a house.”
They talked easily on the drive. He learned that Heather had two older brothers, and that she was thinking of quitting the airline to go back to university to study law.
“That’s a bit of a sea change,” he said as they turned the corner into Bondi Parade.
“I know. Especially at my age, but I always wanted to study law. I let myself get talked out of it when I was younger by my mother. She was a hostie before she married and loved the lifestyle. She said there wasn’t a better way of seeing the world, and in many ways she was right.”
“But?”
“But I don’t want to be handing out coffee and tea when I’m fifty. And there are only so many times you can see the Eiffel Tower or the pyramids or the Golden Gate Bridge and feel excited about it, you know?”
He found parking on a side street and they walked across the Parade and down a short stretch of residential road to the club entrance. They were shown a table on the balcony and they both put on their jackets to defeat the cool breeze.
“We can ask for a table inside if it’s too cold for you,” Rhys said.
“The sea air is nice and fresh. I like it.”
They continued to talk as they ordered food and a bottle of wine, a little stiffly at first but with increasing ease as the meal progressed. He couldn’t help thinking of his first meal with Charlie. She’d been so tense, nothing like Heather with her air of casual confidence. But there had been a lot more at stake then, too. The baby, the tenor of their future relationship.
He realized that Heather had stopped talking and was looking at him expectantly, obviously awaiting a response. He replayed the previous few minutes in his head but drew a blank.
“You have no idea what I said, do you?” Heather asked, amused.
“Sorry. I drifted off for a second.”
“I asked if you wanted dessert here or if we should go for cake someplace else? There’s this little place I know in Rose Bay that makes awesome chocolate brownies.”
“Sounds great,” he said.
He pushed Charlie to the back of his mind, where she belonged, and signaled for the bill. When it came, he slid his credit card in the folder. Heather didn’t so much as bat an eyelid. A refreshing change from the constant battle of wills with Charlie.
Although, as he’d pointed out to himself on several occasions, his outings with Charlie had never been dates.
“There’s a place my friends told me about in Annandale that we should try next time,” Heather said as the waiter came to take his card away. “Really good Italian, apparently.”
There was an assured assumption behind her words. Rhys hadn’t projected beyond today’s outing in his head, but he forced himself to do so now, trying on the idea of seeing Heather again.
She was fun and a good conversationalist. Sure, they hadn’t touched on any deep or serious subjects, but it was a first date, not a counseling session. And she was undeniably an attractive woman—more than one head had turned when they’d walked in the door.
He became aware that he was essentially talking himself into a decision that should have been a no-brainer. Because of Charlie, of course. Because he felt responsible and beholden.
The waiter returned with his card, then he and Heather stood and headed for the door. The wind whipped their faces as they exited to the street.
“Wow. The building must have really been protecting us, hey?” She laughed as her long hair swept out behind her like a flag.
“I guess. Or maybe the wind’s just picked up.” He glanced toward the sky, but the only clouds were very high and a benign fluffy white.
“I love the wind. It’s so energizing. Don’t you think?”
He was about to respond when he spotted a tall, willowy woman fifteen feet ahead of them. She was in profile, about to step onto the road from the concrete steps that led to the beach. His subconscious mind registered who it was a split second before Charlie glanced to her left to check if the path was clear before stepping onto the road. He knew the exact second that she recognized him—her eyes lit from within, full of warmth and unexpected pleasure, and her mouth curved into a delighted smile. She lifted a hand, and seemed ready to call out a greeting.
Then her gaze slid to Heather and her smile froze. Charlie’s gaze traveled