Playing to Win (Summer Beach Vets 2) - sweet contemporary romance (6 page)

Ellie entered the Laughing Kookaburra Café nervously and looked around. The waterfront café was perched on a promontory of rock at one end of Summer Beach, with a large, open-air terrace overlooking the Pacific Ocean. While there were seats inside, most people favoured the tables outside on the terrace, with the worn driftwood look and faded canvas seats giving the place a rustic charm.

“You looking for Dan?” A waitress approached Ellie. With a silver stud through one eyebrow and bright bubblegum-pink hair, Kylie could look a bit intimidating, but Ellie knew that the local girl was warm and friendly. A bit
too
friendly and nosy sometimes.

“Yes,” said Ellie.

“He’s out on the terrace. So you’re having a crack onto Dan, eh?” She leered. “Good onya. He’s a spunk and not like some who got tickets on themselves. I went out with this bloke last week and when we came to have a pash, he was about as useful as tits on a bull. Dumped him the next day.”

Ellie managed to decipher about a third of what Kylie was saying. She had been in the café a few times now and had picked up some of the “lingo” in the three months since she had arrived at Summer Beach. So the waitress’s speech was no longer completely unintelligible, but it was still a crash course in Australian slang every time Ellie came in here.

“Thanks, Kylie.” Ellie smiled. “I’m sorry your date didn’t go well. I… er… I’m just meeting up with Dan as a friend, that’s all.”

“Oh yeah? Pull the other one.” Kylie grinned as she walked off.

Ellie made her way out onto the terrace and across to the table by the edge, where Dan was sitting. He was wearing a pale blue T-shirt and faded blue jeans, the colours bringing out the grey in his eyes. He looked tanned and sexy, sitting there against the backdrop of sand and ocean, his short hair ruffled slightly by the sea breeze. Ellie felt her pulse speed up as she approached the table.

“Hi.”

“Hi.” He returned her smile and waved to the seat opposite him. “I hope this table is okay? It might get a bit windy out here—we can go in if you like.”

“No, no, this is fine,” said Ellie as she sat down. She felt the breeze lift her hair and blow it across her shoulders.
It was going to get into a tangled mess
, she thought.

“You’ve left your hair down.” Dan looked at her with pleasure.

Ellie nodded shyly.

“It’s beautiful.”

Ellie flushed. It was ridiculous how two little words could make her feel so good. Suddenly she didn’t care if it took her an hour to get all the tangles out later.

“I haven’t really been here for brunch before. Only a couple of times for dinner and once for lunch. What do you usually order?” she asked, flipping through the menu.

“The works,” said Dan. “The big breakfast with eggs, bacon, sausages, baked beans, grilled tomatoes, mushrooms, hash browns, and toast.”

Ellie’s stomach shrank in protest. Maybe it was nerves but she wasn’t feeling that hungry this morning. “Er… that’s a
lot
of food. Is there something lighter that you’d recommend?”

“How about some banana bread then? One of our iconic foods—it’s practically on every breakfast menu in cafés across Australia.”

“Banana bread?” Ellie furrowed her brow. “We have that in the States too.”

“Ah… bet you haven’t had it like this though.” Dan grinned and quirked an eyebrow.

“Okay, I’ll try it,” said Ellie with a smile.

When their food arrived, together with steaming cups of coffee, Ellie examined her plate with interest. Stacked in the centre were several chunky slices of what looked like a dark brown bread. They were freshly toasted, with a light dusting of icing sugar, and had a square of butter melting in the centre. A scoop of berry compote had been ladled over one of the pieces, together with a dollop of whipped mascarpone and a scattering of crushed pistachios. The whole plate gave off an amazing smell. Ellie picked up her knife and fork and cut carefully into one slice, then popped a piece into her mouth.

Oh wow.

The outside of the banana bread was crispy, the inside sweet and moist, and the little pat of salty melted butter added to the rich, caramelised flavours in her mouth. Mixed in with this was the crunch of the pistachios and a trace of tartness from the berry compote. She chewed and swallowed, sighing slightly.

“What d’you reckon?” asked Kylie, who had been hovering after serving their food, obviously keen to watch Ellie taste the banana bread.  

“Absolutely incredible,” said Ellie, taking another bite. “My God, I’m going to have this for breakfast every day now.”

Kylie grinned. “We’ll turn you into a true-blue Aussie yet!”

As the waitress walked off, Ellie laughed and said, “She may be right. I’ve been here five months and I’m already sliding into an Australian—oops, I mean Aussie lifestyle.”

“So… not homesick?” Dan raised an eyebrow.

“No,” said Ellie after a moment, with some surprise. “Not really. I thought I would be because… well, it’s so far away. But actually, I was surprised when I arrived in Australia. It wasn’t what I expected.”

“Why—were you expecting us to all be walking around with a crocodile slung over our shoulder like Paul Hogan in
Crocodile Dundee
?” Dan grinned.

“No, of course not,” said Ellie. “But I was surprised by how familiar everything feels. You know, after travelling for a whole day on a plane and coming to the other side of the world… I mean, you guys are in a different hemisphere here! I just expected it to feel a bit more… well,
different
.” She shrugged. “Australia’s sort of like a slightly cleaner, safer version of the U.S.”

Dan laughed. “A lot of that could be down to the number of people. Australia is the same land size as the United States, but we’ve got less than a tenth of the population and only about eight major cities. We
have
become pretty Americanised, though.”

“There’re still differences, of course,” said Ellie quickly. “Mostly little everyday things.”

“You mean, aside from the water going down the drain in the opposite direction?” Dan gave an ironic smile.

Ellie laughed. “I always thought that was a myth but yes, it’s true! The water does go down the drain the opposite way here. And your light switches are all wrong. Back home, the switch is up when the light is on and down when the light is off. You’ve got it completely upside down here.”

“Oh no, you Yanks are the ones who’ve got that wrong,” said Dan with mock horror. “Just like your awful coffee.”

“We don’t make awful coffee!” said Ellie indignantly. She stopped and gave a grudging laugh. “Okay, well, maybe coffee
is
better here. I know there are some really good cafés in the big cities in the States, if you know where to look, but I had such bad experiences with the typical weak, watery stuff that I stopped drinking coffee there. I don’t know… coffee seems to be a lot stronger here overall. Maybe it’s because a lot of places in the States tend to just make a big pot of filter coffee and pour from that? Whereas here, you usually get fresh cups made on an espresso machine when you order it. I’ve become a total coffee convert since moving over. And you guys always add chocolate sprinkles to your cappuccinos!” Ellie shook her head, chuckling. “Anywhere that automatically adds chocolate sprinkles gets my vote.”

“I’ll remember that.”

Ellie glanced at him. Again, it was hard to read the expression in Dan’s eyes. A pregnant silence followed.

She cleared her throat and hurriedly said, “One thing I haven’t gotten used to is the Australian attitude to work… you’re all so relaxed!” Ellie shook her head. “If someone leaves work early so they can go surfing or play some sports or spend time with family, everyone cheers them on here. Back in the States, you’re always trying to compete with your colleagues to see who works the hardest and stays the latest. It was like something to be proud of—whereas here, nobody is impressed if you’re a workaholic. Australians care about home and leisure time a lot more.”

“Life’s not a race.” Dan shrugged. “If you go too fast, you miss the view.”

“You see? That’s what I’m talking about!” said Ellie. “That’s the Australian attitude. But a lot of people in the U.S. wouldn’t think like that—they’re all too busy trying to change the world or become a billionaire or something.” She laughed.

“Well, maybe the Aussie attitude is
too
relaxed sometimes,” admitted Dan. “Probably good to have a bit of American drive and hunger to succeed. Although… it doesn’t apply to sports. Aussies take their sports
very
seriously!”

“Yeah, I noticed,” said Ellie dryly. “I don’t think I could ever root for my team hard enough to be Australian.”

Dan started laughing uncontrollably.

“What?” said Ellie, puzzled. “What did I say?”

Dan clutched his stomach, his shoulders shaking. He was laughing so hard that he almost had tears coming out of his eyes. “Ellie…” He gasped for a breath. “Ellie, don’t ever say that in Australia.”

“Say what?” Ellie asked. “Root for my team?”

Dan dissolved into mirth again. Finally, he was able to get a bit of control. “Yeah… uh… ‘root’ has a slightly different meaning here than it does in the States. It’s basically another way to say the F-word. So if you’re rooting for something…”

“Oh.” Ellie felt her cheeks burning. “But what do you say if you’re supporting your sports team then?”

“We say ‘barrack for’. You barrack for your team,” explained Dan.

“Okay, I’ll remember that,” said Ellie with a sheepish smile. “I wondered why I got funny looks in the office the last time I was talking about supporting my sports team!”

Dan was still chuckling when they finally left the café. They paused by the entrance to the beach and looked out at the view. The sun was blazing down now and the sea was a glittering band of azure in the distance, broken only by the white crests of waves.

“The sea looks so beautiful,” Ellie commented. “It’s hard to believe that it can be so deadly. It’s such a shame. I was thinking I might like to learn to surf, but now I don’t dare go in the water.”

“Hey, it’s not that bad. You just have to take care, know the things to avoid—like the places where rip currents are likely to occur,” said Dan. “Listen… if you’re not doing anything tomorrow, would you like me to teach you how to surf?”

Ellie turned towards him. He was standing close—so close that she had to tilt her head up to look at him. His grey eyes were smiling and she felt herself caught again in this man’s magnetic pull.

“Can you promise I won’t get eaten by sharks?” she asked, only half teasing.

He put a hand out and gently pushed back a strand of her hair. “I wouldn’t let anything happen to you, Ellie.”

Ellie held her breath, her heart kicking into a gallop in her chest. She felt Dan’s fingers trail down the side of her face, along her jawline, and then take hold of her chin and gently tip it upwards. She stared up at him. Was he going to kiss her?

Yes.

Kiss me.
Kiss me.

His eyes had darkened to charcoal and Ellie trembled as she saw the intensity in them. He lowered his head and his lips hovered over hers. Ellie could feel her heart hammering in her chest. Time seemed to stop, everything faded away as she waited for the moment his lips would descend on hers.

And then he was kissing her and it was warm and sweet and impossibly thrilling. She felt his strong arms come around her, pulling her close, moulding her to him. His lips were bold and demanding, and she responded with a passion that surprised her. She could feel his heart—a pounding rhythm that echoed her own—where her chest was pressed against his, and she felt her senses whirling as everything filled with the taste, smell, and feel of him.

A part of her knew that she was standing in the street, kissing in full view of everybody. What was she doing? This wasn’t like her! Ellie Monroe didn’t make a public spectacle of herself like that! And yet somehow she didn’t care. When Dan finally raised his head, she felt languorous with contentment.

Dan smiled at her. “I take it that’s a ‘yes’.”

Ellie glanced at the Laughing Kookaburra Café as she walked past its outdoor terrace, which loomed above the sand on this section of the beach. It was hard to believe that a week had gone by since she had been there having brunch with Dan. In a way, it felt like a lifetime had passed since then.

On the Sunday after their brunch date, Dan had met her at the beach and shown her the first steps of learning how to surf—from how to stand on the board to the best technique for paddling out through the waves. Ellie had to admit that she wasn’t the best student. Well, it had been hard to keep her mind on the lesson when her eyes kept straying to Dan’s bronzed chest and hard, flat stomach, and her senses kept flaring into awareness every time he came near her. When he stood behind her with his breath warm against her ear and his hands gently on her waist, as he showed her the proper stance on the board, she wanted to turn around and say, “Forget surfing. Just kiss me. Kiss me like you did yesterday.”

And when they had finally got out into the water, Ellie was even more conscious of Dan’s body beside her, as the waves buffeted them together. His strong arms supported her and he used his powerful shoulders to shield her from the surge of the bigger waves as she attempted to slide her body onto the board. Ellie did eventually manage to get up on the surfboard, but she was ashamed to admit that the thrill of standing up for a brief moment on the water was eclipsed by the thrill of having Dan pull her to him as they waded, dripping, out of the surf. His kiss was warm and passionate, his lips salty with the taste of the sea, and his skin slick against hers where their bodies touched. Ellie clung to him, never wanting the kiss to end.

Afterwards she had enjoyed a takeout “fish ’n’ chips”, savouring the crisp beer batter around the steaming white fish and the thick, chunky fries drizzled in vinegar, as they sat on a bench by the waterfront and gazed out to sea. And when Dan had pulled her into his arms and his lips claimed hers again, it had been the perfect ending to a perfect day.

Almost too perfect, Ellie thought uneasily. She had seen Dan a few more times in the evenings during the week, and each time it had felt like she was acting out a scene in one of those romance novels she had always laughed at. She wasn’t laughing now. Why had she always sneered at those novels for being silly fantasy? She was living the fantasy now and loving it! She knew that she could easily fall in love with Dan. Maybe she was a little in love with him already. Was it all happening too fast? But it was hard to care when she felt so happy.

“Ellie, can we come to the beach again next Saturday?”

Ellie came out of her thoughts and smiled as she felt the tug of a small hand in hers. She glanced down at Will, trudging beside her in the sand. They were just returning from an afternoon together on the beach where she had helped Will build sandcastles and even wrestled with Milo in the sand. She looked down at herself wryly. She was covered in sand and dog hair. But again, she felt too happy to care.

“Sure, Will,” she said. “I’ve got to go down to Sydney next Saturday night because I’m giving a talk at a big awards dinner. But we can come to the beach in the morning. Just come over to my place after breakfast and we’ll head over here.”

He gave her hand another tug. “And will you come watch me and Milo in the Paws ’n’ Surf Beach Races next Friday?”

“What’s that?”

“You don’t know?” His eyes were round. “It’s this really cool fun day where you get to compete with your dog in things like the Mango and Spoon Race, and Sand Slalom, and Beach Agility… and the best team wins the prize! I’m sure me and Milo will win. He’s deadly fast, don’t you think?”

Ellie looked at the chocolate Lab who was trotting ahead of them with his pink tongue hanging out the side of his mouth. She shuddered slightly to think of the boisterous Milo in the mayhem of a beach fun day. He would probably eat the mango, followed by the spoon. She’d already heard from Will that so far this week, Milo had swallowed a twenty-dollar bill, a toy action figure, one of his mother’s earrings, and half a box of tissues. Thankfully, they had all made their escape at the other end. Ellie didn’t think anything at the beach races would be safe from Milo’s insatiable appetite.

But she plastered a bright smile on her face and said, “Yes, I’m sure you guys will do great. And I’d love to come, Will, but if it’s on Friday, I can’t. You know I work on Fridays.”

“It’s in the afternoon! It doesn’t start until four o’clock. If you leave work early, you could come and watch me,” said Will eagerly. “Can you, Ellie? Please? My mum and dad used to come and barrack for me every year, but this year Dad’s not around…” His head dipped and his voice lost some of its ebullience. “And Mum… Mum doesn’t want to go out much now. So I won’t have anybody else.”

Ellie looked down at the small, brown head. Her heart went out to him. “Will, I’d love to come and root for… er… cheer you on. Okay, I’ll try and see what I can do… maybe organise it so that I leave work early on Friday so I can come and watch you.”

“Really?” His face lit up. “You’re ace, Ellie!” He threw his arms around her suddenly in an impromptu hug. “After Milo, you’re my best friend. You’re going to stay in Summer Beach forever, aren’t you?”

Ellie felt a twinge of unease. She dropped to her knees so that she was eye level with the boy. “Will, you know this isn’t really my home. I come from the United States and I’m just here for a period of time for work but… well, someday I’m going to have to go back.”

“Why?” he asked.

“Because…” Ellie gave a shrug. “Because that’s where I belong!”

“Why can’t you belong here?” he asked stubbornly. “Don’t you like it here, Ellie?”

“I do, I do a lot,” she said.

“Well, then why can’t you stay? Make this your home?” asked Will. “You could get a dog too and he could be Milo’s friend!”

For a moment, Ellie let her mind run away with the fantasy. A dog? What would she get? A Labrador like Milo? Or a Beagle like Sara’s dog, Coco? Or maybe something smaller… like a terrier or a Pug? She’d always liked Pugs, with their funny squashed faces and even funnier characters…

Ellie shook her head sharply as she realised where her thoughts were leading. What was she thinking? She wasn’t going to be staying permanently in Summer Beach, never mind getting a dog! And as for the child… She felt another uneasy twinge as she looked at Will. Was he getting too attached to her? She knew from experience how devastating it could be when somebody you looked up to suddenly disappeared from your life. The boy had suffered so much loss already from his parents’ separation—did she really want to add more heartache onto his plate?

She gave Will a quick squeeze. “I’ll be around for a while, Will, but I can’t promise anything, okay?”

He looked disappointed, but nodded and didn’t argue anymore. They continued walking and soon come out of the beach and onto the street. Ellie paused at the crossroads at the end of Beach Road. Her own street led off from the right, but she knew that Will had to keep going straight ahead, through the shopping area to the other side of town.

“Do you want me to walk you home?” she asked.

“No, I’m fine,” said Will as he took off with Milo at his heels. “See you next Friday! Don’t forget!”

Ellie waved and watched his retreating form, then turned and started towards her own street. The sun was setting now and twilight was starting to fall. The air was still warm from the day, though, and that hot, lazy vacation feeling still lingered.

A sweet, floral perfume drifted from a house nearby.
It must be Ru’s garden
, thought Ellie. The elderly Samoan man had a spectacular frangipani tree in his front yard which filled the air with fragrance and scattered white blooms into neighbouring gardens. He was a regular sight on his front veranda, his massive body and tribal tattoos at odds with the frangipani flower tucked behind one ear. Ellie glanced around. He wasn’t there today but, in honour of him, she picked up a fallen bloom on an impulse and tucked it behind her ear.

I can’t believe I’m wearing flowers in my hair now
, she thought with a giggle as she continued walking.

Ellie took a deep breath and sighed contentedly. She couldn’t understand how she could spend a whole day doing so little—and yet feel so happy and satisfied. She thought of Dan’s comment about slowing down to enjoy the view. Was this what he meant? She’d never “wasted” so much of her weekends before and yet she didn’t regret it.

Still, she would have to do some work when she got home. She had an important meeting on Monday morning—a key briefing to the board members—and her boss had asked for the presentation to be emailed to him by 8 p.m. on Sunday night. She had received some new figures on Friday before she left the office, so she needed to revise her presentation.

Ellie was approaching her house when she heard her name being called. She glanced around and realised that it was Libby, who lived in a cottage a few doors down from hers. The young mother had her baby on her hip and was standing by her front garden gate.

She smiled and said to Ellie, “Haven’t seen you out and about so much in a long time.”

Ellie laughed a bit self-consciously. “Yeah, I’m learning to be more Australian and take things easy on weekends.”

“Too right. You Yanks have got to learn to take a chill pill.” Libby gave a teasing grin.

“Not all Americans are like me,” said Ellie with a sheepish smile. “I think you got a bad impression meeting me first. I’m just a bit of a workaholic.”

Libby nodded. “Yeah, your cousin, Sara, seems pretty laid-back. ’Course… helps when you’ve got a hunky Aussie bloke to show you the ropes, eh?” She winked. “She and Craig getting hitched soon, you reckon?”

Ellie smiled. “I don’t know… wouldn’t surprise me if they did, though. They seem so happy together.”

“At least she picked a bloke who’s likely to put a ring on her finger,” said Libby darkly. “Not like mugs here.”

Ellie had heard all about Libby’s battle to get her boyfriend to marry her from Sara, who had struck up an instant friendship with the young Australian woman the first day she arrived in Summer Beach. It seemed that none of Libby’s attempts—including the recent pregnancy and baby—could get her man to the altar.

Ellie said cautiously, “How’s your partner… er… Gary, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, Gaz. Bloody bastard. Gone off fishing with the boys this weekend. Left me and bubs here on me own.” She changed the baby to the other arm and said with a coy smile, “I hear that you’ve been seeing one of our Aussie blokes too, eh? Dr Dan O’Brien.”

Ellie gave an exasperated laugh. “Where did you hear that? I’ve only seen Dan a few times.”

Libby winked. “Summer Beach is a small place and stuff gets around the bush telegraph real quick.”

Oddly enough, Ellie didn’t mind that people had been talking about her and Dan. She knew it wasn’t done with any malicious intent but with a genuine interest in her affairs. She wondered if Dan knew that people were linking them together and whether he cared.

She looked at Libby, still waiting for an answer. “Dan’s great and I like him a lot, but… it’s not anything serious,” Ellie said, ignoring the fact that she had never felt so “serious” about anything in her life before.

“You mean he’s just a bit of a holiday fling?”

“No! No, it’s much more than that… but… well, let’s face it—I won’t be here forever. It’s not like Summer Beach is my home.”

“Why not? Your cousin’s settled here,” said Libby. “You know what they say—bit of a cliché and all—but home is where the heart is.” She hitched the baby higher on her hip. “You fancy a tinnie?”

“Sorry, a what?”

“A tinnie. Beer.” Libby nodded her head toward her veranda where Ellie could see a six-pack of beer sitting on a plastic cooler. “I was just about to have one. Got some cold potato salad and quiche too, if you fancy a bite.” She smiled wistfully. “Would be nice to have a girl’s night—bit of a chance for a chinwag…”

Ellie hesitated. She should really go home and work on her presentation for Monday. On the other hand… Sara was staying over at Craig’s place this weekend and the prospect of the empty house with only the laptop for company didn’t really appeal.

Dan’s words about learning to relax and take things less seriously came back to her.
I’ve still got all of Sunday to work on the presentation
, thought Ellie. What did it matter if she lived a little dangerously? She liked Libby and her warm, down-to-earth manner. In spite of their cultural differences, she really enjoyed the other woman’s company. It would be nice to have a chance to get to know her better.

“Sure, I’d love one,” said Ellie, letting herself in through the garden gate. “Thanks very much.”