Chapter Text
Aaron sighed and dropped his pen on the desk. He was more than fed up with the paperwork for the scrapyard, but ever since Adam left, there was no-one else to do it. And hiring an accountant, while tempting, was too expensive.
He decided to make himself a cup of tea and then get started on the cars that were brought in that morning. A bit of manual labour to wake himself up.
Suddenly there was a knock on the open portacabin door and Aaron looked up to see a tall blond man of about his age, maybe a little older, give him a hopeful look.
“What about ex cons?”
“You what?”
“The sign. Help wanted, idiots need not apply. What about ex cons?”
Aaron frowned and looked the man up and down.
He looked tired and his jacket seemed to be wearing him instead of the other way around.
“You’re an ex con?” Aaron asked. “You don’t look like it.”
“I didn’t know there was a certain way you’re supposed to look when you get out of prison. I guess they forgot to tell me.” The man replied without missing a beat.
“Right. Yeah. Sorry…” Aaron shook his head to clear his mind. “Uhm… you want to work here?”
“You’re hiring aren’t you?”
“Yeah…”
“And willing to pay me at least the minimum wage?”
“Of course.”
“Then I want to work here.” The man said.
“You don’t seem the type to want to do this kind of work.”
“Didn’t anyone ever tell you not to judge a book by its cover?”
Aaron raised an eyebrow.
“I thought you wanted to work for me? Picking a fight with me isn’t going to get you hired, mate.”
The man shrugged.
“I just don’t like people judging me when they don’t even know me.”
“I’m not judging you. It was just an observation.”
“Whatever.” The man sighed. “Are you going to hire me or not? Because if not, I’m wasting my time here.”
“Fine. I need the extra pair of hands.” Aaron decided. “Be here tomorrow morning 8.30 sharp and we’ll see how it goes.”
“Alright. I’ll be there.”
“Good.”
“Good. See you tomorrow.”
“Yeah. You too.” Aaron said and watched the man walk away. “Wait, I don’t even know your name!”
The man turned around and smiled.
“It’s Robert.”
—
“So you hired him without knowing his name?” Aaron’s sister Liv said during dinner later that day.
“I didn’t hire him!” Aaron protested “Well not… hire, hire. It’s just a trial to see how it goes.”
“But you’ll pay him… to work for you.”
“Yeah that’s kind of how it goes.”
“So you hired a guy that just got out of prison without knowing his name or what he did.”
“I need the help!”
“What if he’s some kind of psychopath?”
“He didn’t look like one.”
“Oh right, I’ll put that on your headstone then? He didn’t look like a killer.”
Aaron rolled his eyes.
“I really don’t think it’ll come to that.”
“Famous last words.”
“Don’t be so dramatic. He’s just a bloke trying to get back on his feet.”
“Yeah, after being in prison.”
“I was in prison. So were you.” Aaron reminded her. “Does that make us bad people?”
“No… but you don’t know what he did.”
“He seemed nice enough. I doubt a serial killer would come ask for a job at a scrapyard in some random little village in the middle of nowhere.”
“It’s your funeral.” Liv said, getting up from the table. “Ice cream?”
Aaron had laid awake for what felt like half the night, thinking about this Robert. He really had seemed nice enough. Not at all dangerous.
And, really, he should know better than to judge people by their past mistakes. He’d made plenty of those himself over the years.
Around 5am he gave up on trying to sleep and went for a run. His mind kept drifting back to Robert and why he gave him a job.
Was it because he was the only person that had even so much as showed an interest in the job since Aaron had put the sign up almost two months ago?
Was it the sadness and desperation that seemed to surround him (and Aaron wanted to make better)?
Was it because Aaron knew what it was like to try get your life together after prison and he wanted to help him out?
In the end he decided on a combination of all of those things.
He needed the extra hands and if this Robert bloke wanted to do the work, he was more than welcome to.
After he’d finished his run, Aaron went home to shower and change and let Liv convince him to give her a lift to college and grab breakfast together in Hotten.
It was nearing 8.45 when he pulled up at the scrapyard and saw Robert sitting on the steps in front of the portacabin, warming his hands on a travel mug.
“Hi. Sorry I’m late. I had to drop my sister off at college and traffic was a bit of a nightmare on the way back.”
Robert nodded and got up.
“Alright. Boss.”
“Right. Yeah. Uhm… do you want a brew before we get started?” Aaron asked, getting his keys out of his pocket and opening up the portacabin.
“No thanks. I brought my own.” Robert said, holding up the travel mug.
“Right. Well. Come on in and let’s have a chat then. Get some paperwork sorted and make it official.” Aaron said and rummaged around some drawers until he’d found the forms he needed. “Just fill these in.”
Robert nodded and grabbed a pen off Adam’s old desk and sat down at it while Aaron made himself some tea – and stopped himself from looking over Robert’s shoulder at what he was writing.
“There you go.” Robert said and handed him back the forms a few minutes later.
“Sugden?” Aaron asked when he read the forms. “I used to go to school with a Victoria Sugden. Any relation?”
“Uh yeah. Victoria is my sister.”
“Really? Small world. How is she doing these days?”
“She’s fine. Lives in Leeds with her son… and mine.”
“Oh you have a son?”
“Yeah.” Robert nodded. “He’s 6… or well, he will be in a few weeks. He’s my world.”
“Yeah? What’s his name?”
“Seb. Sebastian but Seb for short. Only his mum used to call him Sebastian.”
“Used to?”
“She died when he was only a few months old. Car accident.”
“Oh. I’m sorry for your loss.” Aaron said sincere but Robert shrugged it off.
“We weren’t together.”
“Still…”
Robert shrugged again and Aaron turned his attention back to the forms in his hand.
“Current address Room 5, the Grange B&B, Emmerdale?” He frowned.
“I’m still looking for a place closer to here. It’s a bit of a commute from Leeds.”
“Does Eric know this? That you’re basically living in that room for now? Because I’m sure he’ll charge you double as soon as he finds out.”
“It’s ok. I have some savings. Not like I could spend it inside.”
“What were you in for?” Aaron asked but immediately regretted it. “Sorry. It’s none of my business.”
“Does it matter?” Robert asked in return.
“No I suppose not. But don’t worry, I won’t fire you… unless it’s something with kids… or rape or something like that. Those are a no go for me.”
“I killed my sister’s rapist.” Robert blurted out.
“You what?!”
“I hit him over the head with a shovel, he was in a coma for two months, and then he died.”
“I… wow… that… erm…wow.”
“Yeah. Let’s just forget about this eh? I’ll go pack my stuff and pay up at the B&B and get out of here. I know nobody wants to hire a murderer.” Robert said sadly and got up to leave.
“Wait, wait, I didn’t say you had to go. And what are you going to do for money then? Will your savings last forever?”
“No. But I’ll figure something out. I’ll be fine.”
Aaron sat back and raised an eyebrow.
“You’re a good liar.”
“What? You think I’m making it up that I killed a man?”
“No, no I believe you did that. And I believe they should’ve given you a medal for that, not a prison sentence… but the whole I’ll be fine thing? That’s bullshit.”
“And you know that how exactly?”
“I know desperate when I see it.”
Robert snorted.
“You’re desperate for money and a job.” Aaron continued "I’m desperate for someone to help me keep this place going. We need each other.”
“Does that mean you’re hiring me?”
“If you still want the job, it’s yours.”
Robert smiled and shook Aaron’s hand.
Over the next few weeks Aaron discovered Robert was a hard worker and knew his way around a car engine.
“I used to be a mechanic when I was younger.” He explained during a tea break one day. “But my skills aren’t exactly up to date so don’t ask me to fix your car.”
Aaron laughed.
“I was a mechanic too. My uncle owns the garage down the road, I used to work there. But these days I only tear engines apart.”
Robert nodded.
“How did you end up owning this place then?”
“I started it with my best mate a few years ago. But he left… so now I’m on my own. Well… not quite anymore.”
Robert smiled.
He had a nice smile, Aaron had definitely noticed, but he’d also noticed Robert never so much as hinted that he liked men, or even men and women.
He talked about his son a lot and even showed Aaron some pictures.
“He’s a cute little guy.” Aaron said and meant it.
“Yeah.” Robert said, smiling wistfully at the picture on his phone. “His birthday is on Saturday. He’s so excited.”
“Did you get him something special?”
“Vic’s making a big chocolate cake for him, he loves anything sweet. And we’re taking the boys to this indoor playground in Leeds on the day.”
“That’s nice.” Aaron commented. “I have a little sister that wants to go there too. She heard about it at nursery and now she keeps nagging my mum and stepdad about it.” He said laughingly.
“I’ll tell you how it was on Monday.” Robert promised. “I hope it’ll be a day to remember because I’m competing with a racing car. One of those pedal things, you know? Seb’s aunt bought him that.”
“Your ex?” Aaron asked. Robert had told him a little about himself and his son’s complicated family.
“Yep. Chrissie. Even when she lives in another country she makes my life hell.” Robert sighed and drained the last of his tea. “Oh well, maybe next year I’ll be able to buy him something big and expensive as well. When I won’t have to spend everything I make on a B&B.”
“Still no luck in that department?”
Robert shook his head.
“Everything is either too expensive, too far away, or too much of a shithole.”
Aaron laughed.
“Maybe lower your standards a bit?” he suggested.
“It’s not for me, it’s for Seb.” Robert explained. “I’d sleep at the bus stop in the village if I had to, but Seb needs a proper home. With his own bedroom and running water and heat.”
“Move in with me.” Aaron said after a minute.
“What?”
“My house. It has two flats. Liv and I live in one, the other is free.”
“But…”
“Two bedrooms. Running water, heat, AND electricity.” Aaron grinned. “It’s furnished too… cheap IKEA stuff, but still.”
“Yeah? How much?”
Aaron shrugged.
“We’ll figure something out. I’ll give you mates rates.”
“Is that what we are? Mates?”
“Sure. Come on, let’s knock off early and I’ll show you the place. If you like it, you can move in right away.”