Heartbeats in Moonlight

Chapter 49

David arrived at six prompt to see the latest plans for his home. Her office was the large shed that had been converted into a waiting space, with a low table, and low comfy chairs, then in one corner she had her desk and computer, and her drawing board at the other end, with a large table and four chairs beside it. He liked the colours she had used, rusts and golds and creams. A warm room, so at odds with the frosty personality.

"Ok, if I come in." He said as he knocked on the glass sliding doors and came in. After all, he was here for a meeting.

He had hired her over the phone seemed more practical, and it had, kept her at a distance and him hidden from view as he'd fought off his reservations and put himself in danger. He knew it was dangerous to get involved with her again, even if it was at the business level.

The kisses they'd shared had shown him that he had yet to purge her from his system. It worried him. This attempt to get her to decorate his place was his way of dealing with that. If he was going to move on, he needed to develop a strategy to deal with her. Especially as Jack and Amelia's relationship will ensure that they will meet often. In any case, according to Jack, Ella and I would have to talk about that incidence.

"Sure." Ella got to her feet and in business-like voice added, "Can I get you a coffee?" She watched David as he looked over her office. She was not looking forward to this meeting. Most of today was spent thinking about this meeting! There was so much going on because this roller-coaster was exhausting. Any progress between the two of them, was squashed within days. And any time they met, just the two of them, reminded her about them at the rugby camp: the easy camaraderie, how easy it was to talk and how easy it was to believe she was in love. She had managed to avoid reviewing that period of her life, because reviewing that period brings pain. Unfortunately, from her position, she was sure that David wanted to review that period.

"That would be great. Thanks. Black." He watched her as she walked on her trademark three inch heels that elongated her legs, and gave her added height. She was a beautiful woman, there was no doubt about that. And she was classy, and elegant. Very poised. Her business suit was clearly expensive, the material and cut showcasing her assets without being tarty or tacky. The gently nipped in waist of the jacket, with the peplum hem gave a clear indication of the hour-glass figure. The just above the knee length skirt gave a clear impression of long limbs. David watched Ella, and it reminded him that when they met at the camp, she wasn't wearing anything special and it wasn't expensive. It wasn't her clothes that attracted him, it was her.

She poured him some coffee from the percolator and handed him the mug. "I've set up over there." She pointed at the table with the diagrams.

He saw that the low table was clear, but the large table had his diagrams laid out. He walked over to the table, saw that she had placed several of the diagrams he'd seen before. He knew he wasn't here to review his home, so the diagrams didn't matter to him. He was here to review the incidence from ten years ago. The problem was that he didn't have a plan to force her into a conversation about that kiss.

"Please, do take a seat." He wondered when the exuberant girl had become such a self contained, reserved, ultra sophisticated woman. Then he compared her with Amelia, who he'd once witness pushing Davina into the school swimming pool. He wondered if Ella would ever succumb to displaying that sort of emotion, that sort of passion. Then he remembered, she could succumb: She had when she kissed him at the rugby camp.

He blinked that memory away. "Did Amelia tell you she pushed Davina into the school pool." He announced suddenly, just to see what her reaction would be.

"Good for Ames." Came the automatic response without so much as a blink of the eye.

"Don't you want to know why?" David folded his arms.

She looked over her shoulder and asked, "Was that around the time of the photo debacle a few weeks back?" David nodded. "I imagine Davina was going for another staged event." She replied as she retrieved some paper and got organised to talk about the design.

"Staged event?" Ok, David thought, at least they were talking about something that wasn't related to his house and he could use this as a platform for the main event: their discussion of that kiss!

"The photograph in the paper." She said as she brought her drawings to the table. "You told me about it." She reminded David.

"You think that was staged?" He feigned bafflement, given that Jack already told him that Ella knew the photo was staged. David just wanted to know why, or how, Ella reached that conclusion.

"You've seen photographers hanging around town for candid shots of has-been-models and ex surfers? A common event is it?" Her dry tone was both annoying and provoking.

"You didn't tell me you thought it was staged when I phoned." He replied with a trace of annoyance.

"It was obvious." And she knew from her own experience, that newspapers' news are not always accurate.

"Obvious? What do you mean?"

Ella sighed in exasperation, "What difference would it have made? You already told me Jack wouldn't cheat on Amelia."

He thought about that as she brought over her laptop and placed it beside the drawings.

"He was gutted. Thought Amelia would dump him when she saw the photos. But as he said, he was not going to let Amelia go without a fight." David smiled as he remembered Jack's words and tone.

Ella smiled. It transformed her from merely beautiful to heart-stopping gorgeous.

Surprised and somewhat shaken by the smile, David asked bluntly, "What?" David looked at her and wondered what she was smiling about.

"Amelia said the equivalent of the same thing." Then she gestured to the paper work, her smile disappeared and the businesswoman reappeared. She wanted to kick herself for showing some sentiment. The last thing she wanted was him seeing her as vulnerable. 

This was a business contract. 

She had no intention of giving him more ammunition. She had had enough of having to watch him kiss other women, and then rebuild her composure and her heart. She doubted she could keep doing that. 

He'd made his feelings about her clear. He made his contempt for her obvious at the bbq, when he told her to be civil. Obviously he needed someone to decorate his house, and unfortunately for her, she was his nearest option.