thinking those up?”
“Nah. I had a fair few words in mind at the time, but none
of them started with an a.”
She laughed. “I’ll bet. You, on the other hand, definitely
rated some a- words. Arrogant being the only one fit for a public
beach.”
He looked down at her. It was the first time he’d really seen
her smile, he realized. Her entire face lit up when she did, changing her from an
attractive woman to something much more. “You know, you should smile more often,”
he said. “Because you’re gorgeous, when you do.”
“And that’s made it disappear straight away,” he sighed.
“Never mind.”
“So tell me about this bloke,” he said when they were
settled with their coffees. “The one you’re running away from. He was really
stalking you? That actually happens?”
“If you’re weird and you fixate on somebody. I should never
have gone out with him more than once. If I’d cut it off sooner, I wouldn’t
have ended up in this mess. I did get these glimpses right away that something
was off. But he was a good-looking, charming guy. Like you.”
“I hope not,” he said, startled.
“Me too. Anyway, he was talking about things we could do the
next month on our first date. I wasn’t sure, though. I thought maybe I was being
too harsh. I can do that at times.”
“You don’t say.”
“Yeah, well, in this case I should have gone ahead and been
harsh, trusted my instincts. I suppose all the attention, all that interest was
flattering at first. But then he started wanting me to spend all my time with
him. Wanted to know everything I was doing, every day. I should have broken up
with him the minute that started happening, too. But I didn’t do that either.”
“And that was another mistake,” he prompted when she fell
silent.
“It sure was. Although I don’t know, now. I’m not sure there’s
anything I could have done once he got so fixated. I’ve kicked myself all this
time for what I did, what I didn’t do. But looking back, I’m starting to think
that maybe it wasn’t my fault after all.”
“How could it have been your fault?” he objected.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. But it’s hard not to think so.
You get people saying things like, ‘There are no victims, only volunteers.’ It
makes you wonder if it was something you did, something about you that invited
it. It sure hasn’t happened to anyone else I know.”
“Sounds to me like you were unlucky, that’s all.”
“Thanks. You get points for that. I’m going to concede here
that you just might be the nice guy Hannah and Reka say you are.”
“Cheers for that. What did happen, though? What did he do?”
She hesitated a minute before she answered, twisting her
napkin between her fingers. “He got scary. Violent. I did break up with him
then. I was at least that smart. But he didn’t go away. He started calling and
texting even more. And I mean twenty, thirty times a day. While I was at work. At
home. Everywhere. And I couldn’t get him to stop. He just . . . . it escalated
from there.”
She stopped abruptly, looked down at the shredded napkin in
her hands. “Yeah. Well.” She blew out a breath and began collecting her things.
“That’s enough sharing for one day. I don’t want to think about it anymore. I’m
sure you don’t want to hear it anyway. And I need to get home. Want to make a
plan for next week?”
He began to reach a hand across the table to her, pulled it
back. “Right, next week. We’re off to Christchurch, and it’s a Saturday game,
which means we won’t be back till Sunday morning. Maybe we could go for a walk
Sunday afternoon.”
“You’ll be tired, though, I’m sure. I know we said once a
week, but if you’d rather come for a swim with me Wednesday morning next week
instead, that might be easier.”
“I was thinking about something easy, actually. Maybe North
Head, in Devonport. Have you been there?”
“No, what is it?”
“Originally a Maori pa. Then a defensive
“Nah. I had a fair few words in mind at the time, but none
of them started with an a.”
She laughed. “I’ll bet. You, on the other hand, definitely
rated some a- words. Arrogant being the only one fit for a public
beach.”
He looked down at her. It was the first time he’d really seen
her smile, he realized. Her entire face lit up when she did, changing her from an
attractive woman to something much more. “You know, you should smile more often,”
he said. “Because you’re gorgeous, when you do.”
“And that’s made it disappear straight away,” he sighed.
“Never mind.”
“So tell me about this bloke,” he said when they were
settled with their coffees. “The one you’re running away from. He was really
stalking you? That actually happens?”
“If you’re weird and you fixate on somebody. I should never
have gone out with him more than once. If I’d cut it off sooner, I wouldn’t
have ended up in this mess. I did get these glimpses right away that something
was off. But he was a good-looking, charming guy. Like you.”
“I hope not,” he said, startled.
“Me too. Anyway, he was talking about things we could do the
next month on our first date. I wasn’t sure, though. I thought maybe I was being
too harsh. I can do that at times.”
“You don’t say.”
“Yeah, well, in this case I should have gone ahead and been
harsh, trusted my instincts. I suppose all the attention, all that interest was
flattering at first. But then he started wanting me to spend all my time with
him. Wanted to know everything I was doing, every day. I should have broken up
with him the minute that started happening, too. But I didn’t do that either.”
“And that was another mistake,” he prompted when she fell
silent.
“It sure was. Although I don’t know, now. I’m not sure there’s
anything I could have done once he got so fixated. I’ve kicked myself all this
time for what I did, what I didn’t do. But looking back, I’m starting to think
that maybe it wasn’t my fault after all.”
“How could it have been your fault?” he objected.
She shrugged. “I don’t know. But it’s hard not to think so.
You get people saying things like, ‘There are no victims, only volunteers.’ It
makes you wonder if it was something you did, something about you that invited
it. It sure hasn’t happened to anyone else I know.”
“Sounds to me like you were unlucky, that’s all.”
“Thanks. You get points for that. I’m going to concede here
that you just might be the nice guy Hannah and Reka say you are.”
“Cheers for that. What did happen, though? What did he do?”
She hesitated a minute before she answered, twisting her
napkin between her fingers. “He got scary. Violent. I did break up with him
then. I was at least that smart. But he didn’t go away. He started calling and
texting even more. And I mean twenty, thirty times a day. While I was at work. At
home. Everywhere. And I couldn’t get him to stop. He just . . . . it escalated
from there.”
She stopped abruptly, looked down at the shredded napkin in
her hands. “Yeah. Well.” She blew out a breath and began collecting her things.
“That’s enough sharing for one day. I don’t want to think about it anymore. I’m
sure you don’t want to hear it anyway. And I need to get home. Want to make a
plan for next week?”
He began to reach a hand across the table to her, pulled it
back. “Right, next week. We’re off to Christchurch, and it’s a Saturday game,
which means we won’t be back till Sunday morning. Maybe we could go for a walk
Sunday afternoon.”
“You’ll be tired, though, I’m sure. I know we said once a
week, but if you’d rather come for a swim with me Wednesday morning next week
instead, that might be easier.”
“I was thinking about something easy, actually. Maybe North
Head, in Devonport. Have you been there?”
“No, what is it?”
“Originally a Maori pa. Then a defensive