Down Under With Dad’s Best Friend by Flora Ferrari
Chapter Twelve
Candace
I pick out the flirtiest dress that I brought with me to meet Sean. It isn’t hard. I didn’t exactly pack very many. But I’m hoping that this cute pink number, cut a little lower in the front than yesterday and dotted with tiny strawberries as a motif, will make him look at me in a new way.
But it’s when I’m standing out front of my hotel waiting for him that I look down at myself and start to panic. What if he thinks that I’m dressed like a kid, because of the color and the pattern?
But it’s too late for that because when I look up and glance around to see if I have time to get changed, I see him already walking down the street towards me. He’s dressed in a more relaxed way today, without any business meetings to go to, in black slacks and a white shirt, unbuttoned at the top collar, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows. He looks so hot, I feel myself on fire for him already, and the day hasn’t even begun.
“Hi,” he says, stepping up close to me and leaning in to kiss me on the cheek. It sends a tingle right through my whole body, fire concentrating in my stomach. “You look lovely.”
“Thank you,” I say, feeling my nerves fluttering like crazy. That’s probably just how he greets everyone, right? It probably doesn’t mean anything, right? And yet, my heart can’t help but register it as the first time he’s kissed me, even if it’s not on the mouth. “Um. You do, too. I mean…” I break off into nervous laughter, realizing that I’ve dug myself into a hole I don’t know how to get out of. Who tells a man that he looks lovely?
Thankfully, he only laughs back.
“What do you want to do today?” he asks. “We’ve got the whole city at our disposal. I know I said I would show you a few hidden gems, but we only need lunch and dinner for that. I know a few other good areas to explore, but only if you’re in the mood for that kind of thing.”
“I don’t know,” I confess. “I figured I would let you lead the way. Actually, after yesterday… I don’t know. It might sound silly, but I don’t really feel excited about exploring any part of Melbourne in particular. Not even the things I planned to do before.”
“That makes sense,” Sean says, a flare of compassion softening his voice. “Well, how about this. Instead of doing the whole tourist thing, why don’t I take you somewhere a bit more exclusive? Somewhere most people don’t know about? It will be quiet, and they don’t let the average person off the street in.”
I nod, feeling both guilty at forcing him to find somewhere that fits and grateful that he already knows a place. “That sounds perfect.”
When he smiles at me in return, the feeling of guilt just dissolves away. From the way he looks, I would think that it was him who wanted to go to this mysterious exclusive place all along – and not me who needed to go somewhere quieter.
“Let’s go, then,” he says, leading me towards the taxis waiting outside the hotel. “It will take less time to go by car, and I don’t particularly feel like handling the trains today either.”
“What is this place, then?” I ask as I hear Sean give the driver the name of the place we’re going – the Tempest – but no information about it at all.
“Oh, it’s a little bit of everything,” he says, settling next to me in the back seat. He has a gleam in his eyes that makes me think he might be teasing me, although I don’t know how yet. “There are some entertainment options so we can pass the time, or we can just sit at a table and talk. There’s a restaurant, too, so we can get something to eat for lunch. Actually, we can stay for the whole day if you want to, and get dinner there, too.”
“There’s so much included within one space?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. It must be a huge complex. I’m picturing something, not unlike the malls back home, a cinema next to a restaurant next to a skating rink, or whatever else realtors manage to fit in there.
“You’ll see,” Sean winks. “I promise it’s going to meet all of your expectations and more.”
But in the back of my mind, I can’t help but be a little doubtful. After all, what he describes sounds like the kind of place that would be really busy. Even if you do have to be a member to get in… ah! Maybe that’s it, maybe The Tempest is a members’ only club. I’ve heard of those, but normally I thought they were out in the countryside to include all the things he’s describing. Like a place with a tennis court and horse stables and things like that.
But even if it’s a members’ only club, I bet it’s popular. I bet there are enough people there who will make me feel like I’m not dressed well enough or not well-educated enough or any of the rest of it.
“So, tell me about home,” Sean says, distracting me from my thoughts. “Do you live with your parents still?”
And as I look around at him to answer the question, I realize one thing: it doesn’t matter if other people will be judging me. So long as I’m there with Sean, I know that I’ll feel comfortable enough. It’s like there’s an aura around him, a kind of shield that will keep me safe. Just like how he stepped in to save me when that guy confronted me in Flinders Street. I don’t have anything to worry about.
“Ah, yeah,” I say, blushing a little. It reminds me that, compared to him, I’m just a kid. “I’m supposed to start looking for a job when I get back, and that means looking for an apartment as well. I can’t really move out until I have a good income coming in.”
“Well, that shouldn’t be too hard,” he says. “You majored in business, right? I’m sure there are a lot of businesses in the state of New York looking for graduates to run things for them.”
“I hope so,” I say, shrugging. “I do hope I find somewhere fast. I want to stand on my own two feet. After being away for college, staying with my folks again seems like going backward.”
He smiles. “I remember the feeling,” he says. “I moved out as quickly as I could. I think I spent about a month back at home before I realized I was never going to fit in there again.”
“That’s kind of sad, isn’t it?” I ask. “We spend all our childhood with this one set of people, and then…”
“And then we make our own set of people,” Sean says. “That’s all. I don’t think it’s sad – it’s just part of growing up. If you’re lucky, your family teaches you how to set up a great family, so when it’s time you can make someone else very happy as well.”
“I guess it’s nice when you put it that way,” I say.
“What do you see in your future?” he asks, looking out of the window. I look, too, and see that we’re near the water. “A husband? Children?”
“Um, I think so,” I say, with an awkward half-laugh. “It’s not like I’m dating someone right now. And I guess there are a lot of steps to go through before I get there. But yes, I would like my own family.”
He nods thoughtfully as if what I just said is really interesting. It occurs to me then that this is the perfect time to ask – to find out more about him. All I have to do is turn the conversation around.
“How about you?” I ask. “Do you have your own family?”
“Sir, we’re here,” the taxi driver announces loudly, to my surprise. And it’s the most unwelcome distraction because then Sean leans forward to pay him, and we’re both getting out of the car, and it seems like the question has been forgotten.
And I’m very confused because we’re not standing out in front of some big complex or the kind of old building where an exclusive members’ club might sit. Instead, we’re right on the waterfront, where a string of yachts and boats and even, further down, ferries are floating gently on the current.
“Where’s the Tempest?” I ask, looking around for some kind of hint.
“Right here,” Sean says, gesturing to a large yacht moored not far away. He puts a pair of sunglasses on, then turns to grin at me. “Our own private little hideaway.”
