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The man beside her reached into his back pocket and pulled out his phone, swiping his thumb across it, evidently to answer a call. “Hey,” he said, as if greeting a friend.
Ava couldn’t hear the conversation, but the crease between his eyebrows deepened, and his lips tilted downwards. She didn’t think he was receiving the greatest of news. Her chest tightened, the slump in his shoulders making her want to reach out for him. Being stuck in public when he probably wanted somewhere private to talk was awful. Instead of reaching for him, she turned, giving him privacy and coming face to face with the blond cutie again.
This time her eyes were drawn down to a trim waist tapering down to narrow hips and thick legs. He wore silky rugby shorts that did nothing to hide the generous bulges of muscle and a well-proportioned package. He radiated strength, but his boyish good looks and the laughter in his voice made her instantly comfortable. “I’m Ava,” she said, extending her hand.
His hand was the size of a bear’s paw, and it engulfed hers as he shook it. His grip was firm, and the calluses on his palm tickled her own soft skin. “Bryce. Happy holidays.”
“You too.” She smiled again, her belly flip-flopping with his responding wink.
“Are you two together?” He motioned between Ava and the other man and grinned when she shook her head.
“Thank fuck,” dark and stormy uttered.
Bryce studied the other man momentarily, his gaze roving over his face. “Everything okay?”
He huffed. “I’ve just been stood up. My ah… friend decided not to come.” He shook his head and rolled his eyes.
“S-Sorry to hear that,” she stuttered. It was a lame response, but Ava was shocked speechless. Who would do that? The insane urge to comfort him returned. He was already grumpy, and the call only intensified the waves of discontent rolling off him.
“Yeah, sucks,” Bryce said before blinking out of his solemness and smiling. He held out his hand. “I’m Bryce and this is Ava. Good to meet you. Happy holidays.”
“Cole.” They shook and Cole regarded Bryce, narrowing his eyes at the other man and tilting his head to the side. Ava couldn’t imagine what was going through that head of his, his expression locked in a fierce frown. Bryce met his gaze with a grin and a soft chuckle, and Cole turned, scowling deeper. Ava bit back a laugh at their differences—Bryce was like a big puppy dog, happy and excitable, all laughter and light, while Cole was a stray alley cat, hissing with his claws out.
Ava and Bryce fell into an easy conversation, talking about where they were travelling to—they happened to be staying quite close to each other, and what they did for a living. Bryce explained, “I’m a student—studying property.”
“Really? I’m a development manager.” It was rare that Ava had an instant connection with someone, but the way Bryce’s features lit up when she spoke, Ava could have talked to him all day. Watching his excitement bubble over as he talked about his studies and questioned her on what her job entailed was breathtaking.
Cole stayed silent the entire time, watching them like a sentinel with those deep brown eyes until the frustrated groan and accompanying curse from a nearby passenger captured all their attention. “Bloody weather apps are useless.”
He reached for his phone again and tapped away at it. Cole muttered, “Shit. We aren’t going anywhere. Look at this.” He turned his screen to them, and Ava’s hope for the holiday she desperately needed crashed and burned in a fiery death. The map showed a bird’s eye view of the state, with land depicted in brown and green and the ocean in pale blue. A line of dark red storms headed directly toward the entire Greater Sydney area, the tail extending out to cover half the state. There wouldn’t be an hour or two’s delay. No, they’d be lucky to get out at all in the next forty-eight hours.
No staff stood at the check-in desks. The conveyor belts were all roped off, and the lights turned out too. Heaviness settled over her, the spark of excitement over holidaying in the tropics flickering like a candle starved of oxygen ready to be snuffed out.
“It’s okay. Just a bump in the road,” Bryce soothed. “We’ll be on our way in no ti—”
“Attention, ladies and gentlemen. We regret to inform you of the cancellation of all flights this morning due to strong winds and low visibility. Further significant delays are expected for flights this afternoon and evening. Please check with your individual carriers to rebook your flights.” Ava looked between Bryce and Cole. Cole’s jaw was tight, clenched so hard again she was surprised she couldn’t hear his molars cracking. His brown eyes were flat; the spark of mystery lighting them up had turned them to flint. Bryce’s smile slipped a notch too, but Ava could practically see the gears in his brain turning. Whether it was for an upside to this cluster or a way out of it, she had no idea. But Ava almost wished he’d pull a rabbit out of a hat. She sure as hell couldn’t think of anything to get them in the air.
Then it hit her. She didn’t need to be in the air. She just needed to be on her way. Ava grinned, buoyant once more as she extended the handle on her suitcase. “Nice talking to you, boys, but I’m going to find a rental.”
Bryce’s smile was dazzling. “What a great idea. If we leave now, we can be on the Gold Coast by tonight.”
“What do you mean ‘we’?” Cole asked.
“Bryce has a point,” Ava conceded thoughtfully, surprising herself. The lessons drilled into her since childhood—don’t talk to strangers, don’t go anywhere with them—somehow didn’t seem to apply to these two men. Maybe it was the lure of a holiday in paradise making her see them through rose-coloured glasses, but Ava instinctively trusted both Bryce and Cole, even if the latter seemed completely walled off. “We could get a car together and drive up.”
Cole furrowed his brow and huffed before looking between them. His gaze was incredulous, but when he shrugged, Ava knew he was in. “Sure. Whatever.”
She smiled, those butterflies in her belly flapping up a storm, and Bryce grinned, bouncing on his toes. She motioned to the car hire booths and added, “Seems like everyone has the same idea as us. We should get a move on.” She led the charge, hustling over to the stands with the boys on her heels, and joined the line.
But within minutes, the car hire companies were issuing apologies. They’d run out of cars. “Well, there goes that idea,” Ava grumbled, disappointment souring her tone.
Cole asked, “Do you not have a car?”
“No, I drive a company vehicle, and when I’m not at work, I catch public transport. I live right in the city, and I try to minimize my carbon footprint wherever I can.”
“I’d offer my work truck, but it only carries two people, and it’s filled with tools. It’s also filthy,” Cole said, and Ava stored the tiny piece of information Cole had shared like a precious gift. He was a tradie. Good with his hands and unafraid to get dirty. Damn, the visual of all that strength and competence was hotter than hell.
“We could take my truck?” Bryce suggested, those puppy dog eyes pleading. “It’s old, but big and reliable. We’ll fit comfortably, and my place is walking distance from Central Station. We could be there in twenty minutes tops.”
