Waiting For You. Catherine Miller

checking all the local CCTV footage in the hope of seeing something. If it’s a serial offender, hopefully they’ll get caught soon, but I wouldn’t want this happening to anyone else.’ Leon sat so close to her they were touching.

      ‘Do you think they’ll come back?’ Fliss was rather glad they’d not purchased a place here or she’d be worried sick. Even being half an hour down the road, the thought of someone going round and setting properties alight in search of some kind of sick high was upsetting.

      ‘No. The fire people said it was a random attack. I just got unlucky.’

      Fliss picked up her mug, aware of how close Leon was. ‘Are you going to stay here tonight?’ The front door wasn’t damaged enough to stop it functioning. With a bit of tidying he could stay if he wanted to.

      Leon flicked his long dark hair back and his piercing hazel eyes looked straight at her. He was hard to read. He was six foot plus of solid man, but something told her anyone faced with a fire in their own home would have been scared shitless by the event. ‘Not yet. My mate Greg has said I can stay with him as long as I need to. I’m going to wait until the hallway is redecorated before I consider coming back. I keep getting flashbacks. That’s why I don’t want to stay here at the moment. It’s only because it’s so fresh in my memory. They won’t come back, but it would be a great help if, when I come into the flat, I’m not instantly reminded of what’s happened. Do you reckon you’ll be able to do the work?’

      It wasn’t a massive job other than the technicalities of getting rid of the smoke damage. It would neatly fill the delay on her next project as long as Leon didn’t mind her fitting it in on the days she was free. ‘The building work at Westbrook mansion has delayed my start there, so I’m free until that’s finished. I might have to shuffle things about if they want me to start, if you don’t mind that.’

      ‘So you can start straightaway?’

      ‘Pretty much.’

      ‘Fantastic. Let me know how much it’ll be when you’ve decided on what can be done out there and we can start sorting that mess out.’

      After finishing their coffees, Fliss inspected the hall with more scrutiny while Leon checked his office. For now she would concentrate on striping back the damage, once that was sorted she would think about how to make the interior reflect Leon’s personality. There was more to him than what she’d discovered so far and she was going to enjoy learning more about him.