‘What we did together was water play, not swimming, and I haven’t eaten since I left Melbourne this morning.’
The woman behind the counter snickered. ‘Water play, huh?’
‘Yeah, if anyone’s a kid around here, it’s her.’ He pointed at Karly, whose adorable blush made him want to tease her more.
‘I’m Nevaeh, but you can call me Nev.’ She wiggled her eyebrows. ‘After all, if you’re indulging inwater playwith my best friend here, you’re a mate of mine too.’
Nev made it sound like they’d been fooling around in bed rather than the pool and he stifled a chuckle as Karly’s blush deepened.
‘Nev, we’re dying for a coffee,’ Karly said, determinedly changing the subject, a deep frown between her brows, and he bit back a grin.
‘And one of those giant pasties for me, please,’ Hudson added. ‘You know, because water play builds an appetite.’
Nev burst out laughing and Karly glared at him. ‘Don’t encourage her. I’ll be hearing about this for the next week.’
Enjoying seeing the confident woman squirm, he leaned in to murmur in her ear, ‘Then maybe we should really give her something to talk about.’
‘Dream on.’ She elbowed him away and he clutched his side in mock pain.
‘So now you’re interested in my dreams too, huh?’ He tapped his lip, pretending to think. ‘I’ll tell you mine if you tell me yours.’
‘Not bloody likely,’ she muttered as he heard another snicker from Nev, who had her back turned to them while making their coffees.
Karly must’ve heard it too because she gestured to a small table tucked in a corner, far from the front counter. ‘Let’s take a seat.’
‘Sure.’ He glanced around the café, empty bar one customer, who sat in the front window nursing a muffin and a cuppa. ‘Perhaps you’d like to join us, Nev? It seems quiet enough in here.’
Karly glanced at him in surprise, and when Nev turned around to hand them two steaming cappuccinos, she smiled. ‘I’d love to. But just for a minute. I’ve got a stack of baking prep to do for tomorrow.’ She gestured to the table. ‘You guys head on over and I’ll warm up your pastie. Tomato sauce on the side okay?’
‘Perfect,’ he said, indicating Karly, already seated at the table, with a subtle jerk of his head. ‘Is she really mad at me or is she just pretending?’
‘I’ve known Karly for twenty-five years and her bark is definitely worse than her bite.’ Nev hesitated for a second before adding, ‘And for what it’s worth, I think she likes you.’
‘Could’ve fooled me.’
Nev smiled. ‘Let’s just say Karly never takes time off work, so if you convinced her to play truant for even an hour, you’re doing well.’
Not for much longer, considering the pitch he had to make to her grandfather. But for now, he’d take the truce while it lasted.
After they’d sat for a few minutes, Hudson and Nevaeh doing most of the small talk, Karly gulped her coffee and mumbled, ‘The fridge in the granny flat is on so it might pay to stock up on a few groceries,’ before bolting like she couldn’t wait to get away from him. If she heard his ‘But then I can’t use the old “Can I borrow a cup of sugar?” excuse on you when I pop next door,’ she didn’t show it. Nev did though and her chuckles followed Karly out the door.
‘How long are you in town for?’
‘A few days,’ he said. ‘I need to have an important business meeting with Karly’s grandfather, and I want to get a feel for the town.’
‘Why? You thinking of moving here?’
Hell no. As much as country life had its charms, give him a cosmopolitan city any day. He loved the buzz of strolling through Melbourne, particularly at night, when the many laneways came alive, the restaurants and bars filled to capacity, with diners often spilling out onto the streets. He had a favourite rooftop haunt that offered stunning views of the city and he liked nothing better than to chill there with a beer at the end of a long meeting.
‘No, but I’m hoping to have business interests in town.’
Nev eyed him with blatant speculation. ‘You’re not thinking of buying Karly’s agency, are you?’
‘What if I am?’
‘I’d tell you that you have two chances. Buckley’s and none.’
Nev didn’t sound annoyed, merely curious, and while he shouldn’t take advantage of her friendship with Karly, it might help to get the lowdown on the opposition. ‘She seems very attached to the agency.’