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But that isn’t right, either. I came here to get away. To prove to myself that I can do this on my own. Now I’m going to let the whole vacation be ruined just because of some man?
Alright, so Sean isn’t just ‘some man.’ He’s everything. But that’s not the point. The point is that I need to stay here. I need to see this through. It might be hard, but at the end of this week, I’ll know that I’m an independent woman. That I can do this on my own. That’s more valuable than going back home to nurse a broken heart.
And my heart doesn’t even have to be broken. I met a wonderful man who was nice to me, and we had a great time together. He knows my Dad, and maybe our paths will cross again in the future. And even if they don’t, I still had a great time. It’s like that cheesy line they say in the movies: we’ll always have Melbourne.
I pick myself up, unzipping the dress, and hang it up in the closet, where it makes all my other clothes look shabby and plain. The best souvenir I could have imagined. Especially since my white dress is probably so badly stained that I’ll never get it out.
I’m staying here, and I’m seeing it through.
But that doesn’t mean there isn’t one call that I need to make. I put on my PJs and pick up my phone, and I look at the number on my screen. If I don’t do it soon, I know that I’ll lose my nerve, and I’ll never call at all.
This is something that I need to do – for myself, as much as anything. To show myself that I can do this. That I’m not useless or helpless.
I take a deep breath, and press the call button, pressing my hand against my chest as if that can stop my heart from beating out of my chest.
Chapter Eleven
Sean
My phone rings and I look at it in surprise. Who could be calling me this late? Maybe someone from work who’s forgotten which time zone I’m in right now, who doesn’t realize that it’s past time I should be asleep if I want to be of any use tomorrow.
I pick it up hesitantly, looking at the screen. I don’t recognize the number. That could mean that this is going to be a really unwelcome, stressful call – there’s nothing like having to deal with a stranger throwing questions at you when you’re sleep-deprived.
But then it hits me that it could be someone else calling, someone else whose number I also wouldn’t know, and I hurry to put it to my ear.
“Hello?” I say, my heart pounding wildly with hope.
“Hi, Sean? It’s Candace.” I didn’t need to hear her say her name – I knew it was her the moment I heard her voice.
“Oh, hi,” I say, trying to keep my voice cool. “Are you alright?” I hope something hasn’t happened already, for her to call me back so quickly.
“No,” she says, quickly. Almost too quickly, like she’s in a panic. “No, not at all. Actually, I just wanted to call and say that I had a really great time today. And to thank you.”
“You don’t have to thank me,” I say, smiling to myself. “I had a good time, too. In fact, I would say the pleasure was all mine.”
“I know you’re busy,” she says, and something about the way she says it plucks at my heart and squeezes it. Like she’s about to ask me to do the thing I want most to do in the whole world. And it turns out, she’s right. “But I was wondering if you wanted to meet up again sometime this week?”
“Of course,” I say. “I’d love to. When were you thinking?”
“I don’t know,” she says, and hesitates. “I mean, I don’t know what your schedule is like – I guess you’re probably only free in the evenings – or are you even free then?”
I make up my mind then and there. I’m not going to let this chance pass me by. She wants to see me again. How could I ignore that?
It doesn’t matter what other responsibilities I have. I’ve never so much as taken a day off work, not for years. This goes beyond that. It’s not like I’m ditching work just to have fun.
I’m making a choice between the woman I already know I need to have by my side forever, and something that can wait.
I’m not going to be stupid enough to miss out on the chance of a lifetime.
“How about tomorrow?” I say. “It’s been a while since I had the chance to do anything in Melbourne. I mean, anything that wasn’t business. I can show you a few of the hidden gems I’ve managed to discover over the years.”
