I resisted scowling and tried to smile instead. This weekend was supposed to be about Christa, not me. “No. I’m not worried at all, because I really like James too. And as I told you before, I do not have a thing for Dave, and he doesn’t have feelings for me. It’s a professional relationship.”
I rounded my shoulders and walked out the door, leaving my girlfriends behind in my bedroom.
“Well, one thing’s for sure,” I heard Scarlett say when I reached the front door. “It’s going to be a very interesting weekend.”
Chapter 20
By the time I reached the foyer of the apartment complex my heart was pounding rapidly in my chest. It had absolutely nothing to do with the fact that I was about to see Dave again and everything to do with being angry with my girlfriends, I told myself. Honestly, where did they get off? They weren’t concerned at all. They just liked to see me get all worked up. Alright, well maybe not Christa, she was probably genuinely concerned. But Scarlett? She might be one of my closest friends but I swear she enjoyed seeing me uncomfortable.
I exited the building and looked for the cars.
“Oh,” I said to myself.
You couldn’t miss them. The three cars were parked in a line across the road from my building. They gleamed in the sunlight and were even more gorgeous outside, if that was possible. Pedestrians walking by were stopping to look and I noticed the hood of the Corvette was up. I recognized Max’s dark hair but the rest of him was obscured by the shiny, red bonnet. There appeared to be a group of men gathered around the Corvette, so I took the opportunity to cross the road unnoticed and walk toward the Mustang.
“Caty! Here, let me help you with that.”
I blinked as Bear rushed to my side and took my bag from me.
“What are you doing here?” I asked a little rudely. “Sorry, I mean, I wasn’t expecting to see you today.”
Bear ushered me onto the pavement and opened the Mustang so he could put my bag in. “Wortho – I mean Dave – needed someone to drive the cars here. Bones is over there engine gazing with the rest of them and Wally is going to drive us home.” He pointed to Wally sitting in a more average looking sedan behind us.
Wally grinned and waved.
I smiled and waved back.
Bear closed the boot of the Mustang gently and I had a feeling he’d been briefed by Dave beforehand about how to handle Sally. He turned and looked me up and down.
I raised my eyebrows at him. “What?”
“Sorry, not perving,” he said. “I’m just disappointed I won’t get to see you in your dress.”
I burst out laughing. “I don’t know whether to find that sweet or disturbing.”
Bear grinned. “Sweet, definitely sweet. I want to see some pictures, alright?”
“I’m sure there will be lots of pictures,” I promised him.
“I hope you’re not harassing the lady,” said a deep voice.
I swung around to face Dave and felt myself redden. Oh God, he didn’t think I was flirting with Bear, did he?
“Nah,” said Bear. “No more than usual anyway.”
Dave shook his head at his friend. Today he wore faded jeans molded to narrow hips and a white t-shirt that highlighted his broad shoulders. He was wearing a black cap and held a pair of sunglasses in his hand. The hat made him look boyish, if that was possible for someone who exuded masculinity constantly. I remembered our conversation about the chauffeur’s hat and looked away. Then I recalled the conversation not five minutes earlier with Christa and Scarlett and cleared my throat self-consciously.
“Sorry, Cate,” said Dave, mistaking my discomfort for offense at Bear’s earlier comments. “I needed someone to help me drive the cars over here.”
“It was nice of them to help out,” I said.
“See?” Bear said. “She thinks I’m nice.”
“Yeah, yeah. She hasn’t had the pleasure of knowing you first thing in the morning after a heavy night on the drink, has she?” Dave pointed out.
Bear frowned and shifted from one foot to the other. “I’m not that bad, am I?”
“We call you Bear, remember?”
I laughed. “Sorry, Bear. I’m not laughing at you. Not really.”
“Yeah, well just wait until you see this guy all dressed up in a suit, then tell me that’s not funny,” he muttered.
My eyes met Dave’s and a frisson of something hot and sharp flared between us. Shocked, I forced myself to breathe and gestured to the Corvette. “You’ve met Max, I take it?”
Dave focused on the Corvette while he repositioned his cap. “Yeah, we’ve met. Nice guy.”
I figured that was a seal of approval as far as Dave was concerned.
“He’ll be careful with her,” I said.
Dave nodded. “What do you know about James?”
“James?” I squeaked.
Dave gave me a funny look. “Yeah. I haven’t had a chance to meet him yet and I’m hoping Layla will be in good hands.”
“Oh, right. Of course. You can trust James. He’s not the type to do anything stupid,” I assured him, while internally telling myself to get a grip.
“Is that the guy you’ve been dating?” Bear asked.
Alright, no hope of getting a grip now. I turned to Bear, probably looking a bit like a deer in the headlights. “What? Who told you that?”
Bear shrugged. “I heard Max mention it earlier. Said you were paired up together on the bridal party and that you’d been on a few dates.”
I licked my lips and tried to formulate an answer. I dared a glance at Dave and wished I hadn’t. He was staring directly at me, an unreadable expression on his face. I looked back at Bear. “Yeah, something like that,” I said casually. “He’s just moved out here from the UK so I’ve been showing him around.”
“Oh, showing him around. Damn. Why didn’t I think of that?” Bear mused.
“No!” I cried, then clamped a hand over my mouth. I wasn’t sure why, but I looked at Dave again. His eyes were laughing at me. “Not like that,” I told both of them.
“That’s coz you’re a good girl, Caty.” Bear reached over and put an arm around my shoulders. “You’re saving yourself for the right guy, aren’t you?”
I decided to just relax and go with it because hopefully it would get the conversation off me and James. I put a friendly arm around his waist. “And who do you think that might be?”
“Well, I hear there’s this super nice guy looking for someone—”
“Yeah, alright. That’s enough, Bear. Leave Cate alone, would you? How about you help her girlfriends with their bags?” Dave pointed across the street to where Scarlett and Christa were coming out of the glass entrance doors with their suitcases.
Bear quickly extracted his arm. “Sure thing.”
He rushed across the road, dodging some cars as he went.
“He’s not going to have much luck,” I told Dave. “One’s the bride and the other’s taken.”
“That probably won’t worry him.”
We laughed and watched as Bear offered to help them. In his unique style obviously, because I saw Christa smile and Scarlett give him an unimpressed look.
“I’m sorry he keeps calling you Caty,” Dave said.
I blinked and turned back to him. “Oh, don’t worry about it. It’s fine. He was probably drunk when I asked him not to and he’s forgotten.”
“I thought you didn’t like it? I can ask him again if you want.”
“I don’t. Well, at least I didn’t, but you know what? It’s not as bad as I remember.”
“It suits you.”
“It does?”
Our eyes met again. They were the sort of eyes a woman wanted on her, I realized. And I needed to get my head checked. I tried to bring the image of James’ eyes to mind, and their cool, calm blue. Nope. It was no good. As far as eyes went, Dave’s won, hands down.
“Yeah,” he said, and I had to force myself to remember what we were talking about. “Do you like it?”
<
br /> “Caty?” I asked, struggling to keep up with the conversation. He was cleanly shaven today and his strong jawline looked so smooth I imagined what it would be like to run my hand over it. “I have mixed feelings about it,” I said, finally managing to focus. “It fits with the sweet, romantic Cate image which I’m not mad about.”
“The sweet, romantic Cate image?”
“Yeah, just ask my girlfriends. They’ll tell you I’m their perpetual silver lining girl. Actually, don’t ask them. Promise me you won’t?” I was prepared to beg.
“I won’t,” he said, amused. “What’s wrong with being sweet, romantic Cate anyway?”
“Oh, I don’t know. Everything? Imagine if all my clients thought of me as sweet Cate? That’s not going to go down well. Very professional.”
“I’m your client.”
My eyes widened. Somehow I’d forgotten that, even if it was just for one second. “Yes, you are. And I’m betting sweet isn’t a quality you’re looking for in a planner.”
His lips twitched. “Oh, I don’t know. If it means you’re pleasant …”
Oh my God, was he teasing me? If this was Dave teasing me, my entire body certainly thought so. Heart pounding? Tick. Labored breathing? Tick. A tightness in my stomach that extended to other regions …
“Who’s pleasant?”
Scarlett arrived next to the Mustang. Obviously she’d refused to let Bear help her with her luggage.
“Cate is,” Dave said smoothly.
Scarlett rolled her eyes. “So pleasant. No idea how the woman maintains such a positive attitude, working in accounting of all things.”
“Financial planning,” Dave corrected.
Scarlett smiled. “That’s right, you must be Dave. Cate’s client and owner of these gorgeous cars. I’m Scarlett. Not so pleasant, just in case you were wondering.”
Dave laughed.
“Sorry,” I said. “I should have warned you. You’ll get to discover the true depths of her unpleasantness during the journey.”
“I’ll do my best,” Scarlett promised, giving us a wink.
It was going to be a very long trip.
Chapter 21
Ava was being fussy so Maddy was late arriving and it took us another hour before we were on the road. Paul was going to follow in his own car with Ava, and John was traveling with them too.
Fortunately I was saved from any awkward moments between Dave and James because the focus was on getting the cars packed. Max also took the initiative of introducing James to Dave to vouch for his driving ability which was a relief.
Conversation was limited during the drive out of Sydney. Maddy and Scarlett were sitting in the back because they’d generously given me the seat next to Dave in the front. There was a downside to a convertible after all. The traffic noise made conversation between our group difficult but, still slightly dazzled by Sally, I was content to sit in the front and watch the world go by.
The houses in the outlying suburbs of the city started to give way to national parkland. We’d decided to take the longer, more scenic route down the coast to enjoy the cars. It would mean weaving through deep valleys and across the steep ridges overlooking a vast expanse of native Australian bushland. On the horizon we could see glimpses of the ocean as we made our way toward Wollongong, the closest regional city south of Sydney.
“So now’s probably a good time to give me the run-down on your friend’s elopement,” Dave suggested.
I turned to face him. I’d been trying hard to concentrate on the scenery instead of his tanned, powerful forearms as he drove Sally.
“Sure,” I said, happy for the distraction. In typical Cate fashion I gave him the extended version, complete with backstory.
“So Christa’s been proposed to before, called off a previous engagement and ran before another guy could ask her?” Dave asked when I was finished. “And that doesn’t include the guy she ran from in Paris because he actually managed to propose first?”
“You make it sound awful!”
The hint of a smile touched Dave’s lips. “You’re telling the story.”
I wished I could see his eyes but they were hidden by his sunglasses. “I happen to think it’s a romantic story. After all that, Christa ended up with Max.”
“They’re not married yet.”
I stared at him open-mouthed. His response was a low chuckle, which I felt deep in my belly.
“Am I ruining your romantic outlook on things?”
“No one could ruin Cate’s romantic outlook on things,” Scarlett piped up from the back.
“You’re right, Scarlett. I still hold out hope you and John might get married.”
I felt a tap on my shoulder from behind me. “What’s this on my finger then?”
I twisted in my seat to see Scarlett holding up her hand. Her stunning black diamond ring shone in the sunlight and made me glad I was wearing sunglasses.
“That’s John’s way of saying he wants to marry you!”
“And I’m wearing the ring, aren’t I?” Scarlett dropped her hand into her lap and twisted the ring around her finger. “We’re as good as married as far as I’m concerned.”
I turned back around. “As you’ve probably gathered, Scarlett is less traditional.”
“And I’m guessing you’re more traditional?” Dave asked.
“She’s the most traditional of all of us,” Scarlett spoke loudly over the hum of the engine. “At one point we might have said Maddy was traditional but that was before she had a shotgun wedding.”
“Thanks, Scarlett,” I heard Maddy say from behind Dave. “It wasn’t quite like that.”
“Yeah, but getting knocked up sped things up.”
I shook my head.
“Cate’s not saving herself for marriage though, in case you’re wondering,” Scarlett yelled to Dave.
I suppressed a sigh. How many more hours did we have to go? I sneaked a sideways look at Dave and cursed his sunglasses again. He was watching the road ahead of us.
“Good to know,” he replied easily.
I ignored a shiver as it raced through my body. “Tell me,” I said to Dave, because talking would make me feel better, “are we one of your more entertaining bridal parties?”
“Depends on your definition of entertaining. One time I had to stop the car to prevent a brawl between two bridesmaids. That was fun.”
“No!” I cried.
“Awesome,” I heard Scarlett say.
“Did you manage to stop them?” I asked.
Dave shrugged. “I think so. I drove off to make a point. By the time I came back they were talking to each other again and were a lot nicer.”
“You drove off?”
“Yeah. Spoiled princesses. I didn’t give a shit if they beat each other up, I just didn’t want blood on my seats.”
Scarlett burst out laughing and I heard Maddy’s quieter laughter too.
“Glad to know you’ve got your priorities straight,” I said, pitying the woman who came between Dave and his cars.
“Any other juicy stories?” Scarlett asked.
Dave tapped his thumb on the steering wheel thoughtfully. “Aside from a few keen bridesmaids, I discovered a bridesmaid and the groom in my car during the reception.”
I wanted to ask him to define ‘keen bridesmaids’, but Maddy spoke first.
“You mean they were doing something they weren’t supposed to?” she asked diplomatically.
“I don’t care whether or not they were supposed to. Blood, bodily fluids – they’re all the same. They don’t come into contact with this car’s interior as far as I’m concerned.”
I didn’t need to turn around to know that Scarlett was hyperventilating with laughter behind me.
I let out a very unladylike giggle and put a hand to my mouth to cover it up. “Not part of the car hire agreement, huh?”
“Damn straight.”
“Does that mean you’ve never done it in this car?” Scarlett asked.
“Sca
rlett!” I shrieked.
“Oh come on, it sounds like he’s had the opportunity to with bridesmaids throwing themselves at him.”
And I’d been trying really hard not to think about that.
Dave shook his head. “Not that it’s any of your business, but no.”
“That’s a waste. This car is awesome.”
“So,” I said, eager to move on to more appropriate topics of conversation. “Now that we’ve established we’re relatively tame customers, I can give you the run-down on what’s happening with the ceremony and the photography tomorrow.”
“Boring,” Scarlett interrupted. “It’s time Dave showed us what this baby can do.”
“Dave’s very responsible,” I told Scarlett.
“Um, Cate?” Maddy said. “You’ve not spent much time around men and cars, have you?”
I turned to face Maddy. “Why do you say that?”
“You haven’t seen Max drive, have you?”
“I’ve been in the car with him one or two times,” I replied. “I thought he was a good driver.”
Maddy frowned. “Put him on a racetrack and the red mist descends.”
I turned back to Dave. “What’s she talking about?”
The way his mouth curled was both sinister and sexy, and a little out of character. “The red mist? I try to avoid it these days.”
“Huh?”
He shrugged. “It generally gets you into trouble.”
“How?”
He nodded toward the road up ahead. “See the turns coming up?”
I wasn’t given a chance to reply because he pressed down on the accelerator. Sally leapt forward like a beast unleashed and swallowed the road with a hunger that bordered on terrifying.
Scarlett let out a whoop of joy and I gripped the seat, my knuckles turning white. Sal met the first corner with a throaty growl akin to a battle cry and I was pushed back into my seat as Dave guided her through the bend with a precise efficiency. As soon as we were out of the bend, another one was upon us with frightening speed.
Come on, Caty. Let’s go for a ride. You know you want to.
Shock speared through me at the voice in my head. It was from a different time. A different place.
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