‘I know, and I’ll work on it, but I don’t have very long. I’m only here another couple of weeks.’

‘Can’t really see why you’re bothering then. Not if you won’t be sticking around. And it’s not as if it’s even planting season yet, is it?’ He gulped down the rest of his tea and put the mug down on the path. ‘Still, you know where I am if you want any help. I’m a builder by trade, so I can probably help out with the slabs and stuff if you do go ahead. Here, let me give you my number.’ He pulled a pen out from the inside pocket of his jacket and hastily scrawled a row of digits on Prue’s arm, just above the wrist. ‘Sorry, no paper!’ he joked as she tried to pull away. ‘Just remember to copy it down before you wash it off, eh?’

And then, stuffing a biscuit into his mouth, he went back to his mowing.

Prue sat for a while and watched him, until she’d finished her tea. ‘This mate of yours? The carpenter?’ she said, as Simon drew near enough to hear her. ‘Would he be up for a bit of bartering, do you think?’

He cut the engine again. ‘Bartering? Like beads and pebbles, you mean?’

‘Of course not. No, it’s just that if there’s no money for the garden stuff, maybe we could trade favours in some way? He’s not getting married or anything, is he? The carpenter? Or has a new baby maybe? Only, I’m a photographer and I could do a free shoot, in exchange …’

‘Not that I know of. But it’s not a bad idea. I can ask around for you. Some free paving slabs, wood, plant pots … who knows what people might be willing to swap for a good set of photos? I don’t suppose any of the other residents have anything to offer as well, do they? Any secret skills? I know my mum and dad are after someone to make them an anniversary cake. Something special for their twenty-fifth.’

‘No idea, but leave it with me and I’ll find out. I do know that Aaron’s mum in flat six is into sewing …’

‘Suzy, you mean?’

‘Oh, do you know her?’

‘Yeah, but I doubt that she’s up to much sewing somehow.’

‘Do you? Why’s that?’

‘You haven’t met her yet then?’

‘No. Why? Is there something I should know?’

‘Only that I wouldn’t let her near you with a needle if I was you, not even to get that splinter out of your finger.’ He looked up towards the closed window of flat 6 and lowered his voice. ‘Poor woman had some kind of accident a few years back. She’s totally blind.’

‘Why didn’t you tell me about your mum?’ Prue had invited Aaron up to look through the photos he’d taken by the river, now that she’d finished editing them.

‘What about her?’

‘I was talking to Simon, the odd-job guy.’