by Iris Blobel
Was it Mat? Was it his company that made her feel so invincible at the moment?
She touched her lips and remembered their kiss last night when he’d dropped her off after the barbeque.
It’d been a wonderful evening, with lots of funny stories about Steve and Mat — some hilarious, some a little close to too much information, some honest and at the edge of sad. She hadn’t wanted the evening to end, feeling like a teenager being dropped off at her parents’ house. But he’d understood. He always understood and always saw the good side in things.
And despite the twenty-four-hour deadline, she hadn’t heard from her attacker. She hoped the reason was he didn’t know her location.
After a long stretch, she grabbed her phone and checked it for messages.
Got Liam’s car. Will pick you up at 10 to take you to Torquay.
This simple message gave her a shiver of excitement, put a smile on her face, and had her body shuddering in anticipation. She stretched again and reached for the curtains. Sunshine. It was going to be one wonderful day.
It took Tiffany half an hour to get organised. Not that she’d packed for the beach before she’d come back to her childhood home, but she’d found an old bikini and a nice beach towel. That should do the trick for the day.
“Good morning, darling,” her mother greeted her as she came into the kitchen. “You’re up early.”
“Steve’s friend will take me to Torquay.”
“The same friend who kept you in the car for at least fifteen minutes last night?”
Tiffany blushed. “Sorry, I hope we didn’t wake you.”
Shaking her head, her mother replied with a little smile, “Not at all. It’s nice to see you happy. It suits you. Will you tell me about that new man? I take it he’s nice, considering he’s Steve’s friend.”
Tiffany sat, exhaling a big sigh. “Yes, but he’s from New Zealand.”
Her mother, Lesley, was in her late-fifties, but life had been good to her, and it showed. Tiffany admitted that as much as she and her father would log heads on many things, he loved his wife, and vice versa.
“Where’s Dad?”
“Down the street grabbing his beloved Sunday paper.”
Tiffany choked back a chuckle. How could she forget? He’d done it all her life and possibly even longer.
“He had a little talk with Liam last night. Your explanation about having some painting done didn’t sound right to him.”
Tiffany stood and switched on the kettle before she got a cup and a tea bag.
“Oh darling, why didn’t you tell us?”
“Is Dad angry?” she asked without looking at her mother.
“No, not at all. He’s proud of you that you made the decision to come home.”
“Proud?”
“Darling, he’s not stupid. He knows you two have your differences. It must’ve taken a lot of convincing to make you come here.”
The whistle of the kettle interrupted their conversation. She poured the water in the cup and added some sugar. Her mother’s comment about Tiffany’s pride and her father not being angry surprised her, and she pondered that for a moment. Her relationship with her father wasn’t perfect, but since her stay in the hospital, they were able to talk to each other without ending up in a fight. Even stay in the same house without blaming each other for some irrelevant issue from the past.
And she started to enjoy their new relationship.
She placed her cup on the table and sat. Her mother touched her hand. “It’s not out of this world. Just divided by a little bit of water. And come to think of it, I believe it’s closer than Darwin.”
Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Tiffany said, “I really sucked at school. Everyone seems to know except me.”
Lesley touched Tiffany’s nose with the tip of her finger. “You knew that, too, but you’re probably still scared to think about tomorrow.”
Tiffany took her mother’s hand in hers. “I’m scared, Mum. I’m scared to give in to my feelings and have to pick myself up again.”
“That’s the circle of life. You live and you learn. Is he nice?”
And there was that rush through her body again. The one that had every single nerve on alert. The rush which pooled in the pit of her stomach. The rush which reminded her of that kiss last night, a kiss like she’d never been kissed before.
Tiffany didn’t reply, but smiled at her mother.
“I take that as a yes.”
“Is that how it feels when meet someone you could love?”
Again, the sound of her mother’s beautiful laughter she enjoyed hearing so much.
“Yes,” was all her mother said. A simple Yes that said so much more though. A Yes that said, When you meet the right man, you know. And it said, Yes as in, It makes you feel just this way.
“Mat has invited me to visit him in New Zealand.”
Lesley looked up with another one of those beautiful smiles. “Oh darling, this is a wonderful opportunity.”
She nodded. “Yes, it is,” she whispered. “But I want to go over there and enjoy it. I need this whole business about Hudson done and sorted.”
“Even in his death he’s a pain, that awful man.”
Tiffany exhaled a soft laugh at her mother’s words. They weren’t words she was used to from her. All her teenage life it was all about manners, language, and etiquette. Hearing her mother talking so close to degrading about someone surprised her. Hudson’s actions with her ending up in hospital had shaken her mother in particular. She’d fussed about Tiffany for weeks, close to worrying herself sick.
“Yes, he was, and as awful as it sounds, I’m glad he’s dead. Makes me just as awful, I suppose.”
“No, it doesn’t.”
Tiffany shot around at the sound of her father’s deep voice. “Good morning, Dad.”
He sat next to her with a big sigh. “It’s not nice to eavesdrop, and I apologise.”
She dropped her head, partly ashamed, partly worried about another confrontation, but mostly trying to recall what had been said. Exhaling a long breath, she closed her eyes, about to say something, when her father beat her to it.
“We’re happy to pay for the airfare,” he said, as he placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Tim, that is a wonderful idea,” her mother said.
“Dad—”
“You deserve a little holiday. You’ve been working hard the last few years.”
Left speechless by the surprise, she lifted her head and met her father’s gaze. It’d been a long time since she’d seen him smile at her. A genuine smile coming from his heart. Warmth rushed through her and for the first time she was able to remember, he’d said go left and she wanted to go left, too.
“This is very kind of you, Dad, but how about I take one step after the other.”
Leaning back, Tim gave a slow nod. “So, this terrible man is dead, but left you a list?”
She nodded, not surprised her father not only knew all about what had happened, but also knew details. Her brother was nothing if not very thorough.
“And you haven’t got a clue about any list?” her mother asked.
Tiffany snorted. “What is this? Playing Jessica Fletcher and Sherriff Tupper?”
With a shrug, her mother replied, “It always worked for them.”
“Mum, this is not television. I don’t know anything about a list, and to be totally honest, I don’t want to know anything about a list. It’s scary. The police think they killed Hudson for the list. God only knows what they’re capable of.”
Her father rubbed his hand over his face. “We’re not pretending to be anything, but because of exactly that, Hudson’s death, we shouldn’t ignore the situation, but try to get it solved as soon as possible. I have no intention of visiting you in hospital again.”
“Now you’re scaring me.” Lesley gave a little exaggerated shiver. “You might want to go to New Zealand sooner rather than l
ater. Talking about the neighbours from across the sea, aren’t you expecting him sometime soon?”
“Shoot,” Tiffany exclaimed as she stood in a rush. “I’d better get ready.” She kissed her mother on the cheek. “So loved the conversation, Mum, but I’ve gotta run.”
“Will you be safe?” her mother asked.
She bit her lip for a long moment. “I keep telling myself they only know where I live and nothing else. The twenty-four-hour deadline is over and nothing’s happened yet. I don’t want to hide away, and honestly, I feel safe with Mat.”
“Be safe anyway,” her mum pleaded.
“I will, Mum. I promise.”
She was about to leave when she froze for a second before she turned to her father. Not sure whether left or right was the way to go, she hesitated before leaning in to place a kiss on his cheek as well. “Thank you, Dad.”
He took her hand. “We’ll get through this, Tiffany. I promise. And as much as I understand your reasoning, I agree with your mum, please stay safe.”
She blinked a couple of times to hold back the tears, but a few escaped nonetheless. Initially, she thought it’d been his promise, but once she stepped back into her old room, she realised it’d been something he’d said. Something so small, but meaning the world to her.
We.
We’ll get through this.
Seven
Tiffany’s first thought on Monday morning was Mat, and her lips curled into a smile.
Her second thought was the infamous list, and that she still hadn’t heard from anybody.
To her relief.
But she didn’t want to think about that now, because she had only a few more hours left with Mat and, damn, if she didn’t want to make the most of it. She needed to ignore the list problem for a little longer.
The fact she had known Mat for only a couple of days didn’t do anything to her emotional state. It took a lot of effort on her part to keep her composure, especially as her heart simply didn’t want to slow down. Her whole body responded to her misery of having to say goodbye to her new friend who happened to live in another country. Whether closer than some Australian cities or not, it didn’t matter to her.
She’d offered to take him to the airport, so she was able to return Liam’s car later on, but the main reason was, of course, that she wanted to spend another few hours with him. Wanted to listen to his sexy Kiwi accent a little longer. Wanted to spend more time with the man who made her laugh and feel important. Never in her whole life would she have thought someone could have such an effect on her like this. Especially not after her experience with Hudson — may he not rest in peace.
She’d taken Mat for a drive along the Great Ocean Road the previous day, which they’d both fully enjoyed. The conversation had been wide spread from family to relationships and business to the beautiful places in both countries. Mat was well-travelled around the world, and she envied him for it. Yet, the more he talked about his business and New Zealand, the more she wanted to visit him. Risky or not so risky. In her heart, she believed she was able to trust him. As did Steve. And Liam didn’t have a bad word to say about him, either, except that he didn’t know anything about Australian football. Something Tiffany was able to live with.
And now she had to say goodbye to him already. After two and a bit days. They walked side-by-side towards the entrance through to customs. The airport was busy, and noisy, with people coming and going in different directions.
Exhaling a long breath, she looked up at him, and it seemed he struggled as well.
Was that wishful thinking?
“This is it, baby.”
Hearing the endearment turned her legs into jelly, and all she was able to do was give a simple nod.
He brought his free hand to the side of her face, cupping her cheek, and touched her mouth with his. Tiffany closed her eyes, absorbing the feeling with every cell in her body so she would be able to remember it for as long as it’d take her to see him again. When he broke the kiss and wiped a tear from her cheek with his thumb, she noticed she’d lost the fight to hold them back.
“Hey, baby, don’t, please. I’ll give you a call when I get home, ay.”
Again, she barely nodded.
“And we can chat online.”
She wiped her face with her hands, knowing that’d be short-lived because of the limited download she had available each month. Yet, she smiled and nodded, not knowing how else to respond.
He leaned in to touch her lips with his again, and she kissed him back with everything she had. Everything she wasn’t able to express with words. Her feelings for him, the sadness inside her to have to let go already, the joy he’d given her the last few days, and the contentment for knowing him. Not ready yet for him to ease away, she placed her hand on his chest, letting the heat spread through her as well.
“Taku whaiāipo.5“
Again, she had no idea what he’d said, but it sounded incredibly sweet and sexy. She rolled her eyes at herself at the ridiculous notion that something unknown sounded sexy.
What if he’d called her an ugly cow?
She let out a little snort to which he responded with a cocked brow.
“I’m sorry. I’m utterly ridiculous, most likely to help me through this situation, but I’m sincerely hoping you didn’t call me an ugly cow. It sounded beautiful and so…so…”
“My sweetheart.”
Biting her lip, she tilted her head and studied him for a moment. “I like it,” she whispered.
“You’d better get used to it.”
Then he turned, the sliding doors in front of them opened, and he disappeared behind them.
Just like that.
And just like that, she noticed how much she’d fallen for him. Fallen for his charm. There was no way it was a simple crush.
She’d made sure men weren’t on her menu any more. She’d given up on them and the philosophy had worked well the last twelve months. Nobody had interested her in the slightest.
Then Mat had come along. This tall, well-tanned, short-haired, tattooed man, with dark chocolate brown eyes, who wore a necklace, spoke with the sexiest accent she’d ever heard, and stole her heart.
Just like that.
She touched her finger to her mouth, remembering the feel of his lips and the sound of his voice.
When she got bumped by a group of passengers with their trolleys, she startled. Looking around, a slight embarrassment rushed through her, and she spun around and walked back to the car, her thoughts still with Mat.
Suddenly, she knew she couldn’t care less about Hudson and his list and was determined to follow Mat as soon as possible.
She was no suspect, but a victim.
She was a holder of a passport, and if Queenstown was closer than Darwin or Cairns, she was hoping the fares would be closer to her budget as well. Or take up on her parents’ offer to help her out.
Shaking her head, she smiled at the thought that suddenly her budget was non-existent as well as her pride. The need to see him again was bigger and more important than any of her plans she’d had and followed over the last few months. And Duncan from the pub would happily give her some time off, too. She deserved the break.
Starting the engine, she smiled, happy with her new plan.
The drive back into Melbourne was tedious and long because of the morning traffic. It took her more than an hour and a half to get to Liam’s house to drop off the car.
“Want to come in for a cuppa?” Mel asked her as she entered the house to hand over the keys.
“You’re not working today?”
“I’ve got the next couple of days off to try to relax and get my blood pressure under control.”
Guilt shot through Tiffany. “Cos of me?”
“Nah. We’re simply over-cautious about it, that’s all. It’s been a hectic week at work.”
Still feeling responsible, there were no words to express how much guilt she carried. D
espite knowing it wasn’t anywhere near enough, she whispered, “I’m so sorry.”
Mel waved her hand. “Let’s have a cup of lemon tea with some ginger. That’s supposed to be calming.” And, as she tucked a strand of Tiffany’s hair behind her ear, she added, “And it seems you’re in need of some calming as well.”
Tiffany choked back a snort. “That obvious?”
Her sister-in-law smiled. “And some more.”
“What have I done, Mel?”
She looped her arm through Tiffany’s. “I have a feeling Cupid’s been for a visit. Let’s get this tea done. I want to hear all about it.”
“Only if I can have a normal black tea.”
“I’m afraid we don’t have normal tea in the house.”
Tiffany stopped. “Liam okay with that?”
“Nope, but at the moment he does about anything to keep his wife happy,” Mel replied, the twinkle in her eyes telling Tiffany just how much she was enjoying it.
“You’re naughty.”
Her sister-in-law laughed. “Don’t tell anybody.”
They made their way to the kitchen. Tiffany had long given up on feeling jealous or envious about her brother and his wife living in such a beautiful house. It was a small house considering the amount of money Liam earned as a business man, yet it still looked luxurious to Tiffany. He’d bought the house soon after signing his first contract with his international company. It was modest then. But, as to use her mother’s words, it had charm and character. They’d added a barbeque area, and it wouldn’t surprise Tiffany if the first swing sets had been ordered already. Liam’s excitement about the pregnancy was obvious in many ways. It must’ve been a nightmare for him to keep silent about it until the pregnancy was declared safe.
