‘Hey,’ he says, looking around at me.
‘How is she?’ There’s a slight tremor to my voice.
‘She’s fine. I’m getting her settled for the day.’
‘Did she keep you awake much last night?’
‘Only a bit. She’ll get better with time. What did you get up to yesterday?’
‘Sat around watching telly.’
He gets to his feet and comes towards me. I have to stop myself from taking a step backwards. ‘When do you want your next driving lesson?’
‘Do you mean it?’
‘I rarely say anything I don’t mean.’
‘When have you got the time?’
‘When’s your next day off?’
‘Wednesday.’
‘That’s a stroke of luck.’ He raises his eyebrows as he gazes down at me. ‘It’s mine too.’
Wednesday cannot come soon enough. The moments when I’m not with Ben at work drag by. The moments when I’m with him seem to fly by at high speed.
When Ben turns up on the doorstep on Wednesday morning, it’s a hot and sunny day. After much deliberation, I’ve opted for a black skirt because I can just about cope with my legs being on view these days. I team it with a red top, and tie my dark hair up into a high ponytail. Ben is wearing white board shorts and a green T-shirt.
‘All set?’
‘Do you want to come in for a coffee, mate?’ Michael calls from behind me. I moan internally at the distraction.
‘Just had one,’ Ben replies.
Phew.
Michael joins us at the front door and puts his hands on my shoulders. ‘Take care of our girl.’
‘You know I will.’
I step out of Michael’s grasp and usher Ben down the footpath, keen to avoid further delays.
Ben turns around and jangles the car keys to his Holden station wagon in his hand. ‘Your car or mine?’
‘Mine, of course.’
He groans.
‘Hey, remember I’ve got to take my driving test in it,’ I add.
‘Okay, okay,’ he concedes, pocketing his keys.
‘Where are we going?’ I ask when we’re both belted in.
‘I thought we could go for a drive around the hills.’
‘Sounds good.’ I turn and wave at Michael, who’s still standing in the doorway, then pull away from the kerb, stalling immediately.
