Seven Days: The Complete Story (19 page)

“Jill, glad to
see you again. Looks like you’ve got a big one for us today.”

“Hi, Ed. I’m
glad they sent you to help out. You know what a bitch these trees
can be to get in. I’ll call the team in and we’ll get started.”

Suddenly,
Jill, despite the makeup and hair sounds more like a man than all
of the men on site. She’s become commanding and authoritative. She
knows exactly what she wants and how to get it. She motions to
three men on the other side of the garden and they quickly finish
the border they’ve been planting out. I stick my trowel into the
soil and head over too, keen to do what I can.

“Is there
anything I can do?”

“Get us both a
bottle of water from the Eski in the van and then come and take a
seat. We deserve a few minutes off. It’s not every day you get to
watch a tree of this size being planted.”

Glad for the
break, I do as she asks. I find a spot on the gravel and sit myself
down. I’m there for forty minutes or so while Jill directs the
gigantic tree into its new home. From a spot in the centre of the
gateway looking up the drive, Jill instructs the men to turn the
tree this way and that as a crane driver lowers it slowly into
place in the enormous hole. She has him lift it in and out and the
men reposition it three times before she’s satisfied with the look.
Then one of the men rushes over with a spirit level. I can’t
believe he’s actually going to check that the trunk is positioned
straight. He gives Jill the thumbs up. We walk back up to the spot
where the tree is now proudly filling the garden bed.

Jill walks
around the site one last time. “Great boys. We’re good to fill the
hole in.”

She hands me a
shovel and we begin to scoop the soil in, taking care to let it
fill the areas around the roots and not create air pockets. It’s
arduous but I’m having the time of my life. As we work, Jill chats
to me about the finishing touches required before handover of the
completed project. Our conversation is casual, she feels more like
a big sister than a boss or colleague and we discover we have a
shared love of Asian food and books, especially beautiful coffee
table tomes featuring formal gardens. But it’s as we’re putting the
last shovel of soil into the hole and not looking at each other,
that Jill says the thing that causes me to almost end up three feet
down with the dirt.

“You looked
flummoxed when you met the bosses yesterday. I thought you were
going to pass out when Nick walked in the room.”

I pause. Okay.
How do I approach this one?

“Total fangirl
moment,” I answer. “Nicholas Lawson has literally been my idol for
the past three years. To meet him in person—”

“You looked
like you’d seen a ghost. Do you know him?”

“I, um. I was
shocked; I couldn’t believe how good-looking he is. And I didn’t
want to stare because that would make me seem very rude. I mean,
I’ve read his bio but I’ve never seen photos of him so it was a bit
of a shock to see this good looking guy when I expected a forty
year old grandad.”

I hope I’ve
appeased her by admitting I think he’s hot.

“A grandad he
definitely isn’t.”

And I have no
idea what has happened to the link between my brain and my mouth
but I reply, “He’s so cute, though, isn’t he? I don’t know how you
can work with him and not want to stare at him all day.”

Jill nods.
“You get desensitised to it. I don’t notice Nick’s looks anymore. I
see him for the talented man he is.”

“Can I ask a
personal question?”

“I thought we
were getting pretty personal already.” Jill smiles. “Look Sadie, if
you want to know if Nick has a girlfriend, the answer is no, and
even if he did, the staff would be unlikely to meet her. Nick
guards his personal life closer to his chest than a poker hand.
Joel on the other hand, has a revolving door of women in and out of
his bed. It’s a wonder Google images hasn’t reached it’s limit
sorting the photos of him and his latest women. Though that seems
to have petered off in the last few months. Maybe he’s finally
settling down. He’s never been into dating the staff though. No
matter what they do outside the office, Nick and Joel are one
hundred per cent professional at work. Even when we had a potential
scandal with another student they kept their cool.”

“What
happened?”

“Joel had to
ask her to leave after she became somewhat obsessive. An office
crush is one thing but she was stalking poor Nick. To make matters
worse she got upset when they asked her to leave. She accused Nick
of inappropriate behaviour, saying he came on to her and told her
she’d fail the unit if she didn’t sleep with him.”

“Gosh.”

“That’s why I
was so surprised when Nick told me you were coming. He got burnt
pretty bad. Hasn’t had a student in over three years.”

After we’ve
finished and I’ve packed the tools away, Jill sprinkles a large tub
of fertiliser granules around the tree along with an entire bag of
sheep poo. “Now for the fun part,” she says to me. “You get to
slowly water this in. We don’t want to overload the tree, so keep
the water on a gentle spray for about ten minutes. I’m going to
check on the laying of the turf while you do that. When you finish
come find me, but don’t step on the newly laid grass, whatever you
do.”

“Sure,” I say,
and head off to get the hose.

I spend some
time watering the tree in. It’s enjoyable watching the activity
around me and the way Jill manages the different projects that need
to be completed. I’m learning so much by osmosis. At last I’m
finished so I turn the hose off and roll it up. Then I go to find
Jill, who’s disappeared into the back garden.

She’s washing
her hands under the tap when I arrive. “I think we’re about done
here,” she says. “How did you go with the tree?”

“All finished.
Do you want to check everything’s okay?”

“You’re the
top student in your class, Sadie. I’m pretty sure you know how to
water a tree in.”

“Well, yes
but…”

“No buts. Now
get your gear and we’ll hop in the van and head over to Iris. I’m
dying to see what the boys are up to. I can come back here on the
way back to the office to check progress.”

We wash up and
hop in the van. And I’m sitting beside Jill and thinking, I’m about
to see Nicholas and Joel and I’m beside myself with excitement.

*****

Things are
busy when we reach the Iris building. There are men in hard hats
everywhere and scaffold being erected. In the corner of the block a
mobile site office has been delivered and it’s there that Jill and
I head first. As we reach the office, Joel and Nicholas emerge.
They’re looking pumped; clearly the start of a new project is
exciting. They look like two big kids who’ve discovered they’re
allowed to play with supremely huge toys and will get paid to do
it.

“Hey,” Joel
says. “Welcome to the madhouse.”

I smile at him
but say nothing. His grin has me staring at his lips again which is
not good, considering I promised myself I wouldn’t stare at any
part of him.

“Looks the
usual ordered chaos but on a bigger scale,” Jill says. “Do you mind
if I poke around so I can get a feel for how the grounds might
look? Not that you’re going to need landscaping for a long while
yet, but I’d love to start putting a few ideas together.”

“Sure,” Joel
replies. He reaches back inside the door and hands her a hardhat.
“Keep safe.”

Then Nicholas
speaks. “Joel and I were about to do a walk through of the inside
of the building to see what we want to update on the project job
sheet. The plans are pretty much set in stone but there are always
minor tweaks to improve a layout or a detail we didn’t notice
before. Do you want to come and have a look, Sadie? Or would you
prefer to go with Jill?”

I want to see
the ‘before’ of this project and hear what Nicholas has in mind but
I know my main focus is the outdoors. I look to Jill.

“Go,” she
says, seeing what must be the anticipation on my face. “You can
meet me round the back after you finish the tour.”

I practically
skip after the boys, not caring how stupid I must look with the big
orange pumpkin hat perched on top of my red hair. This is so
exciting. So exciting.

The three of
us wander around the interior of the building. Joel is giving me an
overview of the plans for every room, the colour scheme, the
flooring. Everything. Nicholas is carrying a clipboard. He’s making
notes as he goes and marking things off on a list. He’s talking to
himself, lost in his own little architect world as if Joel and I
don’t exist. I like seeing him like this, absorbed in his work.
It’s a side of him I never thought I’d see. And Joel — he’s like a
kid in a candy store, he’s so animated and clearly passionate about
what they’re doing.

We stop on the
landing of the large Art Deco staircase and I turn a full circle
taking in everything around me. I’m visualising the plans Joel has
told me about. “This is breathtaking already,” I say. “I hope I can
come and see what it looks like when you’ve finished. It’s going to
be awesome.”

Joel grins. “I
was hoping you’d say that. Nick and I would both be happy for you
to come and look around any time you like, even after your
placement’s complete. Right, Nick?”

Nicholas
mumbles something in reply and I can see what Jill meant. You’d
need to be more than Jennifer Hawkins to pull him away from that
level of concentration.

Joel sees it
too and shifts slightly out of earshot. “Look, I apologise for what
I said in the office, yesterday. I was out of line.”

“I don’t think
there was any reason to be so mean. I’m not a child, Joel. I can be
professional too.”

“I know. I was
shocked to see you. I don’t know why but I was as in the dark about
this as you were. Nick told me nothing. So again, I’m sorry.”

“Apology
accepted.”

“Friends
again?”

“We were never
friends, Joel. We knew each other a week.”

“No. I guess
we weren’t. Friends with benefits, then?”

“Not exactly
professional.” Even if the idea has been rolling around in my brain
for the past twenty-four hours, despite not wanting it to.

He pauses; a
small frown crinkles between his eyes that he quickly hides behind
one of his killer grins. I’ve hurt him. I can’t understand it. He
was the one who claimed he wanted no commitment. Why would he be
hurt at this? I always thought he was more vulnerable than he let
on, that there was a gorgeous man behind that cheeky, blasé façade.
Have I seen a glimpse of the real Joel?

I smile back;
conscious that though Nicholas is standing beside us he is
oblivious to our conversation. “Hey. I’d like to be friends though.
But not now. When this prac is over.”

His reply is
quiet. “I don’t know if I can wait that long.”

And my heart
is pounding in my ears again.

We continue
our journey through the building, stopping intermittently to study
details and ending up in what used to be some form of garden out
the back. I can see Jill busily taking photos and making notes on
her iPad. She looks over to us. “There you are. I was beginning to
think the boys had locked you in a cupboard. You haven’t been
badgering them with questions, have you?”

“Sadie’s been
a help. She took one look at that indoor garden area we’ve been
mulling over and told me exactly how it should look, right down to
the seating. It’s exactly the concept I was trying to voice the
other day. I’ve asked her to draw up some plans tonight, if that’s
okay with you Jill? I have to say I’m pretty impressed with her
ideas,” Nicholas says. “It was the right decision to take her
on.”

I preen a
little at this praise. “I’m glad I could help.”

Joel glances
at the time on his phone. “I’m pretty sure it must be time to down
tools for the day. Who’s for an after work drink? I think we
deserve it. It’s been a good day all round.”

“Great idea,”
Jill says. “I need to stop off at Highfield on the way back but
I’ll meet you at the bar.”

“Work boots
and all?” Joel jokes.

“Unless you
want me to come in my bare feet.”

“Are you
coming Sadie?” Nicholas asks.

I bite my lip.
I know they’re asking me as part of the group of staff but I’m not
sure I should do this. My lips and my intentions tend to become
very loose when alcohol and these boys are involved.

Nicholas looks
expectantly at me and, heaven help me, I can’t say no. It’s his
eyes. Those damn eyes.

“You go with
Nick and Joel then, Sadie. I’ll catch you up in half an hour or
so,” Jill says.

No. NO. She
can’t leave me alone with them. That’s not part of the deal. I can
handle it in an empty building but if we get where there’s fun and
frivolity and alcohol, I’ll start flirting. I know I will. I can’t
trust myself to be professional. And I feel so weak and annoyed
with myself because I know already that’s what will happen. “I’ll
come with you, Jill,” I say.

“Sure?”

“Yep.” I turn
to Nicholas and Joel. “I’ll go with Jill.”

Nicholas nods
but as we turn to get in the car, Joel holds the door open on the
pretext of putting some gear in to go back to the office. “It won’t
work,” he whispers.

“
What
?”
How can I be so good at feigning innocence?

“Trying to
avoid us. I can keep it in my pants and so can Nick but this truce
isn’t going to last. You know as well as I do. You’re still as into
us as you ever were.”

I am. But I’m
trying not to be.

The sun is
setting by the time we head from a quick review at Highfield then
on to the bar. Standing on the footpath, I take my thick woollen
jumper from my backpack and pull it on over my overalls. As I
straighten the hem and redo my ponytail into something less
scraggy, I realise what I’m doing. It’s chilly but it’s not that
cold. By putting my oldest jumper on — one which should never be
seen anywhere except in the garden — I’m trying to make myself
inconspicuous. If I’m wearing the armour that is this massive
jumper, maybe the boys won’t pay me any heed. Maybe I can get
through a social hour in their company impervious to Nicholas’
looks and Joel’s not so subtle innuendos. Maybe I can sit for an
hour without being consumed with thoughts of wanting to shag them.
Because I want to. The entire time we were touring the Iris
building, all I could think of was finding a dark corner and
getting naked. The fact that I have a lovely boyfriend who wants to
take things to the next level is like a speck of dust on my
conscience and I hate myself for being so fickle and thinking this
way.