by Jane Frances
According to “Doctor Steph,” it clearly stemmed from the trauma Lisa experienced when she put herself on the line with Simone all those years ago. The rejection from Simone and her school friends had programmed Lisa to avoid such situations, thus greatly reducing her chances of finding happiness, and ultimately leaving her a lonely old crone.
Lisa thought Steph’s armchair psychology was a crock and told her so. Besides, what would Steph know about the perils of dating? She’d been happily teamed with Van for nearly a decade, and prior to that Van was relentless in her pursuit, so all Steph had to do was sit back and enjoy the ride.
“So I guess you want me to overcome this disability by going to my high school reunion and facing up to Simone?” Lisa said sarcastically. She made a mental note to keep Steph away from her mum for the weeks leading up to the reunion. If they joined forces she wouldn’t have a hope.
“No.” Steph shook her head impatiently. “I just think you should do something. Either ring Cathy or ring Emma.”
Well, Lisa had rung Cathy. It was just to pass on carpet details, but that counted didn’t it? And as for Emma, just what was she supposed to say? “Hi, do you remember me from the other night? I actually like someone else but I’m not sure if they’re available, so since you seem to be all right would you like to go on my standby list and do something this weekend?”
Lisa smiled, imagining the reaction that would get. Maybe she could start writing a syndicated column, “How to pick up women.”
She was still smiling as she headed back indoors.
“Well look at Little Miss Sunshine.” Joel met her halfway down the hall, his wheelbarrow full of tiles and debris from the bathroom they were demolishing. He winked. “That must have been some phone call.”
“Just enjoying the weather. It’s nice out.” Lisa edged past the wheelbarrow. “That was Cathy by the way. She said to say thanks for the tip. Neil gave her a great price on the carpet.”
“Gee that was fast.” Joel repeated Lisa’s earlier thought. “She doesn’t muck about does she?”
“Nope,” Lisa said.
And Lisa was through mucking about too. She was going to speak to Cathy. The very next time she called.
Lisa pulled her mobile from her pocket, just to make sure she had not inadvertently turned it off. After all, she didn’t want to miss any calls. It wasn’t good for business.
Chapter Ten
Lisa knelt on the floor of the reception, making sweeping motions with her trowel as she applied a layer of adhesive to the bare concrete. Once an area large enough for about a dozen tiles was covered she set the trowel aside and reached into the box sitting close to her thigh. She quickly ran a practiced eye over the tile then ran fingers around its edges to check for any imperfections. Satisfied, she pressed it into the adhesive, careful to ensure the spacing in between each tile was uniform. She repeated the steps until the layer of adhesive was covered. Lisa sat back and surveyed her handiwork. Happy all was as it should be, she reached for her trowel and began the process again.
Lisa half wished she had chosen one of the bathrooms or the staff room as her starting point. Any of those rooms would have provided her with a more mind consuming task, their smaller size requiring more intricate tile work and hence more concentration. As it was she worked quickly, almost robotically, moving across the floor without the need to stand. Each time a box of tiles was empty she tossed it to the corner of the room temporarily designated for rubbish. A new box was always within easy reach, Lisa having spaced them accordingly on the floor before she began working from the center of the room.
Despite the mind-numbing monotony of her current task, she had to admit she liked making such quick progress. Each time she sat back to check her handiwork she got immense satisfaction from seeing what had just that morning been a bare floor, begin to transform. Already Cathy’s premises looked entirely different from the previous morning, day one on the job. To Lisa and Joel’s delight, Cathy had arranged with a local charity for the removal of the carpet. If they lifted it, they could have it. A couple of charity representatives arrived and busied themselves with the still in good condition carpet, leaving Lisa and Joel free for the joyfully destructive task of smashing and removing the existing tile work from the bathrooms and the staff room. To their added delight, there were no nasty little surprises once the carpet was gone, just a bare concrete floor requiring little in the way of surface preparation. There had been no glitches in the previously tiled areas either, no signs of damp and no super-tough adhesives that took half the wall or floor with the tile. So, at least from their perspective, everything was running smoothly.
It was a shame the same could not be said from Cathy’s point of view.
Lisa frowned as she worked, recalling the last phone call received from Cathy, one where she advised the painters would not be starting until Wednesday. It seemed they would also need all day Thursday, the day the offices were due to reopen. Cathy’s irritation was evident, especially since she had to extend the office downtime until the following Monday, rearranging the delivery of the new office furniture to Friday. Saturday was now pegged for putting the offices back together and getting the computer network re-established.
“It’s my own stupid fault,” Cathy complained. “I should have arranged this ages before now. As it is, I’m lucky to have gotten the painters in at all. Gail had to do some serious shuffling to fit me in.”
Lisa listened to Cathy gripe, sympathetic to her troubles but unable to offer a solution. She had no painter contacts and neither did Joel. Even if they did, it would be unlikely they could do any better at this late stage. Lisa hung up from the call thinking how unlike Cathy it was to be so disorganized; usually she had everything planned to the nth degree. She decided it must be Toni’s bad influence, just as it would have been Toni who made Cathy late to the cinema. That too was very unlike the Cathy Lisa had known.
Lisa found Toni a convenient scapegoat ever since. Obviously, since Cathy’s disorganization was Toni’s fault, it was also Toni’s fault Cathy was in a bad mood over her thwarted plans. Logic followed it was Toni’s fault Lisa did not keep her promise to herself and ask Cathy then and there about her status with Toni. After all, Cathy was already in a dark mood. She wasn’t going to darken it further by prying. Of course, it also had to be Toni’s fault Cathy had not called Lisa again, their next contact not occurring until she and Joel rolled up the previous day to start work. Finally, it was Toni’s fault Lisa still hadn’t asked her question, primarily because Toni was again glued to Cathy’s side for the half-hour they spent at the office before leaving Lisa and Joel to get started. After all, there was no way Lisa could ask about Cathy and Toni’s status with Toni present. Could she?
Lisa scowled. This was why she should have chosen a more intricate starting point; she had too much thinking time on her hands. She pushed her thoughts aside, instead tuning into the much more cheerful noises coming from the other end of the premises.
Joel was whistling away as he worked on the main bathroom. Lisa had to smile when she heard the tune, one that had been repeated many times over the last days. It was Elton’s “Blue Eyes”. Lisa was under no illusion Joel was whistling the tune in her honor. No, Joel was in love with his blue-eyed bottle shop boy. He had been floating around on his little love-cloud for a good couple of weeks now. These days, apart from work hours, Lisa hardly saw Joel any more, unless of course Scott was on the late shift.
Far from being jealous she now took second place, Lisa was genuinely happy Joel had finally found love. She approved of his choice, Joel having brought Scott to her place for dinner and a once-over.
“I have to say I think you’ve chosen well,” Lisa whispered when Scott took a trip to the bathroom.
Obviously pleased Scott passed inspection, Joel grinned. “You’re not just saying that because he brought you a carton of your favorite beer?”
“Well, that helped.” Scott had obviously quizzed Joel in what it would take to scor
e a few points. “But honestly Joel, all bribery aside, I think he’s great.”
Lisa shunted across the floor again, tossing yet another spent box of tiles onto her rubbish pile. She rolled her eyes as Joel stopped his whistling, breaking instead into song. She would normally tell him to shut up—Joel wasn’t renowned for his singing ability—but who was she to burst his little bubble of bliss?
Lisa even found herself humming along to his off-tune vocalizing, but stopped when she heard the lift ping. Cathy’s offices were currently only accessible by those holding a lift key, a measure taken to ensure safety as much as security during the renovation work, so Lisa knew it had to be Cathy and Toni. Lisa quickly checked her watch and secretly smiled. It was not yet midmorning on day two, and already curiosity brought them for a site visit.
Her private smile became public when she discovered Cathy was alone. It occurred to her that this was the first time Lisa had seen Cathy without Toni being present. She also realized she was taking full advantage of the opportunity, openly taking Cathy in from head to foot. Lisa’s heart jumped around in her chest. My God, she was gorgeous! It also occurred to her that now was her opportunity to ask the question, there finally being no barriers or excuses. Well, there was one. She was at least required to get through the civilities first. Lisa’s smile widened, as she said, “Hi Cathy.”
“Hi Lisa.” Cathy’s eyes darted around the reception, her steps measured as she approached. Her hesitation was not only to avoid the freshly laid tiles but also to avoid the boxes and tools Lisa had spread out over the room. She stopped a few meters from Lisa, just shy of the point where the hallway leading to the offices could be seen.
“It already looks so different, just without the carpet.” Cathy cast her eyes over the area Lisa had covered since arriving that morning. “And you’ve certainly made fast progress.”
Lisa watched Cathy’s survey, pleased there was no evidence of displeasure at the quality of her work. To be honest, she would have been surprised if there had been. Lisa took pride in the results she produced and was very particular about maintaining a high standard. If anything, she was taking even more care than usual in this job. “This is the easy bit. The progress will be a bit slower once I reach the edges.”
“You know, it never occurred to me you’d start at the middle.”
Lisa nodded as she continued laying tiles. The lift had arrived just as she spread more adhesive, so she needed to get the tiles down before it became too tacky and unworkable. “It means you won’t have whole tiles at one end of the room and odd sized bits at the other. It adds to the symmetry.”
“It’s going to look good, don’t you think?”
Lisa nodded again. “It’ll be great, and I love these tiles.” She hefted one in her hand. They were reasonably large, heavy-duty commercial quality tiles in terra cotta tones. They had all the aesthetics of real terra cotta, but without the maintenance of their counterparts. These would look as good in twenty years as they did now. Real terra cotta, if the painful sealing and resealing process was not maintained, could end up looking grubby and worn. So it wasn’t just Lisa’s predilection toward anything terra cotta that made her say, “You made a good choice.”
“Well, you and Joel steered us in the right direction.” Cathy turned her attention toward the hallway. Joel rounded the corner, still singing away, only now he was wrecking a recent hit of Madonna’s. “Hi Joel.”
“Hi Cathy.” Joel dropped a couple of empty tile boxes onto the increasing pile, winked at Lisa and retreated. Mercifully, he ceased his singing and resumed whistling. But Lisa still cringed. Enough was enough. If she heard “Blue Eyes” one more time she thought she’d throw up.
Cathy looked from Joel to Lisa. “He’s certainly cheerful.”
“He is isn’t he?” Lisa smiled fondly in Joel’s direction as she pressed a tile into the bed of adhesive. She reached for another tile and did her visual and tactile check for imperfections. Her fingers found a slight ridge on one edge. The tile was put aside for use in the offset border and another selected. Lisa glanced up, all of a sudden acutely aware she was being watched.
Cathy shifted her gaze from Lisa to the floor. “How long have you two been together?”
Attention back to pressing another tile into place, Lisa did a mental count. “Nearly seven years now. But we’ve known each other for about ten. We went to Tech together.”
Lisa glanced up again when her peripheral vision caught Cathy take a quick step backward. “Hey, watch out for the—”
Her warning came too late. Cathy’s heel had already clipped the box of tiles that lay immediately behind her. She didn’t fall but Lisa saw her ankle roll. That it had rolled the wrong way was confirmed when Cathy yelped in pain and sat down heavily on the offending box to clutch at her foot.
Lisa forgot all about making sure her last tile was evenly spaced and was at Cathy’s side in an instant.
“I’m okay.”
“No you’re not.” The pained grimace when Cathy tried to put the slightest pressure on her foot was evidence enough, but an injury was confirmed when Lisa lifted the leg of Cathy’s jeans to find her ankle already beginning to swell. Lisa called out to Joel as she undid the lace on Cathy’s runner.
“Sorry.” Lisa apologized at the additional pain she was inflicting but she continued to delicately maneuver the shoe from Cathy’s foot. “Better now than later.”
Joel joined them and they all peered at Cathy’s ankle. All three also had a poke at it. It definitely wasn’t broken but Cathy insisted it was just a roll and not a sprain.
“Honestly, this has happened before. It’ll be fine in a few hours.”
Lisa frowned at Cathy’s ankle, at the same time thinking she certainly seemed to be clumsy these days. “I think we should get you to a doctor.”
“You’re still as stubborn as ever,” Lisa scolded. Cathy flatly refused the notion she needed medical attention, instead giving directions to the first aid box that hung on the wall in the staff room. Lisa gently pulled the toothed tag to secure the bandage that now bound Cathy’s ankle. “There we go. It isn’t pretty but it’s the best I can do at short notice.”
“Now,” she continued, brushing the grit off her knees as she stood. “We need to get you home so you can get some ice to it.” The fridge that usually sat in the staff room had disappeared into temporary storage along with all the other furniture, so not even a cold carton of milk was close to hand.
“It’s okay. I can manage.” Cathy shifted on the tile box, making moves as if to stand.
“Like hell you can.” Lisa saw the pain flash across Cathy’s face. Not the first time in the minutes since Cathy’s injury, Lisa felt an incredible rush of tenderness, and an even more incredible urge to kiss the pain away.
She also could have kissed Joel when he suggested Lisa drive Cathy’s car home and he follow behind. What a good idea.
Cathy obviously didn’t think so, suggesting she could just get a taxi, or, even worse, that she could give Toni a call. Toni could pick her up once she was through with her dental appointment. Lisa sagged, as it became apparent Cathy didn’t want to share the intimate space of a car with her.
But Joel crashed on, seemingly oblivious to the tensions that hung in the air. “Cathy, if Toni’s dentist is anything like mine, you’ll have a hell of a long wait. They seem to run an hour behind even before the first appointment.” He encompassed the entire premises with a sweep of his arm. “And the place is completely gutted, you can’t sit on a tile box all day.”
“But—”
“But nothing.” Joel checked his watch. “I was going to go and get my morning tea in a few minutes anyhow. Let Lisa drive you home. At least then you won’t have to worry about picking up your car later.”
Not long after, Lisa was back on the floor, setting a cracking pace with her tiling, the adhesive she spread before Cathy tripped already drying. Joel was back in the bathroom, finishing his own section of tiles. Cathy remained on the tile
box, foot propped on another box. Apart from tiling type noises, all was silent.
“Okay. All done.” Lisa dusted herself down, wiping her hands on the rag she pulled from her back shorts pocket. “Let’s go.”
She helped Cathy to her good foot and half carried, half supported her on the short journey to the lift.
“I’ll see you soon,” she called out to Joel when the lift arrived. She pressed the button for the garage level of the building and the lift doors closed. Lisa kept her eyes firmly on the digital display. Despite there being a railing Cathy could grip onto, Lisa continued to be Cathy’s support. After all, the lift was fast and the journey short, so there was no real point in releasing her hold. At such close range Lisa could not help but notice Cathy again wore her Yves Saint Laurent perfume. It, combined with Cathy’s arm around her shoulder, served to make the journey down all the longer, but also far too fast.
Lisa didn’t need to be told which car was Cathy’s. The dark blue BMW had to be it. It was one of the larger ones, and from the look of it, it was almost new. “I see you got your Beemer.”
“Uh-huh.” Cathy nodded. “Although it’s not really mine. The business leases it.”
“Oh. How come?”
Cathy launched into the reasons, primarily the tax advantages and the ability to upgrade to newer models on a regular basis. Not that Lisa was really listening. She was too busy fretting over the prospect of driving such an expensive piece of machinery.
As they approached Cathy’s car, Lisa was hoping it was an automatic. Adjusting to different gearboxes and clutches was definitely not one of her strengths. The first time she’d driven Cathy’s car she’d stalled it three times, and that was before she’d even got it out of the University car park. From the address Cathy related to Joel, her home was in one of the much sought after suburbs on the Sunset Coast so they had at least twenty minutes drive ahead of them. It had not escaped Lisa’s attention that, unless she took some convoluted route, at least part of the journey would be along the freeway. So she was hoping and praying the car was a point and shoot model.