Page 11 of Finding Tane
And face up to all my disappointed aunties and cousins?
That made the knot in my stomach even worse.
I opened up my banking app. At least I had plenty of cash... if I wanted to head home I could, no problem. I could head anywhere in the world. Move to somewhere no one would ever look for me. Rural Japan? Norway? Some little island in the Pacific like Rarotonga? I laughed off that last one. Rarotonga was the number one tourist destination for New Zealanders. I’d be found in a matter of weeks.
I stood up and looked out the window at the town limits close by. Or here? No one would look for me here. I’d chosen Foggy Basin in such a random way, it was a cute town but it was basically a nothing town as well. There must be hundreds of towns just like it.
Groaning, I turned away from the window and rubbed my stomach. I didn’t need to decide anything now. I just had to go meet Dillon and eat some dinner. That’s all I had to do.
On a whim, that I was certain I’d regret, I picked up my guitar and slung it over my back. I grabbed the beers on my way out the door and walked slowly towards the grocer’s.
The evening was another mild one. Not too hot, not cold, just pleasant and mild. The sun was headed towards the horizon and I looked around with new eyes.
Could I live here?
Would the quiet get to me after so long in a big city?
I simply didn’t know the answers.
Dillon locked up the shop just as I approached. “Hey Tane, good timing!”
“Good evening!” I called.
He led the way to the upstairs apartment. The inside was incredibly neat and tidy. It made my situation at the motel feel extra seedy, since they’d only provided two drawers and a tiny wardrobe, so I was mostly living out of my suitcase and a pile on a chair.
“Come in, make yourself comfortable,” Dillon said. “I put dinner in the slow cooker this morning so it won’t take long to prepare once you’re hungry.”
“In the meantime...” I handed him the bag of beers. “I couldn’t find any New Zealand beers, but these should be fine.”
I blushed a little, I’d just implied that there would definitely be a next time, which was presumptuous of me.
Dillon smiled and took the bag. “Thank you. Do you want a glass? Or just out of the bottle?”
“Out of the bottle is fine.” I set my guitar carefully down in the corner and took a seat as Dillon cracked open the beer then handed it to me.
“I’ll join you.” He opened one for himself and sat down. “Busy day?”
I shook my head. “Not at all. I’m gonna be honest with you, I’m kind of spinning my wheels at the moment.”
Dillon’s gaze cut to my guitar in the corner. “You play?”
“Yeah I’m...” I figured it was time to come clean. I was in his house, sharing a beer, he was about to feed me. If we weren’t friends already we were about to be. “I’m a musician. But, I’m on a break at the moment.”
Dillon smiled, not a single bit of surprise registered on his face. “Oh yeah?”
“You knew.” I narrowed my eyes at him.
“Well, my little sister, she recognised you. She’s a big fan. I had to banish her to a friend’s tonight or she’d have forced you to sign every album you’ve ever released.”
I took a deep drink of my beer then had to laugh. “Thanks for sparing me from that, then?”
“I mean, there’s only so much I can do. I’ve spared you for this evening, but it’s a small town, she’ll track you down eventually.”
I laughed again and rubbed my face. “You’re probably right about that.”
“For what it’s worth, I wouldn’t have any idea who you are if it wasn’t for her,” Dillon said. “But I looked up some of your music and I like it. We don’t have to talk about it tonight though.”
“Thanks, it’s all a bit of a tender area for me right now,” I said.
