Second Chance (13 page)

Elissa tossed her another biccie. 
With a nod of thanks, Tam dipped it into the tea, took a bite and chewed.

Somehow, talking about it wasn’t
as bad as she thought.  In fact, it was almost a relief.

“Peter wasn’t perfect, as I found
out.  In fact, he could be nasty at times but he always apologised, always
brought me flowers, always made it up to me.  My family were happy that I’d
finally found someone.  I hadn’t had many dates growing up, I was always the
friend, never the girlfriend.  Most of the boys my age wanted slimmer, prettier
girls. I was good for fun or to talk to, or for a spare date when needed to
make up numbers, but romance was never on the cards.   I was used to that, so I
guess I kind of got a little abrasive myself, had a bit of a stay-away vibe
maybe.”

“Blaming yourself,” Elissa said quietly.

Tam shrugged.  “Doesn’t matter.  So
when first Anthony came along, then Peter, I let myself believe that things
were finally different.  You’d think I’d have learned from Anthony.”

They were all silent for a short
time.

Draining the mug of tea, Tam placed
it on the veranda beside her.  “Anyway, Anthony showed up unexpectedly at a party
and came straight across to me.  He wanted to get together again, said he’d
made a big mistake letting me go.  Peter was in his face, things got ugly.  And
then things got
really
ugly.”

“They fought,” Elissa guessed.

Tam still cringed inwardly when
she thought about the scene.  “Peter’s parents made us go into the library to
sort it out, out of the earshot of other guests.  Peter and Anthony were both
declaring their undying love for me, both pushing at me to make a decision.  I mean,
can you believe it?  Here were these two fantastic men wanting me. 
Me
. 
Fat little me.  I wasn’t in the league of their previous girlfriends, yet they
were both vying for my attention.”

“You’re beautiful in your own
way,” Ash said quietly.

“Pfft.”  Tam flicked her fingers dismissively. 
“I was a little overwhelmed, needed some space, so I slipped away while they
were insulting each other and took refuge on a balcony behind some curtains out
of sight of everyone.  Fortunately, I wasn’t out of ear shot.  I heard laughter
then someone mention my name.  Of course I was going to listen, right?”

“Absolutely,” Elissa agreed.

“And what do I hear?  Nothing
good.  Apparently the word was going around that my wealthy great uncle had put
me in his will.”

Tam waited.

“Holy heck.”  Elissa scowled.

“I get it,” Ash murmured.

“I got it too, believe me.  I got
it even more when someone else laughed and said that was why Peter and Anthony
were chasing me.  I went back to the library and fronted them up, said what I’d
heard.  They actually looked at each other.  I mean,
really
?  They
looked at
each other
?”  Even now it was humiliating.  “I knew it was
true then.  I knew they had only been after me for a supposed inheritance.”

“Bastards,” Elissa said with
feeling.

“Yeah.”  Tam frowned.  “I walked
out but it didn’t stop there.  They’ve been trying to see me, wanting me to
decide between them. Sending me flowers, declaring undying love.”

“Doesn’t surprise me” Ash said.

“I called them out on that, don’t
you worry.  I said love wasn’t based on money.  And you know what Anthony
said?”

“Nothing good, I’ll bet,” Elissa
muttered.

“Anthony said bluntly that he knew
I hadn’t had any boyfriends, that I wasn’t regarded as perfect wife material
for one of his status, but he loved me anyway.  He wanted us to marry and he
wasn’t going to give up.”

“How bloody romantic.  Not.”

“Peter was right there, said the
same thing.”

“Holy crap, a double whammy.”

Tam picked a bit of lint off her
pants, the memory still hurting regardless.  Humiliation had spikes that dug
deep.  “They’re both waiting for my decision.”

Elissa’s mouth dropped open.  “You’re
not seriously considering either of those dickheads?”

Tam stared unseeingly at her
pants.  “My family say I could do worse.”

Expecting a verbal blasting, Tam
was surprised when Elissa said soberly, “Sometimes family don’t always want
what’s best for you.”

“I know.  I know.”  Tipping her
head back against the veranda post, Tam stared up at the roof.  Not one spider
resided there, they wouldn’t dare at Aunt Maree’s house.  “But…you know…”

“Oh, Tam, you’re not seriously
trying to decide between them?”  Ash was horrified.  “You deserve so much
better.”

“Thanks.”  Tam’s lips twisted
derisively.  “I told everyone that I came here to think about it, to get away,
to decide what I want.”

“You don’t want them, trust me.”

“No, I don’t.”  Tam looked at
her.  “I really don’t.”

“So why say you have to make a
decision between them?”

“My mother hinted that this might
be my last chance.”

Ash actually looked pained.

“You’d go with that?” Elissa asked
slowly.

“No.”  Tam sighed as the truth
prodded her shamelessly.  Talking about it made it seem so…petty.  Selfish,
even.  Talk about self humiliation.  “No, I’m not going with that.”  At
Elissa’s sigh of relief, she smiled.  “What you see is a poor attempt at
revenge.”

“Revenge?”

“They all think I’m here to make a
decision.  I kept Peter and Anthony hanging on a string, letting them sweat it
out.  Revenge.”

“Okay.  I can believe that.”

“You didn’t want to just cut the
strings straight away?” Ash queried.  “Isn’t that kind of like self torture?”

“No, it was purely revenge
driven.”  Tam paused.  “Oh, it hurt me, don’t worry.  Here I had two men vying
for my attention, and suddenly the rug was pulled out from under my feet and I
fell on my arse on the cold, hard truth.”

“So you’re not going to have
either of this pair,” Ash affirmed.  “What are you after?  I mean seriously,
what?”

“I think I’m off men now. 
Actually, I’ve decided I’m off men.”  Tam took a deep breath.  “But if I was
still looking, it’d be for a man who isn’t ashamed of me.  A man who won’t
worry about being seen with me.”

“Geez, don’t tell me Dingbats 1
and 2 didn’t go out in public with you!”  Elissa was horrified.

“No.  Not that bad.”  Tam
laughed.  “I mean, the only kiss I got in public was a very chaste kiss on the
cheek in greeting, there was no hand holding, they never hugged me.  Always courteous
in public, a little more affectionate in private, but mostly they showed their
fondness
by giving me flowers and gifts.  I was so flattered that I didn’t even question
it.  Found it a little odd, but then I was out of their league, right?  I was
playing footsies with the popular boys.”

“Not all popular boys are idiots.”

“True.”  Tam nodded

Ash was watching her closely, an
unspoken question in her eyes that Tam guessed immediately.

She couldn’t help it.  “Bless you,
Ash, you’re so sweet.”

Ash just angled her head slightly
to the side.

“I’ll just say it.  Neither Peter
nor Anthony were interested in shagging me.”  Tam deliberately spoke coarsely
to lessen the impact of the confession.  “Hell, they never initiated much more
than a kiss, and even those were damned virtuous.  Guess that tells me where
they really stood.  With a figure like mine, why would they?”

“Don’t say that,” Ash scolded. 
“They’re idiots.”

“Idiots,” Elissa agreed.  “Not
worthy of you, my dear, trust me.”

“There are a lot of men who’d find
you attractive,” Ash added.

Tam rolled her eyes.  “Yeah,
right.”

“I hear Farris is quite taken with
you,” Elissa said slyly.  “He’s cute and nice.”

Ash cut her eyes to her friend.

“Farris would have no problem
kissing you,” Elissa continued.

Tam grinned.  “He is cute.  Like a
puppy.”

“Trust me, he wouldn’t hurt you. 
He’d also be really happy to shag you.”

“Gosh, thanks.”  Amused, Tam could
only grin wider.  “I think.”

“And there’s Grant, he’s popular
and definitely no idiot.”

Tam froze for a fraction of a
second before smiling vaguely.  In fact, Grant had dropped her like a hot
potato as soon as people arrived.  One second cupping her breast, making her
feels things she’d never felt before, the next wanting her to straighten
herself up before anyone saw them.  She could accept him protecting her from
prying eyes, but he couldn’t even show her some affection with a hand at her
waist or around her shoulders.   Just like Anthony and Peter.  Figured. 
Obviously she was out of his league as well.  Good enough for a kiss and grope
in private.  How pathetic was she to remember how good his hands had felt on
her, how silky his lips?  Bloody pathetic.

But Grant was good friends with
these girls and their husbands.  No way was she going to bring up what Grant
had said or done, what had happened between them.

And why should she even care about
him?  Cripes, they’d only met again a few days ago.

“Ah well.”  She stretched
leisurely.  “Such as it is.  I’ve decided no more men.  They can all go hang
themselves.  I’m sticking to myself and women.”  She paused.  “That might have
come out wrong.”

Ash laughed.  “I get you, don’t
worry.”

“Just lucky for you that Molly
isn’t here to take that little gem to the gutter and back.”  Elissa broke a
biscuit in half to lick off the cream.

“You know,” Ash said casually, “I
get that you were upset about Dingbats 1 and 2 in the beginning and you were
out for revenge, but I don’t get that the thought of them made you cry as much
as you did when we arrived.”

Tam froze.

“Because even though you spoke
with a little regret, definitely some hurt and anger, you don’t seem that
broken up about them.”  Sky blue eyes behind the glasses Ash wore studied Tam
keenly.  “Did something else happen to make you cry?”

Uncomfortable, Tam bent her knees,
using the shift of position to avoid looking at her.  “It was just the memory.”

“Of them?”

“Of being used.”  Sticking with
the truth was safe as long as she didn’t reveal too much.

“Memory overload?”

“Yep.”

“Nothing that might have happened
today?”

Oh boy, this woman was way too
astute.  “Not at all.”  Tam managed to meet those sky blue eyes. Or tried.  She
settled for looking at Ash’s glasses instead.  Nice frames.

“I’d think being courted like a
lady without any passion or desire would make any girl cry.”  Unwittingly,
Elissa came to the rescue.

Tam jerked a thumb at her.  “What
she said.”

“Hmmm.”  Ash just continued to
look at her.

Definitely not going down that
track where a certain handsome vet stood at the end.  Not going down that track
at all.  Ever.

Pushing to her feet, she crossed to
the wrought iron table to pick up the mobile.  “Anthony and Peter aren’t taking
my refusal.  I’m going to give them a last final blasting which should make
them back-off forever, especially if I mention the word ‘harassment’. It
wouldn’t look good in their upper-crust circle.”

Chapter 5

It was not a good day.

Eyes narrowed, Grant walked to the
café to buy some lunch.  Normally he’d have gone home but today he felt
restless, edgy.

He’d gone to see Tam the previous
night, no way happy at the way in which they’d parted, only to be informed by
her Aunt that Tam had turned in early and was asleep.

Foiled.

But then he’d been hoping to see
her when she came to clean his house, but no, she didn’t turn up before he left
for work, and he’d been too busy with surgery to slip across to see her during
morning tea.  Mostly because he’d worked straight through morning tea.

Cripes, he was lucky to get the
lunch break.  Hoping to see Tam at the house, he’d hurried across the back yard
just in time to see her ute pull out onto the road and drive off.

Foiled again.

But worse was the glance she’d
given him as he’d tried to hail her.  It was like he didn’t exist.  She’d
looked right through him.

Man, she was really angry.  He
didn’t have a clue why.

Fergus had barely lifted his head
to watch Grant.  Even the dog was spurning him.

With an hour to kill, he walked to
the café and ordered a burger and iced coffee.  Leaning against the wall
waiting, he spotted the fire truck drive past followed minutes later by the cop
car.  Neither was going fast, both were headed in the same direction.  That
meant that most likely some of the blokes were meeting for lunch as usual.  As
he watched the RSPCA work ute drove past in the same direction.

The door swung open, Scott
entering.  “G’day.”

“Hey.”  Grant nodded.

“Got your order right here,
Scott.”  Cheryl laid a large box on the counter.

From the delicious smells and
amount of boxes and bags, there was no doubt now that his friends were meeting
for lunch, most likely at their usual place, the fire station.

“Thanks, Cheryl.  Simon’s so
hungry he’s eyeing off Ryder like a prize haunch of roast lamb.”  Scott picked
up the box.  “If we wait any longer there won’t even be Ryder’s bones to pick over.”

“That boy does love his food.” 
Laughing, Cheryl took a wrapped packet from Ernie, her husband, and handed it
to Grant along with the iced coffee.  “There you go, love.”

Holding the box, Scott nodded to
Grant.  “Lunch time?”

“No, I always eat food at this
time of the day.”

Scott eyed him.  “You okay?”

“Great, just great.”  Grant hefted
the burger bag and held the door open for Scott.

Out on the sidewalk, the shade of
the bull-nose veranda giving relief from the heat of the day, Scott asked casually,
“Coming?”

Grant didn’t have to ask to know
what he meant.  He looked over at the fire station.  Sure enough the cop car
and the RSPCA ute were parked in front.  “Is this man cave time?”

“This is lunchtime.  Do you need
man cave time?”

“I just need to eat.”  Grant
paused.  “Sorry.  I’m in a bit of a shitty mood.”

“So you need friend time.”  Scott
started across the road.  “Come on.  I promise Simon won’t eat you.”

Maybe that’s what he needed, just
to shoot the shit with some friends, have a bit of a laugh, unwind.  God knew
his shoulders were tight, the faint beginnings of a headache at the backs of
his eyes.  He hadn’t felt this much inner tension since he’d studied for vet
exams.

The fire stations huge roller
doors were up, a fire truck parked on the left with the light tanker on the right. 
Voices came from the kitchen at the back.  Entering the kitchen, Grant saw
Ryder, Simon, Moz and Kirk sitting at the table.

Simon took one look at the box and
his eyes lit up.  “About bloody time!”

“Jesus,” said Ryder.  “Get a grip.”

“I haven’t eaten since smoko.  I’m
famished.”

Kirk spotted Grant and smiled. 
“Hey.”

“Hi.”  Grant dropped down into a
spare chair, placing the burger and iced coffee on the table.

“Finished shoving thermometers up
furry arses?” Ryder queried.

“You have such an eloquent way of
putting it.”

“I call it as I see it.” 

Scott was handing out packages. 
The scent of hot pies, Chiko rolls and chips filled the air.  Grant couldn’t
help grinning as a salad roll and large wedge of cake was added to Simon’s
chips, pie and Chiko roll.

Not in the least perturbed, Simon
tore the pie wrapper open and eyed the pie hungrily.

“This could get ugly.”  Ryder popped
the tab on a can of Coke.

“A man’s got to eat.”  Scooping up
some chips, Simon dropped them into his mouth and chewed blissfully.  Swallowing,
he sighed.  “That hit the spot.”

“No, that hit the bottom of a
walking rubbish bin.”

Ignoring him, Simon broke the pie
in half, steam curling from it.  “Hot.”

“Master of detection.”  Ryder
broke his own open.  “Hells bells.”

Scott rolled his eyes.

Leaning back in the chair, Kirk
took a bite of Chiko roll.

“Hey,” Simon said.  “Has anyone
noticed their sponges for washing their work vehicles disappearing?”

Ryder frowned.  “Now that you
mention it, I went to give the ambulance a go-over and the sponge was missing
from the shed.”

“Was the door open and unlocked?”
Kirk queried.

“Yeah, but only unlocked for
awhile.”

“Stealth Thief,” Grant suggested.

“Seriously?  Our sponges?” Simon
shook his head.  “What kind of dickhead steals sponges?”

Kirk shook his head as well.

“You’re the cop,” Simon told him. 
“Do something.”

“We’re working on it, but it’s
hard.”

“Jesus,” Ryder said.  “It’s a
sponge thief, Kirk, not an international spy.”

“There’s nothing to go on, no
pattern, random items.”  Kirk shrugged.  “We’re working on it.”

“I feel so safe with you walking
the streets.”

“Then my job is done.”

For several minutes the men busied
themselves opening their various lunches and taking appreciate bites before
settling back enough to eat and chat.

Attacking his own burger, Grant
sighed.  This was the life.  Good friends, man friends, good food, good drink,
good company.  Some of the tension eased and he relaxed.

Or he was relaxed until Moz casually
commented, “Hey, anyone know what’s wrong with Tam?”

Every bit of tension snapped
back.  “Why?  Did something happened to her?”

“Apparently she was crying her
eyes out.”  Scott bit off a chunk of pie.

“Crying?”  Grant lowered the
burger.  “When?”

“Yesterday.”

He went cold all over. 
“Yesterday?”

“Yep.  Old Jack Stanton was driving
past the house and saw Ash and Elissa comforting her.”

“What happened?”

“I don’t know.”

“Didn’t Ash tell you?”

“Nope.  I asked, she told me it
was personal.”

Shit.  That didn’t sound good. 
Grant’s gaze cut to Simon, who shrugged.  “I got the same response from Lis.”

Tam hadn’t been upset when he’d
come across her at the river.  “What time was this?”

“Afternoon.”  Squinting
thoughtfully, Simon took a pull of iced coffee.  “About one o’clock.”

Grant looked at Moz.

“What?” Moz asked.

“Elissa’s your sister.  What did
she say?”

“Mate, one thing you have to learn
about these women of ours.  If something’s confidential between them, nothing
is going to make them talk.”

Bugger. 
Bugger!
  Grant
stared unseeingly at the half eaten burger on the table.  She’d been fine until
he’d shown up, told her off, and then kissed her.  Was he mistaken?  Had she
hated the kiss?  She’d seemed into it for sure, kissed him back.  But then the
cars had arrived and she’d gone all weird.

“Uh oh.”

Grant blinked and looked across to
see Scott studying him closely.  “Huh?”

“You know something.”

“Me?  I’m asking you mob.”

“Yeah, but you know something we
don’t.”

Sipping from his can of Coke, Kirk
watched Grant quietly.

“I don’t know…”  Grant stopped,
debated.  “Well, I mean, I saw her at the river.”

“And?” Ryder queried.  “What’d you
do?”

“Nothing.”  Nothing he really
wanted to share.

“Pull the other leg, it’s got
bells on it.”

“You did something.” Salad roll in
hand, Simon gestured.  “It’s written all over your face.”

Grant glared at him.  “Nothing deliberate.”

“What happened?” Moz queried.

Ah crap.  With a sigh, Grant
flopped back in the chair.  “I came across her lying asleep out at the river by
herself.”

That had every man’s gaze
sharpening.

“By herself?” Kirk asked.

“Are you shitting me?” Ryder
scowled.

“Alone?”  Scott shared a frown
with Simon.

Moz folded his arms across his
massive chest, biceps bulging beneath the uniform shirt.  “Tell me you sorted
her out.”

“Of course I sorted her out.” 
Grant shoved a hand impatiently through his hair.  “I mean, hell, I arrived,
slammed the door, sat on her
blanket
and watched her for about fifteen
minutes, and she didn’t stir.”  Scowling, he thought back to how furious he
was, how concerned.  Worry and fury combined as he’d sat watching her, letting
the isolation of the place edge into him, the fact that she was at anyone’s
mercy pull at his anger.

“And?” Scott probed.

“And she woke up and I ripped
her.”

“You think she cried because of
that?”  Ryder frowned.

“That little sheila doesn’t seem
the kind to cry because of a telling-off.”  Moz stroked his jaw thoughtfully. 
“Seems more the kind to bite back.”

Kirk’s gaze didn’t shift from
Grant’s face.  Jesus, it was like the man was searching his very brain.

But that wasn’t his problem right
then.  He was worried about Tam.  What had made her cry?  Him?

After several minutes of silently staring
at the half eaten burger, he became conscious of five sets of eyes on him. 
Looking up, he saw them studying him with varying degrees of concern and
curiosity.

“Gonna cough it up?” Ryder queried.

The fact that he’d kissed her and
done a little more?  Crikey Moses, no.  Grant cleared his throat.

“Can’t help you if you don’t
spill,” Moz said.

“Who says I need help?”

“There’s panic all over your
face.”

“What?”

Simon leaned forward, the salad
roll dangling in one hand.  “What the Yeti means is why did you make Tam cry?”

“I didn’t make her cry,” Grant
snapped.  “Or at least…I don’t think so.” 
Yeah, I did, unless…
“Hang
on.”  His eyes narrowed.  “Those phone calls…”

Kirk’s eyebrows rose slightly.

“She’s been getting these phone
calls from Dingbat 1 and Dingbat 2-”

“Mind repeating that?” Ryder
stared at him.

“Dingbats 1 and 2.  That’s the two
names that come up, and every time she looks unhappy.”  Grant straightened.  “Something
about those calls is upsetting her.”  He stood abruptly.

“Where are you going?” Scott
lowered his iced coffee.

“I’m going to find out for once
and all what those bloody phone calls are.  Whoever those dingbats are, they’re
causing her grief.”  Grabbing the half eaten burger, Grant tossed it into the
bin.  “I’m done with this pussy-footing around.  I’m getting to the bottom of
it.”

“Whoa.”  Moz held up a hand. 
“Mate, why is this tying you up in knots?”

“Really?  A friend in trouble
doesn’t concern you?”

“Of course it concerns me.  I’m
just thinking it’s concerning you a whole lot more.”

“Look, she’s in trouble-”

“You don’t know that.”

“She was crying, dickhead!  Of course
she’s in trouble!”

Ryder’s brows shot up.  Simon
smiled slightly.  Kirk had that damned stoic expression on his face.  Scott was
thoughtful.  Moz’s head was tilted to the side in that way he did when thinking
hard.

Or maybe it was the rocks in his head
tipping to one side.

Grant strode from the kitchen.

“Do you even know where she is?” Scott
was right behind him.

“I’ll find her.”

“Don’t need to.”  Ryder was also
on his heels as he moved past the fire truck.  “I know.”

“Yeah?”  Grant didn’t slow down. 
“Where?”

“Right there.”  Ryder pointed.

Through the open roller doors,
Grant saw one slim blonde and four voluptuous women come out of the newsagent. 
Del, Elissa, Ash and Molly were chatting.  Beside them, Tam laughed.

Unbidden, his heart beat
quickened.  The sunlight caught the golden highlights in her hair that was
pulled up in a ponytail.  That generously curved figure was clad in another
sensible polo shirt - this time pale blue - a pair of sensible pedal pushers
and ballet flats.

Her head turned, her gaze slid
over the buildings, hit on the fire station, and he knew when she spotted him. 
The laughter died from her lips.

Grant started for the doorway,
only to swear as she abruptly swung back to the women and said something, then
damned if she didn’t jump in the work ute parked right outside the newsagency. 
There was no way he was going to get to her in time.  Nope, that ute backed out
faster than it should have done and drove off in the opposite direction.

All the women looked across the
road at him.

“Well, that clears one thing up.” 
Ryder leaned his shoulder against the door frame.

Grant knew exactly what he meant. 
“Don’t say it.”

“
You’re
the one who upset
her.”

The dickhead just had to say it.

Kirk came up on his other side,
his tranquil gaze on the ute as it vanished around a corner.  “Care to discuss
what else happened out at the river?”

A muscle jerked in Grant’s jaw as
he felt the regard of his friends.  “No.”

But he knew who he was going to
discuss it with.  Once clinic was over for the day, he was paying Tamara Banner
a visit.