stained paper between the three of them. The chips were crisp and salty and the large white fleshed portions of snapper were moist in their coating of golden batter.
“I haven’t tasted take aways like this in years.”
“They do a good job locally. I guess there is no excuse not to have a good produ ct being this close to the sea.”
Stephen wa s making little effort to hide his fascination and was staring across the table at Sandy.
“When will we have to leave for the a irport?”
“If we leave in around three quarters of an hour we will be allowing enough time .”
Joanne answered over her shoulder as she excused herself from the room.
The door had just clicked shut when Sandy felt a hand reaching slowly under the table. It settled on her knee the fingers traced small seductive circles on her bare flesh.
“What the hell do you think you are doing ?”
She raised her head and stared at Stephen across the expanse of greasy food.
“Come on Sandy. You’ve been making it pretty obvious you are as interested as I am.”
Sandy fought to control her temper. If she shouted Joanne would be the one that suffered and while the end result would possibly be for the best there must be a less painful way for her to find out exactly what she intended marry.
“Firstly, you arrogant bastard, I would never consider betraying Joanne. You don’t know how lucky you are that she, for reasons I cannot explain, has settled for someone like you.”
She waited for her words to sink in. He continued to grin at her across the table. She felt his hand begin to move slowly up her inner thigh.
“Secondly , even if you were single, I would not find you attractive. Actually, I find you revolting, arrogant and feminine.”
He didn’t flinch, he didn’t remove his hand and the grin never slipped from his face.
Sandy lowered her voice and spoke through her gritted teeth.
“ There is no chance Joanne will end up wasting her life on someone like you. And I will make sure that she doesn’t.”
He slowly removed his hand from Sandy’s leg and smiled at her brightly.
“We will have to wait and see about that won’t we?”
He winked, displaying an unaffected confidence.
“You don’t know what you are missing.”
Dismissing Sandy he turned his back and yelled towards the closed door.
“ Joanne. I’ve changed my mind. I think I will come to the airport.”
“You b astard,” Sandy hissed.
Joanne stood frozen in the doorway. She didn’t know what had passed between the two most important people in her life, but whatever it was had turned the summer warmth to winters ice.
Later that evening Sandy sat sulking in the departure lounge of Nelson airport waiting for the boarding call.
The visit had been short and s he was leaving before she had had the privacy or the time to find the words to tell Joanne what she needed to hear.
She had intensely disliked Stephen when she had first met him. That dislike had strengthened to an unhealthy loathing. She hated the bridesmaid’s dress she had been fitted for, she hated everything it symbolised and she hoped more than anything else she would never have to wear it.
Chapter 9
“Joanne and Sandy”
Sandy boarded the plane. She glanced at the aisle seat. A young breastfeeding mother looked up nervously and smiled. At least it wasn’t occupied by a fat man with greedy eyes squeezed into a far too small suit.
She settled into the comfort of her seat and watched the hills unfold beneath her. She let her mind wander back to the first time she had met Joanne.
They had arrived at the same place, at the same time but for totally different reasons.
Joanne was the accidental product of career driven parents. Her father was a senior partner in a large and successful inner city law practice. Her mother was the CEO of an international cosmetic company.
They had scheduled Joanne’s upbringing to fit in with
“I haven’t tasted take aways like this in years.”
“They do a good job locally. I guess there is no excuse not to have a good produ ct being this close to the sea.”
Stephen wa s making little effort to hide his fascination and was staring across the table at Sandy.
“When will we have to leave for the a irport?”
“If we leave in around three quarters of an hour we will be allowing enough time .”
Joanne answered over her shoulder as she excused herself from the room.
The door had just clicked shut when Sandy felt a hand reaching slowly under the table. It settled on her knee the fingers traced small seductive circles on her bare flesh.
“What the hell do you think you are doing ?”
She raised her head and stared at Stephen across the expanse of greasy food.
“Come on Sandy. You’ve been making it pretty obvious you are as interested as I am.”
Sandy fought to control her temper. If she shouted Joanne would be the one that suffered and while the end result would possibly be for the best there must be a less painful way for her to find out exactly what she intended marry.
“Firstly, you arrogant bastard, I would never consider betraying Joanne. You don’t know how lucky you are that she, for reasons I cannot explain, has settled for someone like you.”
She waited for her words to sink in. He continued to grin at her across the table. She felt his hand begin to move slowly up her inner thigh.
“Secondly , even if you were single, I would not find you attractive. Actually, I find you revolting, arrogant and feminine.”
He didn’t flinch, he didn’t remove his hand and the grin never slipped from his face.
Sandy lowered her voice and spoke through her gritted teeth.
“ There is no chance Joanne will end up wasting her life on someone like you. And I will make sure that she doesn’t.”
He slowly removed his hand from Sandy’s leg and smiled at her brightly.
“We will have to wait and see about that won’t we?”
He winked, displaying an unaffected confidence.
“You don’t know what you are missing.”
Dismissing Sandy he turned his back and yelled towards the closed door.
“ Joanne. I’ve changed my mind. I think I will come to the airport.”
“You b astard,” Sandy hissed.
Joanne stood frozen in the doorway. She didn’t know what had passed between the two most important people in her life, but whatever it was had turned the summer warmth to winters ice.
Later that evening Sandy sat sulking in the departure lounge of Nelson airport waiting for the boarding call.
The visit had been short and s he was leaving before she had had the privacy or the time to find the words to tell Joanne what she needed to hear.
She had intensely disliked Stephen when she had first met him. That dislike had strengthened to an unhealthy loathing. She hated the bridesmaid’s dress she had been fitted for, she hated everything it symbolised and she hoped more than anything else she would never have to wear it.
Chapter 9
“Joanne and Sandy”
Sandy boarded the plane. She glanced at the aisle seat. A young breastfeeding mother looked up nervously and smiled. At least it wasn’t occupied by a fat man with greedy eyes squeezed into a far too small suit.
She settled into the comfort of her seat and watched the hills unfold beneath her. She let her mind wander back to the first time she had met Joanne.
They had arrived at the same place, at the same time but for totally different reasons.
Joanne was the accidental product of career driven parents. Her father was a senior partner in a large and successful inner city law practice. Her mother was the CEO of an international cosmetic company.
They had scheduled Joanne’s upbringing to fit in with
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