by Clare Revell
****
“You are mad, you know that.” Pip’s voice echoed in her ear, along with her loud laugh. “Absolutely certifiable.”
Jo grinned. “Probably.” She picked up the phone and dialed.
“Hello?”
Jo didn’t recognize the voice, but put two and two together. “Mrs. Connington?”
“Yes. Who’s speaking?”
“It’s Jo, from Australia. John’s friend.”
“Hello, dear. John’s at work right now, I’m afraid.”
“I hoped he would be. I wanted to speak to you. It’s kind of awkward, actually. You know my housemate, Pip, is coming to stay next week?”
“Yes.”
A sudden wave of nerves assailed her. What if she said no? “I’ve managed to get a seat on the same flight, and I was wondering if I could stay with you as well. Without John knowing. I want to surprise him.”
“Of course, you can stay here. You’re both welcome to stay for as long as you like.”
Jo smiled and gave Pip a thumbs-up. Her smile turned into a grin at the small jump of joy that Pip did. “Thank you. The flight lands on the fifteenth at eleven in the morning.”
“John will be there. He was collecting Pip. When do you fly home?”
“January third. I hope it won’t be a problem...”
“Nonsense. You’re more than welcome to stay.” The joy in her voice echoed down the phone.
Jo’s heart sang. “Thank you so much. And please, don’t say anything to John.”
“I won’t.”
****
For the next week, John raced home from work to check his e-mail, eager to read what Jo had planned for the day. In the mornings when he woke, there was one telling him what she’d done and whether things had gone as she’d planned. She detailed Pip packing and making the final preparations for her trip.
The morning of the flight, her e-mail sounded quiet and depressed. Knowing he had a few minutes to spare before he had to leave for work, John rang. Hopefully he would catch her before she left for the airport.
“Hello?” Pip’s bubbly voice sang down the phone.
“Hi, Pip, it’s John. Is Jo there?”
“She sure is.” Her voice increased in volume. “Hey, Jo, the phone’s for you.”
Clattering footsteps echoed in the background, and then Jo’s breathless voice followed. “Hello.”
“Hey, beautiful, it’s John. You sounded kind of down in your e-mail. So I thought I’d give you a quick ring, and make sure you’re OK.”
“Yeah. Rushing around packing the car. Missing Pip already, and she hasn’t gone yet. How are you?”
“I’m OK. About ready to leave for work. Another fun day of testing samples when I’d far rather be talking to you. Oh, I’m going to pick up a webcam for the computer at lunch time. Finally convinced Dad they only transmit images when you physically turn it on, so we can chat via the internet tonight. And I can finally see that wonderful smile of yours again.”
“OK. That would be awesome as I’d get to see your smile too. Just angle the camera so the lights don’t reflect of your glasses.”
“Webcams don’t have lights.” He laughed. “I am not falling for that one.”
She giggled. “OK. And no take out at lunch time either. Or if you do, don’t get chicken. Else you won’t be able to afford a webcam ‘cause you’ll need a new tire.”
“I knew I shouldn’t have told you about that one. Guess what arrived yesterday?”
“More snow?”
“Other than that. My suitcase. It’s a little worse for wear.”
“Wow. Where’d it go?”
“Canada.”
“I’m sorry? It went to Canada?”
“Sydney, Nova Scotia, rather than Sydney, New South Wales.” He laughed. “Right city, wrong continent. Anyway, it found its way home eventually.” There was silence for a bit. “I should go or I’ll be late for work. I’ll ring tonight when I get in.”
“I’ll be out then. I’m going to see a friend.”
“OK, cool. Have fun.”
“I will. I’ll speak to you tomorrow. I should be around at the usual time unless I end up seeing this friend again.”
“Should I be jealous?” he teased.
“Not at all. Now go to work or you’ll be late. Speak soon. Take care.”
“You, too. Bye.”
****
Despite what Jo had said, John rang when he got home, but there was no answer. He tried again before he went to bed and again when he got up in the morning. Still nothing. Worry gnawed at him.
What if she’d had an accident on her way home from the airport or from her friend’s house? Her parents didn’t have his number. They’d have no way to contact him. And he didn’t have numbers for Rob or anyone else out there. He’d get Pip to ring Rob later. Maybe he’d go around to the house and make sure Jo was all right.
He set off for the hour long drive to the airport, praying all the while that Jo was safe. That she had merely gone to her parents for the weekend on the spur of the moment, and she wasn’t lying dead in a ditch somewhere. He shook his head. Now he was being morbid. Nothing would happen. Most likely she’d gone to church or something.
He parked and headed in to the arrivals terminal. Part of him wished it were Jo he were picking up, not Pip, but seeing her would at least give him a connection to Jo.
Fifteen minutes later, he finally saw Pip make her way through the doors. He waved and smiled as she made her way over to him. “Hello, Pip. How was the flight?”
“Long, but OK.”
Someone tapped him on the shoulder. A cheery Australian voice said, “Hello, handsome.”
John froze. It couldn’t be. It sounded like…
He spun around to see Jo. Her eyes sparkled and a huge grin covered her face. “Surprise.”
7
Jo surveyed the frozen man in front of her. His smile was stuck in place, his eyes wide. Oh, Lord, please tell me I didn’t do the wrong thing. She thought he’d be pleased, but this? This eventuality didn’t even enter into the equation.
Pip looked at her and then nudged John. “Surprised?”
“Yeah,” John said. He swallowed. “Hi, Jo.”
“Hi.”
“Let me take your case. I, uh, I should ring Mum, tell her—”
“It’s sorted. I rang her last week and arranged it. I asked her not to tell you because I wanted to surprise you.”
“You did that all right.” He hugged her. “How are you?”
“I’m fine. It’s nice to be standing up after that long flight.” She hugged him back and winked. “I did tell you I was going to see a friend.”
“I’ll be right back,” Pip said. “Going to the ladies’ before we head to the football. Watch my case.”
Jo nodded. “Sure.”
John smiled at her then looked back at Jo.
She watched Pip head across the concourse and then twisted back to John. She had to know. His reaction was confusing to say the least. “Did I do the wrong thing?”
“What do you mean?”
“I just flew twelve thousand miles on a whim to see you, and you just stood there like a statue.” She sucked in a deep breath, trying to ease the rising panic within her. “I just thought that as we’re going out, we should maybe go out rather than just talk and e-mail. Plus I wanted to see you, but if I was wrong and you don’t want me, then—”
She broke off. History was repeating itself. He’d arrived in Sydney to be unwanted and have nowhere to stay. Now it was her turn. And even closer to Christmas and she’d never find a hotel…never mind a stable.
John hugged her. “I just didn’t expect it, that’s all. I’ve been really worried because you weren’t answering your phone. You turning up here wasn’t something I thought of. But I’m really, really glad that you did. ‘Going to see a friend indeed’. Sneaky woman. How did you manage a seat on the same flight? I assume you hadn’t booked it when she did?”
She l
eaned into him, relishing the feel of his arms around her. “No. I booked it a week ago. It was the last seat on the plane. I assume it was a God-thing and He’d find me a stable when I got here. Although your mum did say I could stay with you when I rang and asked.”
His face dropped a mile. “Mum knows?”
She grinned. “Yep, I said that just now, but didn’t think you were listening properly.”
“Sorry, no. It’s almost too much to take in. How long are you here? Not that I want you to leave. I mean you only just got here.”
“Until January the third. I managed to get a seat on the same flight back as Pip. See, it must be a God-thing. Are you really OK with this?”
“Yes.” He smiled at her. “I’m more than OK with it. In fact, to use an Aussie term, this Christmas is going to be awesome.”
Pip rejoined them. “So, are we going straight to the match? Or leaving the cases at your parents place first?”
John nodded. “Yes, straight to the stadium…Oh, no, Jo…The match is sold out. Umm…”
Jo grinned at the look of dismay on his face as he realized he didn’t have enough tickets for all of them. “Apparently your brother-in-law said he wanted to go, too?”
“Yeah, we’re meeting him there. I got him a ticket when I got mine and Pip’s.”
“Uh, no, actually. His ticket is really for me.” Jo grinned at the look of amazement and shock that crossed John’s face.
“Seriously? Am I the only person who didn’t know you were coming to visit?” He shook his head at her. “Wait ‘til I see him. Is there anything else I should know?”
Jo pretended to think for a minute, and then shook her head. “Nope.”
Pip grinned. “We didn’t warn you about her sneaky streak, did we? Maybe we should have done.”
John picked up Jo’s case. “I think I can learn to love her sneaky streak. I have one of my own to rival it.”
****
Jo shoved her hands into her pockets. It was freezing. Well, not by John’s standards where the temperatures were still above freezing, albeit only just, but to come from the height of summer to this? It was more than a body could stand.
John cheered as someone from what she assumed was his team, kicked the ball into the net. The opposing supporters didn’t like this and shouting broke out in one of the stands, with bottles being thrown onto the ground.
Terror gripped her, and she leaned closer to John. He wrapped an arm around her tightly. “It’s all right. It happens a lot. The police will contain it.”
Pip, on the other hand was in her element. She was yelling at the teams and taking photos of the fighting fans.
Sure enough it died down and Jo concentrated on the rest of the game. She wasn’t sure she liked soccer enough to want to go to another game, but she sure liked being in John’s arms. The final whistle blew and a volley of abuse and bottles came from the opposing fans.
“John?”
He smiled at her. “I think it’s time to go.” He nudged Pip. “We’re going to start back to the car. We’ll miss the troublesome fans that way. And we won’t have to queue to get out of the stadium car park.”
“Sure.”
John took firm hold on Jo’s hand and headed towards the exit.
Jo didn’t bother to hide her relief at the thought of being in the warm soon. Only when they were sitting in the car as John drove back to the house did she realize a far worse ordeal than a few fighting fans and frigid temperatures awaited her. Meeting John’s parents for the first time. The irony didn’t escape her. Like John, she too had rung total strangers on the other side of the world and asked if she could stay.
Only she wasn’t merely meeting them as a stranger, but as John’s girlfriend.
She looked up at the house as John parked the car. “It looks nice.” And well cared for. Even in winter the flower beds were well tended. The path had been swept, the snow lying piled against the side of the yellow brick house.
John opened the door for her and took her hand, helping her out. “Let’s get you both inside, and I’ll come back for the bags and stuff.”
She tightened her grip on his hand. Her whole body trembled on the inside. She tried to tell herself it was simply the bone-numbing cold and having been in the freezing air for two hours watching soccer, but if she were honest it was nerves as well.
He looked at her. “Are you all right?”
She took a deep breath. “It’s silly, but what if they don’t like me? I’m probably more outspoken than any English girl you could date. I don’t have that quiet British reserve of yours.”
“That’s because you’re not British,” he said. “They’ll love you, just like I do.”
John led her and Pip up the garden path and pulled out his key. Just as he was about to unlock the door, it swung open. An older couple stood there, beaming. The lady wore glasses and her hair was golden grey. The man had grey hair also and wore glasses. Both had warm welcoming smiles on their faces, and John resembled them both.
“Mum, Dad, this is Pip.”
John tugged her hand. “And this is Jo. Ladies, these are my parents, Vic and Liz Connington.”
Jo held out a hand and smiled. “Hi, pleased to meet you at last.”
Vic shook her hand. “And it’s a pleasure to finally meet you. John’s told us a lot about you and his time in Sydney.”
Liz beamed at them both. “Come on in, and I’ll put the kettle on. Do you drink tea or coffee?”
“Both, but tea’s good. Thank you.”
“I’ll have tea too please, mum. Just going to bring these cases in.”
“I’ll give you a hand.” Vic followed him outside.
Jo hung her coat on the rack behind the front door and followed Liz and Pip through a large hallway into the kitchen. The delicious aroma of freshly made biscuits and cakes filled the air. Cooling trays sat on the side, covered in the baked goods. Jo took in a deep breath of the warm, sweet scent.
Almost as large as the kitchen at home, the room even had a table and chairs. The table had a floral cloth and poinsettia on it.
“How was your flight?”
“The flight was OK. Just very long. We stopped for a few hours in Singapore, but didn’t leave the terminal. But worth it for the look on John’s face when he saw me at the airport.” She paused. “The soccer match, on the other hand, was…interesting.”
Liz smiled. “I can’t believe he took you to a football match as soon as you got off the plane.”
“It was awesome,” Pip said. “We saw a fight and everything.”
Jo shook her head. “You have a strange definition of the word awesome. I can’t believe you stood there and took pictures. I was terrified.”
“John was right there, you were perfectly safe.”
“I didn’t want him hurt either. He might have decided to join the fray to protect us.”
John’s arms folded around her and she breathed in his woody scent. “Talking about me?” he asked.
She leaned back against his firm chest. “Always, because there is so much to say about you.” She chuckled. “Seriously, we were just talking about the match and the riot.”
“It was hardly a riot,” Pip said. “From what I’ve read about English soccer violence, that wasn’t even a fracas.”
“Pretty standard for those particular fans,” John agreed. “But Pip wanted to go to a game and it’s the only one she was here for.”
“Fair enough.”
“Let me show you the house and garden.” He took her hand and led her outside. Out of sight of the window, he pulled her into his arms and kissed her cheek. “Hello.”
She grinned at him, the warmth from his lips searing into her skin. “Hello.” She snuggled against him. “You did have me worried earlier.”
“I’m sorry. It’s just when you said you were going to see a friend…”
She giggled. “I was being totally honest. I wasn’t lying. Not my fault if you didn’t twig what I meant.”
He
nodded. “True.”
Snow lay on the grass, and she shivered despite the warmth flooding her from his touch as she glanced around. “It’s pretty out here. And such a big garden. You must have had so much fun growing up here, playing games and so on with your sisters.”
He wrapped his arms around her looking at her. “Yeah, we did. Dad put a makeshift net up one summer, using two bamboo sticks and a piece of string, and we played badminton out here. Now we have table tennis. It’s over behind the shed. It’s hilarious playing that on a sloped lawn. I’ll get it out later. Play both you and Pip. Or we can put the pool table up in the conservatory.”
“That would be warmer tonight. And it’d be fun. Though I warn you now, I’m a pool shark. And you have a swing.”
“Yep. We spent hours on it when we were kids. Want to try?”
“Sure.”
John brushed the snow off the seat and dried it with his sleeve. She settled onto it and he began to push her. “Bet you never imagined you’d do this.”
“Nope. It wasn’t even on my to-do list, which it probably should be actually.”
He laughed. “Sit on a swing in a snowy garden in December?”
“That as well.”
He pushed her higher. “Can you see over the fence?”
She looked as she soared into the sky, his firm hands catching and re-launching her each time. “Wow, look at the open space.”
“Yeah, we’re on the edge of the estate. There are two fields between us and the river. That’s flood land so they get pretty wet when the river bursts its banks, but the water’s never come anywhere near the house in the eighteen years we’ve lived here.”
“That’s good. Does it flood often?”
“Every winter, usually around February. Sometimes the river gets as close as the pylon, but even that’s half a field away, so we’re not really in any danger.”
“Just as well.” She smiled. “I’d hate to have come all this way to drown.”
“Not likely to happen, but I wouldn’t let you drown. I’d jump in and save you” He stilled the swing and wrapped his arms around her.
“So gallant of you.”