“Interested and attracted are two different things, Scarlett,” Maddy shot back.
I smiled gratefully at her. “Thank you. It doesn’t mean I don’t think Dave isn’t nice. I just think there’s no point in pursuing it because we’re too different.”
“Don’t you think you’re being a bit of a snob?” Christa asked quietly.
I stiffened, momentarily stunned into silence.
Christa gave me an apologetic smile. “I’m not trying to be mean, Cate. Really. It just seems a bit of a double-standard, that’s all.”
“How?” I asked, still too stunned to say much else.
“Well, your brother for one. Isn’t he a tradesman of some sort?”
I nodded. She was talking about the only member of my family I still kept in touch with, my brother, Heath. “He’s a landscaper.”
“And isn’t he doing pretty well for himself?” Christa urged.
“He is,” I admitted. Actually he was doing amazingly well for himself. Once he’d convinced me to leave home, he’d left our small town as well. I hadn’t realized up until that point that the only reason he stayed in town was to watch over me. After he left, he did some laboring and other building work before finally settling on landscaping. For the last ten years he’d run his own successful business and now employed four staff. He was also married and they had two little girls. “He’s doing really well.”
“And you love and respect him don’t you?” Christa asked.
I sighed. “You’re right. I’m a snob.” I grabbed my glass of wine but didn’t take a drink, just sat staring miserably into it. “I guess I just don’t want to ever risk going back there again.”
“Where?” Maddy asked.
“My childhood.”
Maddy reached over and squeezed my hand. “Nothing wrong with that.”
I smiled. “Whether it’s elitist of me or not, education is always going to be important to me,” I told them. “But I guess I should be more realistic about some other things. Left-handers, for one.”
Scarlett raised her eyebrows. “What?”
I blushed. “I had this really big crush on a guy once. He was a left-hander. He even looked a little bit like Jude Law …” Gosh, he’d been dreamy. It was my first year at university and I’d struggled to stay focused in tutorials when he was around.
Christa grinned. “So basically what you’re saying is you’d like a Jude Law or Jamie Dornan look-alike, with a British or Irish accent, who’s left-handed, works in finance, law, or some other professional setting, and maybe has a sailing boat for weekends.”
“I did say it was a wish list,” I told them weakly.
“Keep wishing,” Scarlett said. “In the meantime, I say you explore the potential of plumber man.”
I sighed in exasperation. “Can we please, pretty please, talk about your wedding now, Christa?”
Christa grinned. “OK. Now let’s talk dress colors. They can be different, but they’ve got to at least look good together.”
“Scarlett’s will be black,” I said.
“You don’t hear any complaints from me,” Scarlett said with a grin.
“So that will contrast the white of Christa’s wedding dress,” I went on, finally settling into my groove, “which means whatever Maddy and I choose will have to complement each other …”
And to my complete and utter relief, that was how we spent the rest of the evening.
*
I pushed myself away from the desk with a sigh. I should go home. It was after seven o’clock on Friday night and I was still at work.
Shutting down my computer, I gathered my things with little enthusiasm. Home wasn’t as homely as usual. It had been two weeks and we still hadn’t had new carpet put down. We’d been going back and forth with the agent with little success. Apparently the landlord’s insurance company was holding things up. While it was good we weren’t going to have to pay for new carpet, I wasn’t exactly enjoying a lounge room with bare concrete flooring. It was more to Scarlett’s taste than mine.
I was last in the office so I locked up and made my way outside. I loved Sydney at this time of year. The days were getting longer and it was only a couple of months until Christmas. Dusk had settled comfortably on the city, and there were plenty of people out enjoying their Friday night. Not in any particular rush, I decided to walk the few kilometers home.
I hoped the exercise would improve my melancholy mood. Not that long ago, a Friday night would have been the perfect excuse to catch up with the girls, but these days things were different. They all had partners now, and Maddy had a child, so the weekend wasn’t the obvious choice for a girl’s night get-together anymore.
Not that I begrudged any of them their happiness. I was genuinely pleased for my friends. I’d also meant what I’d said about preferring to be single instead of being in an unsuitable relationship. For all I knew, I might be single for another few years, maybe longer than that, so I’d just have to get used to it.
Maybe always, a little voice in my head said.
Choosing to ignore the little voice, I increased my pace, thankful I was wearing walking shoes. I always kept a pair in the office for the occasions I decided to walk home. I looked around me. I was so lucky to live in such a beautiful city. The fluorescent-lit office buildings towered above me as I strode along. Set against the soft blue of the retreating day, the city was modern and imposing. I’d lived here for twelve years but I still occasionally felt the need to pinch myself that this was my home.
Where I’d grown up, there were no high rises, no tall office buildings. Just long, wide streets. There was no stunning, azure blue harbor. Instead our town was cradled by the banks of a river. Like Sydney Harbour, the river separated the town, but that’s where the similarities ended. Once, a long time ago, I’d sat and stared at the endless expanse of river. When it was still, the surface looked like glass. That afternoon I’d wanted to dive in and break it. To smash it into a million little pieces.
I shook the memory away. It was a long time ago. Half a lifetime, to be exact. And I wasn’t foolish enough to blame my dislike of my hometown on its appearance. It was the people, not the place itself.
My phone rang and I jumped. Secretly hoping it was one of my girlfriends, I dug it out of my bag as I walked.
It was my brother, and I pressed accept eagerly.
“Heath!”
“Hey, little sis.”
“It’s been ages.”
“Yeah, I know. I’m slack, what can I say?”
“Not slack. Busy, I’m guessing. How’s Susie and those beautiful nieces of mine?”
“Susie’s still putting up with me, and the girls miss you. They asked me to call and see if you wanted to come up for a visit?”
“So you’re only calling because they asked you to?” I teased.
“I’d like to see you too. You know that.”
“I know. Actually I could probably do with some time away.”
“Why? Is everything alright down there?”
I smiled at Heath’s alarmed tone. Always the big brother. His love for me alone could make up for what I suffered as a child, but sadly life didn’t work that way. “Everything’s fine. But I’ve been working too hard, and my apartment is currently without carpet after the hot water heater burst.”
“That doesn’t sound good. Was there a lot of damage?”
“Fortunately the carpet soaked most of it up and our furniture fared OK. Oh, except for my foot.”
“Your foot?”
“Yeah, I stepped in the hot water.”
There was a long pause.
I rolled my eyes even though he couldn’t see me. “Before I realized it was hot.”
“Nasty. You alright?”
“I am now. The plumber had to take me to hospital to have it looked at.”
“The plumber? Where was Christa?”
“Not there.”
“Had you met the plumber before?”
“No, but he was nice
enough.” I tried to make my voice sound light. I hadn’t thought about Dave lately and I preferred to keep it that way.
“Well, nice plumber or not, you should still be careful.”
“You think I don’t know that, Heath?” I said softly. It wasn’t accusatory.
I heard him sigh. I could imagine him running a hand through his cropped dark hair. While I was fair, he’d inherited his dark eyes and dark brown hair from our father.
“Sorry. Habit, I guess.”
“I know. And I appreciate it. Anyway, about the visit,” I said, keen to get away from subjects other than Dave and my big brother’s protective tendencies. “I’ll have to check with Christa, then I’ll let you know some dates. She’s getting married in January and asked me to be a bridesmaid. She wants to take us dress shopping one weekend soon.”
“Christa’s getting married?”
I giggled. “Yes, can you believe it?”
“Last I heard she was trying to avoid marriage at all costs.” He sounded confused.
“She found the right man.”
“I guess that would do it.”
“That’s another reason I need to get away,” I told him.
Another pause. It sounded like he was driving. “Is she turning into Bridezilla or something?” he asked warily.
“No, nothing like that. But I am getting a fair bit of well-meaning pity about still being single from my girlfriends, which I could really do without.”
“They’re not trying to set you up with anyone, are they?” His tone of voice suggested the concept was akin to him being dragged along bridesmaid dress shopping.
“No, not really.” I bit my lip. “Unless you count the plumber.” I wasn’t sure why I was telling him this. Put it down to too much work and not enough girlfriend interaction.
“The plumber who took you to hospital?”
“That would be the one.”
“Right. So when you said he was nice, you meant he was nice.” I could practically see my brother’s evil grin.
“He’s not my type.”
“Why?”
“I thought you said I should be careful?”
“That’s before I knew he was nice.”
“Oh, give it a rest. It’s bad enough my girlfriends hassled me about it.”
“So what’s wrong with him?”
“Nothing!” Why did everybody keep asking me that? Even if I was interested in him, which I was not, I wasn’t going to see him again anyway. Unless my hot water heater burst again. I’d have to make sure Scarlett didn’t have access to any of the plumbing when she visited. I wouldn’t put it past her.
“Are you sure you’re not plotting another plumbing emergency?”
“Heath, do you want me to come up and visit you or not?” I demanded.
He laughed good-naturedly. “Yes, I’d love to see you. Give me a call once you’ve got an idea of dates, alright?”
I smiled. “Will do. Say hi to Susie and give the girls a hug for me.”
“That’s where I’m headed now. Have a good weekend, Cate.”
“Bye, Heath.”
Despite the ribbing, I was in a much better mood when I hung up the phone. I missed my big brother and his family and it would be good to see them. In reality, they were my only real family. My nieces were constantly asking me why I couldn’t move up to Queensland to be closer. I never really had an answer for them. It was just the way things had worked out. Heath had taken a contract job on the Gold Coast and ended up meeting his wife. I’d landed in Sydney because I’d been accepted into a university course, and the rest had been history. There was nothing stopping me from moving, I supposed, other than already being settled here.
I arrived in front of my apartment complex, and after entering my security code, I pushed open the door and headed straight to the elevators. After a short wait, the doors opened.
Tiger’s eyes met mine. I sucked in a sharp breath, wondering if I was hallucinating. He was wearing a leather jacket, which confirmed I must be losing it. It was way too hot out for that sort of outfit. Obviously my deranged fantasies had a bad boy bent, something which I’d never go for in real life.
His golden eyes dropped from my face and I resisted the urge to fan myself with my hand. I really needed to cut down on the long hours I’d been doing lately.
Then my bad boy fantasy spoke. “Cate. How’s your foot?”
Chapter 7
I cleared my throat. Oh, he was real. “Dave?” I asked, uncertainly.
Amused eyes met mine. I couldn’t be sure if they’d lingered on the journey from my feet to my face.
“Yeah?”
OK. Definitely a living breathing man, and I needed to get a grip. “What are you doing here?” I asked dumbly.
“We look after this building, remember?”
“Yes, of course,” I said quickly, determined to stop sounding like a complete idiot. “It’s kind of late for you to be here on a Friday night though, isn’t it?”
The doors started to close and he stepped forward, extending a strong arm. While the leather jacket looked good on him, I missed the view of his muscled forearms. For the first time I noticed he was carrying a motorcycle helmet in his other hand. Correction. Real life bad boy.
“Are you planning on using the elevator?” he asked, his deep voice as amused as his eyes.
I shook myself. “Yes.” I smiled awkwardly and slipped past him, catching the smell of leather and a masculine, spicy scent as I went. Taking a deep breath, I turned around to face him, ensuring my smile was still in place. “You didn’t answer my question. Another after hours plumbing emergency?”
He didn’t move from the doors. “Actually, I was visiting someone.”
“Oh.” Suddenly his being ‘in the area’ all made sense. “That’s handy… I guess.” And I sounded like a certified idiot. ‘Someone’ was most likely a girlfriend, for all I knew. It was time to leave my attractive tradesman fantasies where they belonged: in fantasyland. “Well, I won’t keep you. Have a good night.”
Dave didn’t move. “You didn’t answer my question.”
“I’m sorry?”
He looked down at my foot. That was when I remembered I was wearing running shoes, not high heels.
“It’s better, thanks.” Why, oh why, did this man’s focus on my feet do such strange things to my stomach? It wasn’t like he was checking me out, for God’s sake. They were my feet. “I’m wearing sneakers because I walked home.”
He nodded. “No scarring?”
I shook my head. “None, fortunately. Probably because you had the good sense to insist I run it under cold water.”
He nodded again and his eyes returned to my face. “Later, Cate.”
He moved out of the way of the doors, leaving me to wonder why he always departed by telling people ‘later.’ Would he really see me later, or was that just wishful thinking?
I let out a huff at my pathetic train of thought and reached over and hit level seven, then squealed. I watched as the hand that had shoved itself between the tiny gap in the closing doors forcefully pushed them back open. I pressed myself against the back wall of the elevator.
“Cate?” Dave asked, politely ignoring my outburst.
“Yes?” I carefully eased myself away from the cool mirrored glass I was leaning against, hoping Dave wouldn’t notice.
“You said you were a financial planner, didn’t you?”
I blinked. “Yes.”
“Do you have a card?”
“Ah, sure.” I dug around in my handbag and after a quick search found the stash of cards I always kept in the zippered section. I handed him one.
His eyes on the card, he rubbed his thumb over the gold lettering of my name printed on the business card. “Are you expensive?”
I swallowed a smile. “We’re not high end, if that’s what you’re asking. We work with a lot of sole traders and small businesses. Why? Do you know someone who’s interested?”
His expression was hard to r
ead. He looked thoughtful, and possibly uncertain if the deepening lines on his forehead were anything to go by. “I might have some business for you,” he said. “Leave it with me.”
“Alright. Thanks.”
He nodded and didn’t say anything else, letting the doors close properly this time. Once they’d closed I exhaled a long breath and threw back my head and groaned.
I was angry at myself, not to mention my girlfriends. It was their fault I was entertaining inappropriate thoughts about Dave. Ordinarily, I’d have given him no more than a passing glance. Alright, so that passing glance might have lingered slightly on his toned, broad shouldered form, and his fantastic hair, but only as an appreciative gesture. The same went for those eyes. I could admit they were distracting.
And while I accepted it was time for a broader approach than my original preference for refined left-handers with a British or Irish accent, alluring bad boys were not on my list. They were not even on my revised list. Not even close.
I did my best to push aside the memory of his callused thumb stroking the lettering of my name. Then I tried to recall if he’d been holding the card with his left hand or not.
“Get a grip, Cate!” I admonished myself.
When I arrived at my floor, I stomped all the way to my apartment. Inside, I headed straight for the bathroom. I needed a shower.
A cold one.
*
“It occurred to me that I might have been a bit pushy lately.”
I stared at Scarlett over the green satin dress I was holding against myself. “You? Pushy?” I grinned at her and then looked back at the dress, smoothing the fabric down with my palm. If it looked as good on as it felt, then I was definitely going to suggest this as a possible bridesmaid dress option to Christa.
Scarlett cleared her throat uncomfortably. “Yeah, I know I have no tact, but I didn’t mean to hassle so much. I just thought Dave seemed fun.”
“Fun?” I asked warily.
“I’m not suggesting a one night stand,” Scarlett said quickly. “I know you don’t go for that.” She continued to search the dress rack opposite for a suitable black dress.
Before Scarlett had settled down with John her relationship choices had been short-term. Actually they hadn’t even been relationships, just passing flings. It used to be a source of disagreement between us. I’d always tried not to judge, but I found it hard to imagine the idea of being with anyone intimately who you had no plans of a long-term relationship with.
Wish List: City Love 4 Page 5
