Pretty Falling Pieces by Isabelle Culpo
Chapter Four
Jet lag creeps up on me the next morning.
One minute I’m finishing up a surprisingly delicious homemade stir fry and heading off to bed, the next it’s 11 a.m. Sunday and I’m due to meet Jess for lunch in two hours.
A few pieces from my newly purchased wardrobe are thankfully washed, ironed, and hanging in my closet, ready to throw on. I pull out the cream cardigan with pearl detailing and a pair of light blue jeans, pairing those with diamond stud earrings and nude heels that I already owned.
After putting on some makeup and tying my hair up in a loose bun, I head out the door.
My self-appointed stylist, Jess, messaged me this morning and I’m surprised it didn’t wake me. Look cute, was all she said.
I don’t know about cute, but I hope this will suffice.
* * *
When I arrive, I see she’s secured us an outdoor table under a fragrant canopy of pink and purple wisteria.
“You look perfect,” she says, standing to kiss me on the cheek. There’s a pride in her eyes that I don’t remember seeing before I left for Africa. It makes me question how she felt being seen with me before.
“Thank you,” I reply. “So do you, as per usual.”
She fluffs out the skirt of her floor length coral dress then sits. “Have a seat. The guys are just getting the drinks.”
“Guys?” I ask.
I catch her trying to hide a smile. “Yeah, Trent and his friend are buying us lunch today. I think you two will get along well.” My eyes widen and she lets a snicker slip. “There’s also the fact that he’s sexy as fuck. So even if you don’t talk to him, he’ll still be fun to look at.”
“Why didn’t you warn me we’d be having company?” I whisper.
“Because I knew if I did, you wouldn’t come.”
True.
“Now calm down, you look beautiful!” She reaches over, fussing with the pieces of hair framing my face. When I see two men from the corner of my eye approaching, I bat her away, mortified.
Instinct tells me that Trent is the first to the table, carrying two tall glasses of white wine in his hand. He’s tall and handsome with pale blue eyes, sandy blond hair and a beard. “Imogen, hi.” He extends his hand out to me. “I’m Trent, your future brother-in-law.”
I turn to Jess, noting her face lighting up like a Christmas tree.
Okay, that was kind of cute.
Together they make a stunning couple.
“I feel like I already know you, Jess talks about you so much.” He takes a seat next to her.
“Thanks Trent, it’s nice to meet you.”
He looks past me to the man standing behind me.
The one I haven’t allowed myself to look at yet and don’t really want to.
“This is my best mate, Theo. Although I believe you’ve already met,” he says, winking.
Surely not.
I turn my head and lo and behold, it’s the same Theo from last night, dressed in dark jeans and a crisp white t-shirt that shows off his tanned forearms. They were covered last night and I think this man needs to wear sleeves permanently. It’s a health and safety risk having them out on display like that.
Before taking the seat next to me, Theo offers his hand to me again, and I suddenly remember how I left him hanging last night. “It’s nice to see you again, Imogen.”
When I place my hand in his, my breath catches.
Loudly.
Like I’m a sheltered spinster from the 1800s.
Jess barely contains herself.
I’m going to kill her for this.
She’s saved by the bell though because the waiter arrives at our table to take our order. Since I’m in the company of three supermodels, I opt for the healthiest thing on the menu, a Green Goddess Salad.
“Theo, how’s the waterfront development coming along?” Jess asks.
“Good. Construction is underway so we’ll start fitting it out soon. Yesterday our engineer fucked up our roof guttering system, so we had a massive internal leak, but luckily that’s now fixed.”
Trent scoffs, “As if!” and that’s when I see the teasing in Theo’s eyes.
So that’s why he missed the party.
Theo laughs at Trent taking the bait. While they continue discussing industrial draining, Jess leans back in her chair, tapping her fingers together like an evil mastermind.
What is she up to?
“Theo, did you know that Imogen’s an interior designer? Since she’s just got back from Africa, her schedule’s free right now. Maybe she could help you with the waterfront?” she suggests innocently.
I tap her leg under the table, but she keeps her eyes directed at Theo.
“I’m sure he already has people on his team working on that, Jess,” I quickly add. The last thing I want is for him to feel obliged to say yes since he’s been put on the spot.
“I don’t. We usually outsource design during the later stages of the project. Would you be interested, Imogen?” His eyes bore into me, awaiting an answer, but my brain short circuits.
For him to even consider me is incredibly generous, but I only have experience designing residential.
“Honestly, it’s fine” I say, shaking my head “I’ve got a few of my previous clients lined up who want work done. I don’t have experience on a project of that scale anyway.”
“I can help you with anything you’re not sure of. We’re not quite at the stage where you’d need to be working on it full-time so you can continue with your existing clients. My office is downtown. We can meet tomorrow morning at ten if that works?”
I can see now why his company’s so successful. He doesn’t take no for an answer.
I nod and smile, but it doesn’t reach my eyes. “Okay then.”
He smiles at me when I accept, and it’s so breathtaking I want to dip my head in the champagne bucket filled with ice.
“Well, that’s settled then,” Jess claps, satisfied that her work here is now done.
* * *
By the time we’re on our second round of drinks, Theo turns to me. “What were you doing in Africa?”
“I was working at a sanctuary in Kenya that rehabilitates orphaned elephants. Rubanza is looking to expand in the next couple of years to facilitate the care of other species and build a medical centre. I came back to New Zealand to help raise funds.” Like anytime I speak about Africa, my throat feels tight.
Theo looks surprised by my answer.
“She spent eight months there volunteering,” Jess, my personal cheerleader, adds just as our food is served. My salad looks fresh and vibrant with crunchy green romaine leaves, spring onions, feta, and diced cucumber. Not quite as appetising as the steak and fries Jess ordered, but still edible.
* * *
Lunch breezes by as we enjoy the food, atmosphere, and company.
The chemistry between Jess and Trent is palpable, both of them feeding off each other and delivering witty lines that have all four of us in fits of laughter. I can tell Jess has finally met her match in Trent. He’s not only funny and sweet, but he can keep up with her vivacious personality.
As hard as I’ve tried not to look, there have been a few times where I could’ve sworn Theo was staring at me, despite the fact that I barely contributed much to the conversation.
“I don’t know about you guys, but I’m stuffed. Trent and I are going to head back to my apartment,” Jess announces, patting her washboard stomach.
“Yeah, same, I ate way too much. We’re gonna have to burn off all these extra calories somehow, babe,” Trent says.
Jess rolls her eyes, but the smile on her face suggests she was thinking the same thing.
“Theo, since Imogen’s place is on your way home, why don’t you drop her off?” she says, getting way too comfortable in her self-appointed role of matchmaker.
“Of course. I’d be happy to.”
“That’s very sweet, but I only live ten minutes away so there’s no need. I can walk home.”
“C’mon Imogen, let me take you home, I’ll be offended if you say no.”
I’ve been too shy to make eye contact with him throughout lunch, and now we’ll be trapped in his vehicle together. By ourselves. The truth is I don’t spend very much time, okay any time, around guys my age alone.
It’s not really them I’m worried about either. It’s me. I never know what to say and usually make the situation awkward for the both of us. He stares at me expectantly and I find myself nodding my head.
When he puts it like that, how can I say no?
* * *
As we’re about to leave, I go to pay my share of the bill, but Theo grabs my wrist, the same way he did last night.
“The car’s this way,” he laughs.
“I need to pay for my lunch,” I reply, releasing from his grip.
“It’s already been taken care of.”
“Wait, did you settle the bill? I don’t have any cash on me, but I can transfer the money if you send me your bank number.” I dig out my phone from my hand bag, opening my banking app.
He smiles. “It’s fine, I’ve got it covered. I owed Trent a lunch anyway.”
“Please, I wouldn’t feel comfortable allowing you to pay.” I know I should probably be gracious and thank him for his generosity. If it were a coffee and muffin then maybe, but this was an expensive restaurant. I’m sure the bill would have been considerable given the amount of alcohol we were drinking too.
“Give me your number then, and I’ll text it to you,” he concedes, pulling his phone from his pocket.
I list off my number, and he enters it into his phone. A message from an unknown number pops up immediately.
UNKNOWN:I said don’t worry about it ;)
“Theo!” I groan.
“I’ll tell you what, why don’t you shout the coffees for our meeting tomorrow.”
“Okay then, deal, and thank you for lunch by the way.”
“You’re welcome. Now let’s go.” He drops his hand to my lower back and guides me towards the exit, making me fret over the pace at which I’m walking.
Once out on the street, I notice a fitted out black Range Rover parked only a few feet away.
Of course he would own a car like that.
We get inside and the first thing I notice is how immaculate the interior is and the smell.
It smells sexy.
Like it’s been lightly spritzed with a bottle of the world’s finest cologne. Theo’s cologne.
“So how did you end up at Rubanza?” he asks.
He remembered the name, impressive.
“I attended an exhibition in London on sustainable interiors and met Nicola, one of the founders. She explained the work she was doing in Kenya to help prevent the ivory trade. I’ve always loved animals, so when she told me about the sanctuary, I felt obligated to help in some way. Once I came back to New Zealand, I was only here for a few weeks before I decided to pack my bags and head to Africa. It’s been one of the best decisions I’ve ever made,” I say, choosing to leave out some of the more personal aspects of the story.
“That’s impressive, Imogen.”
I beam under his praise and can’t seem to stop myself from smiling.
He glances down at my mouth then clears his throat. “So, did you break anyone’s heart when you left?”
Definitely not.
My closest friend is Jess, and she has a wide enough social circle never to miss me. My parents probably wouldn’t have cared either, given they spend most of their time travelling around the world.
“No, I don’t think so.” Saying it out loud sounds a little depressing, so I change the subject. “How did you get into construction?”
“My dad was a builder, so I guess I just ended up following in his footsteps.”
“That’s cool; he must be so proud to have a son like you with everything you’ve accomplished. Does he work at Coleman Construction with you?”
“No, he doesn’t.” Theo’s fingers tighten on the steering wheel and his jaw clenches.
I try to think of something to say to change the subject, but nothing comes to mind.
We spend the rest of the journey in silence.
* * *
As we pull up to my neighbourhood, I unbuckle my seat belt and pick up my bag, before he’s even had the chance to come to a stop.
“Well, this is me. Thanks again for lunch and for giving me a lift, I really appreciate it.”
Ever since I asked about his work, Theo shut down and I’m not sure what I’ve done to upset him or how to fix it, just that the tension in this car is suffocating me.
I don’t give him a chance to reply before I’m halfway out the door.
“Imogen, wait!” He lifts up in his seat and grabs something from the wallet in his back pocket. “Here’s my card. I’m on level 15, just ask for me at reception and I’ll come meet you.”
“Oh yes, thank you,” I say, gesturing with the card in an awkward half-wave.
“Goodbye, Imogen.”