Page 37 of The Side Road
Mia checked her research. ‘Restored, about two hundred and fifty.’
‘Is it ours?’ Tash asked.
‘Nine-tenths of the law,’ Mia said. ‘Should we open a bottle of wine to celebrate?’
‘Yes, we should definitely do that.’ Oliver agreed.
Mia headed inside. She returned a few minutes later with glasses, the wine, and a bottle of water. While she was gone, Oliver had pulled an old Parker lounge set onto the paving. Its sleek mid-century timber frame covered in a wonderful boucle emerald fabric. They sat down on the dusty cushions.
Mia did the honours, breaking the wax seal on the wine bottle and extracting the cork. After sniffing it, she passed it to Tash. ‘If it’s bad, it smells like wet cardboard.’
Tash sniffed the cork. A sneeze followed. ‘It smells like wine.’
Mia filled two glasses. In the third, she added a splash of wine and half a glass of water. ‘The way the Italians do it,’ she said. ‘But only if your father agrees.’
Oliver nodded. After taking his glass, he said, ‘To the Black Shadow.’
Tash raised her glass. ‘To treasure hunts.’
‘To the Italians,’ Mia said.
They sipped their wine.
‘It’s good.’ Mia rubbed her lips together. ‘Not earth-shatteringly good, but drinkable. Tash, what do you think? Blackberry or red currants?’
‘It tastes like water.’
Mia sat back in her chair. ‘My Sundays are never this exciting.’
Tash turned to her father. ‘What’s so good about old bikes?’
Oliver was quick to answer. ‘Modern bikes don’t have the same personality. In the showroom, they look new, but there’s not much variation between the models. If you want to ride something unique, then you need an older model.’
The conversation had turnedfrom vintage bikes to old wines, and somehow they ended up discussing road trips and the unexpected places you find when travelling on back roads.
Mia confessed to never having taken a road trip, but she understood the value. ‘It’s the freedom and the randomness when everything else in life is planned,’ she said.
‘Yes.’ A smile touched Oliver’s lips and a spark stirred inside his heart. She had a way of summing up half an hour of conversation in a single sentence.
‘Road trips are only fun if you’re not trying to get somewhere fast.’ Tash yawned.
Having finished her wine long ago, Mia stood up andcollected her bag. After she said goodbye to Tash, Oliver walked her and Snood down the front path to the BMW.
He opened the door of the sidecar, and Snood jumped inside. Closing the door, Oliver took her hand. His thumb travelled back and forth across her skin. ‘I’d like to know more about you. I gather you’re not seeing one of the other nine hundred people who live in this town?’
‘No.’ She pulled her hand away. ‘But I’m not dating right now.’ A lot of head shaking followed this statement.
He collected her helmet from the bike. ‘If you change your mind, let me know.’
She reached for her helmet, but he pulled it out of her reach. ‘Promise.’
When he caught her eye, she smiled. ‘Yes.’
He handed her the helmet. She pulled it on and fumbled with the clip under her chin. A twisted strap prevented the clips from connecting. Forcing it was never going to work. As her frustration grew, she tried to lock the pieces together.
He pointed. ‘You need to turn the strap over.’
‘I know.’
