Page 73 of Keep Your Guard Up
“I have—”
“They’ve spent quite a bit of time together,” I interrupted.
Chance’s face lit up with a cheeky smirk. “You do sound a bit jealous there, Sunny.” He grinned. “Or should I say,Bubbles?”
I lifted a hand to swat his arm but stopped dead in my tracks when my dad begancackling.
“Oh, Mari.” He snorted. “I’d forgotten all about that nickname!”
~
Somehow leaving Dad on one of his good days was harder than leaving on one of his bad.
“He always seems to remember more when you come to visit,” Rhiannon had said to me.
Chance had, thankfully, grabbed me by the hand and led me out.
“Safety first.” He reached over with my seatbelt in hand, buckling it over my waist. “Even with these outdated seatbelts.” He shot me a sneaky smile before closing my door and heading for his side.
He jumped in and immediately launched the ute into reverse, hitting the other side of the carpark in seconds. But, instead of turning right to head back towards the highway, he turned left.
“Hey, this isn’t the—”
“I know.” A small smile plumped his lips out farther. “There’s still daylight hours left. I wanna take you somewhere. That okay?”
I swallowed, struggling against every emotionally drained instinct to get out of the car and walk all the way back to Soggla.Anythingto be by myself.
“You still got me?” I whispered.
His eyes found mine straight away, still that sparkly blue from this morning.
“Always.”
~
“Where is it exactly that you’re taking me?” I asked, rolling my window down just a touch to let some fresh air in.
“Full of questions today, are we?” He smirked, then used the one hand on the steering wheel to flick the indicator on.
“Arrenbrook Falls?” I asked again, reading the exit sign of the narrow lane he merged into.
“Not quite. We’re nearly there. Relax.” He moved his hand off the gearstick and onto my thigh, giving it a gentle squeeze.
His eyes widened for a heartbeat when they returned to the road before he swiftly swerved down an old dirt road.
Ahead of us, scribbling, rustling gumtrees lined either side of the dirt path. The sunlight was completely blocked out from the road by the overhanging trees, somehow with leaves greener than any of the others we’d driven past today.
Chance eased onto the brakes, taking the winding corners slow enough that the back wheels didn’t catch, but quickly enough to keep us moving up the incline.
Then the trees broke, and the view wasastonishing.
Hundreds upon hundreds of trees bunched together to coat the other side of the hill with a vibrant forest green. Some of the lighter trees, such as the taller ones with pale green eucalyptus leaves, had splashes of colour in it’s branches. Rainbow lorikeets bustled about. Birds flew over the peaceful land, some calling out to one another. Brief rustles were visible in nearby trees but faded with distance.
I used the roller handle to roll down my window and, like a child on a road trip, hung my face just outside the window. Feeling the fresh, warm, nature-filled breeze on my face, I sucked in a deep breath through my nose.
“Wow …” I breathed.
“My thoughts exactly.” He winked and offered me a sly smile.
