Bonjour Cherie Read online

  ‘Too right. My thoughts exactly. Can you shine that torch on the tyre and not my face?’

  We were just getting on like a house on fire, weren’t we?

  However, he was quick. In less than five minutes he had the old tyre off and the new one on. Flinging the old tyre in the back of the ute, he wiped his hands down the legs of his jeans. My eyes jerked back to his face. I didn’t care how snugly those jeans fit his lean hips.

  Maybe looking at him was a mistake altogether because his eyes locked with mine and he took a step closer to me. I thought for one crazy moment he was going to kiss me. Then, a beam of headlights washed over us as a car whizzed past on the road. I took a step back and wobbled again as my right heel sank into the gravel.

  Zach put out a hand to steady me. ‘You really ought to take those off. There’s no one out here to impress, unless of course it’s me.’ There was that irritating grin again.

  I jerked my arm away. ‘Dream on.’ I walked back to my side of the truck.

  As we both got in, Zach said, ‘Oh, I’m not the one who’s dreaming, Babe.’ And before I could think of a reply, he started the engine and the truck rumbled into life.

  It was obvious to me that while maybe four out of five girls might have liked Zach Mills, I was number five. He was arrogant, conceited and had an uncanny way of saying things that were guaranteed to annoy me. I couldn’t wait until this night was over and I would never have to talk to him again, even in French class.

  Thankfully, it wasn’t long before he pulled into a gravel driveway that wound through the trees. We stopped in front of a low set brick house with a large shed beside it. Zach said. ‘I’ll be back in a moment. No need for you to get out.’

  As Zach disappeared into the shed, I looked around with faint interest. Aside from an outside light, the house itself was in darkness. Did that mean he lived alone? Not that I cared. From what I could see, the place looked well-kept, tidy and functional. I wondered what he did. Perhaps he was a tradie or a mechanic or … well, something physical and something outdoorsy I was thinking. He was no university lecturer, that’s for sure.

  I leaned back against the headrest and closed my eyes for a few minutes. It had been a long day and I was starting to feel tired. I couldn’t wait until my little car started again and I was on my way home. Then I realised there was another reason I really needed to get home. I needed to go to the bathroom. Surely I could wait? No, I really couldn’t. Now I would have to ask Zach if I could use his facilities. Great.

  I opened the door, slid out of the truck and headed for the shed. Then, I heard the click of claws on gravel and something the size of a small pony came bounding towards me. Deep-chested barks exploded in the night air. Screaming, I fended off the two enormous paws that tried to attach themselves to my shoulders.

  Zach was out of the shed like a flash. ‘Down, Dave,’ he called. Dave, my befuddled brain thought, whoever heard of a monster called Dave? A slobbery tongue licked the side of my face, before I felt Zach pull him off me. ‘Sit, Dave, behave yourself,’ Zach said. The enormous creature sat beside him, tail wagging, but looking at me as if it were ready for another full-scale attack.

  ‘Don’t worry. He won’t hurt you. He was just being friendly, weren’t you, mate?’ In answer, the giant’s tail whisked even more frantically. ‘You okay?’ Zach looked at me.

  ‘I guess,’ I said shakily, eying Dave warily.

  ‘I thought you were going to stay in the truck?’

  That reminded me why I had gotten out in the first place. The reason now seemed even more urgent than before.

  ‘Umm …’ I was so glad he couldn’t see my cheeks redden in this light. “Well, I need to use your facilities,’ I said, trying to sound casual.

  ‘No worries,’ Zach said. ‘Just follow me.’ He led the way around the back of the house, where a light was on in the kitchen. I was glad to see that Dave, who had enthusiastically followed us, was left outside. Zach opened the door for me and said, ‘Just down the hall to your right.’

  My eyes flitted curiously around as I took in a neat, wood panelled kitchen that didn’t have much in the way of decoration. However, I did notice a wine rack on the bench top. That surprised me. I could have sworn he was more the beer drinking type. Most likely the wine belonged to his folks.

  I reached the small, clean washroom with relief. As I washed my hands, I looked in the mirror, noticing my mascara had smudged, giving me large panda eyes. Great, I thought, another thing for Zach Mills to find amusing. I washed my face as well as I could, and decided not to reapply any make-up. I wasn’t out to impress anyone, that’s for sure.

  Zach was leaning against the kitchen bench, sipping a glass of water when I returned. ‘You want a cold drink or … a coffee or anything?’ I saw a twinkle in his eye as he said coffee. No doubt he was remembering a few hours ago when I’d turned down his offer of coffee. Don’t think he’d forget that in a hurry.

  ‘I’m good,’ I said. ‘I probably should get back to my car. I wouldn’t want anyone to … ’

  ‘Steal it? Sure. We’ll get going.’ He put the glass down.

  Thinking about who would even bother with my battered little car, my face broke into a grin. ‘Well, that would be optimistic thinking, wouldn’t it? The insurance is probably worth more than the car.’

  He laughed. ‘Yeah, but then I’d have to drive you home and you wouldn’t want that, would you?’

  I suddenly realised that I might not mind that at all. Without meaning to, I looked at him and there must have been something in my expression, because suddenly the teasing glint in his eyes was replaced by something else. What can I say? We shared a moment.

  But before either of us could do anything about it, Dave, who was waiting for us outside the kitchen door, gave a deep impatient bark. I didn’t know if I was relieved or disappointed. But whatever it was, it had disappeared. I moved towards the door. ‘We’d better go.’

  Zach must have felt the same way because he was at the door before me, opening it, ‘Yeah, sure. Down, Dave, and, for God’s sake, shut up.’

  We were back in the ute and heading towards town before I felt more myself. Don’t know what happened in the kitchen, but I was definitely over it. Perhaps it was just because I hadn’t had a boyfriend in over a year. And since André Le Blanc had arrived in town, I hadn’t wanted one, I reminded myself.

  But at least the atmosphere between Zach and me was less frigid than it had been coming here. I could just about speak to him normally. ‘So, why Dave?’ I asked.

  ‘You mean the name?’

  ‘It’s a bit unusual, for a dog.’

  ‘It’s from David and Goliath.’

  ‘What?’

  ‘You know, the Bible story where the small guy, David, defeats the giant, Goliath, against all the odds.’

  ‘Sure. But the giant was Goliath not David, so why didn’t you call him Goliath? Oh, I get it.’ I shook my head, smiling. ‘Aussie humour.’

  ‘Yeah, it’s like why we might call a big guy Tiny, or a redhead Bluey.’

  ‘Clever.’

  ‘I thought so.’

  We drove along in almost amicable silence for a while. Then Zach said, ‘So, Beth, what’s your interest in French, other than Mr André?’

  My back stiffened. I was quickly in the Antarctic zone again. ‘I happen to have an interest in French culture, nothing to do with the instructor.’

  He chuckled and then said, ‘Okay.’

  How did he do it? How did he make me so angry with so few words? ‘I’m going to France,’ I shot back at him.

  ‘When?’

  ‘When I have enough saved. Not that it’s any of your business.’

  ‘None at all. Just asking.’

  I sensed rather than saw (no way was I looking at him) his grin in the darkness.

  What was I thinking to even imagine I could be one-tenth attracted to the Neanderthal beside me? With relief, I realised we had pulled into the parking lot where my small car stoo
d in lonely isolation.

  Zach was out and had the bonnet of both vehicles up and the leads attached almost before I had time to get myself behind the wheel of my car. Perhaps he was just as anxious to get rid of me as I was him.

  ‘Start her up,’ he said. My little car spluttered into life. I almost kissed the steering wheel.

  After he’d detached the leads and put the bonnets down on both vehicles, he came over to me. I rolled the window down reluctantly.

  ‘Do you want me to follow you back to make sure everything is okay?’ he asked.

  Hell, no. ‘I’ll be fine. Thanks for your help,’ I said, remembering my manners.

  ‘No worries.’ He bent down closer, no mean feat for a guy over six foot and a car as low off the ground as mine. Then, his lips, warm and firm, brushed mine.

  Before I had time to protest, he said, ‘See you in French class, chérie.’ And with a wink, he returned to his ute.

  Chapter Three

  ‘Monsieur LeBlanc … André, how lovely to see you.’ I beamed at him from the register as if he were a long lost friend I hadn’t seen in years, instead of four days ago. I pushed through his items – seedless green grapes (the expensive ones), brie cheese (of course) and rice crackers (99.9% fat free). I imagined myself sharing this with him over a bottle of mature red.

  ‘How are you, Beth?’ He remembered to use my first name. At last we were getting somewhere.

  ‘Oh, just fine. I checked on those websites you gave me and I’ve been practicing away,’ I babbled.

  ‘Good, good.’ He stood there waiting patiently. What for? Perhaps he wanted to ask me out for a drink, but was too shy to ask. I had nothing planned tonight. I could easily go. I mentally scanned the items in my closet, wondering what I should wear.

  ‘Beth?’ He spoke hesitatingly.

  ‘Yes,’ I answered, trying to look encouraging.

  ‘How much do I owe?’

  Flustered, I looked at the cash register. ‘$12.65 please.’

  He gave me a twenty and I handed him the change. Our fingers almost touched. ‘Well, see you in French class,’ I said lamely.

  He gave me a warm smile and nodded, then disappeared out the door with his plastic bag, obviously meant to be shared with someone else. I sighed and turned to the next customer. Zach. Of course.

  ‘Hi,’ I said, dropping my usual ‘How are you today?’ greeting to customers. I scanned his items—two tins of dog food (on special), a T-bone steak (of course) and a can of Coke (not diet). No doubt who he’d be sharing his dinner with tonight, I thought, the mental image of Dave popping into my head. I almost smiled.

  ‘How’s the car running?’ he asked.

  ‘Fine. That’s $14.50 please.’

  He handed me a twenty. I gave him the change and this time our fingers definitely touched. I snatched my hand back quickly, and looked behind him. There were no more customers waiting. In fact the shop was nearly empty as it was almost closing time.

  He was still there. ‘You’ve got it bad, haven’t you?’ His look was almost sympathetic.

  ‘I don’t what you mean.’ My tone was icy.

  ‘He’s not interested, you know.’

  ‘Pardon?’

  ‘The Frenchman. You’re wasting your time.’ Zach grabbed his shopping bag. I would have exploded if I hadn’t been at work and in a public place. Instead I tried to put every gram of cold anger into my look. ‘Well, please don’t let me waste yours.’

  I had the satisfaction of seeing Zach redden, but his words took some of that pleasure away. ‘Don’t worry. Babe, I’m not that desperate.’ He turned and swaggered, there was no other word for it, out the sliding doors.

  I had gone through about twenty emotions in the last five minutes, most of them unpleasant and most of them due to Zach Mills. Who the hell did he think he was? What business was it of his who I liked? But, I wondered, was it really that obvious how I felt about André? And why couldn’t he look at me the way I’d seen Zach once (maybe twice) almost look at me? Life, I decided, was very unfair.

  After closing time, I sorted out my till and went into the small room at the back where the staff kept their things.

  I liked working at the local IGA. Bob, our boss, was good as bosses go, the staff was easy to get along with and I could live at home, which certainly helped my meagre savings. Mum and Dad had been disappointed I hadn’t gone to uni, especially as I had received an OP under 10, but the trouble was I didn’t know what I wanted to do—except go to France. So, I’d taken a gap year, well several actually. But life, a few parties and a busy social life had pretty much taken care of the first couple of years. Then, my boyfriend got transferred in his job to another state and our relationship, which hadn’t been that serious anyway, went with him. That’s when André Le Blanc had come to town, and saving for France became once again my top priority.

  Derek, who worked in the fish and deli section, was also grabbing his jacket in the back room. ‘Hey, Beth, some of us are going to Bart’s tonight—if you’re free.’

  I considered. I was friendly with most of the staff and we often went out for a few drinks or a meal. Bart’s was a popular bar, where they served meals and even had a dance floor you could shuffle around if you wanted to. It didn’t look as if I had any other plans for tonight. ‘Sure. What time?’

  ‘About eight. You need a lift or anything? I’m the designated driver tonight.’ Derek grimaced. We often took turns at that. I considered my unreliable Fiesta.

  ‘Sounds good. My car wouldn’t start the other night, so yes, I’d be glad to get a ride.’

  ‘You really should get another car. I know this isn’t Sydney or Melbourne, but it’s not safe for a girl to be in a car like that, even here.’ Derek was sweet, but seriously, a bit dull. At twenty-five he had the beginnings of a double chin. By the time he was thirty he’d be general manager of the store, married and with 2.5 children. I liked him, but he represented everything I wanted to escape from in this town. There was absolutely nothing between us. He was a good mate and that was all.

  I smiled at him. ‘Tell me about it. But I’m saving at the moment.’

  ‘Yeah, I know, for France.’ There was something about the way he said it that reminded me of Zach.

  ‘Yes, for France,’ I snapped, grabbing my bag.

  He held up his hands. ‘No offence. I know it’s your dream.’

  My temper cooled. This was not arrogant, know it all Zach; this was sweet, dependable Derek, who wouldn’t hurt a fly.

  ‘Sorry, I didn’t mean to snap at you. Just a bit tired.’ I headed out the door to the car park at the back.

  ‘No worries. See you tonight,’ he called as I left the building.

  A shower, one slice of reheated pizza and half a glass of chardy later, I felt much better. The embarrassment of Zach seeing me trying to attract André’s attention was starting to fade. I surveyed my wardrobe. Just friends tonight, so no stress. I selected my second best pair of jeans and a pink V-neck top that complemented, I thought, my auburn hair. (I was a bit sensitive to people calling it red). I slipped into a pair of wedged heels that gave me height and comfort—two for the price of one. I was a shoe person. I had to admit that some of my purchases over the years had put a dent in the savings account. But this year I had been very good. I only bought shoes when they were on sale—seriously.

  I was all ready by the time I heard Derek’s tentative knock. His clean-shaven face beamed at me when I opened the door.

  ‘Hey Beth. You look nice.’

  ‘Thanks. Let’s go.’ I was surprised to see there were no other passengers when I got to his car. ‘Have we still got to pick the others up then?’

  ‘Jake and Lisa decided to go with Kirsty, who has a cold and doesn’t want to drink tonight. So it’s just you and me. Hope you don’t mind.’

  ‘Of course not. But we could have gone with them, saved you the trouble.’

  ‘It might be a bit crowded though in Kirsty’s car.’

  ‘I gue
ss. Well, thanks.’

  ‘Oh, I don’t mind really. I’m not much of a drinker anyway.’

  I smiled at him. ‘No, you aren’t. Dependable Derek, that’s you.’

  He started the car and we moved off, ‘Now, you’re just laughing at me.’

  ‘Would I dare? Never. That’s a compliment you know.’

  ‘Yeah, right.’ He shot a grin at me.

  When we got to Bart’s, the others were already there. I gave the girls hugs and sat down next to Lisa.

  ‘The usual, Beth?’ Derek asked.

  ‘Yes, thanks. I’ll get the next round.’ He and Jake disappeared in the direction of the bar.

  ‘So, how are the French lessons going? I saw André in the store today. I noticed he went to your checkout, lucky girl,’ Lisa said.

  ‘Wish I was. Sometimes I think he doesn’t even see me.’ I sighed.

  ‘Give him time,’ Lisa said encouragingly.

  ‘Who was the hot guy who came after him? I saw you talking. Do you know him?’ Kirsty’s blue eyes bored into me.

  ‘Zach Mills. He’s in my French class.’ I tried to make my voice sound bored, as if I couldn’t care less—which, of course, I didn’t.

  ‘Two hunks in one class. Hmm, think I’ll join up too,’ Kirsty said, and I knew she was only half kidding. She had a predatory, determined streak in her. Ask any customer who tried to get away with only one purchase in the meat department.

  ‘It’s probably too late to join now. We’re halfway through the course.’ I didn’t mean to sound defensive. Perhaps I didn’t want any competition for André.

  ‘Oh, don’t worry. I’m not after your precious Frenchman. It’s the other one I’m interested in. You’ve no claims on him, do you?’

  ‘None in the slightest.’

  I was relieved when the guys came back with our drinks and the conversation took a different turn. We had a few laughs, a few drinks. It was nothing serious and that’s what I liked about it. I even danced with Jake and Derek, who managed not to tread on my toes.

  It was nearly eleven when Kirsty grabbed my arm, ‘There he is.’

  ‘Who?’ My heart raced. Surely André hadn’t come here?