Just Between Us

‘Milk and sugar?’

‘Just milk, thanks,’ she said. Would he chance a hackneyed comment about her being sweet enough already?

He passed the test by saying nothing.

‘There’s nothing worse than one of those days when you have to take the flak for other people’s absences,’ he remarked. ‘Colleagues imagine that managerial positions mean nothing more than a bigger salary, but it’s a hell of a lot more than that.’

‘Tell me about it,’ said Stella. ‘I’m trying to sort out Jerry’s client list, my own, and deal with some disaster in the ladies’ loo because the maintenance men are out.’

‘Maybe I can help with the latter part?’ he said.

‘Are you a plumber?’

He grinned. ‘No, I’m in the engineering business, actually, but I know my way round the u-bend.’

Stella laughed. ‘That’s better than me. I’ll attempt any DIY that involves paint, a hammer or tubs of plaster, but don’t ask me about plumbing or electricity. Seriously,’ reality reasserted itself, ‘I can’t ask you to look at the ladies’.’

He got to his feet and made for the door. ‘Come on, show me. I might be able to tell you what the problem is.’

Stella followed, feeling surprised and amused.

Lori jerked her head up from her computer keyboard when Nick marched out of the Gin Palace.

‘Hello again,’ she breathed huskily, batting her recently mascara-ed eyelashes at him.

‘Mr Cavaletto needs to visit the ladies’ loo,’ said Stella gravely.

‘What?’ demanded Lori in her normal voice.

‘You’ve a problem in there, I hear,’ Nick said.

‘You mean you’re going to fix it?’ Lori said, batting furiously again.

Stella grinned. Clearly, Lori was one of those women who went limp at the idea of men who knew what to do with power tools. She’d never made such an effort for the firm’s maintenance man, but then, he didn’t look like Mr Cavaletto.

‘That’s wonderful,’ Lori said, as she led the way, explaining the problem as solemnly as if she was a doctor describing some hideous illness to a consultant.

Stella followed again, feeling like a third wheel in this adoring little procession.

Nick didn’t look like the sort of man who did much plumbing, she thought. Not unless plumbers were going in for fine tweed jackets, of the Milanese palazzo variety.

He reached into his pocket and took out a pair of frameless glasses, which added to the professorial, brain-the-size-of-a-planet effect.

Lori glanced back at Stella and made swooning motions.

Stella glared at her to stop.

Nick crouched down to examine the gushing loo. Both Stella and Lori admired his broad shoulders and the way he stroked his chin thoughtfully.

‘It’s a leak in the cistern,’ he said finally.

‘You’re so clever, we would have never worked that out,’ sighed Lori.

Stella began to feel irritated. Just because none of the fourth-floor staff had their plumber’s apprentice certificates, didn’t mean they were witless little women incapable of changing a light bulb. And why was Lori giving poor Nick Cavaletto the full treatment? Honestly, he was Stella’s client. Well, Jerry’s really, but Stella was dealing with him. Lori would get eyestrain if she kept batting her eyelashes seductively up at him.

‘Do you have a wrench somewhere? I’ll close the stopcock, which should solve things until your maintenance men get a chance to look at it,’ Nick said, seemingly unaware of the effect his presence was having on Lori.

‘There are tools in the maintenance office in the basement,’ Lori volunteered, then looked at Stella, as if to say that she certainly wasn’t going to leave Mr Cavaletto to trail down to find a wrench when it was far more fun to stay here.

‘I have to answer the phones, I can’t go,’ she announced.

For some reason that she couldn’t quite put her finger on, Stella found that she didn’t want to leave Lori with Nick. They’d probably be engaged by the time she returned.

‘One of the apprentices can go,’ replied Stella. She would kill Lori for being so blithely insubordinate but she couldn’t say anything in front of Nick.

‘Great idea. You better tell them; I have no authority over the apprentices,’ Lori added sweetly.

‘Right,’ said Stella and marched off, furious, to find one.

She dispatched one of the apprentices to look for a wrench and returned to find Lori perched demurely on the edge of her desk, ignoring the phone ringing off the hook.

If Nick thought this was strange, he didn’t say anything.

‘I’ll just wash my hands,’ he said. ‘In the men’s toilet, I don’t want to startle anyone.’

‘Mm, what a guy,’ said Lori when he was gone. ‘He can look at my plumbing any time.’

‘Don’t drool, Lori,’ said Stella, irritated. ‘You’ll ruin the carpet. And he’s not that gorgeous.’

‘Hello! Earth to Stella!’ said Lori incredulously. ‘You so need to get your eyes tested.’

‘He’s too old for you,’ Stella added, crossly. ‘You’re twenty-five.’

‘Older men are in,’ Lori said in a dreamy voice. ‘I’ve never gone for anyone older than thirty-five before but I could make an exception in his case.’

‘He’s forty-five if he’s a day,’ snapped Stella. ‘Far too old for you.’ She stalked off into the Gin Palace.

‘She’s quite a character, your receptionist,’ Nick commented when he reappeared.

‘I suppose you want her phone number,’ Stella said sourly.

His gaze caught her by surprise.

‘Actually, I’d prefer yours. I’d like to ask you out to dinner tomorrow night.’

Stella sat down quickly on the hard chair, landing painfully on her coccyx. ‘Ouch,’ she yelped.

‘I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you. Was that totally out of order?’