Bonjour Cherie (7 page)

Zach started to make the coffee. ‘Milk? Sugar?' he asked.

‘Small drop of milk, no sugar thanks.'

He made the coffee and brought it to the kitchen table. ‘Would you like anything to eat? I'm pretty sure I've got some Tim Tams somewhere.'

I shook my head, ‘I'm good.'

He smiled at me, ‘You are that.'

I lowered my eyes from his intense gaze and took a sip of coffee. I wasn't sure I liked how personal this was getting.

‘So your parents, you mentioned they were away.' He sat down opposite me again.

‘Yeah, they're at the coast for a few week's holiday. But even when they're home, they're great. We get on really well. I guess I lucked out in the parent department.'

I saw a look in Zach's eyes and I remembered that his parents had died a few years ago. ‘Charlotte told me about your parents. I'm really sorry.'

He shrugged his shoulders. ‘It's okay. It happened several years ago, a road accident that took them both. But there's been enough time to get over it and adjust.'

I wondered if you would ever get over something like that, but I said nothing. We drank our coffee in silence for a few minutes. But it was a comfortable silence.

‘How long is Charlotte here for?' I asked, breaking the quiet.

‘She's going home on Friday. She has a couple of things on in Sydney at the weekend.'

‘She seems very nice,' I said politely.

‘Yeah, she's the best. I tease her a bit, but we get on really well.'

‘Tease her? I never would have guessed.'

Zach's face broke into a grin. ‘She gives as good as she gets.'

‘I think I realised that. I'm glad someone keeps you on your toes.'

‘Oh, you're managing pretty well.' He took our now empty coffee cups and brought them over to the sink.

I took the hint and got up. ‘I should go.'

Zach came over to me and placed his hands on my shoulders. ‘That offer of wine still holds, or maybe a liqueur? I've heard that Tia Maria goes really well after coffee.'

‘Thanks, but I better not. I'm not really that much of a drinker.'

Zach took a step closer and I held my breath. He looked at me, really looked and I felt something turn over in my stomach. ‘I want to kiss you again. But I won't, not this time, unless you want me to.'

I closed my eyes. Why couldn't I say no to him? I felt his finger under my chin as he tilted it upwards and bent his head. His lips, so warm, pressed against mine and, without meaning to, I melted into him. He took an intake of breath and his arms went around me, holding me close. I felt his hips against mine and my breasts were tight against his chest. My arms went around his neck and I pressed against him, fitting my body next to his like a missing piece in a jigsaw puzzle. His kiss deepened and I felt his tongue urging my mouth open. I opened up to him and felt his tongue find mine. Heat pooled in my stomach and I was lost.

My feelings spiraled out of control as I felt the heat rise higher and higher inside me. Zach's hands travelled down my back and gripped my bottom, pulling me into the long, hard length of him. My hands tangled in his hair and my legs opened as he pushed me on top of the kitchen table. His mouth left mine to travel down my neck as his hand found my breast and stroked it. Even under the denim of my shirt, I felt my nipples harden. I wanted Zach like I had never wanted anyone else before.

He lifted his head, his eyes deep wells of darkness. ‘Not here. In my bedroom, now.'

‘Yes,' I breathed and he grabbed me and practically carried me down the hall to his room. We tumbled in as he closed the door, his mouth on my neck and his hands on the waistband of my jeans. I helped him and my jeans dropped to my feet. Jeez, I'm glad I wore my
best knickers tonight, I had time to think, before I was lost once again as Zach picked me up and staggered to his bed. As we tumbled on it, I wrapped my legs around him and found his zipper. ‘Wait,' he said, and jumped up to pull off his jeans before he threw himself beside me again. His jocks were straining with his erection, but not for long. I slid a hand beneath them and almost gasped at his length.

‘Zach, I'm home,' I heard Charlotte's voice from down the hall. I froze.

‘Jesus, it's Charlotte,' Zach said, stating the obvious.

In a microsecond I was off the bed and back into my jeans, buttoning my blouse up at the same time. I looked over at Zach, who had also performed a miracle of speed dressing. He straightened the bed and I smoothed my hair.

‘Um, why don't you go into the adjoining bathroom? It's two-way so you can go out through the hallway when you're finished.'

‘Good idea,' I said, and without another word, fled through the door. I closed it behind me and leaned against the door, breathing heavily for a few moments. What was I thinking? I felt heat flood my cheeks, but it had nothing to do with arousal and everything to do with embarrassment. Zach Mills, the person that annoyed me more than anyone else I knew, and I just about did it with him. And then, his sister was just seconds from discovering us together. OMG how was I ever going to live this down?

I flushed the toilet and then turned on the water, splashing my face noisily several times. When I was slightly more composed, I took several deep breaths and then went out, hearing voices in the kitchen. Zach's sounded remarkably calm. He was obviously better at deception than I was.

I walked into the kitchen to see them both sitting at the kitchen table. ‘Oh, hi Beth. How did the French lesson go? I hope my brother behaved himself.'

I caught my breath when she said that but, as I looked at her, I couldn't detect any deeper meaning. She just smiled casually and leaned back in her chair and yawned.

‘Oh, pardon me. I'm more tired than I realised, which is why I came home early. But please, don't let me interrupt your lesson. I'm off to bed.'

‘No, it's fine. We're done. As a matter of fact I was just leaving,' I said, wondering at my calm tone.

Zach got up and made no effort to dissuade me. ‘Thanks. I appreciate your help. Let me walk you to your car.'

Charlotte waved a hand at me, ‘Goodnight. I'm sure we'll meet again.'

I escaped before either Zach or I would say something that might make Charlotte think there was something more than just French going on.

I couldn't get to my car quickly enough. But Zach put a hand on my car door before I could open it. ‘Wait, I'm sorry, I got carried away.'

I couldn't look at him. He wasn't the only one. He put a hand under my chin and tilted it towards him. ‘Hey, you sure are something, Beth Jenkins. When can I see you again?'

I removed his hand. ‘In French class, I guess. This was a big mistake tonight. And it's one that can't happen again.'

‘What do you mean? You were there with me, every step of the way. If Charlotte hadn't come…'

‘Thank God Charlotte came. I'm sorry, this is not what I want.' I hesitated and then said, ‘You are not what I want. Everything just got out of hand.'

He took a step back. ‘It's the damn Frenchman isn't it?'

I was silent, not wanting to deny it. Truth be told it had nothing to do with André. It was Zach himself. I didn't want small town, I didn't want my horizons to end here the way that Lisa would have been happy to accept. In fact, I didn't want Zach.

Zach put his hands on his hips and looked away. ‘I see. Well, good luck with your dreams. Don't worry, I won't bother you again.' And without a backward glance, he walked back to the house.

I started the car and headed on the journey home. This was for the best, it really was. I never wanted to encourage Zach Mills and now I wouldn't have to worry about him again. I blinked away the tears that were coursing down my face and cursed the hormonal imbalance that had me missing him already.

My life sucked. Almost everyone at work was ignoring me, which made the days long. My social life was practically non-existent and my goal for getting to France seemed as far away as ever. If the week went by at a snail's pace, the weekend seemed even slower. It was the weekend I could have been going to Derek's cousin's engagement party, if I had wanted. It showed how down I was when I even considered that preferable to my own company. Not even my French onion soup and Pear
Belle Hélène
made me feel better, even though they were made to perfection. I asked Lisa if she wanted to come over and share the meal with me, but apparently she was busy. Probably washing her hair or something equally important.

Finally, it was Tuesday again and time for French class, the highlight of my week. I wondered uncomfortably how Zach would behave towards me. I'd felt every kind of emotion since the night of our disastrous French lesson and what followed. I couldn't blame Zach at all because, as he said, I was right there with him every step of the way—and that was what bothered me the most. I had wanted him all right, and if I was honest, I still did. He seemed to awaken every lustful feeling in me, but that was all it was—lust, and I needed more, but just not from Zach. It also bothered me that I'd probably hurt his feelings, or at least his ego. I hadn't behaved well. In fact, I'd handled everything badly.

So, I entered the class feeling anxious and uneasy. For once, André seemed to acknowledge my presence with more enthusiasm than usual. He shot me a broad smile, which cheered me up enormously.

‘
Bonjour
, Beth.
Comment allez-vous
?'

‘
Très bien
, André,' I answered enthusiastically.

‘It was so kind of you and your friend, Lisa, to share your table with us last week,' he said, lapsing into English.

‘It was great seeing you there and meeting Paul,' I said, crossing my fingers about that little white lie. I was determined to be kind. ‘Maybe we can do it again sometime,' I added hopefully.

‘
Bien sûr
,' he said, smiling politely and turning to greet a couple of other students who had arrived.

That was a promising start, but the rest of the lesson progressed slowly. I kept looking at the door, expecting to see Zach any minute, but he didn't show. Perhaps I had put him off French for good. As we went through the months, seasons and special days, I couldn't help feel even guiltier about my treatment of Zach. If a guy had done that to me, I wouldn't speak to him again, ever. So why did I expect any different reaction from Zach?

By the end of the lesson I was back to my earlier feeling of depression. I didn't even try to have a last few minutes of conversation with André, like I usually did. Driving home, I wondered if I should ring Zach and tell him I was sorry for the way I'd cut him off. But would that help? I didn't feel any differently. My dreams were still my dreams and Zach did not fit into
them. I didn't want him to think there was any chance of a relationship between us when there clearly was not.

I sighed as I turned into our driveway. Thank goodness Mum and Dad were coming home this weekend. At least there was someone in the world who cared about me, I thought, indulging in a rare moment of self-pity.

Mentally I shook myself. Get over it, girl, I said. Hot tea, a buttered muffin (English, I wasn't in the mood for anything French at the moment) and an old
Angel
DVD. What can I say? I was a Joss Whedon fan from way back, ever since my Aunt Jan lent me her boxed set.

But the old magic wasn't working. Besides,
Angel
reminded me too much of a certain person I didn't want to think about. I looked at my watch. It wasn't too late to ring Lauren; I hadn't talked to her in ages.

She picked up straight away, ‘Hey, Sis, how's it going?' I said.

‘You couldn't have called at a better time. I'm brain drained from spending the last two hours studying for a chemistry exam. How are you?'

‘Okay. Nothing much happening here. Mum and Dad will be home on the weekend.'

‘Yeah, I was thinking of coming home to see them, but honestly, I'm too flat out at the moment so I don't think I'll make it.'

‘S'okay. They'll understand.' I was disappointed though. It would have been nice to see Lauren, who lived in Brisbane. She came home when she could but she was usually busy studying.

‘You know, I thought of you the other day. Uni has exchange students from France here. A couple of them are doing pre-Med. I think our university has sent students over there too.'

‘Sounds exciting,' I said slowly. I had a feeling where this conversation was heading.

‘Of course, you have to be enrolled in a degree. But if you, for instance, decided to midyear, say in a Bachelor's with a major in French, I bet you could get yourself accepted as an exchange student next year.' I knew it. Lauren's agenda was to get me into uni instead of what she thought of as wasting my time in Clearwater Creek.

‘I don't know, Lauren. I'm doing all right here. I'll get to France eventually.'

‘Darling Beth, I hate to disagree with you, but in what way are you doing “all right”? You know you can't work at the IGA forever, and the years are ticking away. You could have just about finished your degree by now if you had enrolled right after high school. And I bet you haven't even got that much saved for your trip, have you?'

Big Sister Talk 101. I sighed, having heard it all before. I knew what Lauren said made sense, but trouble was, when she said it I just wanted to do the opposite. Even Mum and Dad weren't as persistent as she was, or as bossy. ‘I really don't feel like going into this at the moment, Lauren. I just called to see how you were.'

‘I'm fine, honey. I'll be a doctor by the end of the year, which was my dream. I know you have yours as well, but you do have to work for them. They don't just happen.'

‘Enough of the lecture already,' I snapped, tempted to hang up on her.

‘Okay, chill,' she said, obviously realising she had taken it too far. ‘Listen, why don't you come and visit me in a few weeks, when I've finished my exams? We could spend time together, have some fun.'