The Next Season (novella)

by Rachael Johns

  Zoe burrowed for her key in her pocket and then let herself inside, locking the door behind her and then tiptoeing down the corridor. She was about to step inside her bedroom, thinking she had made it unnoticed, when Sandee called to her from down the hall.

  ‘What time do you call this, Missy?’

  Zoe froze. Although her tone was in jest, Sandee had a point. As a boarder here, it was only fair she let her know whether she was going to be late home or not. If evenings like this were to become a habit, she’d have to get her story straight because she didn’t want Sandee worrying.

  ‘Sorry,’ she said, turning to look at her friend, whose silhouette had appeared in the doorway of her own bedroom. ‘I got caught up celebrating the opening of the shop with some of the other staff. Lost track of time.’

  She swallowed, glad the hall was dim and Sandee wouldn’t be able to see the flush that crept up her neck at such an outrageous lie. Although she trusted this woman with her life, she and Shaun had agreed to secrecy. Sandee wouldn’t judge her, but she’d likely worry about the arrangements.

  ‘I’m glad you’re making friends,’ Sandee said.

  ‘Yes, it’s good to be back.’ Zoe was itching to slip inside her room, close the door and message Shaun. ‘Shall we chat in the morning before work?’

  ‘Sounds good. Sweet dreams, my darling.’

  Sandee went back into her bedroom and shut the door and Zoe breathed a sigh of relief as she did the same. She grabbed her mobile phone from her bag and then slumped onto her single bed, staring up at the posters of famous soccer players that adorned Daniel’s bedroom walls as she typed.

  Home safe. You can sleep now. She grinned stupidly again as she pressed Send.

  Less than twenty seconds later came Shaun’s response. I’m glad. Thanks again for tonight. Will you be surfing in the morning?

  If I don’t sleep through my alarm.

  I’ll see you there.

  She didn’t reply, but instead sunk back into her pillows and closed her eyes. She doubted she’d need the alarm: the thought of Shaun on the waves would surely wake her early.

  Nine

  Electric sander in hand, earmuffs on his head to cover the noise, Shaun was working meticulously on a twelve-seater jarrah dining room table when he sensed someone behind him. He switched off the machinery, yanked the muffs down to his neck and spun round to catch his two older brothers looking at him like an exhibit in some museum. That was the problem with a family business, you rarely got a moment’s peace.

  ‘What?’ he asked, glancing down to his pants to check if his fly was undone or whether he’d put them on back to front or something. It wouldn’t be that surprising. He and Zoe had rushed back to his place after their morning surf—something that was becoming a ritual these past few days—and shared a shower before work. What they’d meant to be a quickie had gotten out of hand, making both of them almost late for their jobs.

  ‘There’s something different about you lately,’ Troy accused, his arms crossed over his chest.

  Luke nodded his agreement. ‘You no longer look like a bear who’s been woken from hibernation too early. You look more like a puppy with a basket full of new toys.’

  Shaking his head, Shaun tossed his brothers a haven’t you got anything better to do look. ‘And that’s a problem because…?’

  ‘No problem.’ Troy shrugged. ‘We just want to know if there’s a bird responsible.’

  ‘Not everything is about sex,’ he snapped.

  Luke and Troy looked at each other and grinned.

  ‘Did you say anything about sex, bro?’ Troy asked Luke.

  ‘Don’t think I did,’ Luke replied cockily.

  ‘If you must know, the waves have been good the last few days,’ he told them. And that was the truth, sort of. Zoe on a board made almost any wave perfect. His gut tightened at the thought of the way her wetsuit clung to her curves. Not wanting to tell his brothers jack shit about his fling, he gestured to the table. ‘Now, do you mind if I get back to work?’

  ‘Not at all.’ Troy stepped forward and slapped him on the back. ‘Whatever it is, we’re glad you’re getting back to your old self.’

  ‘Yeah, real glad.’ Luke nodded and then they both went off to their own work. That was about as touchy-feely as the Elliot brothers got, but Shaun knew they’d all be there for each other in a crisis.

  As he sanded down the Karri wood for a coffee table, his mind drifted once again to Zoe. Every morning they met on the beach to surf and every night they met at Shaun’s place and tumbled into his bed. More than once they hadn’t even made it to the bed. Shaun had never had this much sex in his life. He kept waiting to tire of it, but somehow his body always found the energy to make Zoe scream. Where she was concerned his stamina was endless—and hers seemed to be as well.

  The fling thing was doing him good. His brothers were right. He had a spring in his step for the first time since Melissa had dashed all his hopes and dreams. He often found himself whistling as he worked or when he was out taking Eeyore for a run. And he was back on his game in the workshop too—crafting furniture with passion rather than the anger that had driven him the last couple of months.

  No doubt about it. Sex was medicine for the body and soul.

  Shaun worked solidly for another couple of hours, pleased at his progress, but at the first sign of his stomach rumbling, he downed his tools and headed out to find morning tea. Another ritual that had developed the last few days was stopping in at Hannah’s Chocolate Dreams Café for something sweet at least once, sometimes twice a day. He told himself that he was simply being a supportive sibling, but the truth was he couldn’t go even a few hours without seeing Zoe’s smile. He’d eaten his way through most of the menu by now. If it wasn’t for all the sex they were having, he’d be the size of a house by the end of the month, but he figured he needed to keep his strength up.

  He walked the short distance between the Elliot’s workshop and the café on the main street and smiled at the cars parked out front and the tables already filling up inside. It was unbelievably good to see that Hannah had finally found her niche. Locals and tourists alike were queuing up to taste Toby’s wares. Shaun had become a lot more tolerant of the South American chef since Zoe had begun ruffling up his sheets after hours. Like him or not, Toby had an undeniable way with chocolate.

  Shaun pushed open the door of the café and his eyes immediately zoomed in on Zoe, her lower lip caught between her teeth and her pen poised over her notepad as she took an order from a grey-haired couple in the corner. She laughed at something the elderly man said, her long ponytail swishing over her shoulder and her eyes sparkling. He stood there mesmerised, totally in awe of her beauty and recalling the way she laughed cheekily during sex.

  ‘Excuse me?’ A voice behind Shaun alerted him to the fact he’d not moved from the doorway. Hannah didn’t need him holding up the traffic, so he stepped inside and held the door open for the three women waiting to come inside.

  ‘Thank you,’ they said in unison, smiling and batting their eyelids at him.

  As the women searched for a table, Shaun headed straight for the counter.

  Hannah looked up from where she’d been repositioning cakes in the display cabinet. ‘Hey there little brother.’ She placed a hand on her stomach and sighed. ‘What can I get for you?’ She looked totally shattered and she still had another few months until the baby arrived.

  He frowned. ‘Are you okay? Maybe you should sit down or something for a few minutes?’

  Before Hannah could reply, Zoe returned from taking orders, passed them through to the kitchen and then turned to look at Shaun, obviously having overheard his question. ‘I’ve been telling her that all morning. She said she felt a little dizzy when she got up.’

  ‘And did she tell Matt about this?’

  Zoe rolled her eyes and shook her head. ‘I’m pretty sure not.’

  Hannah cleared her throat. ‘Excuse me, you two. I’m right here. No need to talk a
bout me like I’m not. I’m not a child.’

  ‘Then be sensible,’ Shaun scolded. ‘You’ve been working incredibly hard these last few weeks. Maybe you need a day off.’

  Hannah snorted. ‘I haven’t got a manager yet and Matt had to go to Perth for a couple of days on business.’

  ‘I can keep an eye on things here for a few hours,’ Zoe suggested. ‘I’ve managed cafés before and I’ve got your number if anything goes wrong, which it won’t. Why not just go home and lie down for a bit and see how you’re feeling this afternoon?’

  Hannah sighed and glanced wistfully out across her busy café.

  ‘We’ll be fine,’ Zoe insisted. ‘Go.’

  ‘Okay,’ Hannah finally relented. ‘You promise you’ll call me for anything?’

  ‘Promise.’ She grinned.

  ‘I’ll drive you home in your car and then walk back to work,’ Shaun suggested, relief flooding him at the knowledge Hannah was going to take a break.

  ‘Don’t be silly. I can drive.’ Hannah picked up her bag from under the counter. ‘I’ll just go tell Toby first.’

  Hannah went into the kitchen, leaving Shaun and Zoe to make eyes at each other over the counter.

  ‘And what can I get for you?’ Zoe asked in a faux-husky voice as she gestured to the counter.

  ‘What I really want will have to wait till later,’ he said, leaning closer and then quickly pulling back as he remembered where they were. No public displays of affection. ‘But for now I’ll take a slice of that fudge cake to go, thanks.’

  ‘Sure. Coming right up.’

  As Zoe boxed up his order, Shaun watched Hannah through the kitchen pass-through, where she was talking to Toby. ‘Thanks for offering to help out. She’s been pushing herself so hard lately. I hope she hasn’t bitten off more than she can chew.’

  ‘No worries.’ Zoe smiled as she passed over the box. ‘She’ll be fine. She just needs to learn to delegate.’

  Shaun brushed his thumb over Zoe’s fingers deliberately in the exchange, muscles all over his body clenching as his brain registered the softness of her skin. Their eyes met, heat flared between them and she licked her lower lip as she retrieved her hand.

  ‘Tonight?’ she asked, her voice almost a whisper.

  ‘I’ll be waiting,’ he promised, before turning and walking out the café.

  Zoe watched Shaun go, allowing herself a moment to bask in the glow she felt whenever he visited. He only had to smile and her toes curled in her shoes. When he spoke—suggestions masked in seemingly innocuous words—her pelvic floor muscles thrummed in anticipation of what was to come.

  Sex with Shaun in her teens had been innocently sweet. They’d both been learning about their bodies, working out how they fit together. And she’d thought they’d done pretty damn well, especially considering that most of the time their ‘bed’ had been somewhere in the sandy dunes between Wildwood Point and Dunsborough. Back then they’d taken the opportunity whenever they could get it. None of her subsequent sexual partners had affected her quite so much, but she’d put that down to the whole first love thing.

  There was something special about your first boyfriend, your first time. She’d given her virginity willingly to Shaun and never regretted it. But none of that accounted for the way the sparks were flying between them now. Over the past few years, if she thought about it, sex had become a bit of a chore, a Friday night routine you did to keep the guy happy when you were in a relationship. Until hooking up with Shaun again, Zoe couldn’t recall the last time she’d been utterly desperate to get her knickers off.

  At first she’d assumed it was the clandestine nature of their arrangement, but if anything her sexual appetite had increased since they’d made the decision to sleep together. Shaun barely had to touch her and she was ready and wet, desperate to have him inside her. They should buy shares in a condom company—they’d used more than their share these past few days.

  Just thinking these thoughts now, she felt her breasts growing heavy and the need burning between her legs. If she hadn’t just promised Shaun’s sister she’d act all grown up and manage the café for the rest of the day, she’d likely have chased him out the door and down the street. Instead, she had to be content to wait until late that night. Since Sandee had accosted her in the hallway that first night, Zoe had had to be cunning with her reasons for going out. A couple of times she’d even snuck out of the house like a teenager once Sandee had gone to bed. Early morning rendezvous with Shaun were easier because Sandee would never question her desire for a surf. She relished those times riding the waves with Shaun—just like the old days—and that morning they’d followed up with another kind of ride altogether.

  It had been less than four hours since he’d taken her in the shower and yet already she was ready and smouldering for him again. But it wasn’t just his body, she also yearned for his company.

  ‘Right, are you sure you’re going to be okay?’ Hannah’s question jolted Zoe from her wanton thoughts and she blinked, realising she’d been caught daydreaming, rather than working.

  ‘Yes. Fine. Go, relax, have fun.’ She made shooing motions towards the doorway.

  Hannah laughed, turned to go and then stopped to look back at her. ‘Shall we look upon this as a trial?’

  ‘A what?’ Zoe frowned a little, unsure what she meant.

  A smile stretched across Hannah’s face as she gestured to her belly. ‘You and Shaun are right. I’m going to have to slow down soon and I had planned on hiring a manager to run the place once the baby arrives. You’ve been such a fabulous help this week and your ideas for selling souvenirs and organising promo events are awesome. I was wondering if you’d consider the job.’

  A lump swelled in Zoe’s throat at Hannah’s kind words and amazing offer. It was like being told she’d won the lottery without even having bought a ticket. The last few days she’d been distracted by Shaun and hadn’t looked much beyond what she would do once she’d got herself back on her feet. But she loved Wildwood Point—she loved the people, she loved the ocean, she loved this job. She loved… No. She banished the thought. She and Shaun had an agreement, even if she wasn’t sure she wanted to keep it anymore.

  Hannah must have caught the uncertainty on her face. She reached out and placed her hand on Zoe’s arm. ‘Look, I don’t expect you to give me an answer right away. Take some time to think about it and get back to me when you’re ready, okay?’

  ‘Thanks.’ Zoe nodded. Good idea. Staying in Wildwood Point would be a huge step, and it would definitely complicate her fling with Shaun. He’d only agreed to their arrangement because she was a temporary resident in town, which meant that things wouldn’t be awkward when whatever was between them came to its natural conclusion. And so far he hadn’t given her any indication that he felt differently.

  Her heart squeezed at the thought of an inevitable ending to the best experience of her life. She’d let fear make the decision to walk away years ago, saying she’d thought they were too young, but this time she might not even get that choice.

  ‘Oh and by the way,’ Hannah said as she moved toward the door, ‘I did the pays last night so your first week’s wage should be in your account.’ With that announcement, she wiggled her fingers in a quick goodbye and went off to begin her designated rest time.

  Zoe blinked. She had money in her bank account? Although it wouldn’t be much, the notion lifted her spirits slightly. It was the first step to becoming independent again, to restarting her life. And then a thought struck her. She could now afford to pay for petrol for Shaun to drive her to Perth to collect her furniture from Jasper’s place. She pictured Jasper coming home to an empty house and having to sit on milk crates after all her stuff was gone. The image made her smile but it was the thought of spending a whole day in Shaun’s company that really appealed.

  If he were agreeable, they could make a day of it. They’d get up early, head to Perth and get her furniture, then stop at Cottesloe for a bit of lunch and a surf. Maybe i
f they spent some more time together outside the bedroom, he’d realise they had a lot more going for them than just sex. They were older now and she’d learnt that there was no place on earth better than Wildwood Point and no man as good as him.

  But before her mind could run away with fantasies of a future that involved Shaun being entirely over Melissa and head over heels with her, Toby called to her through the hatch.

  ‘Order up, bonita. Table two.’

  She spun around and grinned ridiculously at him as she picked up two chocolate lava cakes, which had rapidly become Chocolate Dreams’ signature dish.

  Ten

  Shaun took Eeyore for his evening run, ate a bland dinner of frozen pie, chips and sauce and then sat through three episodes of Sons of Anarchy while he waited for Zoe’s booty call. Generally this show kept him hooked but his mind kept drifting and his eyes kept checking the time on his phone as he anticipated her arrival. He wondered what the hell he’d done to fill the hours before she came along, but then pushed that thought aside, because the truth was that for the last couple of months he’d been doing a lot of sitting around, drinking too much piss and feeling sorry for himself.

  Zoe had brought him alive again. And it wasn’t just the sex. Simply the anticipation of her smile made him happy. Being with her gave him a reason to smile through the day.

  Finally, at a quarter past ten, he heard her insistent knock on the front door. His lips twisted into a grin and he grabbed the remote and flicked off the TV before carefully stepping over Eeyore, who was sleeping like the dead at his feet. Some guard dog. Not that he was complaining, because tonight he wanted Zoe all to himself. Confident he was about to have mind-blowing sex, he swaggered down the hallway, his desire kicking up a notch as he noted her silhouette through the frosted glass.