The Girl in Steel-Capped Boots (15 page)

Clutching a stomach aching with laughter, she didn’t resist the arm that came around her shoulders and pulled her aside. Still hiccupping with mirth, she turned to find Gavin there.

‘Gavin?’ She wiped a tear from the corner of her eye. ‘What are you –?’

‘Aren’t you going to join us?’

She glanced back at Carl and the boys, who were still laughing hysterically. ‘Yes, no – I thought I might give dinner
a miss.’ She patted his arm distractedly. ‘You and Sharon go ahead.’

‘Lena, I need to tell you something.’

‘Huh?’ She suddenly realised he’d pulled her over to the pot plants. She looked behind him, wondering where Sharon was. ‘What’s going on?’

And it was only then when she saw his too-intense brown eyes that she realised what a very terrible mistake she had made. But it was too late. He had already grabbed her face between his palms and lowered his lips to hers.

She froze in shock, until the sound of a glass shattering broke her stupor.

Their lips disconnected and she took a giant step away from him, turning quickly to view the damage. There were a lot of people staring.

A lot.

Her skinned burned hot as she turned from one amused person to another, like a bird in a cage. The bar was almost quiet with the weight of the speculation going on. But all other faces blurred into the background as one person’s suddenly came into sharp and painful focus.

It was Sharon, her broken glass at her feet.

Sharon’s face was as red as her hair. She spun on her heel and stumbled into the crowd. Lena’s throat closed up.

Oh crap.

‘Lena, what’s wrong?’ A gentle hand on her cheek pulled her attention back to Gavin, who she realised was standing far too close. She swiftly stepped back.

‘I really wish you hadn’t done that.’

He lowered his hand, his eyes reflecting the concern in his voice. ‘Why?’

Her reply was lost in the cheer that rose up around them. The drunk and the drunker raised their beers.

‘Way to go, Gav!’

Double crap.

Lena did her best to stem her rising panic as they converged on them, their teasing remarks filling the air.

‘We knew there was something going on between you two!’

‘Too cosy by half!’

She looked beyond their ranks, trying desperately to spot Sharon. It was useless. Hands stretched out to ruffle Gavin’s hair; grubby fingers waggled wickedly in front of her nose.

She pushed them aside, craning her neck to see past them.

‘I have to find Sharon,’ she said to Gavin. When he didn’t seem to hear, she made her announcement louder and to everyone at large. ‘I have to find Sharon!’

They blatantly ignored her, too busy congratulating Gavin, clicking their beers together and laughing at some lewd joke, of which she was no doubt the centre. With a frustrated groan, she shoved the guy in front of her out of the way.

‘Hey.’ His tone was exaggerated hurt but she didn’t care.

Finally, she broke free of the crowd. Sucking in a breath of clean air, she crashed face-first into the flat plane of a hard male chest.

‘Guess you’ve never heard of the golden rule.’

Lena fell back and looked up to find Dan’s mouth pulled into a taut line. A muscle worked in his lean cheek as he stared down at her, less than impressed. The last thing she needed was a riddle. What was wrong with these people? But like a log caught in a rip, she went along for the ride.

‘What rule?’

‘Never dip your pen in the company ink.’ Each word was pronounced slowly and succinctly, like he was throwing darts at a bullseye one by one. A shot of anger heated her body. The fact that it was the advice she’d been giving herself ever since her break-up with Kevin only served to heighten her resentment. Instead of agreeing with him, her shrill voice jumped right to defensive.

‘Excuse me?’

‘How long have you and Gavin been seeing each other?’

‘How is that any of your business?’

‘You’re the one keen on a public display.’

She put her hand up. ‘I don’t have time for this. I have to find Sharon.’

He indicated to her left with his head. ‘She went inside. Toilet, I think.’

Lena sighed, relieved he wasn’t going to try to rile her further. ‘Thanks.’

‘Stole her boyfriend, did you?’

What?!

The off-the-cuff remark stopped her in her tracks once more. ‘
No
. Not that I need to explain myself to you.’

He shrugged. ‘’Cause if you meant to send her some sort of message,’ he sipped his beer, ‘you nailed it.’

Before she could reply, he strode away, leaving her steaming. If he was going to be so interested in her business, the least he could do was give her the last word. Of all the inconsiderate, Bulldoggy things to do. She reined in her temper, however. There would be time enough later to put his head on a stick. Right then, she had a friendship to save. She headed for the toilets.

Pushing open the door, she stopped short when she saw Sharon poised over the sink in front of the mirror. She was dabbing beneath her eyes with a tissue, trying to repair damage to her mascara. Damage that had clearly been caused by crying. Their gazes clashed briefly in the mirror before Sharon jerked away, as she threw her tissue in a bin against the wall. Lena waited for her to turn back around but she didn’t. Instead, Sharon stood there with her hands on her hips, her gaze locked firmly on the dirty white tiles at her feet.

Lena closed the door quietly behind her and came further into the room. ‘Sharon –’

‘Don’t you dare speak to me,’ her friend hissed. ‘There’s no excuse for what you did.’

Lena tried to inject calm and logic into her tone. ‘It was a misunderstanding. Before I knew what was going on, it just happened. He kissed me.’

‘I’m not seeing the misunderstanding in that explanation.’

Lena had never heard so much bitterness in Sharon’s voice before and it scared her. Sharon still wasn’t looking at her either, which wasn’t a good sign. Lena wrung her hands, knowing that she needed to do better but wasn’t sure where to start.

‘It came as a shock to me too,’ she tried again. ‘I didn’t want him to kiss me.’

‘It’s not like you were pushing him away.’ Sharon’s voice cracked like cooled glass as she finally spun around. ‘How could you encourage him like that? Did you lie to me? Or decide later that you wanted him for yourself?’

‘
No
.’ Lena was horrified. ‘It wasn’t like that at all.’

‘Like what? Like you knifed me in the back, made me look like a fool?’

‘I didn’t make you look like a fool.’

‘I came onto him, Lena,’ Sharon cried. ‘When we went off to dinner I practically threw myself at him.’ She pushed the words through her teeth bitterly. ‘You built up my confidence. Made me think I had a chance, plus the wine . . .’ Her voice trailed off.

‘Sharon, I’m so sorry –’

‘You didn’t look very sorry when I found you a minute ago.’

‘It wasn’t –’

But Sharon would not let her speak. ‘I don’t understand you, Lena. Why would you do this to me, especially after all that rubbish you sprouted about how great Gavin and I would be together?’

‘It wasn’t rubbish. I meant every word.’ Lena came forwards and laid a hand on her shoulder.

Sharon rolled her shoulder violently, displacing her hand. ‘Well, then that just makes you a two-faced bitch, doesn’t it?’

Lena reeled back. Her voice was barely a whisper when she finally found it. ‘I can’t believe you have so little faith in our friendship.’

‘What friendship?’ Sharon retorted. ‘Friends don’t betray one another. Friends don’t trick each other.’

‘Are you suggesting I planned this?’ Lena’s sympathy was slowly evolving into anger. ‘What possible gain could I have for hurting you in this way? You are the best friend I have out here, Sharon. You’re the only one I can count on.’

Sharon snorted cruelly. ‘Not any more.’

‘Sharon –’ But there was nowhere else to go. No other way Lena could explain it.

Sharon dashed away fresh tears. ‘I was just fine before you came along. Better actually,’ she amended. ‘Didn’t have to deal with an up-herself city girl always knee-deep in trouble.’

A lump the size of an apricot lodged inside Lena’s throat. ‘That’s . . . that’s what you think of me?’

Sharon tossed her hair and straightened. ‘Come on, Lena, you’ve been a disaster zone since you got here and somehow I get the impression it’s not a new thing.’

Blood receded from Lena’s face and her lips went numb. She couldn’t respond. Couldn’t say anything to a fact she now knew was ingrained into everything she did. Sharon seemed satisfied with the effect of her bullet because she hitched the strap of her shoulder bag with the confidence of one who knew she was leaving and added, ‘You and Gavin deserve each other.’

It took a second for Lena to recover and in that time Sharon departed. When Lena finally turned around, the only evidence of her friend’s presence was the still-swinging bathroom door.

Tears smarted behind Lena’s eyes in the wake of Sharon’s parting. She caught her reflection in the mirror. The festive nature of her outfit mocked her. She was in a dirty toilet in a pub full of drunks and her only friend in town had just dumped her.

She felt like Bambi after his mother was shot.

How could this have happened? Was their friendship so fragile that it could be broken by a single mistake – a mistake that wasn’t even hers? Tears spilled over and trickled silently down her face. She didn’t bother to brush them away. Instead, she reached into her handbag and pulled out a hair elastic. With jerky hands, she arranged her usual dumpy site ponytail. It was mildly comforting, like putting her mask back on. Her stomach twisted as she pushed open the door and went in
search of Carl. All she wanted to do now was go home. Back to camp would have to do.

Lena found Carl and Gavin drinking together on the balcony. They had a score of shooters lined up on the bar and were taking it in turns to tip them back. She could see Fish down the opposite end buying jugs and five guys waiting rather impatiently beside him.

‘Sharon’s taken the car home,’ Gavin offered by way of greeting. ‘Wasn’t feeling well or something and Carl thought it’d be a good idea.’

‘The bird looked upset if you ask me.’ Carl gave Lena a look that was way too knowing for a man half tanked. ‘Everything all right?’

Lena looked away. ‘Fine. Fine.’

‘Anyway,’ Gavin continued, clearly unconcerned about Sharon, the rat that he was, ‘Carl, Fish and I were thinking about finding somewhere to stay in Point Samson tonight. Sort out a ride home in the morning.’

Trepidation rolled through Lena. ‘Where does that leave me?’

Gavin shrugged slowly. ‘Thought you might want to do the same.’

‘You’ve got to be kidding me.’

She’d rather walk back to camp than spend the entire night there with them. Gritting her teeth, she checked the scream that begged to emerge.

Carl toasted her with a shooter. ‘Point Samson’s got some good hotels on offer. Fuck me if it ain’t better than sleeping in a donga.’

Lena couldn’t care less. She just wanted to leave. Her party mood had definitely died and weariness was beginning to seep into bones, already weak from an emotional flaying. Flipping over her wrist, she checked her watch. Three hours till the pub closed and the site bus would come to take the men back. Any remaining sympathy she had for Sharon disappeared. If she could do this to her, she wasn’t worth feeling sorry for.

‘Lena,’ Gavin interrupted her brooding, ‘is there a problem?’

She pressed her palms over her eyes. ‘Not one that you can fix.’

He wiped his hands down the side of his jeans and stood up. ‘Look . . . er . . . can we talk?’

She knew he meant privately but she wasn’t falling for that again. She shook her head. ‘I don’t think that’s a good idea.’

‘Please.’ Something in his tone made her hesitate.

Carl rolled his eyes and swiped a shooter off the bar. ‘Look, why don’t I just fuck off then?’ Then he half walked, half staggered away in Fish’s direction.

‘You’ve got five seconds,’ Lena said as soon as he was out of earshot. She tried not to think about how many people might be watching them, making the gossip worse. The clink of glass and plates around them made her itch with impatience. But Gavin seemed to be taking his time.

‘We kissed.’ His brows knitted together. ‘Don’t you think we should talk about it?’

‘We didn’t kiss: you kissed me and I didn’t return the favour. There’s nothing to talk about.’

To her annoyance, he stepped closer and lowered his voice. ‘I think there is. I mean, I wouldn’t kiss you unless it meant something to me. I respect you too much.’

‘If you respected me, you would’ve asked first.’

‘I didn’t want to ruin the moment.’

She stared at him in disbelief. ‘What moment? You hijacked me, that’s what you did. I was completely unaware of what was coming next. Otherwise, I would have tried to stop you.’

He coughed, unable to meet her eyes. ‘I’ve never been that good with women. You know, reading the signals and everything. I didn’t mean – I just assumed –’ He broke off.

She took a firm step back. ‘You
assume
a lot, Gavin. I thought you were better than this. Hell, I thought you’d be good for –’

It was his turn to stare. ‘Good for what?’

She bit her lip and looked away, inwardly cursing at the slip. ‘Nothing. Forget it.’

Luckily he did, apparently deciding to plead his case from a different angle. ‘Clearly I jumped the gun. Maybe we could start over? Take it slower.’

Lena sighed. ‘Gavin, I don’t mind being your friend. But anything more is out of the question.’

‘Why?’

If he wanted blunt, he was going to get it. ‘Because I’m not attracted to you.’

‘Oh.’

At last, he seemed stumped. And as he rubbed his left hand awkwardly across the back of his neck, she almost felt sorry for him.

Almost.

He grimaced sheepishly. ‘I guess that’s telling me, isn’t it?’

Lena shrugged. ‘I’d apologise, but I don’t think you deserve it.’

He chuckled and held out his hand. ‘Friends?’

With a sigh her anger faded to a simmer. ‘Friends.’ She shook his hand.

‘Now if you don’t mind,’ he grinned boyishly, ‘I might go drink myself under the table with Carl.’

She didn’t try to stop him, heading back inside the pub on her own instead. This seemed to offer some modicum of privacy as the majority of the project revellers were outside.

To be honest, she didn’t quite know what she was going to do next. She was stuck in the middle of nowhere, no car, no ride home and pretty much friendless. She supposed vaguely that she could try to find Leg or Radar. But the odds that they weren’t both wasted and unwilling to drive were a hundred to one. The other option was the bus. However, the prospect of waiting till midnight to share a bus packed to the brim with drunk men made her feel ill. She sat down at an empty table and tried to think of an alternative without much success.