Page 97 of Reluctant Chemistry

Kombi Girl

The moment she saw the Kombi, all shiny and new, CeCe couldn’t stop grinning. She’d scraped and saved for years to get it to this point. First, they’d had to remove all the rust, then rebuild the engine, next came the interior, and lastly, the paint job.

She’d kept the original teal green color, teaming it with off-white leather seating. Given its state when they started the restoration, CeCe had expected it to come out no more than okay. But standing beside it now with the guys who’d rebuilt it, she couldn’t believe how amazing it looked.

“Isn’t she special?” The younger of the two men beamed with pride.

“Wow, I can’t believe it turned out so well.”

“She’s a beautiful thing,”Andy, the older man, said. “We had a bit of a ripple in the paintwork on the left guard, so I had to respray that, but all in all, I’d say it’s a success.” He handed her the keys. “Here, she’s all yours.”

“I’m almost too scared to drive it. I hope it starts first time.”

“Course it will,” Andy said. “It has a totally reconditionedengine. No breaking down on our watch.”

She stepped forward and hugged both men in turn. “I can’t thank you enough. Mum’s going to be blown away.”

As she drove through town, CeCe swayed in her seat, singing along to the radio. She finally had her precious Kombi back! Her first stop was her parents’ place. In his usual no-nonsense fashion, her father had supervised the restoration from the get-go, and the day her parents told her the Kombi was hers to keep, she’d burst into tears.

CeCe tooted as she pulled to a stop outside the house, and when her mother raced out of the front door, they hugged each other, then drove into town for a Danish and coffee from the patisserie on Seaview Road.

The following day, CeCe wrote a rock note to Anna and launched it into the river at Lime Tree Hill. She recalled driving Anna to Koru Bay the day after she passed her full driver’s license. Frank had been worried sick, but Anna’s uncle owned a property there, so they’d stayed with him and his family. That night, they ate fresh seafood and sweet potatoes cooked in a firepit, and later, the two friends swam naked in the lagoon under a full moon.

Much later still, they’d slept in the back of the Kombi, on a foam rubber squab she’d found at a yard sale, and woke to the sun streaming through the van’s windows as the new day opened its arms.

On their way home, as The Band Perry’s ‘If I Die Young’ played over the radio, Anna turned to CeCe and said, “If I die young, promise me you’ll tell Mum and Dad to scatter my ashes over Koru Bay at sunset. It’s the most beautiful place on earth.”

That was the first and last summer roady they took together.

* * *

As she turned into the northern end of Carter Bay Road the next day, CeCe wondered what Luka would say when he saw her restored wheels. They’d made an uneasy peace over the past couple of weeks, sending one another the occasional text, but they’d not been alone since the day he flew her to Ferguson Hut.

Elevated above the city, the house stood proud, all dressed up in glass, cedar, and schist—like a handsome man in a well-cut three-piece suit. CeCe tried to pinpoint what made it stand out from the rest, and as she turned at the post numbered sixty-two, one word sprang to mind. Honesty. The dwelling’s exterior displayed no pretension; it lived and breathed the essence of Luka. Calm and authentic. CookHouse Projects had done a fantastic job.

The driveway was empty, so she parked around the back of hisgarage suddenly nervous that yet again, she’d turned up unannounced. But that was their thing. She’d done it all the time when Luka lived in Tulloch Point.

It added to the anticipation.

The wooden deck was wide and clutter-free; no potted plants or unnecessary furniture. CeCe sat on the lowest step and removed her shoes. Newly laid lawn soft underfoot, she cleared her mind of anxious thoughts. No need to analyze.Not now that she’d made her decision. The sun, relentless earlier, had mellowed as it readied for the evening. It was her favorite time of day as summer left behind a windswept spring.

She lay back and closed her eyes, letting the warmth dance across her eyelids. With her busy schedule lately, she’d almost forgotten how these moments of fresh air, sunlight, and solitude soothed the soul.

At the sound of Luka’s SUV on the driveway, CeCe sat up and checked her watch. The twenty minutes spent waiting had done wonders for her state of mind.

As he stepped from the vehicle, his smile hit her head-on, and those flirty butterflies soared in her stomach. Would he always have this effect? That instant ‘wow’ she whispered under her breath? The thrill at the sight of him?

“Hi. This is a surprise.” Luka stepped forward and fished a ring of house keys from his pocket. “Come on in. Would you like a drink?”

She stood and considered him. “Actually, I was on my way to Petrie Bay for a swim, and I wondered if you’d like to come.” She dangled the keys with the distinctive peace sign emblem in front of him.

Luka frowned. “You’re in the Kombi? No way.” He looked around. “Where is it?”

“At the back of your garage, in the shade.”

Luka opened the door, and CeCe followed him inside. She’d expected a minimalist space with black and gray accents. But instead, bold color sprung from the walls courtesy of his extensive art collection, and sofas in burnt orange velvet added a comforting warmth to the interior.

He turned to her and smiled. “A double surprise then. The last time I saw the Kombi was when I dropped that CD into your mailbox on my way out of Tulloch Point. It was parked next to a shed at the orchard, and as I drove away, I remember thinking that I might never see it again.” He held her gaze. “Does it still have a mattress in the back?”

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