Goody Two Shoes (Invertary 2)

“Betty?” Josh stepped out into the hall.

The place actually looked worse than it had done half an hour earlier.

“Is that you, Yank? Caroline’s got me manning the damn phone.”

“Put her on, will you? I need a word.”

Josh waved his hand in front of him to cut through the plaster dust.

“No,” Betty said.

Josh stilled. “Stop screwing around, put Caroline on the phone.”

“She doesn’t want to talk to you. And it’s my job to protect her from your stupidity.”

“Did she say that?”

There was a cackle in his ear. “In as many words. She doesn’t want to talk to you, or see you, until the wedding.”

Josh frowned at the phone. “Did she say why?”

“No. She’s got a bug up her bum about something, but s

he isn’t sharing what.”

“I’m coming over,” Josh told her.

“You can come if you like, but she isn’t here.”

Josh stopped with his hand on the door to his office-slash-TV-room. “Where is she?”

“She said she wasn’t telling me, because she knew you’d ask.”

Josh growled and ended the call. Cutting off Betty’s latest bout of hysterical laughter. He entered his office.

“Josh,” the foreman shouted, “don’t go in there—”

Josh stepped into the room as he turned to the old man—and the floor disappeared beneath him.

He felt water hit his knees as his feet sank into mud. The floorboards were now chest level. Four men skidded to a halt beside him.

“I tried to warn you, son. We have a burst pipe. Had to rip up the floor.”

“I can see that. Seeing as I’m eye level with your knees. Now are you going to help me get out of here?”

“Aye.” The foreman started to chuckle. “In a wee minute.”

And then the four of them bent double laughing as Josh waited to be dug out of his hole.

“Josh phoned,” Betty said as Caroline swept into the centre. “He isn’t happy. I like this bodyguard gig. It’s entertaining.”

Caroline pursed her lips. “You are not my bodyguard.”

“Whatever you say, lassie.” Betty dismissed her with a smirk.

“What have you gone and done now?” Archie asked Caroline.

For some reason the domino boys had decided to hole up in Caroline’s office to play their game.