Down Under With Dad’s Best Friend by Flora Ferrari
Chapter Three
Sean
I can’t watch this happen.
I step forward when he begins yelling, clearing the distance between us – though it takes me longer than I would like, given that I have to sidestep all the people trying to cut across in front of me. When I finally do get close enough to say something, it’s in time to hear him make a ridiculous request.
He just ruined a beautiful girl’s dress, and he’s the one that’s angry about it all. Go figure.
“Excuse me, sir,” I say, drawing myself up to all of my six feet three inches. I’m gratified to see that I tower above him – not to mention that my shoulders are also noticeably wider. “I’m going to need you to back off.”
The guy opens his mouth to protest, looks at me, and seems to have second thoughts. And then, I guess because he’s an Aussie, he protests anyway.
“What’s it got to do with you?” he sneers. “What are you, her boyfriend?”
“Yes,” I say, going with the momentum and hoping she won’t mind as I slip a protective arm around her shoulders. “And you’ve just ruined my girlfriend’s dress. Now, the thing is, I know how much it cost, because I paid for it. It was a special birthday gift. So, if anyone’s going to be paying anything, it’s you. Do you have a couple of thousand dollars on you?”
His expression falters a sneer that doesn’t quite have enough gas to stay in place anymore. “What? It’s not my fault. She wasn’t looking!”
“Thing is, I was,” I tell him, gesturing over in the direction where I came from. “I watched you walk right into her because you were so busy looking at your phone. Now, come on. We haven’t got all day. Are you going to do a wire transfer, or have you got the cash?”
He stutters, turning a deep purple color. “I’m not paying you anything!” he says.
“Then,” I say, leaning in close to his face. “I suggest you get out of my face before I decide to make you pay.”
His mouth moves a couple of times like he wants to say something else. But I guess he can’t think of anything, because a moment later, he directs one last glare at the girl and then stalks away, angrily striding out of the station.
“Are you alright?” I ask, taking my arm from around her shoulders and turning to look at her. I don’t want to lose that contact between us – I could feel the heat of her skin against my bare arm, and I wanted more. But I don’t want to come on too strong and scare her off, especially not after coming up against that asshole.
“I, um,” she says, swallowing hard. Looking at her now, I can’t help but think she looks a little familiar. Is it just because I’m staring at the woman of my dreams? I don’t know what it is about her that rings a distant bell in my head.
But that thought can wait – because she obviously isn’t alright.
“Are you staying somewhere near here?” I ask. “Your hotel?”
She looks up at me blankly, then down at herself, as if she’s taking in the coffee stain again. We’re not getting anywhere. I remember passing by a nice little café a couple of streets away, back out of the main tourist area by a short walk. She needs to sit down, get something sweet in her, and maybe some water. I take a chance and reach out to touch her forehead, lo and behold, she’s burning up.
That could easily explain the confusion before, and the fact that she’s deep in shock now. She’s dehydrated.
“Come with me,” I say, using the same authoritative tone that I use at work. It seems to get through to her because when I turn to lead her away, she comes with me.
Time to get some fluids in my mystery girl, and with any luck, I might actually get to learn her name – and maybe even her number.
