Their Perfect Blend

by Sarah Williams

  Besides, he had a lot on his mind and needed a distraction. Memories of Sloan still managed to creep up and surface when he least expected or wanted them, causing the now familiar bout of anxiety to flood his system. Damn. When would he stop missing her? Missing the life they could have had?

  As he passed the IGA Supermarket, he slowed to scan the cover of the local newspapers displayed in racks out front. His gaze caught on one colourful image. Two women holding trays of food in front of their family restaurant.

  Greer Montgomery and her sister, Freya.

  Damn. Another woman whose memory he couldn’t shake.

  He picked up the paper and studied the image. What was it about Greer he found so fascinating? Sure, she was a talented and creative chef. And gorgeously attractive with those big espresso eyes and chocolate-melting smile.

  He put the paper back on the stand and turned back to the road. The early evening brought with it a bite of cool air and promise of the winter to come. Hamish welcomed it after a day sweating in his roastery. Zipping up the front of his brown leather jacket, he started walking again, imagining the cold, frothy beer that awaited him in the Bunya Bar.

  His phone vibrated with an alert and without thinking, he pulled it from his pocket to check. He tapped his phone to see who the new friend request was from.

  Ompf. He collided with another pedestrian.

  “Crap, you okay?” He placed his hands on her shoulders to steady the woman. “I didn’t see you. Sorry, I was staring at my phone …” His voice trailed off as those espresso eyes came to rest upon him.

  A shy smile curved the edges of her full lips. “I was doing the same.” Her cheeks flushed as she bent to grab her phone from where it lay on the path. “The dangers of the modern age.”

  His hands dropped to his sides as she wiped the screen and slid her mobile into her handbag.

  “Are you okay? Is it damaged?” he asked.

  “No, it’s fine and so am I. Thanks.” She looked up at him and he gulped. His heart thumped a mad tattoo in his chest.

  Her dark hair hung loose around her shoulders, framing her pale face and emphasizing her bright nutmeg gaze. For a moment, he wondered if he could blend a brew to mimic their supreme shade of light and dark chocolate with flecks of gold and nut brown.

  “How’s work?” she asked slowly, breaking the awkward silence between them.

  Hamish thrust his hands, still holding his mobile, into his pocket. “Great, thanks. And you?”

  “Busy.” She looked around them as if noticing her surroundings for the first time. “You heading to the pub?”

  “I am, yeah. Meeting my friend Linc there.” He should say goodbye and leave now. Girls were trouble and he’d had enough of that to last a lifetime.

  But he didn’t want to say goodbye. He wanted to know more about this woman. What music and movies she liked, what her dreams and fears were. Everything.

  So instead he found himself asking, “Would you like to join us?”

  Her slow smile did all sorts of wonderful things to him.

  “I’d love to,” she said, and they set off together, his blood pounding even harder in his chest like he’d just swallowed a double shot of coffee.

  Hamish left Greer at a table while he went to get their drinks. The pub was filling up as locals and tourists filtered in for after-work drinks and dinner.

  Linc leaned against the bar, an eyebrow raised and a grin plastered on his face. “Whoa. You caught yourself a Montgomery, mate! Good on ya.” Linc gave him a hard pat on the back.

  “It’s not like that” Hamish hissed between his teeth.

  He loved his mate. They’d know each other since pre-school days and had always had each other’s back. When Linc had been teased because of his ginger hair, Hamish had been there, putting the bully in his place. After Hamish’s break-up, Linc had been there, helping to pick up the pieces of his shattered heart.

  But his friend had never suffered the way Hamish suffered. He’d never opened his heart to anyone before. “One day you’re going to fall flat on your ass.”

  “Huh?” Linc leaned back.

  “There’s a woman out there who’s gonna knock your feet right out from under you. And I’m gonna be right here watching, enjoying the show.”

  Linc threw his head back and laughed heartily. “Not likely, mate. I know better than to get too close. Just look what happened to you.”

  His friend had a point there. Why would anyone want to risk having their emotions stomped on like that?

  Why would he ever consider being in a relationship again?

  The bartender placed the two glasses of beer in front of Hamish and took the payment.

  He picked them up and turned away from the bar, instantly spotting Greer from across the room.

  Waiting for him.

  His heart skipped a beat. He turned to Linc. “You going to join us?”

  Linc eyed him sceptically. “You need a wingman, or just scared to be alone with her?”

  “Maybe a bit of both,” he muttered.

  Nodding in Greer’s direction, Linc said, “You got this. I’ll come say hi in a bit.”

  Hamish concentrated on taking one step at a time and not spilling the drinks.

  It was just a beer. She was just a woman.

  There were no expectations here.

  Greer watched as Hamish and the town’s local player stood chatting at the bar. Were they discussing her? Greer shifted in her seat. Hamish didn’t strike her as the cocky sort, unless he was after a rebound?

  She tried not to stare as he walked toward her, but she couldn’t help herself. He looked so good in those blue jeans and that brown leather jacket. Damn. It really had a way of bringing out the caramel of his eyes.

  He placed the drinks on the table and slid onto the chair opposite her.

  “Thanks.” She wrapped her fingers around the cool glass and sipped. “This is good.”

  “It’s Linc’s latest. From Sunshine Brew.”

  “That’s right. I forgot he was behind that. He’s into beer and you’re into coffee. That must make for some interesting conversations.” She smiled and took another sip, trying to place all the different flavours. Was that raspberry?

  “Sometimes. He wants to create a coffee-flavoured beer at some point, but we’re both pretty busy doing what we’re doing.”

  “Coffee-flavoured beer?” She screwed up her face. “I don’t know about that.”

  He laughed softly, the husky sound wrapping around her. “You must use coffee in your cooking sometimes.”

  “Yeah, cakes and icing.” She tapped her finger against her lips. “I made espresso martini ice cream once.”

  He leaned in just a fraction closer and she caught a whiff of his scent. It was one of those alluring, manly deodorants from the supermarket. She liked that about him. He wasn’t some hipster who used fancy brands.

  “How did it taste?”

  Her gaze fell to his mouth—full lips surrounded by dark stubble. “What?”

  “The ice cream? How did it taste?”

  She jerked her head up, forcing dirty thoughts from her mind. “Yeah, good.” She took another sip of her beer, this time swallowing several mouthfuls. Remember, Greer, baby daddy, not future husband.

  “Do you come here often?” he asked, his voice suddenly lighter as though he needed the change of direction as much as her.

  She nodded. “Most weeks my family come for trivia night. My rare night off cooking.”

  “Oh, that’s not tonight, is it? Or is your family here?” He turned his head scanning the dining room around them.

  “No, I’m on my own tonight.” She wasn’t about to tell him she’d been looking for him.

  “Meredith told me you were quite the globetrotter before you came home.”

  “Yeah I spent a few years in Paris. I started off as the dishwasher at Le Coq Bressan, near the Champs-Élysées, and slowly worked my way up the ranks to work beside Jonathan Markman.”

  “L
e Coq Bressan! Jonathan Markman!” His enthusiasm was hard to miss.

  “Have you been to Paris and eaten there?” A thrill of excitement travelled through her body. It’d been forever since she’d been able to chat food with anyone who shared her passion.

  “I’ve never left Australia, but I know of him. I’m a bit of a nerd when it comes to food and chefs.”

  “No way.”

  “I follow around a hundred international and local chefs on Instagram. Do you have an account?”

  Greer smiled when Hamish pulled out his phone.

  “Yeah. It’s under @GreerChefAus. I also had the great honour of working as sous-chef for Sofie Dumont in Belgium for a little while.”

  “That is awesome.”

  Greer noticed the slight tremor in Hamish’s hand as he tapped on his phone. There’d been men who’d crossed her path and found her experience intimidating. She hoped Hamish wasn’t one of them.

  “But why come back to Maleny? You obviously had the world in the palms of your hands.”

  Greer shifted in her seat, took a large gulp of beer, then aimed her best attempt at a flirtatious gaze at him. “It’s not the sort of life I wanted to live forever. It’s isolated and super competitive. I came home because, ultimately, this is where my heart is, and—” She paused. Could this be her cue? Her chance to lay out her plan? No, not yet. He might still turn into a crazy person. “I missed my family.”

  “I get that.” He smiled. “I haven’t been to Paris, but I go to Byron Bay and the Atherton Tablelands a lot to pick up coffee beans. They’re beautiful places and there are other great towns, but there’s something special about Maleny. This is home.”

  Hope swelled in her chest. They had that in common. Maybe there were other things too. Like the same family values? Like wanting to be a parent more than anything else in the world?

  “Evening. Mind if I join?” Linc turned his charming smile to her. She returned it and greeted him. If she wanted the low-down on Hamish, who better to ask than his best friend? Linc surely knew all his dirt and secrets.

  Linc pulled up a chair and sat between them. Greer eased into conversation, asking him about his business. Linc happily chatted about his favourite topic for a while before turning the discussion toward her. “How are you enjoying being back? You don’t find Maleny a bit quiet?”

  “Not at all. It’s got that lovely small-town vibe. And who wouldn’t miss the scenery.” She smiled as she thought of the luscious green pastures and spectacular views looking toward the Glass House Mountains in one direction and the beaches and coastline in another.

  “And, of course, all the wonderful people,” Linc said, nodding at Hamish whose cheeks reddened to match the colour of Linc’s hair.

  Greer lifted her glass in a salute. “I missed the people most of all,” she said before taking a sip. “This is amazing by the way.”

  “Thanks,” Linc said, pride deepening his voice. “You should come out and see my set-up some time, have a beer tasting.” He turned to Hamish. “Bring her with you next time you come out.”

  Greer grinned. It was the kind of blatant set-up her sister would suggest and she couldn’t help but find it amusing. “Sounds good. I love supporting local businesses.”

  Greer glanced at Hamish again. He stared at his glass of beer, as if it held all the answers to life’s great questions.

  Someone yelled out Linc’s name and he waved back at them. “Lovely chatting to you, Greer. I hope to see you again soon.” He sent her his charming, Colgate-white smile before sending his friend an encouraging wink, turning, and walking away.

  Alone again, Greer found herself lost for words. She stared at the table, her eyes drifting to where Hamish clutched his glass. He had pushed up the sleeves of his shirt revealing a tattoo on his left arm. Normally she wasn’t a fan of ink—tattoos had become too fashionable to be edgy anymore. Most chefs and cooks she had worked with had them. But on Hamish, they just added to the flavour of his character.

  “Do those mean anything?”

  Hamish looked where she pointed. “Linc and I got matching ones the summer we finished year twelve. We both made it through difficult times and decided to cement our brotherhood in ink.”

  Tentatively, she reached across the table and stretched out her fingers, gently tracing the knots and patterns of the ink marking his forearm. He tensed under her touch and it sent lovely shivers through her, that she could affect him so. She wanted to run her fingers over other parts of his body.

  His rough jaw, lips, neck …

  “So, they’re important to you?”

  “It’s a Celtic symbol which stands for strength.”

  She brought her gaze up to rest on his face.

  “Something both Linc and I needed a lot of in our youth.”

  “And now?” Her questioned lingered in the air between them.

  His Adam’s apple bobbed along his long throat. It was all she could do not to reach over and kiss him.

  “Can I get you another round?” the waitress asked, pausing at their table.

  Greer shook her head when Hamish looked at her. “I have an early start.”

  The more time she spent with him, the more she was sure he was the one she wanted to ask to donate. But this was not the right place to broach the subject. They needed to be alone, or at least somewhere where they weren’t surrounded by friends and familiar faces.

  “I’ll walk you out,” Hamish said as they gathered their coats and belonging.

  Outside, the noises faded into a peaceful quiet and they walked for a moment in silence.

  “I had fun tonight,” Greer said quietly. “We should do it again sometime.”

  He looked at her, his face in shadows by the lamplight. “I’d like that.”

  She paused and turned to him, seizing the opportunity. If he wouldn’t ask her out, then there was nothing stopping her. “How about Saturday night? We could go out for dinner?”

  His eyes widened like he was surprised she was serious. Why wouldn’t she be? Did he not know how attractive she found him?

  “Yeah, okay. Sounds good.”

  “Great.” She pulled out her phone. “What’s your number?”

  He recited it to her, his voice growing more confident with each digit. She sent him a quick text so he had hers.

  “This is me.” She pointed to her car as they approached. “Do you need a ride?”

  “No, mine’s just around the corner.”

  She stopped in front of her car, grateful for the light of the full moon in the clear sky above them. It was suddenly so romantic, just the two of them, really alone for the first time. He must have felt it to, because he stepped even closer toward her.

  He was so near, his body heat warmed her right through to her bones. Then he leaned in and kissed her goodnight like it was the most natural thing in the world. Her skin tingled, and she swallowed hard.

  It might have been a kiss on the cheek, but a kiss was a kiss and it only made her crave more. Need more.

  “I’ll see you on Saturday.” His husky voice was full of promise.

  “I can’t wait.”

  A dazzling smile lit his face, and Greer’s lips twitched in response.

  He turned and started to walk away. She watched, appreciating the sway of his hips.

  “Goodnight, Greer Montgomery,” he called out as though he knew she was still watching him.

  She giggled to herself before turning to her car.

  Oh yes, Hamish would do very nicely.

  Chapter 5

  The night of their date, Hamish showered and changed into his nicest going out clothes, even stopping to spray on some of the expensive aftershave Sloan had once bought him.

  Not thinking about her tonight. He slid behind the wheel of his ute and drove the short distance to Emerald Hills.

  Thoughts of Greer had been distracting him from his work ever since their last meeting. The very next day she had texted him and set up this date. He had asked to choose the rest
aurant and make the booking, insisting on it being a surprise.

  He had never been with a woman like Greer before and he would have to take her somewhere special. She was used to fine dining. He had to impress her if he wanted to keep seeing her. And he did want to keep seeing her. He liked how easily they’d chatted and how she made him feel. Not just hot under the collar, but like she was really interested in him.

  And why was she into him anyway?

  She was gorgeous, incredibly talented, and well-travelled. She’d seen more, done more, and achieved more than he ever would. He was just a small-town guy who lived a quiet existence, doing what he loved.

  He pulled up in front of the white weatherboard Queenslander and paused before killing the engine. Golden light streamed out of the various wide windows and the sounds of laughter and conversation were muffled on the breeze.

  He climbed out, straightened his shirt, and turned to the back of his ute.

  Herc sat, tail thumping the metal tray, staring at his master with big hopeful eyes. Most times the dog would stay at home, but he’d chosen tonight to act up. In the end, Hamish had given in and allowed his faithful companion to sit on the back of his ute.

  He reached his hand out and gave Herc a good neck scruff. “Wish me luck, mate.”

  He turned his head back to the house just as Greer closed the door behind her and climbed down the long staircase. They locked eyes and suddenly his heart was slamming against his ribs. His palms itched, and his body tightened in a way that reminded him it had been too long since he’d been with a woman.

  “Hi.” The word tumbled out of his mouth as Greer approached him. She wore a colourful cotton dress which cinched in at the waist and finished mid-thigh. “You look amazing.”

  “Thanks.” She smiled and waved her hand at him. “Look at you. You scrub up nicely.”

  He squirmed a little under her intense inspection, then reminded himself he was trying to impress her. “I’m glad you approve.”

  Herc let out a single, deep bark and Greer’s brows shot up in surprise.

  “Sorry. He was adamant about tagging along tonight,” Hamish said, giving the dog another scratch. “But he’s promised to be on his best behaviour.”