this?’ Dean asked, referring to the young owner of the car. He reached under his legs, seized a tissue box and threw it onto the back seat, then started the engine. Alice looked at him curiously when he reached the road and turned the car away from town.
‘Meredith hears a strange noise when she’s doing over sixty k’s,’ he explained, his eyes on the oncoming traffic. ‘I can’t do that down the main street so we’re heading a little out of town. Sorry about this; we’ll eat real soon, I promise.’
A few minutes later they were coasting at seventy kilometres an hour past farmhouses, barns and livestock. The strong smell of strawberries still made him want to gag, but the scent of rain and something else, something alluring and floral, made the trip bearable. He put the windscreen wipers on the fastest setting and turned the headlights on for safety.
Eyes still on the road, he leaned forward in the seat, listening for the offending sound. After a moment he thought he might have caught it in the left part of the dashboard. He strained closer, only to wonder if he hadn’t misheard, because now it seemed to be coming from the passenger door.
It was only when the scent of flowers came to rival the scent of fruit that he realised how close he had moved to Alice. His cheek was close enough to her chest that a good bump in the road would probably embarrass them both.
‘Sorry,’ he said, moving quickly back to his side of the car.
Alice laughed and settled more comfortably into her seat. ‘It’s fine. Do what you’ve got to do.’
He glanced over, surprised by the subtle flirtation. She was smiling with one side of her mouth again. He grinned and looked back at the road.
He thought about her legs and perfume as he continued to listen for the elusive sound, but there was only the rain, her breathing and his fast-beating heart.
How unexpected that Alice Jaye would manage to shine a light in the darkened corners of his desire. She wasn’t the kind of woman he was used to – he was surrounded by gregarious, fun-loving chatterboxes, women who had a lot to say, who would talk over him to get their point across. Yet here was Alice, reserved and relatively even-tempered, inciting thoughts that hadn’t crossed his mind in a long time.
Did this mean that Dean was open for business again? Was he seriously thinking about venturing forward into the new and unknown? What would people think of him moving on – would they think it was too soon? Did such opinions matter?
‘I can’t hear anything,’ Alice said, leaning forward in her seat, her face angled towards him.
‘It’s hard to hear much of anything over the rain,’ he said, easing onto the verge so he could turn around and return to town. ‘I’ll have to try again when this storm passes. But it could be the heater fan. It spins on a bearing,’ he circled his finger in the air to illustrate, ‘which can wear out and make a grinding noise. I’ll check that out. There could also be a lot of leaves in the air vents. Meredith parks under a wild olive tree and never cleans her car.’
She smiled. ‘You all know too much about each other in this town.’
Minutes later, Dean parked in front of the only pub in Hinterdown. It was owned by Cal, it was known for its hearty winter lunches, and it would be warm inside.
‘Take this,’ Dean said, offering Alice his jacket.
She reached for it, but frowned. ‘What about you?’
‘I have an umbrella.’
Alice appeared to doubt this, but she didn’t argue when he unbuckled her seatbelt, reached over her and pushed open the door. Their eyes met and held; then she lifted his jacket over her head, clambered out of the car and slammed the door.
Dean sat for a moment in the dry, warm space. He liked Alice. Despite how hard she was proving to get to know, he liked being around her. But did that have to mean anything? Did he want to pursue it, or even think about it further? His life was chaotic enough without
‘Meredith hears a strange noise when she’s doing over sixty k’s,’ he explained, his eyes on the oncoming traffic. ‘I can’t do that down the main street so we’re heading a little out of town. Sorry about this; we’ll eat real soon, I promise.’
A few minutes later they were coasting at seventy kilometres an hour past farmhouses, barns and livestock. The strong smell of strawberries still made him want to gag, but the scent of rain and something else, something alluring and floral, made the trip bearable. He put the windscreen wipers on the fastest setting and turned the headlights on for safety.
Eyes still on the road, he leaned forward in the seat, listening for the offending sound. After a moment he thought he might have caught it in the left part of the dashboard. He strained closer, only to wonder if he hadn’t misheard, because now it seemed to be coming from the passenger door.
It was only when the scent of flowers came to rival the scent of fruit that he realised how close he had moved to Alice. His cheek was close enough to her chest that a good bump in the road would probably embarrass them both.
‘Sorry,’ he said, moving quickly back to his side of the car.
Alice laughed and settled more comfortably into her seat. ‘It’s fine. Do what you’ve got to do.’
He glanced over, surprised by the subtle flirtation. She was smiling with one side of her mouth again. He grinned and looked back at the road.
He thought about her legs and perfume as he continued to listen for the elusive sound, but there was only the rain, her breathing and his fast-beating heart.
How unexpected that Alice Jaye would manage to shine a light in the darkened corners of his desire. She wasn’t the kind of woman he was used to – he was surrounded by gregarious, fun-loving chatterboxes, women who had a lot to say, who would talk over him to get their point across. Yet here was Alice, reserved and relatively even-tempered, inciting thoughts that hadn’t crossed his mind in a long time.
Did this mean that Dean was open for business again? Was he seriously thinking about venturing forward into the new and unknown? What would people think of him moving on – would they think it was too soon? Did such opinions matter?
‘I can’t hear anything,’ Alice said, leaning forward in her seat, her face angled towards him.
‘It’s hard to hear much of anything over the rain,’ he said, easing onto the verge so he could turn around and return to town. ‘I’ll have to try again when this storm passes. But it could be the heater fan. It spins on a bearing,’ he circled his finger in the air to illustrate, ‘which can wear out and make a grinding noise. I’ll check that out. There could also be a lot of leaves in the air vents. Meredith parks under a wild olive tree and never cleans her car.’
She smiled. ‘You all know too much about each other in this town.’
Minutes later, Dean parked in front of the only pub in Hinterdown. It was owned by Cal, it was known for its hearty winter lunches, and it would be warm inside.
‘Take this,’ Dean said, offering Alice his jacket.
She reached for it, but frowned. ‘What about you?’
‘I have an umbrella.’
Alice appeared to doubt this, but she didn’t argue when he unbuckled her seatbelt, reached over her and pushed open the door. Their eyes met and held; then she lifted his jacket over her head, clambered out of the car and slammed the door.
Dean sat for a moment in the dry, warm space. He liked Alice. Despite how hard she was proving to get to know, he liked being around her. But did that have to mean anything? Did he want to pursue it, or even think about it further? His life was chaotic enough without
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