ruffled my hair affectionately. “You’re turning into a proper little housewife, you know that.”
I batted his hand away with a glare.
“Are you calling me a woman?” I demanded.
“Well… in this relationship, yeah.” David smirked at me.
I huffed and folded my arms moodily.
“You’re a woman,” I grumbled.