Adriana's Corner

Chapter 22

"Miles Gertrude Hamilton,

I think I'm buying another building. . .kind of. Will explain tonight.

Look forward to hearing your thoughts. Not right now as I'm assuming you have your phone on when you should be sleeping.

Go back to sleep. We'll talk later.

Night!!

From your over-excited friend,

Nina."

***

I wake up four hours later to the phone ringing. I curl into my blankets more, trying to ignore it. I'd get it if it wasn't so far away.

After getting back from Adriana's Corner, dropping off Taffy and emailing Miles, the fact I haven't slept properly overwhelmed me and I found myself crawling into bed. I really have to stop doing that when the house is open and people are here. It's a terrible habit to start.

I lay there for a while with my eyes closed, still feeling wrecked. The phone has stopped ringing so I just take in the silence. I can hear the girls in the kitchen, meaning I don't have to cook dinner again. I must ask them about the cat. I've been putting out food but after accidentally falling on it, I haven't seen it. The food's disappearing, though that could mean anything.

I still don't know how to thank the girls for doing this for me nearly every night. I still can't believe everything I've accomplished while I'm here.

Just over a month and I've done more than I have in the last fifteen years. What did I used to do with my time? Here I have time to start a new business, make friends, go shopping and nap.

In London I hardly found the time to eat lunch and the most out there thing I did was go and watch Miles sing. I know I still have Adriana's death to properly deal with but how? I didn't know her well enough to lament everything or have things constantly remind me of her. Only the café.

It's weird how she has taught me more about living after her death than she did when she was alive, though that may be my fault for not paying full attention to what kind of person she was when I should have.

There's a light knock at the door so I reluctantly sit up, wiping my dazed eyes. The enthusiasm of what I may be starting up has been dampened somehow by this lack of sleep.

"Yeah?" I call out wiping my eyes.

"Just me." Joe's voice says back. I push the blanket back and crawl to the door, still squinting my tired eyes. The scruffy, check shirted man just looks at me, eyebrows furrowed.

"Joe..." I sigh, leaning my head on the door-frame "I don't care how shocking I look, stop gawking at me like that."

The look stays firmly planted.

"You're buying another building?" he asks flatly. I frown at him, wondering how he found out. He holds the phone up, answering my unasked question.

"Taffy?" He shakes his head so I take it. "You're not a very good receptionist." I tell him, following him back down the hall.

"You don't pay me to be your receptionist."

"Hi Nina!" the girls chirp from the kitchen. I smile at them but spot Joe going back out.

"Don't go. I need to talk to you." I say before putting the phone to my ear and going to Romeo.

"Hi Miles, hang on a sec will you?" as Joe walks back in... "Joe there's cake in the fridge...see, I am nice to you sometimes. Okay, sorry Miles."

"It's fine." he says back.

"Sleep okay?" I ask as I turn on the coffee machine

"Yeah, good. So, you've bought another building?"