OK, after all this it had better be her ankle boots.
It wasn’t.
It was even browner than the ankle boots.
It was Nick.
He was grinning, holding his arms out to her, his teeth dazzling white in contrast with his ridiculously deep tan. In an over-the-top stab at an Australian accent he said, ‘Hey, sport, how ya doin’? Ya got a face on ya like a wallaby on a tightrope.’
Amazed, Hallie said, ‘I don’t believe it.’
‘It’s true! Have ya never seen a wallaby on a tightrope?’ Dropping the accent, he stepped forward and enveloped her in a hug. ‘How are you? Surprised to see me?’
‘Just a bit. And you want to watch it; I’m an invalid, you know. I could drop dead from this kind of shock.’
‘Sorry, I wanted to see the look on your face. Oh Hal . . .’ Ushering her inside, out of the cold, he touched her cheek and stroked an index finger along the line of her jaw. ‘It’s so good to see you again.’
‘Well I’m still here. Just about. Come on, I need my oxygen.’ Hallie led the way into the living room and plugged herself back in. ‘What are you doing back in the UK?’
It was six years since they’d broken up, two years since she’d last seen him.
‘Flying visit to the parents. Dad’s had a gall bladder op and Mum wanted me to come back for a few days. But I flew into Birmingham so I thought I’d swing by and see you before shooting on up to Manchester.’
‘It’s out of your way.’ He was going to have to double back to Birmingham before heading home.
‘Hey, I’ve hired a fast car. And once you’ve lived in Australia, you get used to long journeys. Anything less than a six-hour drive is nothing at all . . . Jesus, what is that thing out there?’
He was pointing at something through the window. By the time Hallie realised she’d succumbed to the oldest trick in the book, the bacon sandwich was in his hand.
‘I can’t believe you fell for it.’ Nick shook his head pityingly.
‘Me neither.’ Distraction followed by food theft had always been a game they’d played. ‘I’m out of practice.’
‘Here.’ He offered her the sandwich back. ‘To be honest, if you were about to eat this, I’m amazed you even came to the door.’
‘I nearly didn’t. It’s OK, you can have a bite. Seeing as you’ve come all the way from Australia.’
Nick shook his head. ‘You have first bite. It’s your sandwich.’
‘Correct answer.’ Hallie bit into it with relish whilst Nick watched her with a smile on his face. And maybe the bacon was no longer as hot as it might have been, but it was still delicious.
When it was time for Nick to eat his share, she sat and watched him in turn. His lean, rangy limbs were the same, his blond hair as messy as it had always been. He’d just flown from the other side of the world, but you wouldn’t know it; in his white T-shirt, soft grey sweater and battered old jeans he looked just as he always had. Only the smell of him was different.
Aware of her gaze, Nick said, ‘What?’
‘You’ve changed your aftershave.’
‘This?’ He sniffed his wrist and pulled a face. ‘I tried it in duty-free. Makes me smell like a used car salesman. Seems like it’s got stronger since I put it on.’
‘That’s what happens. The more you don’t like it, the stronger it smells.’ Hallie smiled. ‘But you look just the same.’
‘So do you.’ Having finished off the sandwich, he put down the empty plate and gave her hand a squeeze.
‘Thanks.’ Touched, Hallie added, ‘But we both know that’s not true.’
‘OK, maybe not, but when I look at you, I just see . . . you.’ He reached up and lightly touched her nose. ‘I see your freckles, the shape of your cheeks, the way your eyelashes curl at the corners, the way your mouth moves when you smile. And as for your eyes . . . they’re never going to change. You still have the best eyes I’ve ever seen.’
‘If this is your way of telling me you’d like another bacon sandwich,’ said Hallie, ‘you’re going to have to make it yourself.’
‘That’s not why I said those things.’ He winked at her. ‘But now you come to mention it . . .’
In the kitchen, she sat at the table while Nick made them both mugs of tea and fried up the rest of the bacon. He told her stories about his adventures in Australia. She told him less exciting ones about her life in Carranford. Nick called home and told his parents he’d be with them by nine o’clock.
At two thirty, Hallie said, ‘It’s time for me to do my meds and physio.’