Chapter 14
CHAPTER
Engrossed in her work, Elora jumped when a knock sounded at the door.
Glancing up, she saw the sky had darkened outside and she hadn’t noticed.
Heck, she’d been so busy updating the farm’s website, she’d forgotten about a more extensive tour of the farm and dinner at the pub.
Deb, her graphic designer, had come through once again, her cutesy avocado graphics and gorgeous colours exactly what Elora had wanted.
Deb had a way of taking a rough vision and turning it into something special, and once Elora updated all the pages, and streamlined the pale green and lemon colour palette throughout the website, the entire thing would pop.
The knock sounded again, an impatient rapping this time, and she knew it had to be Cruz. She opened the door and struggled not to gawp. Cruz in head-to-toe black—jeans, shirt, blazer—made her slightly weak-kneed. And when he offered her a tentative smile, she clutched the door for support.
‘Ready to go?’ he asked, his gaze roving over her. ‘There’s no point taking two cars, so I thought you’d like to ride with me.’
‘Sure, that sounds good, but you’ll need to give me five minutes to change. I got caught up with work and didn’t realise the time.’
‘You don’t need to change, you look great,’ he said, the appreciative glint in his eyes making her stomach tumble in startling ways.
She held up her hand, fingers spread. ‘Five minutes, promise.’
‘Okay. I’ll meet you at the car.’
He didn’t move and for one crazy moment, before common sense slapped her upside the head, she wondered what it would be like to throw caution to the wind and invite him in while she changed.
Insane. Sleeping with the boss would muddy their working relationship.
‘Is there something wrong?’ she asked.
He shook his head. ‘I just wanted to say thanks for suggesting the pop-up restaurant. If I can get the numbers crunched correctly, I’m going to do it.’
‘That’s brilliant, Cruz.’ She squeezed his arm. ‘I’m so happy for you.’
‘I’m happy for me too,’ he said, his gaze focussing on her mouth for a second. ‘You’re full of good ideas.’
She’d thought so too, once, before her confidence eroded and her pesky mental health issues took over.
These days, she had everything under control, but it hadn’t always been like that.
At times, like when she’d discovered Jason had cheated, she reverted to an anxious, quivering mess, and no amount of deep breathing or meditating could settle her.
Forcing the fake smile she’d honed to a fine art over the years, she said, ‘If you need help promoting the restaurant, I’m your gal.’
‘Let’s open it first. Don’t want to get ahead of ourselves.’
But his words held no malice, and she could see herself staying in this place for longer than a week—for however long it took—to advertise her brilliant idea.
‘We can chat about it in the car, after I’ve changed.’
‘Seriously, the pub is pretty casual. You’ll probably be overdressed with what you’re wearing.’
‘I like to look good.’
‘I can see that.’ Once again, his gaze slid over her in a leisurely perusal that set every nerve ending alight.
‘Go.’ She shooed him away and closed the door before her self-control shredded and she hauled him in.
She changed into bootleg dark denim, a black singlet, and a red silk shirt that she knotted at the waist, then ran a brush through her hair before waving a mascara wand over her lashes and slicking crimson lipstick over her lips.
After mashing them together, she puckered up at the mirror and bared her teeth to check for staining.
She liked red. Vibrant and bold, the exact opposite of how she felt most days. She’d never forgotten her mum’s motto: ‘Fake it till you make it’. She missed her parents something fierce, happy for their independent lives but feeling more alone than ever at times.
Elora had no idea why her mood had plummeted. She’d had a productive day, had a fun night out to look forward to, and had a gorgeous guy she could flirt with if so inclined. Along with the potential to pick up a lucrative job, if Cruz hired her to promote his new restaurant.
Deep down, though, she knew the reason behind her jitters. Her mum might have been right about faking it, but doing it exhausted her. Her forced, upbeat personality became rote, but when she finally slowed down, like now, at the end of a busy day, reality snuck up on her.
Was she doing a good job?
Was she skilled enough?
Was she happy?
That last one was always the kicker, because what terrified Elora more than allowing people to see her anxiety was the prospect that after all she’d done to create the perfect-on-the-outside life for herself, she still wasn’t truly satisfied.
‘Shut up,’ she muttered, poking her tongue out at her reflection before spinning away and stalking back into the studio to grab her bag.
Cruz had the engine running and gave the horn a jaunty toot when he saw her. She liked off-to-the-pub Cruz. He seemed a lot more relaxed than his farming counterpart.
Then again, she couldn’t blame him. Leaving Melbourne and a job he loved to be stuck here for a year must be disorienting. Not to mention that he appeared to be haunted by his past, so who knows what unpleasant memories being here had dredged up?
Determined to be cheery enough for them both, she opened the passenger door and leaned in. ‘Got room for a city girl searching for adventure tonight?’
‘Get in,’ he said, his smile genuine, and doing wicked things to her insides.
‘I thought you’d never ask.’ She batted her eyelashes, the flare of amusement in his eyes alerting her that he might be up for some lighthearted flirtation.
However, as they hit the road and left the farm behind, Cruz said, ‘You and Kyle seem to hit it off.’
‘He’s a good guy and I could really go for him.’ She paused for dramatic effect. ‘Pity he’s got his eyes set on some old friend from high school. You probably know her.’
‘What do you mean you could go for him?’
‘That’s what you take out of what I said? Aren’t you the slightest bit curious who Kyle’s crazy over?’
‘Nope. I’m more curious about your dubious taste in men.’
‘I kissed you, didn’t I?’
Cruz made an odd, strangled sound and turned on the radio.
She chuckled. ‘For what it’s worth, I was joking. If I was to go for a country boy, I prefer one dressed like a stealth ninja.’
‘I like wearing black.’ His voice had lost the annoyed edge.
‘I like you wearing black,’ she said, then wolf whistled, and he snorted.
‘I’ve never been one for the games people play when they’re attracted to one another.’
‘No games. Just some healthy flirting. Are you up for that?’
As they turned onto Main Street and Cruz found a park ten cars away from the pub, he turned to her, his smile pure devilry. ‘I’m up for anything with you.’
‘That’s more like it.’
Their gazes locked and an undeniable buzz arced between them, making her silk sleeves stick to her arms with static.
She had no idea how long they stared into each other’s eyes, before she belatedly realised that if she wanted to get a grip on her escalating anxiety, flirting with sexy Cruz wouldn’t help.
Cruz cleared his throat. ‘Come on. This ninja has a hankering for a chicken parma.’
‘Is it parma or parmi?’
‘You’re a Victorian, right?’
‘Yeah.’
‘Then you know it’s parma.’ He screwed up his nose. ‘Queenslanders, New South Welshmen, South Australians and West Australians have got it wrong.’
‘I think parmi sounds cuter.’
He rolled his eyes. ‘I don’t care what you call it, I need one in my belly pronto.’
‘I didn’t think a fancy schmancy chef like you would eat parmis.’
‘I grew up in this place and only left when I turned twenty.’ He doffed an imaginary cowboy hat. ‘I’m a country boy at heart.’
‘Not too wholesome, I hope?’ She arched a brow in provocation, vindicated when his gaze shifted to her lips, and he swallowed.
‘You’re determined to complicate our working relationship, aren’t you?’
She shrugged. ‘What’s complicated? I’ll be out of here sooner rather than later. The way I see it, where’s the harm in some lighthearted flirtation?’
‘Is that all you want? To flirt?’
‘No.’ She tapped her temple. ‘You don’t want to know the naughty thoughts I’m having about what I want to do with you.’
‘Maybe I do want to know?’
Damn, she loved sparring with this guy. Heat streaked through her at the thought of how far they could push this attraction.
‘I thought you were hungry?’
‘The parma’s not going anywhere.’
He reached across the console and snagged her hand, lifting it to his mouth to place a lingering kiss on her palm, branding her. She curled her fingers over her palm, trapping the feel of his lips against her skin, wishing she could feel his mouth all over.
She had to kiss him.
Now.
However, as they leaned towards each other, their bodies straining to get closer, a loud rapping on the driver’s side window had them leaping apart like cats doused in water.
Kyle pressed his face close to the window. ‘Come on, you two. We have to eat now so we have plenty of time to figure out our trivia strategy.’
‘Bloody Kyle,’ Cruz muttered, and Elora didn’t know whether to be annoyed or relieved at the farm manager’s rotten timing.
‘Trivia strategy sounds very important,’ she said. ‘We better head in.’
Cruz looked like he wanted to say something else but before he could, Kyle opened her door.
‘Thanks,’ she said, but as she stepped out, she could’ve sworn she heard Cruz mutter, ‘He’s no Prince Charming.’
She stifled a giggle at the thought of him being jealous.
As she headed into the pub flanked by two handsome men, her earlier anxiousness receded.
When her anxiety got the better of her, she used various distraction techniques, mostly mindless scrolling on YouTube, baking or a few laps at the local pool.
But she much preferred flirting with Cruz to take her mind off things.
If the outside of the pub channelled old-school charm with its red bricks, green trim and ivory fretwork, the inside appeared surprisingly modern, all cream and pale blue decor, from the chairs and tables to the extensive bar that ran along an entire wall.
‘This place looks different,’ Cruz said, his eyebrows shooting up. ‘When did they renovate?’
‘New owners took over four years ago,’ Kyle said. ‘Revamped everything except the original front bar.’ He pointed to a chalkboard featuring the Specials of the Day. ‘The pub grub staples are good, but they change the specials daily and they’re usually amazing.’
‘Who’s the chef?’
Kyle shrugged. ‘Some guy from Sydney.’
‘Don’t worry, I’m sure he’s got nothing on you,’ Elora said, patting Cruz’s arm, unprepared for a zing to zap her palm where he’d kissed it a few minutes earlier.
‘Do I look worried?’
She leaned in close to murmur, ‘You look hot.’
‘What are you two whispering about?’ Kyle’s astute gaze swung between them, before he shook his head. ‘El, I’d warn you to stay away from this bloke, but I can’t, because he’s one of the good ones.’
Cruz’s eyes widened in surprise and Kyle slapped him on the back. ‘I’ll grab us a table. The rest of the gang should be here soon.’
As Kyle strode towards the hostess, Cruz’s expression hardened. ‘I should warn you, I wasn’t the most social kid at school, and I haven’t seen these people in twelve years, so we’ll have little in common.’
‘Were you friends with Kyle?’
He shook his head. ‘I was a loner, he was popular. I’m surprised he’s acting like we’re mates.’
‘Age gives people perspective. Life experience mellows us.’
He snorted. ‘You sound middle-aged.’
‘Just a very wise twenty-eight.’
‘While I’m a very jaded thirty.’ His nose crinkled. ‘I’m not looking forward to this.’
‘Then why did you come?’
He hesitated, looking somewhat sheepish. ‘Because I didn’t want you stuck on the farm the entire week. I know how boring it gets.’
‘I’m quite capable of exploring the town on my own. And Kyle asked me to dinner and to tag along with his friends, so you didn’t have to put yourself out on my account—’
‘I want to be here, okay?’
His gaze drifted to Kyle, who beckoned them over to a table, and she realised why Cruz might’ve tagged along.
‘You were jealous?’
‘Don’t be ridiculous.’
She grinned. ‘That’s okay. Deny it all you want, but I know the truth.’
‘What’s that?’
‘You haven’t forgotten what happened at your restaurant in Melbourne and now that I’m living on your farm, you want a repeat.’
She expected an instant rebuttal for her fun baiting. But when his expression tightened she wondered if she might be playing with fire.