apologized for delaying their wedding plans. ‘It won’t be forever,’ she concluded. ‘Just until we find out how he’s going to be.’
‘Right,’ he murmured, staring at her. She could tell he was more immersed in his own thoughts than in what she had to say. ‘Sorry to hear about your pa,’ he mumbled almost as an afterthought.
‘Where are you, Tony?’ She sat back, regarding him. ‘I can see you’re not here with me.’
‘No. Yes. Sorry, sorry.’
She closed her eyes, trying to contain her impatience. ‘Tony, will you please stop saying “sorry” and give me your full attention.’
‘Yes. Chrissie, I’m sorry.’ The words came out in a rush. ‘I feel awful doing this to you when you’ve got so much else on your plate. But I can’t marry you. Nor can I leave my job andtake off for Europe – not now or any time soon. I’d be giving up too much here.’
‘I see.’ She paused, wondering about this sudden turnaround. After all, he was the one who had suggested the overseas trip. ‘OK. Maybe it’s for the best in view of what’s happened. I’ll tell them at work about these changed plans.’
‘Yeah.’ He looked considerably relieved. ‘You do that. And thanks. Thanks for taking it all so well.’
‘I don’t know so much about that,’ Chrissie said, surprised and a little hurt that he should fall in with her suggestion so easily. Did he really not care?
She became more and more aware of somebody watching them. The blonde behind the bar was now staring openly, making no attempt to disguise her interest. Chrissie turned in her seat to look at her directly but immediately the girl looked away, pretending to wipe the bar.
‘Who is that girl, Tony?’ she said. ‘And why is she so interested in us?’
‘That’s Alison,’ he mumbled, refusing to look at her. ‘She’s new.’
‘Doesn’t she know that it’s rude to stare?’
‘Oh, Chrissie, I’m so sorry.’ He sat back in his seat, looking defeated. ‘I feel such a heel when you’ve been so wonderful to me always.’ He reached across the table, trying to grab her hands, but she snatched them back out of the way. ‘I really hate letting you down, especially at a time like this, but I can’t help it. I’ve fallen in love. Really in love this time.’
‘Yeah. With that blonde airhead over there.’
His surprise was almost comical. ‘How did you guess?’
‘Because I’m psychic, you idiot.’ At that moment, Chrissiewas too angry to feel any pain. ‘And I’m not hungry just now. So if it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll pass on lunch.’ Feeling a buzzing in her ears, she stood up to leave, wanting to put as much distance between them as she could.
‘Chrissie, please.’ Tony stood up. ‘We have so much history together. Let’s behave like civilized people. Please stay and have lunch as we planned. I don’t want us to part bad friends.’
‘That’s just it, Tony, isn’t it?’ She looked at this handsome, spoilt young man as if seeing him properly for the first time. She took off her engagement ring and pushed it towards him. ‘We’ve always had an uneven relationship. I give – you take – and I don’t think we’ve ever really been friends.’
She left the table with her head high, knowing it was unlikely that she would ever see him again. He was probably already cracking a bottle of champagne, celebrating his freedom with his new love. She wondered, rather unkindly, how the new girl would feel when he asked her to help him to pay for his gambling debts. When her initial indignation subsided, she was surprised to find she wasn’t as upset as she expected to be. She was her own woman again – she was free. Tony was a luxury she no longer needed to afford. As she took the road home towards Cranbourne, she put on a new CD and sang along with it, enjoying a sense of freedom and independence, feeling more light-hearted than she had in years.
CHAPTER FIVE
T HE WIND WAS already howling around
‘Right,’ he murmured, staring at her. She could tell he was more immersed in his own thoughts than in what she had to say. ‘Sorry to hear about your pa,’ he mumbled almost as an afterthought.
‘Where are you, Tony?’ She sat back, regarding him. ‘I can see you’re not here with me.’
‘No. Yes. Sorry, sorry.’
She closed her eyes, trying to contain her impatience. ‘Tony, will you please stop saying “sorry” and give me your full attention.’
‘Yes. Chrissie, I’m sorry.’ The words came out in a rush. ‘I feel awful doing this to you when you’ve got so much else on your plate. But I can’t marry you. Nor can I leave my job andtake off for Europe – not now or any time soon. I’d be giving up too much here.’
‘I see.’ She paused, wondering about this sudden turnaround. After all, he was the one who had suggested the overseas trip. ‘OK. Maybe it’s for the best in view of what’s happened. I’ll tell them at work about these changed plans.’
‘Yeah.’ He looked considerably relieved. ‘You do that. And thanks. Thanks for taking it all so well.’
‘I don’t know so much about that,’ Chrissie said, surprised and a little hurt that he should fall in with her suggestion so easily. Did he really not care?
She became more and more aware of somebody watching them. The blonde behind the bar was now staring openly, making no attempt to disguise her interest. Chrissie turned in her seat to look at her directly but immediately the girl looked away, pretending to wipe the bar.
‘Who is that girl, Tony?’ she said. ‘And why is she so interested in us?’
‘That’s Alison,’ he mumbled, refusing to look at her. ‘She’s new.’
‘Doesn’t she know that it’s rude to stare?’
‘Oh, Chrissie, I’m so sorry.’ He sat back in his seat, looking defeated. ‘I feel such a heel when you’ve been so wonderful to me always.’ He reached across the table, trying to grab her hands, but she snatched them back out of the way. ‘I really hate letting you down, especially at a time like this, but I can’t help it. I’ve fallen in love. Really in love this time.’
‘Yeah. With that blonde airhead over there.’
His surprise was almost comical. ‘How did you guess?’
‘Because I’m psychic, you idiot.’ At that moment, Chrissiewas too angry to feel any pain. ‘And I’m not hungry just now. So if it’s all the same to you, I think I’ll pass on lunch.’ Feeling a buzzing in her ears, she stood up to leave, wanting to put as much distance between them as she could.
‘Chrissie, please.’ Tony stood up. ‘We have so much history together. Let’s behave like civilized people. Please stay and have lunch as we planned. I don’t want us to part bad friends.’
‘That’s just it, Tony, isn’t it?’ She looked at this handsome, spoilt young man as if seeing him properly for the first time. She took off her engagement ring and pushed it towards him. ‘We’ve always had an uneven relationship. I give – you take – and I don’t think we’ve ever really been friends.’
She left the table with her head high, knowing it was unlikely that she would ever see him again. He was probably already cracking a bottle of champagne, celebrating his freedom with his new love. She wondered, rather unkindly, how the new girl would feel when he asked her to help him to pay for his gambling debts. When her initial indignation subsided, she was surprised to find she wasn’t as upset as she expected to be. She was her own woman again – she was free. Tony was a luxury she no longer needed to afford. As she took the road home towards Cranbourne, she put on a new CD and sang along with it, enjoying a sense of freedom and independence, feeling more light-hearted than she had in years.
CHAPTER FIVE
T HE WIND WAS already howling around
Similar Books
