Now and then I saw Evan stride past my door. The first time was to dispose of the old hot water heater and I assumed the trips after that were to get various tools and bits and pieces. About an hour after he started, I heard a quiet knock on my bedroom door.
I looked up. “Dave!” I resisted clamping a hand over my mouth because it had come out way more enthusiastic than I intended. I cleared my throat. “What are you doing here?”
Those tiger’s eyes remained unreadable. “I was in the area.”
Again, I thought.
“He’s a control freak,” Evan called out as he walked past. “He likes to check up on us.”
Dave cocked an eyebrow but didn’t turn around or otherwise respond to Evan’s dig. “How’s the foot?”
“Much better. It’s still sore, but I’m told it should heal without any complications.” I gestured to the paperwork strewn around me. “This is my office for the next couple of days.”
“Probably a good idea.” He hesitated, then took a few steps into my room and placed a paper bag on my bedside table.
“What’s that?” I asked, confused.
He met my eyes. “From the bakery downstairs. It’s one of the best in Sydney.” He retreated to the door, all too aware he was invading my personal space.
“You didn’t have to do that,” I said, while secretly itching to open the bag and see what sweet treat he had bought me. Sugar was my weakness.
He shrugged. “You’re not exactly mobile and you need to eat.”
I did my best to hide the smile that was threatening to overtake my face. “Well, thank you. That’s my afternoon’s sugar fix sorted.”
“It’s nothing.” He frowned, then seemed to catch himself. “I’ll just go inspect Evan’s handiwork.” Then he was gone.
I stared at the paper bag. He was right, the bakery downstairs was one of the best in Sydney but generally only locals knew that. Obviously he spent a lot of time in this area. His reference to Evan also made me think that he was considered more senior. Team leader, perhaps? Did plumbing companies have team leaders? I wasn’t exactly an expert.
Turning back to my laptop, I did my best to concentrate on my work. I could hear the low bass of Dave’s and Evan’s voices drifting up the hall, but couldn’t make out their actual conversation. From the steady rhythm of their voices and occasional laughter, it occurred to me that Dave was a lot more talkative with his co-workers than he was with me. And, senior or not, he seemed to have a rapport with his team.
About ten minutes later – not that I was looking at the clock – Dave appeared at my bedroom door again.
“It’s all done. The water is back on and the hot water’s working. The temperature’s set a lot lower this time. There’s no reason for it to be heating to the high temperature that the old one was. If you ever have kids, keep that in mind. It can avoid a lot of heartache.”
I stared at him for a moment. That was probably the most conversational he’d ever been. The fact that it was about plumbing didn’t matter. It was doing strange things to my breathing. “Great, thanks,” I replied. “A good friend has just had a baby so I’ll mention it to her.”
He nodded. “Later, Cate. Evan will be a few minutes clearing up.” He offered me a half-smile, nothing like the genuine smile he’d given me at the hospital on Saturday night, and I felt strangely disappointed.
“Thanks, Dave. Bye.”
I gazed at the empty hallway for a minute after he left, then shook myself and got back to work.
*
It was the weekend after my plumbing disaster and my girlfriends and I were congregated around a table at a nearby Thai restaurant in Milsons Point. Maddy lived just up the road and Paul was minding Ava for a few hours. The dinner had been at Christa’s request and I suspected it was to talk about wedding related preparations. I was excited. I hadn’t been involved in many weddings. When Maddy had married Paul, she’d already been pregnant and it had been Paul’s second marriage, so they’d kept it low key. As for Scarlett, I wasn’t holding onto any delusions that she’d want a big, fancy wedding.
Which left Christa.
I studied my close friend and flatmate of four years. Her chin-length blonde curls were out around her face. They danced as she spoke as though living proof of our nickname for her, “Bubbles.”
“Thanks for coming, ladies. As you may have guessed, I want to talk about wedding plans.” Her full lips curled at Scarlett’s worried expression. “Don’t worry, I don’t have any plans for an over-the-top wedding, I promise.”
Her blue eyes met Maddy’s. “I’m sure you all expected it, but I’ve asked Maddy to be my maid of honor.”
I grinned and Maddy grinned back. “She also needs someone to protect her from Julia’s enthusiastic assistance,” Maddy said. She was referring to her mother, also Max’s mother, and Christa’s future mother-in-law. Although Maddy had been the first of Julia’s three children to get married, Max was the first to have a big wedding.
Christa nodded. “You know how much I love Julia,” she began.
“Don’t worry, Bubbles,” Maddy told Christa, “we all do. But she’s still the mother-in-law of the bride-to-be and that carries certain risks. Especially when she’s the world’s most proficient personal assistant. She’ll take over if you let her and won’t even know she’s doing it.”
Christa looked somewhat relieved. Julia was Maddy’s personal assistant at her marketing agency, Grounded Marketing. None of us knew how she was able to work with her mother day in, day out, but it was a relationship that obviously worked because they were as close as ever. If anybody could handle Julia, Maddy could.
“Anyway, that’s not why I asked you all here,” Christa said. Her gaze settled on Scarlett and me. “As well as Maddy being my maid of honor, I was hoping the two of you would be my bridesmaids.”
The request was met with a beat of silence, until I jumped up and squealed at the top of my voice. “Of course! I would love to be your bridesmaid, Christa. Ow.” In my excitement, I’d forgotten about my sore foot. It was much better than a week ago but it was still too tender to be jumping on.
Scarlett tugged me back down into my seat. I couldn’t tell if it was because of my embarrassing outburst or whether she was genuinely trying to make sure I didn’t hurt my injured foot.
Christa clapped her hands together. “Fantastic! Scarlett?”
Scarlett was trying hard not to scowl. “Are you going to make me wear pink?”
“With frills,” Christa retorted, her face perfectly serious.
“Christ.” Scarlett pushed a hand through her short hair. “I can’t really say no, can I?”
I glared at her. “No. You can’t.”
Scarlett rolled her eyes. “I was joking. Sort of. Of course I’ll be your bridesmaid, Christa.”
I squealed again, mainly for Scarlett’s benefit, and ignored her death stare.
When I’d caught my breath, Christa studied the three of us. “Actually, I was going to let you each choose your own dresses,” she announced.
Scarlett’s eyebrows shot up. “Really?”
“Yes.” Christa shrugged. “I’d rather you’re comfortable with what you’re wearing. It’s become common for bridesmaids to wear different styles anyway.”
“So can I wear boots?” Scarlett asked hopefully.
“No,” replied Christa firmly.
“Damn,” Scarlett muttered.
“You might have to impose some limitations on Scarlett’s wardrobe selection,” I suggested to Christa, “unless you want a noticeably gothic element to the bridal party. But don’t worry. What I have in mind will fit right in.”
Scarlett’s frown turned into a look of disbelief. “What do you have in mind? You’ve only just been asked to be part of the wedding. How could you possibly know what you’re going to wear?”
“I’ve got a pretty good idea,” I replied calmly. “I know what does and doesn’t suit me.”
Scarlett turned to Maddy and Christa. “I�
��ll bet she has another damn list,” she told them.
“List?” Christa looked between Scarlett and me, worry lines creasing her forehead. “What list?”
“There’s no list,” I said, not quite so calm anymore. Obviously Scarlett hadn’t forgotten about my plumber after all.
“Yeah, there is,” Scarlett barreled on, oblivious to, or at least not caring about, my discomfort. “Probably not about bridesmaid dresses – although give her a chance – I meant about men.”
“Men?” Maddy asked, frowning.
“I do not!” I protested.
“Well, you may not have it written down, but I bet there’s a spreadsheet somewhere on your computer,” Scarlett continued.
“I. Do. Not. Have. A. List,” I said, between clenched teeth.
“Fine. Deny it. Even if it’s not a physical list,” Scarlett pointed in the general direction of my head, “the list is catalogued up there somewhere in that neat and tidy brain of yours.”
I reached for my wine because that seemed like the better alternative to growling at my friend. Honestly. What was her point?
“Cate,” Maddy asked tentatively, “what is Scarlett talking about?”
I waved a hand at her. “Nothing. Nothing at all. It all started last week because of the nice plumber who rescued me. That’s all.”
Christa’s eyes lit up and she leaned forward, resting her chin in her hand. “You didn’t tell me the plumber was nice. Now I’m disappointed I wasn’t there.”
“Nothing to tell,” I said quickly.
“That’s because when I suggested what she could do with her plumber,” Scarlett said, “she canned the idea.”
“Why?” Christa asked, looking disappointed.
I opened my mouth to say something, then closed it again. Anything I said right now wasn’t going to sound good. Thanks, Scarlett.
“Because going out with a plumber is beneath her,” Scarlett told Christa helpfully.
“What? Why?” Christa demanded.
“I did not say that!” I glared at Scarlett. “First of all, he’s my plumber. It’s highly inappropriate to make a move on him.”
“It is?” Christa asked.
“Yes. It is,” I retorted. “And as I told Scarlett, he’s not my type.”
“Because he’s a plumber,” Scarlett finished for me.
“You know something, Scarlett? Being in a relationship has made you more unbearable than usual.”
Scarlett smirked, and Maddy set her glass of water down with a sigh. “Ladies. Come on. This is one of my rare nights out. As much fun as it is listening to you bicker, are you really going to get all worked up about a plumber?”
“Yes,” Scarlett and I said in unison.
Christa giggled, while Maddy smiled.
“Alright then,” Maddy said. “What’s so good or bad about this plumber? Cate, not Scarlett.”
Scarlett sat back in her seat like a scolded child.
I sighed. “I barely know the man. He’s not exactly a conversationalist. As I told Scarlett though, there’s a lot more to a relationship than finding someone attractive.”
“So you find him attractive?” Maddy asked.
“I—” Oh crap. I’d walked right into that one. “I didn’t say, I mean I wouldn’t imply that he was, that is …” I gave up and had another sip of wine.
“He’s hot, Cate. Admit it.” This was from Scarlett.
“Fine! He’s gorgeous.”
Christa leaned forward again. “I can’t believe I missed it.”
“You saw the state of the apartment, right?” I asked. “It was better you missed it.”
“Maybe,” she said. “So when he got there, did he take charge?”
I swallowed. “I guess so. I mean I was more worried I was standing there half-naked in a towel. Then I made the stupid mistake of telling him about my foot and he practically shoved himself through the front door …” I trailed off again. Oh, good one, Cate. Talk about big mouth.
“You were in a towel? Oh my God, Cate.” Christa’s blue eyes rounded in delight. She lowered her voice. “Hi there, beautiful. I’m here to fix your pipes …if you know what I mean.”
Scarlett snorted and Maddy laughed quietly.
“You make it sound so sordid,” I objected. “He was a complete gentleman.”
“See? Now she’s defending him,” Scarlett said.
“Because he’s the plumber of her dreams,” Christa announced.
“We’re supposed to be talking about your wedding. Please, Christa,” I almost whined.
“Sorry, this is far more interesting. And the list. Why isn’t he on your list?” she asked.
I did groan out loud this time. “I told you, I—”
“Don’t have a list,” they all finished for me.
“I really don’t,” I said.
“Alright. For example’s sake, just say you did have a list,” Christa said, clearly not about to let the subject drop. “What sort of things would be on it?”
I crossed my arms and shook my head. “I’m not doing this.”
“She’s totally got a list,” murmured Scarlett.
I ignored her.
“We all have a list,” Christa said.
I blinked. “We do?”
“Yeah. Before I met Max, I wanted someone artistic, a kind of hipster guy. You know the type. Lean, bearded, trendy. Spends his free time developing short films and entering them in competitions. Then one day, one of his brilliant productions will be uncovered and he’ll become a well-known producer.”
“Wow. You really thought it through,” I said.
“Totally,” Christa agreed.
“Then you fell for Max,” Maddy added.
Christa nodded. “Then I fell for Max. He’s none of those things. He’s a complete nerd – alright, a hot nerd, I’ll give him that – but he’s so not a hipster.”
“He’s creative,” I pointed out. “He’s developing computer games. They’re like a movie.”
“True. But what I’m trying to say is he’s nothing like I envisaged.”
“Nothing?” I realized too late my mistake was in sounding hopeful.
Maddy gave me a gentle smile. “Come on, Cate. What’s on your list?”
Chapter 6
“Just say I had a list,” I hedged.
“She’s got a list,” Scarlett said.
“Shut up,” Maddy and Christa told her.
Scarlett sighed and leaned back in her seat again.
“Just say I had a list,” I said again to Maddy and Christa, ignoring Scarlett. “It would be more like a wish list, than a list of specific requirements.”
“Well, that’s pretty normal,” Christa said. “Nothing wrong with that.”
“OK,” I said, taking a deep breath because I couldn’t believe I was about to tell them this. “I kind of have a thing for accents.”
Christa nodded appreciatively. Then realization lit her face. “Like French accents?”
She was referring to Benjamin Renard, a former holiday romance of hers gone wrong. Not that most women would class being proposed to at the Eiffel Tower a romance gone wrong, but for Christa it had been. I’d met Ben when he’d visited Australia and had developed something of a soft spot for him.
“You never did tell us what happened when you went to Paris,” Maddy said, which was her way of asking if I was comfortable talking about it.
“Nothing,” I said simply. “He showed me around Paris, that’s all.”
“He seemed kind of sweet on you,” Maddy said.
“He’s very sweet,” I agreed.
Christa was watching me carefully. “I hope you didn’t hold back because we’d been involved. I would have been totally OK with it, you know.”
“I know, and it wasn’t that,” I said with a sigh. “You’re right, I did sort of entertain the idea, but when I spent time with him in France, I realized we made better friends than anything else. Honestly? I think I was eager to distract myself after the disaster that
was David.”
They all went quiet for a moment, no doubt recalling one of my poorer relationship choices. A married, senior partner I’d worked with at my last job, who I was stupid enough to get involved with because I’d believed him when he told me he was going to divorce his wife.
“Is that why you don’t like Dave the plumber?” Scarlett asked. “They have the same name, but it doesn’t sound like they’re anything alike.”
Funny. I’d never made the connection before. “It was always David, never Dave,” I told her. Then again, what was with the universe throwing me unsuitable men called Dave or David?
“Forget David,” interrupted Christa, which had also been her advice at the time. “If you don’t like French accents, then what do you like?”
“British accents. Irish accents. You know, Jude Law? Jamie Dornan?” I suggested tentatively.
“Oh, I totally get that,” Christa said. “The refined man. Very nice.”
“What else?” Maddy asked.
“Oh, I don’t know,” I replied, playing with the edge of my wine glass. “The usual. A good education. A successful career. Likes reading. Wants to be a father one day. If he’s into sports, I’d prefer he likes things like running or sailing to sports like football.”
“Picky, much?” Scarlett said.
“Be quiet,” Maddy said. “Those are all perfectly reasonable suggestions, Cate. But what happens, for example, if he doesn’t have a good education?”
I chewed on my lip. “Well, that one’s kind of important to me.” I looked at them all for a moment. “You know why.” To some degree they all knew I hadn’t had an easy childhood. When I was growing up, education wasn’t considered important, which was why I was determined to be the opposite with my partner and hopefully one day, my own family. I shrugged. “I can’t imagine being interested in anyone who didn’t place the same importance on education as me.”
“You’re interested in Dave,” Scarlett said.
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