10. Alexis
Alexis checked her reflection in the mirror. Why was she so nervous? It wasn’t like she’d never had two men in her apartment before. Or maybe she hadn’t. In the past two months at Sarah’s, they’d never invited anyone back because the place was so small. And she almost never invited anyone to the house she grew up in. She knew it would give people a particular impression that might impact their opinion of her in a way she didn’t like, so she was careful about who she showed the seven-bedroom estate.
Her pale face looked back at her. Maybe she should have put on some extra makeup than her usual mascara and lip gloss. But that would have been trying too hard, and she didn’t want Levi thinking she was making an effort for him. And she’d only known Theo for five minutes. She didn’t think it was smart to go all out for him either. Yet.
It had taken her forever to decide on a suitable outfit too, but in the end, she’d settled for a black tank-top tucked into a pale pink skirt that skimmed her knees. It was appropriately casual, but still cute.
She wondered who she was trying to look cute for. Or was it just a general sense of wanting to look nice so she could focus on the impending evening without worrying about her appearance?
Alexis decided it was so she could look respectable to Evelyn. Especially because she’d need to be prepared to explain why her son and his friend were in the penthouse when she wasn’t supposed to have any guests over.
The intercom buzzed, and her heart started racing.
She peeked into the screen and saw both men standing there. Were they actually jostling for attention?
She held back a smile and picked up the receiver. ‘Come on up.’
She wasn’t sure whether to open the door in advance or wait until they knocked.
Probably the latter. She didn’t want to look too eager.
A few minutes later, they were in the apartment. Theo held up a bottle of red wine and headed straight for the kitchen.
Alexis rubbed her arms anxiously. ‘Uh, I didn’t know this was a drinking event.’
He smiled cheekily. ‘When is an evening with friends not a cause to drink?’
‘I guess… but you better not get me fired. I’ll have nowhere to live otherwise.’
‘You can always come stay with me,’ he said, winking.
Levi had been quiet until this point, but when Alexis snuck a look at him, she saw him scowl at Theo’s offer. But even through the scowl, he looked particularly hot tonight. As did Theo. How did she have two freaking models in the seven-million-dollar penthouse she currently called home? (She’d looked it up online earlier, and despite Jack’s house being worth well over ten million, she was impressed by this place’s value and the attention to detail it contained.)
‘Is your place like this?’ Theo asked Levi casually. ‘And also, I thought we were friends. Why have you never invited me over?’
‘Because we don’t have that kind of friendship. But to answer your first question, not exactly. But it’s not too shabby either. All the kitchen finishes are the same. And the floors.’
‘Nice. So, are you still working in the family biz?’
‘Yep.’ It seemed to Alexis that he wanted to add the word ‘unfortunately’ at the end but refrained.
Theo poured three glasses of wine and handed one to each of them. He held his up in a toast. ‘To new and old friendships.’
Alexis shyly clinked her glass against Theo’s. He beamed at her, and she quickly turned to Levi. His expression was hard to read, but his clink against her glass was strangely soft.
‘What time is it?’ Theo asked no one in particular.
‘I don’t know. Why don’t you check your ten-thousand-dollar watch?’ Levi drawled.
Theo roared with laughter. ‘You know you had the choice to model for the brand too. I don’t know why you’re acting so jealous.’
Wait. Theo was an actual model?
Levi sniffed. ‘Whatever.’
‘If I recall correctly, you said modelling was beneath you.’
‘You model?’ Alexis asked curiously.
‘Just a little here and there.’
‘And I think I remember you saying you were a skin doctor?’ she checked with Levi.
‘You mean cosmetic surgeon,’ Theo provided on Levi’s behalf. ‘Fixes the faces of all the Brisbane elite.’
Alexis wondered what they’d both think if she told them where Evelyn was right now.
‘That’s not all I do,’ Levi said defensively. ‘I also help people who have scarring or skin cancer.’
Alexis looked at him with interest. ‘Is that right?’
Theo gave Levi a knowing look but didn’t say anything. He turned back to Alexis. ‘And you’re a professional house-sitter?’
‘For now. I’ve been running my own personal concierge business for a couple of months.’
‘And what did you do before that?’
Alexis wasn’t sure she wanted to tell them, but before she had a chance to open her mouth, her phone buzzed. Saved by the bell. Or ring. Whatever.
‘Oh, I think that’s Evelyn. Let me talk to her before I include the two of you in the conversation.’
She hurried into her bedroom and shut the door.
After accepting the call, she smiled at Evelyn in what she hoped was a natural way.
‘Hi!’
Evelyn looked back at her. It appeared she hadn’t yet undergone any surgery, because her face was still the same. ‘How’s Tofu?’ she demanded.
‘She’s fine. I don’t think she’s even aware of my presence.’ Alexis hoped that was the right thing to say.
‘Where is she?’
‘Uh, probably in the laundry. She seems to like it there.’
Evelyn grimaced. ‘You should encourage her not to live like a maid. It’s a bad habit.’
‘I think she just likes the dark.’
‘She’s a designer cat. She needs to be living like a designer cat.’
‘I’ll do my best to encourage her into the rest of the house.’
Evelyn peered behind her. ‘You’re in the sewing room?’
‘I didn’t realise it was the sewing room, but I wanted to respect your space and leave the master suite for when you return.’
‘That’s completely unnecessary, but whatever makes you comfortable. Is everything going smoothly there?’
‘So far, yes. But I’m afraid your son showed up unannounced this morning.’
Evelyn sighed. ‘Of course he did. The boy has only visited me once since I moved in, and now he decides to grace me with his presence. You didn’t tell him where I was, did you?’
‘No. But he knows you’ll be gone for six months. And… um… he’s kind of here right now.’
Evelyn’s eyebrows shot up. ‘What?’
‘I tried to deter him, but he insisted. He worried I was a squatter and wanted proof I was supposed to be here.’
She pressed her hands to her face. ‘I suppose you should go get him, then.’
Alexis bit her lip. ‘Levi is here too.’
Evelyn shook her head. ‘Are you in the habit of letting random men into your house?’
‘No, but he insisted. I’m sorry. I know it’s weird, and I told them both I wasn’t allowed guests, but they know you better than I do, and I wasn’t sure how to deter them.’
‘Fine. Send them both in.’
‘Do you want me to stay?’
‘Go and get Tofu, and then you can return.’
‘Sure.’
Alexis left the phone on the bedside table and hurried out.
Levi was eyeing Theo warily, although Theo seemed oblivious.
‘You can both go say hi. I’ll just find Tofu, and then I’ll join you too.’
‘Thanks, Lexi,’ Theo sing-songed.
‘You know, you should really check if she’s okay with having her name shortened like that,’ Levi said.
‘Are you okay with that?’ Theo asked.
As if she could say no to that gorgeous face.
‘It’s fine.’ Although, she usually only let really close friends use that name.
The guys disappeared into her room, and she belatedly realised she should have brought the phone out to the living area instead. Why did she invite two men into her sleeping quarters?
It was too late to worry now. She went in search of Tofu, who was in her usual spot on top of the towels. She gently picked her up and carried her into the bedroom.
‘At least tell me if you’re in the country,’ Theo pleaded with Evelyn.
‘You never cared where I was before today, so why all this concern now?’ she huffed.
‘Because it’s weird. You’ve just disappeared for six months without telling me anything. If I hadn’t come around to check on you, would I have ever found out?’
‘Probably not. That was the whole point.’
‘What are you even doing?’
‘Again, none of your business. I’ve left the penthouse for Alexis to look after, and I told her she can’t have visitors because Tofu doesn’t like noise. So please obey my request and stay away.’
‘You’re not a typical mother, you know that?’
‘I’ll take that as a compliment.’
‘You shouldn’t,’ he muttered.
Evelyn ignored him. ‘And Levi? You’ve never taken much of an interest in my personal life. Why now, all of a sudden?’
Levi seemed unprepared for this line of questioning. ‘Uh, I was just concerned as… Theo’s friend,’ he trailed off lamely.
‘Well, now you know I’m fine, so you can both leave Alexis alone. I’m sure the poor girl is exhausted having to entertain the likes of you.’
Theo smirked. ‘That sounds dirty.’
‘Oh, Theo. Get your mind out of the gutter. I raised you better than that.’
‘Sorry, Mum. I promise we won’t exhaust Alexis. I’ll call you in a few days to check in again.’
‘Just a regular voice call will be sufficient. And you don’t have to be so clingy. You’re thirty-three years old for heaven’s sake. I won’t be offended if you wind back the contact to once a fortnight for a while.’
‘You’re acting very suspiciously, Mother.’
‘I just want you to have a life, that’s all.’
‘Sure you do.’
‘Anyway, off you go. Talk soon. And Alexis, I’ll check in with you tomorrow.’
‘Yes, ma’am.’
Evelyn ended the call, and Theo looked at Alexis. ‘She wants to chat to you every day, but me only once a fortnight?’
‘She just wants to make sure Tofu is okay.’
‘So she loves the cat more than me. Excellent.’
Levi had been standing awkwardly to the side. ‘I guess I’ll go now.’
Theo grabbed his arm. ‘What? No! The night’s just getting started. Stay for more wine.’
Levi looked at Alexis, and she wondered if he was waiting for her approval.
She shrugged. ‘I’m not supposed to have guests, but since you’re both already here, I can’t see that another hour or so would make a difference.’
‘Exactly,’ Theo said, grinning. He looked around the bedroom curiously. ‘Where did you hide those cute PJs?’
‘How do you know what her pyjamas look like?’ Levi blurted.
‘Never you mind,’ Theo teased.
Alexis shook her head. ‘Stop pretending there’s more to the situation than there really is. Now, come on. Get out of here.’
She pushed them into the living room and picked up the glass of wine she’d left on the kitchen counter.
Now that Evelyn knew she had guests, she could relax in that regard.
But having two ridiculously good-looking guys lounging around in her temporary home made her nerves tingle.
What was she going to do now?