Page 51 of Reluctant Chemistry

There had been an undeniable chemistry between them, a natural connection that neither of them had to force. And now, with CeCe driving away and his bags stowed in his SUV, ready for the trip to Clifton Falls, Luka couldn’t silence his doubts.

His head throbbed. If he hadn’t gone out with friends last night and ended up hammered on too many vodkas, he might have already been on the road and would have missed her. But he’d stayed later than planned, mostly to help the cleaners with last-minute details while the alcohol left his bloodstream. Had he hoped she’d turn up? Maybe. She’d all but called him a coward for not fighting for her, but she didn’t realize that in his heart and convictions, he’d fought for her constantly.

Just not the way she’d needed him to fight.

Wanting to get another look at the orchard in the daylight, Luka took the back road out of town. Now, whenever she stepped into his imagination, he’d have a concrete base on which to place her. Although, to be fair, whenever his thoughts turned to CeCe, it was an image of her naked surfing or lying under her sarong on his borrowed bed that usually came to mind.

The orchard was larger than he’d realized, and from the road, he could just make out the villa through the trees. In the distance, by an implement shed, the Kombi sat next to a vintage truck with wooden sides like an enormous apple crate.

Initially, he’d wondered if CeCe’s family life might be less than ideal. He now knew differently and smiled at the knowledge that she had people who loved and supported her to help her through. Even if Frank Dobson was her father.

Idling at the mailbox, Luka leaned through the driver’s window and pushed a flat package through the slot.

His parting gift.

Luka cranked up the stereo, and as he drove onto the coastal highway and headed south toward home, he hummed along to a Snow Patrol song, his mind on the last time he’d run his handsover her curves and kissed the hollow at the base of her throat.

The last time, in that moment of want and need and alcohol, they’d forgotten who they were.

Clifton Falls

Part II

25

Lime Tree Hill

Six60 playing in the background and dinner in the oven, CeCe opened the loft door wide as soon as she heard footsteps in the stairwell. “You made it.” Molly hurried up the stairs, and CeCe pulled her into a tight hug. “It’s so good to see you.”

“You too,” her cousin said before stepping inside and dropping her bags on the floor beside the sideboard. CeCe hadn’t seen Molly in months. Sure, they talked on the phone most weeks, but it wasn’t the same as sharing a meal over a bottle of wine. “And it’s great to get out of the city.”

“Hey, Clifton Falls is a city too.”

“Yes, but tiny compared to Auckland. The traffic’s diabolical up there.” Molly scanned the room as she removed her coat and draped it across the back of the sofa. “Wow, this place is amazing. When you said you’d be living in the loft above the packing shed, I imagined some dusty dive with no windows and a pinewood floor.”

“So this is the first time you’ve seen it?”

“It is.” Molly crossed the room and peeked into the office. She’d always been the inquisitive type. Thought nothing of rummaging through people’s pantries and checking out the insides of their fridges. “The last time I came to Lime Tree Hill was with Mum and Aunt Andrea when I was about ten. We drove down for the weekend so Mitch could visit that weird Norman guy.”

“So where was I?”

“I don’t remember. And when I came to Clifton Falls in February, Mitch and Tayla shouted me dinner at that Italian place on Seaview Road, so we met in town.”

“You mean Gino’s? They do the best vegetarian pizzas in town.” She picked up Molly’s overnight bag and motioned toward the hallway. “Bedrooms are this way. You can settle in while I make the salad.”

Molly followed her into the guest bedroom and sat on the bed. “How’s the job going?” She bounced up and down as if testing out the firmness of the mattress.

“Good. Three days a week leaves me plenty of time to spend in the lab, and they’re a great team. We do a lot of soil testing and regenerative stuff.”

“Sounds fascinating.” Her cousin pulled a face and tucked her hair behind her ears. As usual, she’d flat ironed it to within an inch of its life, and CeCe, whose curls were always on the go, couldn’t help being a little envious.

“Stop it. It’s a job, and I need the money.”

“Don’t we all?”

Back in the kitchen, the aroma of basil and tomato did its best to compete with Molly’s lingering perfume. CeCe’s stomach rumbled. Apart from a granola bar around midday, she hadn’t eaten since breakfast but had been too busy to notice until now. She poured a couple of glasses of wine and set them on the counter, then opened the oven to check on dinner.

“So, what should we toast to?” she asked when Molly returned to the room and picked up a glass.

---