Free Lola's House (Lola Series) by Suzie Groers Page A

the kitchen to see what I can find for a snack.  The fridge is considerably fuller than when I left this morning so it looks as if Robert has bought his own provisions. 
    I g et myself a big lump of cheese, some grapes and crackers and a glass of wine to wash it all down with.  I arrange them on a tray ready to take back to my room with me, and then notice my mobile is still on the table from this morning, so I pick it up and find several missed calls and texts, a couple of them are from Robert I notice wryly.  I smile to myself as I read a message from James asking me if I fancy going to Bridgnorth for a picnic on Sunday, so I quickly reply yes, I’d love to and then slip my phone into the pocket of my robe so I don’t forget it again. 
    I am just sneaking back up the hallway when Robert’s door springs open and his head pops out.  ‘Hey, Lola, come in and have a look around.’
    I c an’t really say no, so I put the tray on the hall table and follow him into his room.  I stand near the doorway and glance around.  It feels a little bit weird being in my own house and feeling like an intruder, I’m not sure whether I should cross over the threshold or not but Robert beckons me further into the room.  There is a big brown suede couch to one side of the room with a walnut coffee table positioned in front of it.  On the table a few motorcycle magazines, which doesn’t surprise me, and by their side are a pile of papers with a laptop on top.  As I walk further into the room my feet sink into a deep pile cream coloured rug, which takes up most of the floor space. Arty photographs of beach scenes lean on top of the mantelpiece.  To the right of the fireplace he has positioned a huge widescreen tv on a glass stand. 
    ‘What do you think?’ he asks, his face clearly eager for my opinion.
    This room had been saved as the best parlour when my Gran and Granddad had been alive and only used on special occasions.  It had been filled with mahogany furniture and antimacassars, and always had a feint smell of beeswax .  Now, there is a whiff of expensive spicy cologne in the air.  I sniff and nod my approval.  ‘I think it looks great, better than my sitting room in fact.’
    ‘Thanks , come and have a look through here,’ he says, his long legs striding off towards his bedroom and I follow him into the room where a huge king sized bed takes up the centre of the room.  I wander over to it and instinctively sit down and test it for bounce.  A small smile tugs at the side of his mouth, and I spring up again feeling a deep blush creep up my neck and into my cheeks.
    He is kind enough not to comment and motions around him.  ‘Do you approve?’
    ‘I think it’s lovely, you’ve obviously got a flair for interior design.’  I c an’t fault his choice of furniture or the layout.  It was contemporary, with a chilled twist.
    He rub s at the bristles on his chin.  ‘Oh, it’s just a few things I had from my old place.’
    My curiosity was piqued.  ‘Where was your old place?’
    ‘I’ve lived in Edinburgh for the last ten years but we’ve closed down the office and I have located back to the Midlands, so I put my flat up for sale and here I am.  Most of my stuff is still in storage.’
    ‘So you’re looking for a new place?’ I knew I was digging, but I wasn’t certain how long he would be staying without coming straight out with it.
    ‘Yes, but not found anything that ticks all of the boxes yet,’ he says, wandering over to the coffee table and picking up the remote to turn the sound off the television.
    Harley , who had been quiet all this time got out of his bed and came trotting over to me and rubs his cold wet nose on my leg.  Robert bends down and gently pulls him away, probably still believing I’m scared of dogs.  ‘Thanks for being so good about Harley, I really didn’t mean for him to be here when you got back.’
    ‘ Well, he seems a bit quieter than earlier.’  I bend down to