111 West End

Chapter Two: The Tenants

Nick rolled up the set of drawings and slid them into a brown cardboard tube. His office overflowed with designs. Ten years of demanding work, hours upon hours of blood, sweat and tears, and he was proud of each one.

Nick's love of fast cars was the reason he had changed his career from civil engineer to track designer. More than a job, it was his passion. The curves, the lines, and the beauty of a well-designed circuit still gave him chills. He lost himself when he was designing and his attention to detail propelled his career forward much faster than anyone expected. Including himself.

A self-professed workaholic and perfectionist, he made sure he remained at the top of his profession, staying hands-on from conception to construction. With his area of expertise and experience in temporary race circuits, most of his work was abroad. Nick travelled a lot, and this caused a certain amount of friction at home. Absence, in his experience, did not make the heart grow fonder. It just made you a stranger.

He'd been working away when he received the phone call. Crouched by a safety barrier overseeing the installation of his latest design, he almost hadn't bothered to answer when his phone rang. Work came first. Anything else could wait. With his boss yards away, it seemed to him unprofessional to take personal calls, but there was something urgent in the ring. So he picked up. Only to receive the devastating news that Georgie had miscarried.

He travelled home that night.

Their loss had prompted the move. A fresh start would benefit them both and maybe the old wives' tale, new house, new baby, would be true for them. Although he wouldn't dare voice those thoughts to Georgina. Things were difficult enough between them, without him adding any more pressure.

"How's it going up here?" Georgie asked, stepping into his office.

"Slowly." Nick surveyed the growing pile of brown tubes and the stack of designs still to store and label. Although he kept all his designs on file, there was something about holding the drawings in his hands. A physical catalogue of his finest achievements.

"I can see that. How is it I can pack an entire house in the time you take to pack one room?" She tutted loudly and shoved a hand into her jeans pocket.

"I guess you are not as thorough as me." Nick ducked as she threw an empty tube at his head.

"Hurry! We need to leave by lunchtime tomorrow." She turned on her heels, leaving him to sort out his mess.

By some miracle, Nick had packed everything in his office by two-thirty that morning. He had placed the last file into a black plastic box. Clicked the lid into place and stacked it on top of the other twenty-three black plastic boxes. He'd gone to bed so exhausted he hadn't even bothered to undress. He simply lay where he fell.

Georgie woke him at seven the next morning, with a strong black coffee and a slice of buttered toast. Nick barely swallowed the first mouthful of coffee when the removal men banged loudly on the front door.

"For fuck's sake," he groaned to himself and placed his coffee cup on the bedside table before heading downstairs.

Georgie opened the door before he reached the bottom of the stairs. Nick listened as she greeted the men. She was always cheerful in the mornings. He was always irritable.

"Great day for moving?" A redheaded man, holding a clipboard, stood at the door. Nick barely contained his snort of disapproval. It was pissing down.

"We can't control the weather," Georgie replied with a resigned shrug.

Nick watched the guy's eyes drift to his wife's bright yellow t-shirt.

"No, guess we can't. Lead the way and we'll get this show on the road." The perv finally lifted his eyes from her chest. Fucking creep.

"I'll show..." Nick waited for the sweaty, hulking man to offer his name.

"Gary."

Nick didn't like the way Gary grinned at his wife.

"I'll show Gary where everything is if you put the kettle on," Nick said, as though he was doing Georgie a favour.

"Okay, no problem." She really wasn't aware of the effect she was having on the man.

Nick waited until she was gone and then walked towards his office. "This way."

The removal company came highly recommended by Mrs Tiptree, who owned the convenience store two streets over.

G&G Removals was a family-owned business established in 1985. Nick frowned at the large, heavily tattooed man trapesing mud through the house. Maybe they'd made a mistake hiring them.

Nick longed to take control. He was used to working with large teams of people. He knew how to run things efficiently.

"Don't even think about it," Georgie whispered as she snuck up behind him. "They know what they're doing. Resist the temptation to interfere."

"I would never interfere," he lied, flinching as the short stocky guy, carrying a very expensive mirror, almost tripped over a rug.

"Help me load the car with boxes to take to the new house." She knew him so well, it was as if she could read his mind.

"Fine. Show me these boxes."