The window on the fancy black sedan rolled down.
‘Need a lift?’ a hot English accent said to me.
Fucking fuuuccckkk.
‘C’mon, Abbey, in you get,’ Nick commanded. ‘I promise I won’t bite.’
***
The car was warm, and I awkwardly tried to get off my drenched jacket, but the thing had me in a vice-like hold. Eventually, he leaned over and joined in the battle, and together we managed to free me.
He handed me a towel from his gym bag, which I kind of grossly hoped would smell like his sweat (I know), but was equally delighted that it was clean and dry. When our fingers grazed one another’s, our eyes flew up and locked. Christ, the man had eyes like opals. Whatever light they were in, they gave you different things. Today they shone amber and a grey-brown. My mouth opened and closed as I peered into them, and I swallowed heavily. He reached out and pushed a strand of hair in wet ringlets behind my ear. His thumb brushed along my jaw and his eyes dropped to my lips and I leaned towards him, surrendering to this thing between us.
‘Where to, Mr Northby?’
Oh, shit, the driver. We were not alone.
Nick sat back, blinking slowly, and he gave his driver my address.
My phone vibrated in my bag and, seeing Ella’s name, I picked it up, looking out the window.
‘Mum, oh, my God, the most exciting thing ever happened.’
‘Hi, honey, are you home?’
‘Mum, I got selected. I am so excited. For the junior student exchange program. I get to go to Canada for three months.’
‘What?’
‘The junior student exchange program, Mum.’
‘Ella, I genuinely think you are too young to go to Canada by yourself for three months.’
‘Mum, the host family are doctors. I’m going. It’s only four thousand dollars. That’s only two thousand each from you and Dad, and that’s all I need for this once-in-a-lifetime experience.’
‘Four thousand dollars?’ The incredulousness in my voice arose from having savings totalling around two hundred and fifty dollars. And, okay, old mate next to me had increased my salary by doubling it, but I was in week one of my new employment contract and it would take me an age to save that kind of money. ‘Ella, we’ll talk about this later, okay?’ I hung up and felt my head pound. I put my hand to the back of my neck and rubbed it, feeling my wet hair against my fingers.
‘You okay?’ Nick asked.
‘Just a headache.’
He reached into his gym bag again and pulled out a bottle of water and some ibuprofen, handing them to me.
‘Thank you.’
We sat in companionable silence.
‘What high school is Ella at?’
‘St Joseph’s. It’s an excellent school and she’s bright.’
‘I, uh, I didn’t realise you were Catholic.’
‘Oh, umm, I’m not. Peter picked the school.’
‘I see. How is Iris?’
‘She’s well. I taught her how to post reviews of romance novels on Amazon. She’s busy.’
