by Clare Revell
“Lunch is ready,” Rob called. “Come and get it before Pip eats it all.”
“That’s totally uncalled for.” Pip laughed, crossing over to thump him playfully on the arm.
Jo tried to push down the spark of envy as the two of them fought over the spatula. She sighed and looked away.
“What’s up?” John asked, concern masking his dulcet tones. “You look really sad. Are you worried about Pip going away?”
“No. She’s a big girl. She can take care of herself. I was just thinking how nice it’d be to have someone like Rob in my life. He looks out for Pip, plays with her, laughs with her.” She sucked in a deep breath, then setting her glass down, pushed her hands roughly through her hair. “It’s just hard being single at times.”
“I know how that goes. Two sisters married, the other sister married to her job, and all my mates are taken. My social life consists of watching a movie once a month with Dorrie and Fraser. Not that they all have a happy ending.” He winked. “Last movie we watched ended up costing me a fortune. I decided to stop for chicken take away on the way home. I hit the curb and punctured a tire.”
“Oh no.”
“Oh yeah. And it gets worse.” He grinned. “Problem was I couldn’t get the wheel off and I’d forgotten my phone. By the time I walked back to Dorrie’s to use her phone to call the breakdown people, she was in bed.”
Jo giggled. “Oops.”
“Big oops. I never lived that down. Every time we have chicken now, I get teased about spare tires.” He paused, patting his stomach. “Yes, Dorrie uses both meanings of the phrase.”
She eyed his flat stomach. “You look fine to me, but I must admit I do the same to my brothers.”
“It’s getting cold.” Pip called.
“We’re coming.” Jo got up and grabbed John’s hand pulling him to his feet. “Oh, your hands are cold.”
“Cold hands, warm heart. Though why they are cold I have no idea. It’s lovely and hot out here.”
Jo smiled and then jumped at the mild electric shock that passed between them. “Sorry. My shoes keep doing that on this decking.”
“No worries. I assumed it was your natural electric personality.”
She laughed as they walked across to the others. “I’ll blame that next time. Sounds much better than my shoes.”
He looked over the selection of food. “This smells wonderful.” He picked up some chicken.
“Better than take out any day. And it won’t even cost you a new tire.” She looked at him hoping he wouldn’t mind the teasing.
He laughed. “Just as well. The exchange rate is horribly high today.” He took a bite. As he swallowed he added, “Tastes much better than the take away.”
“I told you it would. Rob’s barbie’s are to die for.” She lowered her voice. “I think that’s why Pip’s marrying him. So she never has to cook again.”
“Sounds like a plan to me.” John chuckled. “Back home Barbie is a doll my niece plays with. She has loads of them.”
“I remember them. I had both a Sindy and a Barbie. I spent hours playing with them and my brother’s action man.”
“I had several action figures,” John grinned. “Most from my favorite TV shows.”
Jo laughed. “My brothers did, too. They would never call them dolls, no matter how much I pushed it. Only girls have those. His favorite was from Star Trek.”
“That program gave me nightmares. I woke every night for weeks terrified Mr. Spock was going to mind melt me.”
“You mean mind meld.”
“Oh…I thought he was going to melt it.” John laughed at himself. “Oh well. Believe it or not, one of my favorite shows was Skippy the Bush Kangaroo.”
“Oh, wow. You guys got that in England?” Jo finished plating her meal, ignoring the others around her. All that mattered was John.
“Yep. Along with Neighbors and Home and Away.”
“Do you still watch them?”
“If I’m home from work in time, I watch Neighbors. Though we’re probably months behind you in both of them.”
Jo nodded. She took a bite of the chicken and chewed slowly. “So what do you do?”
“I’m an analytical chemist. Test water samples all day long.”
“Oh, that sounds thrilling.”
John laughed. “Sometimes I drive miles to stand in a river to fill test tubes.”
“That makes waiting on tables sound fun.”
“It’s not bad. Bit cold at times, and rather wet, but as long as I don’t go in too deep, the Wellington boots keep me dry. Then I take the samples back to the lab and run tests on them. Actually, apart from Dad, we all work in the medical line—more or less.”
Jo walked with him back to the chairs overlooking the edge of the verandah. “Do you miss it?”
“Work or my family?”
“Both.”
John ate for a moment, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. “My family, yeah. I live at home, so they’re always around at some point. Work? Nah, not so much.”
“You live at home? Seriously? At your age?” She kept the light teasing tone, not wanting to upset him.
He nodded. “It’s not uncommon in the UK to live at home until you’re married, unless you need to move for work like Ann and Emma did. After graduating from uni, I got a job about fifteen miles from home, so moved back. I live over the garage, pay rent, and get Mum’s home cooking.” He grinned. “She even does my laundry occasionally. But I’m a free agent to come and go as I please. We don’t have miles of real estate like you guys do here.” He glanced over at the others. “They do make a good pair.”
She sighed, watching Rob top up Pip’s glass. “Yeah, they do. He seems to know what she needs before she does.” The conversation had gone full circle. “Do you believe God has someone special set aside for everyone?”
“Yes I do. It may take a life time to find them. It may not even be marriage, just a best friend who’s always on the other end of the phone or something. But yeah. It says in Genesis that it wasn’t good for man to be alone, so God provided a helper.” He studied her face, his hand touching hers briefly. “Pip getting married won’t spoil your friendship. It might change it slightly, but it won’t end. I don’t believe for a moment you’ll be alone for long when she moves out.”
Jo sat and watched his face bathed in the hot sunshine. Would he be prepared to give it all up for her? She shook her head. Stupid idea. She didn’t even know if he were interested in her, never mind anything else. Long distance relationships never worked. Especially when the distance was twelve thousand miles.
****
The next two days seemed to fly. John hadn’t seen Jo again since Sunday as his planned day trips meant leaving early and getting back late. But the days seemed empty without a cheery comment or smile from her, and he often found himself thinking about Jo and praying for her. In particular he prayed that God would provide that special someone she craved so badly.
He hardly dared pray what was really on his mind. The more he thought about her, the faster his heart raced and the thought of speaking to her, left him tongue tied in case she found him boring. But if he could choose any woman to spend the rest of his life with, it would be Jo. Even though they hadn’t known each other long. But there was so much else to consider. So many other lives revolved around and touched the two of them.
But he knew that God knew his inmost thoughts and desires, even the ones he couldn’t voice.
Wednesday evening he looked through his meager selection of clothes and wondered for the tenth time why he hadn’t gone clothes shopping properly, instead of grabbing the first things he saw. His new white shirt was creased and his old jeans had seen better days. He tucked in his shirt, then picked up the cologne. Dorrie had given it to him for his birthday and he honestly wasn’t sure why he’d packed it. It was one of the few original things he had left as it had been in his rucksack.
He slid into his jacket, not sure he’d need it in this heat, but
he wanted to look as smart as he could. He was meeting Jo outside the restaurant at eight. Yes, he knew there were going to be a lot of others there, but part of him wished it was just Jo. A large part of him.
He wanted to spend time with her. Just her.
Not that that was fair to either of them, but that’s what he wanted.
The table in the restaurant overlooked the harbor, with the bridge in the background. Lights reflected from it onto the water, and John made a mental note to take some photos before they left. The conversation was lively, but he found his gaze constantly drawn across the table to Jo.
Christmas music played in the background. Fairy lights hung above her head, lighting her hair in a halo. She looked like an angel.
The way she moved her hands, ate, the way her smile lit her eyes all warmed him, yet she kept to herself, reserved, as if something bothered her. If he was sitting next to her he could ask, but Pip had insisted he sit the opposite side of the table. That made conversation hard. As much as he loved looking at her, he craved conversation and the way his name sounded in her gorgeous Australian accent. He pulled out his camera and took some photos of Jo, catching several of her pulling faces and doing bunny ears over the top of Pip’s head, before he finally managed to get one of her smiling.
At least he had that photo to remember her by. He wished he had more time. Time to get to know her properly. But he didn’t. His flight left Sydney at ten o’clock Friday morning for Ayer’s Rock. He’d gone from not wanting to be here, to not wanting to leave. All because of someone he hardly knew. Love at first sight was only something that happened in the romance novels his sister wrote. It didn’t happen in real life, and especially not to people like him.
Tomorrow he’d ask her to dinner. There’s always tomorrow. Yes, he was out in the Blue Mountains from dawn ‘til dusk on a coach tour, but maybe she’d have dinner with him in the evening. He wasn’t going to lose anything by asking and if she said no? Well, he’d leave the day after tomorrow and would never see her again.
Rob looked at him. “Have you enjoyed Sydney?”
“Yes, I have.” He looked at Jo as he spoke. “It went from being a mistake to one of the best places I’ve visited. Even if my case still hasn’t arrived anywhere.”
“Glad to hear it. We should have another barbie. So how about we do it tomorrow? All head down to the beach for your last night?”
John fixed his gaze on Jo and smiled. “Actually, I would like to take Jo out tomorrow night.”
From the sudden silence that descended on the table and the stunned look on Jo’s face, he wondered what had gotten into him. He wasn’t impulsive. His sisters would be the first to say that. What if she said no?
His cheeks burned as he waited for her to turn him down, just like every girl he’d ever asked had done.
****
Jo looked at him, shock resonating through her. Did he just say what she thought he said? It sounded suspiciously like I want to take Jo out. Her pulse raced and for a moment she almost convinced herself she was hearing what she wanted to hear. Was she imagining things? Please, don’t let me be imagining things.
She took a deep breath to calm her nerves, looked at Pip and then back at John. Either way he needed an answer. And there was only one answer to give him.
He looked at her and then glanced down for a moment before looking up again, the hope in his eyes fading and embarrassment flooding his face. If anything, the color made him so vulnerable all she wanted to do was hug him, however inappropriate that would be. He had said it. And she wasn’t going to make him ask twice, because something told her that he wouldn’t.
“I’d love to.” The words tumbled from her lips. She didn’t want to give him a chance to change his mind. She caught the look Pip and Rob gave each other but shrugged it off.
Her heart sang. This was more than she could have asked and even if one night was all she had—all either of them had—he liked her. He liked her enough to ask her out, to spend his last night in Sydney with her.
If only…
“Wonderful,” he said smiling at her. His foot caught hers under the table. At that moment he and she were the only people in the room. Everything faded around her and she lost herself in his smile.
She’d fallen completely, utterly and past the point of no return, for a man she could never have, because in just over forty hours from now he’d be getting on a plane and she’d never see him again.
4
Jo spent the entire day on tenterhooks. What do I wear? Where’s he taking me? What if his coach crashes on the way back to the city, and we never have this time together? Lord, I put this whole thing into Your hands. Though I guess I have to pick my own outfit, don’t I?
She looked at the closet and sighed. Did she go formal or casual or a mixture of the two? That would depend entirely on where he was taking her, and she had no idea where that was going to be. The front door opened and closed, and she heard John in the hallway talking to Pip.
He was back. Her heart sang. Good. Now all she had to worry about was what she would wear. A dress? No. She didn’t have one she considered suitable for a date. Finally, she opted for black pants and a fitted beige shirt that Pip always declared showed off her figure wonderfully.
She frowned at her reflection. She was the typical pear shape and hated it. If only she were model sized then perhaps…
She mentally shook a finger at herself. Enough. If God wanted her to have a size-six figure, He’d have given her one. This is how He wanted her to be and John must like her a little if he was taking her to dinner.
Tugging her shirt down, she grabbed her jacket. Despite the heat of the day, it got cooler once the sun set and the last thing she wanted was to be too cold to enjoy the evening properly. She headed into the hallway. Butterflies vied with nausea for her attention. As much as she told herself this was just dinner, she couldn’t help wishing it was more. Much more. But it wouldn’t happen. After all, he lived in England and she lived in Australia. You couldn’t get much further apart if you tried.
She sat in the lounge and looked at the Christmas tree. She didn’t want to think about Christmas. She’d be alone most of it. Last year she and Pip hosted a houseful. This year it’d be just her, rattling around the place. At least she didn’t have to cook dinner for one. That really would be the icing on the cake of a blue Christmas.
John came into the room, and she smiled. “Ready?”
He nodded. “You look lovely.”
She looked down at herself and then back up. “Thank you. You’re sure you don’t mind me driving?”
“Well, as I haven’t got a car, we’d have to walk otherwise.”
She laughed. “True. So, where are we going?”
“The Rocks. Figured we could eat then go walk along the harbor, look at the bridge and the Opera House. Is that all right?”
“It sounds perfect.”
****
Sitting opposite him, Jo reflected how their evening was almost perfect. John was charming and witty, tempered with the British reserve she’d come to expect from him. But he was quiet.
“I had a bit of a scare last week.” Not much of a conversationalist, Jo leaned forward as she spoke, attempting to draw him out of his shell.
“Oh?”
“There was this huge spider in my car. And I mean huge.” She demonstrated with her hands.
“Really, that big?” He looked at her and widened the gap between his own hands. “You sure it wasn’t this big?”
Jo smiled and stretched her arms as wide as they’d go. “No, this big. Anyway, I was driving to church, singing away as I do and the spider just drops from the mirror. How I managed to pull over without crashing I have no idea, as I must have swerved all over the road. Anyway, there I was standing by the car, panicking, and this guy I’d never met before pulls over behind me and asks if I’m OK.”
He laughed as he set his glass down. “Seriously?”
“Yeah. So I explained and he offered to hel
p. Now, normally I wouldn’t dare let a stranger into my car, but I wasn’t staying in there with the spider and couldn’t drive the car until it had gone.”
“Dorrie hates spiders.”
“The English ones don’t kill you though.”
John pointed his finger at her across his fork. “True, but try telling her that. I mean, a giant spider killed off her TV hero when she was eight. And if a time lord can be killed by one then so can she.”
“I can understand the logic there. I’ve never liked them, but the one in my car was a huntsman. Anyway, the bloke found it, removed it and we both went on our way.” She paused. “How are you with spiders?”
“I can get rid of them. Not sure I’d want one as a pet.”
“Nor would I.”
John smiled and turned his attention to his food. “That’s something else we have in common then.”
She looked at him. “What else?”
“Well, there’s God. He plays such a big part in our lives, and we both love and serve Him and obey Him, even when it does seem hopeless.”
“Or when He doesn’t answer prayer.”
John smiled. “Oh, He always answers. The problem is the answer isn’t always yes. Sometimes it’s no or not yet.”
“Not yet, I can cope with. No, now that’s one I always struggle with.”
“Same here. We also both come from large families. We both like the same food.”
“We have different ways of worshipping though. You didn’t seem totally comfortable in church on Sunday.”
John paused with the fork partway to his mouth. “Honestly? No. I find the hand raising and clapping distracting and yeah, I was rather self-conscious. But just because it’s different, doesn’t mean it’s wrong.”
Jo smiled. “In My Father’s house there are many rooms. One for the hand-waving, dancing…”
“…enthusiastic in their worship Aussies,” John put in.
