17. Theo
Theo lay on his side, looking at Sarah just inches away from him. She had her eyes closed, but she was awake. How had he been so lucky to find such a beautiful and intelligent woman? And one who liked him? Despite outward appearances, Theo had little confidence in his personal life. He knew how to charm a woman, but keeping her was another story.
He reached out and brushed a finger lightly over one of her eyelids.
She smiled. ‘What are you doing?’
‘Just admiring your beauty.’
She chuckled. ‘Jeez. You love the cringey lines, don’t you?’
‘You said you liked it.’
‘Yeah, I do. Keep going.’
‘You light up my life brighter than the sun.’
She laughed even louder. ‘Oh my God.’
‘Do you want more? Or should we go exploring?’
‘I’d rather explore your body.’
He grinned. ‘Who’s being cringe now?’
‘Okay, okay, let’s explore. Have you ever been to this area before?’
‘Nope. You?’
‘No. And I wish we were staying in the lodge.’
‘We’ll just have to make do.’ Theo got out his phone and typed something into the browser. ‘There’s a botanic garden just beyond the main building. And a few different hikes if you want to check them out?’
‘It might be a bit late for a big hike. But we can look at the garden and then maybe see what else is around?’
‘Let’s do it. I’ll just text Levi and let him know where we are.’
Theo quickly typed the message, and they made their way up to the end of the road and onto a boardwalk that extended into the rainforest.
‘Are botanic gardens our thing now?’ Sarah asked.
‘I guess they could be.’
‘Are you normally an outdoors person? I mean, I know you don’t camp, but do you run or ride?’
‘I like to walk. When I was in Munich, I would regularly hike a loop trail that went through a historical area to an English garden. If I’m running, I prefer to do it on the treadmill at the gym. I’d rather take my time when outside and enjoy the scenery.’
‘Do you listen to music or podcasts while hiking?’
‘Sometimes. It depends how much my brain is behaving on the day.’
‘When does your brain not behave?’
Theo was quiet. He didn’t want things to get too heavy, and if he admitted he had a bit of trauma from his childhood, things would get heavy.
He had also told Sarah he’d thought about her every day while he was away, but he’d said it romantically. In truth, it had been more of a neurotic obsessive way that questioned whether he was up to a healthy relationship with someone of her calibre.
‘I guess the days before a shoot,’ he fibbed. ‘I have to focus on eating right and following a strict routine. I can’t afford to get distracted.’
‘Would you find me a distraction in that kind of situation?’
‘Yes. But you’d be a welcome one.’ He reached out and held her hand. ‘I’d happily let you distract me anytime.’
They walked quietly through the trees. It was cold and windy, and there weren’t any other people around. Theo suspected Mondays wouldn’t be the area’s most popular times, but he liked that it felt as though they were the only ones in the whole world.
‘I just realised I hardly know anything meaningful about you,’ Sarah mused. ‘Just the celebrity stuff from Wiki.’
‘What do you want to know?’ he asked lightly.
‘Well, I know your mum lives in the same building as Levi and Alexis. What’s she like?’
Theo tilted his head to the side. ‘She means well. And she’s always given me everything I needed. But she can be a little overbearing at times—although, I did appreciate her calls while I was away.’
‘What about your dad?’
The smile disappeared. ‘I haven’t spoken to him for a long time.’
‘Are we talking months? Years?’
‘Almost four years, I think.’
‘What happened?’
‘We hadn’t been close for a while. Just annual birthday phone calls and the occasional catch-up when we were both in the same town. But a while back, he stopped even doing that.’
‘Oh, that’s crappy. I’m sorry.’
Theo appreciated that she didn’t push for more information. He wasn’t quite ready to expose all the messiness of his family life.
‘What about you? Are you close to your parents?’
‘You could say that. Mum and Dad live at Albany Creek. Mum’s a bit eccentric, and Dad indulges her. They’re very sweet together.’
‘I like that.’
‘When you meet my mother, she’ll probably want to read your fortune.’
Theo’s eyes lit up. ‘Really? She’s a fortune teller?’
‘That doesn’t scare you? You actually like that?’
‘I love it! Whenever my mum goes back to Korea for holidays, she always sees a shaman. She’d probably want a session with your mum if she met her.’
As soon as the words were out of his mouth, he worried Sarah would find the suggestion of their parents meeting too much, but she giggled. ‘I’d like to see that.’
‘Does your mum read for you?’
‘Unfortunately, yes. The problem is, she’s only right half the time.’
‘So, what has she predicted correctly?’
‘She… she actually had a dream about my stalker just before he contacted me.’
‘Oh, wow. Could she see his face?’
‘No. I don’t think it works like that.’
‘Has she foretold your future husband?’
Sarah’s ears reddened, and Theo immediately pounced. ‘What did she say?’
‘I mean, it was really generic…’
‘What was it?’
‘She saw a tall, dark, handsome stranger.’
‘When did she say this?’
‘The day before you arrived back in town.’
‘But I’m not a stranger!’
‘We kind of were, though, remember? I made a joke in Byron about us being strangers?’
‘Yes, but we stayed in touch for a while after. And we’re definitely not strangers now.’
‘What? Are you worried she saw someone else?’ Sarah teased.
‘Well, it might not have been a romantic stranger. Stalkers aren’t always ugly.’
‘Ugh, why would you say that? Now you’ve made it weird.’
Theo backtracked. ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to. Okay, let’s pretend it was me. And not Bodie.’
‘I’ve known Bodie forever. He’s not a stranger. And I told you, he’s not the stalker either. He’s also blonde.’
They arrived at the gate to the botanic garden and walked through an archway to a meandering path surrounded by flowers and low-lying bushes. It wasn’t as manicured as the garden in Brisbane, but Theo liked it more. It was difficult to see where the man-made gardens ended and the rainforest began.
‘Did you earn all your money from modelling?’ Sarah asked.
‘Mostly. My mum did well out of her divorce, which gave her enough stability to start her own business. And because that took off, I could go to a good school and make decent connections.’
‘What’s your mum’s business?’
‘Have you heard of Eco Luxe Cosmetics?’
Sarah stopped and stared at him. ‘Seriously? That’s your mother’s business?’
‘She’s always been good at picking trends and capitalising on them.’
‘But that brand is worth hundreds of millions!’
‘Yeah, it is.’ Theo normally enjoyed surprising women with that little fact, but he felt strangely embarrassed when telling Sarah.
‘Have you ever modelled for her stuff?’
‘No. I thought it would be best to keep family and business separate.’
‘I’m very impressed with your mother’s entrepreneurial skills.’
‘Does it make you see me differently now?’ He hated how pathetic he sounded.
‘Of course not. You’re still you. I already knew you lived in another world to me, but that shouldn’t affect our connection. Money can so easily be lost.’
Theo had thought about that too. He often wondered how he’d cope if his mother went bankrupt and he somehow lost his money at the same time. He liked to think he’d be okay. And with someone like Sarah in his life, he now felt like that was even more the case.
‘You’re right. Money is just a tool. I’m not going to say it’s not important, because it obviously is. But I don’t want it to drive every decision I make.’
Sarah nodded. ‘I know you like to pretend you’re all flashy, but I can see through you, Theo Park. You’re sweet and thoughtful, and that’s what I like about you.’
She paused under a large tree and kissed him on the cheek.
Sarah’s words were soothing, and Theo hoped she meant it.
‘I like you too,’ he whispered back.