by Alexia Praks
In the dimly lit dining room, Jayden watched Alex from across the table. She had on his dark-grey jumper. It was way too big for her person, but she managed to make it look as though it fit her perfectly, with the sleeves rolled up to her slim forearms.
“So how’s the house renovation going, Pete?” Alex asked, glancing up from her plate of roasted pork and various veggies.
“Not too well,” Peter said. “Did I tell you about that mold?”
Alex shook her head as she popped some pork into her mouth.
“We have to take down the walls. God, more labor costs and more materials needed now,” he mumbled. “And Tracy is not very happy.”
“I’m sure I wouldn’t be happy either,” Alex commented, thinking about the amount of money needed for a house renovation.
“So, Alex,” Mr. Thompson said from across the table, sipping his glass of white wine.
Alex looked over at Dr. Mark Thompson, who had only arrived five minutes before dinner. He had been busy at the Dunedin Public Hospital and at the lab. Well, as a head consultant hematologist, he was expected to be busy and he was expected to be called in at any time.
“How’s Dad?” he asked.
“He’s not doing too well,” Alex said, wondering if she should tell Mark her dad was getting worse day by day.
Jay popped a piece of the roast meat into his mouth and chewed as he listened to their conversation. He wondered what was wrong with Alex’s dad. Was that why she had been reluctant to talk about her family back at SAN?
“He’s still having those fainting spells now and again.”
“I suggest surgery if it gets worse,” Mark said.
“Likewise,” Peter agreed.
Alex could only nod in agreement, as she didn’t know what else to say. She turned her attention to Jayden and saw him watching her. Her stomach fluttered oddly as his gaze seemed to be drawing her deeper into some kind of spell. Then he looked away and popped another piece of sweet potato into his mouth.
“You do like kumara?” she asked, watching him.
Jay looked up at her. “Kumara?”
“Yeah, kumara,” Alex said, nodding her head. “You’ve had three big pieces already.”
“I have? I don’t remember eating them.”
Peter and Margaret laughed. Peter said, “She means sweet potatoes.”
“Yeah, we call them kumara. It’s a Maori word for sweet potatoes,” Alex said.
“Kumara,” Jay tried out the word. “I like the name.”
After a good, hearty dinner and then dessert of ice cream and fruits, Alex said good night to the Thompsons and left. It was cold and dark outside as she rushed to her car. She was about to get in when Jay called out to her. “Hey, sorry to bother you.”
“That’s okay,” she said, shivering and hugging herself against the cold wind. “Oh, yeah, totally forgot. Your jersey.”
“No worries. You can give it back to me tomorrow.” A good excuse indeed to see her again.
“Tomorrow? What’s happening tomorrow?” Alex asked, confused.
“We have a lunch date,” he said.
“We do?” she asked. Her brows rose, her heart beating just a little faster than usual.
“Yeah.” He came closer to her. He could smell a hint of that lovely floral scent of her hair, and he wanted to get closer. He also wanted to keep her out of the cold wind.
“Peter told me you said yes. I thought we should meet tomorrow for lunch and arrange everything. How long do you have for lunch?”
“An hour.”
“Only an hour, huh?” He sounded disappointed. “That’s too short. How about we change to dinner?”
“Okay,” she said, nodding her head and rubbing her hands about her cold arms to get some warmth. “Dinner it is, then. What time?”
“How about straight after work? What time do you finish?”
“I finish at five,” she said, inserting the key to start the engine.
“How about six thirty? Gives you time to go home and change.”
“Why can’t we just meet at like a quarter past five or something? I don’t need to change.” She looked up at him in the dimness of the night.
Doesn’t she need to change? Now that was new to Jay. He thought every woman wanted to shower and change into something nice before they go out for a dinner date. Apparently not this one. Maybe she didn’t think this was supposed to be a date.
“That’s cool. It’s up to you. Five fifteen it is, then.”
“Can we go to SAN? I missed my salmon. You’re paying, right?”
“Yeah, it’s on me. SAN it is. Good night.”
“Night, Mr. McCartney,” she said and shut the door.
Jayden watched as she drove away into the darkness. “Mr. McCartney, huh?” he mumbled as he made his way back into the house.
He found Peter by himself in the living room. He joined his friend on the couch and watched the sports news Peter currently had on TV. The Kiwis loved their rugby, and he found himself falling in love with the sport too—what with the kicking, tackling, and vigorous running. But he wasn’t a fan of that Dan Carter guy who did ads for all kinds of things, especially for Jockey. Apparently, all the girls adored him because of his good looks. He wondered if Alex was one of them.
A moment later, when the ads began, Jayden said, “What’s wrong with Alex’s dad?”
Peter glanced sideways at his friend. “Interested, are you?”
Jay grinned. “If she’s going to be my girlfriend, I have to know what’s going on in her life.”
Peter chuckled. “You mean your fake girlfriend?”
“Nobody is supposed to know except you, me, and Alex. Got that?”
“Got it. And Alex’s dad Jacob has heart problems. Long story short, if he gets any worse, he needs a heart transplant. I personally think he needs it right now, but Alex doesn’t have the money.”
“I see,” Jay said, nodding his head.
They both were silent as the ads ended and sports news continued. Jayden sat there and watched, though his interest had already waned. He was thinking about Alex and her dad. She needed money for her dad’s heart transplant. Maybe that was part of the reason she had agreed to help him.
He smiled at the thought.
* * * * *
