Journey to Her Dreams

by Iris Blobel

  “We should do this more often,” she heard Padraic saying, though more into space than to her.

  “So many things we should do more often,” she replied, not taking her eyes off the fire.

  “That walk did you good. The rosy cheeks suit you.” He took her cup out of her hands and placed it on the floor before reaching for her hands and kissing them gently.

  “I love you, Sam,” he whispered.

  The tightness in her chest made it hard to breathe, but she’d longed for his gentle touch for such a long time. He came closer, and his lips were almost on hers. She shivered as his breath caressed her skin, and his lips trailed a path from her ears to her neck. His cologne toyed with her senses.

  She cupped his face and studied his brown eyes intently. “I suppose we’re having dessert,” she whispered in a soft voice into his ear.

  The corner of Padraic’s mouth was pulled into a slight smile, and she softly kissed him. She felt wrapped into an invisible warmth, and dizzied by his nearness, she gave in to her feelings.

  Padraic showered kisses over her as he unbuttoned her blouse, and with his hypnotising touch, drained all her doubts and fears. His breathing became heavier, and he moved his hands down to her pants. Actually, they were moving south a lot quicker than she wanted. Increasingly frustrated with the zipper of her pants, his kisses became more wanting, then demanding.

  Sam took his face and searched his eyes for the love which had been there a second ago. “What are you doing?” she asked, causing him to pause momentarily.

  “What does it look like?”

  “Please, Padraic, slow down. Let’s enjoy this.”

  “Sam, you can’t ask me to stop halfway through. Honey, I can feel you want it, too.”

  She shook her head. “Not like this.”

  But she knew it was too late. He held her chin tight with his lips close to hers again. He whispered, “You’re getting a bit ridiculous here.”

  Sam tried to push away from him, but the weight of his body made it impossible for her to move. In the end, she just moved her face away and let him finish what he had started—with her heart aching and crying for help.

  What was supposed to be a relaxing, long weekend, with lots of walks, rest, and love in front of the open fire turned out to be one upsetting weekend for Sam. She couldn’t help but enjoy Padraic’s attention, his caressing and gentle touches during the day, the walks along the beach, beautiful treats from the shops along the promenade, and dinner made for her every night. But there was numbness within her during the evenings, when her pulse began to beat erratically at the threat in his deep voice. Her nerves tensed with his touch on her skin and his kisses on her body. But most of all, there was the memory of the pain from when his hands had struck her face. Not only did she feel the sting, but she was taken aback by this new behaviour. She decided to return early to Dublin and packed her bags on Sunday night before asking Padraic to drive her home. She knew the time to make a change had arrived.

  Chapter Nine

  Hollie made herself another cup of tea and sat down to watch some cartoons on television. After her phone call with Jeremy, she wasn’t able to focus on anything for the rest of the morning. Her mind was all over the place.

  She went upstairs in search of the old cricket bat.

  It just has to be here!

  Hollie knew it had to be somewhere and literally turned everything upside down in her cupboard. Staring at the mess in front of her, she was embarrassed by her behaviour and gave up the search.

  Okay, Hollie. Get a grip!

  She choked back a giggle at her childishness. Yet, was she really that childish? Yes she was, because there was no reason why Jeremy would try again to make a move on her. He had, after all, apologised. She sighed. What about the dreams? What about them being a sign for things to come? Could the woman be her? Wasn’t that what dreams were—predicting subsequent life events? After all, she felt the pain even after waking up. She took a deep breath and shook her head. No!

  Everyone had assured her Jeremy was, in fact, a nice guy. A bit of a womaniser indeed, but as he confessed himself, he had just attracted different kinds of women before. As she leaned back, her mouth curved into an unconscious smile. The cricket bat! Out of the corner of her eye she found it under her bed. I knew it had to be somewhere. She laughed and carried it downstairs to the kitchen, hiding it under the kitchen bench. Just in case!

  Jeremy arrived more or less on time, and Hollie chuckled as she saw him driving carefully down the driveway, trying to avoid the bumps and humps. She knew the driveway so well, she was sure she would have been able to drive it blindfolded.

  He brought along all kinds of food he found in the delicatessen. From salmon to ham, dips, crackers, several types of cheeses, as well as a bottle each of red and white wine. Hollie brought her hand up to hold back her giggles as she watched him unpacking everything onto the kitchen bench—one bag after the other.

  He smiled warmly down at her with his boldly handsome face. “And after I had bought all this, I remembered you’re, well, you know, you are different, and packed these as well.”

  Hollie couldn’t hold back and burst into laughter when Jeremy unpacked two foot-long Subway sandwiches.

  “I just hope you like chicken. What a nightmare if you turn out to be a vegetarian,” he said, only half-jokingly.

  Taking in all the food in front of her, she asked, “Who else is coming?”

  He arched his dark eyebrows mischievously. “Just you and me. But I want to make sure I get this date right.”

  “I thought this was a lunch, not a date.”

  “Hollie,” Jeremy said, leaning against the bench with arms crossed over his chest. “How much harder can you make it for a bloke? Give me a bit of a break here. Okay, lunch it is then.”

  “Sorry,” she said, still laughing. “I honestly appreciate your efforts. By the way, I love chicken. And the salmon looks divine, but what’s this?”

  “Prosciutto. Italian smoked ham kind of…you know…ham. You’ll like it, trust me.”

  As he unpacked the bottles of wine, he said, “Now, I will need from you some plates and wine glasses.”

  “No problem. I’ll just go upstairs to grab some out of my kitchen.”

  Jeremy raised one eyebrow in confusion. “So whose kitchen am I standing in?”

  “This is Dad’s kitchen. My apartment is upstairs.”

  Hollie rushed upstairs to get the glasses. When she got back downstairs she saw Jeremy standing in the middle of the kitchen with her bat in his hand.

  “Are you snooping in my kitchen?” she asked, trying to sound serious.

  He weighed her with a critical glare. “I thought it was your dad’s kitchen. Anyway, I am sincerely hoping you won’t make use of this. Those bats do hurt. You are aware of that, aren’t you?”

  “I know. Just in case. Trust is just a word, but the meaning of it is bigger than we somehow can imagine.”

  Slowly returning the bat beneath the kitchen bench, Jeremy said, “I honestly hope it wasn’t me that night who made you cynical about men.”

  Hollie glanced at the table, which was showing off the most beautiful delicatessen, and thought about what he had actually said.

  “No. No, not you. It’s something I have to cope with on my own. I am sorry if I’m a bit standoffish. It’s hard to explain. I'll try to be good now.”

  Jeremy stepped closer to her, but remained distant enough so she didn’t feel uncomfortable. With concern on his face, he said, “I don’t think I could even imagine what is troubling you. But hopefully one day you’ll be able to trust me. I’d love to get to know you better and vice versa. How about another chance?”

  Hollie bit her lip but remained silent.

  His finger curved under her chin, tilting her face up to his.

  “Fair enough,” Hollie said, quietly moving a step back. She turned towards the table. “How about we have lunch now? I’m starving, and the food is too inviting to just stand h
ere and worry about some old problem of mine.”

  Jeremy took the glasses from Hollie and poured in some of the white wine while she sat down.

  As they ate, their conversation moved on to various topics, including Jeremy’s move from Hobart to Launceston and his current job.

  “You must be busy as a manager,” Hollie said.

  He shrugged. “It has its moments, yes, but it’s something I always wanted. Well, I did want to be a footy player, but that dream was shattered when I smashed my leg at fifteen.”

  Jeremy told her about his previous job, his studies, and why he loved his current job so much.

  “Not sure about Launceston, though. I would’ve liked to move to a bigger city than this where I wanted to have this kind of job.”

  “What’s wrong with Launceston?” Hollie asked, offended.

  “Nothing. I didn’t mean to offend. It’s, well, different.”

  “I thought you had a thing for different.”

  His whole face spread into a smile. “Touché. I suppose I should say it’s unlike the life I had in Hobart. Different routine, different friends…”

  “Oh yes, I’ve noticed already.” Hollie chuckled.

  The lines at the corners of his eyes showed his contempt. “Miss Hollie, will you ever let me forget that mistake? Davo’s friends are a great bunch of people, so down-to-earth—it takes a while to get used to when all I was ever used to before was friends with money and girls, and the big life. Nobody here cares about what kind of car I drive, but who I am. Genuine caring, I’d call that. I’d give anything to change our first meeting, but I can’t. I suppose I was so up on myself, it feels good to be brought back with both feet on the ground.”

  Hollie loved listening to him. She noticed again how well he spoke and was impressed with how he chose his words without sounding superior.

  He leaned back and took a sip of his wine as he stretched his long legs. “So what about you?”

  She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. “There’s not much to tell. I’ve always lived here, and I don’t think I’d like to leave. Dad wouldn’t cope. At least that's what I keep telling myself,” she joked.

  “He must be some kind of a dad. What about your mother?” Jeremy asked.

  Hollie stirred uneasily in her chair. “Mum died when I was born. Dad raised me by himself. And yes, he is one in a million.” She went on, telling about her life with Murray on the farm and Alex. Her apprehension began to subside, and she noticed herself relaxing more in his company.

  “What about your job?” he wanted to know.

  Hollie told him about her job at the newspaper, including the vacant position she was hoping to apply for. “Not sure about it, though, whether I will.”

  “Why not?” Jeremy asked. “I love challenges. It makes me thrive to be better and bigger.”

  Chewing on her lower lip, her eyes met his. “Now see, I’m different. Again! I don’t like change. It scares me a bit. And above all, I wouldn’t have a clue how to sell myself. I feel like saying, ‘This is me. What you see is what you get.’ But I have a feeling that’s not enough,” Hollie said with a sigh.

  “When do you have to hand in your application?”

  “Before Christmas.”

  “How about I come over next week and give you a hand? I know a few tricks of the trade, having worked on the management level for a while.”

  Hollie’s eyes opened wide in delight. “Would you? I suppose you would know all about it.” Ignoring all her concerns about him, she appreciated the offer. “I will be at Cradle Mountain the next few days. Sometime after that would be more than appreciated. Though not with so much food.” Hollie laughed, and so did Jeremy.

  “No food. I promise. And no bats, I hope.”

  Hollie rolled her eyes at that comment, but quickly got sidetracked when he asked about the trip to the mountains.

  The afternoon went by quickly, and it was soon time for Jeremy to leave. He still had to get some papers prepared for a trip the next day to Sydney.

  “You even work Sundays?” Hollie asked, surprised.

  “Yep. It’s virtually twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week.”

  He helped her pack up and store the food before they headed out to the car. Hollie kept her distance, and Jeremy seemed aware of it.

  “Thanks for a lovely afternoon,” he said.

  “Thanks for coming out. I am sorry you had to go through so much trouble.”

  “No trouble at all. Actually, I enjoyed this much more than any restaurant.”

  He moved slowly towards her to give her a kiss on the cheek, and Hollie thought she saw something like relief in his face that she hadn’t pulled away. A shy smile spread across her face.

  “How about you call me when you get back and we get this application sorted?” he asked quietly.

  She nodded. “Sounds good.”

  Chapter Ten

  Hollie and Alex made their way to Cradle Mountain to meet Alex’s cousins, Harry and Dale. This was the second year they had planned the trip to the mountains for a few days of hiking, with evenings spent relaxing at the lodge. Harry and Dale were experienced trekkers, and had enjoyed what, for them, were easy walks with the girls the previous year. They were only too happy to do the same again this year. They had all agreed to meet at the campground to set up the tents, and then make their way over to the lodge to organise some of the treks and have dinner.

  Hollie told Alex about her afternoon with Jeremy.

  “I reckon he sounds like a great guy,” Alex said excitedly as she sped along the road.

  “I know. And it sort of does make sense the way he behaved at the start. I’ve seen it a few times in movies.”

  “You’re watching too much television. It’s not like that at all.”

  Hollie laughed. “That’s exactly what Jeremy said. But if it’s not like that, why on earth did he do what he did?”

  “No idea. Maybe that’s how the girls in Sydney are. Us Tassie girls are good girls.” As soon as Alex said it, they both burst into laughter.

  They could already see Harry and Dale at the campground, busily setting up the tents. The girls got out of the car and gave both the men a welcome hug.

  Though Harry and Dale were Alex’s cousins, Hollie had never been able to see any familiar features—they resembled more their Scottish ancestors and didn’t seem to have any of the temperament that was apparent in Alex, not to mention her generosity and lack of money management.

  The first year Hollie and Alex had been out camping with her cousins, Hollie had thought Dale was kind of cute, with his blond hair reflecting a tinge of red in the sunlight, the few freckles on his face, and his well-toned body. But as soon as she heard of all the adventures he was intending to tackle, the cuteness quickly disappeared. Harry was the more reserved one, and in Hollie’s eyes, not quite as cute. She had never had a thing for men with shoulder-length hair. Even worse, Harry always had it in a ponytail. She giggled when Alex talked about his dark eyes and his lips.

  “I can’t stop staring at his lips,” Alex always said. “They just call out to be kissed.”

  Hollie couldn’t help but laugh out loud. “He’s your cousin, Alex.”

  Alex’s shoulders slumped. “I know!”

  But Harry had lots of ambitions of his own—conquering the world of mountains was one of them, yet not the heart of a girl!

  ****

  Alex bumped her elbow into Hollie’s ribs. “Stop daydreaming!”

  Hollie and Alex watched the two men as they erected the tents with ease. They all knew better than for the girls to help. It had ended up in disaster the previous year, with the tent collapsing while Dale was inside. Hollie had laughed the whole trip through just thinking of it. Dale hadn’t been impressed at all, but he’d been unable to ignore Hollie’s amusement and had laughed, also.

  They all headed off to the lodge for some afternoon tea and for some maps from the information centre. Looking forward to the next few days, they were gl
ad to find out the weather was supposed to stay good for the following few days.

  The cousins had explored a few hiking trails that were fun, but that never left them too tired to enjoy the evenings. They had also been particularly good at explaining to Hollie and Alex the distinctive flora in the area, without sounding boring. Each walk was special in its own way, whether it was along the famous Lake St. Clair with its pretty bays and beaches spread amongst moraines, or the Overland Track, which wound its way through alpine heather filled with wildflowers and many waterfalls.

  Hollie noticed she thought of Jeremy often. She grew nervous about the fact that she actually looked forward to seeing him again. It gave her a feeling of happiness, but also a need to be cautious. She didn’t want to get hurt again.

  Enjoying the few days away from life’s routine, she started to relax. The company was great, the weather perfect, the walks interesting, but most of all she was relieved to have had four nights without any dreams. Four nights of solid sleep. Four nights of decent rest. Four nights of bliss.

  It was difficult to say goodbye to the boys, but they all agreed to do the same again the following year. Alex dropped off Hollie and promised to bring over the bags early the next morning to unpack—they were both too tired for any physical activity.

  After Alex sped off for home, Hollie went to the house and noticed Murray was still up. She went into the kitchen and gave him a big hug.

  “Hello, Dad. How are you?”

  “Hello, love. I completely lost track of time reading this article in the newspaper. You’re home already.”

  Hollie had a little giggle. She knew he had been up waiting for her. “Yes. Sorry it’s later than expected, but we got away late and had a bit of engine trouble on the way back.”

  “Never complain about my Ute again. Now you know it even happens to the new modern cars.” He laughed. “Oh, by the way, you have a little surprise waiting upstairs. I assume it's something you want to tell me about tomorrow morning. I’d better head off to bed, otherwise these old bones won’t make it out of bed in the morning.”