Angela had let him go. There was a part of Jason that just wasn’t in the public domain, but the part that was, that she could understand, she loved dearly.
It was hard when he went away. He travelled regularly for weeks at a time and his diary often changed. He might call her unexpectedly from anywhere in the country where he’d gone to see a new client, and once he was even over in the US on an urgent business convention. But she knew the business trips, which were an intrinsic part of his busy work schedule, were also part of his escape. That was the way life was with Jason, and if she wanted to share it with him, she couldn’t interfere.
She sighed. Within a day or two she’d be used to the change of routine again and the family would settle in.
‘Mummy,’ Emily suddenly called from the kitchen. ‘We’re ready. Where are you?’
‘Coming honey,’ she replied, returning the photo to the desk.
‘Friday, twentieth October,’ a voice whispered into the mouthpiece.
‘Time?’
‘The usual.’
‘Name?’
‘Not yet. Should be ’bout a week.’
‘Okay.’
‘Meet at the carpark again. Not my place.’
‘Got it.’
‘Call you later,’ the voice said gruffly and hung up.
5
Monday, 2 October
IT SUDDENLY OCCURRED TO Jason that the woman seated opposite at the airport café was talking to him.
‘Sorry?’ he asked, reluctantly looking up. The woman gave a low chortle and pointed at his phone.
‘You were so involved I nearly didn’t want to disturb you,’ she said, not looking the least bit concerned that she had interrupted him. ‘Is this your flight coming up soon? You’re off to Sydney?’
‘Adelaide,’ said Jason quickly, immediately on alert. He wasn’t ready for this question or indeed any others. This was unacceptable; he had to be sharper and there could be no dropping the ball. He closed his phone and studied his new companion more closely.
The woman gave him a broad smile that displayed a row of glistening white teeth. Her flame-red hair was loosely swept into a bun but large wisps still fell around her face where they had escaped the round up. Her large green eyes sparkled.
‘Adelaide. That’s odd,’ she said, giving him a strange look. ‘Your compass must be a little off today!’ She pointed to the table in front of him where his ticket lay exposed.
He casually tucked the ticket back in his wallet, cursing inwardly. He hoped she hadn’t been able to read much upside down. She knew at least where he was going; perhaps that was all she got.
‘But you’re on the same flight as me,’ the woman persisted. She laughed again. ‘I hope you really aren’t off to Adelaide today or I will need to call ahead for you and let them know you will be delayed!’
Jason gathered himself and pretended to think for a minute.
‘Ah, wait, that was last week,’ he said, feigning surprise. ‘Lucky you reminded me. It’s Sydney today.’ He studied her surreptitiously. She wasn’t exactly his type – fiery green eyes and cheeks with a sea of freckles hidden in a wild spray of carrot red hair. She looked as if she was pushing forty while doing her best to cling to her twenties, and she was noticeably too thin. Definitely not his type, yet there was something intriguing about her. He paused to consider his options. Given that his recovery seemed satisfactory, he may as well see where this might go.
‘Jason De Rosa, Flight QF488 Melbourne to Sydney,’ the woman said boldly. ‘That’s a really nice name. Do you mind if I call you Jason?’
Shit. She could read upside down. She had examined the whole ticket and was loudly blurting his details. He wondered if any of the other customers had overheard, but they were all engaged in their own conversations at nearby tables or talking to the staff at the counter, placing orders. The noise of the airport lounge made it hard to hear, so it was probably alright. He breathed a silent sigh of relief.
‘Ah, yes,’ he remarked nonchalantly. There was no hiding this information now. ‘That’s me. You’re off to Sydney too?’
‘Just for a few months – I’m minding my sister’s place while she’s away. You must have a busy schedule if you travel that much,’ she chided, brushing a loose wisp of hair away and touching her red lips as if to contemplate how many annual kilometres that might be. She gave him a cheeky look. ‘How long are you there?’ she asked directly.
‘It just depends on the business,’ he replied cagily.
‘Well, that’s business for you. So is it just a few weeks?’
‘Yes, just a few.’
The woman seemed unperturbed by the short answers and continued.
‘I only go to Sydney when I visit my sister, or, like this time, look after her flat. She lives in Manly but she’s regularly involved in these special camps in Indonesia to help educate the kids. I don’t know exactly what she does, she’s only told me a bit about them. Something to do with building new schools and teaching the children English, I think. It’s wonderful for them and good for her, but it’s not my thing. I’m just happy to come up and mind her place when she goes. It gives me a chance to get away.’
Jason waited while she drew a breath. This woman could surely talk.
‘So where are you staying?’ she pushed on. ‘In the city? Probably not far. If you are travelling for business you don’t want to be way out of town. Unless they give you a car. But then there’s the Sydney traffic, and a car doesn’t help much. Any driving in town and especially near the Bridge is awful – you’d know that. Hey, I’m Julie, by the way, but you can call me Jules.’ She gave him a broad toothy smile. ‘Jase. Do you ever get called that? It has a ring to it. Better than Jas-o. Everyone puts an o on the end of people’s names, and I hate it. Dav-o. Johnno. It sounds trashy. I’d prefer to call you Jase. That’s much more refined. You never know, perhaps we might run into each other in Sydney and have a drink together, and then I will call you Jase,’ she babbled. Her eyes twinkled. ‘Actually, damnit, life is short. Why don’t we, Jase?’
Jason appraised his new companion. This woman could chew his ear off, but she also wasn’t wasting any time; they were now on a pet name basis with a potential rendezvous planned before he even had a chance to blink. If this was a speed dating night then he had just catapulted to level two. He put his phone and wallet away in his briefcase and eyed her thoughtfully.
‘Nice to meet you, Jules,’ he replied airily, without answering the question. He sat back. Her nose was a little too long for his liking but under that shirt was probably a pretty tight little figure, if a little bony. She could be interesting.
‘Great,’ she said eagerly, leaping over the introductions and banking his response as if he had just accepted her offer. ‘We should exchange numbers. I’ve got mine here …’ she began, but the rest of her words were suddenly drowned out by a flight announcement. She paused and waited for it to end.
‘I’ll give you my mobile on the flight,’ she continued. ‘That was our boarding call. We’ll need to get going soon.’
Jason pushed his cold coffee away and stood up. ‘I have to get organised, if that’s the case. Would you excuse me?’