“You know what I mean. It’s sudden.”
“When we leave we’ll have been together for six months. How long do you need before you’ll feel confident?”
“It’s not that. It’s just… what if we run out of money?”
“We won’t. I have a nice buffer, plus we’ll be renting out our homes.” He squeezed her knee. “I’ll look after you, don’t worry.”
She wrinkled up her nose. “I’m not sure I want to be looked after. What if we can’t find jobs when we come back?”
“Then we’ll go again.” He grinned. “Or we’ll live on love. I don’t know. Can’t we worry about all these problems when and if they happen?”
“I guess.” She plastered a smile on her face and planted a kiss on his lips. “Don’t mind me, I’m just worrying for nothing.”
“Great!” He jumped up, pleased they’d sorted out the details. “Let’s go to the bag shop and see what backpacks we should buy. I’d like to shop around a bit before we choose. Then Ruben has invited everyone for a barbecue tonight.”
***
“Thanks for letting me bring Fang along, Ruben.”
“No problem. He’s been here before so we know he can’t get out of the yard. I hear he’s a runner.”
“Definitely.”
“I also hear that Nate, here, shouldn’t become a dog catcher anytime soon.”
“Oh, you’re too funny.” Nate handed Kelly a drink as he spoke to Ruben. “You should take up comedy. Your talents are wasted in a fire station.”
“I know.” Ruben gave them a small bow and backed away. “It’s a shame to deny the world such a great skill, but you can’t be everywhere.”
“Plus,” Jasper chimed in. “He hates the late-night shift. He could never survive all those late stand-up gigs to make himself a name. Much better to keep teasing and torturing all of us.”
“Fang. Here boy.” Dean called the dog over and to Kelly’s utter amazement he trotted straight over to him. Dean produced a harness from behind his back and suddenly Fang found himself being led around the yard.
Kelly’s mouth hung open. “How are you getting him to do that? I’ve tried walking him on the lead and it’s a nightmare.”
“You need one of these harnesses that goes over his head. They work like magic once the dog gets used to them.” Dean continued to lead him around the yard before he sat down on a seat and made Fang sit quietly beside him.
“That’s amazing. Nate, did you see that?” She turned back to Dean. “Where did you learn that?”
“I helped out at a dog obedience school for two years, two nights a week. I watched and learned everything the owner did. It wasn’t so hard. I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this harness to you before.”
“You did that as a school job?”
“Yeah, but I only ever went there in summer. In winter, it was too cold and dark and I always said I had school.” Dean laughed at the memory. “In reality, I had a winter job in a cafe which always had the heater on. You couldn’t beat it.”
“Model, stripper, dog whisperer. What other skills are you hiding Deano?” Jasper asked.
“Ladies’ man. Don’t forget that one.” Nate threw in.
“I’m like Ruben. A man of many talents. We like to keep our skills close to our chest, so no more questions from the public, I’m afraid.”
Jasper laughed and turned to Nate. “Hey, Nathan sent a message for you. He can’t come tonight but he’ll move your furniture to storage when you’re ready. He said he’s emailed you a quote.”
“Furniture removals. You’re really getting serious.” Kelly smiled at Nate but it didn’t reach all the way to her eyes.
“I’m just getting organised. It’s handy to know a removalist. He can do your stuff too when the time comes, as long as his rates are still reasonable.” He took a drink of his beer. “It’s a long time since I’ve had to move any furniture, so I’m sure I’m in for a rude shock.”
“Dean, did Kelly ask you about dog sitting Fang while we’re away?”
“No, but I’d be happy to do that for you, Kel.”
“There you go. Now you know he’ll be safe and loved while we’re away.”
“Hmm… " she watched Dean play with Fang and chewed on her lip until it was sore.
Chapter 13
“Come on. Fang is staying with Dean. You have no reason to go home early. You’re already minus your clothing.”
Kelly stood by the bed where Nate had flopped down, making suggestive noises and rolling his eyes at her. She wanted to have a serious discussion with him, but he kept tempting her and she almost let it go again.
Instead, she sniffed and touched his shoulder. “Nate, I don’t think I can come overseas with you. I want you to go alone.”
He sat up. “You want me to go without you? I don’t want to. Our plans— “
“I know and I’m sorry.” She knelt on the bed, straddling his knees. Her hands slipped behind his neck and tickled the back of his head. “Would you rather we break up?” Her teeth captured her bottom lip, gnawing on it as she gazed at him, uncertain of his answer.
“No, I don’t want to break up!”
Relief rolled over her. “Oh, good.” She grinned and slid closer. “I’m glad.”
“There’s no one else I want to be with.” He stared across the room, searching for words to convince her. Finally, he met her eyes. “We can Skype every night if you want.”
“I’m sure you won’t have time for every night, but we can make it work, can’t we?” Hope filled her eyes as she watched his reaction. “Do you think it can work?”
“I think it can. People have long distance relationships all the time.” His hands on her waist pulled her toward him and then wrapped his arms around her. “You won’t change your mind?”
“I don’t think I can. I just have so much going on here.”
He frowned and his facial expression tore at her heartstrings. “I’ll miss you.”
“Me too. As long as we stay in touch it won’t feel like that long.”
He smiled a rueful smile, his previous good humour deflating by the second. “I think it will feel like longer than it is, personally, but I guess we have one advantage over the other long-distance couples. We both know that I’m coming back. It’s not like we’re separated by the need for a visa or because we actually live in different cities.” His hand traced a line down her cheek and across her jawbone. She closed her eyes and sighed, settling herself tighter against him. He leaned in to capture her lips with his, sliding his hand into her hair as he did.
She sighed again, meeting his tongue with her own, trying to communicate all that she was feeling through her actions. Nate rolled her over and pushed her back against the pillows. His tongue explored her neck, sending shivers across her skin. Her fingers clutched at his back as she pulled him close and he started a slow exploration of her body.
I’m going to miss him so much.
“Lie back,” he whispered. “Let me love you.”
***
“Uhh… I think I need to go home.” Kelly sat up and slid to the side of the bed.
Nate folded his arms behind his head and relaxed against the headboard as she stood up and searched for her clothing. “Oh, why? Do you need to get Fang?” He glanced at the clock. “It’s early. Will Dean even be up at this hour?”
“No, I—” She licked her lips. “I can’t do this, Nate. I thought I could, but I can’t.” Kelly pulled on her jeans and then dragged on her shirt. She buttoned it as fast as she could, panic and misery warring for seniority on her face. “I’m too invested in this. The more I think about it, the more I know that I can’t stand the thought of a long-distance relationship.”
Nate pulled himself from the bed and wrapped the sheet around his waist. “What are you talking about? Where is this coming from suddenly?” He reached out for her, but she backed away.
“It’s not sudden. I’ve been telling you for weeks that I wasn’t sure. I’ve laid out all
the reasons why it’s a bad idea and none of them have changed.”
Nate shook his head, unsure of what to say. “I thought we addressed each of those reasons. Didn’t we just agree an hour ago that we’d stay exclusive while we’re apart? Didn’t I take the news that you were pulling out of the trip calmly enough? Because I bloody well forced myself to stay calm and tell you everything would be alright.”
“No. You addressed the reasons. I didn’t need you to solve each issue for me, I was simply letting you know my reasoning. I can’t do this.” Anguish filled her face, confusing Nate further. Her words told him one thing, but her facial expressions said something else.
“Come on. Don’t leave like this. Let me get dressed and I’ll cook you some breakfast and we can go through it again.”
“I don’t want to go through it!” Her raised voice made him frown and step back. “I don’t want to go over all the details again. I’m not ready to give up my life here. I like the security of a house and a regular income. I’ve made a decent life for myself.”
“There are a lot of I’s in that speech. Weren’t we making plans together?” Nate’s voice hardened as he watched her collect some stray clothing from his wardrobe.
Shit. She’s really going. Stop her!
“I thought we were, but this is your dream, not mine. If you cancelled right now I wouldn’t give it another thought.” She held up her hand as he opened his mouth. “I’m not asking you to cancel by the way. You should go. See all those places you’ve been adding to your spreadsheet for weeks. I just can’t go with you and I can’t wait for you. Dean mentions the people you’re going to meet, the women,” she spat the word out as though it tasted unpleasant, “every time I see him. I can’t do it.”
“What if we shorten it? Only go for six months.” His hopeful expression made her breath catch in her throat, but she quickly regrouped.
“No. That won’t fix things. I’m just not cut out for this. I like renovating and looking after Fang. I love my work and it’s going well. I might lose all of that if I have a long break. Someone else might take my place and my agent could struggle to find me work when I get back.”
“You’re scared.” Nate raised his own voice now, his anger spilling through into his words.
“So what? There’s no rule that says people can’t be scared. I’ve worked hard for what I have and it’s damn selfish of you to expect me to give it all up.”
Nate snatched his shorts off the back of a nearby chair and shoved his feet into them. Fury bubbled in his chest. Anger directed at her, but also at himself. How had he let her get so close to him? Why had he taken this kind of risk?
“When I said scared, I meant you’re being a coward.” He threw the sheet back onto the bed and angrily arranged the pillows on the bed. “You’re not willing to take a chance on us working out. All because your future might not be the safe one you’ve planned for your retirement.”
“How would you even know what I’m scared of?” Hands on hips, they both shouted now, each throwing accusations at the other.
“I wouldn’t, would I? Because you insisted we get together a lot earlier than I would have liked. It was you who told my friends you were trying to get lucky when we were on our first date. I didn’t push those things.” He waved his hands. “I wanted to take it slow and get to know you.”
“Well, you can take it as bloody slow as you like now. It can be glacial pace, for all I care. I’m going home.”
She picked up her bag and moved toward the door. The sight of her leaving jolted a sense of calm into Nate and he touched her arm, lowering his voice. “Come on, Kel. Don’t go like this. We can work this out.”
“No, Nate. I don’t think we can. Since I’m such a floozy, who embarrasses you in front of your friends, I’d think you’d be happy to see me out the door. The worst thing that ever happened to me was Fang biting you.” She pulled away and left the room as he trailed after her. “I can let myself out.”
“Fine. The dog bite happened to me, by the way, not to you, but don’t let the door hit you as you leave. I wouldn’t want you to be scared of the repercussions.” He spat his words at her, anger curdling his gut all over again.
“Fine!” She shouted as she swept out and slammed the door behind her.
“Fine,” he said into the silence that followed her dramatic exit.
“Damn,” he whispered to himself.
What just happened?
Chapter 14
“Samantha, can you come in here please?” Nate settled behind his desk as Samantha appeared in the doorway.
“What’s up?”
“Can you come in and close the door?” His tone was serious as she pushed the door closed and took a seat opposite. There’d been whispers in the branch all morning after he’d stormed in and locked himself in his office without a hello to any of them.
“Is something wrong?”
“Nope. I just wanted you to be the first to know, before word leaks out, that I’ve decided to finish up earlier than originally planned.”
“Oh. Why? What’s changed?”
“I’m not going to wait to go overseas. There’s no good reason except for an extra few months’ pay. That’s not enough to keep me here, under the circumstances.” His lips clamped together and he sat back in his chair.
“Under the circumstances. What does that mean? Nothing here has changed, has it? Is the bank getting rid of you early and insisting you say you’re resigning? Don’t you let them get away with it, if that’s it!” Her eyebrows rose as though she’d just discovered a juicy piece of gossip and the edge of a smile appeared on his lips.
“No, that’s definitely not it. I just decided not to wait.”
“You seem a bit upset today, Nate.”
He frowned down at his desk. “I’m fine.”
“Hmm… okay, if you say so.” She got up and moved to the door. She pulled it open and turned back to face him. She cleared her throat and shuffled her feet before making eye contact. “You shouldn’t make any rash decisions if you’re upset, you know that right? Maybe take a day or two to sleep on it before diving in?”
“Too late. I already send my letter to the suits in Sydney. There’s no taking it back. I wanted you to hear it from me, though.”
“Right.” She gave herself a little shake and a new thought occurred to her. “When do you go?”
“Three weeks from today. I booked my flights last night as soon as I sent my email.”
***
Nate pushed open the door of the shop and a bell tinkled overhead. He resisted the urge to smile at the old-fashioned sound, knowing it was one of the reasons he liked this store. Several counters lined the walls of the tiny space and with just two steps he reached the nearest one. He dug around in his pocket as the owner, Jim Thompson, appeared from the back room.
“Ahh… Nate. Nice to see you again. You’re back soon. I think that might be a record.” The man smiled at him and Nate sighed.
“I was afraid of that. It didn’t work out.” He placed the black box on the counter. “Instead of getting engaged, we broke up.”
“She didn’t like it?” Jim opened the box and admired the diamond ring. “I told you that it could be exchanged, right?”
“You did. Unfortunately, you also told me it could be returned. I think you cursed me.”
Jim chuckled and clicked the box closed. “Sometimes it just isn’t meant to be. That’s why I offer this service. You’d be surprised how many of these come back. Don’t worry, you’re nowhere near the first to come in here with that long face. Do you want to wait while I find the receipt book and organise your credit?”
“Yes, I’m on my lunch break but I don’t feel like eating.”
“You should try the pizza one block up. It’s my favourite, though my waistline is starting to complain about my frequent visits. Won’t be a minute.” He shuffled to the back of the store and Nate crossed his arms and gazed out the window at the pizza store where he and Kelly had their
first lunch together.
You took a risk and it didn’t work out. Get over it and move on.
That’s all he seemed to be doing lately, taking risks. If only she’d been able to take those risks with him, he wouldn’t be standing in a jewellers right now requesting a credit on her engagement ring. He sighed and turned away from the window, pulling out his phone. He scanned the email confirmation for the flight that would take him to South East Asia. Samantha was right. He had lost his cool and made his booking in the heat of the moment last night. It didn’t matter, though.
Kelly had made it clear she wasn’t coming back.
Chapter 15
“Put your hand on her chest. Like you’re about to touch her boob.”
The photographer waved his arms and Dean sighed in Kelly’s ear. “That’s what you want to hear from every guy you work with, huh?”
Kelly smiled at the camera as the shutter clicked. They changed position and she used the opportunity to roll her eyes at Dean. “Touch my boob and you die.” She batted her eyelashes up at him and he laughed.
“Stop laughing and look at me.” The photographer barked and they both focussed on the camera. “Look like you’re in love. Not like you’ve just come from a comedy show.” His face ducked down behind his lens and a finger poked Kelly in her back.
Through gritted teeth she said, “Don’t make me belt you, Dean.”
“Now, now Kelly.” His mouth settled behind her ear for the next pose. “You know you’ve always wanted me. You’re free now.” Her skin tickled where his breathy words touched her. “We could give it a try. You and me.”
“Kelly, why are you screwing up your face like that?” Exasperation filled his tone, as their nemesis stood up straight and glared at her.
“Sorry. I just had an awful visual.” She turned back and draped her arms around Dean’s neck, following the new directions being shouted at them. Her eyes locked with his as a wicked grin spread across his face. “I thought I was going to be sick. I’m fine now.”
Tight Ass! Page 7
