Just Good Friends (28 page)

Hannah got up as Jack began to cry.

“What a good rugby baby,” she crooned as she lifted him out
of his bassinet. “Crying at halftime.”

“You’ll have to tell Drew about that,” Kate agreed. “That
must have taken some serious training.”

Hannah was still feeding the baby as the Reds began the
second half by kicking off to the Blues. Immediately, the visiting team began
to move the ball down the field. Kate’s heart filled with pride as she saw Koti
flicking one of his seemingly casual offloads to the player next to him, and
heard the commentators remark on the beautiful pass. She held her breath as he
continued to run, receiving the ball again and dodging two tacklers. Jumped to
her feet as he dove across the try line to score.

“Try!” she shouted, doing an extra little dance out of sheer
exuberance. Felt the grin stretching across her face as she saw Koti leap
easily to his feet, to be surrounded by his teammates. Watched with disbelief
as he turned to the camera and crossed his hands over his heart. Her own heart
melted at the gesture.

“James is playing out of his skin tonight,” she heard one of
the commentators remark as the team trotted back into position.

“He looked a bit ropey at times in the early weeks, but he’s
back to full pace now,” agreed the other. “That phase was a thing of beauty.”

“What was that little performance about, there?” Hannah
asked with interest. “Do you know? I’m guessing you might.”

Kate blushed. “I might. Something he said, last night.”

“Hmm. I thought that might’ve been meant for you. I’ll admit,
I wasn’t sure about this when I first found out about it. But it seems to be
working out for you.”

Kate sat down again, still smiling. “It is, so far. It’s
added quite a bit of excitement to my stay in New Zealand, I have to say.”

“I’m glad,” Hannah said sincerely. “I’ve wanted so much for you
to be happy. You were so fragile when you got here. I hated to see you like
that.”

“It didn’t start out as my best year. But it’s turning out
to be a fairly good one after all.”

When the Blues finally sealed the win with a penalty kick
after the eighty-minute clock had run down, with the referee blowing the
whistle on a final score of twenty-three to sixteen, both women hugged each
other with a sigh of relief.

“Phew.” Kate sat back on the couch with a thump.
“I’d
have had my aerobic workout for today even without the surfing this morning.
I’m exhausted.”

“Do you want to stay over?” Hannah asked. “You’re welcome.”

“No. I’ll get on home now. But thanks for sharing.” Kate
gave Hannah a final hug, then moved to the door to find her shoes. It was true,
she realized. She was exhausted. But so proud of Koti, she could burst.   

This time, the crowd at the airport was much larger, the
wait for the team that much longer. Kate felt another surge of pride at the
sight of Koti surrounded by eager autograph-seekers, his spectacular
performance the night before ensuring a hero’s welcome.

“You were just great last night,” she told him as he put her
down after an enthusiastic greeting of his own. “I had to do my Happy Dance
after your try, it was so good. I know you’re not allowed to celebrate much on
the field. It’s lucky there are no rules for me. I’d have been sinbinned for
sure.”

“I’d’ve liked to have seen that. Did you see what I did for
you?”

“I did. That was pretty special too.”

“Had to do something, didn’t I. Considering your help
relaxing me, and how well it worked. I may have to get you to do that every
time.”

“Hah. In your dreams, big boy. That was a one-time deal. I’m
embarrassed even thinking about it. I don’t know how I let you talk me into
these things.”

He smiled. “Reckon I could talk you into it again, too.
Because I know what you’re really like, don’t I.”

“I thought of what we should do, on our holiday,” he told
her as they walked to her car. “I realized it when we were flying back across
the Ditch, and coming back to the rain. It’s fine in Queensland this week. Warm,
too. A good spot for a winter holiday, since we’ll only have a few days. What
do you think of going to the Gold Coast to do our surfing? You haven’t been to Aussie
yet, have you?”

“I haven’t. I haven’t been much of anywhere. Is it very
different from here?”

He laughed. “You’ll see for yourself. You can tell me what
you think.”

“Well,” he told her on Tuesday evening when she turned up
for their cooking date, “what d’ya reckon? I’ve been selected for the ABs squad
these next couple months, for the Rugby Championship.” 

“Koti! That’s wonderful!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms
around him. “Congratulations. All that hard work paid off. You must be
thrilled.”

“Not entirely. Not starting, at least not straight away,” he
told her with disappointment. “I’ll be on the bench for the first game, at any
rate.”

“I’m sorry to hear that, but still, what an accomplishment.
Good for you.”

“Only thing is, it means practice starts up again next week,
and I’ll be traveling more. Farther away too, some of the time. South Africa
and Aussie of course, but Argentina as well. First game is two weeks from
Saturday. Good thing we have that holiday planned.”

“Guess I’d better call my other boyfriend, then. Start
setting up those Saturday night dates.”

“Not such a wonderful thing, is it? You wonder why anyone
would want to date a footballer.”

“I don’t want to date a footballer, though,” she said. “I
want to date you. Because you make me laugh. And you make me crazy. Just not on
the weekends.”

 “Not to mention my cooking skills.”

“Oh yeah. You’re a real master chef. Witness the hamburgers
on the menu tonight.”

“So what’s the first game?” she asked when they were eating.
“We burned these a bit, by the way.”

“You shouldn’t kiss me while we’re cooking. Sydney. Oz
again.”

“They’re going to revoke your citizenship soon,” she told
him. “If you keep spending so much time over there.”

 “It’s so built up. All these tall buildings, and
everything. So glitzy.” Kate craned her neck to look around as they made their
way down the Gold Coast Highway to Broadbeach. “This isn’t at all what I
thought Australia would be like. Isn’t it supposed to have red dirt? And I
thought it would be more like a New Zealand beach area. Quiet and remote, you
know.”

“And that there’d be kangaroos as well, hopping down the
streets, I reckon.”

“I’ll admit I’m disappointed about the kangaroos. I’m
guessing I’m not going to see any koalas on this trip either.”

“Not here, anyway. Loads of kangaroos and koalas in
Queensland, together with just about everything else, but not on the Gold
Coast. This is all about the surfing and the beach.”

 “Wow,” she breathed when they walked into their 40
^th
-floor
hotel room a half hour later. “You didn’t tell me it would be this fancy.”

“We both deserve a proper holiday. I know I do. And it
doesn’t seem to me that you’ve had much of that either. You can’t have been
very relaxed when you first arrived.”

“Not exactly. Just the opposite, in fact. But why does our
hotel room have a kitchen?”

“Most motel rooms in Aussie and En Zed have kitchens. Haven’t
you noticed?”

“I’ve never actually stayed in a motel in New Zealand. And
I’ve never stayed anyplace like this in my life. This kitchen alone is fancier
than anyplace I’ve ever lived. This doesn’t mean we have to cook, does it?” she
asked in sudden alarm.

“Nah. I don’t think we’d better risk it. Don’t want to set
off their smoke detectors.”

 “Wow. Look out here!” She stepped through a wall of windows
beyond the lounge. “Come see this. There’s a huge balcony. And look at the view
of the ocean. This is amazing.”

“Aussie beaches aren’t too bad,” he agreed, joining her in
looking at the sweeping vista, the beach curving for miles in each direction.
“Wait till you feel the sand. I have to admit, Aussie sand is choice.”

“And this is all a bit like taking Cinderella to the ball,”
he complained as she continued to explore the suite. “When you’ve finished with
your tour, and comparing this to your own lowly hovel, maybe you’d like to come
over here and give me a kiss.”

“Sorry.” She reached up for him. “This is very, very cool. I
don’t even need to go anyplace else. I’d be happy just to stay right here.”

 He smiled down at her. “Oh, I think I can guarantee that we’ll
be spending some time here. But you may want to venture outdoors as well, since
we’ve come all this way.”

“You were right, this is a great place to surf,” Kate told
him as they rested on their boards beyond the break on Sunday morning. “The
waves, the beach, everything. Gorgeous. It  helps that the water’s so much warmer
too.”

“Thought that would suit you. And it means I can keep you
out here with me longer.”

“Everybody must stay at the beach all the time in Australia,
if it’s always this nice.”

“Have to, don’t they. Queensland gets bloody hot in the
summer. Humid, too. That’s when we feel lucky to live in En Zed. Although the
surfing is good. As long as the sharks and jellies don’t get you.”

“Jellyfish,” he explained, seeing her blank look.
“Everything in Australia is trying to kill you, haven’t you heard? Half of the
ten deadliest snakes in the world live in Queensland. And then there are the poisonous
spiders and the jellyfish. Not to mention the crocs and the great white sharks.
Another point in favor of New Zealand. Very benign place, En Zed.”

“But they’re right next to each other. How come all the
scary things didn’t come on over?”

He laughed. “Didn’t you notice that the plane ride took
hours? They’re close in comparison to all that water in every direction, but
it’s still 1500 kilometers.”

“Oh. Duh.” She laughed at herself. “Sorry. I know this is
the baby beach, though, by the way. I figured that out. You can go on over and
do the tough stuff, if you want to push yourself. With all these people around,
it’s not like I’d be out here on my own.”

“This is my holiday, though. I pushed myself enough last
week. I’d rather be with you today.”

“Aww. Thanks. But watching you surf is almost as much fun as
doing it myself. I love seeing what you can do.”

It was true, she reflected as she watched him catch a wave
and ride it effortlessly to the beach. Watching him do anything athletic was a
treat. But she was still falling off her own board half the time in the more
challenging conditions. She needed all the coaching she could get.

“Ready to go for lunch?” he asked at last.

She nodded gratefully and made her way to shore. Stumbled
with fatigue as she got to the shallow water and rose to her feet.

Koti reached to take her board from her, tucked it under his
other arm. “You should have told me you were getting tired. We could’ve stopped
any time.”

“I didn’t realize it myself till I got out,” she admitted as
they walked toward the showers. “I need a rest, that’s all. You’re so fit, you forget
how much work this is for us civilians.”

He reached out to help her pull her wetsuit off her
shoulders under the beachfront shower. “At least I can help you with this now.
And you know how much I like that.”

She smiled up at him, shivered in the cold spray. “I do.
Here, I’ll unzip you too. It’s like unwrapping a birthday present, watching you
come out of that package.”

He laughed. “Funny, that’s how I feel about it too.”

“Do Australian women have to be so good-looking, though?”
she complained, scowling at a trio of young women who had stopped along the
beachfront path to watch them, and who were obviously enjoying the sight of
Koti emerging from his wetsuit as much as she was. “You should have warned me.”

Koti glanced across at his interested audience and smiled. “Aussie
girls are bloody fit, you’re right. Stop glaring at them like that. You’re
going to turn them to stone. I thought you didn’t approve of possessiveness.”

“They look at you like you’re some kind of treat, and they’ve
just remembered they skipped lunch. I wish so many of them weren’t tall and
blonde. They’re starting to give me an inferiority complex.”

“Oh, I don’t know. Not sure tall and blonde is my favorite
any more. You may have noticed that I’ve developed some new tastes lately. I’ll
have to wait till after lunch to show you, though. I need to build up my
strength if I’m going to keep up with you.”

 “This is very cool, I have to say.” Kate sat, legs
outstretched, against the head of the big bed, looking across to the expanse of
blue water beyond. “I should go sit on the balcony and enjoy it while I have
the chance. But this is pretty comfortable too.”

“Plus you might put on more clothes, which would mean I
wouldn’t get to see my favorite undies. I think I like those even more now. All
I have to do is look at that little pink rose and I’m well and truly on my
way.”

“And you’re more excited about a hotel room than anyone I’ve
ever known,” he added, scooting across to rest his head in her lap. “Not many
luxury holidays in your past, I take it.”

“No.” She shook her head absently and began to massage his
scalp, enjoying the feel of his wavy hair under her fingers. “How about you? I
can’t imagine that your mom was able to afford any vacations like this. Not
with four kids.”

“Nah,” he agreed. “Holiday parks for us. Sweet as, though.
We’d go to the Bay of Plenty or the Coromandel, every summer holidays.
Somewhere on the beach. Get a cabin with bunks. We were squashed in there, but
it was fun. Loads of other kids to play footy or cricket with, swim, fish,
whatever. I’d meet up with the other boys and run all day.”

“Sounds better than my family vacations,” she said. “A
kitchen and flush toilets, I take it.”