Summer Fling (7 page)

Chloe smiled. “Nice to see you again.” She
stood and bent to kiss Mat. Then she turned to Garth and hesitated.

He rose. “Good to see you too.” He rested a
hand on her back and kissed her on the cheek. Her warm skin smelled of
chocolate. His lips lingered longer than they probably should have.

When he pulled back, she was blushing
again. Her eyes met his briefly. “Bye.” She walked out, Stella following.

Mat’s eyes gleamed. “That was a nice
surprise.”

“Shut up.” Garth finished off his lager.
“Want another?”

“Yeah. My round though.” He went up to the
bar. When he came back, he carried on the conversation. “She’s a pretty girl.”

Garth sighed. “Yes.”

“Are you interested?”

He fiddled with his glass. “I don’t think
she is.”

“That’s not what I asked.”

“What do you want me to say? I like her,
Mat, and I think she likes me, but she’s clearly ill at ease with my career.
She told me about her mother being bipolar, and that’s obviously got something
to do with her not wanting to be involved with anyone whom she might view as
unreliable. Plus Stella said something about her having been hurt badly
before.”

“Yeah. She dated a guy called Ethan Robins
for a few years. They broke up a while ago. The guy’s a complete dick. I never
knew what she saw in him. He’s a smarmy bastard, worked in banking. Good
looking, well-groomed, a smooth talker. He told her he was going to set up his
own business, and he convinced her to give him money. Blew it all, and when she
went to confront him, she found him in bed with a bimbo.”

Garth groaned. “Oh for fuck’s sake.”

“Yeah. Total bastard. She was completely
devastated.”

“Understandably so.”

“The odd thing is, she seemed more upset
about the money than about him cheating on her. She was embarrassed. Utterly
humiliated, you know? As if she should have known better. I don’t think she
signed any paperwork when she gave him the cash, and she could have kicked
herself afterward. He fooled us all though. I mean, I didn’t like him, but I
never thought he’d do anything like that. I thought he loved her.”

Garth frowned. Now he understood her
defensiveness and her reluctance to get involved with anyone again. And why
she’d looked sad when she walked into the bar.

“So,” Mat said. “Are you coming to the party?
Stella’s going to talk Chloe into coming.”

Garth just drank his lager.

“You could have cut the sexual tension
between you two with a hacksaw.”

“She’s not—”

Mat cut him off with an impatient wave of
his hand. “Bro’, sometimes you shouldn’t take no for an answer. She likes you.
You’ve got to push a little.”

“I don’t—”

“Garth.” Mat’s voice was firm. “When do I
ever ask you for anything?”

“All the time.”

“Bollocks. I tease you about it, but I
never push you to do anything you don’t want to do. I know what you’ve been
through. But it’s been a long time since Jess, and you need to move on. Trust
me. Come to the party.”

Garth hesitated. He hadn’t told Mat about
his plans for Stewart. He wasn’t sure why. Perhaps because of fear that Mat
would disapprove. But maybe he should trust his friend. He hadn’t had a date
for so long. Perhaps the time had come for him to dip his toe in the water.

He thought of Chloe. Of her soft mouth, and
the spark that had appeared in her eyes before she thought better of it and
covered it up. He couldn’t stop his lips from curving.

Mat grinned. “Good.”

“I might not stay over,” Garth cautioned.

“I’ll shove a couple of tents in the back
anyway.”

“I don’t do tents.” He couldn’t bear the
enclosed space.

Pity flickered on Mat’s face. “Oh yeah, I
forgot. Well, you can always sleep on the sand.”

“If I hate it, I’m not going to stay.”

“Fair enough. Just give it a go.”

Garth nodded. If he got there and Stella
hadn’t been able to persuade Chloe to go, he’d probably turn around and go
straight home. But if she
was
there…

A long evening, wine flowing, good music,
and a pretty woman in his arms. It used to be his idea of entertainment. Maybe
if Chloe was that pretty woman, he might actually enjoy himself again. Would he
be able to convince her he was worth relaxing her guard for?

She’d been so soft pressed against him on
the plane. With the taste of chocolate on her lips.

He’d certainly give it a try.

Chloe and Stella walked home slowly.

“Nice surprise,” Stella said.

“Yeah.”

Stella nudged her, and Chloe stuck her
tongue out.

“You went to pieces when you saw him,”
Stella remarked.

“Did not.”

“Did too, you dropped your purse.”

“That’s just me being clumsy.”

Stella raised an eyebrow.

Chloe sighed. “Yeah, all right. He’s nice.
I like him. Even though he’s a raving lunatic.”

“He jumps out of planes. That doesn’t mean
he’s mentally challenged.”

“He’s certainly not sane. But I take your
point.”

“He was right, you know. Life
is
a
risky business. You can’t plan for everything. Sometimes things just happen.”

“Yeah, I know. But there’s accepting that
life’s dicey, and then there’s deliberately going out and courting danger. With
his sort of job, it’s like he’s tempting Fate. ‘Come and have a go if you think
you’re hard enough.’ Almost as if he
wants
something terrible to
happen.”

Stella shrugged. “Maybe he does. Like I
said, I get the feeling there’s something Mat hasn’t told us about him.”

“And that’s just what I need—a guy with
secrets.”

“He’s not Ethan, honey. Ethan duped you.
That’s not the same as wanting to keep yourself to yourself. I mean, you
haven’t told Garth about Ethan taking your money, right? And I could see you
didn’t want to talk about Cocoa Heaven.”

“It’s none of his business.”

“That’s what I’m saying. Presumably he’s
the same. Let’s face it, you’ve only met him twice. He’s not going to pour out
his whole history in half an hour.”

Chloe sighed. “I know. It’s just…
Seriously, Stella, I don’t think I could cope with the uncertainty of it all.
I’m not asking for much. Just for someone who’s not looking to kill himself
five times a day, you know?”

“Yeah, because going with Mr. Investment
Banker turned out so well.”

“Ouch.”

Stella winced. “Sorry, that came out before
my brain could vet it. You know I didn’t mean it.”

“You did mean it, but that’s okay.” She
couldn’t take Stella’s words too much to heart because of their accuracy. Look
what had happened when she dated someone sensible and reliable. She still
didn’t believe Ethan’s cruel jibe about her being dull and boring just because
she preferred not to take risks, but maybe Garth was right—perhaps she did need
to be impulsive once in a while.

“Mat said he’s going to talk Garth into
coming to the party,” Stella said mischievously.

Chloe thought about his lovely smile, and
the way he’d kissed her cheek, his warm lips lingering there. It was only a
party. She wasn’t marrying the guy, or even committing herself in any way. It
would only be a bit of fun.

“Okay, I’ll come,” she relented.

“Yay.” Stella did a happy dance. “I’m
thrilled.”

“I can see that. Stop acting like a five
year old and find your key.”

Stella hugged her, though. “He’s such a
nice guy, Chloe. I really think the two of you are going to get on well.”

“We’ll see.” But Chloe couldn’t suppress a
rising feeling of excitement at the memory of his eyes meeting hers, the spark
shooting between them. He definitely wasn’t the safe option. But maybe, for
once, that was a good thing.

When Chloe and Stella arrived at Omapere on
the west coast, there were already several dozen cars parked along the grass
bank by the beach house, even though the sun had only just passed its zenith.
They made their way to the house, Stella hugging everyone in her usual
gregarious way. Chloe smiled more reservedly, nervous about meeting so many new
faces. But everyone was friendly and welcoming, and she soon began to relax
when several people she knew came up to say hello.

She handed over the alcohol and sodas
they’d brought with them for the drinks table, placed the veggie kebabs on the
table by the barbecue, and took the bread rolls the two of them had made that
morning into the kitchen. She also had several large boxes of chocolates that
she placed in the huge fridge. Normally she didn’t recommend putting chocolates
in the fridge as the temperature could discolor them, but in the hot weather they’d
end up in a puddle if she left them out.

Alex, the owner of the beach house, walked
into the room and came over when he saw them. Tall and sandy-haired, Alex had laughter
lines around his green eyes. She didn’t know him well, but they’d all
socialized together a few times, and he seemed pleasant enough.

“Wow, this is some place you’ve got here,”
she said.

“I know.” He kissed her on the cheek, then
Stella. “I was lucky enough to get a sizeable inheritance when a rich old aunt
died. I couldn’t resist the place when I came to look at it.”

“I can see why.” Chloe walked up to the big
sliding glass doors. The huge state-of-the-art kitchen and impressive lounge
were light and airy, and large windows looked out onto a fantastic view. The
wooden deck outside led straight onto the beach, and the glittering blue
Hokianga Harbor lay spread out before them, backed by golden sand dunes and the
deep blue of the Tasman Sea in the distance.

“I’m deeply envious,” she said. “It’s very
kind of you to share it with us.” She turned to smile at Alex just in time to
catch him looking at Stella as she bustled about in the kitchen.

Oh...

Alex caught Chloe’s eye and had the grace
to look embarrassed, and he turned on his heel and took the packs of sausages
and burgers outside.

Stella glanced over at her and stared at
Chloe’s smile. “What?”

“You didn’t tell me.” Chloe came over and
nudged her.

“Didn’t tell you what?”

“About Alex.”

Stella blinked. “What about him?”       

“Don’t tell me you haven’t realized.” She
indicated Alex as he walked across the deck to the barbecue. “He’s interested
in you. It was written all over his face.”

Stella stared after him. “You’re kidding
me?”

“Nope.”

Stella blushed. “Oh my God.”

“I’m guessing you like that idea.”

“He’s gorgeous. I’d kill to hook up with a
guy like him. I never thought he’d be interested in me though.”

Chloe frowned. As tall as her, but as dark
as Chloe was blonde, Stella had been her best friend at high school, and their
friendship had been strong enough to survive Chloe’s shift to Whangarei with
her mother at the age of fifteen. When she’d heard of Chloe’s plans to come
back to the bay, Stella had immediately stated they were going to move in
together, much to Chloe’s relief, and the two of them had picked up their
friendship where they’d left off, as close as ever. But Stella’s
self-confidence had always been low at school, and clearly it hadn’t improved
since then.

“What do you mean?” Chloe demanded. “You’re
gorgeous.”

“Stop it.” Stella’s whole face shone bright
red and she waved her hand, refusing to talk about it any further. “Anyway,
what’s up with you? You’re all chirpy cheep-cheep. Have you finally got Mr.
Ethan Nob-Head out of your thoughts?”

“Yes, I’m happy to say I’m moving on.”

Stella started cutting open the rolls and
buttering them. “Is it something to do with the fact that Garth might be here
today?”

“Nope.” She hadn’t come to this party to
see Garth. If he happened to turn up, she’d say hi, exchange pleasantries, and
that would be the extent of it. She had important things going on in her life
at the moment, big, life-changing events that were risky enough without the
added complication of getting involved with an unpredictable guy. She wasn’t
interested in him at all.

Liar,
said
the devil in her ear.

Ignoring it, she walked out through the
sliding doors to the deck and onto the beach, cramming her straw hat on her
head. She wore a short, cotton, tie-dyed dress, her favorite summer outfit,
swirled with ocean-colored blues and greens. She had a bikini on underneath,
but no way would she be brave enough to reveal that until she’d had a few
glasses of Sauvignon.

She paused on the beach, sinking her toes
into the golden sand, the fresh sea breeze cleansing the tension from her body.
It had been a difficult few months, what with the breakup with Ethan just
before Christmas and the usual family problems over the festive season. She
coped better with her mother nowadays, but just being around Nina Jackson
stressed her out, and holidays only exacerbated the problem.