Someone Like You (36 page)

‘Hey, Stinkface.’

‘Yeah?’

‘You certainly paid a lot of attention to this mysterious woman with the tears.’

Later Lizzie thought she must have imagined it, but it seemed like Joe was actually blushing.
Blushing
. Her big, old, cynical, hack, journalist brother.

‘It’s my job. I notice stuff.’

When she raised her eyebrows at him playfully, he replied, ‘Oh, fuck off.’

Lizzie found all the toilet cubicles in the ladies empty, except for one.

‘Hello?’ she called, to no answer. ‘Anyone in there?’ She dropped to her knees on the cold ceramic tiles and peered under the small open space where the door didn’t quite meet the floor. Sure enough, two leopard-skin stilettos pointed back at her, one leaning at a crooked angle against the other.

Lizzie stood and leaned back against the basin to give herself a moment to think about how to handle this situation. She didn’t really know Anna and had spent most of the time since they’d met believing she was sleeping with Dan. She’d instinctively tried to hate her but couldn’t. And now, she was standing in front of a locked toilet cubicle worrying about her. This woman she barely knew.

She also knew that no one ran into the ladies crying for no reason. Nope, Lizzie decided, she couldn’t leave a suffering sister to wallow in misery. It just wasn’t in her DNA.

She reached over and tapped on the door. Two times to be polite. ‘Anna, it’s Lizzie.’

There was a muffled cry from inside the cubicle and the distinct sound of someone scrunching cheap toilet paper in their hand.

‘I know it’s you, Anna. No one else in Middle Point has the balls to wear shoes like that.’

‘Hi Lizzie,’ came a small, sad voice from behind the door. ‘Go back outside to the wedding. I’ll be fine.’

Lizzie took a deep breath. She knew herself. She could no more leave a woman in trouble than she could pull up stumps and move to the city.

Damn it. She
was
Middle Point’s guardian angel, after all.

‘Anna, why don’t you open the door? I can sneak you a glass of champagne from the bar if you need one. Or…’ What the hell, she thought, and let the cheeky idea travel from her brain to her lips. ‘…I can make that a vodka if you want something stronger.’

There was a giggle and then a loud sniff from inside the cubicle. ‘I’m never going to live that down, am I?’

‘Probably not. Middle Point’s a small place, you know.’

‘And a beautiful place, Lizzie.’

‘You’re preaching to the choir here, Anna.’ Lizzie waited and listened. Anna sounded like she was trying to catch her breath. There was a click of stilettos on the floor and then the lock slid open.

‘Hey.’ Anna appeared from around the door.

Lizzie found a smile. ‘Hey yourself.’ She lowered her head to look directly into Anna’s brown eyes and could see that she wasn’t fine at all. ‘God, what’s happened?’

Anna’s mouth twisted and a string of Italian flew out of her mouth. Lizzie didn’t need a Berlitz course to know what she meant. Anna’s big eyes glistened with tears as she clickety-clicked on her heels to the hand basin and leaned over it, her hair a shiny curtain around her.

‘You might not believe this, Lizzie, but I’m an educated, professional woman. With skills.’

‘Of course you are.’ Lizzie smiled, grabbed a paper towel from the dispenser and passed it over.

‘Thanks.’ Anna widened her eyes and dabbed underneath them to blot the tears. ‘I swear, Lizzie, I don’t spend my whole life shit-faced or crying. I can’t imagine what you think of me.’

‘I’ve worked in this pub a long time. You’re not the first person to hide out in the ladies loo. And you know what I think? I think something big happened to make you so upset. Am I right?’

Anna’s face hardened. ‘Absolutely right. My husband is what’s happened. Four weeks ago, I found out he’s been having an affair with one of the other partners at his firm.’

‘Oh no.’ Lizzie now understood the tears and the swearing.

‘For a whole fucking year.’

‘How awful, Anna.’

‘So, three weeks ago I kicked his sorry arse out of the house. A rather nice house it is, too. Fortunately, it was already mine before we got married. That’s one benefit of having Italian parents.’ Anna seemed to regain some composure relating that particular part of the story.

‘You mentioned you had skills. You go, girl.’

‘And today I’m here. At a fucking wedding. Excuse the French.’ Anna sniffed and tried to wipe away her tears. ‘Don’t get me wrong. I’m thrilled for them and I hope they’ll be deliriously happy, I really do. But it’s all just a little too much to bear, to be honest. I tried to hold it together as long as I could, but that big kiss at the end, when Ry dipped Julia and kissed her?’ Anna held a hand to her heart and fresh tears welled in her eyes. ‘I saw that look on his face, like he would never let her go, and well…I had to get out of there before I made a complete fool of myself.’

Lizzie felt an ache in her heart for this woman she barely knew. ‘That’s a terrible thing to happen to anyone. Beyond terrible.’

Anna looked at her reflection in the mirror, shook her head ruefully. ‘God, what a mess. I should go home. I can’t go back out there looking like this.’

Lizzie wished her mess was half as gorgeous as Anna’s.

‘Go home? Absolutely out of the question. What you need to do tonight is have fun. When’s the last time you let loose? Danced until your feet were sore?’ Lizzie glanced down at Anna’s kick-arse shoes. ‘Probably more recently than I think. Wouldn’t having fun, celebrating the first day of the rest of your life, be the ultimate revenge?’

As Anna considered it, Lizzie had already picked the perfect person to dance with her. Someone else she knew who was in desperate need of a little no-strings-attached fun.

‘Revenge, I can do. But fun? I’m too old for fun.’

‘Oh you are not. C’mon Anna. Stay here, with us, and have a party. You can hang around in here until you feel ready to face the world again. Space to think. Do your make-up. You’re safe here in the man-free zone.’

Anna looked at Lizzie with a wistful expression. ‘God, I haven’t had one of those since forever. I like that idea. A man-free zone.’

Lizzie heard familiar footsteps and the entrance door to the women’s toilets swung wide open.

This wasn’t a man-free zone anymore.

It was Dan.

Tall, sexy, ten kinds of handsome Dan McSwaine. When he found Lizzie, he stopped and threw her a big time, happy, heart-breaker of a grin. In return she kept her mouth in a straight line, trying not to respond to him, because out of the corner of her eye, Lizzie noticed Anna turn away from him and begin excavating in her enormous handbag.

‘Dan McSwaine!’ Lizzie blurted, trying to distract him. Clearly Anna hadn’t wanted Dan to see her tears, and Lizzie knew her job was, first and foremost, to protect the sisterhood. ‘This is absolutely, positively a man-free zone. What the hell do you think you’re doing in here?’

He shrugged his shoulders. ‘Seen one, seen ’em all. Although this is a little bigger than some I’ve been into. Want to try it—’ Then he stopped talking. Maybe it had something to do with the fast shake of her head and the air stabbing motion Lizzie was making with one pointed finger. In Anna’s direction.

‘Oh. Hey Anna,’ Dan said with a nod of awareness to Lizzie.

When he looked like he was about to strike up a conversation, Lizzie leapt in front of him, pushing a finger to his lips and a hand onto his chest. His pecs felt like rocks, even with a crisp layer of white cotton stretched across them, and when he parted his lips, she wished she’d planted her mouth there instead of a single finger. He didn’t miss the flare in her eyes and he took a step closer. Damn it if there wasn’t a sudden gleam in his.

‘I’m just helping Anna with a…a wardrobe malfunction.’ She pushed him backwards. ‘Girl stuff. We’ll be back out there in a minute.’

‘Hey Dan.’ Lizzie wondered where Anna had found the cheery voice so quickly, but she didn’t turn to face him.

Dan checked his watch. ‘Lizzie, you don’t have a minute. I’ve been looking for you everywhere.’ He encircled her waist with his big hands, pulling her close. His lips were a breath away from hers. ‘Let’s go.’ His hands were so strong around her that it felt like he might pick her up and actually drag her away.

How Neanderthal
, she thought.
How goddamn sexy
.

‘Why have you been looking for me? What’s happened?’

His sexy eyes answered her with a smile and a cocked eyebrow and he pulled her so close her breasts squeezed up against him, hardening her nipples. ‘What do you think? I’m here to drag you away from this circus so we can be alone.’

‘Now?’

He suddenly laughed and his eyes crinkled adorably in the corners. ‘I’m joking, Lizzie. While that is a brilliant idea, and one I definitely want to do something about later, we’re in the middle of a wedding celebration here and I have certain best man obligations.’ Dan’s hands moved from her waist to her wrists, sliding down to entangle his fingers with hers. The simple move had her belly tumble-turning.

‘Ry and Julia want us down on the beach for the happy snaps.’ He checked his watch. ‘Five minutes ago. And you’d better come now or Ry will start at Julia with the bridezilla gags again.’

Lizzie shot him a knowing smile. ‘Give me two minutes. I’m sure I need new lipstick.’ His eyes flickered to her lips and he leaned down, crushed them with a wet kiss.

‘They probably do now,’ she managed to say. ‘Two minutes. Go.’

Dan gave her hands a quick squeeze and before turning to go, called to Anna. ‘You owe me a dance, Anna. Don’t leave before I get it.’

When the door closed and it was quiet again, Anna dropped her handbag with a thud on the tile and met Lizzie’s reflection in the mirror.

‘Thanks,’ she said with sad eyes.

‘Will you be okay? I’d better go.’

Anna sighed, finding some strength. ‘I’ll be fine.’

‘Good. Dancing helps, you know. With the broken heart thing. Especially disco.’

Anna laughed, finally.

‘And so does Middle Point. With the broken heart thing, I mean. Think about it.’

Anna hesitated, then reached out to rest her hand on Lizzie’s arm, gave it a firm squeeze. ‘Thanks for this. I really appreciate it.’

‘You’ll be okay, I know you will.’

Anna nodded, crossed her arms under her breasts. ‘About Dan.’

Lizzie nibbled at her lip. ‘What about him?’

‘You don’t need me to tell you, do you, how he feels about you?’

Lizzie didn’t know what to say. In the middle of what she was going through, Anna was thinking of Dan’s happiness. And a woman she’d met twice and barely knew. Lizzie decided her first hunch about Anna had been right. She could really get to like this woman.

Anna smiled and held a hand to her heart. ‘Dan is truly one of the best guys I know. Please believe that I’ve wanted nothing more than for him to find the happiness he deserves. And he’s found it, Lizzie. I hope he’s the one to make you happy, I really do.’

Lizzie couldn’t help herself. She threw her arms around Anna and held her tight.

An hour later, Lizzie had face ache from smiling. Watching Ry and Julia pose and walk along the beach for their wedding photos had her beaming with happiness for them. Now, the official wedding party was back up at the pub and the reception was officially underway, which meant Lizzie’s bridesmaid duties were almost over. She loved the way The Market had turned out, decorated like a Hawaiian luau. Paper lanterns lit with tiny globes hung from the white canvas market umbrellas, each shading tables and chairs. The waiting staff, all young men, were clad in brightly coloured boardshorts and white singlet tops, plastic floral leis about their necks. They were also decorated with handsome smiles and deep tans, which didn’t go unnoticed by the guests of female and gay persuasion.

Everyone seemed relaxed. Except Lizzie. She was still teetering on the edge of a nervous explosion and she blamed Dan totally. They’d been circling each other like sharks for the whole evening and Lizzie wondered how all this crushing tension would resolve itself. It had to resolve itself or she feared she might burst into flames.

She sank back against the sandstone wall of the pub and looked around, realising there was one thing she could be proud of. Chilled champagne tickled her tongue and the laughter and happy sounds of the crowd wafted over her. Her staff had really come through with the look of the venue and she was so proud of them. The Market looked exactly like a perfect location for future beachside weddings. Her mind began to click into overtime and she made a mental note.

Joe sidled up next to her, nudging her with his shoulder. ‘Nice work, Mosquito.’

She nudged him right back with her hip. ‘Thanks, Stinkface.’

He glanced around the party, trying to appear vague and slightly disinterested. ‘Did you find the crying woman? Is she okay?’

Lizzie shot him a teasing look. ‘You mean a big-time Sydney investigative journalist like yourself, who practically noticed her shoe size, didn’t actually find out her name? Your game is slipping, Joe.’

He didn’t rise to the bait, which Lizzie found curious. Joe’s voice dropped to serious. ‘So, is she all right?’

Lizzie considered the question. She didn’t know Anna very well, barely at all, but she had a feeling about her. ‘She will be,’ Lizzie said, nodding. ‘Perhaps you can find out yourself when you ask her to dance later.’

Joe almost snorted his champagne. ‘When I
what
?’

‘When you dance with her. For a very good reason, which I can’t go into right now, she needs to have fun tonight. Frankly, so do you. You’ve been a misery guts since you came back to Middle Point. And while I totally understand why, I think you are in desperate need of some no-strings-attached fun.’

Joe stared at her for a moment, looked as if he might be considering it, then slowly shook his head. ‘Nope, not me Mosquito. I don’t need to dance. And anyway, I’m not really in the headspace to make small talk with a woman.’ Even as he was talking to his sister, he scanned the crowd.

Lizzie blew out a breath. ‘For God’s sake, Joe. I’m not suggesting you launch into a discussion about the size of the Federal deficit. It’s just dancing. Do it for me, if not for yourself.’