Laura's Big Break (5 page)

“I do take chances. I’m here, right?”

“You’re here because I blackmailed you into coming. Let’s face it. You would never do anything you term irresponsible. Ever.”

“And I suppose that you’ll just continue to sleep your way around the world, terrified of ever doing anything real, of ever getting close to anyone or of making a difference to someone.”

“Exactly. Live free. Live easy. And when women start to ask stupid questions, say goodbye.”

He wasn’t exactly sure how they’d managed to go from enjoying lunch to being mad with each other, but they had.

Laura pursed her lips. He could see she was regrouping. He could also tell he’d hurt her. Although he couldn’t figure out why the truth would bother her so much. Women.

Her phone rang. She looked at the caller ID and her shoulders slumped.

“My boss,” she said as she stood. “Don’t even think about dumping me and running off.”

She pointed at him before walking off to take the call. Charlie shook his head. Seriously, the woman was midget sized, with huge puppy dog eyes, and yet she still felt she could threaten him and he would listen. It must be great to be in Laura’s head. He bet that in her head she was a giant who ruled the world.

He rested his head on the back of the chair, closed his eyes against the sun and dozed. He had never been able to figure Laura out; he wasn’t going to today. It would take a lifetime and he wasn’t that invested. Nope, a nice little nap was a better use of his time.

CHAPTER THREE

Laura was so angry with Charlie that she couldn’t see straight. She tripped over two German tourists and one dog on her way out of the cafe’s terrace. If her boss, the evil witch, was going to chew her out then she didn’t want to be within hearing distance of the Neanderthal when it happened. Responsible? Uptight? Cowardly? Huh! She took chances all the time. Okay, so right now she couldn’t think of one, but that didn’t matter. She was sure she would when she calmed down. And as for being responsible, well that was a good thing. He could use being more responsible. She glared at him through the crowded street but he appeared to be asleep. If she could have made his head explode just by looking at him, she would have. With a frustrated groan she answered her phone.

“Hi Claire.” She knew her tone said exactly how she felt about the call.

“Where is my interview?”

Laura pinched the bridge of her nose and tried to remember the Dutch word for pharmacy, because she was about to need migraine medication.

“You gave me two weeks.”

“Well I didn’t think you’d fall off the planet for the whole time. I need photos, I need blurb, I need something that we can use on the website as a teaser. There’s no point in chasing this interview if I can’t advertise the fact that it’s coming. It’s called business, Laura. I am running a business here. Try to remember.”

Laura gritted her teeth with relish. There was no one around to witness it.

“This isn’t easy.” She tried not to sound whiny. “I haven’t had a minute to talk to him. He cycles off and leaves me.”

It didn’t matter how hard she tried, she sounded whiny and pathetic even to her own ears.

“Boo hoo,” said Claire. “This isn’t the teen scene. When you’re writing for adults you have to make the extra effort. What exactly are you doing? Having a holiday?”

“No, I’m trying to get the story. But I told you at the start of this that we don’t exactly get along. We have a history. A very bad history.”

“Save it for the story. I want photos of your trip and some copy we can use to sell the piece. And I want it tonight. Do you understand? I want to find it waiting for me as soon as I log in in the morning.”

“Yes. I understand.” That you are evil and must be obeyed.

“Good. I’ll look forward to it.” Her voice was like ice. “And Laura, make sure you send me something sexy. I don’t want a travel log and pictures of you two on bikes.”

With that the phone went dead.

Black dots appeared in Laura’s vision. Her left temple was throbbing. In all her reading about migraines she’d never once seen Claire’s name in the list of things that could trigger one. Laura rooted around in her bag and came up with her last strip of medication. As she popped the pills she wondered how on earth she was going to get the material Claire wanted. There was no way that Charlie would agree to it. There was only one thing for it. She would have to do it without his permission. Her stomach clenched. A niggle at the back of her mind told her this was a bad decision.

She wove through the tables, over the cobble stone square, towards Charlie. He looked exactly like he was on holiday in his worn jeans and faded Iron Maiden t-shirt. She swallowed hard. How the heck was she supposed to get sexy pictures of him by the end of the day? What exactly was a sexy picture anyway? There was a serious pounding in her left temple and she was sure worry was burning a hole in her stomach lining. On the whole she would be lucky to get out of this trip alive.

Laura was suspiciously silent. Charlie was even beginning to think that he may have upset her by saying she was boring. But surely comments like that bounced off Laura. She was the Iron Maiden. Teflon coated. Still, he looked at her out of the corner of his eye; the quiet was a worry.

It was early evening as they walked along the river towards the campsite. There were one or two large boats on the water and a few guys fishing along the edge of the river. They walked beside the cycle path which was busy with people making their way home from the town centre. Bikes were laden with everything from shopping, to kids and their toys. One guys held on to a canoe which was strapped into his pannier and poked up tall behind him. The sight made him smile. Charlie had to admit that a day off cycling to sightsee was kind of relaxing. It was even strangely nice to have some company. Even if she was scarily quiet.

“It’s cool the way we look down on the houses, yet the water is right beside us, isn’t it?”

Damn, he was making small talk. Now he knew he felt guilty. Laura looked up at him with those green owl eyes; there was something going on inside her head for sure. He just didn’t know what. She looked upset. No, she looked worried. He had the overwhelming urge to make it better. Now that was insane.

“Look, we can see right into this guy’s bedroom and it’s on the third floor.” He just could not shut up. “Must be weird to sit in the living room and know the water level is up near the roof. Wonder if they worry the dam will break?”

Yak, yak, yak, he was a man possessed.

“So, have you been here before?”

He wanted to walk into a pit. Have you been here before? Seriously?

Laura stopped walking and looked up at him. Charlie felt oddly cornered, as though she could read his mind.

“I’m okay about our talk,” she said at last. “You’re right. I am sensible, and responsible and probably boring. I don’t travel round the world like you do. Save lives or anything. But I’m okay with it. I worked hard at being boring and sensible. It’s who I am. It’s what I want.”

Now he really felt like a heel. He ran his hand through his hair, wondering again if it was time for a haircut.

“Look, you’re not boring, I was winding you up.” Why was he trying to make this better? Why was he making excuses? Because she looked like Bambi in the scene where he lost his mother.

Laura reached out and put her hand on his arm. She blinked her huge eyes and smiled. Her ponytail swayed in the breeze.

“You’re off the hook. I’m fine. I don’t care what you said. Better boring than a drama queen or a basket case like my parents.”

He couldn’t argue with that.

“Tell you what.” She fluttered her eyelashes and he was instantly suspicious. Was she flirting? No, she’d tell him if she was.

“What?”

He’d play along. At least now she was talking, which was a relief. And he knew how insane that was considering he’d spent days wishing she would shut up.

“How about we go for a swim?”

What? “Swim?”

“There’s a little beach along here, I saw it when we were cycling yesterday. How about we have a swim?”

He could tell by the way her eye began to twitch that she was losing patience with him.

“Okay,” he said. “Let me get this right. You want to skinny dip.”

Now she was grinding her teeth.

“No, you can wear your underwear and I’ll wear my top and my pants.”

Her face flushed. He was missing something. He looked down at Laura in her cute cut-off jeans and yellow halter top. Sure, he could go swimming.

“Why not?” He said with a shrug.

With a slow calculating smile that made his guts twist tight, Laura turned in the direction of the beach.

There were a couple of kids playing in the sand but other than that there was no one in the water. Laura was beginning to regret this idea. But since it was the only one she had, she decided to go with it.

“Perfect,” she said with forced cheer. “Do you think its cold?”

“Only one way to find out.”

Charlie pulled his t-shirt over his head and Laura felt her cheeks flush.

“See anything you like?” he said with a cocky grin.

“I’ve seen it all before.” She forced a yawn. He smiled knowingly.

A second later he was stripped to pale grey cotton briefs that left little to the imagination. Laura cast a worrying glance towards the kids playing, but they were gone. She hadn’t even noticed them leave. Now it was just her, Charlie and the river.

“Your turn, shorty,” he challenged.

Laura stuck her chin in the air. This was her idea. She could do it. Without looking at him she kicked off her flip flops, put her bag on the sand and reached for the button on her shorts.

“Need any help with that?”

She ignored him. It’s no big deal, she told herself. It’s not like he hasn’t seen it all before. Still, her heart beat fast.

“Come on, it’s going to be dark soon,” he said. “Unless you want to go with my idea and skinny dip. In that case, dark is better.”

She frowned at him before slipping her shorts down her legs.

“Barbie?”

Her head snapped up to see him smother a smile.

“Great underwear,” he said instead.

Laura looked down at her bubble gum pink Barbie pants.

“I’m petite,” she said with irritation, “sometimes I can shop in the kids section.”

“I’m impressed, short stuff, that’s the first time you’ve ever acknowledged that you’re vertically challenged.”

She growled, making him laugh.

“Now the top. You don’t seriously want to swim in that. Better to keep it dry and swim in your bra. Is that Barbie too? No, let me guess, Sponge Bob.”

He folded his arms over his impossibly muscled chest. Oh to be so simple minded that anything amused you.

“I have to wear this. I’m not wearing a bra.”

That stopped the laughter. His eyes zoomed in on her breasts.

“Now,” he said in a hoarse voice, “if I’d known that earlier, this day would have been a whole lot more interesting.”

Laura crossed her arms, blocking his view.

“Get in the water,” she ordered.

“Ladies before gentlemen.”

“I want to take some pictures before I forget; I haven’t taken any so far this trip. You go ahead and I’ll be there in a minute.”

“Is this some sort of ploy? Are you going to run away with my clothes?”

She rolled her eyes.

“Yes that’s exactly what I’m going to do; because there is no way that you are fast enough to catch me.”

“Good point,” he said and turned towards the water.

Laura’s stomach tensed as she dug out her camera. What she was doing felt so wrong. It was sneaky, underhanded and wrong. Wrong. Wrong. She bit her lip as she watched Charlie dive under the water. It was also necessary. No pictures. No interview. No Job. Her boss had her over a barrel and they both knew it.

She turned the camera towards Charlie and began to snap. In the warm light of the sunset he looked amazing. Muscled, tanned and delicious. He stirred up desire within her. Even knowing that he had the personality of a skunk, she was still drooling over his water covered pecs. Pathetic. Still if he had that effect on her, surely other women would like the pictures too? She hushed her complaining conscience and took all the photos she needed.

“Are you coming in here?”

Charlie brushed his hair from his face and decided that he definitely needed a haircut. He was all for relaxed, but this was borderline hippy and that was too far.

Laura took some pictures of the river, and then spun around to take some of the people cycling behind them on the dike. She walked to the edge of the water.

“Smile,” she told him.

Little warning bells went off in his head.

“Why?”

She gave him her teacher look.

“I want one nice picture. Something I can send to your sister to prove we aren’t killing each other.”

It sounded innocent. It looked innocent. So why did he get the feeling something else was going on?