by Wendy Smith
I nod.
“Good. Like I said, I’ve heard great things about you. I think you’ll do well.”
I shrug. “I do okay.”
“Your work is good, James. Don’t underestimate yourself.”
“That means a lot, coming from you.”
Her cheeks flush. “I’m glad. And it’s true. You’ve got a big future ahead of you if you want it.”
“I’m not sure if I do.”
She frowns. “What do you mean?”
“I’m not sure what I want to do with my life. I mean, I thought I had some ideas, and I wanted to study, but I still don’t know what my end goal is.”
Her lips twitch. “I didn’t know either for the longest time.”
“And you decided to teach?”
She nods. “It was something I kind of fell into. I’d been a student for so long, it just seemed like a natural progression.”
“Do you ever think you’ll do anything else?”
Mia shrugs. “I’ve got a publishing company interested in me writing a text book. I have this image in my head of finding some remote retreat and immersing myself in the process.”
“Sounds great.”
She looks back up, penetrating me with her blue-eyed gaze. “What were you up to before I derailed your trip home?”
“I was out tonight, and planned on leaving early anyway, but my ex turned out to be in the bar. That helped give me a push out the door.”
Mia grimaces. “That must have been uncomfortable.”
I shrug. “We broke up months ago, and I’m not still hung up on her, but seeing her out with someone else sucked. I’ve been friends with her since we were kids, and now we don’t even talk.”
Mia’s eyes are full of sympathy. “I’m so sorry.”
“It is what it is. I moved on from being miserable, but there are still those moments when it hits me in the face that I lost her friendship.”
She studies me for a moment. “It’s funny, I’ve never felt that way once about Garrett. I used to think we were friends, but there was a shift in our relationship a long time ago.” Looking down at her coffee cup, she sighs. “I’m not sure why I’m talking to you like this. Lord knows it’s not appropriate.”
“It’s probably because I’m not a creepy guy.”
Mia laughs. “Probably. I really do appreciate your help tonight. Sorry I was such a mess.”
“You’re allowed to be. I’m happy I could help.” I smile.
“I’m glad you did.”
“I’ll give you my number, and you can text me when you want help tomorrow if you like.”
She licks her lips. “Are you sure it’s okay?”
“Seriously, I’d much rather know that you’re not going to get stuck in a dark car park than anything else.”
“You’re a good man, James.”
“I like to think so.” I sigh. “I should probably get going. Before I make a James-shaped indent on your couch.”
She grins. “I think you’re a long way from that. But thank you again.”
“You’re welcome. Give me your number, and I’ll text you mine.”
For a moment she hesitates, but I tap her phone number into my phone when she gives it to me, and her bag buzzes nearby.
“See you tomorrow,” I say.
When she walks me to the door, she looks outside. Is it her ex she’s worried about? Despite our conversation inside, I’m not sure I want to pry.
“Good night, Mia. Make sure you lock the door.” I’m sure she’s well aware of her personal safety, but I feel responsible now I’ve been here.
“I will. Good night.”
For a moment, I take in the sight of her. She’s obviously older than me from what I know of her qualifications and experience. It’s difficult to tell from just looking at her. Her smile lines are beautifully pronounced, and if I had to guess, I’d think she was maybe early thirties. She seems quite delicate, and I don’t know if it’s her manner or whatever she’s been through that makes her so.
Whatever it is, I like it. It makes me feel protective.
But I shouldn’t be feeling this way.
Not about her.
2
James
It’s close to midday when my phone buzzes. I’ve not moved from the couch since I woke up, knowing this was coming. Is it wrong to look forward to this moment? To want to spend more time with Mia?
Mia: The car’s at the garage.
Me: Want me to come and get you?
Mia: I’d appreciate it.
I throw a clean shirt on, and pick up my keys from the coffee table. My heart beats faster at the thought of seeing her again. It shouldn’t, but I can’t help it.
It doesn’t take me long to get over to her place. Before I can get out of the car, Mia comes running from the house. She opens the passenger door and sits, shooting me a dazzling smile that takes my breath away. She’s in tight, dark blue jeans and a crisply ironed white shirt. It’s like her clothes are moulded to her body. It’s distracting.
“Let’s get going.”
I nod. “Sure thing. Just tell me where.”
She gives me an address in Mount Roskill, and I programme it into the GPS of my phone. It’s in a side street of an industrial area, and I’m not familiar with it, but it’s not too far from her home.
“Did they have any issues picking up the car?” I ask.
“Not that I know of. I phoned them and told them where it was. They stopped in and got the keys, and then called me to let me know they had it back at the garage.” She pauses. “How was the rest of your night?”
I shoot a glance at her. “Quiet. I just went home after your place and watched some TV.”
“That’s what I did too. It’s also my plan for tonight.”
I laugh. “Really? Me too.”
She grins. “I want to say thank you for helping me. Want to find a movie to watch tonight? It’s pretty lonely watching by myself, and I’ll supply the popcorn.”
“Are you asking me out, Doctor Scott?”
We pull up to a red light. Her expression’s turned serious.
“I’m kidding, Mia. I’d be happy to watch a movie with you. I’ll only be at home doing the same thing.”
She nods, her lips curling into a smile. “I warn you. I don’t like emotional movies. I’d much rather watch an action film or a comedy.”
“Me too. Sounds like plan. I’ll pay for the pizza.”
She smiles again, and my stomach flips. So much for keeping my cool. “I think that’s fair.”
It is fair. And I’m not going to let myself feel bad about hanging out with her, even when she makes my heart beat faster.
The light goes green, and we go forward. And despite my reassurance that it’s not a date, I like the idea of spending time with her.
Anyone would be a fool not to.
The garage is gross. It’s tucked in behind a bunch of other commercial buildings. It’s so grungy and awful compared to Adam’s place. He’d have a fit if his guys let his workshop look this bad.
“Mrs Scott.” An older man in overalls walks toward her. He gives her a kind smile.
Mia’s not having any of it. “Doctor Scott.”
He nods. “I think it’s going to be a costly repair, love.”
Her face falls.
“Why?” I ask.
The mechanic shifts his gaze to me. “There’s a lot of work that needs to be done. I can itemise it.”
I take a look at his name sewn onto his overalls. “Well, Joe, to me, it looked like just the starter motor. How about replacing that and then we’ll take it from there?”
The older man looks like he’s been slapped. “Know a bit about cars, do you?”
“My brother’s a mechanic. I’ve worked with him.”
He nods, looking me over. “Okay. We’ll get right on that.”
Mia stares at me as the mechanic walks away. “What was that about?”
I smirk. “If they’ve been the ones working
on your car, I suspect that you’ve been paying a lot more for work than you needed to.”
Her mouth falls open. “Really?”
“We’ll see, but if they put in a new starter motor, and it fixes the issue, then I’ll help you find a new mechanic.”
A smile spreads across her face. “Maybe I can ask your brother to look after my car.”
“He’s in Copper Creek. It’d be a bit of a commute.”
Her eyebrows dip. “Where’s Copper Creek?”
I dig out my phone and pull up Google Maps. Her eyes widen as I trace from Hamilton to the east coast of the island, and scroll across the screen to what must look like the middle of nowhere. I guess it is.
“Well, that’s out of the question.” She laughs. “Does he make house calls?”
I laugh. “Not this far.”
“Want us to bill this to the account, Mrs Scott?” the mechanic calls.
Mia straightens up. “Doctor Scott, and no, I’ll be paying for it.”
“You have an account here?” I ask. These guys could have been playing her for years.
She shakes her head. “Garrett does. My ex.”
“Oh, so he’s the one who’s probably been overpaying for services.”
Her cheeks pinken, and she seems to bite down a laugh. “Probably. He took care of it all, but he wouldn’t know a spark plug from a starter motor.”
I grin. “I can teach you that.”
She laughs. “And he said I’d never cope on my own. All I needed was to bump into you.”
“Why would you not cope on your own?”
Her face drops, and she looks away. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Yeah, it does. You’re amazing.”
She looks back at me, her eyes wide.
“I mean, that paper of yours on fermentation changed my life.”
Her eyebrows creep up. “Is this a joke about brewing alcohol and student life?”
“No. I’m serious. I’m interested in agricultural biotechnology, and using fermentation, among other methods, for increased food growth.”
She bites her bottom lip. “Uh-huh.”
“Maybe it’s from growing up in a rural area. Copper Creek is surrounded by farming property with all kinds of different crops.”
“Sounds to me like you could have done well doing botany too.”
I nod. “I thought about going to Otago for that. But I followed a girl …”
She laughs. “I understand.”
We stand in comfortable silence. I like being with her. She’s so easy to talk to. I can’t imagine having conversations like this with any of my lecturers.
“We’ve got the part. Want me to give you a call when it’s done?” Joe calls out.
“That’d be great.” Mia says. She walks over to him, and when she’s done she walks back toward me with a smile.
“I’ll take you home, and bring you back later if you need me to.”
She shakes her head. “I don’t want to put you out.”
“I’m not doing anything else. I’ve got some books in the car so I can do some study.”
For a moment, she looks unsure.
“Doctor Scott, I’m happy to do it.”
“Mia,” she says. “I thought we’d worked that out last night.”
“I’m not sure if I can call you that.”
She laughs. “That’s my name. I don’t know if I can deal with you calling me Doctor Scott if you’re acting as my taxi service.”
“So, you’re accepting my offer to drive you.”
Mia nods. “I’d like that very much.”
I grin. “Let’s get you home, then.”
“I’m starving. If you want to stop somewhere, I’ll grab us some lunch.”
When we get back to her place, she retrieves the garage remote from her bag and presses it. The door swings open.
“Drive in and park here.”
I shoot her the side-eye. “In your garage?”
She licks her lips. “If my ex goes past, it’s better that he doesn’t see a strange car parked in the driveway.”
Confused, I drive forward. Coming to a stop, I turn off the car and pull the keys from the ignition. “Let’s go and eat. I’m starving.”
She grabs the large bag of food that she grabbed from the bakery we stopped at along the way.
“Does your ex drive past here often?” I pick up my books from the back seat.
Mia sighs as we walk the short distance from the garage to the house, flicking a glance toward the road. “He has a habit of turning up whenever he feels like it.”
“I parked on the road last night.” I gape at her. “That’s why you were looking around.”
“To see if I could see his car. His visits are usually during the day, but Garrett can be unpredictable.”
After unlocking the door, she walks into the kitchen and dumps the food bags on the kitchen bench.
“Take a seat in the living room, James, and I’ll plate this and bring it in.”
“Do you need a hand with anything?”
She turns, her eyes widening, and I realise I’ve invaded her personal space. I’m too close. I take a step back.
“No, I’m fine. Unless you want to grab the drinks out of that bag and take them to the living room.” She points at the bag that contains the two bottles of Coke she picked up.
I nod. “I can do that.”
Mia smiles, before looking down. “You have books with you?”
“I thought I could get some studying done while we wait. If that’s okay.”
“I don’t mind. I hope the conversation’s not that boring.”
Laughing, I shake my head. “No, I just need to get some reading in. I work the night shift at a petrol station four days a week, so those nights are out for studying.”
As if it’s hinting, my stomach grumbles, and Mia laughs. “Go sit on the couch and I’ll bring you some food. I’m sure it’ll be easier to read with a full stomach.”
“Yes, boss.”
Her smile lights up the room. “That’s better. Get to work.”
I laugh as I carry the bottles into the living room in one hand, my books under my other arm.
“I’ve got some marking to do anyway, so I’ll go and get that. How long do you think they’ll take to fix this car?”
“Not too long. At least, they shouldn’t. Though, I wouldn’t put it past them to try and drag out the labour charge.”
She smiles. “At least it’s not as bad as it would have been if I hadn’t had you with me.”
“I can’t believe people are so dishonest. I mean, I know it happens, but …”
Mia walks into the room, a plate in each hand. One plate has sausage rolls on it; the other has doughnuts.
“Wasn’t sure if you wanted savoury or sweet.”
“I’m starving. I’ll eat anything.”
She laughs. “Are you still growing at your age?”
“I’m not a teenager anymore.” I roll my eyes, and she just laughs harder.
“I’m going to go and grab my papers. Back in a minute.” She drops the plates on the coffee table and turns. I can’t help watching her leave the room.
Her jeans fit snugly around that beautifully shaped arse. I let out a long, silent breath at the sight of her.
I pick up a sausage roll from the plate and take a bite. My stomach grumbles.
Mia reappears, a pile of papers in hand, which she places on the coffee table. Opening a drawer in the table, she pulls out a glasses case and takes from it a pair of reading glasses. She sits in a nearby chair, kicks off her shoes, and curls up with her feet under her. Plucking a sheaf of paper from the pile, she starts reading.
I can’t take my eyes off her.
Academic Mia is even hotter than she was five minutes ago when she was enjoying-a-quiet-lunch-with-me Mia.
When she reaches the end of the page, she licks her finger. It’s the most erotic thing I think I’ve ever seen. And she has no idea.
She flicks it,
never taking her eyes from the paper. There’s the odd nod, or a murmur of agreement, but other than that she’s engrossed in whoever’s report that is. It stirs something inside me.
It’s not just lust. Although, that’s a big part of it.
I have so much respect for her. Her reputation precedes her. It was a coup for Auckland University to get her as a lecturer. Rumour had it that there was a lot of competition. But part of me wonders how much of that was a sacrifice by her for her marriage.
I’m not sure if her ex realised just how precious she is.
Not just because she’s beautiful, sweet and kind. But because she’s down to earth, humble, and she’s made me feel like more of a man just by being in her presence.
She reaches for a doughnut and takes a big bite, her gaze meeting mine.
There’s a layer of icing sugar around her mouth, and I’m taken by the urge to lick it off.
This isn’t good.
I’m not sure how I’m going to get through this afternoon.
She doesn’t get a call for around three hours.
I’ve distracted myself with my reading, and she’s marked about half the papers she took out. It’s easier if I don’t look at her. Because all I want to do is kiss her.
I carry my books back out to my car and dump them in the back before we drive to the garage.
Joe the mechanic has done the work, and he grimaces as I look over the invoice. But it doesn’t seem that bad.
I get in Mia’s car and start it for her, smiling as it purrs like a kitten. “Sounds good.”
She pays, and I drive back to her place, following her in her car. I pull into the garage beside her.
Her expression is pensive when she gets out of her car. “You saved me a lot of money. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. If you have any more issues, you have my number now too, so call me.”
Her lips curl into a wide smile. “I will. Let’s get inside. Your shout for pizza for dinner, right?”
I laugh. “That’s right.”
“Do you need to go home for anything first? You’ve been here all day.”
Shaking my head, I smile. “No. I’m good.”
“Then let’s work out what we’re getting and find a movie.”