The Blind Date Surprise

by Barbara Hannay

  ‘And were the chicks impressed?’

  ‘Actually, it was amazing how well it worked.’

  I’ll bet. Annie felt a surge of ridiculous jealousy for all the girls who’d scored a date with him. She took another deeper sip of her wine. ‘Forgive me for being slow, but I don’t quite get the connection between attracting girls and philosophy. Or do I have totally the wrong idea about philosophy?’

  Theo laughed. ‘One of the books I took along with me was about Seneca, a philosopher who lived in Roman times. I got so damned interested in him and his ideas that I forgot to keep an eye out for the girls. Apparently several tried to get my attention and gave up. From that night on I was hooked on philosophy.’

  ‘And you gave up girls?’ Annie feigned innocence.

  ‘Well…no. Not exactly.’

  Across their table their eyes met. Annie saw in Theo’s gaze an unmistakable flash that sent shivers feathering her skin.

  Taking a deep breath, she said, ‘So what did this Roman guy have to say that impressed you so much?’

  ‘Oh, many things.’ He looked away again as he thought for a moment. ‘Actually, you’d probably like him too, because you come from the outback.’

  ‘There’s a link between the outback and an ancient Roman philosopher?’

  ‘You folk in the outback have adjusted your lives to cope with your environment. You accept that there are forces stronger than humans, forces that are completely indifferent to our desires. You’ve learned to endure bushfires and drought. Things that can’t be changed. Seneca was big on accepting lessons from nature.’

  Annie chuckled.

  ‘What’s so funny?’

  ‘I wouldn’t be too quick to congratulate us on accepting our lot in the bush, Theo. Why do you think I was cracking my neck to get to the city?’

  He blinked.

  ‘Heck, in the bush we get sick of making adjustments for everything—even something as simple as ordering books over the Internet.’

  ‘That’s a problem?’

  ‘On most websites my postal address is invalid. They won’t accept Southern Cross, via Mirrabrook. They tell me I need a street number and suburb or town. So I have to invent an address that keeps them happy.’

  Theo smiled. ‘And that’s before you get to the big problems like droughts and floods.’

  ‘Exactly.’

  The next minute his expression grew sombre. And Annie knew she’d spoiled the mood. He’d remembered Damien and the email and how desperate she’d been to find a city boyfriend.

  He cleared his throat. ‘Anyhow…I’m afraid I can’t spend more time chatting this evening. I have some pressing work that I must attend to tonight.’

  She jumped to her feet. ‘Of course. Let me clean up. You get on with what you have to do.’

  ‘I’ll need to show you where things go.’

  In the kitchen they were terribly efficient. No more cosy chats as utensils and china were rinsed and the dishwasher was stacked.

  Theo made coffee. As he offered Annie a cup he said, ‘I’ll take mine through to the study.’

  ‘Okay.’

  ‘Good night.’

  ‘’Night, Theo.’ She watched him disappear, then thumbed through a current affairs magazine as she drank coffee in the empty kitchen with the humming dishwasher as her only companion.

  Then she went back upstairs to Damien’s bedroom, unzipped her bag and transferred her clothes into the wardrobe. Crumbs, it was empty. All Damien’s clothes had been removed. How weird.

  The room gave absolutely no hint of Damien’s personality. Had that been deliberate? Sinking on to the edge of his bed, Annie looked around her and felt a faint stirring of unease. Surely it shouldn’t have been necessary to remove everything from this room?

  Then a sharper tingle of fear skittered down her spine as a horrible thought struck her. Perhaps Damien didn’t exist!

  No, that was silly. It would mean that Theo wasn’t his uncle. Oh, God. Sudden panic sluiced through her. Could Theo be Damien? Was that why they both had the same tastes and ideas?

  Could Theo have used Damien as an Internet code name and then hidden behind his real identity when she came to the city? Oh, God. The very thought made her head spin. Surely she was letting her imagination get the better of her. There had to be a more logical explanation.

  But if there was it eluded her.

  She’d moved in with a man she knew nothing about. For all she knew he could be leading two lives. That couldn’t be very healthy.

  A kind of fearful desolation descended on her as she prepared for bed. And she knew she was looking down the barrel of another sleepless night.

  CHAPTER FIVE

  MEL rang early the next afternoon.

  ‘Just checking to see how everything’s going,’ she said, her voice purring suggestively.

  ‘Fine,’ Annie told her. ‘I’m making risotto with smoked salmon and asparagus.’

  ‘At this time of day?’

  ‘Well, I’m starting from scratch. Making my own stock and everything.’

  ‘Crumbs, Annie. I thought you’d be out, strolling around an art gallery, soaking up culture.’

  ‘I did that this morning, but I wanted to—’

  ‘Impress Dr Theo with your culinary skills?’

  Yes. It was probably foolish of her to hope that she could impress Theo. A man had to be interested in her before he could be impressed, and Theo had been so remote this morning.

  After her restless night she’d slept in and Theo hadn’t woken her when he’d taken Basil for his walk. And he’d kept his nose in a newspaper while he had his breakfast coffee and toast. It was almost as an afterthought as he was heading out of the door that he’d mentioned he had theatre tickets for this evening and would she like to come.

  But, foolish though it might be, she wanted to impress him with this meal.

  Despite the mystery surrounding the whole Damien-Theo connection, she fancied the heck out of Theo and heaven knew, she was never going to impress him with her dazzling intellect.

  ‘Theo’s the most amazing cook, Mel. I can’t just feed him sausages and mash.’

  ‘Don’t forget to have some fun, Annie. You told me you came down here to get out of the kitchen. I was going to ask if you wanted to do something tonight, but it sounds like you’re busy.’

  ‘Thanks for thinking of me. Theo said something about going to see a play.’

  ‘Oh, nice.’

  ‘I hope so. I haven’t seen a stage play since our English teacher took us to see A Midsummer Night’s Dream. Perhaps I can meet you for lunch tomorrow or the next day?’

  ‘Okay. Keep in touch.’ Mel sighed. ‘I’m still not confident you’re doing the right thing, Annie.’

  ‘Relax, Mel. I’m totally on top of this,’ Annie lied.

  When the theatre lights came up at the end of the play, Theo discovered Annie dabbing at her eyes with a tissue.

  ‘That was a terrible ending,’ she said. ‘I was expecting it to turn out happily.’

  ‘So you insist on happy endings, do you?’

  ‘Not necessarily, but when a play starts out like a romantic comedy I do. I was sure James and Erica would end up together, then in the last five minutes everything fell apart. That shouldn’t be allowed. I was devastated.’ She shoved the bunched tissue back into her purse and sniffed. ‘Sorry.’

  ‘No need to apologise.’

  ‘I enjoyed every minute of it until the end.’

  Annie looked so disappointed that Theo was tempted to throw a reassuring arm around her shoulders. He might have done so if she hadn’t also been looking so lovely this evening.

  Despite the hint of tears still shimmering in her eyes, she was radiant in her simple, sleeveless dark red dress. Slim and womanly. Breathtakingly so.

  But he was determined to keep his distance, and as they joined the people filing out of the theatre he shoved his hands deep in the pockets of his trousers. He kept them there as he and Annie walked si
de by side back to his place, even though it was a perfect summery November’s night.

  A trip to the theatre had seemed a good idea, far safer than staying at home with Annie, being bewitched by the changing nuances in her animated face, or being flattered by her rapt attention during conversations; safer than waiting in pleasant anticipation of being ambushed by another of her unexpected questions, or thinking about an ambush or two of his own…that didn’t involve quite so much talking…

  And, as if that wasn’t bad enough…Tonight the scent of frangipani lingered in the air and fallen jacaranda bells formed a carpet beneath their feet. A half moon rode at a tilt above the rooftops. It was the kind of night that cried out for a little romantic hand-holding, but he had to nip those kinds of thoughts in the bud.

  Fat chance.

  As they walked beneath trees and street lamps, passing in and out of shadows, he couldn’t resist stealing glimpses in Annie’s direction. She walked with an easy grace, a barely contained vitality. And whenever the light touched her hair it gleamed like a silken reflection of the pale gold moon. He longed to touch it.

  Longed to feel the smooth curve of her shoulders, the slenderness of her waist. And more.

  He would be wiser to reserve his admiration for the brave tilt of her chin and the pert jut of her nose. But on a night like this wisdom crumbled so easily. Damn! He had always prided himself on his self-control and yet now he was thinking about Annie’s legs. How was a man expected to remain immune to them? They were so devastatingly long and lovely beneath her red skirt.

  To his dismay, he was forced to admit that he was losing the will to remain at a safe distance from Annie McKinnon. But he had to, damn it. There were a thousand reasons why getting close to her was unwise. Besides, she hadn’t come to the city to meet him. She was far too young and spirited and lively to get involved with a boring university lecturer.

  Annie felt strangely nervous by the time they reached Theo’s house. There seemed to be a new tension between them, an almost tangible sexual tension. Or was she imagining that?

  The mystery of Damien still loomed in the background of her thoughts, but she didn’t know how to broach the subject without spoiling the mood of the evening. And tonight she didn’t want to spoil anything. Every minute she spent with Theo convinced her that she was becoming helplessly attracted to him.

  They entered his house by the front door and he paused in the middle of his lounge. ‘Would you like coffee or brandy or both?’

  ‘I think I’d like brandy but no coffee,’ she said. ‘Coffee tends to keep me awake.’

  ‘Brandy it is, then. Take a seat.’

  She sat in an armchair while he removed his coat and fetched glasses and brandy from a drinks cabinet. He handed her a glass and took a seat on the sofa, which was positioned at right angles to her chair.

  Settling back, he loosened the knot of his tie and crossed an ankle over a knee. Then he slipped his glasses up on to his forehead while he massaged the bridge of his nose. He seemed relaxed, but Annie couldn’t help wondering if, like her, he was making a conscious effort to look more relaxed than he felt.

  His glasses back in place, he smiled at her and raised his drink. ‘Cheers. Thanks for your company this evening.’

  ‘Thank you for taking me, Theo. I really enjoyed the play, despite my fuss at the end.’

  ‘Here’s to happier endings.’

  ‘I’ll second that. Happy endings.’

  Their gazes met and the sudden heat in Theo’s eyes was so electrifying that Annie was glad she was sitting down.

  He took a deep sip of his drink. ‘Thanks again for dinner, too. Your risotto was truly superb.’

  ‘Glad you liked it.’

  For a while they sat without talking, enjoying the fine brandy. But the prolonged quiet was too much for Annie.

  ‘Theo, can I spoil this golden silence by asking another of my nosy questions?’

  He smiled. ‘Wait till I brace myself.’ He drew an exaggerated deep breath. ‘Okay. I suppose I’m as ready as I’ll ever be. Fire when you’re ready.’

  ‘It’s nothing too confronting. Well, perhaps it is a bit—it’s just that ever since our conversation last night, I’ve been curious about your girlfriends.’

  ‘Oh, dear.’

  ‘Do you have a girlfriend at the moment?’

  He didn’t speak immediately. Keeping his gaze lowered, he said, ‘I date women from time to time, but there’s no one special at the moment.’

  ‘Are you still shy with women?’

  His face broke into a helpless grin and a knowing light sparked in his eyes. ‘I don’t hang around in bars with a book and a pipe, if that’s what you’re asking.’

  The warmth of his amused gaze flowed over her and her cheeks felt hot. ‘Fair enough. I’ll let you off that particular hook for now.’ Suddenly she kicked off her shoes and settled more comfortably into the armchair with her legs curled beneath her.

  ‘That’s the hard questions over. Now for the easy one.’

  ‘I can hardly wait.’

  ‘What do philosophers have to say about romance?’

  His smile lurked, but he eyed her cautiously and he took a deep sip of brandy before he answered. ‘On the whole, philosophers haven’t been too impressed by romantic love. I think they feel it’s best left to song writers and poets.’

  ‘Why do they avoid it?’

  ‘Well—romance interrupts more serious projects.’

  She made a faintly scoffing sound.

  ‘Even the greatest minds can become bewildered by the power of love.’

  ‘Of course! So they should be.’ Leaning over the arm of the chair, she challenged him. ‘But surely you can’t expect me to believe that all the philosophers, supposedly the greatest thinkers in the world, have put the entire subject of romantic love into the too hard basket?’

  ‘Well, no, they haven’t. Not entirely.’

  ‘So?’

  ‘You want examples? Okay, there was a German philosopher called Schopenhauer, who decided that love is perplexing and yet very important to us because the composition of the next generation depends on it.’

  Annie stared at him in disbelief. ‘Good grief, Theo. Was he serious?’

  ‘Quite.’

  ‘But that’s the most unromantic, boring explanation anyone could ever think of. Is that the best philosophers can do?’

  His smile was wry as he lifted his glass and watched the movement of the brandy as he gave it a little swirl. ‘I admit that most fellows aren’t really concerned about the continuation of the species when they ask a girl for her telephone number, but that’s no reason to knock the idea.’

  ‘Convince me.’

  ‘The theory is that we are attracted to people whose genes will combine well with our own. For example, a man with a very big nose might be attracted to a woman with a rather small one and together they’ll produce a child with a more acceptably sized nose.’

  Annie tried hard not to stare at Theo’s nose. She already knew that it was quite perfect, neither too big nor too small.

  ‘But that’s got next to nothing to do with romance,’ she said. ‘Not with the emotions and longings we feel deep in our hearts.’

  He looked away for a moment and the muscles in his throat worked. ‘We’re speaking theoretically, Annie. And the theory is that this selection process works at a subconscious level. Apparently it explains why humans have an alarming propensity for falling in love with the wrong people.’

  ‘Do they?’

  ‘Yes. We’ve all seen it, haven’t we? A man or a woman falls in love with someone who doesn’t seem at all compatible, and yet they feel no sexual attraction whatsoever to someone who would be much more suitable.’

  A sudden chill turned Annie’s skin to goose-bumps. ‘Do you think that happens very often?’

  ‘Of course. James and Erica in that play tonight were a very good example, but it happens all the time.’

  She sat back and took another dee
per sip of brandy. Staring down into her glass, she murmured, ‘Perhaps that’s why I’m so incredibly attracted to you.’

  ‘I beg your pardon?’

  Her heart pounded. ‘I said perhaps that’s why I’m so attracted to you.’

  She looked up to find Theo staring at her. He looked predictably stunned, but at least he didn’t look horrified.

  ‘We’re incompatible, aren’t we? Take the education factor for starters.’ She dropped her gaze back to her glass. ‘Which is a pretty big factor.’

  There was a stretch of silence. Then Theo said gently, ‘I would have thought the gap in our ages was more of a problem.’

  ‘It’s not that big a gap. You could only be, what—ten years older than me?’

  ‘Nine,’ he amended quickly.

  The speed of his answer and the scratchy sound in his voice, as if he’d swallowed a prickle, gave her courage. Leaning forward, she set her glass on the coffee table. ‘Well, there you go, Theo. The incompatibilities are toppling by the minute.’

  ‘Yes.’ Without taking his eyes from hers, he set his glass down beside her glass. ‘Perhaps they are.’

  There was a moment of breathless stillness and silence while they both sat, watching each other, aware that they hovered on the brink of something momentous.

  Then, to her dismay, Theo closed his eyes and released a soft groan. ‘Annie, your honesty is refreshing but we shouldn’t be talking like this.’

  ‘Why not?’

  ‘We need to step back from this for a moment and think.’

  ‘Do we?’ Annie winced when she heard the disappointment in her voice. She sighed and repositioned herself, uncurling her legs and sitting straight in the armchair once more. ‘What do you suggest we think about?’

  ‘Why you came to the city. What you really want. I assume you were hoping for adventure and romance, but you expected to find it with another younger person. And now I’ve intruded into the scene.’

  She suspected that this was the moment to bring up her worries about Damien. Problem was, whenever she was with Theo, her whacko theories that he was leading a double life just didn’t make any kind of sense. He was too grounded, too balanced, for subterfuge. And why would a man as gorgeous as Theo need to hunt for a woman using the Internet?