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Matt signed off the post-operative orders, but his mind was only half on what he was doing. It was on the woman waiting for him in reception. Actually, his mind had been on her ever since he had first laid eyes on her Sunday morning, but he hadn’t wanted to admit it.
Are you crazy? a voice inside his head demanded. Why did you say yes to drinks? After everything that’s happened with Justine, do you think this is a good idea?
It’s only drinks, he thought defiantly. No big deal. And as for Justine, that chapter of his life was over, wasn’t it? He stacked the papers impatiently together, then shrugged out of his white coat and headed out. Pippa was chatting with Charlie in reception and Matt saw his colleague raise her eyebrows slightly when he joined them. He tried to look as non-committal as possible and hoped that he wasn’t going to come in for a lot of teasing tomorrow.
The café was fairly empty when they stepped in. The lunchtime crowd had dispersed and the evening customers hadn’t started arriving yet. A strong breeze was blowing in from the sea so Pippa decided against a table out on the terrace. Instead, she chose two spots at the bar, in the interior of the café.
Matt indicated the row of bottles lined up against the wall behind the bar counter. “What will you have?”
“Um... not sure...” Pippa eyed the selection.
“How about a glass of wine?” Matt suggested.
Pippa nodded. “Okay.”
“What do you usually prefer? Red or white?”
“White—but nothing too dry.”
“Hmm...” Matt pulled the wine menu towards him and glanced down the list. “How about a Barossa Valley Chardonnay? Or The Lodge Hill Riesling is very nice—although you might find that a bit too dry. Or if you prefer a local vintage, this Verdelho is good, although since it’s a blend, it’s quite crisp. Hmm... or I can recommend this Upper Hunter region Chardonnay. Excellent flavours—good varietal selection for the drier climate and the alkaline, clay soils of the area. ”
Pippa eyed him thoughtfully. “This is a bit like déjà vu with the kitten, but how do you know so much about wine? Don’t tell me you’re a wine-maker as well as a vet?”
He laughed. “Actually, you’re not far off. I own a boutique winery in the Hunter Valley. I’ve always been interested in wine. It started as a hobby in my early twenties, then when I acquired this vineyard, I turned it into a profitable business.”
“Really?” Pippa said, delighted. “Have they got any of your wines here? Let me look.” She grabbed the wine menu from him. “Pearson Estate... is that you? How come you didn’t recommend any of these just now? Premium Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Semillon... wow, you’ve got quite a range. And I see that several are award-winning vintages too!”
“Well...” Matt looked a bit embarrassed. “It’s like blowing your own trumpet...”
“Well, I’m ordering one of yours,” said Pippa with a smile. “I’ll have a glass of the Chardonnay.”
When the wines arrived, Matt stifled a groan as he saw the waitress who had brought them. With her bright bubblegum-pink hair and gleaming silver stud in her eyebrow, Kylie was unmistakable. She was also eying Pippa with the interest of a shark that had scented fresh meat.
“Here’s your plonk,” Kylie said as she set down Pippa’s glass of wine. “You new in town?”
“Um, not really—I used to live here. But I’ve been in the U.K. the last six years,” said Pippa.
“Oho—been living with the Poms, have you? I hear it’s cold enough to freeze the medals off a brass monkey over there.”
“Yeah, it can get pretty cold,” Pippa admitted. “Although I was in London, which isn’t as bad as the north of England.”
“Reckon you missed the Aussie sunshine, eh?”
“Too right,” said Pippa with a laugh.
“Your family still here?”
“No,” said Pippa. “My parents have retired and moved up to the Gold Coast.”
“Beauty.” Kylie nodded approvingly. She leaned her hip against the table and crossed her arms, as if settling in for a comfortable chat. “So what did you do for a crust over in Pommyland?”
“I was teaching English,” Pippa said.
“Ah, you a chalkie! You like working with the littlies?”
“Er... no... I mean, yes, I enjoyed it, but I wasn’t teaching kids—I was teaching mostly adults.”
“Oh yeah?” Kylie leaned forwards and said with a grin, “Any of those spunky Italian blokes like you see on the telly?”
“Um... no, well, most of the students were from Asia actually. Not that they weren’t good-looking or anything,” said Pippa hastily, worried that she might have inadvertently made a racist remark. Then she realised what she had said and got even more flustered. “Not... not that I was looking, of course.”
Kylie waggled her eyebrows. “Got a bloke, have you?”
“Oh no... I’m... uh... single at the moment.” Pippa looked slightly taken aback. “Not that it’s really any of your busi—”
“Having a fella’s not all it’s banged up to be, I tell you. Went out with this bloke last week. Looked real good down on the beach in his boardies, you know? But he turned out to be a few stubbies short of a six pack.” She pointed to her head and made a face. “Couldn’t wait to give him the boot. I like some smarts with me abs, you know? What about you?”
Pippa stared at her, obviously at a loss over how to answer. Matt looked down and tried not to laugh. He shouldn’t have been enjoying Pippa’s discomfiture, but secretly he was grateful to Kylie for asking all the things he wanted to know. When the waitress looked like she was going to start grilling Pippa about her daily shower regime, though, he decided it was time he put his foot down.
“Kylie, do you think there might be another table that needs your attention?” He quirked an eyebrow.
“All right, all right... I can take a hint,” Kylie said good-naturedly. “Give us a holler if you want anything else.”
Pippa blew out a breath of relief as the waitress sauntered off. “Bloody hell, she should work for National Security or something! That woman could probably drag state secrets out of the toughest special forces agent.”
Matt chuckled. “Kylie takes a bit of getting used to. But she’s got a heart of gold underneath that prickly exterior.” He took a sip of his wine. “So tell me... what’s it like teaching ESL to adults?”
“It’s great,” said Pippa enthusiastically. “I mean, your students are really motivated to learn—it’s not like dealing with kids in a school classroom. And it’s fascinating to see how different cultures approach learning English and the individual challenges they face. Like... for example, the Asians are really worried about ‘losing face’ so they’re really nervous about speaking because they’re so afraid of making a mistake. So their grammar and vocab are really good because they study very hard, but their conversation skills are really poor. Whereas students from Western countries are much more relaxed about trying things out and they’ll try to talk to everyone in English, even with lots of mistakes—they actually end up speaking a lot better, a lot quicker.”
“I think it’s like that in anything,” said Matt. “Even in vet school, the ones who weren’t afraid to try, even if they made mistakes, usually progressed a lot faster. Especially in practical skills, like surgery.”
“Yes, that’s what I keep telling them! But you know, it’s really hard to overcome cultural habits. And besides, they...”
Matt watched Pippa, enjoying the way her eyes lit up and her face became so animated as she talked. She obviously loved her job and the interaction with students from different backgrounds. He was surprised when he next glanced at his watch and realised that two hours had passed without him even realising it. The café had become very full—a busload of tourists had arrived for dinner and together with the usual post-work crowd popping in for drinks, the place was heaving. Kylie wasn’t stopping to chat now as she flew from table to table, taking orders, serving drinks and food. The other stools were all taken, as well as any free space along the bar, and he and Pippa had been forced to gradually edge their seats closer to each other to make space for others.
Matt was very conscious of their elbows brushing constantly as they both leaned against the bar. He caught the scent of Pippa’s perfume, sweet and floral. A strand of blonde hair had come loose from her ponytail and was falling across her temple. He had to resist the urge to reach out and tuck it behind her ear.
She glanced at him and made a smiling comment about the crowd.
Matt replied.
“Sorry?” Pippa leaned in close to him.
He tried to raise his voice above the hubbub in the café.
Pippa shook her head in frustration and leaned even closer. “Sorry, I can’t hear you...”
Matt bent and put his lips next to her ear. “I said—Kylie’s got more state secrets than she can handle now.”
Pippa laughed and turned her head quickly, bringing her lips suddenly within inches of his. They both froze. Matt saw her lips part in surprise and a blush rise to her cheeks. He felt an overwhelming urge to reach out and pull her to him, to bend his head, close the distance between them, and taste her soft mouth. He could see her pulse fluttering at the base of her throat and felt his own pounding in a matching rhythm. He caught his breath as he saw the expression in Pippa’s eyes. Slowly, he lowered his head. Just another inch...
Someone jostled him, breaking the moment. They jerked back from each other.
“Sorry, mate,” the man laughed, steadying himself on Matt’s shoulder. The reek of alcohol was strong on his breath. He staggered off to join his friends, leaving Matt and Pippa facing each other awkwardly. Alarm bells were ringing in Matt’s head now. What am I doing?
He stood up abruptly. “Sorry. I think I’d better go.” He saw hurt surprise flash in Pippa’s eyes and felt like an ogre. He said gruffly, “Um... I’ve got an early start tomorrow. And I think this place is getting a bit too rowdy. Too many people getting blotto,” he added wryly. “It’s not usually like this, except on some Friday or Saturday nights—tonight must be an exception.”
Pippa nodded and slid off her own stool. She didn’t look at him as they walked together out of the café. Outside, the sky had darkened to an inky blue, sprinkled with stars. The wind had picked up and the sea was really roaring now as the surf pounded against the beach.
“Thanks for the drink,” said Pippa, hunching a shoulder against the wind. Her blonde hair whipped around her face.
She shivered slightly and Matt had to suppress the urge to slide his arm over her shoulders, to draw her against his body and out of the wind. He thrust his hands into his pockets and gave her a curt nod.
“You’re welcome. Good night.”
Turning, he walked rapidly back towards the animal hospital, where his car was parked around the side of the building. He didn’t look back, although he wanted to. But when he got into the driver’s seat, he didn’t start the ignition. Instead he sat there with his hands on the wheel, cursing himself. He kept seeing Pippa’s face, her eyes wide with hurt bewilderment at his sudden brusqueness. He was surprised at how much it bothered him to see her distress. But he couldn’t trust himself near her.
I’ve got to stay away from Pippa, he thought. It was the only way. Otherwise he would inadvertently hurt her again—or do something he might regret. After what had happened with Justine, the last thing he needed was to jump into another relationship.
Expelling his breath in frustration, Matt started the engine, put the car into gear, and eased out onto the road.
