Phyllie glanced up from the kitchen table where she was doing a crossword, dwarfed by a large arrangement of lilies. ‘You look like you’re having a good day, love. What’s the goss in the world of online swimwear?’
Nat moved across to the bench and flicked on the kettle. ‘Not a lot to report. Things are coming along nicely, though. It looks like China isn’t the only big deal that’s about to come off.’
‘Your investment is safe then?’
Nat nodded and unscrewed the top of the biscuit barrel. She helped herself to a Scotch Finger and held out the container to Phyllie.
Phyllie shook her head, waiting for Nat to respond.
‘The investment is safe. It’ll be turned into gold before you know it.’
Phyllie laughed. ‘That’s good to hear.’
‘Where did the flowers come from? They’re beautiful.’
‘Leon. That’s why I called you down for tea earlier. I thought you might like to say hello.’
Nat did her best to ignore the flutter in her stomach whenever Leon’s name was mentioned. Part of her would have liked to have said hello but another part of her knew it was sensible to stay away from him. ‘Were the flowers his apology?’
Phyllie nodded. ‘Yes, and a two-hundred-dollar voucher for the nursery so I can replace the plants Rainbow enjoyed. It was very generous of him. We had a lovely chat. He’s right into reading thrillers, did you know that?’
Nat shook her head. ‘I don’t know much about him at all.’
‘I promised he could borrow my copy of Murder on the Orient Express. Can you believe he hasn’t read it? And I have that lovely first edition sitting on the shelf in my sewing room.’
‘Did you give it to him?’
Phyllie shook her head. ‘No, I said you’d drop it in this afternoon. I didn’t want to come upstairs and disturb you. You don’t mind, do you?’
Nat felt her cheeks colouring. Why was Phyllie sending her to see Leon after being so adamant she didn’t want her messing things up with him?
‘It’s just dropping in a book, Nat, nothing more. Now, enough about Leon. I want to talk about you and your workaholic tendencies. It’s Saturday afternoon. You’re working seven days a week. Whether you’re spinning swimwear into gold or not, you need to get out and do something else.’
Nat poured her tea and brought it across to the table to sit with Phyllie. ‘In approximately two hours from now, I’ll be catching up with Pip. I haven’t seen her since before I moved in here. She’s invited me for drinks before seeing a comedian, Grant Lacey. She received two free tickets for the show and her fiancé, Richard, is away, so she needs someone to go with her. I imagine half the night will be taken up talking about her wedding and her locking me down for bridesmaid fittings and the rest of it.’
Delight crossed Phyllie’s face. ‘That’s wonderful. A perfect end to what looks like a great day for you.’ A wicked glint appeared in her eyes. ‘But remember my rule – no houseguests. I don’t want to be woken in the middle of the night by thumping, or should I say humping, coming from your bedroom. Do you understand me?’
Nat laughed. ‘Don’t worry. Pip’s about to get married and won’t be happy if I abandon her to hook up with someone. I’m just looking forward to a few laughs. Grant Lacey’s supposed to be hilarious.’
As instructed, Nat took the first edition from Phyllie’s bookshelf and walked to Leon’s house. Butterflies flittered in her stomach, which annoyed her. She was delivering a book, nothing more.
Leon opened the front door seconds after Nat knocked. His hair was wet, his white t-shirt, crisp and clean, hung loosely over his snug-fitting jeans.
She held up the book. ‘Special delivery from Phyllie. I believe you’re expecting this.’
Leon smiled. ‘Thanks, come in. Perfect timing actually, I just opened a bottle of wine.’
Nat hesitated before stepping through the doorway and into a living area. With a fireplace on one side, three navy couches and a large wooden coffee table, the room was homey and inviting. The carved artwork on the walls added a unique and interesting feel. Nat walked over to one of the carvings.
‘These are nice.’
‘Thanks.’
She glanced over at him, noticing his cheeks had coloured. ‘Did you do them?’
Leon nodded. ‘A hobby. I usually sell them and donate the proceeds to charity, but every now and then I keep one.’
Nat moved to the next carving, a sailboat travelling through rough seas. ‘They must take you ages. The detail is so intricate.’
‘There’s no hurry to finish them. Some take me days, some take me weeks.’ He winked. ‘They keep me out of trouble. Now, how about that glass of wine?’
‘Just a small one, thanks. I need to be going soon to get changed. I’m going out with a friend tonight.’
A shiver went down her spine as his eyes looked her up and down. ‘You look pretty good to me as you are.’
Nat smiled. ‘Not sure an old t-shirt is considered appropriate for a night out, but thanks all the same.’
Leon grinned and motioned for her to follow him through to the kitchen. He poured them a glass each from the bottle of Merlot he had breathing on the kitchen bench. More wood was featured throughout the kitchen, but it was the large window overlooking the back garden that Nat’s eyes were drawn to.
She clapped her hand over her mouth to stifle her laughter.
Leon followed her gaze and laughed too. ‘Bloody goat. I fixed the trellis so she can’t get out, but she was so bored I had to give her something to do.’
A number of wooden blocks looked to have been hammered into the grass. Rainbow was currently balancing halfway along the ten metre row, tentatively placing one hoof forward.
‘She’s been walking up and down it for ages. She’ll be good enough for the circus soon.’
Nat’s phone pinged with a message as they watched the goat. It was Phyllie.
Just drop the book off, my girl. No breaking my Leon’s heart.
Heat rose in Nat’s cheeks and she placed the wine glass on the kitchen counter.
‘Everything alright?’
‘Sorry, I have to go. I hadn’t realised how late it was already. The text was a reminder that I’m being picked up soon.’
Nat’s own disappointment was reflected in Leon’s expression.
‘No worries, let me walk you out.’ He walked her to the front door and held it open for her. ‘Thank Phyllie for the book, won’t you?’
Nat smiled. ‘Will do.’ She turned and headed back up the path and out of Leon’s garden. What was Phyllie playing at? One minute she was sending her to see Leon and the next dragging her back. If she didn’t want her breaking Leon’s heart, why even suggest Nat have anything to do with him at all?
Two hours later, Nat sat across from Pip at Trambos, a quaint pub in Carlton. It was buzzing with the relaxed laughter and chatter of the Saturday night crowd, reminding Nat that she’d isolated herself in the previous weeks.
They’d met half an hour ago and Nat was genuinely delighted to see her friend. She was also in an excellent mood, having won another game before coming tonight. It was as if her lucky streak was back again. Maybe she would be able to dig herself out of the hole she was in. And at this rate, a lot quicker than she’d previously imagined.