mustangs. ‘It’s more complicated than adopting a kid,’ he grumbled. ‘I can work with horses no problem, but I’m the first to admit I’m not good with paperwork.’
‘Hand it over to Cristal,’ Zoran suggested. ‘Did you pick out a horse for me to ride?’
‘They just trailered them up here,’ Daniel explained. ‘But straight away I like the big sorrel with the white flash.’ Pointing to the horse he’d chosen, he waited for Zoran’s approval.
‘Good choice,’ his boss agreed, accepting Daniel’s obvious expertise and already walking away, expecting me to follow. ‘You can start work with her later today. Right now you can put them all in the feed stalls and give them grain.’
I almost had to run to keep up, so I had no time to stop and talk with Daniel, even when I heard him call my name.
‘Tania, you never texted me back about meeting for coffee!’
‘Sorry, I didn’t get the chance,’ I yelled. A glance over my shoulder told me that my once-upon-a-time sun god Daniel was leaning on the fence rail in the full sunlight, sleeves rolled back and looking like a young Brad Pitt. My shallow heart skipped a beat.
‘Feed the horses then join Tania and me,’ Zoran called. ‘We’re in the studio.’
If Aaron wasn’t expecting to see me among the banks of switches and screens in Zoran’s recording studio, he didn’t show it. Who knows, maybe he was too fixated on Cristal to even notice my arrival.
Surprise – Cristal was out-of-this-world gorgeous! I mean really, no surprise. Her smooth skin was so pale against her wild, flame-coloured curls that it seemed actually to give off light. Her green eyes were set wide apart and the permanent position of her full, cupid-bow lips was slightly open. I stored the details of my first impression for when Holly dragged them out of me next time I saw her. ‘Nothing like you,’ I would report. ‘Cristal doesn’t look as if she ever went near a gym.’
Zoran introduced us. ‘I found Tania on the mountain. She was taking photographs for her new art project.’
‘Hey, Tania. Daniel told me all about you.’ Cristal’s voice was clear and deep, not breathy and girly. She looked me in the eye when she spoke, probably wondering why I was frowning. She wouldn’t know that what worried me was that I didn’t recall mentioning to Zoran the exact reason for my hike up Black Rock. ‘He was wowed by your bird of paradise costume at the party, said he picked you out from all the other boring angels.’
I smiled briefly, turned and said hi to Aaron. He nodded back and I thought he looked more than a little sheepish.
‘Cristal sure knows her way around this sound board,’ he mumbled.
‘I’m so sad I missed the party,’ Cristal went on eagerly. ‘I only flew in on Monday. I took a bus from the airport then Daniel came down to the country club to drive me up here, which is where I met Aaron.’
‘Zoran says you work out here,’ I said lamely.
She nodded. ‘I’m a sound recordist. We’re remixing tracks for a Zoran Classics album.’
‘Cristal’s hoping that I’ll lay down some new tracks too,’ Zoran interrupted. ’But I tell her I’m sorry to disappoint her – she’ll have to be satisfied with old songs.’
Cristal arched the most delicate pair of eyebrows I’d ever seen. Subtle green shadow on her upper lids enhanced the colour of her emerald irises. ‘We live in hope,’ she sighed.
‘Coffee!’ Daniel entered through the sliding glass door. He offered us a tray loaded with steaming paper cups decorated with stencilled silver angels, presumably left over from the Heavenly Bodies party.
‘Aaron!’ I hissed while Cristal, Daniel and Zoran took their drinks then put on headphones and gathered over a sound board. There was an issue with balance, volume, whatever, on one of the old recordings. ‘What are you doing here?’
Aaron blushed then shrugged. ‘Cristal invited me – it just kind of happened.’
‘And you don’t say
‘Hand it over to Cristal,’ Zoran suggested. ‘Did you pick out a horse for me to ride?’
‘They just trailered them up here,’ Daniel explained. ‘But straight away I like the big sorrel with the white flash.’ Pointing to the horse he’d chosen, he waited for Zoran’s approval.
‘Good choice,’ his boss agreed, accepting Daniel’s obvious expertise and already walking away, expecting me to follow. ‘You can start work with her later today. Right now you can put them all in the feed stalls and give them grain.’
I almost had to run to keep up, so I had no time to stop and talk with Daniel, even when I heard him call my name.
‘Tania, you never texted me back about meeting for coffee!’
‘Sorry, I didn’t get the chance,’ I yelled. A glance over my shoulder told me that my once-upon-a-time sun god Daniel was leaning on the fence rail in the full sunlight, sleeves rolled back and looking like a young Brad Pitt. My shallow heart skipped a beat.
‘Feed the horses then join Tania and me,’ Zoran called. ‘We’re in the studio.’
If Aaron wasn’t expecting to see me among the banks of switches and screens in Zoran’s recording studio, he didn’t show it. Who knows, maybe he was too fixated on Cristal to even notice my arrival.
Surprise – Cristal was out-of-this-world gorgeous! I mean really, no surprise. Her smooth skin was so pale against her wild, flame-coloured curls that it seemed actually to give off light. Her green eyes were set wide apart and the permanent position of her full, cupid-bow lips was slightly open. I stored the details of my first impression for when Holly dragged them out of me next time I saw her. ‘Nothing like you,’ I would report. ‘Cristal doesn’t look as if she ever went near a gym.’
Zoran introduced us. ‘I found Tania on the mountain. She was taking photographs for her new art project.’
‘Hey, Tania. Daniel told me all about you.’ Cristal’s voice was clear and deep, not breathy and girly. She looked me in the eye when she spoke, probably wondering why I was frowning. She wouldn’t know that what worried me was that I didn’t recall mentioning to Zoran the exact reason for my hike up Black Rock. ‘He was wowed by your bird of paradise costume at the party, said he picked you out from all the other boring angels.’
I smiled briefly, turned and said hi to Aaron. He nodded back and I thought he looked more than a little sheepish.
‘Cristal sure knows her way around this sound board,’ he mumbled.
‘I’m so sad I missed the party,’ Cristal went on eagerly. ‘I only flew in on Monday. I took a bus from the airport then Daniel came down to the country club to drive me up here, which is where I met Aaron.’
‘Zoran says you work out here,’ I said lamely.
She nodded. ‘I’m a sound recordist. We’re remixing tracks for a Zoran Classics album.’
‘Cristal’s hoping that I’ll lay down some new tracks too,’ Zoran interrupted. ’But I tell her I’m sorry to disappoint her – she’ll have to be satisfied with old songs.’
Cristal arched the most delicate pair of eyebrows I’d ever seen. Subtle green shadow on her upper lids enhanced the colour of her emerald irises. ‘We live in hope,’ she sighed.
‘Coffee!’ Daniel entered through the sliding glass door. He offered us a tray loaded with steaming paper cups decorated with stencilled silver angels, presumably left over from the Heavenly Bodies party.
‘Aaron!’ I hissed while Cristal, Daniel and Zoran took their drinks then put on headphones and gathered over a sound board. There was an issue with balance, volume, whatever, on one of the old recordings. ‘What are you doing here?’
Aaron blushed then shrugged. ‘Cristal invited me – it just kind of happened.’
‘And you don’t say
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