Chapter 3
20th December
Queenstown
Will
The lake view from the lodge is stunning. I can't deny it. I grew up with it, I should know. I pine for it when I’m away, and I know there will never be a sight as impressive as this one.
“Remind me again why you and mom haven't retired and moved into the home I bought for you farther down the lake?” I cross my arms and stare down at Dad. Even with his chef's hat on, he only manages to reach my nose.
“This is our home, Willem .” He only calls me Willem when he's annoyed.
“But you don't own it. The Petersons own it. Your name is not on that deed. You don't need to work so hard anymore. I can take care of you. All of you. ”
Dad shakes his head. “This is our life, Willem. I wouldn't want to be doing anything else. And neither would your mom. Work keeps us going. Plus we need to be here for you when you stop racing. Keep renting out the house in Sunshine Bay. Who knows, maybe one day you'll move back and live there. Find a girl, settle down. Do something responsible with your life, instead of risking it every week.”
Before I can protest at the absurdity of this idea, my mum chimes in. “Speaking of which, when are you bringing Kat over? Dinner's nearly ready.”
I glance at my watch. “Another hour, mum.”
“Well, we're ready, you might just as well go and try to get her early and stop snapping at Dad.”
Daryl pokes his head around the corner. “Sexual frustration.” He ducks before the banana I throw reaches this forehead. John guffaws.
Daryl's head peers back. “Hey, is that watch a Rolex?”
This time the flat peach hits him square on his cheek, and I leg it out the house before Daryl can catch up to me, shouting behind me. “You're right, mum, I'll see if I can fetch Kat early.”
That shot of laughter and adrenaline puts me in a great mood. I miss being close to my family. I reverse carefully and speed towards Kat's house.
When the door swings open, the first thing I see is Kat’s wide blue eyes. Then I see her pink, kissable smile.
“You’re a little bit early,” she says, checking a clock on the wall behind her. “I’m not ready just yet.”
Now I’m feeling small and lost in the endless sea of her ocean blue eyes. I’m always doing the wrong thing or saying the wrong thing.
“I can wait here. Besides, you don't need much to get ready. You look great.”
She smiles. “That's kind of you to say. I'm not far off. You can come to my room. We can chat a bit if you'd like.”
Her… room? I don't think I've been there for ten years. I swallow.
She notices my discomfort. “I'm already dressed, I just need to choose some shoes and accessories.”
I nod. “Okay. Though for fashion advice Daryl's your man.” I follow her upstairs, chastising myself for looking at the shape of her body climbing the steps, but unable to look away.
She opens the door, her long blonde hair swishing with the movement. “Voila. See?” She waves around at the things in her room. A sewing machine. Various clothing items on hangers. A straw hat. Several soft toys.
“Wow, it's like being in a time warp. Nothing’s changed.”
Stepping into Kat’s room is like stepping into a time capsule, but I don’t want to be that shy boy anymore, and I don’t want her to see me that way. Maybe this is why I’ve stayed away for so long. I’m scared I’ll become the Giraffe again. And I can’t help but zip up around her. She glows. I glower. How could she ever like me as anything other than a fond childhood memory?
“Take a seat.” She gestures to the bed while she busies herself with taking several pieces of jewellery out of drawers.
I sit down and nearly sink into the bed. “Whoa!” I stabilize myself with one hand.
“Please don't break my bed.” She chuckles.
My mouth opens and closes like a fish. A fleeting image of her and I tangled in this bed paralyses my brain.
“You should see your face right now, Will. It's a picture.”
She rummages through the pieces of jewellery and shows me two bracelets. “Which one should I wear?” I make a mental note that she likes bracelets and file it away for later.
“Uh, maybe this one with the little padlock on it?” I point at the one in her left hand. She nods and slips it on her wrist. She tidies away the rest in her cabinet.
I notice the silence in the household for the first time. “Where are your mum and dad?”
She picks up her handbag and cocks her head to one side. “They've gone out.”
The idea that I'm finally alone with the woman I've always wanted gives me all the sweats. Nobody else has ever made me feel like this. Nobody else has come even close. I bunch my fist until my short nails dig into my palm. “If you're ready we can head off now.”
Her eyebrows rise but she doesn't say anything. Kat follows me out in the fresh evening summer air and locks the door behind her.
Kat
The car aircon hums a silent whirr. I don't understand Will. I really don't. He's like a web of secrets. He behaves like I'm his younger tiresome sister. Yet he brought me flowers and asked me out to dinner. Albeit at his parents’ place. Apart from the hug yesterday, Will hasn't made a single move towards me. Will the Hermit. Damn.
I can’t take the whirring, awkward silence anymore, and I throw out the first words my brain can find.
“So tell me what should I expect at dinner with your family?”
His brow furrows. “I think Dad said stew and mashed potatoes. Maybe a chocolate dessert.”
I chuckle. “I don't mean the food. I mean is everything okay? Everyone getting along? No sore topics?”
A shadow crosses his face. “Apart from them still working there and not moving into the house I bought them, probably not. Oh, and me not having a proper career.”
I splutter. “What? I mean, fair enough about the house, they can live where they want to. But you're a race car world champion. That is a career.” I touch his arm. Tingles make their way from the tip of my fingers, straight to a sudden arousal. Don’t be ridiculous, Kat, I scold myself. It’s just fingertips on Will’s arm. His muscly, perfectly toned arm.
He opens his mouth to say something but closes it again. I continue to rest my palm on the back of his arm. It feels… natural. Will left when he was seventeen, right after he graduated high school. He always had that quiet determination, but I felt a restless energy when it was just him and me. I would have never picked him for a race car driver, but I knew that whatever he wanted to do, he would achieve it.
“I'm very proud of you, Will. You've done amazingly.”
He smiles, keeping his eyes on the road, and expertly pulling into the lodge’s driveway.
I squeeze his bicep, try not to notice how firm it is, then drop my hand to my lap and grasp for something else to move the conversation forward. “Are you staying with them at the back of the lodge?”
“I'm hanging out during the day but at night time I'm crashing in Sunshine Bay. I need a little bit of distance.”
When we get to the door, he rests his palm on the small of my back and it sends a shiver right through me. It’s definitely not just the cold air. My body is sending all these mixed signals and my brain is too confused to interpret them. Shush, body. It’s Will! We’re friends. Or…
“Katarina!” Mrs. de Jong envelops me in a warm hug. “We haven't seen you in forever. Look at you, you've grown so much.”
“Not as much as Will,” I chime back, with a glance at him. “Can't believe we used to call him the Giraffe. Now he's more like the Eiffel Tower.”
“Hard like steel and attracting tourists.” Daryl's voice rings out from the hallway.
No, he didn't just say that. I suppress laughter. Will is covering his face with his hands, looking genuinely upset. Mrs. de Jong quickly changes the subject.
“Let's go in, Fritz said the dinner is ready. Hope you have an appetite.” She winks at me.
I fall back with Will. “Older siblings, eh. Good to see Daryl's the same as always.”
Some of the red drains from Will’s face, and the hard line of his jaw softens. I’ve set him at ease, and knowing I can do that makes me… proud.
I step into the room, and Daryl jumps to his feet. “Look at you, you rascal. You look great. This is my fiancé John. We're getting married next winter.”
I shake hands with John and take a seat at the table. Will sits next to me, and our legs touch by accident, sending another shiver through me. I'm shocked by my response. It's only Will after all. Will the red haired viking. The Giraffe. He looks at me to check my reaction and I smile. He looks away and moves his leg. I exhale.
“Kat, so good to see you, my child.” Mr. de Jong hangs his chef's apron and hat and takes a seat at the head of the table. “Nina liefste come and sit down.”
Mrs. de Jong brings out a bread basket and places it in the middle of the table. “Now let's hold hands.”
I forgot about their tradition. Will holds my left hand.
After a short word of gratitude and thanks, Mr. de Jong calls out, “Now tuck in!” and everyone does, diving into the mash, stew, bread, and steamed vegetables.
Everyone tucks into the mash, stew, bread and steamed vegetables.
“This all looks so delicious Mr. de Jong. I should come here more often for meals,” I joke.
“The bread is made with Featherstone Mill flour. The best.”
“I'll tell my parents. They'll be delighted. They think the world of your cooking, Mr. de Jong. I know they come here as often as they can.”
I spoon a large serving into my mouth. “Delicious.”
“So, what have you been up to for a while, Kat?” Mrs. de Jong asks.
I swallow my mouthful and take a sip of water. “Well, I finished university in November. I've been helping my aunt with her vintage shop in York. After the holidays I'm going back there.”
John chimes in. “Have you ever been to York, Will?”
Will is taken by surprise. “No, I haven't been. I would love to go.”
“Well, there you go. I'm sure Kat can show you around.”
Will makes a non-committal noise.
Silence falls again, so I restart the conversation. “Hey, Daryl, Will mentioned you might need some help with wedding ideas. What did you have in mind?”
“Oh yes, forgot about that. I'm thinking of a winter wedding, like an elopement on top of a glacier. And then have a party here in Queenstown for family and friends.”
I'm genuinely impressed at the idea. “Sounds amazing.”
Will interjects. “I want to pay for the wedding. As my wedding gift.”
Will’s dad’s spoon clatters into his bowl as his mouth opens. I can see a protest coming.
“Oh, of course!” I interject probably talking a bit too loudly and cheerily. “It’s a wonderful gift, Will.”
Daryl points his fork at Will with a grin. “Thank you. That is very generous of you. I may forgive you for the peach earlier.
I pause with my glass of water halfway to my mouth. “What peach? What are you guys talking about?”
Daryl shrugs. “I said something to wind him up, and he threw fruit at me.”
John coughs. “Well deserved.”
“What's for dessert?” Will asks, looking at his father and effectively shutting down that conversation.
“Chocolate pudding, your favourite.” Mr. de Jong smiles from ear to ear. “You like it too I hope, Kat?”
“Yep, who doesn't like chocolate pudding?” I answer with a grin. “I’ll help you clear the table.”
“No, no, you're the guest. Let us do it.” Mr. and Mrs. de Jong spring up, gathering the plates.
I rearrange my napkin on my lap. “So what were you teasing Will about, Daryl?”
“Daryl.” There’s a warning in that one-word growl.
“What?” Daryl lifts up his arms in surrender. “I didn't say anything. Have I said anything to her? Nothing. My lips are sealed.”
“So it's something about me then?” I look at the three men sitting with me at the table.
Will's green eyes look soulful. Daryl's brown eyes are playful. And John is looking directly at Daryl.
Daryl lifts a cocky eyebrow as he peers at his brother over the rim of his wine glass. “No, little brother, you have to tell her you've had a crush on her since childhood.”