“So you work in A&E instead?”
“For my sins. I’d really like if I never saw you there again, though.”
I couldn’t promise him that, and our conversation reached a natural end. Marc tipped me a nod and moved off, bossing it with his crutches with the same upper body strength Nash had.
He disappeared into a chalet. I stared at the closed door for the hot second it took to rally my thoughts. Then turned to face Joe and Lilliana as they appeared behind me, their lesson over.
Liliana was buzzing, helmet hair flattened to her forehead. “Did you see how high I jumped?”
“I saw you jump once. Then I had to hide in case Pápa asks if we had fun.”
“I did have fun.”
“Good for you. I aged ten years.”
“You never age,” Joe grumbled. “Your face is the same as when you were sixteen.”
“You didn’t see me when I was sixteen.”
“Whose fault is that?”
Mine. He’d come to the prison. I’d refused to see him. Wasn’t in the mood to relive that, though. Marc was right about moving forward, and I was here for the future. “Steels are going in tomorrow. I’ll start the block work the day after.”
“Thought you already did that?”
“We talked about it. You wanted the heavier gauge, so I had to wait for them to be delivered.”
Joe glared. “When’s that happening?”
“It happened today.”
“When?”
“Lunchtime.”
“I didn’t hear any lorries.”
“You were taking your nanna nap.”
Joe speared me with suspicion, but I didn’t feel like explaining I’d had Axel and Locke bring a truck to the furthest gate from the main site and we’d carried the steels across the fields of a neighbouring farm to keep the disruption away from his precious horses. He either trusted me or he didn’t.
I took Liliana’s helmet from her. “Come on. It’s a school night.”
“I’m not a baby.”
“Never said you were.”
Lili huffed and stomped away. I turned to follow, but Joe caught my arm.
“Sorry, I’m a knob. I just hate having strangers under my fucking feet.”
“Who’s under your feet?”
“Dunno. I’ll think of someone. But don’t break your back trying to finish by Christmas. It doesn’t matter, it’s not like we shut down for the holidays.”
“Maybe you should. Take a few days off.”
“Nags still need feeding, kid.”