don’t really,” she said, wrinkling her nose in disappointment. “I can’t leave the shop.”
“Of course not. I just thought maybe…Never mind. I can’t blame you I’m a total stranger off the street. It was a stupid idea,” he finished in a vicious undertone.
“No, it wasn’t,” Joelle said vehemently and surprised herself for the second time in the space of half an hour. “I would like to have coffee with you but today is really busy. We’ve a big wedding to get ready for tomorrow.”
“Sure, okay. Some other time then.” He turned and headed for the door. How could she stop him? She couldn’t let him just walk out of her life thinking she wasn’t interested.
“I’d like that,” she called. He stopped. Joelle came from behind the counter and walked towards him forcing herself to stay cool, as her mind churned half formed sentences and words about like a tumble drier. “Tell me your name,” she blurted. “I don’t know your name.”
“Shay Brookes,” he said. He groped in his pocket, extracted his wallet and handed her a business card. “Perhaps you could call me when you have time.”
Joelle read the card. “But you live in Sydney,” she said, dismayed and disappointed all over again. He was just a visitor, passing through. She was only a whim. Perhaps he had a half hour to fill and she’d imagined all the rest.
“I do house calls on occasion,” he said. The tension left his shoulders and his whole body relaxed.
“Long distance ones?” she asked sceptically and looked up into his face with a little smile, teasing.
“If necessary.” A smile crept across his lips as he gazed at her. He seemed to be scanning her features, memorising the details of colour and shape and the angle of her nose and cheeks.
“Do you come to Sunshine Point often?”
“I hope to be visiting more often now,” he said.
Joelle did a rapid calculation. If Tracey finished the run and came straight back she and Viv could hold the fort for the time it took to have a coffee. Staying later tonight wouldn’t matter if it meant spending time with Doctor Shay Brookes of Rozelle, Sydney.
“Could you wait until my assistant finishes her deliveries? I could sneak a few minutes then.”
He nodded slowly. “When should I come back?”
“About four-fifteen? Is that too late?”
“No. It’s a date,” he said. “Thank you, Joelle.”
“Thank you, Shay Brookes.”
Viv bounded through the bead curtain as soon as the door closed behind him.
“Fabio eat your heart out,” she cried. “That guy is hunkalicious. What did he want to see you about?”
Joelle forced herself free from the immobilising after-effects of his parting smile.
“Weren’t you eavesdropping?”
“Certainly not. I was doing the ordering exactly as you told me to.”
“He came to ask me out for coffee.” Joelle smirked at Viv.
“Really?”
“Really. And he’s coming back at four-fifteen.”
“What about Paul?”
“What about him?”
Two girls came giggling through the door, followed closely by a middle-aged couple, giving Joelle enough time as she served them to consider her response to that question.
What about Paul? The truth was he hadn’t entered her head from the moment Shay Brookes entered the shop. And Shay Brookes hadn’t left her head from the moment he left the shop.
“I think I’ve fallen in love at first sight,” she said when Viv repeated her query later.
“Oh dear.” Viv raised her blue eyes towards the ceiling and grimaced. “Heaven help us all.”
“Not oh dear, you saw him, he’s gorgeous…those eyes.” Joelle sighed. “And he’s so sensitive. He was really shy about asking me. He knew how weird it would seem, coming in off the street like that.”
“Weird is right. Make sure you go to Alexandra’s down the street and whatever you do don’t get into his car.”
“Do you think he’s a serial killer?”
Viv shrugged. “Who knows? He could be a rapist or some sort of pervert.
“Of course not. I just thought maybe…Never mind. I can’t blame you I’m a total stranger off the street. It was a stupid idea,” he finished in a vicious undertone.
“No, it wasn’t,” Joelle said vehemently and surprised herself for the second time in the space of half an hour. “I would like to have coffee with you but today is really busy. We’ve a big wedding to get ready for tomorrow.”
“Sure, okay. Some other time then.” He turned and headed for the door. How could she stop him? She couldn’t let him just walk out of her life thinking she wasn’t interested.
“I’d like that,” she called. He stopped. Joelle came from behind the counter and walked towards him forcing herself to stay cool, as her mind churned half formed sentences and words about like a tumble drier. “Tell me your name,” she blurted. “I don’t know your name.”
“Shay Brookes,” he said. He groped in his pocket, extracted his wallet and handed her a business card. “Perhaps you could call me when you have time.”
Joelle read the card. “But you live in Sydney,” she said, dismayed and disappointed all over again. He was just a visitor, passing through. She was only a whim. Perhaps he had a half hour to fill and she’d imagined all the rest.
“I do house calls on occasion,” he said. The tension left his shoulders and his whole body relaxed.
“Long distance ones?” she asked sceptically and looked up into his face with a little smile, teasing.
“If necessary.” A smile crept across his lips as he gazed at her. He seemed to be scanning her features, memorising the details of colour and shape and the angle of her nose and cheeks.
“Do you come to Sunshine Point often?”
“I hope to be visiting more often now,” he said.
Joelle did a rapid calculation. If Tracey finished the run and came straight back she and Viv could hold the fort for the time it took to have a coffee. Staying later tonight wouldn’t matter if it meant spending time with Doctor Shay Brookes of Rozelle, Sydney.
“Could you wait until my assistant finishes her deliveries? I could sneak a few minutes then.”
He nodded slowly. “When should I come back?”
“About four-fifteen? Is that too late?”
“No. It’s a date,” he said. “Thank you, Joelle.”
“Thank you, Shay Brookes.”
Viv bounded through the bead curtain as soon as the door closed behind him.
“Fabio eat your heart out,” she cried. “That guy is hunkalicious. What did he want to see you about?”
Joelle forced herself free from the immobilising after-effects of his parting smile.
“Weren’t you eavesdropping?”
“Certainly not. I was doing the ordering exactly as you told me to.”
“He came to ask me out for coffee.” Joelle smirked at Viv.
“Really?”
“Really. And he’s coming back at four-fifteen.”
“What about Paul?”
“What about him?”
Two girls came giggling through the door, followed closely by a middle-aged couple, giving Joelle enough time as she served them to consider her response to that question.
What about Paul? The truth was he hadn’t entered her head from the moment Shay Brookes entered the shop. And Shay Brookes hadn’t left her head from the moment he left the shop.
“I think I’ve fallen in love at first sight,” she said when Viv repeated her query later.
“Oh dear.” Viv raised her blue eyes towards the ceiling and grimaced. “Heaven help us all.”
“Not oh dear, you saw him, he’s gorgeous…those eyes.” Joelle sighed. “And he’s so sensitive. He was really shy about asking me. He knew how weird it would seem, coming in off the street like that.”
“Weird is right. Make sure you go to Alexandra’s down the street and whatever you do don’t get into his car.”
“Do you think he’s a serial killer?”
Viv shrugged. “Who knows? He could be a rapist or some sort of pervert.
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