Page 126 of The Side Road
‘1973 Alfa Romeo GTV. Piper Yellow with a black leather interior. Only one owner and recently restored.’
‘How much?’
‘Eighty grand. We can probably get it for seventy-five.’
She stepped away from the knitting machine. ‘That’s a lot. I didn’t want to spend that much.’
‘I can chip in. What do you need, forty, fifty grand?’
‘I can’t let you do that. And where are you going to get fifty grand from?’
‘What do you mean?’ He flicked through images of the car. Showing her the side details and the front end. A close-up of the interior and the leather steering wheel.
‘It’s not a trick question. Do you have a lazy fifty grand up your sleeve?’
He pointed to his chest. ‘Remember me. Oliver Overton. MotoGP champion.’
‘What are you saying?’
‘I won. Look at this, it’s the original Carello high-beam headlights and mirror.’ Again, he turned his computer toward her and pointed to the screen.
Her gaze was locked on him, the car forgotten. She was after a confession. He smiled, hoping it might lessen the blow, but a full disclosure was imminent.
‘I have some property,’ he began. ‘A house in Melbourne. Another in London. An apartment in Italy. Investments. Shares. A very long-term deposit. And a trust fund for Tash.’
Her eyes didn’t leave his face.
He held her gaze. ‘The car is a manual, but it’s easy to drive. It’s the perfect car for you, and in a few years, Tash can use it to get her learner’s. Do you have a problem with that?’
‘Of course not.’ Frowning, she bit her lip. ‘You could have told me this sooner.’
He pulled the laptop back and tapped at the keys, searching for something. ‘I was too busy winning you over with my charming personality.’ Once again, he spun his computer around. On the screen was a picture of a Labrador puppy. ‘How would you feel about a second Labrador?’
‘But we already have the best Labrador in the world. Why would we want another?’
‘A friend for Snood, we could call her Muffler. I’d like a chocolate lab.’
Mia walked across the room to the window. She looked over the backyard. ‘They’re not as smart as the black ones – so I’ve heard. All this time, I thought…and you let me believe… Now I find out, and I feel…betrayed. Like you lied to me.’
When she turned her head, he was staring at her.
‘I needed you to loveme. Oliver from Eagle Nest.’
‘I do. I do love you.’ She turned back to the window. ‘It makes sense – the prize money, but I’m so confused.’
‘What are you confused about?’
‘Arthur doesn’t live next door to you, does he?’
‘No. He lives on West Street, near the water tower.’
‘Yes. The neighbours have a white car. And he drives a blue car. Every weekend, it was parked out the front of the parsonage – a blue car. I used to see it on my day off. It was always here.’
Oliver looked up. ‘Why would it?—’
‘You don’t think…’
Oliver emptiedthe shoeboxes of old photos onto the kitchen table.
