Sunset Down Under

COCO

I grinned at Christina, who was clearing her throat.

Blaze’s face turned a soft pink as he scratched the back of his neck. “I don’t think so. I’ll be in touch if I can.”

“Okay, handsome. Bye.” She winked and sauntered off, her butt swaying in a clear bid for his attention.

I lowered my gaze to my feet, avoiding his eyes.

“I should head to the tower. Can I swing by on my break if you’re still here?”

I looked up at Blaze and smiled. “Sure. If I’m still here.”

He ran his hands through his hair and over his face as he walked away.

“You still glad you gave him my number?” I asked Christina, raising an eyebrow.

“That doesn’t mean anything, Coco.”

I shook my head. “Sure.”

“Don’t let one girl flirting with him stop you from getting to know the guy.”

I had no right to be jealous, but I had every right to guard my heart after what I had been through.

Christina and I spent the next hour soaking up the sun. I decided to get up from the sand and take a walk along the shore to cool down. “Want to join me?”

“Nah. I’m just going to sit back and enjoy the view.” She grinned, her gaze drifting toward a group of muscular, tattooed guys playing football on the beach.

If this was what summer looked like every year, I was all in for living in Sydney.

I brushed the sand off my body before heading to the small crashing waves.

Smiling, I looked down at my feet as the cold water washed over them. The way the sand filled the spaces between my toes made it feel like I was moving while standing still.

“Coco,” Blaze whispered, pulling me from my thoughts. I turned my attention to him, a weak smile playing on his lips. “Having fun?”

“Yeah, it’s really beautiful here.”

“Um. I wanted to explain about before.”

I shook my head and raised my hand. “You don’t have to explain anything.”

He scratched the back of his neck. “I feel like I do.”

“No, we’re all good.”

“Karaoke,” he blurted out.

I furrowed my brows. “I’m sorry. What?”

“My friends and I went to karaoke last night. That girl was there.”

“Okay.”

“I just wanted to tell you so you didn’t get the wrong idea. Nothing happened between us.”

“Blaze, you seem nice—”

“Don’t start with that.” He sighed. “I want to get to know you.”

“I think it’s best we stay friends for now.”

He chewed the inside of his cheek. “You want to be friends?” He frowned. “Fine. I gotta head back to work.” He turned and walked away before I even had the chance to say goodbye.

“Dammit!” I shook my head and walked back to Christina, who was still watching the football game.

“Did Blaze come up to you?”

“Yeah, he did,” I huffed, and flopped back on the sand.

“What did he want?”

I explained what happened with Blaze. She wore the same disappointed look that had been on his face. “Coco!”

“It’s better this way. At least until my life is sorted.”

***

The next morning, I took Bobo for a walk before getting ready for my first day at work.

My job was as an accounts payable manager at the Sydney Aquarium in Darling Harbor, a role I’d mastered back in Melbourne.

“How are you getting there?”

“Bill has given me parking privileges at the hotel close by. I’m driving down there.”

“Do you know where you’re going?”

“Yeah. I have my GPS. He told me where to go from the hotel.” I grabbed my keys and bag from the kitchen island and smiled. “I’ll talk to you later, babe.”

“Tell Bill he’s awesome.”

“He’s definitely the best boss around! Have a good day.”

I drove down to the hotel, parked the car, and took the short walk to the aquarium. After giving Bill a quick call, he met me at the entrance.

“Coco!” He pulled me in for a hug. “I’m so glad you’re here.”

“Thanks, Bill. I appreciate it.”

“Anytime. No way was I going to let you stay there when I had the chance to bring you here.”

Bill showed me to the back office and introduced me around.

He introduced me to the people I would be working with and the two people who would be working under me. I had met a few of them before, but there were some new faces.

I spent the rest of the day settling in, and it didn’t take long to realize that this job and these people were a perfect fit.

I knew I’d made the right decision.

It had been a month since I started my job. I was grateful to have an amazing boss. My previous manager back in the States was a total jerk who eventually got fired for sexual harassment.

I had been so busy with work and hanging out with Christina that I hadn’t seen much of Blaze.

After that day on the beach, he’d avoided me almost completely, even though I couldn’t stop thinking about him. His smile was the first thing on my mind in the morning.

Part of me hoped he would ask me out again. After settling into Sydney and getting through the adjustment period, I knew if he ever asked that question, I would probably say yes.

Ugh. I doubt he’ll ask me again. Not after telling him I wanted to be friends.

I had no right to be jealous. He’d explained that it was an innocent night of singing, but when she’d called him sexy, my body tensed and I reacted hastily.

Christina had seen Blaze in the lobby a few times. Thankfully, Harley was not with him. I knew she wouldn’t be as graceful with him as she was with Blaze.

“Guess who asked about you today,” Christina said, stirring the tomato basil pasta sauce on the stove.

“Really? Who?” I asked, my face lighting up.

“Guess.”

“Okay, spill it. What did you tell him?”

She paused her stirring, scooping up a bit of sauce with her finger and tasting it. “Delicious.”

Then she turned to me. “I told him you’re in desperate need of a good orgasm and you’d like him to be the one to give it to you.”

My eyes nearly popped out of my head. “You did not!”

She laughed, tossing her head back. “You're so easy to tease!”

“Christina, seriously.”

“What did you think I said? I told him he should give you a call.”

“You did?”

She nodded. “Yep. Just this afternoon, actually.”

“Oh.” I felt my cheeks heat up, suddenly eager to hear his voice.

“I bet he’ll call you.”

“I don’t think so.”

“Do you want him to call you?”

I nodded, a little too quickly. “Yes, I do.”

Christina grinned. “Good. I’ll let him know next time I see him.”

I tilted my head. “But you said…?”

“I lied,” she confessed.

I nudged Christina and pushed her away from the stove. “I can’t believe you.”

“You can and you do. You still love me though, right?”

“Still deciding on that one,” I teased.

“At least you’ve admitted to yourself that you like him.” She turned off the stove and started the kettle.

“It doesn’t matter. He got the hint when I saw him at the beach.”

“Give him another hint. Why don’t you text him?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

I sighed. “I’ll think about it.”

***

Saturday morning rolled around, and I decided to take a drive to the off-leash dog park.

“Ready, Bobo?”

I bent down to unclip her leash. Bobo took off like a shot, chasing imaginary bunnies. I watched her play, trying to catch the magpies that flew too close to her head.

I unzipped my bag and pulled out her favorite tennis ball, throwing it as far as I could. She ran to fetch it and came back to drop it at my feet.

“Again?”

Woof!

Bobo looked up at me with those adorable eyes, begging me to throw the ball again. After a while, I smiled at her. “One more throw, then we have to head home.”

This time, the ball landed near the trees. Bobo went to fetch it, but her persistent barking alerted me to something else.

I walked over to her and my heart dropped when I saw a snake wriggling in her mouth. She yelped as it turned its head to bite her.

“Shit!”

The snake slithered away when Bobo finally let go. I scooped her up in my arms and ran to my car, heading for the nearest vet.

***

“Help!” I shouted, pushing open the clinic door with my back, Bobo cradled in my arms.

“What happened?” the clinic worker asked.

“We were at the park, and she got bitten by a snake. She’s been throwing up in the car.”

“Do you know what kind of snake it was?”

I shook my head, my hands trembling, Bobo’s breaths coming in short gasps.

“Okay. My name is Miguel. I’m a vet nurse here. We’ll do everything we can to help her.”

Miguel came out from behind the desk and took Bobo from me. I bent down to give her a kiss before he walked away.

“I love you, Bobo.”

I took a deep breath and sat down in the waiting room, feeling like time had stopped. I covered my face with my hands, blinking back tears.

After a while, I stood up and started pacing.

“Coco?” A familiar voice called my name.

I looked up, and my breath hitched when I saw Blaze. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m the vet.”

I wiped my tears. “What?”

“Can we sit down?”

“Oh, God.” My heart pounded in my chest, and I sank into the nearest chair.

“It’s okay, Coco.” Blaze sat down next to me. “Boadicea has a good chance of survival since you brought her in right after she was bitten.”

I took a deep breath. “So, she’s going to be okay?”

“She’s not out of danger yet. We’ve given her the antivenom she needs. Now we wait.”

I let out the breath I’d been holding and wiped away the tears that had fallen. “Thank you so much.”

“Would you like to see her?”

“Oh, God, yes!”

Blaze stood up and reached out his hand. I wasn’t sure why I took it, but I did. He led me through the double doors to where Bobo was in an open cage.

She had an IV line in her, and she looked exhausted, but her tail wagged when she heard my voice.

“Hi, Bobo.” I crouched down and gently patted her head, then scratched her back, her favorite. After half an hour, I decided to let her rest.

“We should keep her here for a couple of days to make sure there’s no internal damage,” Blaze explained, taking my hand in his. “I believe she’ll be okay.”

“Thank you. I’m still shocked that you’re here—and confused. I thought you were a lifeguard?”

“I volunteer as a lifeguard on some weekends during the summer. More if they need me. My vet clinic is open every day, but I co-own it with another vet.”

“Oh.” I swallowed, glancing down at my hand, which was still held in his. I stared at it for a moment before gently pulling away and tucking a loose strand of hair behind my ear. “Thanks again.”

“Will I see you tomorrow?”

“I guess so,” I mumbled, heading towards the exit.

“Coco, hold on.”

I paused and turned back. “Yeah?”

“I want to ask you again if I can take you out for coffee.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “This probably isn’t the best time to ask—and if you say no, I promise I won’t bother you again.”

“Yes,” I replied without hesitation.

A smile spread across his face. “Did you just say yes?”

“Sure did.” I grinned back.

“Oh. I wasn’t expecting that.”

I laughed. “I should get going.”

“Okay. I’ll see you tomorrow, and we can discuss our date.”

I tilted my head. “Date? I thought it was just coffee.”

His mouth opened slightly before he smiled again. “In Australia, they’re the same thing.”

“I don’t know if you’re just saying that to score a date with me.”

“I absolutely am.” He winked.

I laughed again. “Alright. It can be a date.”

***

“Good, you’re home! How’s Bobo?”

I collapsed onto the couch and sighed. “As well as she can be, I suppose. She might pull through since she was treated right after the bite.”

Christina sat down next to me, and I rested my head on her shoulder.

“Damn snakes,” she muttered.

I smiled and lifted my head to meet her eyes. “So, I have some news.”

“What?”

“Blaze asked me out on a date.”

Her eyes widened. “What? You saw Blaze? Where?”

“At the vet’s office.”

“What was he doing there?”

“Working. He’s the vet.”

Her mouth fell open. “Wait. So, you’re telling me that gorgeous man saves not just people, but animals too?”

“That’s exactly what I’m telling you.”

“He’s perfect!”

“I’m starting to think so too.”

She clapped her hands together and grinned. “What did you tell him?”

“I told him we should just be friends and that I wasn’t interested in dating him.”

She froze before letting out a shriek. “What?!”

“Relax. I said yes.” She smacked my arm, and it felt like a punch. “Ouch. You’re strong.”

“Why are you trying to annoy me?”

“I wasn’t. I was just joking.”

“I’m so happy for you!”

“Calm down. It’s just one date.” I pulled my knees up to my chest. “Just one date, that’s all.”

“He’s been wanting to ask you out since the day you bumped into him.”

“I’m worried about how Mountain Man will react.”

“Pffft. Don’t worry about him. I’ll deal with that jerk if he tries to interfere.”

***

That night, I was lying in bed watching TV when a text lit up my phone. I smiled instantly when I saw Blaze’s name.

Blaze switched into professional mode.

I looked down and my mouth fell open when I realized he was right.

I blushed, suddenly grateful he wasn’t there to see it.

***

The next day, I took off work to visit Bobo, and Christina was working from home. I showered and got ready to head to the vet, and for my unexpected date with Blaze.

As I opened the front door to leave, I found someone blocking my way.

“What are you doing here?”