Page 6 of The Game
‘I’ve been gone for ten years,’ she said, keeping her voice low and suggestive, ‘and I’m only just starting to realise how much I’ve missed this place. Over the next four weeks, I want you to show me what I’ve been missing. Take me skydiving, scuba diving, paddleboarding, wakeboarding. Whatever it is you do to have fun in your spare time.’
His gaze didn’t lose its heat. ‘Whateverit is I do to have fun?’
She smiled slowly. ‘Let’s start with the outdoor activities and go from there.’
He sat back and contemplated her proposal. ‘Why only four weeks?’
Although she’d had the brainwave to put an end date on their time together—it was imperative that she end things before her treatment started—she hadn’t thought of an excuse.
Thinking on the fly, she shrugged. ‘You were right this morning. In four weeks, I’ll be moving on to bigger and better things. I’m on leave from the orchestra in Sydney, but I’ve been hoping to be promoted to first violin and I don’t think it’s ever going to happen, so I’ve decided to head overseas, try my luck in Europe or the US.’
He narrowed his eyes. ‘I thought you didn’t have any definite plans.’
Guilt skittered over her skin at the lie she was weaving, but she forced herself to commit. ‘Nothing’s set in stone yet, but after our chat this morning, I gave my next move some serious thought.’
He nodded, seemingly accepting her answer, then leaned forward and extended a hand. ‘Okay, Martin. You’ve got yourself a deal. Consider me your personal trainer in rediscovering your beachside community.’
Alyssa grinned, accepted his hand and shook it. ‘Seems I was wrong about you, DoubleD. You’re not so bad after all.’
As they ate, they reminisced about their high school days and spoke about everything they’d been up to since Alyssa had left town. She made no mention of anything that’d been happening in her life these last few weeks. If she told Dean about her recent break-up with Alastair, he might ask why they’d gone their separate ways, and she wasn’t sure she could hide the truth—that Alastair had decided he couldn’t handle having a sick girlfriend. Not that she held it against him; they’d only been dating six months and still lived fairly separate lives. But the look on his face when she’d told him of her diagnosis still haunted her, and she didn’t want Dean looking at her that way. He was her source of distraction, her ticket to freedom. Granted, that freedom would be short-lived, just until her treatment started, but she’d take what she could get.
No, Dean didn’t need to know what her future held. So she skirted around the truth. Thankfully, he didn’t probe further into her reason for coming home.
Once they’d finished their meals, they emerged from the restaurant and the salty ocean breeze cleansed their senses. Dean took her hand and pulled her away from the waterfront.
‘First stop on the Remind Alyssa What She’s Been Missing Tour is the ice cream parlour, where you can choose from thirty-one flavours, then we can take a walk along the jetty. You up for it?’
‘You had me at ice cream.’ She skipped ahead, matching her stride to his.
Choosing an ice cream flavour was almost as problematic as scouring the dinner menu had been. There were so many delicious choices on offer among the creamy goodness displayed behind the glass counter, but eventually, Alyssa settled on strawberry cheesecake and Dean went for white-choc macadamia. With waffle cones in hand, they made their way to the beach and walked along the same jetty Alyssa remembered from her childhood. A few others meandered along it, but the night was quieter out here, the atmosphere more subdued.
When they’d gone as far as they could go, they sat on the edge of the pier facing Garden Island, the lights at the navy base twinkling faintly. Dean sat close, the heat from his body reminding her that she wasn’t alone.
She turned and smiled at him. ‘So, what’s the second stop on the tour, Dean Daniels?’
Taking a bite from his waffle cone, he frowned, then tilted his head as if contemplating their options, and his hair flopped over his forehead.
‘Paddleboarding,’ he decided, then glanced at her. ‘I don’t work Mondays, so we can go tomorrow if you’re free.’
Before she could reply, the sound of splashing came from beneath her feet, and a puff of air sent a spray of mist to her toes. She leaned forward and Dean grabbed her arm to hold her back.
‘What was that?’ She peered into the black depths, the surface of the water shimmering under the yellow glow from the light above.
‘Shh.’ Dean leaned closer and pointed to their right, at a spot about three metres away.
Catching a whiff of his aftershave, a purely masculine scent with hints of sandalwood and eucalyptus, Alyssa turned into him. Hit with a sudden and unexpected wave of desire, she couldn’t help but breathe him in. Dean, though, stayed focused on the water.
‘There,’ he whispered, pointing again.
A smooth, shiny grey body surfaced. Its blowhole opened, expelled air, then closed before the animal disappeared once more, all in one fluid movement.
‘A dolphin?’
Dean glanced at her, his eyes dancing. ‘Dolphins.’
More subtle splashing followed, and they tore their gazes from each other to see a second grey body emerge, this one significantly smaller than the first. A mother and her calf.
‘Oh, they’re beautiful!’ Alyssa breathed and looked wide-eyed at Dean.
