you?’ Ben suggests and my heart jumps.
‘Lily?’ I choke out.
He shrugs. ‘Why not?’
‘No, no, that would be too embarrassing.’ Although if she were called Lily, he’d think of me every time he attended to her. Hmm . . .
‘Kay or Olivia, then?’ he continues. Damn. Too late. ‘Or both?’
‘Kalivia?’ I suggest, deadpan.
He grins. ‘Olikay?’
‘Perhaps we’ll flip a coin.’
He gets one out of his pocket as a waitress arrives with our drinks. He waits until she’s unloaded them from her tray before continuing. ‘Heads for Olivia, tails for Kay?’
‘Go for it,’ I say, and he neatly flips the coin and catches it, slamming it down on the back on his left hand. He lifts up his right hand so I can peer under it.
‘Heads.’
‘Olivia it is,’ he confirms, putting the coin back into his pocket.
‘That’s good. So now we have a koala called Cindy and another called Olivia. Two more to go for Kay and me and then all of the Neverley girls are sorted.’
He chuckles as the waitress returns with our food. We both tuck in. The croissant has been gently warmed and the cheese is just starting to melt. Yum. After a while my eyes are drawn to the tinsel sparkling in the afternoon sun. I get out my camera and Ben leans out of the way so I can take a photo. I so want to tell him to get back into the picture, but I don’t.
‘I can’t believe it’s Christmas Day on Saturday.’ I put my camera down on the table. ‘It doesn’t feel like Christmas here.’
‘Doesn’t it?’
‘No. Christmas should be dark and frosty and full of fairy lights.’
‘I guess it’s just what you’re used to. I’ll have you know we do bloody good lights though. You should check out the lights at Lobethal. Maybe I’ll take you there on your next driving lesson.’
A whole evening with him? I try not to let my excitement show. ‘It’s only three nights before Christmas.’
‘What are you up to tomorrow night?’
I shrug, feigning nonchalance. ‘Nothing much.’
‘Tomorrow, then?’
YAY! ‘Cool.’
‘We could go straight after work.’
‘In our work clothes ?’
He rolls his eyes. ‘You can get changed in the staffroom if you really can’t bear the shorts.’
‘Hey, I’m wearing a skirt today,’ I point out.
‘I noticed.’ He smiles across at me and once again I have to look away so he can’t see me blushing.
‘I think I should drive so you can fully appreciate the wonder of the spectacle.’
‘If you insist.’ I sigh theatrically and reach for another one of the sour peach hearts we picked up at the Hahndorf sweet shop yesterday. Seriously addictive.
We’ve been driving around for an hour on my second proper lesson. It’s the first time I’ve driven at night so I was nervous to begin with, but I think it’s going pretty well. I’ve finally got a handle on the clutch so I don’t think even Josh could take the mickey too much any more. We didn’t go straight after work in the end, because Ben forgot that the lights wouldn’t be switched on until later, but he came to the house after dinner and has been directing me on a tour around the hills. We’ve just been to see a giant rocking horse in a tiny town called Gumeracha where Ben informed me that South Australia also has a huge lobster and a massive galah (a pink and grey parrot – I had to ask). I am really starting to like this freaky part of the world.
‘Jesus Christ!’ I exclaim, twenty minutes later when we reach Lobethal.
‘Using the Lord’s name in vain at this time of year?’ Ben tuts jokingly.
‘Seriously, this is genius. Genius!’
When Mum and I lived with Desmond in East Yorkshire, I remember him taking me to see a house in a place called Driffield which was decorated with the most outrageously brilliant Christmas lights, spilling all the way down the garden. But this, I have to say, takes some beating. It seems as if all of the residents in this town have adorned their houses with festive displays, so
‘Lily?’ I choke out.
He shrugs. ‘Why not?’
‘No, no, that would be too embarrassing.’ Although if she were called Lily, he’d think of me every time he attended to her. Hmm . . .
‘Kay or Olivia, then?’ he continues. Damn. Too late. ‘Or both?’
‘Kalivia?’ I suggest, deadpan.
He grins. ‘Olikay?’
‘Perhaps we’ll flip a coin.’
He gets one out of his pocket as a waitress arrives with our drinks. He waits until she’s unloaded them from her tray before continuing. ‘Heads for Olivia, tails for Kay?’
‘Go for it,’ I say, and he neatly flips the coin and catches it, slamming it down on the back on his left hand. He lifts up his right hand so I can peer under it.
‘Heads.’
‘Olivia it is,’ he confirms, putting the coin back into his pocket.
‘That’s good. So now we have a koala called Cindy and another called Olivia. Two more to go for Kay and me and then all of the Neverley girls are sorted.’
He chuckles as the waitress returns with our food. We both tuck in. The croissant has been gently warmed and the cheese is just starting to melt. Yum. After a while my eyes are drawn to the tinsel sparkling in the afternoon sun. I get out my camera and Ben leans out of the way so I can take a photo. I so want to tell him to get back into the picture, but I don’t.
‘I can’t believe it’s Christmas Day on Saturday.’ I put my camera down on the table. ‘It doesn’t feel like Christmas here.’
‘Doesn’t it?’
‘No. Christmas should be dark and frosty and full of fairy lights.’
‘I guess it’s just what you’re used to. I’ll have you know we do bloody good lights though. You should check out the lights at Lobethal. Maybe I’ll take you there on your next driving lesson.’
A whole evening with him? I try not to let my excitement show. ‘It’s only three nights before Christmas.’
‘What are you up to tomorrow night?’
I shrug, feigning nonchalance. ‘Nothing much.’
‘Tomorrow, then?’
YAY! ‘Cool.’
‘We could go straight after work.’
‘In our work clothes ?’
He rolls his eyes. ‘You can get changed in the staffroom if you really can’t bear the shorts.’
‘Hey, I’m wearing a skirt today,’ I point out.
‘I noticed.’ He smiles across at me and once again I have to look away so he can’t see me blushing.
‘I think I should drive so you can fully appreciate the wonder of the spectacle.’
‘If you insist.’ I sigh theatrically and reach for another one of the sour peach hearts we picked up at the Hahndorf sweet shop yesterday. Seriously addictive.
We’ve been driving around for an hour on my second proper lesson. It’s the first time I’ve driven at night so I was nervous to begin with, but I think it’s going pretty well. I’ve finally got a handle on the clutch so I don’t think even Josh could take the mickey too much any more. We didn’t go straight after work in the end, because Ben forgot that the lights wouldn’t be switched on until later, but he came to the house after dinner and has been directing me on a tour around the hills. We’ve just been to see a giant rocking horse in a tiny town called Gumeracha where Ben informed me that South Australia also has a huge lobster and a massive galah (a pink and grey parrot – I had to ask). I am really starting to like this freaky part of the world.
‘Jesus Christ!’ I exclaim, twenty minutes later when we reach Lobethal.
‘Using the Lord’s name in vain at this time of year?’ Ben tuts jokingly.
‘Seriously, this is genius. Genius!’
When Mum and I lived with Desmond in East Yorkshire, I remember him taking me to see a house in a place called Driffield which was decorated with the most outrageously brilliant Christmas lights, spilling all the way down the garden. But this, I have to say, takes some beating. It seems as if all of the residents in this town have adorned their houses with festive displays, so
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