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He tore his gaze away and eyed the pretty property, admiring the wisteria that hung over the door. The Georgian home had a brick wall and tall iron gates surrounding it. I’d left my car on the road, too embarrassed to bring the old vehicle up to the house.
“It’s okay,” he said, crouching to retrieve a bag that had been sitting by his feet, “I’ve got my tools.”
I stared as he set off, slightly shocked that he had tools. In the past, I’d been the one to check the measurements, it had been my job. I’d just assumed that the client had given him rough estimates and I’d gone along to confirm. Maybe Joe actually did some work, after all.
Studying him as he walked through the gates, I traced my gaze down his frame. His broad shoulders were square and his head held high. His mostly dark hair was cut short at the sides and styled longer at the top. His corduroys were grey and grazed the firm roundness of his buttocks perfectly. He wore a white linen shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows, showing his tanned brown arms that were smattered with dark hair.
“Are you coming, Lola?” he called without turning.
I smiled and followed him, keeping my gaze above the waistband of his corduroys, just in case he looked around to see me admiring his arse. I wasn’t going to lie, a jolt of excitement slipped through me as I caught up to him, walking alongside him with my most confident stride.
“Today’s job is a bedroom for,” he glanced down at me, “a baby.”
My breath hitched and my ankle bent, propelling me forward. He caught me just before I fell flat on my face, holding me close as I righted my legs.
“Woah there.” His smile was kind as I mumbled an apology. “You’re nervous, I understand.”
“No,” I said, hurriedly pushing away from him, “I’m just clumsy, it’s in my nature. I’m ready for this job. It’s an honour, actually.”
“It is?”
Humming an affirmative, I nodded towards the door. “Of course. I didn’t just randomly pick you to work with. I’d seen your designs in an after-college class I took two years ago. I fell in love with the shapes of your creations.”
“The shapes?” The corner of his lip quirked into his cheek. “That’s the first time someone’s said that to me. I’m flattered.”
My cheeks flared with warmth and I ducked my gaze. “Shall we get on?”
Okay, Mr Bighead, no need to get all smug before we went into a job. Although, he was a talented guy, I couldn’t deny it. Still, I didn’t want to come across as buttering him up. Just because I wanted to be as good as him one day, didn’t mean that I would get the experience by sucking up… or down.
Straightening his expression, he turned away and knocked on the door. I ran a quick hand through my hair and my fingers under my eyes, just in case any mascara had run from my unprofessional make-up.
“Good morning!” Joseph greeted a woman when she opened the door.
Her smile beamed and her cheeks glowed. The hand that caressed her protruding pregnancy bump was slow and calm, happily making its way up and over her belly. A sting of something made me flinch deep inside. I kept my expression calm as she glanced over Joseph’s shoulder and saw me.
“Hello,” she said kindly, “please do come in.”
My insides were churning as she led us through her pristine home with its wooden banistered staircase and tall ceilings. Once we reached the top of the stairs, she guided us down a corridor and into a bright double bedroom with bay windows. The walls were stark white and the carpet a soft cream. The quality of the fibres was evident in the bounce under my kitten heels.
“This is where the baby will sleep during her naps,” the woman, who had been chattering to Joseph, announced. “And she’ll officially move in here at six months. We’re just next door.”
The room was a blank canvas with nothing in it. I almost squealed, already imagining what I would put and where. The crib would swing gently from the warm breeze that flowed through the open window. A baby bath, built into the top of a unit, would be a lilac purple and white marbled effect with a gripped wedge bottom so baby didn’t slip. When the girl was older, the wedge could be removed so she could sit on her own, splashing around and enjoying the water.
“Lola?” Joseph interrupted my thoughts.
Shaking myself, I blinked and smiled. “Sorry, what can I do first?”
A sadness enveloped me as I realised that firstly, I wasn’t the one designing the room, and secondly, I had never been loved enough for anyone to bath me as a child. I’d had to run my own bath from the age of six in order to clean myself after several kids at school had called me Smelly Lola. Alas, the water had been too hot and I’d scalded my feet. The scars were still noticeable when I was barefoot.
Joseph watched me, his eyes narrowed as the woman started to explain what she would like. I quickly fumbled to get my notepad out, jotting down her ideas. I knew full well that Joseph would go ahead and do what he wanted, hence why he’d asked me to take notes. He was going to do what he wished.
“What do you think?” the woman asked Joseph, breaking him out of his reverie.
I instantly breathed out silently, grateful that she’d taken his attention away from me. Why had he been so interested in my response? Had he wanted to see how I would act as a designer? Maybe he imagined that I would, I dunno, burst into flames at the idea of him doing a nursery. He had done one or two since I’d joined him, but his forte had been adult bedrooms.
Joseph turned to the woman and pointed to a corner of the room. “You say that you’d like an understated princess theme. How about we incorporate a castle?”
He carried on talking, his ideas flowing and his mind ticking. I listened intently as I wrote it all down, mesmerised by how his brain worked. It wasn’t too dissimilar to mine, which was a first. I hadn’t ever met anyone who could see a room kitted out before anything was inside it. I’d seen his designs, a fair few times, over the last few months, but I had never seen him at work. His eyes were bright, his hands gesturing and making shapes in order to help the client visualise his vision. I could see it perfectly, and shit, his world was clear in my mind.
