27. Theo
Theo loved that Sarah was now sharing his bed.
While she’d had put up a little initial resistance to staying at his place, he knew it was only because of how new their relationship was. At least, that’s what he hoped.
He woke early on Thursday and snuck out of bed. Sarah had to return to work today, and he wanted to buy her favourite coffee for her before she left. He remembered the name of the place from its branding on the cups she’d brought home previously, so he dressed in a pair of loose-fit jeans and a hoodie, grabbed his wallet, and headed for the door.
Outside, the air was particularly cool. Theo wasn’t a huge fan of winter, and today felt colder than usual.
He walked the couple of blocks to Salt Coffee and lined up behind an already-impressive queue of people. It seemed that half the town was aware of its high-quality beverages.
The line moved quickly, and Theo soon found himself with just one customer in front before his turn. He glanced around to see how many other people had entered since his arrival and did a double take at the guy behind him. Was that Bodie?
Bodie recognised Theo at the same time. ‘Oh, hey, dude. What are you doing here?’
‘I heard the coffee was good.’
‘Who did you hear that from?’
Theo didn’t want to bring Sarah into the conversation. ‘Just some online article.’
‘Ah. Yeah, it seems to be getting more and more popular. When I first started coming, I felt like I knew a secret no one else did. It was always quiet, and I couldn’t figure out why. But now you have to wait at least ten minutes to be served.’
‘It sounds like you’re a regular.’
Bodie laughed. ‘I guess you could say that.’
The customer in front moved aside. ‘Next,’ the barista called.
Theo turned back to the counter. ‘I’ll have two flat whites, please.’
Bodie stood beside him and handed over his credit card. ‘Hey, Meg. Make that three.’
‘You don’t have to do that,’ Theo said. He was unsettled by how close Bodie was standing.
‘It’s no trouble. Besides, I’m assuming that extra coffee is for Sarah? Is she around?’
Theo frowned. ‘No. I don’t know where she is. The extra coffee is for my mum.’
‘Oh, right. Still. I’m happy to pay.’
The barista, who was apparently called Meg, smiled at Bodie. ‘You’re such a sweetie.’ She swiped his credit card on the reader and handed it back. ‘They’ll just be five minutes.’
Theo didn’t want to stand around and make small talk with a guy who could possibly be stalking his girlfriend. And the fact Bodie was a regular here made him look guiltier than ever.
‘Why have you been staying at Sarah’s apartment?’ he asked. ‘You know it’s not even big enough for her and her brother.’
‘It’s not like I’m living there. It’s just if we’ve had a few beers and we’re in the middle of a game, it doesn’t make sense for me to go home. Sarah hasn’t said anything to indicate she’s unhappy with the arrangement.’
‘What would she say? And would you listen to her?’
‘I think you know Sarah is not afraid to speak her mind. That’s one thing I like about her.’
Theo hated that Bodie acted as if he knew everything. Was he being like this to rile him up?
‘Still. It’s not cool. You have a car, and I assume you have a job since I’ve seen you wearing a suit—so why don’t you invite Gabe over to your house once in a while?’
‘Fine. I will. I don’t have a game console at my place, but if Gabe is happy to move it to my house, I’m fine with that.’
‘And take Casey with you.’
‘Now you don’t like Casey either? Wow. Jealous, much?’
‘I’m not jealous. Just concerned for Sarah’s wellbeing.’
‘Yeah, well, women don’t like it when you crowd them.’
Theo wanted to make a crack about how, if that was the case, they must really not like stalking, but he didn’t want to alert Bodie to the fact he suspected him.
‘Order for Bodie,’ Meg called.
Theo snatched up two of the cups and nodded curtly at Bodie. ‘Thanks for the coffees.’
‘I hope your mum likes it,’ Bodie said, smiling.
Theo hurried out.
He hated that guy. And now he was going to have to take the long way home to make sure he wasn’t being followed.
Ugh.
Theo didn’t wantto worry Sarah about the possibility Bodie was her stalker, so he didn’t say anything when he handed over the coffee fifteen minutes later.
‘You were gone a while,’ she observed. ‘I woke up when you closed the front door on your way out.’
‘Oh, it was busy. I had to wait for a while.’
‘Ah.’
She sipped her drink and sighed happily. ‘Thank you for this. I think I’m going to need the caffeine today. I haven’t had this many days off in a row in ages, and I’m worried the salon will have fallen into ruin while I was away.’
‘I’m sure your other stylists have coped. Surely they would have contacted you if anything major happened?’
‘I hope so. But I should probably go in a bit early, just in case.’
Theo noted that she’d already showered and changed while he was out. She kissed him on the forehead and headed for the door, taking her coffee with her. ‘See you tonight!’
Theo’s heart softened. He really liked Sarah. More than he wanted to admit. Probably more than like. He waved, even though she was already halfway out the door.
Just as he was about to have a shower himself, his phone rang. It was Dan.
‘You’re phoning early today,’ Theo said.
‘Sorry. I just got an email, and I wanted to discuss it with you. Do you remember I mentioned I was working on something big?’
‘No?’
‘Oh, I thought I had, but maybe I wanted to save it until I knew more. I’ve booked you for a shoot in Tokyo. It’s to advertise a popular brand of whiskey, and they’ll pay you two hundred grand for three days’ work.’
‘Wow. Okay. That sounds all right.’
After Europe, Theo had wanted a break from international travel, but three days was nothing. And two hundred grand was good money.
‘The only problem is, the stylist we normally use isn’t available. She’s booked for another job.’
‘That’s perfect. We can use Sarah, then.’
‘What? No. We’re not hiring your girlfriend to fill in. She doesn’t have the experience.’
‘It’s not like she’s an apprentice, Dan! She owns her own salon!’
‘Yeah, but has she worked on a photography set? A film set?’
‘What’s the difference? She knows how to do hair and makeup. And it’s not like I require hours in the chair. Guys’ makeup is easy.’
‘I still don’t want her coming.’
Theo wondered how far he could push it. ‘Look, I wasn’t going to tell you this, because I know you’ll say not to get involved, but someone has been stalking Sarah, and I wouldn’t feel comfortable leaving her here in Brisbane while I’m in Japan. What if I pay for her costs out of my own money? That would be a good deal for you.’
‘Sarah has a stalker?’
‘Yes. And we don’t even know if it’s because of me,’ Theo fibbed. ‘It could be one of my crazed fans who found out we’re together, so technically, it could be my fault.’
Dan huffed. ‘You’re good at manipulation, aren’t you?’
‘I just think it makes sense to go this direction. We can temporarily remove Sarah from a threat, you’re not losing any money, and I have a stylist at short notice.’
‘Fine. But just this once. I’m not putting Sarah on the payroll. And you will pay for her.’
Theo beamed. ‘Excellent. When do we leave?’
‘Two weeks.’
‘I’m looking forward to it.’
‘I’ll bet you are,’ Dan grumbled.
Theo hung up. He couldn’t wait until Sarah got home.
They were going to Japan!