Sunset Down Under

COCO

Christina burst out of her room, her voice loud and clear. “Hell no! Get out!”

“No. I need to talk to Coco,” Harley insisted.

Christina, my best friend, marched up to him, her face set in a determined scowl. Harley looked her over, but she didn’t seem to care. His lips twitched into a smirk, and I knew she was getting under his skin.

He turned his gaze to me. “Can we talk?”

“You’ve got one minute.”

I glanced at Christina, and she got the message, retreating back into her room with a loud slam of the door.

“What do you want?”

“Blaze told me he’s taking you out.”

“Yeah, we’re grabbing coffee.”

“I wouldn’t be a good friend if I didn’t give you a heads up.”

I crossed my arms and raised an eyebrow. “A heads up?”

“Yeah. Don’t hurt him.”

“That’s it? Don’t hurt him?”

“Yep.”

I let out a deep sigh and dropped my arms. “I have no plans to hurt him, Harley. I don’t know why you’ve got it out for me, but you don’t even know me.”

“He’s an ass!” Christina’s voice echoed from her room.

Harley shook his head, chuckling. “Damn.”

“Is that all?” I asked.

“No. Blaze has been through a lot. He doesn’t deserve to be messed around.”

“I’m not that kind of girl.” I tried to reassure him, but his skeptical expression told me it would take more than words.

“Sure. You all say the same thing.”

“Harley. It’s nice that Blaze has someone looking out for him, but I’m not the girl you think I am. I’m certainly not a ‘gold-digging bitch,’ as you so kindly put it.”

His cheeks turned a shade of pink before I continued.

“Now, if you don’t mind, I was just about to see my dog and meet Blaze.”

Christina’s door swung open again as she stormed out. “You heard her. Get out.”

Harley stood there, his mouth hanging open, as he watched Christina.

I turned to my best friend. “Close the door behind me so you don’t have to deal with him.”

“Oh, I plan to.”

***

The drive to the vet was a whirlwind of nerves. I was anxious—not just to see Bobo, but Blaze too.

I was lucky to find a parking spot right outside the clinic. I got out of the car and headed in to see my pup.

And the guy who’s been making my heart flutter since the day I bumped into him.

“Hey.” Blaze greeted me with a smile as I walked in.

“Hey.”

“Ready to see your baby?” He winked.

I couldn’t help but smile back. “Absolutely. I’ve missed her.”

“Well, she’s doing even better. I’ll probably keep her for one more night just in case, but if all goes well, she should be back home with you tomorrow.”

“That’s great. Thank you.”

Blaze led me to the back. Bobo was looking much better and was able to stand this time to greet me with her wagging tail.

“Hey, baby girl.” I knelt down, and she came over for a cuddle, snuggling right into me. I stayed with her for a while before Blaze and I headed out to the café for our date.

***

“Here we are.” Blaze grinned, holding the door open for me.

“Thank you.”

We were quickly shown to a corner table. I sat down and Blaze took his seat across from me. The waitress placed a menu in front of each of us.

“Are you hungry?” Blaze asked.

“So, you’re upgrading this date to lunch instead of coffee?”

He looked up from the menu and smiled. “If you’re hungry, of course. I don’t want my date to starve.”

“I could eat. I was too upset after what happened yesterday, so I didn’t eat much.”

“What about breakfast?” Blaze narrowed his eyes.

I blushed. “I was too nervous.”

“Why?”

“Um. Meeting you, I guess.”

“Oh,” he whispered. “Yeah, I felt the same.”

“It’s been a while since I’ve been on a date.”

I didn’t want to go into too many details about my ex-husband. It was only our first date and I wasn’t looking to scare him off.

“Well, I’m glad you finally said yes.” His smile somehow made me feel at ease.

“So am I.”

“So, what do you do?”

“I work as an accounts payable manager for Sydney Aquarium.”

Blaze raised his eyebrows. “You work at the aquarium in Darling Harbor?”

“Yeah. I used to work at the one in Melbourne but got transferred here.”

“I’ve been there a few times. I’ve done surgery on the animals there with the other vets when they’ve needed extra help.”

“Oh, wow.”

“I’m actually heading there next week.”

“Really?” I beamed.

Blaze nodded. “Yeah. Looking forward to it even more now.” He winked.

“Well, I work in the back office, so not sure if I’ll run into you.”

He lowered his voice to a whisper. “I’ll make sure we do.”

The waitress took our orders. I decided on the Moroccan spiced veggies with couscous and Blaze ordered smoked salmon with veggies. We continued to chat until our food arrived.

“Wow. This is incredible.” I took a bite of my meal, Blaze watching me with an intensity that made me blush.

I wiped my mouth, feeling self-conscious. “Do I have something on my face?”

He shook his head, a slow smile spreading across his face. “No, I just like watching you eat.”

“Oh.” I tucked a loose strand of hair behind my ear, feeling a little flustered.

Blaze chuckled, taking a bite of his own meal. “Want a taste?”

“I’ve, um, never tried salmon before,” I admitted.

His eyes widened in surprise. “Really? Never?”

I shook my head. “Nope.”

“Well, there’s a first time for everything.”

I smiled, leaning forward as he offered me a bite. The taste was divine. “Mmmm.”

“So, I have a question. If I’m being too forward, just tell me to back off.”

I laughed. “What is it?”

“Nothing’s wrong. I’m just thinking about where we could go for our second date.”

I couldn’t help but smile. “Second date, huh? We’re not even done with the first one.”

“Is that a no?” His eyes were hopeful.

“No, I’d love a second date.”

He let out a breath I hadn’t realized he was holding. “How about Friday night?”

“That sounds perfect.”

After lunch, we walked back to the clinic. He walked me to my car, his presence comforting.

“Thanks for lunch, Blaze.”

“You’re welcome.”

He leaned in, pressing a soft kiss to my cheek. My heart pounded in my chest, my body reacting to the simple gesture.

I couldn’t help but wonder what it would feel like if he kissed me on the lips.

For real.

“I’m heading to the parlor with Harley. Maybe I’ll see you later.”

“I hope so.”

***

“How was your date?” Christina asked, her eyes sparkling with excitement as soon as I walked into the apartment.

“It was good.”

She raised an eyebrow. “Just good?”

I bit my lip, grinning. “It was amazing.”

“Did he kiss you?”

“On the cheek. His lips were so soft.” I touched my cheek, closing my eyes at the memory before Christina snapped me out of my reverie.

“Harley’s such a jerk! He wouldn’t shut up after you left. I had to slam the door in his face.”

“Sorry I left you with him.”

“It’s fine. I can handle guys like him. He just needs a strong woman to keep him in check.”

***

I spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch with Christina, talking about my date. Suddenly, there was a knock at the door. Christina disappeared into the bathroom while I went to answer it.

My smile faltered when I saw Blaze’s expression. “Blaze. What’s wrong?”

“I can’t believe it,” he growled. “I guess Harley was right about you.”

Harley stood next to him, a smug look on his face. “I told you she was a gold-digger.”

“What are you talking about?”

“Your husband is downstairs waiting for you.”

My mouth fell open. “Husband? What—?” But Blaze and Harley had already turned and walked away. “Shit!”

“What’s wrong?”

I turned to Christina, my heart pounding. “Jack’s downstairs. He told Blaze he was my husband!”

“What the hell?”

“I need to find Blaze and explain.”

“First, you need to tell Jack to fuck off,” Christina said, her eyes blazing.

“Wait here. I’ll be back.” I grabbed my keys and headed for the elevator.

Jack was waiting by the entrance, his attention glued to his phone. The box I’d mailed him sat at his feet.

When he looked up, his eyes were full of contempt. “You!”

“What are you doing here, Jack?”

“You think this is funny?” He kicked the box toward me, and it slid across the floor.

“Actually, yes.”

“Sending me a box of shit!”

I kept my face impassive, but inside, I was laughing at his outrage.

“Why the hell did you tell people you were my husband?”

“I heard them talking about you. I figured there couldn’t be many Cocos around here. You should have seen the look on the guy’s face. It was priceless.”

“You’re an asshole, Jack! Get the fuck out of here and take your shitty box with you.”

Jack stormed out, leaving the box in the middle of the lobby. I kicked it into the elevator and down to the basement, leaving it next to the trash bin.

Back in the apartment, I slammed the door shut.

“God, he makes me so mad!”

“Did you see Blaze downstairs?”

I shook my head, rubbing my hands over my face. “No. He’s probably gone by now. If Harley didn’t hate me before, he sure as hell does now.”

“You should call him.”

“Do you think he’ll answer?”

“Probably not, but it’s worth a try.”

I nodded, heading to my room with my phone clutched in my shaking hand. I sat on the edge of my bed and dialed Blaze’s number.

When he didn’t answer, I tried a few more times before giving up. “Damnit!”

I stormed back out to Christina. “I think he turned off his phone.”

“Maybe you should go to the tattoo parlor. See if he’s there.”

“I’ll send him a message to call me. If not, I’ll see him tomorrow at the vet when I pick up Bobo.”

“Yeah, good luck with that,” Christina said, her voice heavy with sarcasm.

“I’m going to need it.”

***

The next morning, I woke up early and took a quick shower. I was excited to see Bobo, but I also needed to clear the air with Blaze.

After a short drive, I pulled into the same parking spot as yesterday. I sat in the car for a moment, gathering my thoughts and figuring out what I was going to say to him.

In his mind, I was still married. I can’t believe that jerk Jack told him that. I really can’t stand him. Taking a deep breath, I stepped out of the car and headed into the clinic.

Miguel, the front desk assistant, greeted me with a smile. “Hi! You’re here to pick up Bobo?”

“Yeah. Is she ready?”

“She sure is. She even has a visitor right now.”

I frowned. “A visitor? Who would come to see Bobo?”

Miguel didn’t answer. He opened the double doors, and I followed him in. Bobo didn’t notice me at first. She was too busy getting attention from an unexpected visitor.

“Harley?”

He looked up, his eyes narrowing. “What the…?”

Bobo wriggled out of his arms when she heard my voice. She ran toward me, and I bent down to greet her. After picking her up, she showered my face with kisses. “You’re such a sweetheart, Bobo. I missed you.”

Woof!

After a few moments of much-needed cuddles, I gently set her down and turned to Harley. “Is Blaze around?”

“You have the nerve to ask me that?” he growled.

“He’s in the treatment room with a patient,” Miguel chimed in.

I turned to him and smiled. “Thank you.” I then turned back to Harley, who was glaring at me. “There’s been a misunderstanding.”

“He doesn’t care. He wants nothing to do with you.”

Ouch.

I blinked back tears. Even though Blaze and I had only been on one date, I felt a connection I hadn’t thought possible.

“Coco...”

I turned around to see Blaze standing next to Miguel. “Hey. Can we talk please?”

He shook his head. “I’m busy right now.”

“Can you call me later?”

Blaze scratched the back of his neck. “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”

I sighed. “So you’re not going to hear me out?”

He ignored my question. “Bobo still needs medication. One tablet, twice a day. Miguel will get the meds for you. I’ll see you around, Coco.”

With that, Blaze walked out of the room. I turned to Harley, wishing I could wipe the smug grin off his face.

“I told you.”

I rolled my eyes. “Come on, Bobo.”

Woof.

I followed Miguel to the reception area to settle the bill.

“Oh, there’s no charge,” Miguel said with a smile.

“I’m sorry?”

“There’s no charge.”

“That can’t be right.”

“Blaze was specific. He said not to charge you for Bobo’s treatment.”

“I can’t accept that. I’m not leaving here without paying.”

Miguel nodded. “Okay. I’ll sort out your bill. I might get fired though,” he joked. He turned to the computer, printed out the details, and handed me the bill marked unpaid.

After paying with my credit card, I thanked Miguel and headed back to the apartment.

***

“Did you talk to him?”

I shook my head. “He wouldn’t hear me out.”

“God, why are men so dumb?”

“I can’t argue with that. We were supposed to go out on a date on Friday night. Looks like that’s not happening now.”

“Maybe we should do something instead,” Christina suggested.

“I don’t even know,” I huffed. “God, I’m so angry!”

CHRISTINA

I was disappointed that Blaze hadn’t given her a chance to explain her situation.

“I’m going to head out and get some fresh air,” I told Coco.

“Okay, hun. I’ll see you when you get back.”

Bobo scampered over to me. I smiled at her. “Want to come with me?”

Woof!

She jumped up and down, and I couldn’t help but smile. I attached her leash to her collar and headed out the door with the doggy bags in hand.

After a short walk to the beach, I felt refreshed and ready to head back. As I entered the lobby, I saw Blaze and Harley waiting for the elevator. They turned when they heard Bobo bark.

“Oh, it’s Rocky,” Harley joked.

“Watch your mouth, Mountain Man. You remember what happened last time you gave me lip.”

“Feisty!” He chuckled.

“Suck the fart out of a dog’s ass.”

I could have sworn I saw Blaze’s lips twitch into a smile. The elevator doors opened and we all stepped inside.

Harley opened his mouth, and even though his back was turned, I knew he was talking to me. “I can’t believe that cute thing belongs to you.”

“First, the cute little thing belongs to Coco. I would have thought you’d know that by now,” I snapped.

“Second, she was lucky she was still able to keep her after the divorce. Her ex-husband was a jerk and tried to take Bobo away from her.”

Both Blaze and Harley turned to me, their mouths hanging open. “Ex-husband?”

COCO

I was lounging on my apartment couch, fresh from the shower, when a soft knock echoed through the room. “Christina, did you forget your key again?” I muttered under my breath.

I got up and undid the lock. My breath caught in my throat when I saw Blaze standing there. “What brings you here?”

“Can we talk?”