The Finest Line (14 page)

The journey back to the city was
occupied with convincing her father that she was behaving herself,
much to her embarrassment with James sitting right next to her.
Eventually he asked to speak to James. Miranda handed him the
phone.

“We bumped into each other in
the city, Sir,”

“No Sir, I am having a wonderful
holiday and she is not bothering me at all.”

When he hung up, Mairead glanced
at him nervously, “Thank you for lying for me.”

James parked the car and turned
off the engine. “I’m not aware that I lied.”

The salesman in the phone shop
was explaining several devices. Mairead was wandering about,
fiddling with the phones on display, when she noticed the android.
A chill went through her as she recognized the same device that
Josh had owned and which was still sitting in a suitcase back at
Kylies’.

“I want this one.” When she was
ignored she called louder. “James, I want this one.”

James and the salesman joined
her at the display and the salesman nodded. “It’s a good device,
4.7 inch screen, exceptional power source and powerful camera and
video recording. Lacks the quad core processing but for everyday
use...”

Mairead sighed. “Can we just buy
it?”

The salesman looked at James who
sighed and nodded.

Back in the car, Mairead
discarded her package onto the back seat and then shifted to look
at James. “Thank you for my phone but I could have paid for it
myself.”

“Your welcome,” James turned the
car to head out of the city.

“So where are we going next?”
Mairead had already prepared herself for a trip to the art gallery
or the museum. It wouldn’t matter as long as she was with him.

“I’m taking you to the Zoo.”

“The Zoo,” Mairead wasn’t sure
what to make of it. “You do know I’m nearly twenty-one years
old.”

James looked at her. “You don’t
like animals?”

“I love animals but...”

“I like animals too. I thought
it would be a fun day but we can go somewhere else if you
want.”

Mairead felt terrible. He
genuinely wanted to go to the Zoo. “Actually, I haven’t been to the
Zoo in years. I bet it’s all different now. I’d really like to go.”
Her answer earned a smile that delighted her.

All doubts were laid to rest as
James proved to be an authority on the animal kingdom. At each
enclosure he was able to impart interesting facts about the animals
that weren’t available on the signage. Who would have known there
were so many differences between an African and Indian
elephant?

“I hope you are not allergic to
cats,” James stated as they walked along.

“No why?” Mairead looked up to
see him grinning.

“I booked you something I
thought you might enjoy.”

They arrived at the cheetah
enclosure where James approached a young girl wearing the red shirt
of the Zoo staff who introduced herself as Lisa.

She smiled warmly. “Come with
me.”

Mairead’s heart began to thump
as they followed her to a gate where she began to give some
instructions on what was about to happen.

Mairead’s mouth fell open.
“We’re going in there... with the cheetahs?”

James frowned. “If you don’t
want to go...”

The child in her was jumping up
and down. “I want very much to go.”

Her reaction seemed to please
him. Lisa continued her instructions and then led them through the
gate.

For the next half hour, Mairead
and James sat on the grass stroking the powerful and very

beautiful body of a male
cheetah. Lisa held a thick leash attached to a collar, but the
cheetah moved about freely. He stood up to look around before once
again lying down and stretching out before them. Mairead ran her
hand along the spotted fur, feeling the powerful muscles of the
graceful body.

A guttural drone began and she
looked at James with tears in her eyes. “He’s purring.” James
looked equally impressed.

When they finally left the
enclosure, she was feeling overwhelmed. “I’ve never done anything
so amazing in all my life.”

James smiled. “I could think of
a few things.”

Mairead shook her head, “Nothing
like that. Thank you James.”

He casually took hold of her
hand, “Primates and then lunch.”

The baboons and mandrills could
be heard long before they found the enclosure, with their eerie
raucous hollers. The enclosure had thick glass walls that enabled a
perfect view of a large troop within.

Females sat around nursing
infants whilst young baboons played on trees and tyres and other
structures provided for their entertainment. A huge male drill
wandered slowly through a group of young females, who quickly
cleared the path for him, displaying grotesquely swollen red
hindquarters.

“Oh my god,” Mairead was
horrified. “They look like something’s wrong with them. That isn’t
normal.”

James laughed. “Normal for them;
the more redder and swollen the female’s bottom, the more the male
knows she is ovulating and ready to be mated.”

At least two minutes of silence
followed that statement until Mairead was able to speak again and
look at James. “Could we have lunch please?”

James was grinning ridiculously,
a tiny tremor indicating that he was trying not to laugh, “An
excellent suggestion.”

He was still sporting an amused
face as they sat across from each other at the outdoor tables of
the kiosk. The normal lunch hours had long passed and the food
choices were limited.

Mairead took one bite of a pie
and quickly discarded it into an adjacent bin. “You know, you’re
little attempt at humour wasn’t wasted on me.” Mairead wiped the
taste from her mouth.

“I’m not sure which attempt you
are referring to” James finished his pie in three bites. “Would you
care to elaborate?”

“No I wouldn’t because that
would just be encouraging your warped sense of humour.” She smiled.
“But it has been a brilliant day. I’ve had fun.”

“And not much to eat,” James got
up. “Come on, I’ll get you something half decent.”

“Where are we going?”

“I can take you back into the
city or...” James didn’t finish and seemed to have lost his
amusement.

Mairead waited but had to prompt
him, “Or what?”

“Or we could go to my
place.”

It was Mairead’s turn to
hesitate before, “Your place.”

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

Their animated conversation
enjoyed at the zoo, ended when they were back in the car. Mairead
was thankful she hadn’t eaten because her stomach was doing
somersaults. She stared out of her window, contemplating what going
to ‘James’ place’ would mean for her or what it even was.

It seemed a reasonable question
to break the silence. “So where is your place James?”

“Khandallah,” His eyes remained
on the road. “We should be there in about half an hour.”

Another long silence ensued
until James that spoke up next. “Mairead, why did you come to
Wellington? You had only just got back from Australia.”

Her heart joined her stomach’s
routine. “I wanted to see Kylie. I haven’t seen her for so
long.”

“Was there anything else?”

The question was volatile and
Mairead shifted in her seat. “Like what?”

“Mairead, did you come to
Wellington in the hope of seeing me?”

Her lungs had given up working
and just short of death she managed to whisper, “You didn’t say
goodbye.”

She saw James smile as he stared
at the road. “I had a very early morning start, but you are quite
correct. It was very impolite of me and I’m sorry.”

“You’re forgiven.” Mairead
prayed that this conversation would end and they could go back to
awkward silence.

“Mairead,” He still didn’t look
at her. “I haven’t been in a relationship since well before leaving
England and even that one wasn’t great.”

Mairead winced as the dreaded
relationship topic made its entrance. She met it with humour, “Wow
no wonder you’re so grumpy.”

James shook his head. “I said I
hadn’t been in a relationship. I didn’t say I’d been celibate. And
if I am grumpy, it is because you are the most infuriating and
frustrating woman I have met.

He turned down the first side
road and skid the car to a halt. Taking off his seat belt, he
turned to Mairead. “I am trying to give you an opportunity to say
whatever it is you want to say. If you don’t take it, then I must
assume that you have changed your mind and I will take you back to
Kylie’s.”

There was no more avoiding this
moment. She knew what she wanted to say but with James admonishing
her once again, the words wouldn’t come. “I can’t.”

James sighed and nodded
thoughtfully. “It’s alright Mairead. I’ll take you back.”

His impassive reply cut deep but
it made the situation clear. If she didn’t speak, the outcome would
be no better than if she risked making a fool of herself and was
rejected.

“I want to tell you,” she
blurted out. “I’m just so scared that you’re not going to give me
the reply I want to hear.”

James took hold of her hand and
leant down to give her an encouraging smile. “Please Mairead, for
my sake, would you take a chance?”

Tears were falling freely as she
bowed her head, unable to look at him. “I’m in love with you. I
have been in love with you for a really long time but I didn’t want
to admit it to myself because I was certain that you felt nothing
for me. But when you were gone, I couldn’t bear to be away from you
again. So I came after you on some ridiculous hope that maybe you
might feel something for me. But sitting in this car, I’m just
realising that I have no fucking idea how you feel about me, though
I do know now that I am frustrating and infuriating.”

She sat sobbing and staring down
at her lap and waited to be crushed.

James opened the glove box and
took a small packet of tissues out. Ripping it open he drew some
out and lifted her head up. He wiped her eyes carefully to avoid
smudging her make-up but Mairead could read nothing in his
face.

“For a start, I’m going to
overlook your use of profanity this one time, given the
circumstances. Don’t do it again. Secondly, I have difficulty in
accepting a relationship which has stemmed from a professional one,
though I acknowledge that boundaries have already been
crossed.”

Mairead was not sure that she
liked where this was going but she listened quietly as he
continued.

“I am quite concerned that there
is a need in you, which is drawn to someone like me, which could be
confused for love.”

She had no idea what that
statement meant and made a mental note to ask him later.

“I do find you infuriating and
frustrating, as well as incredibly brave. You risked a great deal
being honest with me and I am deeply moved by that. What I feel for
you has been obvious to others for some time, but like you I have
been reluctant to acknowledge those feelings.”

He took a deep breath. “You are
the most beautiful, exciting and remarkable girl I have ever met
and... I am completely in love with you.”

Her heart swelled and she
laughed and cried and even jumped about in her seat.

James watched her amused. “I
take it that you are satisfied with my reply.”

Mairead grinned and shrugged. “I
knew you were going to say that.”

James shook his head,
“Definitely frustrating.”

Sitting up she brought her face
closer to his. “Isn’t this where you kiss me?”

“It is,” James agreed and
planted a kiss on her forehead. “Now do your seatbelt up and let’s
go.”

For the next hour Mairead was
content to say little as they drove into the city and out on to the
motorway. Every now and then she would just stare at James and
grin.

Although he never took his eyes
from the road, he eventually asked, “Is there a problem
Mairead?”

“Not at all, quite the opposite
actually,” Mairead sighed and smiled. “You’re in love with me...
completely.”

“You say that as if it gives you
some advantage.”

Oh it does Mr. Vaughn.” Her
happiness was stirring her naughtiness. “It implies that you want
to do everything to make me happy and content and consider all my
needs before your own.”

James nodded. “Yes it does,
especially the last part, considering your needs.”

His tone was ominous and Mairead
felt a little of her power drain away. Damn, she was doing so well
but the tingles were back in force. She had never known such
excitement. All the barriers between them had come crashing
down.

She felt quite within her rights
to flirt with him openly. “It’s a bit like Christmas and I have two
new gifts to explore, my cell phone and you.”

James grinned slyly. “I’ve
already had a glimpse of my present but I’m quite looking forward
to unwrapping it completely.”

Mairead felt the colour rush to
her face. He had just beaten her at her own game. The confident
seductress was gone and the shy little virgin had nothing left to
say.

The car left the motorway and
began winding through suburban streets. The further they drove the
bigger and more elaborate the houses became and the greater the
distances between them. The roads became steeper and more winding,
until the Audi entered a tree lined driveway.

The car had barely stopped when
Mairead got out and looked at the large two-storey house before
her. The front facade was cedar clad with wide alloy framed
windows. The feature was the colourful stained glass set into the
double timber framed doors.

“Who the hell owns this?”
Mairead stared with her mouth open.

James locked the car and walked
over to join her. “I do.”

“Damn, my Daddy is paying you
way too much.”

James laughed. “My salary is
very generous but this is the result of some money I had before I
left England and I purchased during the recession for a very
reasonable price.”