20. Theo
After a few days of hell, Lucy had finally finished, and with a bang. All of her meals were made and tested for cohesiveness, and while I wasn’t able to personally taste test them all, I’d gotten to see enough of her creations to know she’d done exactly what we needed—andmore. Now, it was only a matter of getting my father’s approval for the rest of our plans. Sitting in a chair in the boardroom, I waited impatiently while Dad tapped his hand on the binder in front of him—not one, not twice, but three times. I knew the action well; it meant he was contemplating his final decision. With Audrey and Ava”s presentation being held at the front of the room, they were waiting for the verdict on whether the planning had been finalised, or if we still had a mountain of work ahead of us to scramble through in the moments leading up to the event.
“So, the allocated budget is used up?” he asked, going through his requirements. I was surprised he brought his own list with him this time, since I was usually forced to write down these talking points on his behalf.
“Any surplus after the event is being donated to a local children’s education fund.” Ava nodded, clicking a slide on her presentation to show more information on the organisation. The fund seemed to teach children about leadership and finding their way in life; it was the perfect opportunity to peddle more sponsors from our gala, as businesses would want to use it for community exposure.
“And the venue’s aware of what we need?” Dad looked to me this time, since it was our company that was the one in charge of the actual event planning. Deciding on the location was the first thing we’d done, and our designers were going to have a field day when it came to decorating the place.
I cleared my throat. “That’s right, we’ve even gotten someone up-and-coming in the food industry to custom design the menu, so that it caters to everyone’s dietary needs.”
“And you can vouch that the press is promoting it, both in the lead up to next week, as well as setting us up for preliminary bookings next year?” Dad turned to ask Audrey. After all, this was the whole reason we banded together with Ava and Audrey in the first place. If we couldn’t guarantee attention to our event, it would all be for nothing. I bit my lip, pondering over the fact that our little agreement did much more for us than just planning the event… without it, I wouldn’t be watching Audrey in her element, trying hard to forget about the kiss we shared in the archive room. This could never be ‘all for nothing’.
“I can,” she spoke clearly, waking me from my little trance. “We’ve organised an advertising contract that fits within our allowance. The London Times will be running a news piece—on page three, at that.”
“Good, we need the publicity to keep this an annual success.” He tapped on his binder three more times. Then, the calculating face he wore turned soft, and he tilted his head gently. “You’ve done well, ladies. And son, you too.”
“I’m happy to be lumped in with them,” I joked, knowing Audrey must be feeling over the moon right now, to find her first project here was going to be a success. But then, that brought on a darker feeling as well. Audrey had made it clear—after she finished the project, she was going to leave the agency and go back home, only to make a life in France soon after. And despite our kiss that never escaped my mind, I was barely moving things along. Audrey looked over, an effortless glow forming around her face, radiating happiness. With France finally around the corner, how could I compete with her plans like that?
Once the meeting ended, Ava and Dad went to the main hall for lunch, and I made my way toward Audrey while she packed up her computer, unplugging it from the office HDMI cable. “That’s it, huh?”
“Not quite, we’ve still got to get through the actual gala.” She shuffled back and forth with her errands, and I stood closer to stop the movement. Before moving straight to a bothered face, she frowned, as if wondering the reason I got in her way so suddenly. I needed to think of one fast.
“Why don’t we do something on this last weekend of freedom?”
She seemed amused. “And what would we possibly do on a weekend like this? We’ve got the most exciting event of the year happening next week, a final hoorah at the pub doesn’t seem that appetising.”
“You don’t think I could surprise you?”
“No, frankly I don’t.”
A challenge. Suddenly, I knew exactly how I was going to win this little bet, and believe it or not, maybe even her heart in the process. “Interesting,” I said, leaning closer to her ear. My breath tickled her from its nearness, and I watched her zone in on the wall in front of us, as if concentrating on not making a big deal of it. “Clear your weekend plans, and pack a bag.”
“You think I’m going away with you for the whole weekend?” She raised a brow.
“If you want to prove me wrong, you’re going to have to.” I loved being daring with her, watching the blood vessels burst across her face from frustration, knowing that she didn’t want to accept my offer… but if she backed out, it would make her look weak. A business tactic Dad taught me from a young age, to always be in control of the discussion. He clearly didn’t expect me to use it on people for my own personal pleasure, and while I’d normally steer clear from acts of manipulation, a little teasing didn’t hurt.
“Fine,” she relinquished. “Only because I know it’ll be an easy win, and after all this time spent with you, I feel like I need it.”
“Absolutely understandable; spending more time with me only to get over the time you’ve spent with me,” I concluded, as if any of it made sense. But in this bickering game we played, we just needed to know that it made sense to us.
“Exactly. I’m glad the message is clear.” She stepped closer to me, waiting for me to move politely out of her way. I blamed the weight of my boots, because I stood in place without movement. “Move, Atkins.”
“Make me.” At that moment, watching her pretend to be stern, all I wanted to do was lean down and kiss her… or in a less romantic sense, pin her to the boardroom table and make out like we’d done in the archive room. Up until that kiss, I could only go off my memories when thinking about what connection we’d once had, and the soft flirtation made me wonder whether it was still actually there or not. But now that we’d kissed, proving the passion between us was still very much alive, it was like a test to see how we could get back to that once more. But I wasn’t going to be sleazy about it—whether she believed it or not, I didn’t think it was a mistake, and I certainly didn’t think it was just an ounce of fun. I was desperate to keep her around, and suddenly, with a destination in mind for the trip, I knew exactly what I’d do to make her know just how serious I felt about her.
And with a simple shove, I was out of her way, and she returned to her own office without another word. Without so much as pleasantries being delivered, I’d made the biggest move forward that I’d done all month, and that was getting Audrey to put her hate and hurt behind her, and spend one memorable weekend by my side.
I rushed past the lunch hall, giving Dad and Ava a polite wave goodbye, before I caught a cab back home to Chelsea. Now that we had most of everything in place for the gala, I got to spend an actual evening to myself, and I knew exactly what I’d be doing to bide my time.
I unlocked my door and put my thick winter coat on the rack by the entrance, kicking off my shoes so that I didn’t trek the dismal weather inside. But when I got there, I was startled to see a man in my sitting room. My skin and flesh jumped from each bone in my body, until he turned around, and I recognised his face; dark hair, dark circles under his eyes, and a sideways smile I knew all too well. Will.
“What on earth are you doing here?” I asked, hand on my chest as if I was about to have a heart attack. For a second there, I thought I almost did. Was someone cooking burnt toast?
“Hey, sorry. I forgot to message you,” he said, as if it was a proper explanation. But while I had a key to his house, he also had a key to mine as well. The only difference between us? I wouldn’t actually come by without being invited.
“I can’t help but think that doesn’t actually describe what you’re doing here.” Then I see the plate in front of him, where he’d made himself some toasted muffins with strawberry jam on top. Okay, so at least the toast is real. I’m not going to die.
“I need advice,” he said, scratching the back of his neck as if this was a hard topic to discuss.
“Well, I’ve got a busy schedule, so I don’t know how much help I can be.” I set a boundary, since he’d be here all day otherwise. Thank God he had kids he needed to return to, otherwise he’d probably stay the night as well. The thing about Will and I was that we were very different to Audrey and Lucy. When I looked at them, I couldn’t tell if it’s the simple joys and freedom of a feminine friendship, but if I carried that into my life, it’d feel like co-dependency. And given the fact that they moved halfway across the globe together, perhaps it really was co-dependency? Will and I operated in a different way, where I would come over for a movie or game night with his kids every now and then, and maybe talk about feelings we were too scared to share with a particular pair of Australian roommates that lived on his street. We operated on favours otherwise, knowing our busy schedule didn’t really allow for much more than that… but here he was, putting his toes over the line.
“I thought the project was under wraps?” Will asked, relatively familiar with my schedule in case babysitting duties needed to come up.
“It is,” I answered. “But this is something else I’m planning.”
A sly grin formed on Will’s face. “It’s for Audrey, isn’t it?” he asked. “My dilemma is for Lucy, so why don’t we try to kill two birds with one stone here?”
Despite my quick interest in Will actually admitting he wanted to move forward with Lucy, knowing Audrey would kill for that information, I stopped him. “We are not doing a double date.”
“No! Not that,” he said, and relief spread across my shoulders. “What I mean is, you give me advice, I help you with whatever you’re trying to plan. What is it, anyway?”
I sighed, taking a seat next to him. “Look, I have one chance to try and get Audrey to stick around after this project ends. We’re going together on a weekend trip, and I need to figure out where before she changes her mind.”
“Wait, she’s agreed to go somewhere with you? Staying over in the same accommodation and everything?”
His attempt at humour made me roll my eyes. “At least try to be on my side here, and think that it might be something she’d actually enjoy.”
“You’re right, I’ll back down.” He laughed. “You must have a lot more charm than I’ve given you credit for.”
“I’m smooth, what can I say?” I shrugged. “What did you need help with?”
“I want to plan a dinner for Lucy, to show her how much her efforts mean to me,” he said, fiddling with his fingers.
“Is this supposed to be a romantic endeavour?” I raised my brow. “Or the office equivalent of throwing your staff a pizza party instead of giving them a raise?”
“Jeez, Theo.” He huffed. “It’s a romantic gesture, I’m trying to show her I care.”
“While I’m sure the cook would love a night off, it’ll need to be a surprise, otherwise she’s going to be breathing down your neck, carrying the mental labour of what recipe step you need to follow next,” I explained. It’s like if someone decided to throw me a birthday party—I’d be grateful, sure, but being in the business, I wouldn’t be able to stop pointing out everything the party planner had missed. “Wait, wasn’t she interested in a chef around here?”
“Romantically?” Will looked disappointed.
“No, no.” I waved my hand. “Audrey said she’s been idolising some English chef named Mary since she was young, and to make things better, I think they have a kitchen here in London.” It was odd, knowing more about Lucy than Will did at this moment. But that’s the beauty of time—and when you had the chance to know someone over a longer period of it. I thought back to all the times Lucy cooked, even in Australia, when she was first honing her craft… and now, she’s developed the menu for a city-wide event that people spend years trying to get on the guest list for.
“You’re a genius!” Will grinned. “And if I take her there, I’ll get the kids a babysitter for the night and Lucy will be able to actually enjoy herself.”
“Bingo.”
“Well, there goes my dilemma.” Will laughed in relief. “Let’s work on yours now. I’ve got some connections across England if you’re wanting to take her out of town.”
“I was thinking more… international,” I hinted, knowing I needed this gesture to be grand. My final chance.
Will scooched over, pulling out his phone to a reservations app. “Well then, we better get to work.”