It should be illegal to feel this good so early on a Monday morning. But Olivia Blake couldn’t care less. The cycle to work was invigorating, her heart still pumping hard along to There’s Nothing Holding Me Back, playing through her AirPods.
She’s stored her bike in the allocated rack as she does most days when the weather is good enough to cycle. And when you live in England, that’s not always a given. So, when mother nature shows her grace, Olivia is there to make the most of it.
Humming along to the tune she makes her way down the concrete corridor of the basement. The thin sheen of sweat covering her skin is cooling her body as she heads towards the showers at the other end of the neon-lit maze. Lights blinking to life ahead of her.
She enjoys being the only person around this time of day. Feeling in total control, her day ahead full of promise. And today, Olivia is feeling particularly hopeful.
She’s been counting down the days to today, crossing out each little square on her desk calendar. Dean, her boss and the sole owner of Brooks & Wright after his partner Henry Wright passed away two years ago, is finally announcing who he’s chosen to be heading up the Fort Ailsa project.
This project is a huge deal and everyone at Brooks & Wright knows it. Olivia has worked for Dean for over five years, climbing the rungs with integrity and refusing to give into her father’s persistent needling about joining his architectural design firm instead. And Duncan Blake can be a very insistent man. Especially when it comes to getting what he wants in business.
Would being trusted with this huge project serve as justification for her father that her path has just as much merit as the one, he is trying to push her to take? Sure, it would. Would it help to wipe the smile off of Theo Callaghan’s face for once? It would certainly go some way. But for more than any other reason, Olivia wants this for herself. She is excited to bring her vision to life. To make her mark.
As the thoughts drift in her mind like whisps of clouds in the summer sky, she finally reaches the door of the shower room. Music still loud in her ear she is pulling her top over her head when she turns towards the drawn curtain of the cubicle.
Without a second thought she reaches towards the curtain, pulling it open with one fell swoop.
Before Olivia’s brain can fully compute what’s happening, her voice takes the lead as she lets out an almighty scream.
‘What hell, Blake! Get out,’ protests a very angry sounding man, droplets of water beading on his taught skin.
Seemingly having lost the ability to move or to string words together into a reply, all Olivia can say is, ‘Oh my god, Theo! Why are you naked?’
Theo grabs the curtain and pulls it around again swiftly as he answers. ‘I don’t know how you take your showers, but where I come from, we tend to undress.’ The sarcasm heavy in his tone. ‘More importantly why are you barging in on me like that?’ he demands.
‘I thought there was no-one here,’ says Olivia mortified. ‘Why didn’t you lock the door like most normal people do?’ she retorts.
‘It’s 6.30 am. Who else is going to be in at this time?’ he asks not wanting an answer.
‘Argh!’ grunts Olivia. ‘I didn’t see much if that makes you feel any better. There is a lot of steam in here,’ she quickly adds, trying to shield her eyes with one hand as if Theo is likely to leap at her, whilst clutching her top to her chest with the other.
‘Why are you still here?’ asks Theo. ‘Jesus, Balke! Just get out!’ he demands.
‘Yeah, sorry,’ she says still flustered, trying to wrangle her top back on her way out. ‘Oh my god,’ she lets the word out on a heavy breath, shutting the door behind her. Her face the shade of beets. The untruth of that last admission creeping more heat into her cheeks fuelling her embarrassment. ‘Pull yourself together Olivia. You can’t get distracted. Not today,’ she whispers to herself, making her way to the lifts.
Losing count over how many times she’s checked her watch already; Olivia finally hears the ding of the lift to the main office. Without paying much attention to what she’s doing, she pulls up an email, attempting to act as if she hasn’t seen Theo Callaghan stride out of the lift and towards his office.
‘Didn’t think that was your style, but each to their own,’ Theo says casually, a smirk tugging at his lips as he passes behind her.
‘What?’ asks Olivia visibly confused, turning her attention to her screen. ‘Oh my god,’ she says, mortification threatening to swallow her whole. ‘That’s not… I wasn’t… It’s just some spam,’ she manages.
‘If you say so,’ Theo replies, disappearing into his office.
‘Argh! Could this day get any worse?’ Olivia grunts to herself, burying her head in her hands.
As soon as the coast was clear, and after deleting the email about oversized women’s pants and blacklisting the sender, she’s decided it was time to head back down and take her shower. Spending longer than usual, she hoped the extra pep-talk she gave herself would calm her nerves and help her reset her day.
And it seems to have done the trick. Her ash brown hair in a neat bun she secures a flyaway hair with a Bobby Pin. Her pale blue shirt neatly tucked into her pencil skirt hugging her curves, she smooths down the fabric. The feel of order soothing her.
‘You’ve got this,’ she affirms, addressing her reflection in the mirror as her phone pings with a message. She thumbs the text under Trinity’s name.
Dean’s just arrived. Where are you?
She checks the time affirming she isn’t running late, shoots back a reply before she heads back upstairs.
On my way
‘Hi,’ Olivia says as she enters Dean’s office.
‘Morning Olivia. Please take a seat,’ Dean gestures to the seats in front of his desk.
‘Shall I close this?’ she asks, gesturing at the door. But before Dean could answer, Theo flies through the door. Not him again. Breathe, Olivia.
‘It’s okay Olivia. Theo, would you mind closing the door please,’ says Dean.
‘Sure. Sorry I’m late. I was just finishing up a call with Michaels,’ Theo says. ‘I’ve been trying to get hold of him for weeks.’
‘Great!’ Dean’s face lights up. ‘You can tell me how it went later. Olivia, please take a seat,’ he gestures.
Olivia wills her limbs to move in a fuzz of confusion. What’s happening? Why is Theo here? ‘If this is not a right time I can come back later,’ she offers.
‘No, I’ve asked both of you to be here,’ Dean clarifies. ‘Olivia, your proposal for the Fort Ailsa project was hugely innovative. The local materials used and the design elements to keep the building immersed in the landscape are two of my favourite elements of it.
‘Thank you,’ says Olivia. A sliver of pride filling her being.
‘So, I’d like you to lead this project,’ Dean says.
Olivia’s smile is ready to burst across her face.
‘But this is a huge preservation project, and I can’t stress it enough how important it is that we get this right. We need to get the locals on board, and we need to keep them on side. If we do this right, it could lead to a number of similar projects across the UK and who knows, maybe even further afield.’
‘One hundred percent,’ say Olivia.
‘That’s why I’d like Theo to help you on project. He already has a good relationship with the contractors and suppliers we might use in the area. He can support with meeting the locals as well.’
‘Oh,’ is all Olivia can reply, as Dean continues to outline his vision to them.
The next fifteen minutes pass by in a daze and Olivia has no idea how her day could have taken such a horrible turn. She was so sure this would be it. Dean said it himself; her proposal was innovative. She doesn’t need a babysitter and certainly not Theo Callaghan watching over her shoulders. This is a disaster, she thinks as she moves to shake Dean’s outstretched hand. A contorted smile plastered to her face.
‘Looking forward to an update when you get back,’ Dean says as her and Theo are heading out his door.
‘I’ll send you the details for the accommodation,’ says Theo, when they reach Olivia’s desk. ‘I can pick you up at 7 tomorrow. Just text me your address.’
‘Is that really necessary? I can make my own way up,’ says Olivia not wanting to sound rude, but having zero interest in spending a seven-hour drive in the same space as Theo.
‘Believe me, that would be my preference too, but they wouldn’t want us to waste more money on this trip than necessary. So, we are going in one car and I’m driving,’ he says. ‘Just send me your address,’ he says, already walking away.
‘What the hell was that about?’ Trinity asks, stepping up next to Olivia.
Olivia slumps down to her desk. ‘Don’t ask,’ she replies. Two weeks in a small town with Theo Callaghan. This screams of disaster.
