I love my mum dearly and we’re quite close now, but she has never really understood me. She was too busy fussing over my perfect brothers, especially the golden child, Drew. Lucky for me, I’ve always been Daddy’s little girl, so he is always on my side and there to get me out of trouble when I go too far.
“Elly, are you finished up there?” Dad calls out from the kitchen.
“Yeah, I’ll be down in a second, Dad.” I grab the roller and the paint tray and head down the hall.
“What’s up, Dad?” He sits at the breakfast bar drinking his coffee and looking over the plans for our beach villas, his latest project.
“I’ve got an appointment this afternoon at the station, but I have just heard from the architect who’s working on our beach villas, and he wants to come by and do a site check with his builder this afternoon. Can you show them through? It might be a good opportunity to show them what you have been working on for the interiors as well.”
“Yeah, no worries. It’s not like I was doing anything else anyway. Did something happen at work?" I have always worried about him working in the police force, and I know Mum has had many sleepless nights worried about him as well, you just never know what they're dealing with. And now Theo has joined, I have to worry about him as well.
"No, nothing out of the ordinary."
I drop the paint tray on the countertop and wrap my arms around him. “Okay, but you know you can talk to me if something’s worrying you, Dad.”
“Everything’s fine, baby girl, nothing to worry about,” he says, turning to hug me back and tuck some stray hair behind my ear. "I still can't believe you dyed it bright blue."
I shrug, "Needed a change, not like I'm leaving the house at the moment for anyone to see what I look like anyway."
"Whatever makes you happy, honey."
“Thanks, Dad. Good work changing the subject too. But we’re still talking about you. What made you want to retire out of nowhere and build these beach villas in our backyard? I mean, it's not a bad idea. Byron is buzzing with tourists now so I’m sure it will work for you. It's just, you love your job.”
“It’s just time. I can't work in the police force forever. I want to have an easier life for a bit. This is something your mother and I have been discussing for years, and now's the time.” He slides his chair out and hops up and empties his coffee in the sink.
“The boys from The Green Door will be here in an hour so you better get yourself cleaned up. You have paint in your hair. Did you use your hair as a paintbrush? White strips over the blue is a good look,” he laughs as he wraps his arms around me, giving me a squeeze. “It’ll be a great opportunity for you to show off your talents and build a portfolio of your own. You might even get some work out of it?” Dad’s always on my side, trying to help me through whatever project I’m working on.
“Thanks,” I smile up at him. He's a big man, and for his age he’s still super fit. All the men in my family are tall, over six feet, and obsessed with keeping in shape. At his age, he’s still up every morning at six for his run, then off to the gym. If you didn’t know him, he would be intimidating, but to me he’s just a big teddy bear. I hope he’s okay.
“The plans are on the kitchen bench if you want to go over them again before they get here.” He grabs his keys and walks out the door giving me a wave.
“Thanks, Dad, see you later.”
An hour later, I’m towel-drying my hair. Was that the doorbell? I quickly pull up my ripped jeans and chuck a singlet over my bra. The architect is early, how annoying. My hair is a wet mess. I drag my fingers through it as I sprint down the hallway in a rush and open the front door.
“Hi, sorry, I wasn’t expecting you till later.” I’m almost breathless from the run down the hall. The view I’m treated with is a surprise, he must be the builder. There’s no way this guy’s the architect. You can tell he works outdoors, with tanned skin, a broad chest, and arms that look made for heavy lifting. Don’t even look, Elena. Remember you’re sworn off men, they're all lying, cheating arseholes.
“That's okay, I’m a bit early. I came straight from another job. I’m the builder, Blake. Our architect has been held up with another project, so he won't be able to make it.” His dark eyes burn right through me. Have I pissed him off somehow? I don’t think I was who he was expecting, he doesn’t look happy about it.
“Did I interrupt something? Your hair is dripping everywhere.”
My wet hair has run all down the front of my singlet top leaving it soaking wet. “Oh, yeah, it is, just jumped out of the shower.” I flip my hair up into a bun, out of the way as the beads of water run down my back.
"Lucky it's hot
