Luke held up a finger and mouthed almost silently, ‘One second.’
Dan looked around the bar while he waited for Luke to suss out his obvious booty call. The fitout was nicely done, so cool that it wouldn’t have been out of place in Melbourne. The lights were dim, the furniture and fittings eclectic, and the floor to ceiling rough-hewn shelves on the wall behind the bar were filled with bottles of wine and what could only be described as retro knick-knacks.
The crowd was elegant and Dan glanced down at his black jeans and T-shirt, his scuffed boots. He looked perfect for the front bar of the Middle Point pub. Maybe not so much for this place. But he hadn’t exactly planned on going out that night. He’d wanted to go back to Ry’s apartment and sleep. But after he’d spoken with Luke that afternoon, going over some details about the Windswept Development, Luke had twigged that Dan was up in Adelaide. He’d insisted they meet for a drink and Dan had reluctantly agreed. He owed the guy. In fact, he owed everybody at the company who’d stepped up when he’d stepped back. He was self-aware enough to laugh at that thought. He hadn’t stepped back. He’d fallen off the fucking map.
Luke nudged Dan in the side and raised his eyebrows. ‘Sure, bring her along too. I reckon we can get Dan to buy her a drink. Okay, great. Five minutes.’
Luke ended the call and slipped his phone into the inside pocket of his suit jacket. ‘So Dan, it’s so good to see you.’ He threw an arm around Dan’s shoulder and gave it a squeeze. ‘Shit, you look good. How’s everything? How’s the leg?’ He checked Dan out from his hair to his shoes, as if he was inspecting him for signs of damage.
‘I’m good, mate, yeah, good.’ Dan felt his back stiffen under the cool of his T-shirt. He tried to relax, leaning an elbow back on the bar.
‘That was Sarah. She’s around the corner having a drink with a friend, Rachael. She’s going to bring her along.’ Luke grinned. ‘We could turn this into a night, just like old times, huh?’
Just like old times. Dan mulled it over. Maybe part of getting his life back was this stuff. Getting out. Seeing how it felt to go to the old places. And some new ones. Trying out the old Dan to see if he still fit.
‘Sure,’ Dan replied, trying to find an enthusiasm to match Luke’s. ‘Just like old times.’
Luke slapped him on the back. ‘Excellent. Sarah’s a great girl. Wait ’til you meet her.’
‘Is she your girlfriend?’
Luke grinned and took a swig of his beer. ‘No, not really. We have an arrangement. She wants exactly what I want.’
Dan was surprised to hear that, knowing what he did about men and women. ‘Exactly the same thing you want? Which is?’
Luke slapped a hand on the bar. ‘Which is nothing. It’s casual. It’s hot. And it’s brilliant.’
Dan looked at Luke and saw an echo of himself six months ago. Tried to sort out in his head if he missed it. ‘Good luck with that.’
‘Oh, you know what it’s like, mate. You work hard and play hard. I don’t have time for anything more. It’s been great stepping up at BSD while you’ve been…’
Luke suddenly looked stricken, embarrassed. He took a nervous gulp of his beer and his eyes darted to the door. And then Dan was right back to the accident. The looks of pity and confusion. People not knowing what to say, either saying too much or nothing at all. And then for the first time, he realised that everyone in the company would have been talking about him. He hadn’t shown his face at the office for months. Hadn’t talked to or seen anyone from there until now. And what would Luke report back next Monday when he turned up at work?
‘It’s okay, Luke. I’ve been recovering.’
Luke tugged at his collar. ‘Shit, Dan, sorry. I just didn’t know what to…you know.’
‘No worries, really. Thanks for all you’ve done while I’ve been away. I really appreciate it. Now,’ Dan turned to the bar and away from that awkward conversation. ‘I think I owe you a drink or ten. Another one of the same?’
Luke looked visibly more relaxed. ‘Sure, thanks. And grab a bottle of white while you’re at it.’
Just as Dan placed his order with the too-cool-for-school waiter with a tattoo on his neck, Luke hopped up from his bar stool and nudged Dan in the side. ‘Hey, Sarah’s here. And check out the friend.’
Dan tucked his wallet into the back pocket of his jeans, straightened his back and turned towards the door. Luke was locking lips with a tall, red-haired woman who had her hands all over his arse. Standing next to her was the person he assumed was Rachael. She was about medium-height, with hair cut in a straight line at her chin and there was a cute little mouth in a heart-shaped face. Her tight red dress suggested some sexy curves and she was wearing a pair of very high heels. She smiled when he met her eyes.
And then he waited for it to kick in. Waited for a line to pop into his head, a joke, a tease, something flirtatious to say. Where was the rush of blood that always came with the hint of someone new, the possibility of what Luke had, what Dan himself had had so many times before.
There was nothing. The ground seemed to shift under his feet.
Six months ago she would have been exactly his type.
Luke grabbed Sarah’s hand and tugged her towards Dan. ‘Dan, this is Sarah. And Rachael.’
Dan shook their hands in turn, tried again to see if anything flared as he took Rachael’s hand in his. Nope. Not a thing. He jammed his hands into the front pockets of his jeans.
Sarah looked him up and down, slowly. ‘Nice to meet you, Dan.’ He couldn’t miss the wide-eyed look she gave her friend. Rachael simply smiled at him and let her eyes wander over his body, too.
‘We’ve ordered some wine,’ Luke said. ‘Let’s grab a table outside.’
Arm in arm, Luke and Sarah walked out through the door. Dan stopped to let Rachael through first and she brushed up against his arm as she passed. Still nothing. A minute later, they were seated and the waiter brought out their drinks.
Sarah sipped her wine and murmured her appreciation. ‘This is divine. I don’t think I know that label. Where’s it from?’
‘McLaren Vale,’ Dan said quickly. The name had caught his eye as soon as he’d seen it on the wine list.
‘It’s quite delicious.’
‘Nothing like a good honest riesling,’ Dan said and something shimmied up his back. Shit. Where had that come from?
‘I know this one,’ Rachael said with a quiet smile, and Dan looked at her. ‘I’m rather fond of that area myself. I’m a Willunga girl.’
‘Really?’ Dan said with a smile. ‘I’m living at Middle Point at the moment.’
Her face lit up. ‘No way. My aunt and uncle have a beach house down that way.’
‘Yeah? Where exactly?’
‘At Goolwa Beach.’
‘That’s Adelaide for you,’ Sarah added with a laugh. ‘Doesn’t everyone know everyone?’
Dan sipped his beer, enjoying the loose feeling in his limbs and in his shoulders. He’d been a little pent-up when he’d arrived. But a calm had found him, loosened the frown lines on his forehead and relaxed the tension he carried in his shoulders. A cool breeze ambled through the lane, fluttering the leaves on the trees and whispering through people’s hair. In the distant sky, slivered between the tall buildings, he could just see the daytime brightness fading into deep blues and purples. He let out a deep sigh and tried not to laugh at his situation.
It was almost a perfect night to be sitting out in the balmy evening with an attractive woman smiling at him the way she was.
Only it was the wrong woman.
‘So Dan,’ Luke turned to him. ‘What are your plans? You heading back to work soon?’
There it was. The million-dollar question. ‘We’re still workshopping that, Luke. Things are really cranking up with Windswept and it’s been good for business for me to be down there on site. In fact, I might be down there a good while longer.’
Dan swallowed the last of his beer and put it on the table. He stood and held out a hand to L
uke.
‘Good to see you, Luke. Nice to meet you ladies.’
Luke looked guiltily at the two women at the table. ‘You’re going already? We’ve only had one drink. The night’s young, mate.’
Dan laughed and shook his head. ‘I’ve gotta go. I’ll call you, Luke.’
He knew he had a big week ahead. And trying to be something he wasn’t, the person he hadn’t been for months, was a waste of his time.
He strode away from the table and his old life, and didn’t look back.
CHAPTER
18
On the last Sunday before Christmas, a cooling sea breeze blew in off the ocean and a brilliant blue cloudless sky draped itself over Middle Point.
Lizzie slipped an arm around Julia’s waist and together they took in the scene before them.
‘Is it just what you imagined?’
Tears welled in Lizzie’s eyes. ‘Better, Jools. Look at it.’
Twenty stallholders had set up their wares in the area the two of them had decided to call The Market. It was a brilliant, mouth-watering and purse-opening display. There were trestle tables groaning with cherries, nectarines and peaches; baskets of grapes; loaves of freshly baked bread; locally-made cheeses and glistening bottles of olive oil. Children from the local school were proudly displaying their selection of homemade Christmas cards, and the Naughty Knitters had filled a stall with jams, pickles, preserves and traditional craft items. Boxes of old books filled another table and there were summer hats to buy alongside beautifully made breadboards and bowls.
More than a hundred people were perusing and buying things, enticed by the aroma of the local service club’s sausage sizzle. The air was filled with chatter and laughter. Lizzie poked Julia and pointed to Ry, who was wearing a striped barbecue apron with aplomb, while artfully turning snags and flipping sliced onions on the hot plate. Over at the bookstall, Joe was poking around in the boxes of paperbacks.
‘Well, ladies, this is terrific.’ Lizzie and Julia turned to see the sprightly form of Mayor Jessie Graham ambling towards them, sporting a huge grin on her tanned face.
‘Welcome to The Market, Jessie,’ Julia said, taking her arm from Lizzie’s shoulders and slipping it into the crook of the older woman’s elbow. ‘Thanks for smoothing the waters for our temporary approval.’
‘It was my pleasure, Julia. Haven’t you done a marvellous job? Look at all these people! Where’s that fiancé of yours? I need to congratulate him.’
Julia angled the Mayor in Lizzie’s direction. ‘Ry may have paid for it but it was all Lizzie’s idea. She’s the one you should be congratulating.’
Lizzie was about to open her mouth to protest but stopped. She was damn proud of this and would take any and all compliments on offer. With a gracious smile.
‘Well, Lizzie, you sly thing. All these years you’ve been working behind the bar, when you are capable of pulling this off? In such a short space of time, too. It’s amazing. You’ve certainly been hiding your light under a bushel, haven’t you?’
Lizzie felt a swell of pride in her chest. ‘Sometimes, Your Worship, you just have to get the timing right. Now,’ she slipped her arm through Jessie’s, so she and Julia were like bookends to the dignitary. ‘Are you ready to do the official opening?’
‘Watch out, ladies.’ Jessie winked. ‘You don’t want to get in the way of a politician and a ribbon cutting. Now, where are those scissors?’
Ry had left his spot behind the sizzling sausages and browning onions and was standing on a low box, microphone in hand.
‘Thank you, Mayor Graham, for doing the honours.’ The crowd gave a whooping cheer and she gave them a royal wave in return. ‘We won’t keep you long, ladies and gentlemen. We wouldn’t want to distract you from spending your money on all these delightful Christmas gifts.’ There was a smattering of laughter in the crowd. ‘On behalf of everyone here at the Middle Point pub, I’m delighted to welcome you to The Market. We’ll have stalls here every Sunday morning and dining out here on Friday and Saturday nights through the summer months, so please spread the word. There are pamphlets on each table, so make sure you take some, stick them on your fridge and leave them in your holiday rentals.’
Ry found Lizzie in the crowd. ‘There are two people I’d like to especially thank. The Middle Point pub’s own Lizzie Blake, who came up with the idea and convinced me to pay for it.’
There was a hearty round of applause and Lizzie felt light-headed. Too many faces were trained on her and she felt queasy. Happy but queasy.
‘And thanks also go to our project manager Dan McSwaine who couldn’t be with us today, but who worked hard to make sure it was finished so we could open today.’ Ry raised a pair of barbecue tongs in the air in salute.
‘To Lizzie and Dan,’ he called.
‘To Lizzie and Dan,’ the crowd echoed back.
‘To Middle Point,’ Ry shouted above the noise. The crowd followed that too with a huge shout of approval.
Some wag in the crowd called out, ‘Beers on the house!’
Ry laughed and slapped his thigh. ‘Not bloody likely. Thank you to all our stallholders who put faith in us and, finally, Merry Christmas.’
Ry stepped down and shook hands with dozens of people before he made his way back to Lizzie and Julia. Right behind him, Joe slapped a hand on his shoulder.
‘Nice speech, Ry,’ he said, dropping a shopping bag full of books on the ground by his feet, clad in brand new thongs.
‘Thanks, mate.’ Ry slipped an arm around Julia’s waist, pulled her close, then nodded to the bag. ‘Plan on catching up on some reading while you’re here?’
Joe’s face creased in a smile and he adjusted his straw hat. ‘It’s called holidays, my friend. You should try it some time.’
Ry laughed. ‘Why the hell do you think I moved to Middle Point? It’s like being on holiday all the time. I think you’ve been in Sydney too long. You’ve forgotten what real life is like.’
‘Watch out,’ Lizzie said, nodding her head in Ry’s direction. ‘He’s become an evangelist for our hometown, Joe.’
‘And why wouldn’t I want to spruik the charms of this place? You’ve been away too long in the rat race, mate. Look around. Isn’t this the best place in the world?’ For a long moment, Ry didn’t take his eyes off Julia.
‘And speaking of the best,’ he added, ‘This is brilliant, Lizzie. I mean it. Congratulations.’ Ry leaned over and kissed her cheek.
Lizzie’s heart grew a little bigger, so full of love for them all. It was wonderful to have Julia, Ry and Joe there with her. For the first time in so many years, she felt cocooned by care and love.
But. And there was always a but. Someone was missing and they all knew who that was.
‘Lizzie,’ Ry said and waited until she was looking right at him. ‘He wanted to be here.’
She shrugged her shoulders. ‘He had things to do, I guess.’
Ry rested a hand on her shoulder. ‘He feels as proud of this as you do, you know that.’
‘We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for him. He’s very talented.’ Lizzie sucked in a deep breath. ‘I don’t know if I should risk a sausage if you’ve been cooking them, Ry, but I’m starving.’
‘Come with me,’ he said. ‘I might even be able to organise a staff discount.’
By mid afternoon, The Market was packed up and people had drifted off to the beach or the front bar. Everything was under control and Lizzie needed to get home. She felt as if she’d been living at the pub over the past few weeks, what with finishing the work on The Market, juggling stallholders and managing the ordinary business of the place. There had been one major benefit of being so distracted. She hadn’t had time to let herself wallow in thoughts about Dan. They’d engaged in shop-talk until everything was finished on the project, sorted out some minor glitches, and then he’d driven off. He’d already been gone a week and she hadn’t heard a word from him. Why would she expect to?
Wearily, she dragged her feet up the
street until the pink flamingo house came into view. It felt weird to have a housemate again after so many years living alone but as she walked to the front door, she realised how nice it was to have someone to talk to at night. Even if it was about dinner.
‘What’s for dinner?’ Joe called as Lizzie entered the house. He was sprawled on the modular sofa, a book in one hand and a cold beer in the other. Lizzie noticed with a smile that Joe seemed to be slipping very comfortably into the whole rancho relaxo thing.
‘God, you’re back home for a couple of weeks and you’ve turned into the teenage you. Don’t I even get a “Hello Mum” first?’ She dropped her bag on the kitchen table and kicked off her shoes. She needed a long cool drink and a lie down. For about five weeks.
Something caught her eye.
In the middle of the kitchen table sat an enormous bunch of flowers, artfully arranged in an explosion of colour. Yellow lilies, bright orange roses about to bud, sunshine yellow gerberas and something purple she didn’t know the name of, all wrapped in pale green tissue paper, sitting in a squat, square glass vase. They were absolutely beautiful and she gasped.
Joe casually looked up from his book. ‘Oh yeah. Those came for you.’
If she’d had the energy, she would have rolled her eyes and perhaps smacked him on the side of his head. Instead, she chose to ignore her brother and carefully rummaged through the folds of tissue for a card. Ry and Julia were so sweet. How thoughtful of them to send flowers to her today. Just thinking of their support, and Ry’s words of congratulations earlier, brought fresh tears to her eyes.
When she ripped open the small envelope, she found a small white card. It read simply:
Hope it all went brilliantly today. Dan.
Lizzie looked closer at the card. There was something about the handwriting. She recognised it. She’d seen Dan’s written instructions on some invoices for the work on The Market and this was the same hand. Without thinking, she lifted it to her nose to smell it, wondering if it carried his scent. There was no trace of him. It smelled of the blooms. She didn’t know what he was doing up in Adelaide, and couldn’t think about him being there with Anna, but he’d thought of her on this special day. And just thinking of the two of them sent a wave of sadness crashing down upon her. Yes, it had been a long day and she was feeling tired and emotional, but there was no mistaking the ache deep inside that rumbled to life every time she thought of Dan.
Someone Like You Page 18
