The Girl in the Yellow Vest (25 page)

‘Oh.’ He didn’t seem surprised. ‘He thought I was lying.’

‘Why would you lie?’

He examined a graze on his left hand. ‘Look, there’s something you should know . . . about Dipper.’

‘Don’t worry,’ she made haste to reassure him, ‘I already know.’

He seemed relieved. ‘You do?’

‘Yes.’

‘You’re not mad?’

‘No, why should I be?’ She shrugged. ‘I mean, he’s not my type, but that’s not his fault.’

‘No, I guess not.’

‘
Although
,’ she drawled, keeping her eyes on a crack in the pavement she was kicking with the toe of her boot, ‘I’ve been thinking lately that I should be more open to dating people I wouldn’t normally date.’

Will cleared his throat cautiously. ‘Really?’

‘Well, yeah.’ She kept her gaze firmly on the ground. ‘Have you ever thought about going out with someone you would never normally go for?’

‘Seems like a bit of a waste of time to me.’ He shook his head. ‘If there’s no attraction there’s no attraction. Weren’t you the one who was talking up the instant spark two weeks ago?’

She bit her lip. ‘Yeah, but –’

‘Em, you’re not seriously thinking about going out with Dipper, are you?’

‘No.’ She shook her head. ‘But what about other people?’

‘What other people?’

‘I don’t know.
Other people
.’

He frowned.

‘Look, forget I said anything.’ She broke off, kicking herself for even raising the topic. ‘I asked Spooks to bring me out because I wanted to ask your advice on something.’

‘
Spooks.
’ He glanced around, saying the name as though it were the source of all the evil in the world. His eyes alighted on the man himself who was standing only a few metres away. Spooks lifted his hand for a cheeky wave and Will’s expression darkened. He moved closer, grabbing her by the arm and pulling her out of earshot. A ripple shot through her body at his sudden closeness.

‘You can’t trust Spooks,’ he hissed. ‘All he wants is gossip and a good show. You really need to watch yourself around him.’

‘Why do they call him Spooks?’

‘He –’

‘Hey, Boy Scout!’ a voice called out. ‘Stop trying to steal her. She’s come to see me. Play fair, mate! Play fair!’

They both turned around in time to see Dipper’s man cage touch ground again. ‘Hello, lovely,’ he grinned at her as he unclipped his harness from the cage and jumped out. ‘How wonderful to see you.’

Will gave a long-suffering sigh, causing Dipper’s gaze to touch him briefly. ‘If you’ll excuse us, Boy Scout,’ he snorted, ‘we’d like a bit of
privacy.
’

Will didn’t immediately follow the order, but looked askance at her instead. ‘Perhaps we’ll talk about that thing you wanted to ask me later?’

She nodded.

He hesitated, with another glance at Dipper, and then shaking his head walked away.

‘So how did you enjoy those bananas?’ Dipper zapped her concentration back as she realised she was watching Will walk away.

‘To be honest, I gave most of them to other people.’

‘And the pineapple?’

‘That too.’

His face fell. ‘Perhaps I shouldn’t ask about the papaya and the mangoes then.’

‘The truth is, Dipper, I just can’t eat that much fruit and I would really appreciate it if you would stop leaving it on my desk.’

He scratched his head and looked at the ground in embarrassment. ‘I was just trying to get your attention.’

‘Why?’ she asked.

He looked up in hope. ‘I thought maybe you’d like to go out with me sometime.’

So it was true. She shouldn’t have asked. She should have just backed away quietly when she had the chance.

‘I was thinking I could show you some of the sights of Queensland. Perhaps we could go sailing.’ He looked at her sincerely. ‘You told me how eager you were to try new things.’

‘Er . . .’ She searched for an excuse that wouldn’t hurt his feelings. It was very difficult to find one. ‘The thing is, Dipper . . .’

Interpreting her reluctance he tried something different. ‘What about the beach? I could take you to Airlie Beach for a sunbake. You’d love it.’

‘I don’t really do sunbaking, Dipper. I burn easily.’

‘There must be something I can do for you, something you want to see.’

She was about to reiterate there was nothing, when a thought occurred to her. The passion in Dipper’s voice was just the sort of drive she needed behind one very big ‘ask’.

The fact was, she knew what she needed and Dipper could easily provide the manpower. She was an engineer – technically, higher in the command chain. So why not use her clout? What there was of it, anyway.

‘Actually there is something . . .’

He stood tall and brave. ‘Name it.’

She winced. ‘Are you sure? Because it’s kind of unusual and not exactly in your schedule this week.’

His expression darkened determinedly. ‘Just tell me what it is.’

‘I want a toilet.’

His brows drew together over the bridge of his nose. ‘
A what
?’

‘You heard me.’

‘Geez, women have really changed from flowers and chocolates!’

Emily dismissed this. ‘I’m asking you as an engineer, not as a potential girlfriend,’ she said calmly. ‘I need a portable loo in the painting yard and a lunch room, too. Spooks reckons you guys would probably have a vacant office donga. Maybe,’ she suggested slowly, ‘you could get a few of the guys together, a flatbed and a crane and move those things out there for me?’

‘Does Caesar know about this?’

She squared her shoulders and lifted her chin. ‘No.’

Was he going to wimp out on her now? She wouldn’t blame him – job on the line and all. Maybe she shouldn’t have asked. He paused, the fingers of his right hand rubbing the bristles on the base of his chin.

‘I tell you what,’ the hand dropped as a decision seemed to be made, ‘I’ll do that for you
if
you let me take you out to dinner in Mackay tomorrow night.’

Was she really going to use a date to get ahead? Her gut reaction to the suggestion was abhorrence. But as she looked at his face, she realised something. He was doing her a favour. A big favour. She owed him something.

‘Can’t I just give you a carton?’ she asked.

‘Will you drink it with me?’

‘No.’

‘Then it has to be dinner.’

‘Fine.’ They shook on it. ‘But just as a friend, mind you. I’m . . . not really interested in you like that.’

‘Of course.’ He winked at her.

She felt heat travel up her neck as he walked off whistling.

That toilet better bloody well get the painters back on site.

She turned around to find Spooks looking at her.

‘So . . .’ His nose seemed to twitch. ‘You’ve got a date with Dipper.’

‘Not yet.’ She tossed her head. Dipper still had to make good on his promise.

He clicked his tongue. ‘So you want to go chat up Boy Scout next?’

‘No.’ She glared at him. ‘Will you drive me back now?’

He smirked. ‘Suppose.’

The truth was, she had no idea what she was going to do about Will or the revelation that had occurred on the wharf that afternoon. It was going to be a struggle just to act normal. When she met up with him after work that night, she didn’t tell him about her deal with Dipper. She tried to tell herself it was because of Trent – that she didn’t want Trent finding out about her dinner date. But it was just another self delusion because when her ex texted her just before bed with:

So any big plans this weekend?

She wrote back immediately:

Yeah, I got a date.

Trent didn’t respond to that and she was glad. She didn’t want to think about him or about Will. All she wanted was some ‘quiet time’ in her head.

The next morning at around ten-thirty, a truck arrived in the yard. She didn’t know how, but Dipper had come through for her and in record time too. He hopped off the back of the beeping truck as the driver reversed it into place.

‘One portable toilet, one lunch room,’ he announced, jerking his thumb over his shoulder with a grin. ‘I even got you a table and fridge.’

It was true. While small, the vacant office had a power point in it. They could connect the fridge Dipper had sourced. The grubby old trestle table wasn’t luxurious but it was functional. Pity there was no sink. But she supposed she didn’t really have time to be digging leach drains to accommodate that anyway.

‘Wow.’ She felt a rush of warmth towards her admirer as she examined the treasures he had brought her. ‘Thank you, Dipper. It’s all perfect.’

‘So are you.’ He smiled right back. ‘I’m looking forward to tonight.’

She wanted to curl up as his eyes eagerly appraised her from head to toe before he turned away. ‘I’ll pick you up at seven, okay?’

She couldn’t go back on her word now. Not after accepting the donga he’d gone to great lengths to procure.

‘Sure.’ She tried to infuse enthusiasm into her voice. It was just a meal. She could use the time to let him down gently. Explain to him that she’d just come out of long-term relationship and that as a couple they would never work out.

Dipper and a couple of men with him used the crane in the yard to take the donga off the truck. They set it on some stray concrete blocks that weren’t really meant for it. Emily knew that probably wasn’t the best thing to do and if they were doing this right she should have had some proper concrete footings poured. But who had the time to wait for them to cure? She wanted those painters back at work as soon as possible. By the end of the day her wish was granted. When the men from Queensland Coats saw what she had done they called their female teammates and let them know. Both girls would be back at work Monday. She couldn’t believe it. She was off the hook. In two days she’d be in the office doing what she’d come here to do.

As soon as she’d notified Caesar, of course . . .

Inwardly, she quaked.
Shit! What have I done?

She came in from the yard to have lunch in the courtyard. She was so lost in her own thoughts about the upcoming confrontation that when Will pounced on her as she got out of her car she nearly jumped out of her skin.

‘What the hell is going on?’ he rasped.

She put a hand to her chest and concentrated on slowing her breathing. ‘Will, you scared the life out of me.’

He ignored her reprimand. ‘I thought we were going to the reef this weekend.’

‘We are.’ Her brow wrinkled in confusion.

‘Then why do you have a date?’

‘It’s tonight.’

‘Who with?’

‘Dipper.’

‘Dipper! You said you weren’t going to go there.’

‘Wait a minute. Who did you hear this from?’

From his wording and ignorance as to who it was, she gathered that he hadn’t heard the rumour on site. Hurt and distrust arced through her body like a whip. ‘Trent told you, didn’t he? You two have been chatting about me, haven’t you?’

His skin stained red but he neither confirmed nor denied it.

‘I thought you said you don’t talk to him about me! That you didn’t want to get involved.’

‘He texted me,’ Will protested. ‘He wanted to know what was going on.’

She wasn’t listening to his excuses though. ‘Talk about a double standard.’

‘You’ve got it all wrong.’

But she’d already shut shop. ‘Just leave me alone, Will. I don’t owe you or Trent any explanations.’

‘Em –’

‘I can see whoever I want.’ She flicked her pointer finger around the car park and several interested construction workers stopped to grin and watch. ‘It’s nothing to do with either of you.’

On this cutting remark she stalked off. He didn’t join her for lunch. She ate on her own and felt miserable through every bite. She hated fighting with Will. She hated these new feelings she had for him. And she hated that he was more concerned about Trent than the fact that she was going on a date with someone new.

Emily came in from the yard early that day, about half an hour before knock-off. She wanted to square things away with Caesar so she wouldn’t be worrying about it on her day off. She was also hoping to see Will around. Try to patch things up or something. Were they still going to the reef the next day? She didn’t want to stay mad at him forever.

Unfortunately, he was nowhere in sight.

With no best friend to stall her, she found herself standing outside Caesar’s office, feeling all her daredevilry melting away. Yesterday, her bold move had seemed smart and worth it. Today she felt like she was about to confess an act of terrorism to the US president.

She knocked.

There was a lengthy sigh from within.

Great! A good omen, just for a change.

‘Come in.’

When she walked in, Mark was standing by the window. He was gazing unseeingly out at Augustus’s pen, holding a piece of paper that looked like it had been opened and folded many times over. As if to prove the theory, he refolded it now – twice in half – before placing it in his shirt pocket.

‘So,’ he said, voice deadpan, ‘turns out you’re a rather resourceful young lady. I take it you’ve come to tell me that you’re no longer needed in the yard.’

She swallowed hard. ‘Yes.’

His mouth twitched. ‘When I wouldn’t listen to you, you sorted things out for yourself.’

She waited with baited breath. Was there actually an apology coming? Wow! She hadn’t dared to even hope –

‘Don’t do it again,’ he barked.

‘No, sir.’ She shook her head most vigorously. ‘Of course not.’

‘Rest assured, however, I will be paying much more attention to you in future. Obviously, it seems, you have an opinion worth sharing.’ He turned back to the window, gazing out at the same scene he had been studying earlier, though she had a feeling it was not Augustus’s pen that he was watching so closely. ‘I wonder,’ he mused, ‘if you might have some advice for me.’

‘Me, sir?’

‘Yes, I know, funny I should ask you, isn’t it? The new kid on the block, who can’t follow orders and comes with a very lacklustre resume?’

Gee thanks.

‘But, believe me, I wouldn’t be asking you unless I’d been strongly advised to do so.’ He paused, looking up at the ceiling momentarily as if expecting his speech to be punctuated by some divine bolt of lightning. Nothing happened.