48
Heidi shouldn’t have given in so easily.
When Jem called late last night after she got home from the dinner party at Summer’s house saying he had a surprise for her to celebrate her house sale, she should’ve declined. But he’d sounded so excited she didn’t have the heart to say no, despite her stance to keep things between them professional. Besides, he’d also informed her the agency’s sale had gone through, meaning he’d be leaving sooner rather than later, and she didn’t want to be left with regrets.
Better to end things between them on a lighthearted note than a resentful ‘he hurt me badly’. Because he had—not that she’d let him know. He might’ve said all the right things when he apologised and taken full responsibility for what happened but she couldn’t forget that morning when he’d implied his impotence had been her fault. She’d spent a lifetime feeling inadequate; she didn’t need a new dose.
When he’d said her surprise would take place at dawn, she’d been sceptical. But he’d assured her rising early would be worth it, and now they cruised high above the inland landscape near Bairnsdale in a hot air balloon as the sun eased over the horizon.
He’d been right.
This was definitely worth it.
‘Pretty spectacular, huh?’ He stood close, their shoulders brushing, his tone reverent. ‘There’s so much beauty to explore in our amazing country.’
She nodded, unexpectedly overcome with emotion as mauve and sienna streaked the sky like a master dashing slashes of paint across a pristine canvas. Jem probably hadn’t intended his surprise to be intimate but this hot air balloon ride was the most romantic thing she’d ever experienced.
‘I wanted to ask you something.’ He touched her arm and, when she turned towards him, took hold of her hands. ‘I know it’s going to sound crazy, and your first instinct will be to say no, but I want you to think about it.’
For an insane moment Heidi wondered if he was going to propose before her voice of reason broke into hysterical laughter. This wasn’t a rom com and her life wasn’t a movie. She was too practical to believe in fairy tales and from now on she’d be making her own come true. Her way.
‘Think about what?’
He glanced at the balloon operator—who was ignoring them—before swallowing, as if summoning his nerve. ‘I brought you up here because I wanted to show you what kind of life we could have if you accompanied me on my travels around Australia. We could swim with the dolphins off the West Australian coast, we could snorkel the Great Barrier Reef, we could drink ourselves silly through Margaret River and the Barossa Valley, we could spend hours exploring Salamanca Market in Hobart. We could see anything and everything and having you with me would make it even more special.’
Speechless, Heidi tried to assimilate everything Jem had just said. How had they gone from being awkward friends to this?
‘I know it’s a lot to absorb, but discounting that … little hiccup in our relationship, I think we’d be good together, Heidi. But,’ he took a deep breath and blew it out slowly before continuing, ‘full disclosure, that health scare I mentioned was pre-cancerous cells in my prostate, and I’ll need ongoing monitoring.’
She felt the blood drain from her face and he touched her arm in reassurance. ‘I’m not planning on dying anytime soon and I’m not telling you so you’ll feel obliged to give me another chance, but I wanted you to know everything if we’re to give this relationship a real shot.’ He waved his hand between them. ‘We have a connection, one I hadn’t expected, and I’m too old to waste time when I know what I want.’ His mouth quirked in a lopsided smile. ‘And that’s you, in case you were wondering.’
When he drew her hand to his mouth and pressed a kiss to the back of it, she still couldn’t speak. She didn’t know what shocked her more: his conviction they belonged together, his faith they’d be good travelling companions when they’d barely spent more than a few hours together over the last week, or the insane urge to throw caution to the wind and yell, ‘Hell yes!’
‘I can see by your stunned expression you’re struggling for the right words to let me down nicely,’ he said, his smile widening. ‘But like I said, think about it, okay?’
She managed a nod as he fixed them mimosas and handed one to her.
‘It might be a bit early for champers, but the orange juice counteracts the alcohol so we’re all good.’ He raised his flute. ‘Here’s to embarking on new adventures.’
‘To new adventures,’ she echoed, tapping her glass to his, and wondering what he’d think when she told him the truth: that the only adventure she’d be embarking on in the near future would be to remodel The Knick Knack Shop.
She wasn’t cut out for grand adventures. Dolphins intimidated her and she’d never snorkelled. But as she sipped her mimosa and Jem cast her longing sideways glances, she couldn’t help but dare to dream.
CHAPTER
49
As predicted, Hudson had a crappy night’s sleep, so he rose at four-thirty and hit the road. He’d deliberately gone to bed early so he wouldn’t be tempted to peer outside if he heard Karly’s car pull into the drive next door. The last thing he wanted was to get a glimpse of her date and a good-night kiss, or worse, some bozo going into her house. But lying in bed listening to a relaxing playlist didn’t help sleep arrive any faster and he’d ended up tossing all night.
He couldn’t stop thinking about her.
A situation rectified when he got back to Melbourne and had consecutive meetings with investors all day. Now that he was part of the Inverloch agency’s growth along the eastern coastal region, they were suitably impressed with his expansion into other small towns in rural Victoria and most had pledged money to fund his youth housing projects all around the state. He couldn’t wait to give Stella the good news, but first he had to brace himself for another run-in with his father.
Rowan had texted him the address of the factory where he worked and said he’d meet him in the carpark at two-fifty, ten minutes before knock-off time. That would give them the appearance of casually chatting when Dexter, the kid his father was concerned about, finished work for the day and came out to the carpark.
He appreciated his father’s insight, that Rowan understood Dexter probably wouldn’t be amenable to strangers interfering in his life, but he hoped the kid would listen to reason. When Hudson pulled into the carpark five minutes early, he was surprised to see Rowan already waiting for him near a battle-scarred station wagon decades old.
He parked nearby and got out of the car, glad he’d dressed down when he saw a few men in overalls exit a huge steel door and cast him curious glances. If he’d worn a suit he would’ve stood out even more.