and slipping out of the car.
He was halfway to the office when he realized work was the last place he wanted to be.
It had been a long time since he’d felt that way.
He called Julie and told her he wouldn’t be in at all for the rest of the day, then headed for home. His workout gear had been kicked into the corner in the spare room, and he changed into shorts and a tank top and jogged the two blocks to the gym. He sweated on the weight machines and treadmill for a good hour, working out his frustration and confusion.
He wasn’t used to being in the dark this way. He liked to have a plan. He liked to have goals he could aspire to. He liked certainty.
There was nothing certain about Charlie. She slipped through his fingers, constantly confounding him, letting him close then pushing him away.
Her choice—she had a right to keep him at a distance if that was what she wanted. But it didn’t mean the rest of his world needed to remain in flux. He’d been reacting—reeling in shock, really—ever since he’d learned he would be a father. It was time to get back into the driver’s seat.
He made plans as he jogged home. He’d call around a few real estate agents first thing tomorrow and see how much house his money could buy him in the Eastern Suburbs. He’d be happy in Paddington and Woollahra, maybe even Rose Bay. All suburbs at the pricey end of the property market, but the Finger Wharf had been, too. He might have adjusted some of his priorities, but he didn’t need to give up all his aspirations.
He’d investigate trading in the BMW, too. Start setting himself up for the next phase—the baby phase. Anticipating, rather than simply waiting for, the next curveball life threw his way.
He was sweaty and hot by the time he entered the foyer of his apartment complex, but for the first time in what seemed like weeks he felt as though he had a bead on things.
A woman was collecting her mail from the boxes next to the elevator and she glanced over as he crossed the marble floor.
“Rhys. Hi,” Heather said, a friendly smile curving her mouth as she faced him. She wore a pair of slim-fit jeans with red boots and a snug red sweater.
He paused, using the back of his forearm to wipe the sweat from his brow. “Hey. How are you?”
“I’m good. Not quite as virtuous as you, since I haven’t been to the gym in weeks, but good. I tried that coffee place you recommended, by the way.” She kissed her fingers. “I owe you.”
“Glad you liked it.”
“I loved it. You saved my life. I’m a complete write-off until I’ve had my caffeine hit in the morning.”
“I know the feeling.” He glanced toward the elevator, keen to get out of his damp clothes.
“I won’t hold you up,” she said, gesturing for him to keep moving. “I just wanted to say thanks.”
Her smile was bright and uncomplicated. An image popped into his mind—Charlie standing beside his car, looking out to sea. Distant and unknowable and closed off.
He focused on Heather. Made himself really look at her. She was an undeniably attractive woman. Friendly. Intelligent. Not so long ago, he would have asked her out without hesitation.
So what’s making you hesitate now? And if the answer is Charlie, you need to get your head checked. Pronto.
The pushy bastard in his head was right.
He smiled at Heather. “You’re not holding me up. I almost forgot I promised to word you up on some of the local secrets, didn’t I?”
“I don’t think it was exactly a promise.”
“An offer, then. There’s a bar in the café strip closer to Kings Cross that does a mean mojito if you’d like to hook up some night this week…?”
She pulled a face. “I’m about to head off on a long haul. I won’t be back until late Friday.”
“What about on the weekend, then?”
She looked a little sheepish. “Saturday and Sunday nights are booked already.”
He smiled. Clearly, she was a woman in demand. “How about lunch on Saturday?”
“Saturday lunch I can do.”
“Phew.”
She laughed.
“Shall I swing by and pick you up?” he asked.
“Sure. You remember my apartment number?”
“It’s 4A, right?”
“That’s right.” She looked pleased that he’d remembered.
“I’ll see you on Saturday,” he said.
“You will.”
He stepped into the lift. The doors closed and he was confronted with his reflection in the polished steel. The smile faded from his lips