Someone Like You(24)

When he succeeded in putting space between them, he took her face in his  hands, so strong yet so gentle, and looked deep into her eyes. 'I don't  want to hide the fact that we spent the night together. I've got  nothing to be embarrassed or ashamed about. We're two consenting adults,  aren't we? And I figure it's almost impossible to keep a secret in this  town anyway.'

'You're telling me.' Lizzie pushed him away with a half-hearted shove.  'In about … ' she looked down to check her watch, ' … three minutes,  everyone in the front bar is going to know that we've out here in the  car park pashing like two lovesick teenagers.'

Dan's eyebrows shot up and a grin settled on his lips. He moved closer to her again.

'Oh, you know what I mean.' Lizzie turned away from him in embarrassment.         

     



 

'So, shall we really give them something to talk about?' Dan grabbed her  hand and led her back inside the pub, down the narrow corridor past her  office and right into the front bar, where he pushed her onto a stool  and sat beside her.

'Can I buy you a drink, Elizabeth?'

'I'm still working. A soda and lime will do.'

'A beer for me, thanks,' he told the young waitress behind the bar who  had an alarming streak of neon pink hair over her eyes. Lizzie looked  around. It was quiet. A few regulars nodded in her direction and she  smiled in return. She couldn't believe Dan was doing this.

He met her gaze again. 'When's your next day off?'

'Next Monday.'

'I'd like to take you out for lunch. Let's get out of Middle Point. Why  don't we drive to McLaren Vale and eat at one of the wineries. Sound  good to you?'

Lizzie tried to judge where all this was coming from. 'Dan, you don't have to do this, you know.'

'Do what?'

'I totally get that the other night was a … one off.' And lines one  through to twenty-three raced through her head. She chose number  fourteen. 'You don't owe me anything.'

He leaned towards her, held her hand. 'Owe you? I just want to have more sex with you.'

'Oh.' Lizzie's pulse thrummed under his fingers and she felt her heart beat faster and stronger.

And then the strangest thing happened. There was a weird voice in her head, shouting his name.

When Dan startled, she realised he'd heard it too.

His name. Someone was shouting it from across the room and it echoed on  the wooden floorboards and the empty tables, bouncing around the stone  walls and the wooden bar until it landed right in the space between  Lizzie and Dan. Like a stone.

'Daniel? Is that you?' It was a woman's voice. Lizzie saw a flicker of  recognition in Dan's face and then he turned, let go of her hand. Stood  up. Found its owner.

His face lit up. 'Shit. Anna?'

The floor began to vibrate as footsteps became a jog. Lizzie recognised  the familiar clickety-click of stiletto heels. And when she looked  towards the sound, she saw a pair of pins that were wrapped in skinny  jeans, a generous chest encased in a black halter neck top and two  enormous gold hoop earrings. They jangled and danced on either side of  the face of an olive-skinned pocket rocket with, Lizzie decided,  possibly the most luxurious mane of shining black hair she'd ever seen.  Lizzie had to stop herself from reaching out to touch it.

'Danny? Oh my gawd. I can't believe it's you!'

Dan stood up, threw his arms around the woman and lifted her off her feet.

As he spun her around, Lizzie's heart lurched at the flood of happiness she saw in his face.





CHAPTER


12


Up close, Anna was even more beautiful. Honeyed skin, dark brown eyes,  eyelashes as long as a puppy's and plump, full lips set off with deep  red lipstick. Lizzie wanted to hate her immediately.

When Dan finally released Anna from the long bear hug, he held her at  arms' length and looked down into her face, a beaming smile creasing his  eyes.

'Anna! What the hell are you doing in downtown Middle Point?' There was a  tone in his voice that Lizzie hadn't ever heard before. He didn't just  sound happy. He sounded over-the-moon thrilled to be seeing this woman  again.

Anna reached up one perfectly manicured hand and playfully slapped him on the cheek.

'Let go of me, you big giant. What am I doing here? I was going to ask  you the same thing.' Anna rearranged the soft leather handbag on her  shoulder. It was nearly as big as she was and, while Lizzie didn't know  much about handbags, it reeked of designer.

'I've got a place down here, a few minutes away.' Dan sat back down on  the bar stool, glanced quickly at Lizzie, his face lit up like a  Christmas tree. 'What's your excuse?'

Anna waved a hand dismissively. 'I need to escape from my crazy family  this Christmas, so I thought I'd check out a place to rent for the  holidays.' She looked from Dan to Lizzie and back, then flashed a huge  smile at Lizzie, held out her hand warmly. 'Hi, I'm Anna.'

Lizzie took her hand and Anna gave her a firm handshake. 'I'm Lizzie.'

Damn it. She gave good handshake. Not a barely there limp-wristed excuse  for a welcome, but a strong, determined, direct contact. Lizzie  instantly knew this was a woman she could like.

God, look at her. Who wouldn't?

Dan slapped a hand on his thighs. 'Oh shit. Sorry. Anna, this is  Elizabeth. She's … ' And he stopped, glancing hesitantly from one woman to  the other. Lizzie met his shining green eyes with a wry grin and could  see the cogs spinning in his head. She crossed her arms, extremely  interested in hearing what his answer was going to be, given his  romantic speech just a few minutes before about not wanting to hide the  fact that they'd spent the night together.         

     



 

He was about to be put to the test.

What exactly were they to each other? Lizzie decided to give him a break. She didn't know either.

' … she's a friend of mine who manages this place for Ry. Elizabeth, this is Anna.'

Anna propped her hands on her hips and looked all around the pub, taking  in the rusted-on front bar punters in their boardshorts and thongs,  T-shirts and baseball caps. Past them, through the big windows, she took  in the million dollar coastal views.

'You're kidding me.' Anna's eyebrows shot up. 'This is Ryan's place?'

'For about six months now.'

'What the … ' Anna looked around dramatically. 'Did someone put a magic  spell on you guys? How come you're all suddenly moving to Middle Point?'  Anna's earrings bounced enthusiastically as she tipped her head.

Dan took a deep breath, grinned. 'We've got a big housing project about  to start. Windswept. Maybe you saw the huge billboard back on the main  road?'

'That's you guys? Looks like I've got some catching up to do.' Anna  looked at them both, and Lizzie had the feeling Anna was scrutinising  every move, trying to figure out what was going on between her and Dan.

Join the club.

At that signal, Lizzie hopped to her feet, smoothed her skirt down on  her thighs. 'I'll leave you two to talk. I've really got to get back to  work.'

'Elizabeth-' Dan turned to her. He looked like a bloke who thought he  was about to get his arse kicked, no matter what he did. Lizzie didn't  want or need him to apologise. They weren't tied to each other with an  invisible piece of string just because they'd slept together once. And  as she'd told him, he didn't owe her anything. She reached over, rested a  hand on his arm and gave it a little squeeze. She hoped it looked like  nothing more than a reassuring gesture between two acquaintances.  Acquaintances who'd seen each other naked.

'I've got a stack of things to do. You two have a drink. On the house.'  She turned to Anna, who was regarding her with curious eyes. 'It was  really nice to meet you, Anna. I hope we see more of you during your  holiday. Come and have dinner one night. I'm sure Dan will vouch for the  fact that our chef is amazing.'

Dan shot her a look, an expression in his face she couldn't pick.  Surprise maybe. And then to Lizzie's amazement, Anna tottered forward  and threw her arms around her. It took a second for Lizzie to realise  she was being hugged by a woman she'd barely met.

'Thanks, Lizzie. I'll be back, don't you worry. This place is gorgeous.'

As Lizzie headed back to her office, she looked over her shoulder and  flashed them both a big smile before disappearing into the corridor.

Her killer smile. Dan watched every step until Lizzie was out of sight,  trying to figure out what had just happened. She was confusing the hell  out of him. One minute they're locking lips in the car park and making  plans for her day off, the next she leaves him in the company of another  woman, one who looks like she's been sewn into her tight jeans and  halter neck top, with acres of skin on display. The women he knew would  have gone all territorial and scared anyone else off with a possessive  arm about his shoulder, a hair flick and some kind of bitchy remark that  women understood but flew completely over men's heads.

He didn't have to be looking at Anna to know that she was studying him.  He swivelled around, an exasperated sigh on his lips. All around them,  the front bar had become mysteriously quiet. The only sound was the bar  fridge opening and closing. He realised every single person in the place  was staring at Anna. Some open-mouthed. She'd always had that effect on  people.