Page 6 of Built to Last
When they reach the table, I watch as his expression morphs from a polite smile, to surprise, to what can only be described as a fiendish grin.Here we go. Barely able to contain the groan that wants to escape me, I immediately regret the decision not to run away. I could learn to love cardio if it meant avoiding situations like this. I wipe my hands on my trousers as discreetly as possible, which is not very since they’re both standingright there. That damn grin of his spells trouble and I just know he’s not going to make this easy for me.
Frustratingly he looks just as good as he did Saturday night, better even. Dark blue jeans brush the tops of his smart, tan leather boots and hug his long legs. The peacock-blue jumper underneath his short, charcoal wool coat brings out the blue of his eyes perfectly. He is the embodiment of smart-casual.
A quick glance at Aria tells me she’s unaware of the joke the universe is currently playing on me. Of all the handymen in the city, she had to hire the one I’d made a fool of myself in front of.So much for this project being low-pressure.
“Rose, this is Phillip,” Aria begins, oblivious to the uncomfortable tension now simmering between us. “He’ll be in charge of building the set. Phillip, this is my colleague and friend, Rose. She was kind enough to step in on short-notice to take care of designing and painting.”
Bracing myself for the worst, I reach across the low coffee table between us, offering my hand in greeting. Before I can begin to formulate another apology, his large, calloused, palm envelops mine and my throat dries up.
“Good to meet you,” mint-choc-chip-guy,Phillip, greets me, while my brain reboots from the short-circuit his touch caused.
Why is he acting like we’ve never met?Not that I’m ungrateful for the reprieve, but his devilish grin when he recognised me promised some merciless teasing. This seemingly good-natured approach is not to be trusted. He probably just wants to seem professional in front of Aria before getting payback later.
Realising I’ve been holding his hand too long, I quickly release my grip and mumble, “You too.”
“Phillip, why don’t you sit down and I’ll go order us all a drink. What do you want?”
“Oh, er, cappuccino but I can get?—”
“My meeting, my treat.” Aria waves him off with a manicured hand.
“Appreciate it,” he responds with a bob of his head.
Phillip takes a seat in the sapphire-blue chair across from me and a weighty silence settles between us. A soft sigh escapes me. The man is so handsome that even the furniture complements his eyes, dammit.
Busy doing my best impersonation of someone fascinated by the grain of the walnut tabletop, I jump when he clears his throat.
Leaning forward, elbows resting on his knees he asks, “So, you’re an artist?”Small talk, really?I break my staring contest with the table to meet his gaze, determined to figure out what his game is and deal with whatever he decides to throw at me. No way will I let what happened on Saturday ruin this project for Aria.
“That’s why I’m here.” I shrug.
“You’ve designed sets before then?”
“Um, no.” I squirm uncomfortably. “Like Aria said, her original designer fell through. She knows I’ve been taking a break from my usual artwork so she asked me to step in last-minute.”
“That’s nice of you.” Must he sound quite so surprised by that? I can be nice, downrightsunny, even. I hmm non-committedly in response and his lips twitch. “This will be a new experience for both of us then.” He smiles like this is a fun bonding moment or something. My eyes narrow.
“What do you mean forbothof us?” I ask, doing my best to keep my voice even despite my rising panic. “Aria said you had experience, that I wouldn’t need to worry about the building part.” This is not good. Not good at all. How will this work if we’re both total newbies?
“You don’t need to worry,” he rushes to reassure me. “I’ve got enough experience with custom carpentry projects to figure it out, I just haven’t actually built a set before, that’s all I meant.”
In a nervous habit I recognise from Saturday, he runs a hand through his chestnut-brown hair. There’s a slight wave to the longer section on top that suggests he’d have proper curls if he grew it out.
“Oh. OK then, if you’re sure.” The balloon of stress building in my chest deflates with his reassurance. Phillip smiles confidently in response and while it could be false bravado that will land us in trouble if he screws up, something about his relaxed demeanour puts me at ease. He has the kind of confidence that’s hard-earned, not some showy façade. It makes me feel guilty for judging him before when I really should be trying to smooth things over if we’re stuck working together.
“About Saturday,” I begin, needing to address the elephant in the room before Aria comes back. “I really am sorry for, you know, yelling at you.” I grimace and tug the sleeves of my jumper further down my hands, fiddling with the seams.
“Don’t mention it.” He waves a hand, my outburst already forgotten. “We’ve all had crappy days, just happens we met on one of yours.” He shrugs like there’s nothing more to it. If he was any more laid back, he’d be horizontal. An image of him sprawled out in bed flits across my mind and I force the inappropriate thought out right away.No fantasising about my new colleague. Besides, nobody isreallythis chilled. I need to figure out what his angle is before it comes back to bite me in the butt.
“Well then, thanks, I guess.” Shifting in my seat, I decide to ask the question that has been bugging me since he sat down. “Not that I don’t appreciate it, but why didn’t you say anything to Aria?” That damn grin is back. So are my heart palpitations. Totally unrelated, of course.
“I’ll admit, I was surprised to see you. But since we’re going to be working together, I want us to get off on the right foot. I figured you wouldn’t want to explain to your boss how we met,even if the two of you are friends.” He shrugs, relaxing back into his chair.
“Thanks, I appreciate that.” Offering him a sheepish smile I continue, “I was actually going to tell her about the whole thing but then the original designer called to cancel and I haven’t had the chance since. I’ll get round to it eventually. It is my duty as best friend to provide her with laughs at my expense, but I appreciate the opportunity to do it in my own time. Maybe when we get home after this.” I shrug, feigning nonchalance I do not feel.
“You live together?”
“Yeah,” I answer with a more genuine, if small, smile. “We’ve been flatmates since uni.”
