‘Of course you do,’ Ava said under her breath.
‘And if you manage to fit me into your apparently busy schedule … I’ll spread the word around Sydney and you’ll really be booked out. For years, not months, on the best homes in the city. What do you say?’
He could see in her narrowed eyes and pursed lips that she was seriously considering his offer.
‘What’s the name of your company?’
She proudly lifted her chin. ‘Ava Good Weekend Garden Designs.’
Before he thought about why, he reached for her free hand. He held her fingers between his and looked down. Her nails were short and dirt had worked its way under them. There were still shadows of earth in the wrinkles at her knuckles. He needed to know that she would be the one doing the work; that she wouldn’t do all the fancy stuff behind a desk and then hand it over to her crew.
She would be in his home. He needed to be able to trust her. He glanced up from her quivering fingers to her face and let go.
He couldn’t shake the instinct that he could trust her. He spent his working life being immediately suspicious of people and most times his instinct was right. There was something about Ava the Terrible that wasn’t too terrible. And, surprisingly, it wasn’t because she was Lulu’s sister. They couldn’t have been more different if they’d come from different families. Lulu was petite, blonde and always seemed fragile to him. Ava was the opposite. Not only was she tall, maybe a head shorter than him, but there was a strength about her that was in everything she did. Her attitude, her stance and, he couldn’t help but noticing, her arms. They were Michelle Obama arms and they were now crossed tightly over her chest, just under her breasts. If the scowl on her face was supposed to intimidate him, she was kidding herself. But he liked that she was trying. He liked it a lot.
He needed someone he could trust. He needed to know that the person given free rein of his house and his property couldn’t care less about him, his possessions, his status or his wealth. He needed someone who wouldn’t use the job as a backdoor way to insinuate herself into his bed, either. Because that wasn’t going to happen again in his lifetime. Once bitten, forever pissed off.
He’d found the perfect person.
Maybe Ava wasn’t so convinced. She was still to answer.
So he prodded. ‘If you don’t think you can do the work, I’ll find someone else.’
‘You don’t think I can do the work?’
‘That’s not what I said, Ava.’
Callum looked around. He’d almost forgotten they had an audience. ‘Listen. I need my gardens done and you’d like a job. Am I right?’
She nodded. ‘Yes.’
‘I think we’re in business then, don’t you?’
Callum held out a hand and waited while Ava slowly put her hand in his. They shook on it and when he gave her fingers an extra squeeze, she gave his a squeeze right back.
‘I’ll want a signed contract,’ Ava said.
‘So will I,’ Callum replied. ‘I’ll go and ask Evelyn to get it organised.’
*
Ava said her goodbyes to Chris and Cooper and walked through the open doorway back into the living room. She found her handbag, looped the long strap over her shoulder, and pulled her phone from it to call a taxi to take her home.
‘You leaving?’ How was it that Callum had a knack of appearing out of nowhere? His bare feet had barely made a noise on the wooden floors. Once again, there was just the two of them in the quiet peace of his house.
‘Yes. I’ve left my card for you so we can be in touch. I’ll need to come back and do some preliminary work and I would also like to sit down with you and discuss exactly what you’re looking for.’
Ava tried not to read anything into the sudden gleam in his eyes.
‘Sure. Let me send you a message so you have my private number.’
Ava recited her number and she watched him tap out a message. A few seconds later, she felt her phone vibrate in her hand.
‘That one doesn’t divert to the office. I keep it for my brothers and family. For private things. So I’d appreciate it if you kept it that way.’
‘Of course. Thank you for hiring me. I know I’ll come up with something you’ll love.’
‘Good,’ he said.
‘I’d better call a cab.’
‘No you’re not. I’ll get my keys.’
‘No, really,’ Ava stressed. ‘You have guests. You’ve had a terrible day.’ She laid her fingers on his arm, a gesture of comfort and sympathy. ‘Stay here and be with your family.’
She felt his muscles tense under her touch. When she dared look up into his eyes, she saw sadness instead of teasing. This man had just lost his father. And then it happened before she could think twice. She slipped her arms around him, held on tight, turned her head to the side and laid her cheek against his chest.