The Blind Date Surprise

by Barbara Hannay

  ‘To be honest, I’m not too interested in Damien any more,’ she said.

  ‘Nevertheless you should be out on the town—hitting the top night spots with your girlfriends. Meeting younger men.’

  ‘I enjoy being with you.’

  He sighed. ‘I’m not the kind of man you want to get involved with.’

  ‘Why?’ Nerves tightened in her stomach. Was this confession time? ‘What’s wrong with you?’

  ‘I’m an excessively boring academic.’

  ‘Boring?’ She gaped at him. ‘Is that all?’

  He frowned. ‘Were you expecting me to offer you a list of character faults?’

  ‘No, no, not a list exactly.’

  ‘You’ve already dismissed my claim that I’m too old for you, although I think that deserves closer consideration.’

  ‘It’s just that I thought you were going to bring some surprise skeleton out of the closet.’

  He favoured her with a small smile and shook his head, and she felt a heady rush of relief.

  ‘No skeletons,’ he said. ‘But perhaps you think that in itself is boring?’

  ‘Theo, in no way are you boring. Honestly, from where I’m looking, you’re shaping up to be the single most interesting man I’ve ever met.’

  A dark colour stained his cheekbones. His eyes flashed with sudden heat. For a breathless moment Annie thought he was going to leap out of his chair and haul her on to the sofa with him.

  If only…

  Clenching a fist on his knee, he looked away, and she saw his jaw tighten with tension.

  After a clamouring stretch of silence he said, ‘What surprises me is that a lovely girl like you had to come to Brisbane to search for a boyfriend. I would have thought you’d have plenty of offers, even though you’re relatively isolated in the outback.’

  For a moment she couldn’t answer. She was too busy indulging in a private celebration because Theo had said she was lovely. Wow! With an effort, she forced her mind to process the rest of his comment.

  ‘I’ve tried dating guys from the bush,’ she said, ‘but after a while I lost interest in them. I suppose I fit right in with that German philosopher’s theory. It would have been sensible of me to fall for a man in the out-back, but no one clicked. I don’t know why. Maybe it’s because I’ve had a steady diet of cowboys all my life that I find city men much more interesting.’

  Theo’s response was to sit very still and scowl at a spot on the floor, which made Annie feel suddenly flooded by doubts. And very foolish. And exposed.

  Had she completely misinterpreted their situation? She’d thought there was a mutual ‘something’ happening between them, but perhaps she’d got it all wrong. Maybe Theo was trying to suggest kindly, indirectly, that he was regretting his offer of hospitality?

  A horrible flash of chilling panic slithered through her. She bent down and picked up her shoes, then stood. No doubt it was an immature, reckless, unphilosophical way to respond, but she couldn’t help herself. ‘I can move back to Mel’s in the morning, if that’s what you want.’

  Then, because she suddenly felt the need to cry, she turned and hurried across the room without waiting for his reply.

  ‘Goodnight,’ she called over her shoulder before scooting up the stairs.

  Theo watched her go.

  Common sense and logic told him it was best for Annie to return to her girlfriends in the morning. He’d invited her to his house on an impulsive, foolish whim, fuelled by more self-interest than he’d cared to admit at the time, but it was not too late to correct his mistake.

  In a flash of images, he pictured himself doing the right thing—driving her back to her friends and then returning to this house without her. Saw himself walking with Basil along the South Bank. Morning after morning. Without her. Saw himself dating sensible academic colleagues—taking them to see plays—women who would never dissolve into tears over the ending, however unsatisfactory.

  And the thought appalled him so fiercely that he jumped to his feet, charged across the room and took the stairs three at a time.

  Annie was in the doorway of Damien’s room—about to close the door.

  ‘I don’t want you to go, Annie,’ he said.

  With her hand on the doorknob, she turned back to him, her face pale and her eyes shining with a suspicious brightness. ‘No?’

  He shook his head and smiled. ‘In fact, I’d very much like you to stay.’

  She lifted the shoes she’d been holding and cradled them against her chest in a kind of defensive gesture. ‘Why have you changed your mind?’

  ‘One very good reason.’ He smiled. ‘Honestly, from where I’m looking, you’re shaping up to be the single most interesting woman I’ve ever met.’

  For a moment she looked confused. Her clear blue eyes reflected disbelief warring with wonder. But then a slow, warm smile suffused her face. ‘That’s nice to know,’ she said.

  But instead of running into his arms with the open-hearted impulsiveness he’d come to expect from her, she said a demure goodnight and closed her bedroom door.

  And yet again, Dr Theo Grainger was left with a feeling of puzzled inadequacy.

  CHAPTER SIX

  YES! Yes! Yes!

  Annie danced in happy circles, waving her shoes above her head. Theo found her interesting. Not just any old interesting, but terribly interesting—the most interesting woman ever. And he’d also said she was lovely.

  She waltzed around Damien’s room. Lovely. Wasn’t that the most scrumptious word in the whole dictionary?

  Spinning another ecstatic circle, she knew that Theo was lovely too. Exceptionally lovely. In a completely masculine way, of course. She loved everything about him, from the topmost hair on his head to—

  A curt knock sounded on her door.

  In the middle of executing a wicked pirouette, she wobbled precariously. Then promptly lost her balance. Her shoes flew from her hands as she tumbled to the floor at the precise moment the door opened.

  Theo.

  From an undignified heap at his feet, and with her dress riding high up her thighs, she looked up at him and blushed.

  ‘I’m so sorry,’ he said, bending to offer her a helping hand. ‘I didn’t mean to startle you.’

  There was little she could do except take the hand he offered and allow herself to be helped to her feet.

  ‘Are you hurt?’

  ‘No, not at all.’ Blushing again, she smoothed her dress over her hips and thighs, and took a calming deep breath before lifting her eyes to meet his. ‘Did you—um—want something, Theo?’

  ‘Yes.’ Amusement danced in his hazel eyes. ‘I wanted to double-check something you said earlier. I have an urgent need to be quite clear about it.’

  She stared at him blankly for a moment. She’d said so many things this evening. ‘Which something would that be?’

  His smile was the sexy kind that turned her insides to marshmallow.

  ‘Was it my imagination, or did you say something about being attracted to me?’

  ‘Oh.’ Heat suffused her. ‘Well, yes, I did, because it’s true. I am attracted to you, Theo.’

  Taking her hands in his, he smiled again. ‘Good. Because, in case you haven’t guessed, the attraction’s mutual.’

  ‘It is?’

  ‘Very.’

  For a heartbeat they smiled into each other’s eyes, and then Theo drew Annie gently towards him, and it was as easy as spring slipping into summer, the way she melted into his arms.

  His lips brushed her cheek. ‘I’m very, very attracted.’

  ‘Same here. Think of me as a dropped pin and you’re a magnet.’

  His chuckle caressed her skin. ‘There’s no way I’m going to think of you as a dropped pin.’

  Her eyes drifted closed as his lips explored her jawline. ‘I suppose it does sound dangerous.’

  He pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth. ‘You are dangerous, Annie McKinnon.’

  ‘No, I’m—’


  He stopped her protest with a kiss on the lips.

  Oh, man!

  Oh, bliss, to be kissed by Theo. Bliss to be enclosed within the strong circle of his arms and to feel his lovely lips tracing dreamy patterns on hers. Joy to let her lips drift open as his kiss turned hot and brandy-flavoured. Heaven as his mouth seduced her.

  She pressed closer, wriggling her hips against his hard, masculine body. And Theo’s gentlemanly reserve became a thing of the past.

  His mouth became demanding. His tongue delved deep while his hands moulded her shoulders, then the shape of her breasts through her dress. Soft groans rumbled low in his throat as he began to walk her slowly backwards to Damien’s bed.

  Damien!

  Oh, help!

  A wretched alarm bell pierced Annie’s consciousness.

  The thought of Damien pulled her up sharply, like a rough hand dragging her back from the point of drowning.

  Damn, Damien. The spectre of him was beside them, like a ghostly presence in this strangely bare room…

  Darn. Why did she have to think of the jerk now? Why did her worries about the Theo-Damien connection have to surface at this crucial point in time—possibly the most decisive moment in her lifetime?

  Theo, sensing her sudden tension, grew still. ‘Is something the matter?’

  She didn’t want to speak, didn’t want to spoil this delicious, all-important moment, but the word spilled out. ‘Damien.’

  ‘Damien?’

  She could hear the raggedness of his breathing. His eyes met hers and for long seconds he stared at her, looking puzzled and worried, before he released her and took a step back.

  ‘You’re still infatuated with Damien?’

  ‘No, of course not.’ She felt so overcome she had to cover her face with her hands.

  ‘What is it, Annie? Have I frightened you?’

  ‘No, no, Theo.’ She dropped her hands to her sides again, then looked around her. ‘It’s just this room—I just don’t understand who Damien is, where he’s gone, or why he pretended to be you, or why you’ve stripped his room bare. It’s kind of getting to me. It makes me nervous. Half the time I’m afraid that—that—’

  ‘What? What are you afraid of?’

  She was almost too afraid to say it. ‘That he’s you.’

  ‘Me?’

  Theo looked so clearly appalled that Annie felt instant relief.

  ‘I’ve been plagued by this horrible thought that Damien might have been your Internet persona. You know, like a code name.’

  ‘Oh, Annie.’ Theo shook his head and raked a hand through his thick dark hair. Staring at the floor, he let out a huff of irritation. ‘It’s time that wretched nephew of mine faced up to the consequences of his own foolishness.’

  Annie gulped. ‘I’m so sorry, Theo. I didn’t mean to blab it out now. I didn’t want to spoil things.’

  ‘No, you’re right,’ he said. ‘It’s better to clear the air. I’m going to get on to Damien right away and insist he comes back to apologise to you.’

  His eyes shimmered darkly with emotion as he reached out and traced his fingers down the curve of her cheek. His mouth quirked into a lopsided smile. ‘It was probably best that you spoke up when you did. Someone needed to apply the brakes.’

  Her hand closed over his as it lay against her cheek. Turning her face, she kissed the inner curve of his palm.

  His breath escaped on a soft sigh. Bending closer, he pressed a warm kiss to the back of her neck. ‘I’ll say goodnight, Annie, before I’m tempted to go back on my word. Hopefully, you’ll have your answer about Damien tomorrow.’

  He left her room quickly and she turned back to look around Damien’s bedroom, awash with a tumble of emotions—with relief, with happiness, but also with regret and longing.

  But, with the imprint of Theo’s lovely kisses lingering warmly on her lips, she knew she would sleep well tonight.

  Next morning, after a pre-breakfast run with Theo and Basil, Annie was in the shower when she heard a young man’s voice penetrate the hiss of water streaming over her.

  ‘What the hell’s going on? Where are my things?’

  She paused in the process of rinsing shampoo from her hair. Was there someone in her room?

  ‘Where’s my stereo and my CD collection?’ the voice shouted again. It was louder. Angrier. ‘And where’s my DVD player? What have you done to my flaming room?’

  Snapping off the taps, she stood, naked and dripping.

  Fists hammered on the bathroom door. ‘Who’s in there?’

  ‘Hold your horses!’ she yelled back, scrambling out of the shower cubicle so quickly she stubbed her toe.

  In panicky haste she snatched a towel and wrapped it around her. Her wet feet threatened to slip on the tiled bathroom floor as she hurried to the rattling door. With one hand clutching the towel tightly over her chest, she opened the door six inches.

  And blinked.

  A gangling, bespectacled boy stood there—an angry looking boy in his late teens, wearing a T-shirt and Hawaiian print board shorts. And sandals.

  At the sight of her his jaw dropped so fast he risked dislocation. His eyes practically popped out of his head.

  Annie was just as shocked. ‘Who—w-what—?’

  She was rescued from her stammering question by Theo charging through the bedroom doorway like a cattle truck out of control.

  ‘Get out of this room immediately,’ he roared at the boy.

  ‘Hey, steady on, Theo. You can’t order me back from the Gold Coast and then tell me to get out of my own bedroom.’

  ‘You’ve abdicated all rights to this room for the foreseeable future.’

  Stunned, Annie stared at them both.

  This couldn’t be Damien. Not this boy. For heaven’s sake, he couldn’t be more than seventeen or eighteen. He still had spots on his chin. Where was the surfer streaked hair from the photo he’d sent her? The movie-star-sexy good looks?

  The intruder switched his attention from Theo to her and his face turned beetroot. ‘Oh, God. It’s Annie, isn’t it?’

  Her last lingering hope sank without a trace. No chance for error now. This was Damien. This was her Dream Date!

  Sick to the stomach, she sagged against the door-jamb. Then, as Damien continued to stare at her, she remembered with a jolt of embarrassment that a bath towel was not appropriate clothing for this encounter.

  Theo, who was similarly damp but at least dressed, must have realised the same thing. Grabbing Damien by the neck of his T-shirt, he hauled him out of the room.

  ‘But how was I to know?’ the boy shouted. ‘You sent me a text message ordering me back home and here I am. How did Annie get here? What’s going on?’

  She could hear Damien’s continued protests and Theo’s raised voice as he dragged the boy downstairs.

  Good grief! Closing the bathroom door, she leaned against it and her stomach churned. Damien—a kid barely out of school. She felt such a fool as she thought of all the weeks she’d blissfully exchanged emails with him. For crying out loud, she’d flirted with him. Shamelessly. In her typical, take-no-prisoners fashion, she’d spilled out her heart and soul in those emails. She’d even discussed her feelings for him with the agony aunt in the Mirrabrook Star.

  How humiliating! All that excitement she’d felt had been over a date with a skinny kid still clawing his way out of puberty.

  Her mind cringed. But then, hot on the heels of her embarrassment, came a burst of anger. The nerve of him to deceive her, to play games with her like that! What a grub!

  She remembered all the names Mel and Victoria had used to describe him after the disastrous non-date. He deserved every one of them.

  Peeling the towel away from her, she wrenched the bathroom door open again, hurried into the bedroom and dragged on jeans and a T-shirt. No way was she going to hide away in the bathroom feeling humiliated when she could give the little twerp a piece of her mind.

  Without a care for her messy wet hair, she hurried d
ownstairs.

  Theo and Damien were glaring at each other across the kitchen.

  ‘I don’t care where you go,’ Theo growled. ‘You’re not welcome here. Once you’ve apologised to Annie, you can go back to your mates at the Gold Coast.’

  ‘So I’m being thrown out because Annie McKinnon’s moved in?’

  An embarrassed grimace flickered over Theo’s face, but he covered it with fresh anger. ‘It’s time you accepted the consequences of your actions, Damien. You’ve caused Miss McKinnon inconvenience and expense and embarrassment. It’s time to grow up. You’re legally an adult, but no one would know it from the way you behave.’

  Realising that Annie was in the room, Damien turned her way and he reddened again when he saw her. ‘I’m sorry, Annie.’

  ‘So you jolly well should be,’ she said sternly.

  ‘And how about a proper apology?’ added Theo.

  Damien scowled at him. ‘What do you mean?’

  ‘You can do better than merely mumbling you’re sorry. I want you to stand here in front of Miss McKinnon and look her in the eye and tell her exactly what you’re apologising for.’

  ‘There’s no need to jump down my throat. She knows why I’m sorry.’

  Theo’s fists clenched as if Damien had tested his patience once too often. ‘Tell her, or you’ll get a good clip on the ear.’

  Annie didn’t believe Theo would carry out his threat. Nevertheless, tension quivered in the air as Damien glowered back at his uncle and his own fists curled in response. But the nephew knew he was in the wrong and his defiance wilted.

  He dropped his gaze to the floor. ‘I apologise—’ he began.

  ‘Speak to Annie,’ ordered Theo. ‘Look at her.’

  Another flash of resentment flared, but then Damien took a deep breath, squared his shoulders and turned to Annie. ‘I really am sorry, Annie.’ His Adam’s apple slid up and down in his youthful throat. ‘I guess I shouldn’t have gone to a dating chat room in the first place, and when you told me how old you were, I shouldn’t have strung you along. It all started out as a bit of fun and it went too far. I—I’m sorry about the d—date and everything. I didn’t really think you’d show up.’