'A crush?' he suggested.
She nodded. 'But I'm all together again,' she assured him blithely and stopped, to look serious. 'Although I have to say thank you. You were amazingly tactful, and giving me Josie, and my job, was inspired.'
'Is there someone in your life, Alex?' he queried.
'Well, I haven't quite got that far,' she conceded. 'But while twenty-one might be a fine old age to suffer your first crush, it's not exactly old-it'll come. In the meantime, I'm off to Beijing for a holiday in a month, and I'm preparing my CV for the Diplomatic Corps. I'm also taking driving lessons, or I was.' She looked comically put out for a moment.
'What happened?' He glanced at her bicycle leaning against the tree.
'I had an accident. I bumped into Simon, of all people. By the way, thanks also for all the work you've given him. He really appreciates it. But tell me-' she looked at him warmly '-how is everyone? Margaret? And Mrs Mills? I do miss them.'
'Everyone's fine.'
'And the Chinese venture?'
'It's all on track. So, no more panic attacks?' His eyes were narrowed and watchful. He'd finished his sandwich and he stretched his long legs out. She shook her head and managed to look completely carefree. 'I really am fine.'
'You look it,' he murmured, taking in her skimpy outfit and the smooth creamy skin of her shoulders and arms and her legs. 'Still the best pair of legs in town.'
Alex laughed. 'You were very annoyed with my legs, if I recall.' She shrugged. 'But it's good to be able to laugh about it in hindsight.'
'Yes. Well-' he pushed his fingers through his hair '-I can't offer you a lift home because of the bike, but it's been really good to see you, Alex.'
'You too!' she said enthusiastically.
'Don't get up.' He heaved himself upright. 'Thanks for the sandwich,' he said down to her with a grin. 'It's years since I had egg and lettuce. Uh-by the way, Nicky sends his love. He said if ever I bumped into you to tell you that.'
'Oh, please give him my love,' Alex responded affectionately. 'Goodbye then, Mr Goodwin.'
Max Goodwin touched the top of her head with his fingertips. 'Bye, Miss Hill.'
Alex watched him walk away and felt like fainting. It had been a bravura performance, all lies, she thought dizzily, and where had she acquired the acting ability from to see it through?
She put her hand over her heart because it seemed to be beating lightly but raggedly somewhere up near her throat. And she watched Max Goodwin until he was out of sight. But there was a slightly puzzled look in her eyes, because there was something different about him, something she couldn't put her finger on …
Then he was gone and the whole picnic idea had palled so she packed up and rode home. Josie looked almost humanly worried all the way back.
'Knock, knock!' Patti came through the front door to find Alex and Josie watching television that evening. 'Did he find you?'
Alex reached for the remote and flicked the TV off. 'Did who find me?'
'Your ex-employer. The guy with the Bentley-Max Goodwin.'
Alex frowned, her hand still poised in the air with the remote in it. 'I didn't know he was looking for me.'
'Well, he was. I told him you were going to New Farm Park. Didn't he find you?'
'Yes, he did,' Alex said in a voice that didn't sound like her own. 'But I thought it was by accident, a coincidence. He didn't say otherwise.'
Patti gestured and sat down at the dining table. 'Doesn't look the type you'd find in the park unless he had a kid or a dog. And he doesn't look the type who'd have to exercise his own kids or dogs.'
'No,' Alex said slowly. 'Why didn't I think of that? Well, I did at first but … ' She trailed off.
'Has he been ill?'
Alex's eyes widened. 'He also looked different to me but-what makes you say that?'
Patti shrugged. 'I was a nurse. Sometimes you get a sixth sense.'
When Patti left, Alex was plunged into deep thought.
Along the lines of, metaphorically she could run, she could hide from Max Goodwin, she could think of herself or-she could think more of him.
Why had he sought her out? She might have had no direct contact with him, but she'd learnt that Mr Li still did translating work for Goodwin Minerals, and Mr Li still maintained his contacts with the consulate, so he would have been fully up to date with her progress.
If Max had wanted to keep tabs on her just to make sure she was all right, that would have been the perfect channel …
So why seek her out when he'd done his best to make it a clean break for her?
It didn't seem to make sense, unless …
But why wait nearly five months?
She frowned suddenly. Over and above all that-what was wrong with him? She knew in her heart of hearts all was not right.
That was when it occurred to her that the biggest question she faced was to do with herself and it was the question of her own-what was the right word for it?-
valour.
It sounded melodramatic, she thought, but did it mean that the time had come for her to accept there was no future for her with him, but that didn't alter the fact that she cared deeply for him so that her concern for him was real and almost overwhelming? And running away from that to save herself from further hurt was cowardly.
The disembodied voice that issued from the speaker above the penthouse buzzer-
Jake's, she recognized-informed her that Mr Goodwin was not in residence and any enquiries should be directed to his office.
That wasn't possible on a Sunday morning.
What was possible was to put herself on a train to the Gold Coast-Helensvale would be the nearest station-and take a bus to the Sovereign Islands, or a taxi if there were no buses. But what if he wasn't there either? And what if Mrs Mills or Stan, or both, were having Sunday off? Of course she had had the number of the Tuscan villa, but she'd also learnt from her stay there that all incoming calls were screened.
Ignore the 'what if?'s, Alex, she instructed herself, otherwise you'll end up doing nothing.
The train journey from Central to Helensvale took over an hour and then there were no buses. So she took a taxi to Paradise Point and decided to walk over the bridge from there. She and Nicky had done it a few times; it was a pleasant walk. But she stopped and bought herself lunch first and ate it in the park, feeding the seagulls the scraps of her fish and chips.
She stopped again at the top of the bridge and looked down at the waters swirling below.
Because it was a fine Sunday there were plenty of water craft about from jet skis to houseboats. There were fishermen on the beach and picnickers in the park. Looking south towards Surfers Paradise, and west towards the hinterland, though, there were dark clouds building, giving warning that this magic day could also bring storms.
Looking north, she had a view very similar to the one she'd had from her guest bedroom, a view of water and mangroves and casuarinas.
She stirred and took a deep breath. Sweat was trickling down between her shoulder blades beneath the white blouse she wore with khaki shorts and yellow sandals. She started to walk.
Half an hour later she was walking back over the bridge. There had been no sign of life at the house and no one had answered the doorbell.
She couldn't say exactly what her uppermost feeling was. There was a mixture of tearful and frustrated, foolish and downhearted, and-something new-
apprehensive as she walked westward into the arms of what looked to be a ferocious thunderstorm.
The clouds were boiling and black, she could see lightning and the storm seemed to be racing towards her.
She quickened her footsteps. The little shopping centre at Paradise Point would afford her cover, but would she reach it in time?
So intent was she on the storm, she didn't really notice what make of car flashed past her across the bridge as the first raindrop fell, until she heard a squeal of tyres and turned to see it reversing towards her.
It was a navy-blue Bentley; it was Max Goodwin wearing light trousers and a black shirt and leaning across to open the door for her.
Her heart leapt into her mouth and, despite the hours she'd had to think things through, she was suddenly quite unprepared for this encounter. She even seemed to be planted to the pavement as the rain grew heavier.
'Alex, get in,' he commanded. 'It's about to hail if I'm not mistaken.'
That brought her to life. 'Oh, your car!' she breathed and got in hastily.
'Damn the car-what are you doing out in this?' He put the motor in gear and drove off.