by Kris Pearson
Jason grimaced as he strode back to them. “I expect most of Scarlet Bay already knows. And I’m serious, Eddie. Don’t tell Hoolie what Anna and I were up to. He knows she stayed the night here because the plumbing got wiped out at her place, but he doesn’t need to know any more. I might have another job for him anyway.”
Eddie lowered the end of his fishing rod onto the gravel. “Sounds like decent enough ammo to keep my mouth closed. More building?”
“Yeah, definitely. But this is something extra. Might make use of his techie skills. Do something with the birds on another website. See if we can sell a few photos.”
The old boy nodded. “Kapai! Sounds like his sort of thing. Always playing with that damn telephone and the computer.” He lifted his rod again. “So you’ll be at the old house later? Tide’s right for pipis. I’ll hitch a ride and bring you some for lunch. Keep your strength up,” he added with a lascivious wink, turning to amble back to the beach.
“Hmmm, cat out of bag,” Anna murmured once he was out of earshot.
Jason dropped a kiss on her hair. “He can keep a secret. Especially if he thinks there’s something in it for Hoolie. And we’d better move, because the plumber’ll be there in a few minutes.”
*
He drove fast, roaring along the straight pieces of highway, slowing only for occasional bends. The sun blazed a trail of diamonds across the sea, making every wave-edge sparkle as the water surged skyward. “Great day for their carnival,” he yelled over Prince’s ‘Raspberry Beret’, both hands on the steering wheel as they hurtled along. “Geez, I forgot how much I liked this one.” He slapped one palm up and down in time with the music.
“Are you going to stop at the house first?” Anna asked.
He tweaked the volume lower. “Yeah, just to get Devon going. Then it’ll be straight to the yard. Do you want to collect anything?”
“I’ll stay here if you’re going to be quick.” She opened the glovebox and retrieved the cap. “Better get my disguise on.”
He shook his head, and slowed as they reached the speed-limit sign. “The guys know you stayed with me.”
“But not the nosy neighbours,” she said, twisting her hair up and cramming the cap on top to hold it in place.
Jason lifted one hand from the steering wheel and clamped it around her thigh. “I don’t want to make things difficult for you, Frosty. I’ll be off-site in another couple of days, so that should help the situation.”
Anna mock-scowled at him. “It’s nobody’s business except ours.”
He relaxed his grip on her and ran his fingers to and fro on her leg. “You wish. But you have your family arriving, I have the contract still up in the air. We should at least pretend to keep our distance until that’s sorted.”
Nodding slowly, she said, “As long as it’s only ‘pretend’.” She reached for the sunglasses. “Because I’d really like some more of what happened this morning.”
He turned to look at her, and found her bright blue eyes now hidden behind the dark lenses. “More running on the beach? More mutual showering? More…?” He braked and drew to a halt across the road from the old cottage.
She interrupted with half a laugh. “Yes, definitely more of that. I mean - as you said - this is only a short-term thing, so let’s make it as intense as possible.”
He saw the set of her chin, the way she pressed her lips together. And had to guess from those small signs how she really felt. Slightly pissed off, his intuition told him. It didn’t often let him down, and what was that about him saying it would only be a short-term thing? He could have sworn it had been her.
Yeah… rich girl, judge’s daughter, famous family. And him… every penny tied up in his house and business, son of a drunk, unfortunate background. He saw all too clearly why she viewed their situation that way, no matter how strongly they seemed drawn together in the short term. Okay, if she wanted intense, he’d give her intense. Maybe he’d give her a few days so intense they’d self-combust. For sure she wouldn’t forget them. And neither would he.
Mindful that the day was warming up and the windows were electric, he opened them part way for her before killing the engine. His to protect - for now.
*
Five minutes later he loped back across the road and restarted the van. “Sorry, babe. Had to get the plywood off so Devon had some light.” He looked over at her. So damn gorgeous, even with her bright eyes hidden and her hair pulled up.
The diamonds winked in her ears - yet another reminder of how far apart they were in the real world.
“No worries,” she said. “How bad is the rest of the bathroom? I couldn’t see much yesterday with the wall blocked up. I grabbed a handful of stuff from the top of the vanity and got out fast.”
Jason reached across and ran the back of his fingers down her jaw. “As bad as possible. The shed shunted the bath against the shower box, and that crunched up and fell over. If you’d been in either of them we could have lost you.”
She pulled the sunglasses down and stared at him. “Oh surely not!”
“I’m not taking bets on it, Frosty. It was bad enough seeing you covered in blood. The thought of you broken to bits isn’t doing much for me.”
She held his gaze for a few seconds longer and then smiled grimly. “Me either.”
He accelerated away, driving slowly until they’d passed the busiest strip of the beachfront. Bright red traffic cones divided the road from the long line of tents and vehicles. Sweet and savoury aromas drifted through the van’s open windows from the stalls and food trucks set up for the surf carnival crowd.
“Smells like lunch,” Jason said, inhaling.
“I thought Eddie was bringing you pipis?”
“Not my all-time favourites, but Hoolie and Brett will gallop through them.”
She looked across at the waves. “I guess you’d rather be out there than patching up my bathroom?”
“The beach is mine most days of the year. Right now, a morning spent with you sounds pretty good to me.”
Anna wrinkled her nose. “Yes, but it won’t be a morning spent with me, will it? It’ll be a morning spent working hard on a job you shouldn’t have to do. A job your father should have taken responsibility for.”
“And pigs might fly,” he said. “Don’t worry about it.” He sent her a hint of a grin. “Racking up brownie points here. Might help me get the rest of the contract.”
Anna pinched his arm and then turned it into an affectionate caress. “Because you want the work or because you want to beat your father to it?”
“Both,” he said after a short silence. He drew another long, slow breath. “It’s always good to have the team busy. To keep the money coming in. But it would kill me to lose out to Dad. I put everything into that job.”
His phone rang and he squinted at the caller’s name. “Hools? Whassup? You’re on speaker and I’ve got someone here.”
Anna listened as the boy said, “Boss, you coming in today? Only… someone had a go at the house last night.”
“Bastards!” Jason exclaimed. “How bad?” He glanced in the rear-view mirror, swung onto the shoulder of the road, and braked.
“Coulda been worse,” Hoolie said. “The back door’s munted but I scared them off.”
“What the fuck were you doing there? What time was this? Are you okay?”
Anna leaned closer and rubbed his arm again.
Hoolie gave a dirty chuckle that sounded just like his old uncle. “Yeah. Yeah, I’m fine. Only I knew Anna wasn’t staying there ‘cos of the bathroom, so Miri and I made a little camp up the back in the trees and kept watch.”
Jason rolled his eyes. “Got into each other’s pants, more likely.”
“Yeah, she’s way hot,” Hoolie agreed, unabashed. “But after the tavern closed we heard someone drive in beside the bottom house, and come up the steps.”
“And?” Jason’s tone was lethal.
“Well it mighta been you, so I listened. Someone starting cracking t
he door open, so it wasn’t. I chucked a brick and he ran for it. I got him fair and square. There’s blood on the door.”
Anna clapped a hand over her mouth to stifle her shocked laughter.
“Jesus! You did good, Hools. And you’re sure you’re not hurt? He didn’t come back for you again?”
Hoolie let loose another of Uncle Eddie’s chuckles. “No worries, Boss. But the door’s buggered. And the brick made a ding in the deck when it landed. Sorry.”
“Least of my worries,” Jason said, running his fingers back through his hair. “Can you take some photos of it? Don’t disturb anything. I’ll call the cops.”
“Already done. In case you weren’t coming in.”
“Just on my way to the demo yard to get that window. I’ll come back now.”
“Nah - keep going. It’s all okay. Me and the boys took care of it.”
Jason glanced at Anna. “Be back by smoko time then. Bye Hools - and thanks.” He disconnected. “The boys,” he repeated. “The ‘boys’ are twice his age.”
“So whose good work do we think it was?”
“Not Dad, but Stevo or Bazza would be high on my list.”
“Don’t jump to conclusions,” she said. “Maybe they can get DNA from the blood and settle it that way.”
“For a damaged door?” He shook his head, checking the road was clear before pulling out again.
“Fingerprints then?” Anna suggested. “They can’t have got far inside or the alarm would have gone off. I suppose it was on?”
“Set it myself before I came down and collected you. They probably didn’t get inside at all if Hoolie was able to bop them with the brick.”
She started to laugh. “Thank goodness for sex. I guess he was there for that, far more than guard duty?”
“I’d put money on it,” Jason said, the corner of his mouth hooking up. “He’s a good kid though.” He reached for Anna’s hand as they roared along the sunlit road. “Mentioning the evidence left behind will give me great pleasure. Might get someone running scared. Now we just need to find you a window.”
*
By two o’clock the window was in, the old shower box that had been knocked drunkenly to the wet floor had been re-installed, the water ran hot and cold again, and the outside wall had been patched with planks and plywood. The police had visited, asked questions, and taken notes.
Anna’s good intentions to sort out toys had been somewhat disrupted by the amazing weather and the attractions of the surf carnival. She crossed the road several times to watch the big boats crashing through the breakers and sometimes capsizing, flinging oars and rowers into the water. Music blared, announcements about lost dogs and lost children crackled out between race results, and the food-trucks did a roaring trade.
She brought back hotdogs at lunchtime for the men, and chose a mauve and blue tie-dyed T-shirt for herself from a stall where a woman in gypsy earrings gave readings from tarot cards arranged on a fringed tablecloth. Sorting through second-hand china in a charity tent produced a few cheap cups and saucers to replenish the kitchen cupboards. And she made more coffee for Jason than he had any chance of drinking.
The men at Trev’s house had been onsite for the morning. She’d kept a keen eye on them, looking for any sign of injuries that might have been caused by a flying brick, but discovered nothing. No-one was moving fast though. They seemed to be having a leisurely clean-up outside, getting ready for landscaping.
“Want to give your new bathroom a test drive?” Jason asked once they were finally alone.
Anna grimaced at the unlovely surroundings. “I like yours better. Were you - we - planning to do anything this evening?”
“I was planning to do you. Several times, with any luck.”
She bounced up onto her toes and smacked a quick kiss onto his smirk. “It better not be here. I met Essie over on the beach and she started asking questions about you. How much longer you’d be working on the house, and so on.”
“Nosy old biddy. Come to my place. Stay the night. I don’t like the thought of you being here on your own anyway.”
“That’s going to leave the new house vulnerable again. What if ‘whoever’ comes back?”
Jason thrust his hands deep into the pockets of his shorts and tightened his mouth. “They’ll be out of luck. Sarge Donaldson will be around with all the extra visitors. Said he’d keep half an eye on things over here. And I had a word to Bill Hughes a few houses along. Retired cop - I went to school with his son. He’s itching for some action. Probably have binoculars on the place all night.”
“Thelma’s husband,” Anna murmured. “She gave me the roses. She said they came walking in this direction most evenings. It felt like she was hinting to see inside.”
“Over to you, but why not? Make them feel invested in the place?”
A noisy car roared by, and Anna raised her voice to be heard over it. “I’ll pop down and see if she’s home. I was wondering…”
He kinked an eyebrow.
“…if you wanted to drive as far as Wellington. I could do with a few extra clothes, and I’ve got spare plates I could bring back instead of buying more.” She leaned against him, pressing her face against his chest and enjoying the scent of his skin. “The shower in my apartment isn’t big enough for two,” she murmured. “But the bed is a king-size, so you’d fit there perfectly.”
“I seem to recall I fit pretty well whether we’re in bed or not.”
“You fitted pretty well against the van, that’s for sure,” she said, sending him a naughty grin.
“Couldn’t do that in central Wellington.”
She snorted at the unlikely possibility. “Tomorrow we could stop by your gallery. I’d love to see what it looks like so I can imagine your exhibition.” She gnawed at her bottom lip. “I guess we won’t be in touch by then…?”
CHAPTER 15 – CITY TRIP
Jason swallowed, and she saw his Adam’s apple bob up and down. “Send you an invitation to the opening?” he offered.
She looked away. “Speaking of invitations, I’ll go and see if Thelma and Bill want a quick house tour. Back soon.” And she dived out the door.
God, why had she said that about being in touch? It made her sound clingy and interested. And she couldn’t be interested.
Last night, when he’d talked about Cam and himself, he’d said “things to finish” as though they both had big schemes under way and no time for anything else. And fair enough - he was only thirty-two, and Cam much the same. It might be years before either of them wanted to settle down.
No, she and Jason wouldn’t be in touch by the time his exhibition opened, but she knew she’d sneak along a couple of days after the opening and admire his photos anyway. Just to be a small part of his life again.
*
Jason stretched, easing the kinks out of his long arms and legs. They’d intended to grab a quick shower and hit the road, but one thing had led to another, and here they were showing off to the birds again - making love in the late afternoon sunshine with the summer air flowing in over them. “You awake?” he murmured.
“Only just.” She turned and rubbed her cheek on his bicep. “You still want to go?”
“Yeah, why not? See where you live, grab your clothes and those plates. Get a meal somewhere…”
“No fresh food at home. We could send out for something?” She licked his flat brown nipple, swirling her tongue around it and sending a slippery message southward.
He groaned in mock protest, thinking about dinner. Was she being cautious, or didn’t she want to be seen with him? Suddenly it was important to lay claim to her in some public way, even if only briefly. He wouldn’t be recognised. He rarely drove the hour and a half down to Wellington, and then it was mostly to prowl pubs and dark clubs with Cam. “I’ll take you out,” he insisted. “Somewhere nice. We can’t do it in Scarlet Bay until things are settled, but we can do it there.”
She raised her head from his chest and wriggled into a sitting posi
tion. “Huh? A real date this time?”
“It was a real date last time,” he said, running a hand down her spine, and pausing to caress each bump. “Food, wine, company - that was the deal, remember?”
“Food, wine, company,” she repeated with a soft smile. “And they were good fish’n’chips, too. Okay then. So we’d better get moving.”
A few minutes later Jason carried his sports bag out and stowed it with hers. Anna had left her bag at his house as though she might be staying a second night, and that had given him a ridiculous surge of satisfaction.
He’d packed the basics. Shaver, toiletries, spare socks, jocks and T-shirt. Wore his newest dark jeans and grabbed his leather jacket. Wellington wasn’t that formal - right?
He had no idea where they’d end up, but he knew it was beyond time he aimed for more class. Time he looked like someone with a successful business, staff, and a forthcoming exhibition. A man well on the way to where he’d once craved to be, instead of a beach bum on a surfboard.
A man who looked worthy of wining and dining Ms Annaliese Wynn.
“You want to stop at the cottage again?” he asked as she walked toward him, picking her way gracefully over the stones in pretty sandals. He silently vowed to get at least part of the parking area sealed.
“No, I’ll have anything else I need at the apartment.”
He shut the side cargo door and held out his hand because he liked touching her. It gave him a kick every time she accepted because he knew she needed no help. As soon as he’d boosted her up onto the seat he burgled some of the cherry gloss from her lips, then held still for her as she reached out and wiped it off his mouth with her finger.
“Suits me better than you,” she said, “and we’ll have to take our chances with dinner. Half of Wellington will be out on a fine Saturday night so close to Christmas.” She latched her seatbelt as he closed the door.
“There’ll be somewhere in Courtenay Place,” he said, swinging himself up onto the driver’s seat. He and Cam had sometimes grabbed food at the wall-to-wall cafes and restaurants there.
She rummaged in her purse and pulled out her phone. “Or…” she said, biting the tip of her tongue as she concentrated on tapping out a text and then sending him a cheeky smile.