28. Sarah
Sarah was dead on her feet when she finally locked up the salon that night. It had been hectic. A cursory glance at the figures since Theo posted about them on social media showed they had indeed picked up some new clients. It was tempting to ask him to post more, but… it felt icky to ask him to do that when she was sleeping in his bed. She didn’t want him to think she was just using him for his celebrity.
‘You finished late tonight.’
Sarah spun around to see Bodie leaning against his car. He looked a little rumpled, as if he’d had a rough day too. His smile was genuine, and she found herself smiling back.
‘After a couple of days off, I had a lot of work to catch up on. What about you? Rough day?’
‘You could say that.’
‘Anything you want to talk about?’
‘Trouble with an international client, but you don’t want to hear about that.’ He lifted his arms above his head and stretched.
‘What are you doing here?’
‘I was driving past and noticed the lights were still on. I thought you might appreciate a lift home.’
‘That’s why I’m here,’ Theo said, stepping up beside Sarah and putting his arm around her waist.
He was staking his claim in front of Bodie, and Sarah wasn’t sure how she felt about that. Why was Theo still acting jealous around the guy? And then there was the small matter of the PDA. They could be photographed on the street like this, and then there would be a scandal. But all the same, it felt nice to have Theo’s arm around her, and she couldn’t help but lean into him. She was exhausted, and Theo’s strong presence bolstered her.
‘Thanks, Bodie. But I already called Theo.’
Bodie looked away for a moment before pushing off his car to stand. ‘Fair enough. Let me know if you are ever stuck without a lift.’
Theo didn’t take his eyes off Bodie until they could no longer see his car. He also didn’t remove his arm from around her. Not that she was complaining.
‘Ready to go home?’ she asked, drawing his attention away from Bodie’s retreating car and onto her.
He smiled, and her stomach flip-flopped. How was it possible that he could do things to her just by looking at her? Would that feeling ever go away? She hoped not.
‘I’m ready.’
They walked over to his car, his arm still around her. She should have stepped away from him—they were in a public space after all—but she didn’t want to. She was too tired to care what other people thought, and being close to Theo eased some of that fatigue.
They drove home in comfortable silence, Theo’s fingers entwined with hers. Even when he changed gears, he didn’t let go of her hand. It was sweet.
‘I have some news,’ Theo said after he’d parked in the garage.
Sarah turned to look at him. ‘Why are you just telling me now?’
‘You looked tired. I didn’t want to lump it on you straight away, but I can’t keep it in anymore.’
He was smiling widely, and there was a sparkle in his eyes that Sarah hadn’t seen since before he went to Europe. Whatever he had to tell her, he was excited about it. A pit opened in her stomach. If he was excited, it was probably related to work, and that probably meant he would be leaving her.
She tried to return his excitement. ‘Tell me.’
‘I’m going to Japan,’ he announced. ‘And you’re coming with me.’
‘What?’
‘Come on, I’ll tell you on the way.’
Theo got out of the car, but it took Sarah a moment to follow. He couldn’t really expect her to just drop everything to go to Japan with him, could he?
He opened her door for her and offered his hand. She took it and let him help her out of the car, her head still spinning over his news.
‘So…’ she began as they walked to the elevator. ‘Japan?’
Theo punched the button, and the elevator opened immediately. They got in, and he pressed the button for their floor.
‘Yeah. It’s just three days. It’s a huge brand and big money, and I love Japan.’
‘I can’t go to Japan,’ Sarah said. ‘My salon?—’
‘This is for your salon,’ he said, jumping in and cutting her off.
‘What?’
‘I want you to come as my stylist. You’ll get paid and everything. You can post it on social media. This will be great for business. And we get to spend the downtime together. In Tokyo.’
Sarah stared at him as her brain tried to comprehend what he was saying. He was paying for her to go to Japan? She would get paid for her time, and she could promote her salon… it sounded too good to be true.
‘What’s the catch?’
‘No catch.’
‘There is no way Dan agreed to this.’ Sarah knew Dan didn’t like her or approve of her relationship with Theo. There was absolutely no way Dan had okayed this.
‘My regular stylist is already booked, and because this shoot is in two weeks, the short notice makes it impossible to get someone else. I suggested you, and of course he agreed. He was desperate.’
It sounded plausible, but why did she feel like he was keeping something from her?
The doors opened, and Theo took her hand, tugging her down the hall to the apartment. He stopped suddenly, causing Sarah to bump into him. She peeked around his wide shoulders to see the back of a man waiting near Theo’s door. Her heart raced, and she squeezed Theo’s hand tight. Had her stalker found her? Had he come to kidnap her? Is that what his endgame was? And how? How did he find out where she was?
The man turned around with a wide smile on his face, and it took Sarah a moment to recognise him. Theo’s shoulders relaxed, and she heard him take a big breath before letting it out slowly.
‘Elias,’ Theo said.
Elias? Oh. Right. Levi’s brother. She’d met him a couple of times. He was an artist, right? He’d had an exhibition or something, which was the first time Sarah had met him.
‘Theo,’ Elias said.
‘What are you doing here?’
‘I’ve come to warm your house.’
‘What?’
‘Uh… housewarming… it’s a thing. Oh, hey Sarah.’ Elias waved at her. She was still cowering behind Theo’s back, so she straightened and waved back, offering him a smile as she stepped up beside Theo.
‘Hey, Elias.’
Theo looked down at her and then at Elias. ‘You two know each other?’
‘Not well,’ Sarah said.
‘We’ve met once or twice,’ Elias agreed.
Theo stood there like he didn’t know what to do. Elias wasn’t a threat, and now that Sarah recognised him, her anxiety at seeing a stranger on their doorstep eased.
‘Let’s go in,’ she said. ‘I feel like Indian food. Who else is up for it?’
‘Sounds good,’ Elias said and picked up a bag. ‘I brought booze.’
‘A sculpture would have been a better housewarming present,’ Theo said, moving forward to unlock the door.
‘I like you, buddy, but not that much. Do you know how much one of my sculptures is worth?’
‘Yes. I bought one, remember?’
‘Maybe you should buy another one.’
‘How did you get into the lobby?’ Theo asked, ignoring Elias’ hard sell.
‘Um… I might know someone who lives in the building,’ he replied, not looking at Theo.
‘Of course you do,’ Theo replied with a sigh.
They all trouped into the apartment, and while Elias exclaimed over Theo’s new living quarters, Sarah took a minute to escape into the bedroom. Ostensibly it was to change, but she needed a bit of space to think. Going to Japan as Theo’s stylist would be a coup for the salon. Just his one social media post had brought in new clients… and not only clients who were fans of his. They had picked up some local models as well. It was a market Sarah hadn’t even considered tapping into. She had worked with wealthy clients and the socialites of the city, but moving into models and actors… it would be a way to set her salon apart from the others.
But Japan? With Theo?
Okay, neither of those things was bad. In fact, they made her heart flutter with excitement. She had a passport, but she’d never been anywhere, really. A couple of island cruises were the extent of her international travel.
It felt too big.
Sarah’s phone rang. She’d gotten a new SIM the day before and there were only a handful of people with the new number… Gabe was not one of them.
‘Hey, Dad,’ she said as she answered.
‘Hey, honey. How are you?’
‘I’m good,’ she replied. Why did her father sound suspicious? He rarely called her, and when he did, it wasn’t just to chat. If he called her, it was because he had something specific to say. ‘What’s up?’
‘Um… well?—’
She heard a tussle on the other end and then her mother’s voice. ‘It’s me,’ she said unnecessarily. ‘You didn’t get back to me, so I thought you were avoiding my calls.’
‘Ah, no. I’ve been busy all day. I haven’t had a chance to even look at my phone.’
‘Oh, well, that’s okay, then.’
‘So you wanted to speak to me… why?’
‘Check your messages,’ was all she said before hanging up.
Sarah groaned and sank onto the bed. She tapped the screen to open her messages. Her mother had sent her a tarot card. The World.
Was it confirmation that she should go to Japan with Theo? Sarah didn’t really know what the meaning of the card was, and since when did she put any stock in her mother’s readings?
‘Sarah!’ Theo called from outside the door. ‘We’re ordering food. What do you want?’
Sarah closed her messages. She would deal with that later… or not. ‘I’ll be right out,’ she replied to Theo.
Tonight was for relaxing with Theo and his friend. Maybe they should invite Levi and Alexis over too? She didn’t think they had been to Theo’s place since he moved in. It might be nice to have an impromptu housewarming party. It would also give her time to think about Theo’s proposal. She might even ask Alexis’ opinion on the matter.