8. Sarah
Sarah wore a black velvet dress that fell to just above her knees. It had three-quarter sleeves and a low-cut back. This time of year—autumn—was the only time she could wear it. The gorgeous clear days and cool nights were blessedly free of humidity, which meant the dress was perfect. She styled her hair in a low, messy bun at her nape and left a long sweep of hair down in front. She’d taken extra care with her makeup, again thankful for the cool weather so that it didn’t melt off her face.
Her nerves were evidenced by her pacing as she waited for Theo to pick her up. Sarah hadn’t known what to wear. The restaurant was a fine dining place that didn’t have prices on the menu. And then there was the fact that she would be with Theo, who had just been named in the top ten of fashion influencers in the world.
Shit.
Was it too late to cancel?
She wiped her hands on her dress and swallowed. She looked good. Or at least she’d thought she had when she left her apartment. Bodie, Gabe’s friend, had whistled at her as she left the apartment. Gabe had just grunted and kicked his friend, who was supposed to be doing something on the shooting game they were playing.
Surely they—Theo—wouldn’t be recognised at a posh restaurant like that, right? They were probably used to celebrities dining there all the time. And a fashion influencer? Sarah wasn’t sure Australian people in general were all that enamoured by such a title. If Theo was a football player or maybe one of the Hemsworths, then for sure he would be recognised.
At least that’s what Sarah hoped.
A low-slung Porsche Cayman in lava-orange roared up the street and stopped beside where she stood on the footpath. Theo got out, and Sarah sucked in a breath. How was it possible for him to get even more good-looking every time she saw him? Seriously. It was impossible, and yet the man standing before her was at least ten times hotter than he’d been the other day when she’d run into him near Alexis’ place. Okay, maybe just five times hotter.
‘You look…’ Theo’s voice tapered off as his eyes travelled over her. ‘Amazing,’ he finally said, his voice almost a whisper.
Sarah swallowed… or tried to. Her mouth had gone dry. ‘You don’t look too bad yourself,’ she said, trying not to stare. She was a sucker for a man in a suit.
Theo offered her his arm. ‘Shall we?’
She hooked her hand through his elbow and allowed him to guide her to the car. He opened the door for her and waited for her to get in before he closed it. She took a long, slow breath to calm her racing heart. How the hell was she going to get through dinner with him?
He slid into the driver’s seat and smiled over at her. ‘I can’t tell you how much I’ve been looking forward to this.’
‘Same,’ she replied lamely. In truth, she’d been a hot mess all day thinking about it.
The drive to the restaurant was less than five minutes, but then they had to find somewhere to park, which took twice as long. Sarah felt bad about making Theo bring his car. She could have met him there and saved all the hassle. She did like his car, though.
‘Is this yours?’
He looked over at her and grinned. ‘Why? Would it make a difference if I said no?’
Sarah smirked and ran her hand over the leather armrest. ‘Maybe?’
Theo laughed. ‘It is mine. The poor thing has been in storage while I’ve been away.’
‘Well… if you ever need someone to drive it while you’re away, I would be willing to take on the burden.’
‘I’ll remember that,’ he said.
‘Tell me about Europe,’Sarah said when they sat down.
‘What’s to tell?’
‘Did you go anywhere? See anything? Meet… anyone?’
‘I worked,’ he replied. His head was down, but he was looking at her through his lashes. ‘Why? Would you be jealous if I had met someone?’
Yes. ‘No. Of course not.’ Liar.
Theo lifted his head and searched her face. Could he tell what she was thinking?
He sighed and looked away for a moment. ‘I was too busy to go anywhere or see anything or meet… anyone.’
‘Same,’ she replied, feeling guilty about grilling him and lying to him.
‘How’s your salon? Is it everything you hoped it would be?’
She grinned. She couldn’t help it. ‘Yeah. It is. It’s busy—crazy busy—but it’s good, you know? I don’t have time to think when I’m busy.’
‘Is there something you’ve been trying to avoid thinking about?’
He was looking right at her. Right into her soul. She wanted to confess everything to him but… but she couldn’t. It would put her in the weaker position, and she had vowed never to let herself be caught like that again. She needed to be strong.
‘Not really, just… you know how it is sometimes. You find yourself ruminating about things, and suddenly, you’re spiralling. Keeping busy stops that from happening.’
He nodded slowly. ‘I know what you mean. Being busy while I was away… helped. I didn’t have time to get homesick.’
Was that his way of telling her he’d missed her? Had he missed her as much as she had missed him? Sarah wanted to ask. She wanted to know if he still thought about their night in Byron Bay.
But before she could say anything, their waiter approached with menus, and the conversation was dropped.
Dinner was…Sarah didn’t have the words to describe it. She knew it ruined her for any other restaurant… ever. The tiramisù alle fragole was to die for. Sarah thought tiramisù only came in chocolate and coffee, so the white chocolate and strawberry version was a revelation.
As for Theo… well… he’d kind of ruined her for any other man too. But she’d already known that; she’d just refused to acknowledge it. By the time their appetisers had arrived, Sarah no longer felt the nerves that had plagued her all day. She was not only comfortable with him, but she was comfortable in her own skin—which said a lot about Theo and the way he treated her.
Sarah didn’t want to admit it, but she’d been skittish around men for a while now. The night in Byron with Theo was an anomaly… and again a testament to the kind of guy he was.
‘Do you feel like going for a walk?’ he asked as they left the restaurant.
‘Sure.’
The restaurant was right on the Brisbane River, and even though the evening was cool, a walk along the boardwalk would be the perfect way to end the night. Plus, Sarah wasn’t ready to say goodbye to Theo yet.
He took her hand as they meandered south along the riverwalk. She didn’t pull away. It felt natural… normal… nice.
Sarah had avoided asking him how long he would be in the country for. The question had burned in her throat, but voicing it would mean… what? In Sarah’s mind, it almost felt like a confession, and she was not ready for that. She liked Theo more than she was prepared to acknowledge, but she didn’t necessarily want him to know that.
Instead, she had begun by asking him about his work, which he had then turned around to talk about her work. Before Sarah knew it, she had been talking most of the night, and she’d hardly heard anything about him.
‘How is living with your mum?’ she asked. Maybe she could find out how long he would be around if she knew what his living situation was.
‘Um… okay?’
‘You don’t sound too sure about that.’
‘I haven’t lived with her for a long time and really, we haven’t been that close for a while, so it is a little weird to be in the same space as her.’
‘Is she being nosy?’
‘Not really, but… I don’t know… like tonight, for instance. She accosted me early this morning, bribed me with coffee, and then tried to guilt me into having dinner with her.’
Sarah laughed. ‘I think that’s just called being a mother who hasn’t seen her son for six months.’
‘Maybe.’ He shrugged. ‘I did appreciate the coffee, though.’
‘It’s not for forever. I’m sure you can stick it out. You’re ten times better off than me.’
He quirked an eyebrow. ‘Oh?’
‘My brother is living with me.’ She rolled her eyes.
‘Did I know that already?’ Theo frowned in concentration. ‘I think you told me that when we were in Byron.’
Sarah felt her cheeks heat at the mention of that night. ‘Yeah, he’s still there.’
‘I plan on finding a place as soon as practicably possible,’ Theo said. ‘I have a realtor lined up tomorrow to show me some places.’
Sarah looked away and smiled. She was glad. If Theo was looking for his own place, then he would be staying for a while.
‘The rental market is pretty brutal at the moment,’ she said.
‘Which is why I’m going to buy. Cash sale. Short contract?—’
A gaggle of women blocked their path. Sarah hated using the word gaggle to describe her fellow kinswomen, but there was no other apt descriptor. They were a bachelorette party, and by the looks of them, they’d had a bit to drink… a lot to drink.
‘I know you,’ the bride-to-be said, her plastic tiara sitting precariously crooked on her blonde teased hair. Her makeup had run, giving her distinctive panda-eyes.
‘I don’t believe I’ve had the pleasure,’ Theo replied smoothly, even smiling at her.
‘You’re that model,’ the bride said, almost accusingly.
‘I am a model,’ he agreed, while Sarah stood by and gaped at him.
Why would he admit it? He should have said, ‘sorry, no, you’ve got the wrong person,’ and moved on.
‘Take a photo with us!’ she demanded.
‘Ah…’
‘Come on. It’s my last night of freedom. I need something to remember it by.’
The other women pushed Sarah out of the way as they crowded around Theo.
‘Here,’ someone said, shoving a phone into Sarah’s hands. ‘You don’t mind taking a photo for us, do you?’
The woman wasn’t really asking. Sarah smiled politely and took a couple of photos, but then another phone was handed to her. And another. The women were getting closer and closer to Theo… and did the bride just pinch his backside?
‘I think we’re done here,’ Sarah said, reaching for Theo’s hand.
‘One more! Come on! How about a kiss?’
Sarah gripped Theo’s fingers and tugged him away from the women before they took off running. It wasn’t easy in high heels, but there was no way she was going to hang around and watch as Theo got felt up. Not on her watch.
Theo loped easily beside her, a mile-wide grin on his face. Sarah could hear the women behind her trying to keep up, but their alcohol consumption was hampering their progress. Sarah thanked her daily treadmill sessions for her ability to get away from them.
Theo directed her off the boardwalk and into the Botanic Gardens. They kept running, even though she was sure the bachelorettes were no longer following.
‘Slow down,’ she called out breathlessly.
Theo slowed to a walk, and it annoyed her to notice he wasn’t even breathing hard.
‘You saved me,’ he said, tugging her into his arms.
They were on a path shaded by enormous fig trees, and there was no one else around. Sarah melted into him.
‘You’re too nice,’ she said, tilting her face up to his. ‘You should have pretended you were someone else.’
He lifted a finger and tucked her hair behind her ear, his touch lingering on the soft skin of her neck.
‘They might have been part of my fan club,’ he said softly.
‘They had no right to invade your space you like that. You’re allowed to have boundaries.’
‘Sometimes it’s just easier?—’
Sarah shushed him by putting a finger over his lips. ‘You are allowed to say no,’ she said.
He stared into her eyes for a long time before taking her finger away from his mouth and lowering his head.
‘Can I kiss you?’
Sarah answered by kissing him. He folded her into his arms, and she melted against his hard body. How had she survived without this? How had she even been able to breathe?
Theo tangled his fingers in her hair, and she didn’t even care that he was probably messing it up. How could she think about that when his lips were on hers and his body was pressed against her, and every nerve ending was exploding as if they had never known this sensation before?
‘Damn,’ he whispered against her lips. ‘I’ve missed that. I’ve missed you.’
Sarah blinked up at him, the words on the tip of her tongue, but she couldn’t say them. Instead, she pulled his head down and kissed him again.