by Allie Parker
Leaning one shoulder on the doorframe, Flynn watched the group over his coffee cup, making his own assessments. The two men looked like they’d never done a day’s hard labour in their lives, let alone picked up a hammer or power tool. The shy chick looked pretty plain and conservative, a bit boring for Flynn’s taste. The other women had something about her besides a curious eye and weird dress sense. She reminded Flynn of a university student he’d dated back in his early twenties.
‘Let’s get this show on the road,’ James Madden announced as he walked passed Flynn and entered the room. ‘This is Flynn, the site foreman and operations manager of this venture.’ After the formal introductions were made, James took the group on a tour of the facility and outlined his expectations and vision. Light, colour and texture were words that James used freely and frequently. Byron and Meg took notes and asked questions to better understand the use and significance of each space. Simon commented on possible multimedia applications and enhancements of which James seemed pleased with. Avery was excited and slightly overwhelmed by the freedom and range she seemed to have been given regarding full wall murals throughout the building. Flynn hung back and absorbed the group dynamics.
At the conclusion of the tour, James took Byron, Simon and Meg through to his temporary office to dig out some of the detail they were asking for and firm up a contract for the job. Avery and Flynn moved to a kitchen slash makeshift workspace, with dusty drop sheets on the floor and plans and specifications covering a large bench top.
‘Looking at the plans, you can make out the theme running through the architecture of the building. See here, you’ve been allocated all the walls that have the higher, square stopped ceilings. Helping to define the space and accentuate the area without being too obvious. Each of these walls faces north with a generous amount of natural light. There won’t be any spotlights or feature lighting in these areas, so keep that in mind when choosing your design and colours.’
‘Great, what I’d like to do first is come in at different times of the day to get an understanding of the lighting and a feel for the space at different hours. When will the plasterers and painters be finished in these areas?’
Flynn referred to his clipboard. ‘They’ll be out on Tuesday the third. The sparkies won’t be in until the following week. So, it’s all yours from 8:00am Wednesday.’
‘What time do you get in? Can we make it 6:30 or 7:00?’
‘6:30 will be fine.’ Flynn got out his iPhone and made a note.
‘Following that, I’ll need access to the building out of hours. I tend to work in blocks of time, not necessarily during business or trade hours.’
‘That won’t be a problem; we have a sophisticated security system already in place. I’ll organise a FOB and necessary credentials.’ Flynn made another note and slid his phone back into his pocket.
As they continued to go through the diagrams outlining the use of each area the murals would be featured, Avery watched him more closely. She noticed slight bruising below his left eye and a small cut healing on his cheekbone. She also noticed the deep tan on Flynn’s arms protruding from his shirtsleeves, which were rolled up to the elbow, as well as the neckline which lay open to the third button. As Flynn unrolled a new set of plans Avery watched his large, rough hands pointing to different lines on the plans and thought, this man has a very hands-on approach to life.
Simon and Avery were on the lunch run together when Simon’s phone rang. He didn’t particularly want to take the call in Avery’s presence but he didn’t want to miss the call either, since they were getting fewer and further between.
‘Hi Belle, how are you.’ He tried for casual but fell short. ‘Of course I don’t mind... You missed a good party. It was a great success... Yeah, you would have loved it. I even managed to drop the skincare range into a few conversations.’ He listened for awhile. ‘I know. And the new websites.’
Avery turned her head away from the heart Simon had pulled out of his chest and pinned on his blue cotton sleeve. She pitied the longing in Simon’s eyes and the need in his voice. From what Meg had told her about her brief encounter with Bella and the information Grace was all too forthcoming with at the gallery event, Avery knew Simon was never going to get that unwavering love returned.
‘Maybe we can meet for a drink this evening to square away the details?’ Simon paused. ‘Oh, well that should be nice. I’ve heard their oysters are the best around.’
Avery tried to look distracted as Simon finished the conversation and hung up the phone.
‘Damn, I forgot to mention the Madden job.’ Simon cursed looking at the phone in his hand.
‘Would it have mattered?’ Avery knew she was being direct, and that she didn’t have all the facts, but she wasn’t the type to stand by while Simon deluded himself into believing he was in with a shot just because of one high profile job.
Simon looked up startled and angry, he drew breath to protest. But Avery’s words were bouncing around uncomfortably in his head. Would it matter? Would it change anything or even be worth a try? Again. Deep down he knew the answer. He also knew he shouldn’t take that out on Avery. All of a sudden he had a glimpse of how he must look to others. Although he’d purposely kept his dealings with Belle quiet, on account of her situation, he didn’t realise how transparent his feelings were. But if Avery could see, after just one side of a conversation then...
Simon’s face was betraying the silent war he was fighting with himself. Although Avery knew some people hated her blunt observations, she said, ‘Can I ask how many meaningful relationships you’ve been in over the past few years?’ That was met with silence. ‘Can I ask how many girls there have been that were willing to participate in a meaningful relationship?’ Simon gave a pained expression, but kept his mouth shut. For some reason, he wanted to hear what Avery had to say. ‘It’s not you, Simon, it’s your perception of perfection. No one can say you don’t try, that you didn’t fight for what you want. Nor can they say you’re not a passionate, intelligent man with a lot of love to give. You’ve just got to find someone who will accept you for you. Who will love you just as much as you love them.’
Simon inhaled a short breath but Avery continued again. ‘I know you might feel that you could never possibly love anyone else as much, but trust me – you can.’ Avery knew that truth and honesty were important in any conversation. It was part of her nature and had gotten her in trouble many times, but she refused to change the directness of her personality. ‘When I lost someone close to me awhile ago, I thought that I would never get over it. That no one could ever fill the void that he left in my heart. But if I truly believed that, I’d be a very sad and lonely person for the rest of my days.’ She let the silence roll between them.
Simon tried hard to digest Avery’s keen insights and information. Insights coming from someone he barely knew and who barely knew him. He recalled snippets of conversations he’d had with Byron or Grace over the years. They said that Bella wasn’t worthy of his love. That she was selfish and they couldn’t understand the hold she had over him. But until now, no one had put the situation into words that rang true to Simon in such a simple, heartfelt way. He finally turned to Avery and smiled. A sad, heartbroken smile.
*
Meg and Avery drove home together to debrief about the briefing. ‘This is so exciting, Meg,’ Avery gushed. ‘This is the biggest thing we’ve done in ages. Not to mention the most creatively thrilling and professionally terrifying job I’ve had in months, years even.’
‘It is a very lucrative project for all of us. It’s a bit scary when you stop and think about it.’
Avery refused to let Meg drag her down off her high by analysing and picking the job apart for flaws. She didn’t want to have to reassure Meg that everything would be ok and that she would be blind and stupid to let such an opportunity pass. ‘It’ll be great working together too; we can all lean on each other for support and bounce ideas around the group.’
‘Yeah I guess, plu
s it will be good to see everyone’s different talents coming together.’ Meg was slowly absorbing Avery’s enthusiasm in spite of herself.
Overall she felt positive about the job. The only thing that weighed on Meg’s mind was the double edged sword the high-profile project would be to her. Her name was bound to be linked to the project through both PR and gossip, and that could have serious implications for not only her, but Cassidy Designs as well. Byron had alluded to knowing something about Patrick and his the money laundering scheme, but the media had been relatively quiet around the investigation so far. So he couldn’t know much. However, that would change once it went to trial and the gag order was lifted. She would need to talk to Byron about it at some stage, she just didn’t want to put a dampener on the fun they were having yet. It wasn’t as if they were in a serious relationship or anything. She’d pick her timing and give him a heads up, through professional courtesy.
*
Grace breezed into the Cassidy Design studio with a stern look furrowing her brow.
‘Morning boys, do we have a problem I should know about?’ Grace hung her coat on the hook behind the door. ‘Our family lawyer has been on the phone wondering how long Meg Sullivan has been associated with the business. Byron, can you shed any light on why Nigel might be asking this?’
Byron felt his stomach clench. He felt a sense of loyalty to Meg, but his family came first. ‘Meg doesn’t know this, but I Googled her after she went off the grid for a few months.’ He took a deep breath and held it for several moments. ‘It would seem that she might be under investigation for money laundering.’
The room fell silent for a while until Simon spoke. ‘And you didn’t think this information was worth sharing with your business partner, or your brother for that matter?’
‘I only got the information online, I really don’t think we have anything to worry about. The police wouldn’t let her continue trading if they truly believed she had anything to do with it. If they had any evidence against her she’d be locked up or bankrupt. We had to practically beg Meg to work with us, plus I don’t think she’s capable of doing that sort of thing.’
‘What exactly are you basing that on? Because you know her so well after what, a couple of months,’ Simon said sarcastically and got up to start to pace around the room.
‘Nigel was very cagy about details, which suggests the investigation is still ongoing because he can’t dig up or share much info. But he said the info he has seems to lead back to a guy named Patrick Heathcliff. Meg’s former lover and business partner.’ Grace saw Byron visibly cringe. ‘I suspect he’s the main culprit here, but I’ve asked Nigel to keep us informed.’
‘Is that really necessary,’ Byron asked. ‘I feel like it would be a betrayal of Meg’s trust.’ He lent forward and rested his elbows on his knees, running his hands through his hair.
‘Bro, this is the biggest, most high profile job we’ve ever had. We can’t let anything fuck it up. The potential backlash we would receive by being associated with Meg’s company would be damaging to say the least.’ Simon stopped pacing and stood beside his brother. ‘I’d rather be prepared than blind-sided. You talk about trust, but Meg hasn’t told us any of this. Trust works both ways, By.’
‘I’ve thought about that. But have you considered the fact that Meg and Avery are a package deal. If we pull out on Meg now, Avery would go too, out of loyalty to her friend. Grace, you were only saying last week how valuable it is, from a PR perspective, to have Avery’s name attached to this job.’ Byron knew he wasn’t thinking clearly on this issue, but he also knew how to appeal to his brother and sister’s business acumen.
Grace paused, caught between potential bad publicity or certain good publicity. She had already used Avery’s current prize-winning exposure to their advantage and didn’t want to contemplate the ramifications if Avery backed out of the project. ‘I agree, we can’t lose Avery. At this stage, given what he knows, Nigel doesn’t think this will interfere with the job. From a media perspective, the potentially juicy story about Meg won’t break until after the investigation’s complete, which is likely to be months away yet. And if it clears Meg’s name, like you believe it will, we don’t have much to worry about. But we’d be naive and stupid not to keep an ear to the ground.’ Grace could see her brothers take some comfort in that. What she omitted was that the minute anything new came to light, she’d be demanding answers herself.
‘When the right time comes up, By, you should ask her about it.’ Simon still remained wary. He fully trusted his brother’s loyalty, but worried his instincts were hindered by his feelings for Meg.
Chapter Fourteen
A week later, with a contract signed and the job well and truly underway, Avery had made a solid start on the murals. She was cleaning her brushes in the laundry sink Flynn had assigned her for onsite cleanup. She was deep in thought about her progress so far while going through the motions of cleaning her equipment and scrubbing her hands and arms. James Madden had agreed to the sketches Avery had suggested for the murals, which helped kick-start the process given she had painted the land and seascapes before and knew where to start. The base coats were complete on four of the murals and the supplies on order for the others. Avery had arrived on site at 6:30am six days in a row. The first two days she sat and watched the light change as the sun came up. She soon learned that each space was very similar in light and shadows. As Flynn had mentioned, all walls were north facing with generous amounts of natural light making her working hours pretty much from sun up to sun down. At first Avery thought of masking the joining walls and ceilings to create neat boarders around the murals. But she floated the idea with Flynn and James of having the murals seeping onto the other surfaces giving a larger than life effect. With uneven detail protruding out of the clean lines which added a slight 3D effect. If Avery could pull it off, the viewer wouldn’t know exactly where the wall actually sat, being immersed in subject matter and not looking for lines and constraints. Avery was so glad that James had liked the idea. Flynn said that as long as the painters didn’t have to come back in for touch ups, he was okay with it too. That was fine by Avery. She didn’t want the commercial painters anywhere near her workspace.
Avery rubbed vanilla and cocoa balm into her hands as she walked down the hall, rolling her stiff neck and shoulders as she went. She could see it was dark outside but had no idea of the time. She couldn’t remember the last paying job she took that absorbed her like this one. In the mornings she’d lay awake waiting for her alarm to go off. She’d pack lunch so she didn’t have to leave the premises during the day for any reason. Time was sucked away by colours, shapes and texture. Reminding her that this was what she lives for, the passion that drove her. The one thing that had kept driving her through darker times. Times that would have been so completely excruciating without painting, just the thought made her physically shiver.
‘I can put the heating on if you’re sticking around; it gets cold in here at night.’ A man’s voice called from one of the rooms Avery had just passed. She stopped and waited as the sound of footsteps approached. She hadn’t even heard him working, wrapped up so tightly in her own thoughts. Flynn came out of the room and stopped in front of her.
‘That’s ok, it wasn’t a cold shiver. Are you always here at this time,’ Avery asked. ‘What is the time anyway?’
‘I’m always here.’ Flynn looked at the large, scratched watch on his wrist. ‘It’s 8:30.’
‘No wonder my stomach’s rumbling.’
Flynn had observed Avery’s daily routine, as he monitored all contractor’s hours and progress. He’d noted Avery’s long hours and strict schedule. One thing he hadn’t expected from the big hair and funny clothes was the calm energy that seemed to follow her. He’d seen her sit and stare at the walls as if seeing something that wasn’t there, something that only she could see. Even when she worked, painting long fluid strokes or short jagged lines, she made little noise and radiated calm. Flynn could appreciate
the long hours and silent process. He knew that Avery got to the building the minute the security system would grant her access. He also knew she ate some sort of muesli or protein bar around ten and that lunch would be at random times depending on the section of wall she was devouring with colour and life. When she did take a break, she’d walk the halls, stretching her limbs and venturing out onto a balcony or into a courtyard. Soaking up some sun or listening to the birds. As Flynn liked to do himself to escape hammer drills and tradie banter.
‘I’ve just ordered a pizza if you’re keen to stick around,’ Flynn said, surprising himself. Why would he share his dinner with this woman? He liked his solitude and his space. All day he longed for the contractors to leave so the building was his, alone. If Avery stayed, she would discover that Flynn lived onsite, in a room close to one of her murals.
‘I wouldn’t want to impose on your personal time.’ Just then Avery’s stomach let out a ferocious growl in protest. ‘What sort of pizza?’ She laughed.
Flynn smiled. ‘Smoked salmon with spinach and feta.’
‘Are you sure you’ll have enough?’
Flynn just smiled again and started walking towards his living quarters. ‘I’ve got beer or cheap red wine to wash it down too.’
‘The cheap red wine sounds enticing.’ After a few minutes, her initial thought of the buildings foreman was realised. Flynn did indeed live onsite. The room was sparse, with a bed in one corner and a TV on a small table at its foot. As Avery entered the room she noted a kitchenette lined the wall behind the door and a card table in the middle of the room made a make shift dining table. The only other door in the room looked to lead to a reasonable sized bathroom. All of the walls were an off white with no artwork or blemishes on them. ‘So you do live here,’ Avery stated. ‘I did wonder.’