Chapter 12

Talk about pressure. Eloise smoothed her hair and fussed with the lights in her office.

“Sit,” Alice ordered from where she was perched on the desk. “The ring light will be ready to go in a second.”

“Do you think it’s a good sign they wanted to interview me so quickly?” Seeing the meeting request from the AATI in her inbox this morning had been a shock, to say the least.

“Absolutely. Clearly, you’re the best applicant they’ve had,” Alice said.

Eloise shifted closer to the screen and tilted it upwards, blinking furiously when the light hit her eyes. She scrutinised her reflection on her laptop screen. Her braid was neat and tidy, her make-up soft and subtle. The deep green velvet blazer Alice had brought over after receiving Eloise’s frantic fashion SOS texts complemented her tanned skin tone, but something was missing.

“I know what you need.”

More than seven hours to prepare for the biggest interview of my life?

Alice dug through the huge tan leather tote she carried everywhere, grinning when she pulled a tube of red lipstick out of it. “Pucker up, girlfriend.”

“I’m not really a bright lipstick kind of girl.” Eloise picked a piece of lint from her black turtleneck dress.

“It’s going to look amazing. Trust me. I was right about the blazer, wasn’t I?”

Eloise studied her reflection again. She nodded, and Alice carefully applied the lipstick.

“Blot,” she instructed, handing Eloise a tissue from the box on her desk.

A wide grin spread across Alice’s face. “It’s official. You’re a babe-a-saurus. They’d be fools not to pick you.”

Eloise leant around Alice, studying her reflection again. The red lipstick did make her feel more confident.

“Okay. I think I’m ready.” She checked her watch. Fifteen minutes until meeting time. She reached for a piece of paper and started writing.

“What’s happening here?” Alice asked.

“I’m going to put a sign on my door so no one interrupts me. I hate doing it, but this is my only chance to impress them. Hopefully, it’ll only be for half an hour or so.” There was no time to go home, do the interview and then make it back before her afternoon art class started.

Alice plucked the texta out of Eloise’s hand. “I’ll sit outside and take messages for you.”

Eloise’s shoulders relaxed. “Really? Thank you. You’re the best.”

“I really am. So, while we’re talking about how amazing I am, why don’t you tell me all about your hot date with Ryan?” Alice started doodling on the piece of paper Eloise had abandoned.

“It wasn’t a date. We’re dance partners. He suggested we get to know each other better, have a drink together. You know how it is.”

Alice raised her eyebrows. “I do. That’s called a date. Nate was pretty upset about it.”

“Good.”

“Good? Is this all part of a plan to make Nate jealous?” Alice’s eyebrows were in danger of disappearing to the back of her head.

“No plan needed. Nate doesn’t want to date me because it might ruin our friendship. Said so himself.” Eloise was paraphrasing, but reliving the conversation that had dashed all her hopes and dreams was still painful. But so was the thought of losing Nate as a friend. They’d known each other for years, but they’d only really known each other for the last few.

“Then he’s a goose.” Alice scooted off Eloise’s desk and held up the paper she’d been decorating.

Go, Eloise!was scrawled across it, surrounded by flowers.

“I’m going to give you a few minutes to yourself before you have to log into the meeting, but I’ll be right outside. Go kick ass.”

* * *

An hour and a half later,Eloise threw open the door of her office and tripped over Alice’s legs, landing in a heap on the kitchen floor.

“Oh my God. I forgot you were there. I’m so, so late.”

Alice helped her up, her hands resting on Eloise’s forearm. “Take a deep breath. It’s okay.”

“Art class started forty minutes ago! At first, I lost track of time, but then it seemed like it was going well so I didn’t want to tell them I had to leave. I said I had good time management skills, Alice, knowing my art class was starting without me. I lied to their faces!” Eloise shook herself free and tried to wrestle out of Alice’s blazer.

“Okay, take a breath. Let’s walk and talk.” Alice pushed her gently in the direction of the art room.

“Did anyone come by?” The thought of disappointing any of her regulars was too much. And damn. She’d rung Callum’s dad and suggested he continue attending art classes and the sports training, and then she’d done this. Not shown up.

“No. And it’s fine. Nate was dropping off some firewood before his sports thingo with the kids, and now he’s taking the class for you.”

Eloise stopped, her heart betraying her by fluttering with gratitude. “Nate’s taking my class?”

“Is that a problem?” Alice asked.

“No, of course not.” As well as being a talented writer, Nate was also a beautiful artist. She’d asked him to consider teaching at KPs before, but he’d always declined.

“Come on, Joan and Lulu are here too. I bet they’re giving him a hard time. Let’s go watch.”

* * *

Joan grabbedNate’s arm and pulled him towards her canvas. It was covered in bright pink and purple dots. Some were arranged like flowers, others in lines or squiggles. “You know what I’ve always thought this class would benefit from?”

Lulu cackled. Never a good sign.

“Hmm?”

“Still life, and not those boring fruit bowls Eloise drags out occasionally. Now that you’re teaching here?—”

“Just for today because her meeting ran late.” Nate was still confused about why Eloise would’ve booked a meeting so close to a class when she normally guarded the time around these sessions fiercely. Whatever it was, it must’ve been important.

“—but think how fun it would be to spice things up a little bit. We could have nudes! Not with the children here but that’d boost numbers.”

Nate’s gaze swept the room. Every station was full. Paintbrushes swished across canvases, and the big table in the centre of the room was covered in butcher’s paper and crayons.

“The numbers seem fine, and something tells me you’ve already tried to convince Eloise about this, and she said no.”

Lulu’s chuckle confirmed his suspicions.

Joan dipped her brush into a paint pot and pursed her lips. “It was worth a try.”

“Are you two ever not up to something? Since when do you come to these?” Nate asked the pair, even though he had a sneaking suspicion about why they were there, especially since Lulu had called him earlier to ask if he could drop off some extra firewood. Imagine his surprise when he arrived to find the woodshed still almost full from when he’d last stocked it.

“Can’t two friends enjoy an afternoon of painting together?” Lulu failed to hide the smirk all her boys, including Nate, had inherited.

“And check how the program is working. Reporting back to the committee, et cetera,” Joan added.

“I see.” He didn’t.

Movement near the window caught Nate’s eye, and Eloise hurried into the room, trailed by Alice.

He’d seen her in a lot of different outfits over the years, which sounded creepy even just in his mind. From paint-splattered jeans to the fancy dresses she’d worn to Charlie’s wedding stuff. But never like this.

Like a boss.

Her black jumper dress fitted her like a second skin, and her hair was loose, tumbling down her back in a riot of curls. The way she dragged her fingers through it told him she’d just undone her usual plait. But that had nothing on the effect her ruby-red lips had on him. How her mouth opened ever so slightly, the flash of teeth sinking into her plump bottom lip when their gazes met. His hands tingled, and he catalogued the moment so he could describe it properly when he got home. Who was he kidding? His words would never accurately reflect the hold she had on him. How her presence made the rest of the world fade into the background.

The arrival of the blond boy from sports training—Callum, that was his name—along with a tall man in King Gee workwear pulled Nate’s thoughts away from what Eloise might be wearing underneath that tight dress.

“See, Dad,” Callum said loudly. “Nate’s here. I bet I could ask him for some extra pointers before training. If I caught the bus from school, then you could just pick me up after training. Nate and Eloise wouldn’t mind if I got here a bit early. Would you?”

Talk about being put on the spot. Nate glanced at Eloise, who nodded and put her hands on her hips. The way his stomach twisted told Nate that there was a plan afoot right now.

“I don’t mind at all,” Eloise said.

“And you’re here every week?” The man addressed this question to Nate, not Eloise.

“Ah …”

“He is,” Lulu answered for him. “The committee has just approved the expansion of the art and sport programs offered by Kathleen’s Place as part of our holistic approach to mindfulness, especially for children and teenagers. We’re not ready to make a formal announcement just yet, but something will be revealed soon.”

This was the first Nate had heard of it. Judging by the way Eloise’s eyes had flared, she was in the same position.

“I guess it would be okay.” The man rubbed the back of his neck and cast a wary glance at all the art supplies stacked against the nearest wall. “But it’s mostly focused on sports, right? Callum’s got the talent to go all the way, and I don’t want anything to derail him.”

“We’re still finalising the programs,” Eloise said.

“But we couldn’t have asked for two better people to head it up.” Joanie slipped her arm around Eloise and beamed at Lulu.

“We couldn’t have planned it better ourselves,” his mother added.

Nate would give credit where it was due. Lulu and Joan had just guaranteed he and Eloise would be spending a lot more time together.

* * *

Nate shutthe door to Eloise’s office and crossed his arms. He tried not to smile at the piercing look Eloise levelled at Lulu and Joan. “How’s this going to work exactly?” he asked.

“There must be a way to bring the two programs together. If anyone can make it work, it’s you two. You make excellent partners,” Lulu said.

“I know what you’re doing.” Eloise raised her eyebrows.

“Trying to ensure Kathleen’s Place meets the ever-evolving needs of the community?” Joan batted her eyelashes at her granddaughter, and Nate swallowed a chuckle. No one else could pull the stunts Joan Mandrill did and get away with it.

“Oh, look at the time. Your sports training is about to start, Nate. We’d best be off,” Lulu said. With waves far too cheerful to be subtle, she and Joan left.

“Think they’re pretty clever, don’t they?” Eloise sighed.

“Might be they’re a little drunk, too. I saw them sipping from flasks when they thought I wasn’t looking.”

The small joke broke some of the tension in the office.

“That tracks,” Eloise said.

“But seriously”—Nate tipped his head towards the art room—“what was that all about? With Callum and his dad?”

Eloise twisted her long hair into a rope and tossed it over her shoulder. The scent of berries and vanilla washed over him.

“His dad doesn’t want him wasting time on art. He thinks he should just be focusing on AFL. Knowing you’re doing the sports program sealed the deal. I think he’s hoping Callum will absorb some of your professional athlete determination via osmosis.”

The kid was talented, there was no denying it, but he was still young. “Isn’t he thirteen?”

“Fourteen.”

“And the fixation with sports is because …”

“The dad got drafted to the AFL. They’re both cagey about what happened, but my guess is his career ended prematurely and now Callum’s showing a bit of skill …”

“… and he wants to live vicariously through his son?”

Thankfully, Nate’s parents had never put this kind of pressure on him. He’d been identified as a ‘talent to watch’ at a similar age and offered a scholarship at Seaside Grammar in Melbourne, but it had been his choice to go. Wilbur and Lulu had always stressed that he didn’t have to do anything he didn’t want to do, especially when they realised he would have to board Monday to Friday. Adjusting to life in the city without his family during the week had been hard, but Nate wouldn’t have changed it for anything. Without it, he never would’ve made the state and national teams and scored his college scholarship in Utah. He’d even managed to pull off swapping from special teams as a kicker to being a tight end thanks to his size and AFL background.

“And let me guess …” He tried to banish the bad thoughts that college always brought with it by filling the silence in Eloise’s office. “Callum doesn’t want to play AFL professionally.”

“I’m pretty sure he just wants to be a fourteen-year-old kid, and he loves drawing. It’s his way of balancing out all the physical stuff he does.”

Nate tapped his chin. “There’s plenty of evidence that using art for mindfulness is beneficial for athletes. Mum and Joan weren’t wrong. It’s why I started painting and writing when I was playing. I needed the escape from the physicality of everything else.”

Eloise fiddled with the sleeve of her dress. He’d bet the woollen fabric was as soft as it looked, not scratchy like some jumpers were. If only he could check for himself. “It wouldbe good to offer something like that here. Eventually try and get the local clubs on board. I guess we’d better come up with a program then.”

“Are you free after training tonight?” Which—damn—he really needed to get to the oval and get everything set up. Hopefully, Teddy was already there. It might even be the first time he was happy to see Bianca.

“I was supposed to meet up with …” Eloise didn’t need to finish her sentence. The blush on her cheeks confirmed Nate’s suspicions.

Fucking Ryan.

“I see.”

“But he cancelled so we could start brainstorming. I’d rather avoid the pub, though. How about we meet back here afterwards?”

The words were out of his mouth before his brain even realised what was happening. “Or you could come to my place? I made pizza dough earlier and there’s plenty.”

Nate winced because, yeah, it sounded like a date to him as well.

“I don’t think that’s a good idea. Not after everything …” Eloise fidgeted with her sleeves again. And damn it, this was all Nate’s fault. He’d led her on, and now he was paying the price for it.

“Please, Eloise? I know I’ve been an ass.” Her eyebrows quirked up, but Nate ploughed on. “But I’d really like to show you how important your friendship is to me.”

It was why he wouldn’t let himself have anything more, not that he could tell her that.

“I do like pizza … and it would be good to get a head start if we want to get this off the ground before Christmas. We could pitch what we’ve already been doing as a pilot program.”

Nate pulled his phone out of his pocket when it buzzed.

Lulu: Any chance your charity wants to donate to a great new program at KPs? ??

Disregard what he’d thought earlier. Lulu Hampshire-James and Joan Mandrill were the only ones who could get away with this sort of stuff. But it didn’t matter because if this helped chase away the awkwardness that still lingered between himself and Eloise, Nate would do anything they asked.