Chapter 28
Chapter Twenty-Eight
That night, after the cafe was cleaned up and closed, Matilda drove home in the pitch darkness. The sky had clouded over, there wasn’t even a hint of moon shining through. She had to use the brights to follow the lake road to the house. All she wanted to do was drink some hot chocolate and crawl into bed to sleep like the dead for as long as she was able.
But there was one issue: Rita still hadn’t called her back. Hopefully, she’d find her at the house. Although she’d had to borrow the old beat-up car from behind the cafe in order to get home. Amanda had found the keys in the office and given them to her with strict instructions to be careful with the clutch.
She pulled into the driveway and climbed out of the car. Rita’s truck wasn’t in the drive. Hmmm. That meant Rita had gone somewhere and not come home, without telling Matilda or answering her phone. Matilda had taken an Uber to work, since she’d had no other option. Maybe Rita had decided to visit Julie in Athens, but why wouldn’t she shoot through a text to let Matilda know?
Likely she just forgot. It was the most obvious explanation. She shouldn’t get so anxious. Rita would show up tomorrow morning with a simple story about how she’d let her phone battery die or something similar, and she’d laugh at Matilda’s overly anxious raft of text messages.
Before she could get to the front door, the bottom fell out of the clouds, followed by a loud crack of thunder. It scared her half to death and made her jump. She quickly opened the door and rushed inside, but not before she was soaked through. She peered outside through the large dormer windows in the back of the house at the dock. The boat was tied tightly to the moorings; it would be fine. Fat raindrops splashed into the water, sending more droplets flying. She could see them via the outdoor floodlights that’d been tripped by her movements when she came in.
It’d rained a lot lately. The ground was absolutely soaked. She’d padded through mud to get to the house. Now she kicked off her shoes at the door and then went to get a hot shower. She dried off and dressed in her most comfortable PJs, a pair of short shorts, with a long-sleeved but very low cut top that were practically see through she’d worn them so many times. But since she was here alone, it really didn’t matter whether they were skimpy or not, no one else would see them.
In the kitchen, she made some hot cocoa. Then, she carried the cup to the chair by the dormer windows and sat down, her knees bent up, to watch the rain fall. It thundered against the rooftop and made her feel cosy, all snug in the house. It had turned cool when the sun set, but now that the rain was falling a little, humidity had snuck into the air. Still, she shivered, so she turned the heat up a little with the remote control.
Her phone rang, and she pressed it to her ear. “Hello?”
“Hey, it’s Ryan.”
“Hi, Ryan.” Excitement buzzed in her gut at the sound of his voice.
“Is Rita there with you?”
“No, I’m not sure where she is, and she’s still not answering her phone.”
“I’m sure she’s fine. But I’m watching the weather report and things could get a little dicey.”
“What do you mean?” She frowned, peering out into the darkness.
“We’ve had so much rain lately and this hurricane might cause flash flooding around the lake and lowlands.”
“Hurricane? Flooding? Does this house flood?” she asked, eyes widening.
“It does,” he replied. “How did you manage to not hear about the hurricane?”
“I don’t really watch the news,” she sheepishly replied.
“Well, you should. You’ve only got one level there. If this rain keeps going, I’d recommend you put valuables up high and come on over here. We can stay on the top floor at my place, and we’ll be fine. No flood has ever reached that height.”
“Seriously? It could get that bad?”
“That’s what they’re saying.”
She hesitated. “Okay, I’m going to do that now. I don’t want to risk it.”
“Good idea. I’ll come and get you.”
“Thanks.”
She hung up the phone, then looked around. What was valuable? What should she put up high? Maybe she should add towels at the bottom of each door? She raced about the house getting it ready in case of flooding the best way that she could, then packed herself a small bag. Ryan let himself in and stood by the door, dripping on the entry tiles to wait for her. He wore an oversized black raincoat with a hood and heavy boots.
He took one look at her skimpy see-through pjs and grinned. “Uh, you might want to put on a little more than that. It’s pretty cold out.”
She glanced down and quickly covered herself with her arms. “Sorry, I forgot about that.”
“No apology necessary.” He laughed. “You ready?”
“I’ll just change quickly.”
She pulled on some sweats and covered up with a raincoat, then tugged on her hiking boots. Her backpack was waterproof, thankfully, so her things should stay dry on the walk over to his house. With one last glance around her room and anxiety bubbling in her stomach, she marched out to Ryan and the two of them splashed through the yard together.
She could already see that the lake levels were higher than usual. Both yards were sodden with large puddles gathered in places. And the rain continued to pummel them with fat, heavy drops.
Inside, she stripped off the raincoat and hung it on a peg by the door. The downstairs of his house was in a state of half-completion. The walls weren’t painted, and there wasn’t a stick of furniture. But tools were lying about, and she could already see that it would be an amazing living space with tall, wide bifold glass doors across the back leading out onto a massive deck that overlooked the lake.
She carried her backpack upstairs where she found soft furnishings, modern but cozy décor, and some impressive artwork hanging on the walls. His house was beautiful.
“Wow, this is great,” she said in awe.
“Thanks, it’s a work in progress.”
“You have a good eye for design.”
“It doesn’t really come naturally to me, but I try.”
“You’ve done a great job.”
“Do you have your own place in Brisbane?”
He’d clearly listened and remembered what she’d told him about where she lived. “I was renting. My lease ended before I came over here, and I put my things in storage.”
“So, you’re homeless?”
“I’m officially homeless, other than Rita’s hospitality, of course.”
“Still no word from her?”
“No, but I wondered if perhaps you had Julie’s phone number? I don’t know how to reach her but she might know where Rita is.”
“Good idea, I’ll send her a text. Here’s your room.” He opened a door and beckoned Matilda inside.
It was a lovely, spacious room with a queen-sized bed that was made up with a light blue comforter. There was a large chest of drawers against one wall, and a huge window looking out across the lake—or it would, if it wasn’t pitch dark and raining outside. All she saw now was a blackness that made her shiver.
“Thanks, this is perfect.”
“Get settled in and then you can join me for a drink if you like. Or go to bed. It’s up to you.”
“A drink sounds good.”
They sat together in the living room, drinking whiskey (which she still wasn’t sure she liked since it tasted a bit too much like cough syrup), and playing twenty-one. He kept winning, much to her dismay, since she’d never really played the game before. When she actually managed to get twenty-one in a hand, she threw her cards down in surprise with a shout, and then jumped up on her chair to dance, fists pumping.
When Ryan burst out laughing at her, she couldn’t help doing the same. And they both ended up in stitches, with her leaning against his side as they laughed.
“You’re a clown,” he finally said, after catching his breath. “I’ve never seen someone dance so badly and still look so cute.”
She gazed up at him, still gasping for breath. Her sides ached and her head was light. He was so handsome. She didn’t know how she was supposed to resist and remain professional. She’d only recently ended a long-term relationship and had planned on staying single for a while. Besides, she didn’t know how long she’d stay in this country. It didn’t make any sense for her to begin something. And she wasn’t a fling kind of gal.
Still, looking up at him, nestled so close to him, her only remaining thought was to wonder whether he would kiss her.
He licked his lips, his smile fading. His eyes were dark and intense. He straightened, putting a hand on either side of her face, cupping her cheeks in his palms.
“Matilda…” he whispered. “I…” Then, he shook his head, leaned in and let his lips rest lightly on hers.
His kiss stole her breath away. She reached her arms around his neck and deepened the kiss. Gently, at first, his lips searched hers. Then, her own lips parted, and he groaned softly against her, the searching becoming more urgent.
She pulled away. He blinked.
“I should go to bed,” she said.
She still couldn’t believe she’d had the strength to back away. But it was for the best. They should take things slow. She couldn’t think when she was here with him like this. And she needed to be certain this was what she wanted. She’d fallen into a relationship with Cam years ago and coasted along when she should’ve walked away. She didn’t want to do the same thing again, although she’d never felt this way before.
“You’re right,” he said, clearing his throat. “We need to get some space. Think things through.”
“Take it slow,” she added.
“Yeah, exactly.”
He inhaled a deep breath. “I’ll see you in the morning, then.”
“Good night,” she replied.
As she walked to her room, she raised her eyes skyward. “What is wrong with me?”