Page 23 of The Weight Of It All
I made a beeline for the coffee van. “Do you drink coffee?” I asked Reed.
“Yeah, sure.” He fished out his wallet from his pants.
“No, let me get this, please,” I said, offering to pay. “Unless you drink decaf on soy or something else as equally horrifying.”
Reed chuckled. “Nope, no decaf for me. Never did see the point.”
“Exactly!” I looked up at the guy in the coffee van and told him my order and waited for Reed to do the same. Ihanded over some cash, and when we were given our coffees, Reed looked truly grateful.
“Thank you,” he said quietly.
I smiled at his sincerity. “You’re welcome.”
“Okay,” he said, looking around the market stalls. “What’s first on your list?”
So we spent a while strolling the market and searching out the ingredients on my menu plan. Reed found some lemon butter he’d run out of, and he insisted I buy some too. Then he wanted me to try a fig and chili chutney. “You have to try it,” he said. “I have it at home. It’s great on grilled chicken with salad.”
The little old lady selling the homemade jars of goods grinned at him. “You bought some last time,” she said, her Greek accent strong. She obviously remembered him. I figured it was hard not to remember the six foot three inches tall, fridge sized, clean-cut gorgeous man. “You try it on lamb too,” she said. “I also spread thin on filo pastry, fine chop nuts and bake. Sprinkle with icing sugar. Make my husband very happy.”
“Okay, sold,” I said, happily handing over my money. I couldn’t believe how nice everyone was and how fresh all the produce was. I also couldn’t believe I’d lived just across the river for years and had never been to these markets. The sun was shining, people were walking dogs, jogging around the edge of the river, everyone was talking or laughing, and the coffee was great. “Thank you,” I said to Reed. “For suggesting to come here. It’s amazing.”
His smile was huge. “It’s great, isn’t it?”
“Oh look!” I said as we moved to another stall. This one sold home-baked gourmet dog treats, which I wasn’t too interested in, but they also had some boxes of second-hand books. I couldn’t resist having a peek, and I smiled victoriously as Ipulled out a ratty old copy ofThe Fellowship of the Ring. “I’m buying this for you,” I told Reed.
He made a face. “Really?”
“Yes really. You can’t be the only person on the planet not to have read these books.”
“Aren’t they for kids?”
I gasped and put the book to my chest. “Fool of a Took.”
“What?”
“Never mind.” I paid the bank-breaking price of a dollar for the well-read, well-used book, and slid it into one of his bags. “You’re welcome.”
He laughed. “I’m not ungrateful. I’m just not convinced it’s my thing.”
“Read it. And if you don’t like it, then you don’t have to read the other six.”
He snorted. “Deal.”
I found myself grinning at him. “Did you get everything you need?” He had a range of veggies and eggs, some handmade Italian pasta, and a jar of the lemon butter.
“Oh yeah, this is everything. And even better that I don’t have to cram it into my backpack to ride home.”
“You don’t drive at all?” I asked as we walked back to my car, carrying our bags of goods.
“Nope. I ride or walk to work because I live so close, and if I need to head out of Balmain, I catch a bus or take the ferry.”
“Have you lived in Balmain long?”
“Nah, only six months.”
Ah, six months. About the time he split with his cheating ex. “So, you moved here after you broke up with your boyfriend?” Then I realised that question was way too personal. “Sorry, you don’t have to answer that. I didn’t mean to cross a line.”
“No, it’s fine. Like I said, I’m over it. I can talk about it.” He stopped at my car and waited for me to unlock it. “Hisname was Brett, and we’d been seeing each other for about a year. We didn’t live together or anything, but we were exclusive. Well, we were supposed to be. When it all happened, I needed a change of scene, so I moved closer to work. Best thing I ever did. I love it here.”
