job was coming from, she knew she wouldn’t be this carefree.
“I know I said I’m not a relationship guy and I don’t have time to date, but what would you say if I gave you a call when I’m between manic shifts?”
Good. He was on the same page as her. No time for a relationship. So why did the dismissive way he said it sting so damn much?
“I’d say call me, but if you think I’ll be available for booty calls only, you might find yourself talking to my voice mail.”
“I’m not that kind of guy,” he said, feigning outrage. “What we’re doing here? Conversing? Teasing? Proves it.”
“What we’re doing now is regrouping, because you’re forty and old and you need time to recover between sexual escapades.”
He laughed so hard she was pretty sure she glimpsed tears leaking out of his eyes. “I am not old and I’m going to prove it to you. In another ten minutes or so.”
She lifted the sheet, pretending to check out his package, and tut-tutted. “You may need twenty.”
She joined in his laughter, thinking she’d be foolish to walk away from this when they returned to Melbourne. She didn’t want a relationship; he wasn’t offering one. So what would be so bad about the occasional hook-up between friends?
Deep down, she knew.
She wasn’t that kind of girl.
She’d never had a one-night stand. All the guys she’d dated had been with the view to a relationship, the kind of steadfast, loyal relationship her folks had.
And look how that turned out.
“You can call me,” she said, snuggling back into his chest. “I can’t promise I’ll answer, but you can call.”
“Good, because I have a feeling I’m going to miss having you around every day when we get home.” His arm tightened around her, and he rested his cheek on top of her head. “I don’t like many people in this world because most of them annoy me with their foibles and hang-ups, but you, Harper Ryland, I like.”
And damned if Harper’s heart didn’t swell with hope that maybe Manny could be the guy to get her to permanently shelve her man ban.
38
Manny hated emotional airport scenes. He witnessed one every time he flew; a couple embracing like they’d never see each other again, squealing kids wrapped around a parent’s leg, or a passionate interlude between two people who needed to get a room. He’d never understood the need to be excessively demonstrative, but as he watched Harper get into a taxi, he had the distinct urge to run after her and flag the damn thing down.
He’d offered to give her a lift, but she’d declined. It had annoyed him at first, but then he’d realized she might be struggling a tad over their parting and was trying to give them both an easy out.
As it was, their goodbye had been simple. As they’d exited the terminal, pulling their suitcases behind them, he’d stopped, opened his arms to her, and she’d stepped into his embrace without hesitation.
He’d hugged her tight, hoping to convey how much he’d enjoyed their time together. As if trying to do the same, she’d wrapped her arms around his waist and clung to him, her face buried against his chest, her body plastered to his.
He liked that they didn’t speak, but as they’d eventually released each other he wished he could make sense of the feelings rioting through him. But he didn’t like the confusion, and he sure as hell couldn’t articulate it to her, so he’d dropped a kiss on her lips and smiled as she touched his cheek briefly before she headed for the taxi rank.
As the taxi pulled away from the curb, she slid her window down and waved. He tried to get a read on her expression, but at this distance he didn’t know whether it was stoic or on the verge of crumpling.
He returned her wave and watched the taxi until it disappeared, feeling like one of those emotional airport schmucks he’d been judging earlier.
Being this out of sorts, he’d like nothing better than to head home, but he needed to check on Izzy. She may drive him crazy sometimes with her matchmaking but she depended on him, and he’d never shirk his duty.
He’d been lax once before, and his mom had died as a result.
Traffic was particularly bad on the freeway and it took an hour to reach the city, and another forty minutes to reach Dandenong, where Izzy had lived in the same house for the last