For a moment he seemed lost in a cloud of darkness. He downed his drink quickly and then gave a little shake as if to rid himself of a ghostly presence. Alice had the distinct impression he was sorry he’d told her so much.
‘That’s why I like to celebrate now,’ he said but the intensity in his voice was at odds with his words.
‘I’m all for celebrating.’ But then she remembered that she’d had enough to drink, so her options for celebrating in a bar were limited. Perhaps it was time for her to leave.
She pictured herself hopping off her bar stool, thanking Liam Conway for the cocktail and bidding him farewell. In her mind’s eye she saw herself walking out of the bar and calling a taxi to take her home. Back at her Edge Hill flat, she would listen to one of her favourite Spanish-guitar CDs and drink a chaste cup of hot chocolate, and then she’d read a paperback novel until she fell asleep.
She knew exactly what she would do, what she should do. It was all very clear.
But she didn’t move.
‘It really is bad luck to have your friends abducted by aliens on your birthday,’ Liam said quietly.
‘Yeah,’ Alice agreed with a rueful smile. ‘I was hoping I’d finished my run of bad luck.’ And immediately she regretted saying that. ‘Sorry, you’re looking for fun, not hard-luck stories.’
Liam shrugged. ‘I wasn’t looking for anything in particular. Until I saw you.’
His smile sent a delicious shiver right through her and she reached for her abandoned drink.
‘It was a guy who put those shadows in your eyes, wasn’t it?’ Liam said.
She was too surprised to be cautious. ‘Yes.’
‘A rat?’
‘A toad.’ She might have smiled at that, but to her dismay the scene she’d tried so hard to forget leapt into her mind and her sorry state came tumbling out. ‘I—I came home early one afternoon and found him in bed with another woman.’
Pressing a fist against her mouth, she struggled again with the horror of the memory.
Liam looked genuinely upset. ‘Toad is too polite for a man like that. Some of us have a lot to answer for.’
His unexpected empathy seemed to open the floodgates on the feelings she’d been working so hard to hide. ‘Maybe I shouldn’t have been so surprised,’ she found herself saying. ‘I’d been picking up the tell-tale signs that Todd was straying. I just didn’t want to believe it.’
Tears sprang to her eyes. Annoyed, she blinked and Liam picked up a paper serviette from the counter. ‘Your mascara looks great,’ he said. ‘Don’t ruin it.’
‘Thanks.’ She dabbed at her eyes, took a deep breath and released a shaky little laugh. ‘You know, the thing that really upset me was that Todd added insult to injury by bringing this other woman into our bedroom.’
‘So you were living with this guy?’
‘He was my husband. I was married to the toad.’ She twisted a corner of the serviette. ‘He knew how much I loved that room. I’d taken such care choosing everything—the curtains, the carpet, the bed linen. The dressing table came from my grandparents’ place. They’d had it in their bedroom for their whole married life.’ Looking up, she said, ‘Sorry, I don’t expect you to understand.’
Liam shook his head. ‘But I do understand. He didn’t just deceive you, he violated your special place.’
Liam Conway wasn’t just gorgeous; he was sensitive, too. She’d almost forgotten such men existed.
‘I hope you got rid of him,’ he said.
‘Absolutely, especially when I found that this woman was one of many.’ She sighed. ‘Our divorce came through four months ago.’ And then she winced. Admitting her failed marriage always made her feel such a loser.
‘No wonder you still look a little shell-shocked.’
‘I’m fine now. Honestly. It’s in the past.’ The confession was off her chest and that was good, but she didn’t want to bore this lovely man witless. ‘I’ve got a new life ahead of me.’
‘Another thing to celebrate,’ he said. And then, ‘So…why don’t we go and find a place where we can dance?’
Heavens, she hadn’t been dancing in years. Todd had always claimed he hated it, so they’d never danced, and she was way out of practice. ‘I’m afraid I’m not much of a dancer,’ she said.
‘I don’t believe that.’ Liam stood and he was even taller than she’d expected. ‘Come on,’ he coaxed. ‘It’s our birthday. Let’s kick up our heels.’
Kick up her heels? She sent a flustered glance towards her feet. Her strappy black sandals had rather high heels and she’d painted her toenails bright berryred to match her red and black floral dress.
From above her she heard Liam say, ‘They look like dancing feet to me.’
She took a deep breath and looked up at him again. Gulp. There was something so compelling about him, something unmistakably masculine about the contained strength in his lean body and in the strong, straight planes of his face, in the intention signalled by his eyes. She should make a quick get-away now, before she became completely entranced.
She didn’t want to get involved with another man, not yet, when the war-wounds from her divorce were still raw.
But a voice inside her was urging her to throw caution to the winds.
His eyes are as soulful as they are sexy. Why hesitate? It’s only dancing, after all. And anyway, surely you have the perfect excuse to be daring? You’ll never have another thirtieth birthday.
She picked up her bag from the bar.
Go on, Alice. He seems s-o-o-o nice.
She flashed him a bright return smile. ‘OK. Dancing sounds like fun.’
He grinned. ‘Let’s go.’
Outside on the footpath a photographer was taking a photo of a trio of laughing girls and, as Alice and Liam passed, there was a blinding flash from the camera.
The photographer called after them, ‘Sir, can I take a photo of you and your lovely lady?’
Liam scowled and waved him away.
‘Welcome to North Queensland,’ said Alice. ‘The local papers are always snapping people for their social pages.’
‘Glad we escaped, then.’ Liam took her hand.
Oh, heavens. She was super-sensitive to every millimetre of his skin, to the supple strength of his fingers interlaced with hers.
‘Where’s the best place in town for dancing?’ he asked.
‘The Reef Club is supposed to be very good.’
‘Supposed?’
‘I’ve never actually been there.’
He shot her a curious glance and she hoped it wasn’t because he could feel the wave of warmth that had swept through her when he touched her.
More than likely he was wondering about her restricted social life. If he asked, she would be prepared to explain that, although she worked for a tourist company, she specialised in regional tours and she didn’t have much personal experience of local night spots.
Liam didn’t ask. And Alice was relieved, because an explanation would have led to more details about her failed marriage. Todd had preferred to spend his weekends on game-fishing trips out to the Barrier Reef, or heavy drinking and gambling with his mates, rather than taking her out on the town.