Chim- Can she fix it? YES SHE CAN

Chapter 40

The next morning, following emotional goodbyes to Joan and Garry, Cheryl, Nicola and Kimberley pile into the Bradfordian’s 4 by 4, Nicola offering to drive the first leg of the journey seeing as she’d slept most of the way up.  After getting stuck in a hold-up to the north of Sheffield all three are beyond ready for a comfort stop and the redhead has just pulled up in a parking space at the motorway services when Kimberley’s mobile starts ringing.

“Hello…Talis…yeah I can hear you…we’re just south of Sheffield why?  Oh…oh I see.  How’s that happened?  Nevermind, stupid question.  Hang on a minute I’ll pass you over to Cheryl”

Cheryl shoots a confused Kimberley a look , mouthing ‘what?’ as she takes the phone.

“She says there’s something up with the pool, apparently there’s a few puddles of water on one side where the tiling is”

Cheryl frowns,

“That can’t be right, it’s all sealed up, there shouldn’t be any water on the side unless someone’s been in the pool and it drips off their body”

Kimberley shrugs,

“Well tell her that, she seems pretty worried Cheryl”

Sighing the Geordie puts the phone to her ear,

“Hi Talis, look do you wanna take us through exactly what you’re seeing there…”

“I can’t believe it”

Cheryl picks at her chicken crossly before flinging the bare bone back into the cardboard bucket on the table between the three of them.

Kimberley raises an eyebrow,

“Well don’t take it out on the Kentucky.  Christ anyone would think you were the one who’d paid to have it all done not the builder!  I’m sure everything will be fine, it’s probably just something small”

“Listen to her Chez, there’s no use getting worked up” Nicola advises, shovelling a handful of chips into her mouth, “I’ll come back down and help you sort it…if that’s ok with you Kimba?”

“Yeah” the blonde nods, “you can give misery guts here some supervision”

Cheryl manages a crooked smile.

“Oi!  I’m not a misery, I just want things perfect.  Especially for you babe”

“Aww…love’s young dream…eurk!” Nicola makes a sick noise before sniggering as Cheryl whacks her on the arm.

“There’s still some daylight so that should make it easier for us to find the fault”

It had turned four ‘o clock, the journey back from Newcastle taking them just over six hours despite Kimberley’s usual speedy driving on the second half of the journey.

Cheryl hauls their cases out of the boot of the Range Rover, casting an upward glance at the cloudy sky,

“We’d best get on with it quickly though, looks like it‘s gonna rain”

“It’s an indoor pool, I hardly think the weather‘s going to make any difference” Kimberley states dryly.

“I guess” Cheryl replies, “ok ten minutes won’t hurt”

“Yeah I need to use your loo first, I‘ll make my way to the pool room afterwards” Nicola interjects, taking the house key from the blonde and heading for the large front door as Cheryl and Kimberley follow behind with their cases.

Humming to herself Nicola closes the toilet door behind her, heading out onto the massive landing, the central staircase and downstairs hallway joining the east and west wings of the house.  She’d spent most of her time at Garsforth in what was once the servant’s quarters in the east wing and the rest of the hall still seemed quite overwhelming in comparison.  It wasn’t so much that Kimberley hadn’t made it homely, in fact the blonde’s tasteful décor complimented the original features of the place perfectly.  It was more the sheer scale of the place compared to her and Cheryl’s modest one-bed roomed flats in the suburbs.