‘Well, we have to discuss it first. There are other candidates.’

‘Sure, I understand. Do you want me to wait outside?’ He points to the door, casting another smile in my direction. ‘Or if it’s a problem, don’t worry about it. You might rather have a female. I get it.’

‘No it’s not that,’ I say, not that at all.

‘It’s just… I have another offer that I have to reply to today… and…’ He leaves his dilemma hanging in the air.

‘Okay, myself and Tara will have a chat. Can you wait outside for a few minutes?’

Andriu steps out into the hallway, leaving Tara and me looking at one another like we’ve just won the lotto.

‘What do you think?’ Tara says.

‘I kinda liked Annemarie from admin,’ I say.

‘Me too… but she doesn’t look anything like him.’

Pausing for a moment, I look at Tara, who’s waiting patiently for me to make my mind up.

‘He probably has loads of hot friends,’ she says, smirking. ‘I know who I want.’

I feel like a mammy in a sweet shop holding my decision on whether my child can have something. I’ve already made my mind up but it’s worth teasing it out to build the excitement.

‘Okay, sure. We’ve nothing to lose; he says he’ll pay upfront. Let’s give him a trial.’

‘Andriu.’ Tara calls him back in.

The wind blows open the back door when Andriu walks in. Tara rushes over to close it and puts an empty keg up against it to keep it closed.

‘If you’re happy with the room we’ll give it a try for a few months, see if it suits us all,’ I say.

‘Sounds like a plan, can I move in straight away?’

‘Don’t you want to see the room?’

I move out to the hallway and Andriu follows. Pushing open the door of the room next to the kitchen, we step inside. An old black leather sofa sits against one wall with a couple of threadbare cushions at each end. A wooden chair with a spindle missing from the backrest sits against another wall. The large black TV looks out of place in the corner of the room. It’s the only modern thing in here. My dad bought it for me when I moved in and had Sky come out to rig it up. Andriu nods his approval when I tell him we have all the stations. Then we move back out to the hallway and I take him up the creaky wooden stairs towards the small bedroom at the front of the house. On the landing, the smell of green tea lingers in the air from when I used the shower earlier. Andriu is commenting on how clean the place smells when I open the door and show him his room.