Chapter 4 #2
Hanging up, Elena went inside the three-storey Georgian town house and instead of heading up the stairwell to her treatment room, or taking the claustrophobic lift, she tapped on the glass door of the ground floor office.
‘Hello?’ She pushed open the door. ‘Anyone here?’
And there he was, looking as striking as he’d been on first sighting. It hadn’t been wishful thinking, then.
He was over by the window, minus his jacket now, looking at the London views while sipping his coffee.
As he turned to face her, she noticed a glint of something promising in his brown eyes, visible through a pair of black square-framed glasses.
He looked surprised to see her standing in the doorway, his dirty-blond eyebrows lifting slightly at the sight of her.
‘Hi, I’m Elena,’ she said, marching into the room with an air of confidence she hoped presented her as a woman to be taken seriously. ‘Elena Romero. I work on the third floor. Physiotherapist. You must be Daniel J Jackson, the new tenant.’
‘Pleasure to meet you, Elena.’ He extended his hand to meet hers. ‘Call me Danny.’
His hand was soft and toasty warm from where he’d been holding his coffee carton. She felt an instant tingle, which wasn’t unpleasant. It’d been a while since she’d been attracted to anyone—she’d almost forgotten what it felt like. ‘Are you settling in okay?’
‘Getting there. I’ve nearly finished unpacking.’ He gestured to the crates on the floor, filled with dense-looking legal publications. ‘It’s a great space. I like the big windows. I’ve always had a thing for period features, it amazes me the buildings here date back so far.’
She was pleased to note the shelves were empty and the desk clear. She wouldn’t be inconveniencing him too much by asking him to move offices. ‘I thought I detected an accent. American?’
He nodded. ‘Although the folks back home think I sound British now.’
He had a nice voice, rhythmical and easy-going. ‘How long have you lived here?’
‘Eighteen years.’
‘Nearly as long as me. My family moved here from Colombia when I was eight.’
He took a sip of coffee. ‘You speak Spanish?’
She nodded, her eyes drawn to his full mouth when he licked away a smudge of coffee.
‘Although not so much these days, mainly when I’m talking to Papi.
My youngest sister was only a toddler when we moved away, so she’s not fluent.
She gets grumpy if she can’t understand what we’re saying and hates the idea of missing out on gossip. ’
He smiled. ‘And is she?’
Oh, inevitably.’ Elena grinned. ‘It’s fun to wind her up. Isn’t that what sisters do?’
‘I wouldn’t know.’
‘Shame. Sisters are great … most of the time.’ She wiggled an eyebrow.
He laughed and held her gaze for a moment, his eyes lingering before shifting away. It seemed she wasn’t the only one doing a spot of checking out.
What did he make of her, she wondered? She’d never been girly or beautiful like Sofia.
She wore her dark hair short and she’d inherited her mother’s sporty physique, but she was comfortable in her own skin and happy with her lot.
Feeling strong and empowered was more important than looking like an Instagram hottie.
What she did possess was a killer smile … or so she’d been told, so she unleashed it on him, hoping to stun him into complying with her request.
Bingo. His eyes widened and he ran a finger around the neck of his shirt, as if the garment was suddenly too tight.
She stepped closer, ramping up the intensity. ‘The thing is … seeing as how you haven’t finished unpacking … how would you feel about switching offices with me?’
His smile faded.
Had she been too abrupt? She needed to get in quick and explain.
‘Only, I’m on the third floor. There’s a lift, but it’s cramped, and most of my patients have injuries or mobility issues, so using the stairs is a problem.
Sometimes the lift isn’t working either, and that causes a problem, as you can imagine.
It would be really helpful if I could switch to this space on the ground floor and you take the third floor. Would that be possible, do you think?’
He placed his coffee carton down on the empty desk. ‘I’m afraid not.’
She moved even closer, keen to win him over. ‘It’s a great space, bigger than this area.’
‘I don’t need more space.’
‘The views are fantastic too,’ she said, pointing to the large sash windows. ‘You look right across the green adjacent to Portobello Road. It’s stunning, especially in the spring when the cherry blossoms are out.’
‘Sorry, but I’m happy where I am.’
That was it? She waited a beat, wondering if he’d elaborate, but he didn’t say another word. He just looked at her, his expression devoid of any emotion. Was he a robot? ‘Even though I’ve explained about my patients’ needs?’
‘I also have clients, and ground-floor access would suit my business better.’
‘But your clients don’t have health issues.’
‘Some do.’ He headed over to the door.
This wasn’t going as planned. ‘Why don’t you come up and see the space before making a decision?’
‘No, thanks.’
She lifted her hands in exasperation. ‘That’s it?’
He opened the door. ‘That’s it.’
Why wouldn’t he consider her request? She’d given him a perfectly reasonable argument to support her request and he was dismissing it without so much as an explanation. ‘Can I ask why?’
He pushed his glasses up his nose. ‘I’ve already explained why. It would be inconvenient for my clients and …’ he gave a short shrug, ‘… because I don’t want to.’ He continued holding the door open, an unsubtle hint for her to leave. ‘Anything else I can help with, just let me know.’
She stopped in her tracks. Was he serious?
She searched his face, noticing his slightly forced smile.
He couldn’t have been more unhelpful if he’d tried, but it was clear he wasn’t backing down.
With a sarcastic rolling of her eyes, she brushed past him and exited his office.
‘Thanks for nothing, Daniel J Jackson.’ The J stood for Jerk, obviously.
‘Thanks for popping by. Maybe see you around.’ He closed the door behind her.
Not if she could help it. She hoped he dropped a heavy crate on his foot while unpacking his stupid boxes. It would serve him right. Unhelpful man.
So much for thinking he might be accommodating and understanding. No such luck.
Her phone rang as she stomped up the stairs towards her office. ‘Hi, Luisa.’
‘So, how’d it go? Is he as hot as we’d hoped?’
‘Absolute non-starter. A complete and utter …’ she checked behind her, just to make sure he hadn’t opened the door, ‘… suit.’
Luisa sighed. ‘What a disappointment.’
Elena trudged up the stairs.
Her sentiments exactly.