Chapter 89: Now – Michael

"Yay!" Adam yells, lobbing a green foam brick, mortar-style, up out of the pen, followed by another in yellow. Beth snatches both of them, mid-air, with the practiced skill of a pro-fielder. But she won't meet my eye.

Hmmm...

"Mitch," I say, "Have you and Larry gotten any further with your ideas on how you'd like your apartment extending? And that area at the back."

Her face lights up. "Oh, yes. We've been talking about it." Then she looks away, flushing. "Actually, after you cleared the scrub, I've been talking about it. Larry just nods, agrees to everything I say and tells me to let him know when you need some money off him."

"A free hand, then. If Beth and James here are happy to take over baby-sitting duty, why don't you walk me around what you want."

*****

Half an hour later, to the rear of Mitch's apartment, a mass of string and pea canes mark the layout for water supply, drainage, and power cables.