When Ric eventually woke on the Saturday morning, it was nearly ten thirty. Thank god that he also had a day off, and that Nick Jordan would be coming back from the same conference as Elliott to take over from him and Connie, and to give them some much needed rest. At first he couldn't work out where he was, but then the warmth of the bed and the softness of the duvet reminded him. He was in Connie's house, where she'd all but ordered him to come with her last night, after finding that he was yet again destined to sleep in the on call room. Stretching languidly, it occurred to him that he hadn't slept so long or so soundly in far too long. There were no neighbours disturbing his sleep with either their rows or their music, and there were no cars or lorries hurtling passed outside his window. Then something else caught his wandering attention. It was the smell of grilling bacon, an aroma sure to wake any man from any lingering slumber. Getting out of bed, he pulled on his trousers of the day before, and absent-mindedly rubbed at the stubble on his chin.
As he opened the bedroom door and began walking down the richly carpeted stairs, the aroma of strong, fresh coffee joined that of the bacon, almost making his senses go into overload. When he entered the kitchen, Connie looked up from the paper she was reading and flashed him a tired but happy smile. "You look well rested," She commented pleasantly. "Would you like some coffee?" "Please," He replied, sitting down at the kitchen table and allowing his still sleepy eyes to begin waking up. Seeing that he wasn't quite awake, Connie didn't try to drag him into conversation, but waited until he had downed a sizeable portion of the strong, black coffee she had placed before him. "You need your caffeine like I do," She said with a smile of recognition as he instantly began to look more human. "I don't know many consultants who don't need caffeine to get them going," Ric said sardonically. "And I don't know many men who don't instantly appear at the first sign of cooking bacon." As she said this, she removed the pan from under the grill, the bacon sizzling invitingly. "I take it you would like some," She added, as though determined to prove her assertion correct. "Definitely," He replied with gratifying enthusiasm. As she began to transfer the piping hot bacon to fresh granary bread, Ric asked, "I don't suppose you possess something so mundane as tomato ketchup?" "Of course," She said, gesturing to one of the higher kitchen cupboards. "And don't look like that," She said, correctly interpreting his expression of surprise. "I think I grew up on the stuff. It was the only thing that made my mother's cooking even vaguely edible."
When they were contentedly eating, Ric raised the subject that had been intermittently troubling him since he'd arrived here last night. "I'll try not to get under your feet for more than a couple of days," He said, before taking a bite of his sandwich. "Ric," She said, after taking a swig of her coffee. "A little thought occurred to me last night, before I fell asleep." "I'm surprised you had time for any," he put in with a smile. "Yes, so was I, but there you are. Not to put too fine a point on it, you currently have nowhere to live, and I have more space in this house than I could ever find use for. Why not share it with me?" Putting down the remainder of his sandwich and staring at her, Ric couldn't quite believe what he was hearing. But when her words had finally sunk in, he said, "I can't afford to pay you rent, Connie." "I don't want you to pay me rent," She said as though it was the most normal thing in the world to simply offer a share of her space to just anyone. "And I will not take charity from you," he told her firmly. "It isn't meant to be," She said a little exasperatedly, and then tried to explain. "Ric, I have hated this house and everything it has represented for more years than I care to contemplate. By agreeing to share it with me, you might just enable me to lay a few ghosts." Seeing that his stony expression hadn't yet abated, she added, "I'll do a deal with you: you share the cost of food and the phone bill, and I will consider that to be a perfectly satisfactory form of rent." "Let me think about it," He said noncommittally. "I wouldn't expect anything less," She said with a smile, knowing that he would give in eventually, purely because he didn't really have any other option.
As Ric stood under the hot shower a little while later, scrubbing away all the grime of too many days and nights on duty, he did think very carefully about her offer. It had been open, sincere, and containing none of the game playing antics she was all too famous for. If he did take her up on her suggestion, it would solve at least some of his problems. Not having to pay the sort of rent he'd been paying for the last few months, would mean that he could put more aside to paying off his debts. With what they allowed him each month, he could easily contribute to food and phone bills, and if this was really all she wanted from him, plus the thought of not being entirely alone in this rambling old pile, then it was certainly a deal he could live up to. As he shaved and cleaned his teeth, and remade the bed, he knew that simply by his actions of trying to put some order into this luxurious room, his decision had been made. When he finally reappeared downstairs, he found Connie sitting in front of an open fire going through what looked like a week's worth of post. "Connie, if your offer still stands, then I'd like to take you up on it," He said, moving into the room and standing in front of the fire. "Good," She said, briefly looking up from her Mastercard bill. "Here's to a most satisfactory arrangement," She said, lifting her half-empty coffee mug in a toast, sealing the bargain, and hopefully sealing the beginnings of a true, sincere friendship.