The Blind Date Surprise

by Barbara Hannay

  ‘I promise you, this is a very platonic arrangement,’ she said.

  ‘Listen to her.’ Mel winked at Victoria. ‘She’s had breakfast with a philosopher and already she’s throwing around words like platonic.’

  ‘Give me a break, please!’

  Annie hadn’t meant to shout, but it worked. Mel and Victoria’s mouths snapped shut. In unison, they crossed their arms over their chests.

  She took a deep breath. ‘I thought this was a good idea for several reasons. Number one, you get your couch back.’ When Mel opened her mouth, she signalled her to shush. ‘Number two, Damien’s caused me grief and I may as well enjoy the comfort of his room while he’s not using it.’ She hurried on. ‘Number three, Theo’s house is within walking distance of the art gallery and the library, the theatres, and the South Bank. It’s a really handy location for me to entertain myself during the day.’

  ‘What about the nights?’ came Victoria’s predictable response.

  Annie swallowed. ‘Theo’s not going to pounce on me, if that’s what you’re worried about. He’s a gentleman.’

  ‘But he’s also rather gorgeous,’ said Mel. ‘Have you considered the fact that you might fall for him and get hurt all over again?’

  ‘Like nephew, like uncle,’ chanted Victoria in a singsong voice.

  Suddenly there was silence. Annie avoided their eyes. She knew Mel had a point. There was a very good chance that she was already rather smitten by Theo Grainger and it was unlikely that he was interested in her romantically, so no doubt there was an element of risk.

  But then again…her instincts were screaming for her to accept Theo’s invitation. To start with, she knew now that the man she’d foolishly fallen in love with over the Internet was more Theo than he was ever Damien. Why Damien had taken his uncle’s persona was a mystery. But it was only part of a much bigger mystery now.

  When she and Theo were together something happened. She wasn’t sure what it was exactly. It was so tenuous and fragile and unexpected that she couldn’t give it an obvious name. But she felt its pull and she found it irresistibly thrilling.

  ‘I’m prepared to take that risk,’ she said.

  Mel’s eyes widened in horror. ‘Oh, no. You’ve fallen for him already, haven’t you?’

  ‘No! I don’t know him well enough for that.’

  ‘Hang on,’ broke in Victoria. ‘Why would she fall for this uncle? How can he be gorgeous? Isn’t he ancient?’

  Mel shook her head. ‘At a guess, I’d say mid-thirties.’

  Victoria’s jaw dropped. She stared at Annie and then her face softened into a knowing smile. ‘Go, Annie,’ she said quietly, her voice rippling with undertone.

  ‘Well, that’s that then,’ said Mel. ‘It looks like Victoria’s on your side, Annie. Two against one. So I bow out of this debate.’ She heaved a dramatic sigh. ‘But you’d better ring your brothers and explain your plans. Reid left a message on our answering machine today and he sounded pretty worried. I’m certainly not prepared to tell him what you’re up to.’

  ‘Yes, of course. I’ll ring him now.’

  ‘I’m surprised he didn’t catch you on your mobile.’

  ‘Um…he might have. I switched it off and I haven’t checked for messages.’

  Mel’s eyebrows rose. ‘Been a touch distracted, have we?’ Annie didn’t reply. Her decision to turn her phone off had been deliberate. Reid and Kane were probably mad at her for running away to the city and she hadn’t felt ready to field their calls.

  ‘Well, Annie,’ Mel said. ‘If your bags are packed, we can drive you over to the south side as soon as we’ve had dinner.’

  Crossing the kitchen quickly, Annie gave her a hug. ‘Thanks for everything, Mel. I don’t know what I’d do without friends like you and Victoria. But you don’t have to give me a lift. I don’t mind getting a taxi.’

  ‘No way,’ cut in Victoria. ‘Apart from the fact that Mel won’t rest easy until she’s seen you safely delivered, you can’t deny us the chance to see where this mystery uncle lives. We might even get a peek at the great man himself.’ She caught the expression in Annie’s eyes and added, ‘Don’t worry, I promise not to embarrass you.’

  Tummy churning strangely, Annie went into the lounge room to ring her brothers before collecting her belongings. Not sure where on the huge property they might be, she dialled the number of their satellite phone. Reid answered.

  ‘Annie, thank God it’s you. I’ve rung half of Brisbane trying to track you down.’

  She felt instantly contrite. ‘I’m sorry. I’ve been meaning to ring you. How are you?’

  ‘Much better now that I’m hearing your voice and know you’re alive.’ After a beat, he added, ‘I had my fingers crossed that no news meant good news. You must be having a good time.’

  ‘Yes, I am—a wonderful time, but I must admit I’ve been feeling guilty about taking off the way I did without warning you or Kane.’

  ‘Well—to be totally honest I can’t really blame you, Annie. Kane and I both tend to take you for granted and we chauvinist types deserve a bit of a shake up now and again. And you deserve some fun in the city if that’s what you’re hankering for.’

  Dear old Reid. In her heart of hearts, Annie had known he would understand.

  ‘So how long will you be staying at Melissa’s?’ he asked.

  ‘A-ah—’ Annie gulped. She spoke slowly while her mind raced. ‘I’m not actually staying at Melissa’s place any more. I’m moving to another—friend’s place for a few days. There’s more room there and it’s closer to the galleries and the theatre and everything, so it’s terrific. But you’ll still be able to reach me on this mobile number. How’s everything at home?’

  ‘Lavender’s missing you like crazy. She’s taken to moping again.’

  ‘Oh, the poor darling.’ Instantly she saw a picture of her Border collie, lying in a dispirited sprawl on the back veranda at Southern Cross with her head slumped across her paws. ‘Please give her an extra hug from me.’

  ‘I’m afraid I can’t. I’m not at home. I’ve had to come over to Lacey Downs because Mary Rogers went into premature labour.’

  ‘Oh, no. Is everything all right?’

  ‘She’s fine now. Had a baby girl.’

  ‘Lovely. She was hoping for a girl.’

  ‘I’ll be out here for a week or so.’

  Annie grimaced guiltily. ‘Sounds like I picked a bad time to take off. Maybe I should come home?’ She crossed her fingers, hoping that Reid would say no. She couldn’t bear to go home now.

  ‘No, it’s okay. Kane’s found an English girl to help out at Southern Cross.’

  She tried not to sound too relieved. ‘That was handy.’

  ‘Yeah.’ Reid paused. ‘I hope he knows what he’s doing.’

  The doubt in his voice caused her a twinge of concern, but she decided not to question Reid too closely about Kane and the English girl. It might prompt him to change his mind and say that she was needed at home or, worse still, he might put some more questions to her about her new accommodation.

  ‘I’ll have a better idea of my plans in a few days time,’ she assured him. ‘I’ll ring next week and let you know.’

  ‘Okay. Have fun, little sis.’

  ‘Thanks, big brother. I will. Love you, Reid.’

  ‘Love you too, chicken. Take care now.’

  It was only after she’d disconnected that she thought again about Kane and the English girl, alone together now at Southern Cross. Why had Reid sounded concerned? It wasn’t like him to make a fuss over nothing.

  But all thoughts of Kane were banished when Victoria suddenly dashed into the room. ‘He’s here,’ she hissed. ‘He’s at the front door now.’

  Annie’s heart rocked. ‘Who?’ she asked, knowing that there could really only be one answer.

  ‘The uncle. Cripes, Annie, you didn’t tell me your philosopher was a hunk. I have never seen glasses make a man look so sexy. And he drives a silver convertible wit
h a Dalmatian in the back!’

  ‘Does he?’ Annie squeaked. ‘I told him not to bother picking me up. I—’

  ‘Didn’t want us to be jealous when we saw him?’ asked Victoria. ‘Oh, baby, I can’t blame you.’

  CHAPTER FOUR

  AS THEO drove Annie back across the river to his place, he steeled himself to remain immune to her infectious enthusiasm.

  His plan was solid. He would be the perfect gentleman, friendly but reserved. Yes, he would play the role of an attentive host while maintaining an avuncular distance from her. It should be easy enough given the gap in their ages and their backgrounds.

  The only wild card in his tidy scheme was Annie herself. She had an unnerving knack for throwing him off guard.

  As soon as they arrived at his town house he carried her bag straight up to the second floor where the bedrooms were, and set it on a rug just inside the doorway of Damien’s room.

  She stepped into the room and looked around at the double bed covered with a plain navy bedspread, and the glass topped table beside it. ‘Damien’s very neat and tidy.’

  ‘His room looks a little bare because I asked Mrs Feather, who cleans for me, to tidy away the clutter of Damien’s personal things.’

  ‘She did a great job.’

  Indeed. Perhaps Mrs Feather had followed his instructions just a little too conscientiously. The room did look unnaturally austere. The only ornaments were the lamp on the bedside table and a novelty alarm clock shaped like a television set.

  The computer on the pine desk in the corner was switched off and covered with a plastic protector. The timber shutters were drawn across the windows and the walls were completely bare, although Theo could see faint marks where posters of pop groups had hung.

  ‘You have your own en suite bathroom. It’s through there,’ he said, pointing to a doorway. ‘So you’ll be quite private.’

  ‘That’s wonderful. Thank you.’

  She lifted her arms to run her fingers through her wind-tousled hair and the movement made her top separate from her jeans to reveal a section of her midriff. Theo saw a couple of inches of smooth, soft skin, and the curve of an exceptionally feminine hip bone and slender waist.

  ‘I’ll be down in the kitchen,’ he said, backing towards the doorway. ‘Do you like mussels?’

  She turned, her blue eyes shining with amusement. ‘Muscles?’

  ‘The shellfish.’

  ‘Oh, I don’t know. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten them, but I’ll try anything once.’

  ‘Do you usually like seafood?’

  ‘Yes, I love it.’

  ‘Then mussels should be fine.’

  She frowned. ‘You’re not cooking them, are you?’

  ‘Yes.’ He shrugged to make light of it. ‘Don’t you trust me?’

  ‘But I should be doing the cooking. Heck, Theo, you go to work all day and you’ve given me this lovely accommodation. The least I can do is cook. Mind you, most of the recipes I’m used to have beef in them.’

  He smiled. ‘Another night, perhaps.’

  When Theo left, Annie took her toiletry bag through to the neat little bathroom and washed her face and brushed the tangles from her hair, caused by the windy but thrilling drive in Theo’s convertible. She thought about adding a touch of lipstick, but decided against it. At home she hardly ever wore make-up and she felt uncomfortable using it unless she was all dolled up for a special occasion.

  Besides, she didn’t want Theo to think she was trying too hard to impress him. She would unpack later, she decided. She felt a little uncomfortable in Damien’s too neat room and she was keen to check out the rest of the house.

  On the way to the stairs she passed Theo’s bedroom. The last of the twilight was pooling through open floor-to-ceiling timber shutters on to a rich cream bedspread and an artistic tumble of black and cream cushions. His king-size bed was framed by carved timber posts. All sorts of books were piled on one of the matching side tables.

  She looked at the sumptuous bed and pictured it at night, looking even more sumptuous in the glow cast by the impressive bedside lamps with heavy gold bases and black shades…But then she pictured Theo in the bed…and she wanted to put herself in the picture, too.

  As if…

  She hurried downstairs.

  Theo’s kitchen was at the back of the ground floor section of his narrow town house and as she made her way through the living area she couldn’t help admiring his taste in interior decor.

  The furnishings were similar to his bedroom—masculine colours like charcoal grey, black and cream that blended wonderfully with the honeyed tones of the polished timber floors and the floor-to-ceiling timber bookshelves. One wall was painted dark red, and set against it were abstract black and white paintings in thick gold frames.

  Music drifted from the kitchen—a rhythmic drum-beat, a thrumming guitar and the alluring, smoky voice of one of her favourite Gypsy singers—another passion she’d thought she’d shared with Damien.

  And there was a sensational aroma wafting through the house. She sniffed the air, trying to identify the ingredients and decided that it was lemon and crushed garlic and a herb, perhaps parsley, being heated in olive oil. Then she walked into Theo’s kitchen and it was like walking into another world.

  To start with, Theo was at the stove.

  For a girl who’d grown up in the McKinnon household, where a man only stepped up to a kitchen stove in a dire emergency, it was a remarkable sight, especially as Theo looked convincingly masculine and yet so totally at home with a striped tea towel draped over one broad shoulder while he stirred something in a heavy enamel pot.

  But the music and the smells enchanted her, too…

  And then the room itself…gleaming white walls and smart black granite bench tops…a white platter piled with lemons, and elegant wrought iron stools pulled up to a tall bench…sliding doors leading to a leafy courtyard strung with tiny lights. And a table set for two.

  ‘This is almost ready,’ Theo said over his shoulder. ‘I have a nice white wine chilled. Would you like some?’

  He turned and smiled at her.

  And Annie feared she might actually swoon.

  The mussels were as delicious as they smelled. Theo served them in their shells, accompanied by linguini, which he’d tossed in a simple sauce made from tomatoes and basil leaves. The meal had an uncomplicated, direct combination of flavours that Annie loved and she couldn’t resist licking her lips.

  ‘Does this dish have a name?’ she asked.

  ‘Spaghetti della Paulo.’

  ‘And what does that mean?’

  ‘That it’s Paulo’s recipe. He’s a restaurateur who lives in Rome. I met him on one of my trips to Italy.’

  ‘I should have guessed that,’ she said, smiling. ‘Wow! I suppose you’d never need to go to La Piastra.’

  ‘On the contrary, it’s one of my favourite restaurants.’

  Of course.

  There it was again. The unnerving connection between Damien and Theo that she tried not to think about.

  She glanced down at Basil, lying at their feet as they dined in the courtyard, then she sipped some wine.

  ‘Tell me a little about your home at Southern Cross,’ said Theo. ‘I’m sure my understanding of life on a cattle station is very romanticised. I hardly know anything about what happens on a day to day basis.’

  Annie shrugged. ‘It depends on the time of the year. In the mustering season it’s fun to get out in the bush for weeks at a time, sleeping in swags under the stars. But at other times it’s pretty routine. There’s always general maintenance work—fixing fences, checking water, putting out feed supplements.’

  He asked more questions, surprising her with his eagerness to hear details about these tasks and other aspects of handling stock. Then he looked thoughtful for a moment. ‘It’s ages since I’ve slept under the stars.’

  ‘You should come to Star Valley, then. It’s big sky country. You can see all the stars you
like.’

  ‘It sounds wonderful.’ He topped up their wineglasses. ‘In a way it was star-gazing that led me into philosophy.’

  ‘Really?’

  ‘Yes. It was the summer after I left school and I was on a holiday with some mates, and we camped out on the beach at Byron Bay. It was the first time I’d really taken a good long look at the stars. You know, really looked at the sheer vastness and immensity of the universe.’

  ‘It’s a pretty awesome sight, isn’t it?’

  ‘It certainly is. It got me wondering how we humans fit into the scheme of things.’

  ‘Does philosophy give answers to questions like that?’

  ‘Not definitive answers necessarily, but it gives theories and possibilities. And it gives you guidance to work through all the existing answers till you work out your own.’

  ‘And you’ve worked out yours?’

  His eyes regarded her warmly. ‘I’m getting there.’

  Annie sighed. There was so much she wanted to ask Theo. Deep questions about the existence of God, about life and its possible meaning, but she didn’t really know where to begin. ‘So you went straight from school into philosophy?’

  ‘No. My father wanted me to study something more practical, so I started out studying economics. I got into philosophy by accident.’

  ‘How?’

  He pulled a sheepish grin. ‘You wouldn’t be very impressed.’

  ‘Try me.’

  Hooking one arm over the back of his chair, he leaned back and sent her another self-conscious smile. ‘I’m talking about centuries ago, remember, when I was eighteen and desperate to win on to girls, but terribly shy.’

  Theo had been shy with girls? That was a surprise, but she refrained from saying so.

  ‘I can’t quite believe I’m telling you this, but at the time my older sister assured me that girls love brainy guys, so I hit on the idea of sitting in the backs of bars with a big fat book and a pipe and trying to look impressively clever.’

  ‘A pipe, Theo?’

  ‘It was unlit. I saw it as a symbol that linked me to all the great twentieth century thinkers.’