Breaking The Drought (6 page)

Brooke took his hand and allowed herself to be led away. She turned back to blow Jenna a kiss before disappearing through the main hall entrance.

Jenna looked around. Her partner had to be around somewhere. Luke was nowhere in sight. He must have found his match and headed inside with the others. The foyer was rapidly emptying out so surely her other half wouldn't be too hard to find. Jenna heard laughing behind her, loud guffaws obviously coming from a group of males. She turned to see a lanky, redheaded boy, who couldn't have been more than 19. The laughter was coming from his mates, who had him surrounded. The others in the group all had pretty young girls on their arms. Something told Jenna these were local girls, not city imports like herself.

‘Stood up eh, Jacko? Can't even get yerself a blind date,' said the loudest of the group.

‘Ah, she probably checked out his freckle crop and decided to do a runner,' another said, to the general amusement of the group.

Jenna rolled her eyes. Teenagers could be so cruel. She had spent her teenage years being an ugly duckling, a tall redhead when all the other girls were petite blondes. She wished there was something she could do to help the young man but she knew from experience that intervening would probably just give the group more ammunition.

‘Might as well give up, Jacko,' the loud one continued. ‘She ain't coming.'

Suddenly it dawned on Jenna, they were talking about her. This awkward, blushing teenager was her date for the evening. A smile settled on her face as she realised that she
could
do something to help young Jacko. All thoughts of Luke and the disappointment she had felt just moments earlier vanished as she thought about what she could achieve for her young partner. She decided to give Jacko's mates something to talk about. She pulled herself up to her full height and thrust her chest out.

‘Excuse me,' she said, in what she hoped was a soft, sexy voice, ‘can any of you tell me where I can find number 50? He's my date for the evening.'

The group parted slightly and Jacko stepped forward. ‘I'm 50,' he said, while the others sniggered and looked at Jenna.

‘Oh thank God you're tall,' she said, casting a disparaging eye over the other males in the group. ‘I was so worried I'd be paired with someone short.' She reached out and took him by the hand. ‘Shall we go? I can't wait to get inside and get the evening underway.'

Jacko loped along beside her, apparently rendered speechless. ‘Don't look back,' Jenna instructed. ‘Just act confident, even if you don't feel that way.' When they reached the ballroom, Jenna pulled him around to face her and took both his hands in hers. ‘I'm Jenna,' she said. ‘What's your name?'

‘I'm Jacko.'

Jenna laughed. ‘I mean your real name.'

‘Oh,' he said, looking at his feet. ‘My name's Jason, Jason Jackson, but everybody calls me Jacko.'

‘Nice to meet you, Jason,' Jenna smiled at him. ‘It will be my pleasure to spend this evening with you as my date.' His hands were clammy and his face had paled so that his freckles seemed even more prominent. Jenna knew she needed to be very gentle. ‘I guess you weren't expecting your date to be an older woman.'

Jason blushed. ‘I don't mind,' he said.

‘I'm sure there are other girls you would rather spend your time with. But let me tell you something, Jason, a man who can win the heart of an older woman has a certain cachet that younger women find attractive.'

Colour flooded into Jason's face, turning his cheeks beet red.

Jenna laughed. ‘Don't worry, I'm not going to seduce you.' She released his hands and hooked her arm through his. ‘Just think of me as your fairy Godmother, Jason Jackson. Now take me to the ball.'

Luke handed his date a glass of champagne and tried to concentrate on what she was saying. Trish was pleasant enough and she was certainly pretty, so why couldn't she hold his attention? She was prattling on about her job as a teacher, or was it a childcare worker? Her hands flitted about, sending little droplets of champagne into the air as she laboured her point. Luke smiled and tried to feign interest as his eyes scanned the room.

He could see Brooke, spinning around the dance floor in the arms of Rob Fraser, but Jenna was nowhere to be seen. He wondered who she was paired with. Please not Cameron Richards. The captain of Barlow's cricket team was known for his charm and for his wandering hands.

Luke frowned. Why was he so worried? Jenna seemed perfectly capable of taking care of herself. Still, the thought of Cameron Richard's hands sliding over Jenna's bare skin made him queasy.

He forced himself to listen to Trish.

‘Of course, it's not all fun,' she was saying. ‘It's heartbreaking when we lose one.'

‘I'm sorry?' What sort of a teacher was this woman?

‘Despite the advances of modern medicine, some of the children do still die, you know.'

Oh bloody hell. She was a nurse, not a teacher. He could throttle Maggie for this. Surely she wouldn't have teamed him with a nurse on purpose? Since the accident he hated any discussion about medical matters, full stop.

‘Shall we dance?' he asked in the most charming voice he could summon.

Trish smiled as he took her hand and led her out onto the dance floor.

Luke was an accomplished dancer, thanks to his mother. When he was 17 she had insisted that he partner his cousin in the annual Barlow District Debutante Ball. ‘You'll thank me one day,' his mother had said. 14 years on Luke raised his eyes to the heavens in a silent gesture of thanks as he twirled Trish around to the strains of Cole Porter.

Now that the dancing had put an end to Trish's chatter, Luke could concentrate on looking for Jenna without hurting his date's feelings. It didn't take long for him to spy her glittering gown. She was sitting at the bar, seemingly engrossed in conversation with…surely that wasn't young Jason Jackson? He couldn't be more than 19 years old and Jenna was looking at him like he was the most desirable man she had ever seen. Luke manoeuvred Trish closer to the bar so he could get a better look.

Yep, it was Jacko, and she was holding his hand. What on earth would a woman of the world like Jenna want with a kid like Jacko? She had to be seven or eight years his senior and it wasn't as if he was the most mature kid around. ‘Let's get a drink,' Luke said, pulling Trish to a halt.

Trish's smile faded, but she followed him to the bar in silence.

Jenna stood up as they approached. ‘Hello,' she said. ‘Luke, have you met my new friend Jason?'

‘G'day, Jacko. Enjoying yourself, mate?'

Jason blushed. ‘I'm having a great time,' he said.

Jenna held out a hand to Trish. ‘Jenna McLean,' she said.

‘Pleased to meet you. I'm Trish Morris.'

‘Are you up from Melbourne for the weekend?' Jenna asked.

‘Sydney, actually. A few of the girls that I work with were making the trip and I thought I'd tag along.'

‘Wow,' Jenna said. ‘That's quite a trip. Where do you work?'

‘I'm a paediatric nurse at — '

Luke cut in before she could finish. ‘Hey Jacko, I'm sure Jenna would love to see your moves on the dance floor. Why don't we all get out there and get this party moving?' Surely once Jenna saw that Jacko was no more than an awkward teenager she'd leave him alone.

Jason squirmed in his seat. ‘I'm not much of a dancer,' he said.

‘Neither am I,' said Jenna gently. ‘But it's a slow number. I'm sure we can fake it together.' She smiled at Trish. ‘Lovely to meet you.'

With that she was gone. Luke stared at his feet for a moment, ashamed of his ill-mannered behaviour. He looked up to see Trish slumped on a bar stool, toying with her drink. He leaned over and clasped her hand. ‘I'm sorry, Trish. I haven't been much of a date so far. It's just that…'

‘You'd rather be with Jenna,' Trish finished for him.

Luke winced. He was being an idiot and apparently not disguising it very well. ‘No, no it's not that. I'm just a bit distracted tonight. I have a lot on my mind at the moment.'

Trish looked unconvinced.

‘Come on, I'll introduce you to some of my friends. Let's try and have some fun, hey?'

Jenna led Jason out to the middle of the dance floor and wrapped her arms around his neck. The lights had been dimmed and, to Jenna's amusement, an 80s-style disco ball twirled above them. ‘Now gorgeous, who do you want to impress tonight?'

‘Huh?'

‘Well, there must be one of these local girls that you'd like to ask out.'

‘None of them would ever go out with a bloke like me.'

‘Why not?'

‘Because I'm tall and awkward and funny looking.'

Jenna stopped dancing and looked right at him. ‘You listen to me, Jason Jackson. Yes, you are tall. That's a good thing! Awkward we can fix and you are
not
funny looking. You have gorgeous hair and beautiful green eyes. You are sweet, sensitive and kind. I can see that after spending just an hour with you. Any girl would be lucky to have you.'

Jason smiled properly for the first time that night, revealing a set of perfect teeth. ‘Do really think so?'

‘I know so. They need to get to know the real you, that's all. Tonight we are going to put on a little performance. I want everyone here to see how desirable you really are. As part of that performance I might have to kiss you. I hope you don't mind.'

Jason's face broke into a grin, ‘Why would I mind?'

‘Because it's just playacting, Jason. I don't want you to get the wrong idea. I really like you, but I'm 27 years old. It just wouldn't work between us.'

‘Geez, I don't care about that. If anyone sees me kissing a girl like you I'll become an overnight legend.'

‘Precisely,' said Jenna.

They danced silently while Jenna surveyed the room. She was looking for the group Jason had been with in the foyer. Even if she couldn't get him a date she wanted to bring him up a notch or two in the eyes of the local lads. There was a large group of young men sitting at a table near the bar. A couple of girls stood nearby looking bored. Jenna danced Jason in the direction of the bar until she was sure it was the foyer crowd. They were a rowdy lot and the boys seemed to be engaged in a type of drinking game. Jenna steered Jason as close to the table as she could and then began her act.

First she threw back her head and laughed, and then she leaned close to Jason and whispered in his ear. ‘Help me out here, Jason. Laugh a little, look like you are having a good time.'

Jason managed a grin and a small laugh. Jenna cast a glance towards his mates. Two or three were looking in their general direction, but the others were still caught up in their drinking game. This called for drastic action. Before she could think about it further, she placed her hands at the back of Jason's head and drew him to her. She parted his lips with hers, and kissed him softly. He seemed to freeze momentarily, before kissing her back. Jenna hoped he remembered that this was just for show as she drew him in a little closer, tilting her head back for effect. She opened her eyes, just enough to check whether their act was drawing an audience. She needn't have worried. It seemed their performance was a crowd pleaser. A number of people were looking, some even nudging their friends or pointing towards them. A little jolt of joy shot through Jenna when she realised that this might actually work. If Jason Jackson could get a date as a result of her kissing him then the whole weekend would be worthwhile.

She pulled away from Jason slowly, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. ‘Well, Lover Boy, looks like you've got yourself a reputation.' She ran her fingers through his hair and whispered, ‘Now would be a good time to get me a soft drink. Take your time.'

Jason looked at her quizzically.

‘Go revel in your 15 minutes of fame. I'm going to powder my nose, so there's no rush.' She gave him a quick peck on the cheek and turned on her heel to find Luke's steely gaze fixed upon her. She averted her eyes but could feel his stare following her as she walked towards the bathroom. What was his problem? Surely he didn't care who she kissed. It wasn't as if he'd shown any interest in her.

‘What are you playing at, Jenna?' Luke's voice was cold.

Jenna swung around, flabbergasted. ‘Excuse me?'

‘With Jacko, I mean. He must be nearly 10 years your junior.'

‘10 years! How old do you think I am? Anyway, what business is it of yours?'

‘I just don't want to see the boy hurt.'

‘Jason Jackson is all grown up. I'm sure he is quite capable of making his own decisions. Besides it doesn't seem to have done him any harm.' She inclined her head towards the bar, where Jason was standing surrounded by his mates.

The hostility drained from Luke's expression. Vindicated, she picked up her skirt and swished off to the ladies' room.

Luke stood alone on the dance floor, feeling like a fool. Jenna was right, it was none of his business who she kissed and he couldn't understand why he even cared so much. He watched as Jacko was given a good-natured ribbing from his mates. Jenna may not know much about life in the bush, but she obviously knew a thing or two about people. In one evening she had managed to transform a hayseed into a stud, or at least the beginnings of one. Maybe she did have a heart hidden beneath that hard shell of city sophistication.

Luke realised his own heart was thumping noticeably and he had to resist a sudden urge to run after her. God, what was wrong with him? He could not afford to let a woman like Jenna get under his skin.

Maggie came up behind him and slid her arm around his waist. ‘How's your date going?'

Damn. He had forgotten all about Trish. ‘Um, I think she's getting a drink.'