Free The Bare Necessities (Non-Profane Edition) by John Harding

head and glanced around the room. “And if
music used to make you happy, perhaps cleaning it could mean a new
start,” she chirped optimistically. “I mean, if it made you happy
once then you could find other people to do it with. And then
you'll forget about her. Surely?”
    Jack sighed. “I
don't think it's that easy.”
    “You should try,”
Claire asserted and licked her lips. “No harm in trying is
there?”
    Jack snorted.
“Maybe,” he begrudgingly admitted.
    “But first, this
place needs a really good clean! Are there any dusters in here?”
She opened the door to the toilet and gagged; the water had dried
up and the smell from the sewer had punctuated the air. She flushed
it immediately and turned to her friend. “If I give you a list of
everything I need, cleaning product-wise, would you know where to
find them in the house? I'll clean it as a thank you for letting me
use it, but I would like to start tonight, if you don't mind. You
know where stuff is kept?”
    “Yeah,” Jack
promised and then shrugged. “Well maybe.”
    “I need polish,
duster, cleaning spray, cloth, vacuum cleaner, air freshener …”
    “Can you write
this down?” Jack asked with a smile. “I'll only forget.”
    “Sure,” Claire
said with a smile.
    “And I know
we’ve got a bottle of Pimms in the cupboard. I’ll bring that too,”
he added with a grin. “All this talk about exes, I think I need a
drink!”

Chapter
VII
    “What's this?”
Claire asked as she straightened the mixing desk and Jack passed
her a silver metal object.
    “It's a key,” he
said with a grin, stating the obvious.
    “Yes I can see
that,” she replied. “I am not blind. What's it for?”
    Jack hesitated.
“It's a front door key. A key to this place.”
    “Why do I need
that?”
    He shrugged.
“Well, when your friend is here, you won't want me around and,
well, you can come and go. If you leave it in the plant pots at the
bottom of the steps, I'll pick it up when you've finished. Just
send me a text.”
    “Oh,” Claire muttered in a disappointed voice. “I
kind of wanted you here to work the bloody knobs and buttons. I
can't do this stuff. What do you think I am, a bloody DJ?” He
smiled, and she stepped back. “If you want to, that is. You sort of
sounded like you wanted to earlier.”
    “Sure,” he agreed
and looked around the spotless room.
    “Was it ever this
clean?”
    “It never smelt of
peach,” he teased the buxom girl as he gently nodded. Posters of
his band had been replaced with photographs of musical instruments
that Claire had purchased from the market, as well as an LP that
she had spray-painted gold and fixed to a frame. It looked smart
and semi-professional, and the charming girl squeezed his hand; it
had taken her three evenings, but they both agreed it looked
fantastic.
    “Is it right for
banishing memories?” She asked with a playful smile that caused
Jack to grimace and then reluctantly concede that it was possible
he could forget Ellie. “OK, when is best for Paige to join us?”
    “Paige?”
    “My friend! You
know, the singer?”
    “Oh,” Jack cried
as he realised what Claire was asking. “I thought your friend was a
boyfriend?”
    Claire laughed. “I
told you, I am single! No, Paige, she's umm … I met her on holiday,
and we won the karaoke contest, I thought I told you about
her.”
    “Yeah, but I
didn't realise she was local.”
    “She's north
Croydon.”
    “Oh,” he muttered.
“That's the dangerous bit.”
    Claire laughed.
“Yes, it's the dangerous bit, but she's not dangerous. Well, not
that dangerous.” She giggled and pursed her lip. “So when's best
for you?”
    “Well, how about
all day Saturday. Mum and Dad fancy a long weekend away or even
Wednesday afternoon. I finish College at twelve, I could be here
for twelve thirty.”
    “OK, I'll ring
'er,” Claire muttered and then swore when the dreaded “out of
credit” message appeared.
    “Just use mine,”
he offered and Claire dialled