MultiDate

by Kirsty McManus

  “He’s a bit of a hottie, isn’t he?” Jules breaks into my thoughts.

  “Who?” I ask in what might be a slightly defensive tone.

  “Um, Patrick?”

  “Oh, yeah, I guess he’s okay.”

  Jules snorts. “Uh, sure. Like Chris Hemsworth is just okay.”

  “Shh…we shouldn’t be having this conversation. What if someone from HR overheard us discussing our boss’s looks? We could get done for sexual harassment or something.”

  His snort turns into a roar of laughter. “I know the staff in HR, and I promise you, they would not care. Now, I’m not saying sexual harassment isn’t a serious issue, but a passing comment on the dreaminess of Patrick’s eyes is not going to get us in trouble.”

  “All right. I’ll take your word for it.”

  He holds up the remainder of his mocha. “Thank you again for the drink. You are already a million times better than Jasmine who left last week.”

  “Why did she leave?”

  “She was going overseas. Canada. But she was completely clueless. And totally unreliable.”

  “Oh. How long have you been here?”

  “Four years. And I love it.”

  “Have you met anyone famous?”

  “Of course. Honey, we’re the front line at NBS! We meet everyone!”

  “What do you think of Reid Martinez?”

  He nods knowingly. “Ah, yeah, you mentioned yesterday that you liked him. He’s all right. But there’s rumours he’s got some unusual…shall we say, tastes…in the bedroom.”

  My mind boggles, but just as when I considered it inappropriate to discuss Patrick’s attractiveness a moment ago, this also seems a bit of a no-go topic.

  “Does he come in often?” I ask, diverting the conversation slightly.

  “Not really. Although, I think he’s due in some time in the next few weeks for a meeting with Ariel.”

  Despite Reid’s alleged bedroom predilections, I can’t help noticing the butterflies congregating in my stomach. “Is that so?”

  “I don’t have much of a relationship with him, but I can find an excuse to get you talking to him if you like?” Jules offers.

  “That would be amazing! Thank you!”

  The phone rings. “Okay, honey. We’re not just paid to sit around and look pretty. We need to do some work. You’re on.”

  He clicks the answer button on my phone.

  I answer smoothly. “Welcome to NBS, this is Lauren. How may I direct your call?”

  Jules’s eyes light up in approval at how quickly I catch on.

  I think I’m going to like it here.

  ***

  Around ten, Jules takes a short break to go to the post office, leaving me in charge. “Just make sure you don’t turn away Matthew McConaughey if he drops by.”

  “Yeah, yeah. Thanks for reminding me,” I say, cringing.

  He wanders off, chuckling to himself. I stay behind the counter, taking dozens of calls and transferring them through to the relevant staff. I’ve never heard of most of the people who work here, but it’s still thrilling to technically be part of the show business industry. That magic I first felt outside yesterday is even stronger here. But then again, maybe I watched too many Disney movies as a child.

  The elevator dings and the doors open. Patrick steps out alone and heads towards the street. He glances over and slows his pace. “How are you settling in?”

  “Oh, good.” I decide not to make reference to what I did to Ariel. Hopefully she didn’t mention it either. “Were the food and drinks okay?”

  “They were perfect. Thanks.”

  “So just for future reference, you like long blacks and…?”

  He stops walking. “That brownie was pretty good, so I could easily eat one of those again.”

  “Great.” I write myself a note so I remember for next time.

  He laughs. “Whoever hired you made a good call.”

  “It was mostly Jules.”

  “Well, Jules got it right. I’ll see you next time.” He resumes walking, and I stare after him until he’s out of sight.

  I can’t stop beaming. Patrick James thinks I’m awesome. Or at least a pretty good employee. That’s got to count for something. And then I remember how Cam thought he was flirting with me last week, and I wonder again whether that was true. Still. It doesn’t really matter anymore. He’s kind of my boss now. Our relationship will have to be professional from this point on.

  Jules returns soon after, clutching a large box. He dumps it on the floor behind the reception counter and lets out a huff.

  “What’s that?” I ask, pointing to the package.

  “I don’t know. Something for Ariel.”

  “Do you want me to take it to her?”

  “Nah, it’s fine. I’ll do it later.”

  “Cool. Oh, you missed Patrick leaving.”

  “Did I? Damn. Ah, well. He’ll be back. Was everything okay while I was gone?”

  “I think so. There was this one guy who looked a lot like Brad Pitt who tried to sneak in, but I told him he needed an appointment…”

  “Oh, ha-ha. You’re so funny.”

  “I am, aren’t I?”

  We spend the next couple of hours intermittently chatting in between calls, and Jules shows me all the other stuff associated with working on reception. He also sets me up with an ID and gets me to fill out some other paperwork we didn’t get around to doing yesterday. At twelve, he glances in the direction of outside. “Do you want to take your lunch break now? You get half an hour.”

  “Thanks. I might just do that. But do you think it would be okay if I only took fifteen minutes and then used the computer to look for somewhere to live for the other fifteen? That way I can go to any inspections straight after work.”

  “Oh! Yeah, that’s fine, but if you like, I can introduce you to my friend Finn. He’s looking for a roommate at the moment. He mentioned it when I talked to him last night.”

  “Where does he live?”

  “About fifteen minutes from here in Newtown.”

  “Is Newtown a cool place to live?”

  “It’s very cool. Maybe too cool.”

  “Well, if it’s no trouble.”

  “Not at all. Hang on, let me text him and see when he’s free.”

  He quickly types something on his phone. It beeps a moment later.

  “Sweet. He says to come over after five if you want. I can take you.”

  “Are you sure?”

  “I am.”

  “Then thank you. Again. You’re way too good to me.”

  He waves off the compliment. “Honey, you helped me yesterday and you’re helping me today. So now I’m helping you.”

  “Okay. Still, let me know anything you need from me anytime.”

  “Don’t you worry. I will. You can start by bringing me a cinnamon scroll every Monday morning to ease me into the week.”

  I laugh. “Done.”

  Jules’s mobile phone rings and he snatches it up. “Hello?”

  He listens for a second and then breathes a sigh of relief. “Thank you. I’ll be right there.”

  He hangs up and picks up his keys. “Here’s your first chance to do me a favour. Can you put that lunch break on hold? I need to go get Dizzy from the vet. She’s okay, thank God. They think she may have eaten something she shouldn’t have, but they’ve done a bunch of tests and said she’s fine to go home.”

  “Oh, sure.”

  “Thanks, honey. I’ll be back soon.”

  I watch him leave and smile to myself. Jules is the best.

  TEN

  I should have known that Jules would own a cool car. I slide into the passenger seat of his Mini Cooper just after five-fifteen and admire the interior. It has black and red leather seats and looks brand new.

  “I love your wheels,” I say as he climbs in the driver’s side.

  “Thanks. Her name is Bertha.”

  “Hi, Bertha,” I say as if I expect the car to respon
d. “You smell nice.”

  “Actually, that’s just me,” Jules points out. He holds up a bottle of Issey Miyake that was sitting in the drink holder between our seats.

  “Either way, it’s a million times better than walking or catching the bus.”

  Jules shudders. “Ugh. I haven’t caught the bus since I was in primary school.”

  “It’s not so bad. As long as they run on time. And you don’t get someone sitting beside you who hasn’t showered in a week.”

  “Oh, stop. You’re going to give me nightmares!”

  We pull out onto the main road and head towards Newtown.

  “So I take it you don’t know Sydney very well?” he asks.

  “I know the inner city a little. My brother Josh has lived here for a while, but I don’t get down to see him as often as I’d like.”

  “You’ll pick it up in no time. Newtown is fun. It has lots of chic bars, plus the Enmore theatre. Oh, and if you’re into street art, you’ll be in heaven.”

  “I do quite like street art,” I admit. “But I’m more interested in who we’re about to meet. Tell me about Finn.”

  “You’re into dating shows, aren’t you?” he asks.

  “Uh, yeah. Obviously, MultiDate is my favourite, but I’ve watched a few of the others.”

  “Do you remember Jef Holm from The Bachelor?”

  “Of course.”

  “Finn is practically his twin.”

  “Really? Jef’s cute.”

  “I know. And he’s just as cool. He’s twenty-seven like me, and he’s a physiotherapist, so you know he’s got to be good with his hands. Oh, I should warn you, he sort of has a girlfriend, but she just moved to Melbourne for six months, so I don’t know what’s going on there.”

  “Sounds complicated.”

  “It always is, sweetie.”

  “Would she mind if Finn had a female roommate?”

  “We’ll have to ask Finn.”

  “So why did she move to Melbourne?”

  “For work. She’s an engineer and there’s some big project starting down there.”

  “Oh.”

  “I take it you’re unattached?”

  “I am. Three years now.”

  “How does a beautiful little thing like you stay single for three years? Aren’t you only twenty-three?”

  I sigh. “I had a boyfriend for the last year of high school, and we stayed together for a while after that, but then he cheated on me. It took me a while to get over it, and now I’m just being picky.”

  “Smart move. So no flings in between?”

  “Oh, there have been flings. I haven’t taken a vow of celibacy or anything. But no one I’ve wanted to keep seeing after a couple of weeks.”

  “You sound like me.”

  “You don’t have a partner at the moment either?”

  “Nope. And I like it that way. I’m all about the fun. I have plenty of friends and family to hang out with if I get bored. But I’m not ready to settle down with one person.”

  “Settling down is overrated.”

  “Completely.”

  We pull up out the front of a cute concrete-rendered house, painted in pale grey. A line of gorgeous paperbark trees grow along the edge of the road.

  I let Jules knock on the door while I hold back slightly, admiring the neat picket fence surrounding the front courtyard.

  It takes a moment for Finn to appear, but I can tell it’s him. He looks exactly like Jef Holm, with the tall, combed-back hair, hipster glasses and plain white tee.

  “Wow. You were spot on,” I say to Jules.

  He laughs. “I told you.”

  Finn wrinkles his brow. “Am I missing something?”

  “No, no, I just told Lauren about your doppelganger,” Jules teases.

  Finn frowns. “You mean that Bachelor guy? I honestly don’t see the resemblance.”

  “The people involved never do,” Jules points out.

  I clear my throat and Jules gets the hint. He grabs me and shoves me forward, as if presenting a gift to Finn. “Finn, this is Lauren. She schemed her way into a job with me yesterday and she now needs somewhere to live. I think the two of you will be perfect roommates.”

  “You can tell that from only knowing her a day?” Finn asks, eyeing me up and down.

  “What can I say? It’s a skill I have. I should be a matchmaker. And not just in the romantic sense, although I can do that too. I just know when people will get along. Now, are you going to make us stand out here all night, or are you going to invite us in?”

  Finn sweeps his hand towards the interior. “Sorry, please come in.”

  I cautiously inch past him as I make my way into the hallway. It’s wonderful. The floor is polished timber boards, and the walls are off-white. The ceilings have old-fashioned detailing in the corners. I turn off into a small living area.

  “Take a seat,” he says, pointing to a dark grey sofa against the wall. “I’ll just get us some drinks.” The décor in here is a little masculine, but it’s done well. There are shiny black side tables on either side of the room, a black and caramel stripy rug on the floor and a fully stocked bookcase and copper coloured floor lamp in the corner.

  Finn returns with a tray containing two beers and a bottle of sparkling wine with two glasses. “I didn’t know if you’d want beer like me or wine like him,” Finn says to me.

  “Oh, beer would be good. Thanks.”

  I catch a tiny spark of approval in his eyes, but it quickly disappears.

  Jules puckers his lips and pours himself a glass of sparkling wine. “As much as it pleases me to know I’m right about you two getting along, I’m disappointed that you both prefer beer over wine.”

  Finn and I sip our beers and exchange a wry smile.

  “So, how do you want to do this?” Finn asks. “Should I be interviewing or something?”

  “Whatever you want,” Jules says. “Lauren has already impressed Patrick James, so I’d say she won’t be going anywhere in a hurry.”

  Finn finally looks at me properly, but I can’t get a read on him. His expression is pleasant enough, but it’s like he has an emotional wall up.

  “Well…” Finn starts, and then his mobile phone rings from the side table. He picks it up, checks the ID and answers it with a big smile.

  “Hey, babe. How are you?” He starts walking towards the hall.

  I look at Jules. “The girlfriend?”

  “I assume so.”

  “What’s her name?”

  “Emma.”

  “Are you friends with her?”

  “Not really. She’s always working or out with her friends when I come around. A part of me wonders if she’s slightly homophobic.”

  “What? There are actual homophobes under the age of thirty living in Sydney?”

  “You’d better believe it.”

  “Hmm…well, if it’s true she doesn’t like you because of who you date, I don’t think I like her.”

  “Oh, she’s not worth the energy.”

  Finn has disappeared, so I stand up. “Do you want to show me around while Finn’s busy?”

  “Sure.” He stands up too and points to a connecting doorway beside us. “Here we have the dining room, perfect for entertaining on a Friday night. Next to it, we have the kitchen. Note the tasteful granite benches and stainless steel appliances.”

  I giggle as he plays up the over-the-top real estate agent role.

  “And further along, we have the bathroom, with stand-alone tub and high-end fittings.” He spins around. “On the other side of the hall, you have the laundry and oversized linen cupboard.”

  We go back to the front of the house, where there are two more doors off the hall on the opposite side to the living room. One of them is closed.

  “That one’s Finn’s,” he whispers, pointing to the shut one. “And this would be yours.”

  I curiously enter. The floor is polished boards like the rest of the house. A large square window looks out onto a wall of
greenery. The walls are the same as the living room, except for one painted a dark blue-grey. There is nothing in here apart from a few boxes.

  “Storage room?” I guess.

  “Your room,” Jules corrects me.

  Something occurs to me. “So, if Emma is going to be away for six months, does that mean I’m going to have to move out when she gets back?”

  “I wouldn’t worry about that for now. A lot can happen in six months. And if you get your name put on the lease, they can’t kick you out.”

  Actually, I was going to ask to put my name on the lease anyway. I learnt my lesson after Katie.

  “Maybe I should look somewhere else,” I say doubtfully.

  “No! I swear this will be perfect. Trust me. I only live a few minutes further down the road, so I can drive you to work sometimes.”

  “Okay. Well, how about we see what Finn has to say when he gets off the call?”

  I look over and see that Finn has opened his door and is now standing in the doorway. His earlier smile has turned to a frown.

  “All right,” he says. “I’ll talk to you in a couple of days.”

  He hangs up and follows us back to the living room. “Sorry about that.” He picks up his beer and takes a large swig. “Where were we?”

  “Everything okay?” Jules asks.

  “Yeah, it’s fine,” he says distractedly. “Emma was just telling me about a big road trip she’s doing this weekend with some of her colleagues. They’re going to check out a bunch of wineries on the Mornington Peninsula.”

  “And you have a problem with that because…?” Jules prompts.

  “Oh, no, it’s fine. It’s just something I was going to do with her when I went down to visit.”

  “You can do it again then too,” Jules says airily. “Anyway, back to the matter at hand. How much are you going to charge this lovely lady in rent?”

  It seems to take an immense amount of energy for Finn to drag his thoughts back to the present.

  “Uh, right. Um, is two-fifty a week okay? You get your own room, obviously, and half of everything else. Just not my room.”

  “That’s fine,” I say. I didn’t think it was totally necessary to point out that last bit. Clearly, I wouldn’t assume I’d have unlimited access to his bedroom. “And half the utilities as well?”