Handle Me with Care (4 page)

‘It was his night off.’

Maddie sniggered. ‘I’m sorry, it’s not funny.’

Evan couldn’t help laughing either. ‘It’s okay. Kate was only ever a bit of fun anyway.’

Maddie wondered whether tonight’s date was just a bit of fun too.

‘So when was your last date, Maddie?’

His question took her by surprise.

‘It was a blind date.’ She cringed.

‘Bad?’

‘Worse. The guy took me to a curry house.’ She relaxed as the wine took effect, and she began to worry less and less about Evan’s agenda and whether this would lead anywhere. ‘When I asked what was in the sauce, the guy pointed out a few of the ingredients including a long, green vegetable and told me it was a runner bean. Anyway, I bit off a great big chunk of it. It turned out to be a chilli and a bloody hot one too.’

He couldn’t hide his amusement. ‘You mean you couldn’t spot that it was a chilli?’

‘Call me naïve, but I was never that into curries and the sauce disguised pretty much everything in the dish. I’d had a few drinks by then as well – I needed to, the guy wasn’t exactly my type – so I believed him. He thought it was hysterical, which is the other thing – he had a laugh exactly like a seal, and I had to listen to it all the way home. He thought he was so funny. He tried to kiss me too, but by that point I couldn’t even stand being near him.’

The fact that Evan couldn’t stop laughing now just made her grin all the more. ‘Stop it, it wasn’t funny.’

When he had himself under control, he asked, ‘So what exactly is your type if it wasn’t him?’

Maddie swigged on her wine so she had a chance to think of an answer. ‘I don’t really have one.’ All she could think of was that right now she was looking at the prime candidate, and it was then she realised she hadn’t thought about Riley all evening, she hadn’t pictured sitting opposite him instead.

Maddie took some blue swimmer crab from the seafood platter and pulled out the flesh using the seafood cracker. Evan seemed impressed with her prowess, and after the crab it was on to the delicate white-fleshed snapper.

‘Are you from Melbourne originally?’ Maddie rinsed her fingertips in the tiny bowl of water as the waiter appeared with two dessert menus.

‘I am. Melbourne born and bred. I like my Victoria Bitter and I like my footy. My family is here too, which I guess makes all the difference. How about you, are you a Melbourne girl?’

She tore her eyes away from his lips. ‘I was born in Sydney, in the Northern Beaches, and my parents are still there, but I’ve been here for over fourteen years, so it feels more like home now.’

The waiter took Maddie’s order for the sticky date pudding, and Evan chose a liqueur coffee.

‘You make me feel greedy now,’ she chided.

‘Don’t be daft. I like a girl who eats rather than one who pretends not to and then pinches half of my food.’ 

Most of the evening had flown by with ease as though they were on their fifth or sixth date rather than their first, but every now and again Evan’s attention caught Maddie off-guard and reminded her of how new this all was. They talked some more about their workplaces, Evan regaling stories of amusing kids, naughty kids and the frustrations he sometimes faced as a teacher. Maddie talked about her awkward experiences as a physiotherapist, careful not to betray patient confidentiality, but at the same time amusing him with tales of body odour issues and excessive hair problems.

‘I can’t imagine you being a physio for rugby players, you don’t look butch enough.’ He seemed surprised when she told him Palmer’s Physiotherapy was the first port of call for a well-known and very successful local team.

She flexed a bicep, spurred on by the alcohol that had been topped up as discreetly as expected. ‘These muscles have a lot of power, you know.’

‘I’m sure they do.’

The arrival of the dessert broke his stare at her across the table.

‘Do you enjoy being a physio?’ Evan asked.

‘I do. I enjoy unravelling the mystery with anything from neck pain to back issues, and putting together a solution certainly keeps me on my toes. But I didn’t realise how much baking excited me until I was at University. It became an escape from the books, away from the rigours of learning about anatomy.’

‘I can understand that.’

‘Baking became the dream and physiotherapy was the reality. When I’m baking I’m in heaven. Looking back I’m glad I chose the physiotherapy path, it’s certainly a varied career. But I do dream sometimes of starting up my own cake business – maybe when my muscles get too tired of working with beefy rugby players I’ll do it.’

He returned her smile. ‘You could start a little side business now. Keep up the physiotherapy work but bake on weekends. That way you’ll know if it’s going to work before you chuck in the day job.’

She nodded, revelling in his support.

‘You could build up your client base – even the biggest businesses had to start from somewhere.’

She looked down at the dessert she had almost forgotten was in front of her. Riley had said something similar to her the night before he died. He had vented about his presentation, she had let loose about how tired she was after an overflow of patients that day, daydreaming about what it would be like to bake all day instead.

‘What’s the sauce?’ Evan’s voice interrupted her reverie.

‘Butterscotch. Here, try some.’ She passed over her spoon filled with the rich, moreish sauce. She didn’t realise the intimacy of the gesture until the spoon had passed between his lips and had been pulled out clean. It took her a moment to realise he was handing the spoon back to her.

She hid behind the pleasure of the sinful brown sugar-based sponge and the richness of the dates as she finished another mouthful of dessert. ‘I’ll definitely need a run tomorrow morning after this, it’s a bit naughty.’

‘You’re a runner?’

‘Don’t I look like one?’ She raised her eyebrows.

‘It’s not that, it’s just that running is my thing too. It’s nice to see we have things in common.’

Her heart skipped a beat because, so far tonight, it was all too good to be true.

He blew across the top of his coffee. ‘Where do you run?’

‘I do the Tan Track or run alongside the Yarra. Sometimes I head all the way down to the beach, up to Port Melbourne and Albert Park, maybe take in the lake.’

‘That’s quite a distance. I do similar routes, but you can’t beat a run around the lake. Running around a big expanse of water never fails to make me happy. You should pop in and see Jem when you’re next running through Albert Park. She doesn’t live too far from the beach.’

Her dessert didn’t quite slide down as smoothly as it could have as his suggestion implied that this had already gone way beyond a single date or a single night of unbridled passion with no strings attached.

‘She likes having visitors. She complains that the only people coming round these days are religious door-knockers or real estate agents waiting for her to cark it!’

Glad that the wine hadn’t yet reached her lips when she giggled, she asked, ‘Were they Jem’s exact words?’

‘More or less.’ He shrugged. ‘But I’d suggest you go and see her after your run or she’ll be feeding you cakes like that one.’ He pointed at the last remnants of sticky date pudding.

‘I’ll try to remember that.’

He sipped his coffee and then said, ‘Question time.’

‘That sounds frighteningly like a challenge to a truth or dare game to me.’

‘Not at all. At least not on our first date anyway.’

The way he looked at her sent ripples of excitement through her.

‘Think of it as a getting-to-know-each-other game,’ he explained. ‘Right, first question: what’s your most hated meal, ever?’

‘Easy. Crappy breadcrumbed fish fillets from the freezer section of Coles supermarket with rank parsley sauce and peas.’

‘That’s pretty specific.’

She moved her hands as the waiter confirmed that they had finished and went to make up the bill. ‘My mum used to serve it up every Friday, and I grew to hate it more and more each week.’ She pulled a face. ‘Okay, your turn.’

‘Tuna and pasta bake – it’s like vomit on a plate.’

‘No it’s not,’ she chuckled. ‘I quite like it.’

‘That and vegemite, which I can’t stand,’ he added.

‘You can’t say that and call yourself an Aussie!’

‘It’s revolting. I reckon tar on the roads tastes better than that stuff. Okay, moving swiftly on … It’s no use asking you about your favourite dessert as I think I know that already.’

‘Actually, as nice as the sticky date was, I’d say chocolate mud cake was my absolute favourite. I didn’t want to be too predictable though.’ She didn’t add that tonight she hoped to finally start down a new path, so the dessert had been in keeping with that theme.

Ignoring her pleas to pay half the bill when it arrived, Evan handed over his credit card. ‘Mine is Jem’s syrup sponge. You’ll have to try it one day.’

She gulped at yet another reminder that he was in this for more than one date. He was so good looking, so sexy; he could have any woman he wanted, surely.

His eyes held hers. ‘Next question: who’s your favourite person?’

‘Oh no, you’re not expecting me to say
you
are you?’

He laughed. ‘Present company excluded.’

‘It’s a tie between Mum and Dad.’

‘You get on well with your parents?’

‘Always have done. I don’t see them as often as I should, but they’re always in my mind.’ She was lost in thought for a second. ‘I always remember what a friend once said to me. She said she loved coming to our house when we were kids because we could make a mess. We used to cook, get muddy outside, and my parents were always so relaxed. And aside from the discipline they had to have as parents, I guess their attitude has always been relaxed towards me and my sister. They’ve let us make our own way in life and supported our moves, our decisions, but have always been there to pick up the pieces.’

Her parents had certainly been there to pick up the pieces after Riley was killed; she had been a total mess, still was in some ways.

‘Who’s your favourite person?’ She asked before he had a chance to probe any further into her answer.

‘Mum, of course, but equally I would have to say Jem.’

‘Have you always been close?’

‘We have. I suppose in much the same way as your parents, she was always relaxed and fun but certainly knew when to be strict and rein me in. Mum is a wonderful woman too. She can be a bit overprotective, but then what mum isn’t about her kids?’

As Maddie pulled on her thin-weave cardigan, she stole a glance at Evan. His face had a softness sitting beneath the rugged exterior that she doubted many would be able to resist.

As they walked towards the door, his hand fell against the small of her back in the gesture that already felt familiar, surprisingly comfortable.

‘You’d better let me pay next time,’ she said.

‘It’s a deal.’ He playfully nudged her arm. ‘I’m not so chivalrous that I’ll never let you pay, but it’s not right on the first date. I’d never hear the end of it from Jem if she found out I’d taken you on a date and made you pay.’

‘I can imagine.’ Maddie chuckled.

‘Come on, it’s almost ten so if we’re quick we’ll get to see the flames.’ She wasn’t prepared for it, but when his larger, warm hand wrapped around her own as they picked up the pace, much the same as it had encased the packet of flour in the supermarket, she didn’t resist.

A small crowd had gathered a few steps back from the mighty columns that were already whirring up, ready for their hourly performance. With a whoosh, great fireballs leapt into the air in quick succession, lighting up the ground beneath and warming the faces of onlookers, highlighting their smiles against the night sky. The heat between them as Evan stood beside her and his arm brushing against hers felt as intense as the flames themselves, and Maddie didn’t ever want the moment to end.

‘Pretty spectacular don’t you think?’ His voice flickered in her ear when he dipped his head to her height. ‘I don’t think I’ll ever get tired of seeing those.’

‘Me either.’ She gulped.

They stayed there until the columns fell silent once again.

The autumn days were still bathed in sunshine, but come the evening Melburnians were reminded that summer had passed once again. ‘Are you warm enough?’ Evan asked as they continued along the banks of the river, away from the crowds and towards the steps that would take them back up to street level.

Maddie pulled her cardigan tighter around herself. ‘I’m fine, thanks.’

They took the flight of steps leading up to St Kilda Road, and Maddie said, ‘I’ll wait for a tram, shouldn’t be long.’ She indicated the tram stop in the centre of the road where people jostled about checking the timetable against their watches.

‘How about I walk you home tonight? Seeing as it’s our first date.’

She hesitated, and then said, ‘Come on.’ She tilted her head in the direction of home.

As they left the city behind them, Evan said, ‘Tell me a bit more about yourself.’