Page 48 of Cinderella and the Outback Billionaire

‘You want him to call you back?’

‘Yes!’ Too eager by far. ‘I mean...’

‘You mean yes,’ Bridie said dryly. ‘I’ll let him know.’

‘Thank you, I—’ She wanted to be there so badly, but didn’t know if she had the right. ‘I’d like to come and see him.’ The way she hadn’t last time. Their relationship was new but surely she had the right to reach out by phone. Cheer him up in person if that was what he wanted from her. ‘I’m worried about him.’

You’re in love with him.

That too. All it had taken was the thought of never seeing him again to make that inescapably clear to her. ‘Is it wrong to want to yell at him a bit?’

‘By all means, do. We’re all just tippy-toeing around being stoic and supportive and it’s not working. I’m no doctor, but if you want my opinion he took on more than he could chew and doesn’t want to admit it because he’s embarrassed, and, Ari, I’m trusting you with this information because I know you’d never use it against him or take it to the press—’

‘I would never.’

‘I know.’ Bridie sounded so kind. ‘Reid’s struggling to accept that he’ll never be as fit and healthy and active as he was before. You’re welcome to try to talk some sense in him but that might just put you in the firing line.’

‘I’m used to being in the firing line. My stepfather was a mean drunk and he wasn’t especially fond of me. Not that I want to bore you with baggage, or that I think Reid’s anything like that. He’s not,’ Ari added hastily. ‘But I can hold my own in an imperfect world. I’m not afraid of facing up to problems head-on. Unless it’s about my birth father. Still picking at that big gaping wound, but I’m working on it. I’m tough and resilient and I get where I’m going eventually. I can start driving now. Be there in the morning.’ Did any of that make sense? She didn’t know.

‘Anyway,’ she continued quietly. ‘I’ll wait for his call.’

‘He’s having an MRI and I’ll tell him you called. And when I get home I’ll come find you and we’ll catch up for a cuppa, okay?’

‘Okay.’ Ari had the sinking feeling that the only thing she’d accomplished with this phone call was to expose her crush on Reid for all to see. What if he wanted to keep their relationship a secret? What if it was just a fling—too new or too casual for Ari to be worming her way into his family unit and he didn’t want to see her at all? ‘Sure.’

He didn’t ring back.

It took Ari another week to realise that Reid wasn’t going to ring back.

The crew had finished their work on the last of the eco-lodge locations and were packing up to return to Brisbane. Ari was in two minds about heading there too, but indecision had taken hold. What was she going to do? Knock on Reid’s door and demand he let her in?

Yes.

He told you to trust him.

What if he’s waiting for you to value him and be there for him the way he’s been for you?

When her work crew headed east in raggedy convoy, Ari went with them.

Reid Blake wasn’t expecting company, so when his security system pinged to let him know someone wanted in, he took his time getting out of the spa and grabbing a towel and heading for the security screen on the patio to see who it was. Bridie and Judah had finally headed home this morning after days of hanging around and making sure he had everything he needed to be going on with.

He saw doctors daily. He had a physio come and tend him twice a week.

Eye doctor Fink had seen him in the hospital and again at Reid’s apartment two days ago. He’d toured Reid’s loft workspace, asked questions about work and his daily routine, and then dictated a list of aids and devices for the sight impaired. He’d sent the audio file to Reid and told him to investigate new ways of getting on with it.

He’d asked Reid where the prettiest girl in the world was and hmm’d when Reid answered, ‘Working. Doing her own thing, like she should.’

He didn’t want Ari to see his weakness and his fear. He’d get around to seeing her again when he was good and ready, and that might be a good long while. Reid finished towelling off and leaned closer to the screen so he could see who was at the door.

And yet here she was.

Shorts and boots and T-shirt and backpack slung over one shoulder, dark sunglasses shading her eyes and her hair pulled back into a ponytail. She looked tired and dusty and strong and healthy and his heart just about split in two because he didn’t want her here almost as much as he did want her here. And he didn’t know what to do.

‘Hey,’ she said brightly when he opened the door. ‘You’ve been swimming.’

His wet trunks were a dead giveaway, he supposed. ‘Ari.’ He pitched his reply just shy of cool. ‘What brings you by?’

He didn’t need to see the expression on her face to see the tensing of her shoulders or the straightening of her spine. ‘I realise our relationship...friendship...whatever this is, was built on you turning up out of the blue unexpectedly. Do I not have leeway to do the same?’ The words themselves weren’t her only challenge. Her steady, forthright delivery called him on his less than enthusiastic greeting too.

---