The Girl in the Yellow Vest (41 page)

‘True.’ Her eyelids fluttered.

‘No matter how much I’ve wanted to,’ he added for good measure.

Her eyes were so close he literally saw her pupils dilate. ‘You have?’

‘You bet.’

She licked her lips. ‘Then I have a question. What’s the second kiss bound to be like?’

He didn’t quite know who closed the gap between them first. Their mouths simply came together as one.

He tried to be respectful. After all, this was Em. He had no idea where this was going.
If
it was going anywhere. He had their friendship to consider. At least that was what his brain was saying while his hands left her face and curved under her bottom, bringing her right in close against him.

He’d always known she’d taste good. Not just intoxicating to his senses but mind-blowing. In general he was not the sort of man who ‘ravished’ women. In his previous dating life, he’d always been conscious of being ‘tender’ and ‘gentle’. But in this case, it was as though someone had flicked a switch in his brain, making it literally impossible to hold back.

Kissing Em didn’t feel like kissing any other woman.

This wasn’t just some random encounter but rather a turning point in his life after which nothing would be the same again. Now that this door had been opened, there was no closing it against the flood of emotion that came whooshing through. And when Emily flung her arms around his neck and pressed her soft breasts into his chest, something in his brain exploded. He just wanted to rip her dress off.

It was only then that he realised that she was tugging at his shirt. Actually, more like yanking. So he graciously pulled it over his head. ‘Better?’

‘Much.’ She slid her hands over his shoulders. ‘I think you’re beautiful.’

He laughed at her words. ‘Have you seen yourself recently?’

‘I’ve got a giant hole in my dress.’

‘You’re right.’ He nodded seriously. ‘We should take it off.’

‘You think?’ She gave him a secret smile that made his toes curl.

‘Definitely.’ His hands reached for her zipper. The dress pooled at her feet.

When he saw her in her pink polka dot underwear, he chuckled again.

She pushed him backwards into the living room. ‘Why do you keep laughing?’

‘I just can’t believe this is happening,’ he said as he felt the back of his knees hit the arm of the couch.

‘It’s happening,’ she murmured and then squealed as he grabbed her around the waist before falling back on the cushions, her soft body splayed on top of his.

They kissed and they kissed, unable to get enough of each other. He cupped her breasts and she moaned. He tried to roll on top of her and they both toppled from the couch onto the floor, laughing against each other’s mouths. It was delicious madness until there was a rap at the door.

Both their heads jerked up. There was another loud knock.

‘Who could that be?’ Emily muttered.

They both looked at the door again and a specific voice brought reality crashing into the room like a tsunami. ‘Em? Are you in there? I can see the light on.’

‘Trent,’ she whispered and then scrambled up. ‘Trent!’ she said louder, panic tingeing her voice.

‘Yeah, it’s me, honey,’ came his dulcet tones. ‘Can you open the door?’

She looked at Will, who was starting to feel rather sick. Her eyes were wide and her hands wrung as she mouthed, ‘What should I do?’

‘You have to let him in,’ he said calmly. This was the part of their story he was already very familiar with. Still, he had to rein in his feelings to brace for impact. He moved around her and picked up her dress. ‘Here.’

She quickly put it back on and he zipped her up from behind. He grabbed his shirt off the floor, flinging it on and rapidly doing up the buttons.

‘Em!’ Trent called out again.

‘Coming,’ she cried and glanced back at him for support.

‘It’s okay. Invite him in.’ He gave her a gentle shove.

He heard rather than saw her walk to the front door and open it.

‘Trent, what are you doing here?’ He was pleased to hear her voice sound rather exasperated. Good. He had no idea what they were going to say to his mate when he came in but he knew that keeping his own feelings bottled up now was an impossibility.

Trent had never treated his relationship with Emily seriously enough. For years, he’d watched Em fawn over him, expecting more and never getting enough. Now his friend had let her go, even moved on with other women. If he wasn’t prepared to give Emily what she wanted, did he really deserve her? He squared his shoulders and turned to look at them.

There was Trent, standing precise to a pin in a black suit and tie, almost like the undertaker come to take away the happiest moment in his life. A light travel bag rested on the mat by his feet while he grinned sheepishly at her. He didn’t seem to have noticed his best friend watching tensely from the lounge area.

‘I thought I’d surprise you.’

‘Well,’ her hand went to her hip, ‘you’ve certainly succeeded there.’

He grinned. ‘We need to talk.’

‘No kidding.’

‘There’s something I need say, that I should have said months ago.’ He sucked in a deep breath. ‘Em, I’ve been a fool.’

‘Trent –’

‘No, let me finish. I’ve come to ask you something. Something that will change our lives.’

And then to Will’s horror Trent got down on one knee. ‘Will you marry me?’

When he arrived back at the office, she was nowhere to be found and his first instinct was to panic. He spied Ann sitting unconcerned at her desk and marched over.

‘Where’s Charlotte?’

His secretary looked up in surprise. ‘She went home.’

‘Are you sure?’ he demanded. How did she know she wasn’t dragged out by Dennis Mayer to some ditch somewhere? Her hesitation nearly made him burst a vein. ‘
Answer me
.’

‘Okay, okay.’ Ann fidgeted in her seat. ‘Yes, I’m sure she left. I saw her myself about fifteen minutes ago. She said she had a migraine, but I didn’t believe her.’

‘Why didn’t you believe her?’

Ann shrugged. ‘It just seemed more than that. She was very pale and spacey. I think that man who was here must have said something to her. ‘

He swore inside his head. ‘Was he with her when she left?’

‘No, he left ten minutes earlier. Would you like me to get her on the line, sir?’

‘No.’ He shook his head. ‘I’m going back to the resort to check everything’s all right.’

‘Oh . . . okay, sir,’ she responded even though he was already a few metres away from her desk, shrugging out of his vest and tossing his hat on the lay table.

‘Ann,’ he called from the door, ‘send some welding gloves to the wharf, will you?’

‘Who to?’

But he had already crossed the threshold and didn’t stop to answer.

His ute tore up the dirt as he sped out of the site car park and back down the road to the resort. Thoughts of what might have taken place while he was still on the wharf were making him crazy. He had to see for himself she was okay.

When he pulled into the car park, reception was still dark, deserted and locked. Undeterred, he went round the side to the back door of her home and knocked on the flyscreen.

No answer.

Without hesitation, he tried the door handle and was both pleased and displeased to note it was unlocked. He let himself in and then locked it behind him. With purpose, he entered the main living area of the house. His arrival was punctuated by a gasp.

He glanced immediately to the left and saw her seated there across the room on the couch. Her eyes were red and rubbed raw. It was clear she’d been sobbing.

‘Oh.’ She sagged. ‘It’s only you.’

‘But it could have been anybody.’ His voice was rough. ‘You should not leave your doors unlocked, Ms Templeton. It’s not safe.’

‘Ah.’ She nodded, with a complete lack of her usual gumption. ‘Have you come to lecture me, Mr Crawford?’

‘No, I have come to see if you’re all right.’

‘As you can see, I’m absolutely fine.’

‘Rubbish.’ He advanced into the room and sat down on the coffee table opposite her. Close enough to see every nuance on her face, not close enough that they were touching.

Something seemed to occur to her and her eyes widened for a moment. ‘The shiploader! What’s happened? Why aren’t you on the wharf?’

‘They can drop it in the ocean for all I care. Did he come to see you?’

‘Who?’ she asked.

‘Don’t play coy with me. Dennis Mayer, of course.’

Her lower lip trembled and she looked down at her hands where he saw for the first time that she was clutching a document. ‘So you know.’

‘Of course I know.’

She gave a mirthless laugh. ‘Because you know everything, don’t you, Mr Crawford?’

‘Yes,’ he said briskly. ‘Now tell me what he said to you.’

‘Or you’ll do what?’ Some of her spark returned and he didn’t know whether to feel relieved or thwarted.

‘Or I’ll fire you.’

She sat up straighter. ‘On what grounds?’

‘Walking off the job without permission.’

‘But you just walked off the job as well,’ she pointed out.

‘That’s different. I don’t need permission.’

‘Never in all my life have I met such an insensitive man,’ she said, standing up crossly and would have walked away from him if he had not grabbed her by the wrist.

‘Please, Charlotte,’ his quiet tone came out strained, ‘
let me help you
. At least give me that.’

If she refused to let him into her confidence, he didn’t know what he’d do.

She stopped. Perhaps it was the desperation in his voice, perhaps it was the sound of her first name on his lips, but for a moment she just stood there, allowing him to hold her hand, as she struggled with her own decision. Finally she turned to him, her eyes wet with tears. ‘Even if you want to, I don’t think you can help me.’

‘No one is beyond help. What did he do?’ He ground his teeth. ‘Did he touch you?’

‘No.’ She sat down again. ‘It was nothing like that.’

‘What do you mean?’

She hesitated and then handed him the document in her hands. ‘Here, you might as well see it.’ She sat back on the couch again. ‘He gave it to me.’

It took him about five seconds to take in the horror that was its contents. ‘Zara,’ he whispered, and realised for the first time how much he had grown to care for the young girl. ‘He can’t take her.’

‘And I’m going to do everything in my power to prevent him.’ She sounded so fierce that for moment he was taken by the determination in her voice, but it evaporated as quickly as it had come. She wrung her hands. ‘If only I knew what that was. The court date is for seven days’ time in Brisbane and I have to prepare for that. I have no idea if his case is as solid as he says it is.’

‘Surely a rapist has no rights.’

‘You would think. He was never convicted of raping Mum, though. She filed her police report too late for it to be used as evidence. He could spin it that they had a one-night stand. Especially if she’s not mentally healthy enough to explain herself.’

He shook his head. ‘You will win this, Charlotte. You just need a good lawyer.’

‘Apart from the fact that I have no idea how to discern whether a lawyer is good or not, it’s going to be very expensive. I’ve just let another of the staff go to help pay our second mortgage on this place. Of course, if it’s a choice between bankruptcy and Zara’s safety, I know which one I’m going to choose.’ Her fingers trembled. ‘It’s just that this is Mum’s home. She might only have a couple more years. Her disease will only cause her to deteriorate more and more. I just –’ She choked back a sob. ‘I just can’t believe this is happening. How could we not have seen it coming?’

Just then the back door slammed and Zara walked in, home from school. She started when she saw him seated on their coffee table. ‘Mark! What are you doing here?’

He glanced at Charlotte and she gave the most infinitesimal shake of her head. So he folded the subpoena and said rather blandly, ‘Staying for dinner.’

Charlotte stepped on his foot but he ignored the pain. ‘Your sister has kindly invited me over to discuss . . .’ He searched for a believable topic. ‘. . . A mutual project.’

Zara raised her eyebrows. ‘Really? How’d the shiploader installation go?’