Temporary Intrigue (9 page)

“I guess he’s not the baseball player, then?” he asked, trying to change the subject. “I noticed a bat back there.” He nodded towards the other part of the house.

“He used to play years ago, before the accident,” Dimity said. “And he’s thinking of doing some junior coaching.”

A shout from the kitchen told them dinner was ready.

As he got up, Josh glanced again at the two paintings on the wall.

“I really like them. Where did you get them?” He looked at them more closely, taken by the way the artist had captured the contrast between the shyness of the animals and the ruggedness of the Australian bush.

“Take a bow, Dim!” crowed Sandra.

“You did these?” He looked at Dimity, startled, then remembered the studio. “They’re great,” he added as she nodded.

That quick smile lit up her face. The unexpected thud of his heart as he watched was, of course, merely a result of standing too quickly.

Now close to her, he could see her mouth was a very attractive shape indeed: soft, slightly quirky, with a touch of vulnerability.

Her voice broke through his thoughts while strangely echoing them.

“Did you get the lipstick stain off your shirt?”

“I’ll let the dry cleaner deal with it.” He spoke absently. His gaze had moved to her eyes.

Yes, definitely the green of those mountain pools.

“Are you two coming?” Sandra was watching with interest from the door.

“Sure.” He gestured to the two of them to go ahead.

“Do you do much painting?” he asked Dimity as they all sat down around the kitchen table.

“As much as I can.”

“She’s even been teaching me to draw,” said Sandra. “She’s a great teacher.”

“Sandy’s fiancé, Kevin, is working in Hong Kong for a few months so she has time on her hands,” Dimity explained, offering Josh a plate of bread rolls.

“How’s she doing?” he asked.

Dimity chuckled.

“I don’t know about being a great teacher, but I’m an honest one. Stick to your day job, Sandy.”

They all laughed except Leigh, who had come to the table in her pyjamas and sat watching sourly while Shane brought the pot roast over. Apart from a slight limp, Josh couldn’t see that he had any problem moving around.

It was a pleasant, relaxed meal. Everyone opted for second helpings of the pot roast which Shane served while regaling them with humorous stories of life as a chef in Sydney. While the rest of them laughed, Leigh showed little interest in anything except her food. Josh wondered what Shane saw in her.

He glanced across at Dimity and their eyes met. She smiled, making him feel once again as if a trip hammer had been let loose inside his chest.

“Dim, I forgot to ask if you handed my CV in at the hotel yesterday,” Shane said.

“Yes and no.” Daring them to laugh, Dimity looked at Josh and Sandra, who both bent their heads studiously to their plates. “I’ll explain later,” she told Shane, who was looking puzzled.

“You could have taken it in yourself,” Sandra said to Shane with a touch of censure in her tone. “I saw you and Leigh walking past the salon in the afternoon.”

Shane looked slightly embarrassed.

“We made a snap decision to go out for lunch.”

“At the Sea Haven,” added Leigh smugly.

Josh knew little of Newcastle, but some of the restaurants that provided competition for Global had been pointed out to him during his visit. He remembered the Sea Haven, a stylish, glass and chrome establishment overlooking the city’s main beach. He also remembered it as being quite a distance from the main business area. Shane mightn’t like hoofing it to the local bus stop as a means of getting to and from work but it seemed he didn’t mind a walk when lunch was in the offing.

At the mention of the restaurant, Dimity whistled.

“You’re living high,” she commented teasingly.

Leigh turned defensive.

“Well, we saved money on parking. We used the shopping centre car park near Sandy’s place because it’s free for three hours, and walked from there.”

Shane shoved his chair back abruptly, making Josh jump.

“Do you have to keep treating me like a kept man?” he demanded furiously, glaring across the table at Dimity. “You know damn well I’m doing what I can to get a full-time job.”

“Anyone for dessert?” offered Dimity quickly. “Coffee?”

Sandra and Josh opted for coffee. Shane and Leigh made themselves scarce.

“Sometimes,” Sandra said softly, “I’d like to give Shane a kick where it would do the most good.”

Josh’s own foot was itching. If Shane fired up at Dimity like that when they had guests, what was he like when they were on their own? That kid needed to do some maturing.

Still, he reminded himself, it was none of his business.

He piled up some dishes, carried them to the sink and began rinsing.

“I shouldn’t have teased him,” he heard Dimity say to Sandra. “He’s so touchy about not having any money. I think Leigh pounces on anything he does earn, like going out to lunch today. He’ll be all right once he gets a proper job.”

“Famous last words,” muttered Sandra.

“There’s one silver lining,” Dimity went on. “From what I’ve seen of them in the past few days, I suspect he’s having second thoughts about Leigh. They’re hardly devoted.”

She got up, passed some more dishes to Josh and collected mugs.

“How did they meet?” asked Josh, beginning to stack the rinsed dishes in the dishwasher.

“At a car dealership in Sydney. They were both doing part-time work there.” Dimity took the percolator over to the table.

“That reminds me,” said Sandra, “have you booked Her Leighship to take you to pick your car up next Friday?”

“She said she can’t. Everyone else I could ask is working. I’ll get a bus.”

“I wish I could help, Dim, but I’m flat out on Fridays.”

“I know. That’s why I didn’t ask you.”

Josh looked around.

“I can take you. I’ll be back here on Friday.”

Dimity brightened, but then shook her head.

“Thanks, but you’ve done more than enough. I can get a bus.”

“Don’t make me get out that cattle prod.”

There it was, the beginning of the smile he kept hoping for.

“Well – you’ve talked me into it. If you’re sure it’s no trouble.”

“Not at all. Maybe you’ll have time to show me more of Newcastle.”

Dimity ducked her head and poured the coffee. Sandra, somewhat to Josh’s confusion, gave him a thumbs up.

After the coffee, he could think of no excuse for lingering.

“I’ll say goodbye to the others and get some contact details from you before I go,” he said.

Followed by Dimity, who collected his jacket from a hanger in the laundry room on the way, he put his head into the living room where Shane and Leigh were sprawled on the lounge in front of the television.

“Enjoyed meeting you. Thanks for the meal,” he said.

Shane got to his feet and shook hands. Turning to go, Josh paused again in front of the two watercolours.

“You really should go on with your gallery idea,” he said to Dimity.

Leigh laughed loudly.

“You need a business brain for that sort of thing.” She looked at Shane maliciously. “What did you tell me your father used to say about her? Dim by name, dim by nature, wasn’t it?”

“Family joke.” Shane grinned broadly at Dimity and then at Josh as if expecting them to join in the mockery.

Looking at Dimity, Josh saw she was smiling but not the quick, spontaneous smile he liked so much. It was a mechanical smile that didn’t reach her eyes, a smile in which he caught a flash of raw hurt.

Some joke
, he thought. At least he meant to think it. From the way three heads swivelled towards him he was stunned to realise he had said the words aloud and had been glowering at Shane as he said them.

Shane’s grin faded.

“Not really any of your business, is it?” he demanded pugnaciously.

Josh felt his fists clench. For the second time that evening he found himself attracted to the idea of smashing someone’s nose to a pulp. Shane looked equally ready to start something.

“Not really funny, either, is it? Hurtful humour never is.”

Compared with Shane’s bluster, Josh’s tone was cool, but tense with underlying anger.

A variety of expressions, including outrage, doubt and embarrassment, crossed Shane’s face.

Then Dimity, all five feet four of her, stepped between them. Those pools of green, now brimming with chips of ice, focused first on Josh.

“You’ll need directions to the freeway. I’ll show you the way.”

Josh found his jacket thrust into his hands as her head snapped around to Shane, the blonde hair bouncing. “The rain’s stopped. Bert needs a walk.”

It didn’t occur to either of them to argue. Shane muttered something and disappeared. Josh followed Dimity back to the kitchen, said a quick goodbye to Sandra and, almost before he could draw breath, found himself in his car with Dimity standing beside it in her socks on the wet footpath.

“Go back the way we came, but don’t turn up the hill. Follow the road to the next set of lights, then you’ll see the signs for the freeway.”

“Can I get your number so we can make arrangements for Friday?” He began reaching for his pen.

“Don’t worry about Friday. I’ll be fine.”

Her eyes were the eyes of a stranger. More dismayed than he would have believed possible, Josh stared at her.

“Are you sure?”

“Quite sure.”

Her expression brooked no argument.

Josh shrugged.

“Okay. Thanks for dinner. I really appreciated it.”

“You’re welcome.”

Clearly she wanted him to go. He started the car.

“Take care,” he said, but she didn’t respond. He didn’t even know if she had heard him.

****

“I hope you’ve noticed how I’ve very nobly refrained from criticising your ridiculously touchy attitude,” Sandra said as Dimity saw her out the back door.

Dimity managed a wan grin.

“Doomed from the start. Wrong time, wrong place. End of story.”

“If you say so.” Sandra buttoned her jacket. “But that’s not what he said.”

“What?” Dimity looked up from tugging off her wet socks just as a tall figure in a dark jacket appeared around the corner of the house. Her heart gave an Olympic-qualifying leap until she heard Bert snuffling. Shane let him off the lead, brushed past them without speaking and went through to the kitchen.