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The sunny day was quite warm and it felt heavenly to be sitting in the shade of the gondola’s umbrella, complete with Mother Nature’s air-conditioning. She’d been up late all week with last-minute preparations and up at the crack of dawn today, and having a few minutes’ respite had alerted her to how weary she felt. She shut her eyes and let Tom’s chatter wash over her.
Callum took the opportunity to observe her. The face paint should have looked ridiculous on a grown woman but it didn’t. It made her look…exotic. Feline and female in the way cats often were, slinking around, twitching their tails, weaving in and out of your legs, rubbing against you, purring contentedly, urging you to stroke them.
With her hair out of the way he admired the line of her neck, bare of jewellery, her olive skin tantalising. He remembered how good it had felt to kiss her there. Her T-shirt fitted her chest snugly, stretching across her bust, emphasising its fullness, the V-neckline revealing a hint of cleavage.
She was wearing cargo pants that stopped just below her knees. They fit her hips and legs but he could see the bunching at her waist where the pants were obviously too big. He imagined she had that problem a lot with her small waist flowing out to fuller hips.
Tom started to chat about his grandparents taking him to the ‘Gold Coat’ and Hailey opened her eyes. They came slowly into focus, Callum’s features becoming sharp and distinct, his grey gaze steady. She stared unblinkingly, mesmerised by what she saw there. No doubt the most fascinating eyes she’d ever known. How easy would it be to get lost in those eyes? How easy would it be to throw caution to the winds and cross the line they’d drawn in the sand?
‘Isn’t that exciting, Hailey?’
She held Callum’s gaze for a moment longer before dragging it away and turning her attention to Tom. ‘Yes, darling.’ She used the endearment without even thinking about it, giving his skinny arm a squeeze.
‘How long is he going for?’ she asked Callum conversationally.
He sighed. ‘A few days.’
Hailey frowned at the heavy sigh. ‘You don’t sound too thrilled about it.’
He shook his head. ‘No, it’s fine.’
Hailey narrowed her eyes, sensing Callum’s hesitation. ‘But?’ She looked down at Tom, who had twisted around in his seat, his attention fully taken by the gondolas behind. ‘Don’t you get on?’ she mouthed quietly as she took the precariously dangling torch from a compliant Tom lest it drop and land on someone’s head in a gondola below.
She’d met Margo, Annie’s mother, and had been thoroughly impressed. But who knew what boiled beneath the surface? Maybe they blamed him for Annie’s death? For Tom’s illness? Maybe they’d never approved of him?
‘We get on fine. They’re great. I don’t know what I’d do without them.’
Hailey nodded slowly. ‘So why do I still sense a “but”?’
Callum stared out to the side. They’d stopped at the top as the gondolas below were emptied one by one. He could see the Brisbane General from here. ‘They try to protect him too much. They panic over the merest sniffle. I understand why but I don’t need that. I can imagine the worst perfectly well on my own without both of them worrying over a paper cut or a sore throat. I’m afraid that going to the beach might not be as fun as Tom is hoping if they don’t let him do anything.’
Ah. ‘I guess that’s their job—to worry.’
‘I know that. And I understand. Tom is their one remaining connection to Annie and I would never deny them that, but they need to give him room to be a kid.’
The carriage descended a level and then stopped again, swinging slightly. Callum took a deep breath of warm air, dropping his head back, allowing the sun to warm his face. He was enjoying this. They hadn’t spoken in anything other than a professional capacity for two months. It was nice to not talk shop with her.
‘I can’t believe what a glorious day it is. Don’t get too many of these in Melbourne.’
‘Is that why you moved’ she asked, observing the tanned column of his throat.
Callum shook his head. ‘Partly. Annie’s parents had always been going to retire to Queensland and I knew they wouldn’t if we stayed.’ He shrugged, opening his eyes and looking directly at her. ‘It was time we made a move. Tom had finished his treatments and his condition had stabilised and…we needed to get away…from the memories and the…bad things. We needed a fresh start.’
‘We or you?’ she asked gently.
He gave her a grudging smile. ‘Me, I guess, most of all. I think Annie would have approved, though. She always loved the sunshine state. I know Margo and Keith were over the moon. I think it was best for all of us. I think I made the right decision.’
