Pretty Falling Pieces by Isabelle Culpo
Chapter Five
With a chai latte in one hand and flat white in the other, I struggle to keep hold of both my handbag and design portfolio as I make my way down Customs Street.
Added to that juggling balance is the fact that I decided to wear uncharacteristically tall heels.
Given this could be one of the biggest projects of my career (and Theo will be there), I decided to put a little extra effort into my appearance today. An hour and a half this morning was spent on ensuring my makeup was applied perfectly and covered what it needed to, and my hair was blow waved to give its usually straight brunette strands some volume.
Time probably better spent researching for my meeting, considering the makeup’s practically melting off my face from sweat and my hair has gone limp from the humidity.
At least I know my outfit’s on point, thanks to my recent shopping spree. As an interior designer, I try to dress in neutral colours and simple elegant pieces when meeting prospective clients. If you show up looking like a walking rainbow, they’ll assume that’s how their home will be decorated.
Basically clients infer a lot about a designer from how they present themselves, and this client in particular is very important to impress.
* * *
When I reach the 15th floor, I head to the reception and let them know I’m here to see Theo.
A mature lady with chunky red-rimmed glasses greets me. “Please have a seat. He won’t be long.”
I’m surprised at how luxurious and tasteful the office space is. It reminds me of an upscale gentlemen’s club, with the deep navy wallpaper, mahogany accents, and velvet furnishings. The room exudes a taste for quality and luxury.
I’ll have to be on my A-game if I’m going to secure this project and meet expectations.
Not long after I’m seated, Theo appears from his office. “Sorry I’m late, Imogen, I got held up on a call.”
I wouldn’t call 10:04 late, but I appreciate his professionalism in acknowledging the time anyway.
Once again, he’s dressed to perfection in a slate grey suit and white shirt that looks amazing against his tan skin. Does he ever look anything less than spectacular?
When I stand up from my seat to greet him, he surprises me by placing his hands on my waist and leaning in to kiss my cheek.
It leaves an electrical imprint on my skin that will burn for days.
I hand him his coffee, holding it by the lid.
“Thanks.” His fingertips brush mine anyway. “You look lovely by the way.”
I smile shyly. Maybe that time wasn’t wasted after all.
We get seated in his office, where there’s a manila folder of documents in front of my seat. “I think it’s best we start with the project timeline. We’ve just completed the framing structure and are now working on the cladding installation. We won’t be looking to put in the fixtures for at least another few weeks.
“Also, I wasn’t being completely honest with you yesterday when I said we don’t have a design team. We do, but they tend to just recycle the interiors from our other projects, changing up the colour scheme etc. I want to do something different for this project. However, the team is at your disposal if you need them. I’m aware this project is a bit of a step up for you, and I don’t want you to feel like I’m throwing you in the deep end.”
I laugh softly and wonder if he could tell it’s forced.
It felt like I was in over my head the second I stepped in this office.
“I have a meeting with my architect on Thursday, which you’re welcome to attend. It would be good if you can make it because you’ll get a better understanding of what the end result is going to look like. Generally, we prefer to keep the designs minimalistic as the building is residential. Other than that it’s pretty much an open brief. As long as people leave the building wanting to live there, I’m happy.
“I had Angela, my assistant, prepare some documents and contracts to work through. In there, you’ll find a list of the suppliers, key contacts, and the budget etc. Most importantly, the specifications around keeping the project as sustainable as possible. We operate according to strict guidelines on this, and the interiors are no exception.” He nods to the folder in front of me. “You’re welcome to use this office space anytime you like. It will get complicated at times, but my door’s always open if you need me.”
I nod while digesting everything he’s just said. “Thank you very much for the opportunity, Theo. I’m incredibly grateful.”
“There’s no need to thank me, Imogen. I’ve seen your work online. You’re incredibly talented.”
I can’t help the grin that spreads across my face. You know that feeling when someone compliments you, and you try to appear all nonchalant about it?
That’s me right now, except I’m failing at it.
Miserably.
“If you’ve got time, I thought maybe we could take a tour of the building. It’s only a shell at the moment, but it might help you get a better feel of the place.”
“Sounds good, I’d love to see it. I was planning to touch base with some of my suppliers after lunch, so now works well for me.”
“Excellent, my car’s parked under the building.”
Before we leave, Theo mentions he needs to quickly drop off some paperwork to a colleague down the corridor. As I’m standing there waiting, a tall, pretty redhead walks towards the desk situated outside of Theo’s office.
I’m guessing this is Angela.
“Can I help you?” she asks, her tone indicating she’s less concerned with assisting me and more concerned about what I’m doing here.
“I’m okay, thank you. I was just here to see Theo.”
“Mr. Coleman is in a meeting at the moment. You can leave a message with me, and I’ll make sure he gets it.”
“Oh, that meeting was actually with me, we were just in his office. I’m assisting with the design of the new waterfront development and we were going over a few of the details.”
She walks past me towards her desk. “Theo doesn’t usually deal with people on the design team, but I had an appointment this morning, so he offered to fill in for me. That’s the only reason he saw you. You’ll be liaising directly with me going forward since I usually manage anything decorating related,” she reaches for her business card on her desk. “Here are my details if you need to get in touch.”
I take it from her and expect to read Theo’s Keeper under her title.
She’s either very territorial over her role or her extremely attractive boss.
My instincts say the latter.
Maybe the two of them share more than just a professional relationship?
Just as I’m about to accept the card from her, Theo walks in, his eyes going straight to Angela. “Imogen will be working directly with me on this project. These properties are for an elite clientele, and I want to make sure every detail will be to their standard.”
A big fake smile spreads across her face. “Of course, I was just checking to see whether I could help in any way.”
Theo ignores it and turns to me. “Shall we get going?” He reaches out for my hand and I take it on instinct, feeling daggers in the back of my head from Angela as soon as we’re touching.
“I’ll be an hour or two, Ange. Please send any calls to my voicemail.”
Ange clears her throat. “Of course. Remember, I’ve ordered your lunch today from Astrala. A green juice and chicken wrap. It’ll be here at 12.”
Is she trying to remind him of his lunch, so he doesn’t make plans with me? Surely not.
“Thanks, Ange. I probably won’t be back before then so just leave it in my office,” Theo replies.
“Will you be making other arrangements for lunch?” Her eyes dart towards me. “You have a meeting scheduled at 12:15.”
“I’m aware. Let’s go, Imogen.”
* * *
Once we reach the underground car park, Theo heads towards a massive black ute.
Another car?
As if reading my mind, he says, “I use this one mainly for work so I can keep my gear in the back. Even though I spend most of my time in the office these days, I still like to get on the tools every once in a while so I don’t get rusty.”
I doubt he ever would. Theo seems like one of those people who are a natural at everything—regardless of how out of practice he is.
“I guess it pays to know how your business operates at every level.” Even though I work in design, I still need to rely on my sewing and painting skills every so often. Having diversification in your knowledge base helps with any job I think.
“Yeah, exactly. When I’m working with my team on a problem I need to be able to understand where they’re coming from on a practical level so I can work with them to help solve it.”
That’s impressive considering most bosses I’ve ever had couldn’t care less about their employee’s problems, let alone helping them to fix it.
It’s only a short drive until we arrive at our destination and I realise seeing the building at night, on our way to meet Trent, didn’t do it justice. I pinch myself at that moment, realising how truly blessed I am to be working on one of the largest luxury residential buildings in New Zealand. This would be a dream project for anyone in my field.
Theo’s foreman, Jack, is a friendly middle-aged man with a shaved head and pot belly. He hands Theo and I a hard hat each and gives us a quick safety brief. As Theo takes me on a tour through the ground floor, visions of how I can bring this space to life instantly come to mind. My imagination is delighted to be able to fill this expansive space with no limitations.
The focal point of the entrance is a tall schist column dividing the elevators. Instantly I recognise an opportunity to convert that into a grand water feature.
Feng shui has always been a fundamental aspect of my designs, and water near the entrance is something I always encourage my clients to do if the space allows. Even if they don’t practice feng shui or understand it, I firmly believe it changes the energy of the room. Interior design doesn’t just need to look beautiful; it needs to feel beautiful.
So enraptured with my thoughts, I completely forget that Theo is standing next to me and is leading me towards the elevator. “We’ll head up to the penthouse first so you can get a feel for the suites. Ideally, we’d start with designing that section first and then modelling all the other apartments off it.”
I pause and turn to him. “You’ve done an incredible job with the place Theo; people are going to be lining up to live here.”
His face breaks out into a boyish smile, and my knees go weak.
Not because of the smile, which is gorgeous, but because the look in his eyes suggests the compliment meant something to him coming from me.
* * *
Grand floor to ceiling windows greet us on the top-level penthouse, and breathtaking views of the Auckland waterfront welcome us inside. From up here, the water is a vibrant turquoise, glittering and sparkling from the sun’s rays. If I lived here, I don’t think I’d ever have a reason to leave.
There are a few other construction workers on the top level, and their machinery pierces my ears. It’s so loud I can’t hear what Theo’s saying over top of them so instead, he takes my hand, interlinking our fingers and pulling me closer to the window. “You can see better from here.”
I take the steps up to the edge of the room, my nose only centimetres from the glass and mistakenly look down.
My head spins.
I didn’t realise how high up we were.
I’ve been in taller skyscrapers before, but there’s something about being in an unfinished one that makes me a little queasy. I know we wouldn’t be allowed up here if it wasn’t safe, but still.
I take a step back and let go of Theo’s hand.
“Are you afraid of heights?” he teases.
“No. I just don’t want to dirty the window.”
Theo laughs then pulls me to where the construction team are based, explaining where the kitchen, living and dining room will be based relative to the layout. “I don’t cook, but apparently the kitchens being installed are state of the art. So my assistant tells me anyway.”
That delightful woman I just met.
I wonder whether she’s ever cooked for him before?
If she had, I imagine it would be something spicy and unforgiving like her fiery red hair.
We’re just about to head to the bedrooms when I hear the screech of chafing metal.
Before I even have time to process where exactly the sound is coming from, I’m shoved to the ground—my arms catching my fall.
There’s a sharp pain in my forearm, but I soon forget that when I look up and notice a shard of metal the size of a plate sticking out from the wall.
Right where my head would have been.
The sight makes me nauseous and all of a sudden I feel like I’m going to throw up.
The sound from the machines suddenly halts and the room falls silent. It’s so quiet I hear a drop of blood hit the wooden floor.
A stinging sensation catches my attention and I look down to see a nasty looking gash running along my left arm.
The skin’s been ripped across a piece of uneven floor that had a sharp piece poking out. The blood trickles down into my sleeve leaving an uncomfortable sensation.
I’m just about to pull myself to a stand when Theo crouches down in front of me, sheer horror on his beautiful face. His hands trace my shoulders and I can see his lips moving, but there’s no sound coming from his mouth.
A terrifying thought hits me, if he hadn’t pushed me out of the way that accident could’ve been fatal.
Both of his hands are on either side of my face.
“Imogen, are you okay?” His voice is desperate. “Imogen, answer me!”
“Yes, yes, I’m fine. Sorry, I just got a bit of a shock.” Once again I try to pull myself up, but I can’t find the strength. My body feels weak and uncooperative.
Theo picks me up under my arms and pulls me to his chest.
I can feel his heart racing.
“Are you sure you’re okay?”
I pull away from him and nod my head. “It’s just a scratch. I’d like to head back home though if that’s okay?”
I try to distance myself from Theo, so I don’t get blood on him and my body rejects the sudden movement. If I don’t sit down soon, I’ll have another spell.
I’ve always been such a wuss when it comes to blood.
“Of course. Are you okay to stand, or do you need me to carry you?”
“I’m fine to walk, thank you.” I grab my bag and look for something to stop the bleeding. I always carry a little emergency kit for these sorts of things, and I’m relieved to find a tissue I can cover it with until I get home.
Theo wraps his arm around me and addresses his team. “No one touches a fucking thing until Jack comes back up here and completes an assessment.”
The youngest member of the crew, who looks to only be in his early twenties pipes up, “I’m sorry, man. I don’t know what happened. I just looked away for a second.”
Choosing to ignore that statement, Theo’s jaw clenches but he keeps moving me along, his arm wrapped around me tightly.
I hope he’s not going to fire that guy.
Accidents like these can happen, I would hate for someone to feel at fault and lose their job over it.
Theo keeps hold of me as we make our way back to the ground floor. There’s a makeshift seat in the lobby that he sets me down on before going to speak to Jack. I don’t know whether their conversation took two minutes or twenty, but when he returns, I’m starting to feel back to normal.
He inhales deeply before speaking, “I’m so sorry about what happened. I can’t even allow myself to think what would have happened to you had that shard made contact.”
The guilt in his voice is palpable.
“There’s nothing to be sorry for. If you hadn’t pushed me out of the way…” I don’t complete that statement, realising it would only make things worse.
“I’ll take you back to your place now. I just want to see you safely to your apartment and get that arm properly dressed,” he says.
On the way back to my apartment, Theo insisted we go to the A&E (accident and emergency) when I mentioned I was feeling a little light headed. Thankfully I only needed a few stitches, but we did need to wait for around forty-five minutes to be seen.
I told Theo I was fine getting an Uber home but he stayed put, even grabbing me a sweet iced tea from the coffee shop down the road because he was worried about my blood sugar.
Now that we’re in my apartment, I feel fatigued and just want to lie down.
I thank everything that is holy for the fact that I always keep my apartment immaculate because he also insisted that he come inside and ensure I was settled and got some rest.
“Honestly, I’m fine, Theo. It was nothing major. I don’t want to hold you up or anything.” Praying he’ll take mercy on me and leave.
I have reached my daily—scratch that—yearly quota, for talking with attractive men.
“Are you sure I can’t pick you up anything for dinner?” he asks, ignoring my hint.
“No, thank you. I’m probably just going to crash, I’m kind of tired.”
He nods his head as if I’m his patient and he’s rationalising a diagnosis in his head. “Just let me check your bandage one more time.” He takes a seat next to me on the sofa.
“May I?” he asks, extending his hand.
I reach out my freshly wrapped arm with no sign of blood and watch as he carefully inspects it, giving me the first opportunity to look up close at his face.
He has the most beautiful golden tan skin and thick long eyelashes. I notice how white the sclera around his eyes are and how healthy it makes him look. Like he lives on the coast of Southern Italy eating fresh homegrown produce from the land.
An observation I accidentally say out loud. “The whites of your eyes are so white.”
He doesn’t look up from my arm just smirks. “Hmm…thanks, I guess. Can’t say as though anyone’s ever said that to me before.”
And clearly for good reason, who even says something like that aloud?
Once he’s satisfied with my arm, he looks at my face. “You’ve got your colour back, which is good; you were looking a little pale before.”
In a move that takes me completely by surprise, he lifts the back of his hand to my forehead “You feel a little hot though. Promise me you’ll take the pain meds if you need them.”
Speech fails me as I lick my lips trying to find the words to speak. The action must capture Theo’s attention because his eyes go straight to them, lingering there, before coming back to my eyes.
Just when a teeny tiny millisecond of a thought enters my mind that he might kiss me, he pulls away just as quick.
Get a grip, Imogen, he’s only here because you got hurt at his building site.
Standing up from the couch he announces, “I want you to take the next couple of days off to rest. Your contract hasn’t kicked in yet, but I’ll compensate you for the time lost.”
“That’s not necessary,” I argue.
“Imogen, you were hurt on my watch, because of a mistake one of my guys made. I want to reassure you that this never usually happens at my firm. We uphold the highest health and safety standards. I think someone must’ve gotten distracted when they saw you come in. From now on, we’ll only visit when it’s just the two of us on site.”
I’m not sure what exactly I did that could be considered distracting, I was just looking around not doing jumping jacks. “Of course, Theo, these things happen, it’s no worries.”
“I’ll let you get some rest, but please call me if you need anything.”
“Anything at all, you have my number.” With that he turns and leaves.