Runaway to the Outback

by Nicole Flockton

  Out of reflex he slung an arm around her shoulders and pulled her close to him. His body heated from the contact and when her arm slid around his waist he almost fist pumped the air. A silly thought to what was probably a reflex reaction for her as well. Although she’d never reciprocated when he’d done it before. “I’m not sure,” he said. “Maybe.”

  As Ryan and Sindy made their way close to where he stood, Jonas could make out the fine lines of exhaustion surrounding Ryan’s eyes. While he wanted to keep Pandora close, he reluctantly pulled his arm away. “You look like you need a drink.”

  “I’d love nothing more than a scotch, but I’m never really off duty, so just give me a Coke.”

  “Coming up. Any news on Ray?” He figured he’d ask the question he knew was on the tip of everyone’s tongue.

  Ryan sighed. “Not yet. Which means, he’s been in surgery for about six hours now, so they’ve obviously had to do more than they initially thought.”

  The atmosphere in the room seemed to get even more sombre, if that was possible. Jonas slid a glass of Coke across the bar to Ryan. “Well, if they get everything done now, it means he probably won’t need any more surgery in the future.”

  “Let’s hope so.”

  Jonas couldn’t tell if Ryan was being overly cautious in the typical doctor manner, or he did know more and didn’t want to say anything to upset everyone present.

  He was conscious of Pandora fiddling with the bottles lined up on the bar shelf. They were already in a straight line but she was turning them this way and that. He went over to her and placed a hand on the small of her back. She leaned into the slight touch.

  “He’s going to be okay,” he murmured, wanting to reassure her but hoping he wasn’t saying hollow words.

  “I know. It’s just …” She shook her head and a coconut fragrance wafted around him, making him want to bury his face in the fall of her hair. “I don’t understand why I’m so upset about this. I hardly know the man. I’ve been here less than a week and, yet, I’m on the verge of tears thinking about what’s going to happen to Ray. And then I think about his lost love and just wish life was different for him and he wasn’t alone.”

  Everything he’d thought about Pandora was beginning to disintegrate. Had he really got her personality wrong?

  He mentally shook his head; he could dissect his thoughts later. Pandora needed him now and he would be there for her. He couldn’t ignore someone when they were in need.

  It didn’t matter that they were in a roomful of people; he turned her around, resting his hands on her hips. He leaned forward and placed his forehead against hers. “Ray’s not alone. He’s got you, me and the whole town of Bunya Junction pulling for him and I can guarantee that there is already a schedule drawn up for people to go look in on him when he returns. They’ll also have organised to fill his freezer with nutritious meals. He won’t have to worry about cooking for the next six months.” He lifted his head and brushed a strand of hair off her face. “As for his lost love, well you and I are going to see if we can do something about it. But I love that you care for him as much as you do.”

  She smiled and her eyes glistened with unshed tears. “Thank you for making me feel better.”

  “My pleasure.” He pulled her in for a hug and looked over his shoulder. Every eye in the room was on them. He hoped Pandora wouldn’t be embarrassed by the close scrutiny. He wasn’t. He didn’t care what the folks said about him. Or what they speculated about his life. Stepping away from her, he called out, “Okay, who needs a refill?”

  Over the next thirty minutes he made sure everyone had drinks and he’d even arranged for Pete, his chef, to whip up some food that could be shared family-buffet style for those who were hungry, instead of using the menu. The moment called for comfort food.

  The anxiety in the room was still high and he was about to ask Ryan again if he’d heard anything. He was pretty sure he hadn’t, because Ryan didn’t seem the type to keep the news quiet. Before he could utter a word, the door opened and Scott walked in.

  Jonas’s heart leapt to his throat. Behind him Pandora gasped loudly. Why was his brother here? Did he have bad news and wanted to break it to everyone in person instead of over the phone to him or Ryan? But wait, if it was bad news, he wouldn’t be smiling like he was.

  As if knowing he was going to be bombarded with twenty questions, Scott held up his hand to ward them off. “He made it through surgery and is doing well. The surgeons are optimistic he will make a full recovery.”

  A cheer went up around the room and everyone hugged each other. Warm arms closed around his back and he recognised the coconut fragrance—Pandora. Turning so that he was facing her, he pulled her in tight again.

  He sighed. It felt so good to have her close. Her body shook and it took a second to realise that she was crying. He pressed his lips against her hair. “I told you he was going to be fine,” he whispered.

  “I know. But there was always this little doubt that maybe he wouldn’t be.”

  Giving her another soft kiss, he pulled away, brushing his thumbs across her cheeks, wiping way the tears. “I think this calls for champagne, don’t you?”

  “Yes.”

  “I’ll be right back. Start getting the glasses lined up.”

  He headed for the cold room where he’d placed a case earlier in the day. He wasn’t a superstitious person, per se, but today he’d felt the need to do something to send out into the universe that Ray needed to make it. Hoisting it up he returned to the main room, happy to see everyone was chatting happily and Pandora had lined the glasses up neatly.

  He really did like working with her.

  *

  Pandora’s feet ached, and she was sure she smelt like she hadn’t showered in days, but she wouldn’t have it any other way. Everyone had left the pub except for Ryan, Sindy and Scott. Apparently Scott was going to spend the night and return to Waratah River in the morning. Jonas was chatting with them all and she thought about slipping away quietly to let them all catch up. She didn’t want to intrude on the family time they were sharing, something she suspected didn’t happen all that often.

  As though sensing what she was about to do, Jonas looked up and smiled. Her insides somersaulted and excitement bubbled up inside of her. He’d been much more touchy-feely with her today, as if he was making up for the past few days when he’d been ignoring her.

  “Come and sit with us, Pandora. You’re working harder than I am and you’re not even an employee.”

  “You need to pay her, Jonas,” Sindy declared, crossing her arms and giving her brother a look that Pandora figured was her big-sister-don’t-mess-with-me one.

  The last thing Pandora wanted was to be paid for helping Jonas out. Working the bar tonight had been a lot of fun and she’d really felt as though she was part of the community. Even though she was tired and her feet throbbed, she took Jonas up on his offer and headed over to the small group, noticing that the only spare seat was beside Jonas.

  How convenient.

  When she sat she groaned out loud with the weight being taken off her poor feet. “I don’t think I’ll be able to walk again tomorrow.”

  Immediately Jonas lifted her left leg and laid it over the top of his. His fingers deftly undid the laces and removed her shoe. Working out what he was about to do she attempted to pull her foot away, but he tightened his hold around her ankle. “My feet are sweaty and probably stink. You will regret laying a finger on them.”

  “I’ve handled worse things than stinky feet working here.” He began to rub her achy foot. A moan of pleasure erupted out of her. None of the massages she’d received after long days on set were as good as this one. Did Jonas have magic in his fingers?

  A round of chuckles pulled her back to where she was. Embarrassment swept through her and she tried to free her foot, but Jonas wasn’t having any of it. “Relax, Pandora,” he murmured as he pressed his thumb in the heel. “You deserve this.”

  For the next few momen
ts, she let herself get lost in the pleasure of her foot massage.

  “Scott?” Pandora asked to break the silence that had fallen over them. He looked up, his eyebrows raised in query. “Not that I think anyone minded, but how come you didn’t phone in the news about Ray? How come you came here?”

  If he found her question intrusive he didn’t show it. “I grew up here. I’ve known Ray my whole life. I also knew that everyone would probably be in one place waiting for any information. This wasn’t the time to call someone. So once I heard from the cardiologist I got in my car and headed here.”

  Country living was so very different from city living and, against her better judgement, Pandora was beginning to fall in love with the town of Bunya Junction and the residents. Not to mention the conflicting emotions for Jonas running through her. How could she trust feelings that were borne out of the emotional situation she’d dropped herself in? That was the thing about deep attraction—it hit you out of the blue. For the past few days she’d been fighting those sensations and, right at this moment, she didn’t want to fight them anymore. Especially after seeing how life could change on a dime.

  The person she’d miss the most when she returned to the city was the man giving her the best foot massage she’d ever had in her life. Why not see what could happen between them? Yes, distance could be an issue but, out of the two of them, she could travel to Bunya Junction more often than Jonas could travel to the city.

  Did she take the risk and open herself up to the possibility? Of course, there’d be no point if Jonas didn’t feel the same as her. Yet, all the little touches and smiles he’d been giving her suggested he could be having the same emotions as her.

  “I’m glad you did. As I’m sure everyone else was,” she replied.

  The next minute Scott and Sindy’s faces paled and Sindy pushed back from the table and ran for the bathroom. Ryan rushed after her. Scott, on the other hand, took a couple of deep breaths and sipped at his water.

  Interesting.

  “I bet you’re wishing Sindy would hurry up and get over her morning sickness, huh, bro?” Jonas joked beside her.

  “Tell me about it. At least I’m not actually tossing my cookies like she is. I just get a wave of nausea. If I sip water and breathe deeply I’m usually okay.”

  “That’s because she’s throwing up,” Pandora chuckled. “Poor Sindy.”

  “I think she’s got an appointment in a couple of days with the obstetrician that visits Waratah River every two weeks. I’m sure she’ll get some anti-nausea medication prescribed for her.”

  “How come Ryan won’t give it to her? Or you?” Pandora asked, surprised that neither of them would ease her discomfort. “Wait, I’ve already asked this,” she laughed at her own memory loss. “I guess, like Ryan wanting to just be her partner in this journey, you want to just be a brother and not a doctor.”

  “Yep,” Scott confirmed. “Besides I don’t think Sindy will want me to interfere. I’d rather be the favourite uncle to the baby.”

  “Wait a minute, I think I’m going to be the favourite uncle,” Jonas interjected. “I’m younger and cooler than you.”

  “I’ll give you the younger, but cooler—I don’t think so. I’ll be able to share gory stories with the boy. Who doesn’t love gruesome stories?”

  “You know it’s a boy?” she asked, surprised that Scott would let something like that slip. Besides she didn’t think Sindy was far enough along to determine the sex of the baby. She had no idea how medical technology worked, so maybe they could tell super early these days.

  “It’s not a boy. Scott is talking out of his arse,” Sindy declared as she sat back down at the table.

  “Hey, a brother can hope, right, Jonas? You’ve got to admit you’d prefer a nephew to a niece. Although Yolanda’s Jayne is pretty cute.” Scott laughed.

  Beside her Jonas shook his head. “Good recovery there, bro. Lucky Yolanda isn’t here to hear what you said. As for me, I’m staying out of this. I’m hoping for a healthy, happy baby for my sister.”

  “Way to be Switzerland,” Pandora joked and everyone around the table laughed.

  “What if it’s twins?” Jonas threw the comment out there, and Sindy looked like she was about to pass out.

  “Trust me, I’ve thought about the possibility, especially with how sick I’ve been,” Sindy murmured and rubbed a hand over her belly.

  An ache she’d never experienced before hit Pandora in the solar plexus. Having children hadn’t ever been in the forefront of her mind. Were there children in her future and, if so, could the man who was still giving her a foot massage perhaps be the father?

  Whoa, slow down there, girlfriend, you’ve known him all of ten minutes and now is not the time to be falling in love.

  Her inner voice was right. Her life was in turmoil right now. Her good mood evaporated as she thought about what was happening beyond the four walls of the hotel. Laura kept texting her to keep her apprised of what had occurred after they’d released the press statement.

  So far, the various products she was the face of hadn’t contacted her agent wishing to have her removed. Pandora was happy and relieved about that. The problem was, she was still front-page news. How was it possible that some other celebrity hadn’t posted a nude picture or a video of them doing something they shouldn’t? Or announced a surprise pregnancy? Of course her incident would happen on a slow-news week.

  Some enterprising gossip journalist had found out the names of the other models who’d been at the shoot with her, so that wasn’t helping her story get buried to the fifth page on a search engine. Both of the models had no issue contradicting her official statement and firmly believed the line about a pet dying was untrue. They declared loudly that Pandora had suffered a major mental breakdown, and her actions had nothing to do with a bereavement at all.

  What could she say? They were speaking the truth, apart from the mental breakdown issue. She was tired, she wasn’t mentally fragile. She’d seen some models who were, and had tried her hardest to help them lift their spirits, even encouraged them to seek help. Some girls had appreciated her efforts, others hadn’t.

  The weight of the lie pressed down on her shoulders. Why hadn’t she fought harder with Laura to come up with something more feasible as a reason for her running off the set?

  “Hey, are you okay?” Jonas brushed his fingers down her arm. The fine hair on her skin rose up like burgeoning flower shoots reaching for the sun.

  No way was she going to let Jonas know where her thoughts had been. “Yeah, just tired. It’s been a long day.”

  He studied her for a few more seconds. Was he trying to look inside her mind to find out what she’d been thinking so hard about? “You’re right. It’ll be time to open before we know it.”

  “Have you thought more about getting some help so you don’t have to work all the time?” Ryan asked as he stood, keeping his arm firmly around Sindy.

  Beside her Jonas stiffened, as if he didn’t want anyone to know what he’d been thinking.

  “Really? You’re finally going to get some help so you can have a day off?” Scott’s eyebrows rose high, almost disappearing into his hairline.

  Pandora hadn’t given it much thought, but Jonas did say that the pub was open seven days a week and for the short time she’d been staying there, no one had come in to help him open or close. He was always the one doing everything.

  Why hadn’t she noticed?

  Why was it any of her business what he did with his pub?

  Because, as much as she didn’t want to, she cared about what happened to Jonas, that’s why. She may have only known him for a short while, but he’d been nothing but kind and helpful to her. He’d proven over and over that he didn’t appear to be like the past people in her life who only wanted her for one thing before abandoning her. She only hoped her trust in his character wasn’t misguided.

  “I haven’t thought more about it.” Jonas’s words were clipped, clearly not enjoying the conversa
tion.

  “I really think you should look at finding someone who can help you out. Like an assistant manager or something,” Sindy said, coming forward and hugging her brother.

  Jonas returned her hug, but to Pandora’s eyes, he wasn’t giving it his all, like he had the times he’d hugged her. “As I said to Ryan, it’s not as easy as that. Everyone here has jobs they want and most of my part-time help are people who are just looking for a couple of hours of work a day. They don’t want the added management responsibility.”

  “Why don’t you close for a day then?” Pandora asked, not sure why she did when she’d already decided it wasn’t her place to interfere with how Jonas ran his life.

  Jonas shut down on her. All emotion left his face and he stepped away from the group, crossing his arms over his chest. A classic closed-off pose if she’d ever seen one.

  “It’s late. Scott, where are you staying, my place, the pub or are you going to stay with Ryan and Sindy?”

  Pandora watched the byplay between the siblings. They appeared to be having some sort of silent conversation between themselves. She really should’ve kept her mouth shut and not suggested he close for a day. She had no idea what that would do to his bottom line, whether closing even one day would be the difference between keeping the place profitable or putting it in the red.

  “I’ll stay here at the pub, thanks, bro.”

  “Great, let me grab you a key.”

  Jonas disappeared into a little room off the bar where she knew he kept everything relating to the rooms upstairs. She was still the only guest, but was aware that Jonas was also sleeping in the building. Would he stay tonight seeing as she wouldn’t be the only one upstairs?

  Did they have people staying here often? She’d had no idea, until she stumbled upon the place, that Bunya Junction existed. Did the town have some sort of festival that drew people to visit on a regular basis? And, if so, did Jonas always stay or did he employ someone to help him out on occasions like that?

  To give the siblings a private space to say goodbye, she quickly gathered up the glasses and headed behind the bar. She was aware of Scott walking over to his sister to give her a hug, before he shook Ryan’s hand. Once they left he came up to the bar.