Bonjour Cherie (2 page)

Sighing, I said, ‘I was going to call a cab and come back in the morning.'

‘So, you're not in the RACQ?'

‘Isn't that obvious?' I snapped.

‘Then,
Beth
, I suggest you swallow your pride and let me help you. Otherwise we're going to be here all night. You can come with me while I get the jump leads and then we'll come back here and get your car going.' He opened the car door and motioned for me to get out.

‘I'll just stay here in the car until you come back. I'll lock the doors. I'll be fine,' I said for about the tenth time. No way was I going anywhere with Zach Mills.

‘I thought we'd just been through that. I'm not leaving you here on your own. If you're worried about me, don't be. I think you've already made it clear you're not interested in me and I'm not so desperate that I'd ever ask a girl out twice after she said no the first time. Besides,' his eyes raked over me, ‘you're really not my type.'

I felt my face go warm with a mixture of anger and embarrassment. So, he didn't fancy me? Good—because I sure as hell didn't fancy him. I'm glad he got that message anyway. I was almost tempted to slam the car door shut and ignore him, but I had the uncomfortable feeling that even then he wouldn't go away. I climbed out of the car with as much dignity as I could muster.

He stepped back and jerked his head, ‘Ute's over there.' Then he walked away, leaving me to follow.

A black ute, of course. The only surprise I felt was that it didn't have cowhide seat covers or a sticker on the back saying ‘Back off or else'. I climbed in on the passenger side. Thankful he didn't feel the need to help me in or anything. I fumbled with the seatbelt, which seemed to be caught in the door.

Muttering something under his breath, he leaned over from the driver's seat and opened the door, freeing the belt. I felt the warmth of his body and the scent of spicy aftershave lotion (for sure it wouldn't be cologne) and a frisson of
something
went through me. His face was just centimetres from mine and I noticed the long lashes, chiselled cheekbones and strong chin that didn't seem to suit his macho personality. His eyes caught mine, and I swear he blushed. But it must have been irritation and certainly not any attraction, because he jerked away from me, tossing the seat belt in my lap.

‘Buckle up,' he said, as he started the engine, which unlike my little Fiesta, roared into life.

I shrank into my corner as far as I could and looked straight ahead.

We kept up an icy silence that was almost more uncomfortable than talking. Zach had obviously decided he didn't like me, and the feeling was definitely mutual. It may have cost me my savings and yet more on my credit card balance to have sorted this out on my own, yet that seemed a better option at the moment. Not that he had given me much choice.

I snuck a sideways look over at him. His large hands gripped the steering wheel and he was staring straight ahead as if I wasn't here beside him, which suited me just fine.

Now if this was André, we could talk about France. I would be happy to tell him about my dream of going there one day. We might even speak a little French together. Not that I knew much, but I would improve, especially with André's tuition. I immersed myself in daydreams (though I preferred to think of it as visualising) about the two of us walking hand in hand down a Paris street, his beautiful brown eyes looking into mine as he lifted my hand to his lips to kiss it when … bump, clatter, clatter, clatter.

‘Damn,' said the very Australian voice beside me, jerking me from my thoughts.

‘What happened?' I looked around at the dark shapes of trees on the side of the road. I hadn't paid much attention to where we were going, but I had a vague idea we were just north of town and in the area where there were acreage properties and small farms.

Zach pulled the truck over to the side of the road and stopped. ‘Flat tyre. Must have run over something on the road.' He opened the door and got out. Sighing, I slid out my side and went to have a look. The back right tyre had been punctured and the truck was leaning to the side in the most depressing way. No way were we going anywhere until it was fixed. This night just kept getting better and better.

Zach had already swung into action, hauling out the heavy spare tyre from the back as easily as if it were a donut. As he reached back in to grab the jack, he said, ‘Can you get the torch from the glove box. I'm going to need you to shine it down here while I change the tyre. It's as black as pitch and I won't be able to see a thing.'

As I crunched along the gravel shoulder to the cab of the ute, I winced. Heels, especially these ones, weren't the best shoe wear for changing a tyre. Not that it looked like I was going to have to do much, as Zach was already loosening the bolts on the wheel and probably wouldn't have needed me at all, if it hadn't been so dark. I got the torch and wobbled back on the uneven ground, and then my foot overturned just as I reached the back of the truck.

‘Ow,' the small exclamation escaped before I could stop it.

Zach looked up, his eyes travelling from my faux alligator heels, to the skinny jeans, to the white top with lace edging and finally to my shoulder length auburn hair. It was too dark to read his expression, but there was no mistaking his disdainful tone when he said ‘You should take those shoes off before you do some serious damage. Why women torture their feet with shoes like that, I'll never know.'

‘I wasn't exactly planning on being out in the bush helping change a flat tyre when I dressed tonight,' I said tetchily.

‘No, you weren't, were you?' His white teeth shone through the darkness in a sudden grin. No doubt he was thinking I'd dressed to impress
Monsieur
André. He would be right, but I didn't like him knowing it.

Deciding to ignore that last remark, I switched the torch on ,‘Let's just get on with changing this tyre, so we can get out of here,' I said.

‘Too right. My thoughts exactly. Can you shine that torch on the tyre and not my face?'

We were just getting on like a house on fire, weren't we?

However, he was quick. In less than five minutes he had the old tyre off and the new one on. Flinging the old tyre in the back of the ute, he wiped his hands down the legs of his jeans. My eyes jerked back to his face. I didn't care how snugly those jeans fit his lean hips.

Maybe looking at him was a mistake altogether because his eyes locked with mine and he took a step closer to me. I thought for one crazy moment he was going to kiss me. Then, a beam of headlights washed over us as a car whizzed past on the road. I took a step back and wobbled again as my right heel sank into the gravel.

Zach put out a hand to steady me. ‘You really ought to take those off. There's no one out here to impress, unless of course it's me.' There was that irritating grin again.

I jerked my arm away. ‘Dream on.' I walked back to my side of the truck.

As we both got in, Zach said, ‘Oh, I'm not the one who's dreaming, Babe.' And before I could think of a reply, he started the engine and the truck rumbled into life.

It was obvious to me that while maybe four out of five girls might have liked Zach Mills, I was number five. He was arrogant, conceited and had an uncanny way of saying things that were guaranteed to annoy me. I couldn't wait until this night was over and I would never have to talk to him again, even in French class.

Thankfully, it wasn't long before he pulled into a gravel driveway that wound through the trees. We stopped in front of a low set brick house with a large shed beside it. Zach said. ‘I'll be back in a moment. No need for you to get out.'

As Zach disappeared into the shed, I looked around with faint interest. Aside from an outside light, the house itself was in darkness. Did that mean he lived alone? Not that I cared. From what I could see, the place looked well-kept, tidy and functional. I wondered what he did. Perhaps he was a tradie or a mechanic or … well, something physical and something outdoorsy I was thinking. He was no university lecturer, that's for sure.

I leaned back against the headrest and closed my eyes for a few minutes. It had been a long day and I was starting to feel tired. I couldn't wait until my little car started again and I was on my way home. Then I realised there was another reason I really needed to get home. I needed to go to the bathroom. Surely I could wait? No, I really couldn't. Now I would have to ask Zach if I could use his facilities. Great.

I opened the door, slid out of the truck and headed for the shed. Then, I heard the click of claws on gravel and something the size of a small pony came bounding towards me. Deep-chested barks exploded in the night air. Screaming, I fended off the two enormous paws that tried to attach themselves to my shoulders.

Zach was out of the shed like a flash. ‘Down, Dave,' he called.
Dave
, my befuddled brain thought, whoever heard of a monster called
Dave
? A slobbery tongue licked the side of my face, before I felt Zach pull him off me. ‘Sit, Dave, behave yourself,' Zach said. The enormous
creature sat beside him, tail wagging, but looking at me as if it were ready for another full-scale attack.

‘Don't worry. He won't hurt you. He was just being friendly, weren't you, mate?' In answer, the giant's tail whisked even more frantically. ‘You okay?' Zach looked at me.

‘I guess,' I said shakily, eying Dave warily.

‘I thought you were going to stay in the truck?'

That reminded me why I had gotten out in the first place. The reason now seemed even more urgent than before.

‘Umm …' I was so glad he couldn't see my cheeks redden in this light. “Well, I need to use your facilities,' I said, trying to sound casual.

‘No worries,' Zach said. ‘Just follow me.' He led the way around the back of the house, where a light was on in the kitchen. I was glad to see that Dave, who had enthusiastically followed us, was left outside. Zach opened the door for me and said, ‘Just down the hall to your right.'

My eyes flitted curiously around as I took in a neat, wood panelled kitchen that didn't have much in the way of decoration. However, I did notice a wine rack on the bench top. That surprised me. I could have sworn he was more the beer drinking type. Most likely the wine belonged to his folks.

I reached the small, clean washroom with relief. As I washed my hands, I looked in the mirror, noticing my mascara had smudged, giving me large panda eyes. Great, I thought, another thing for Zach Mills to find amusing. I washed my face as well as I could, and decided not to reapply any make-up. I wasn't out to impress anyone, that's for sure.

Zach was leaning against the kitchen bench, sipping a glass of water when I returned. ‘You want a cold drink or … a coffee or anything?' I saw a twinkle in his eye as he said coffee. No doubt he was remembering a few hours ago when I'd turned down his offer of coffee. Don't think he'd forget that in a hurry.

‘I'm good,' I said. ‘I probably should get back to my car. I wouldn't want anyone to … '

‘Steal it? Sure. We'll get going.' He put the glass down.

Thinking about who would even bother with my battered little car, my face broke into a grin. ‘Well, that would be optimistic thinking, wouldn't it? The insurance is probably worth more than the car.'

He laughed. ‘Yeah, but then I'd have to drive you home and you wouldn't want that, would you?'

I suddenly realised that I might not mind that at all. Without meaning to, I looked at him and there must have been something in my expression, because suddenly the teasing glint in his eyes was replaced by something else. What can I say? We shared a moment.

But before either of us could do anything about it, Dave, who was waiting for us outside the kitchen door, gave a deep impatient bark. I didn't know if I was relieved or disappointed. But whatever it was, it had disappeared. I moved towards the door. ‘We'd better go.'

Zach must have felt the same way because he was at the door before me, opening it, ‘Yeah, sure. Down, Dave, and, for God's sake, shut up.'

We were back in the ute and heading towards town before I felt more myself. Don't know what happened in the kitchen, but I was definitely over it. Perhaps it was just because I
hadn't had a boyfriend in over a year. And since André Le Blanc had arrived in town, I hadn't wanted one, I reminded myself.

But at least the atmosphere between Zach and me was less frigid than it had been coming here. I could just about speak to him normally. ‘So, why
Dave
?' I asked.

‘You mean the name?'

‘It's a bit unusual, for a dog.'

‘It's from David and Goliath.'

‘What?'

‘You know, the Bible story where the small guy, David, defeats the giant, Goliath, against all the odds.'

‘Sure. But the giant was Goliath not David, so why didn't you call him Goliath? Oh, I get it.' I shook my head, smiling. ‘Aussie humour.'

‘Yeah, it's like why we might call a big guy Tiny, or a redhead Bluey.'

‘Clever.'

‘I thought so.'

We drove along in almost amicable silence for a while. Then Zach said, ‘So, Beth, what's your interest in French, other than Mr André?'

My back stiffened. I was quickly in the Antarctic zone again. ‘I happen to have an interest in French culture, nothing to do with the instructor.'

He chuckled and then said, ‘Okay.'

How did he do it? How did he make me so angry with so few words? ‘I'm going to France,' I shot back at him.

‘When?'

‘When I have enough saved. Not that it's any of your business.'

‘None at all. Just asking.'

I sensed rather than saw (no way was I looking at him) his grin in the darkness.

What was I thinking to even imagine I could be one-tenth attracted to the Neanderthal beside me? With relief, I realised we had pulled into the parking lot where my small car stood in lonely isolation.