Page 14 of Just One Look

No. She was living here, in a house that somehow, unbelievably, was worth more than hers. With the world’s hairiest dog, and a motorway roaring beneath her. And a creepy doll collection.

And an amazing view of the sea.

She dragged her suitcase into the bedroom. There was a chair to put it on. That was good, because there wasn’t anyplace else to set it other than the bed, and she wasn’t putting it there, because putting luggage on a bed wasn’t ….

Webster jumped onto the bed. And lay down.

“You’re kidding,” she said aloud. “This is a joke, right?” In answer, Webster thumped his enormous feathery tail, grinned at her, and drooled a little on the duvet.

“Tea,” she decided. “I’m in New Zealand. I’m calm. I’m having tea. Fortunately, the kitchen is very close.”

Tea. Then she’d take that shower, unpack her suitcase, find out where the laundry room was—she suspected the garage, and she also suspected a dash through the wet to get there every time it rained, which would be a lot—go for a walk, and have breakfast.

And deal.

* * *

The girl setdown the coffees on their sidewalk table, and Luka said, “Cheers.”

She blushed and looked away. You noticed the blush, because she was a pale blonde, and fragile-looking. Luka barely got a glimpse, though, before she was heading back into the restaurant.

Marko, of course, was grinning and saying, “Can’t decide if that was, ‘You’re so unbearably hot, it’s overwhelming,’ or, ‘You’re clearly dangerous, and I’m running away.’ Or maybe she heard that you date on the younger side, and she doesn’t want to be considered. Since you have gray hair, mate, and she looks about eighteen.”

“Yeh, nah,” Luka said. “Not too chuffed about being with somebody who’s scared of me, or who was starting kindy when I was getting selected for the Blues, either. Henry exaggerated. Twenty-one, at least. Strict lower limit, because I like a confident woman who knows what she’s about.”

“Oh?” Marko said. “Where would that be?”

Luka said, “I’m not talking about my sex life with you, mate, just because you’re frustrated. How do you know about it anyway? You weren’t there.”

“How do you think? Hugh told me. Funniest interview he’d ever seen, that was the report.”

“I couldn’t exactly say, ‘Piss off,’ to an eight-year-old kid, though. I was stuck, wasn’t I.”

“Reckon you feel old, too,” Marko said. “Balding fellas tend to do better when they shave their heads. Make it a statement instead of pathetic. I’m telling you that in case it’s helpful with the confident twenty-one-year-olds.”

“I’m not balding,” Luka said. “I have a full head of hair. A bit of distinguished silver at my temples, that’s all.Prematuresilver.”

He would have said more, but there was some sort of commotion happening up the street. People shouting. Things crashing.

Danger.

He started to move.

* * *

How had thishappened?Elizabeth wondered in despair as she ran.One minute, she’d been opening the front door, her running shoes in her hand, ready to sit on the steps to put them on and go on that walk to get breakfast. The next, the dog had been shoving his way past her and, in a horrifying instant, charging through the gate she somehow hadn’t closed all the way and taking off up the street. The one that led to Ponsonby Road.

She’d been in the country anhour,and she was already killing the dog!

It took her a couple of very long seconds to find the leash, and then she was headed out after him. The door open behind her, thegateopen behind her.

Her purse still on the front steps, she realized after a few blocks. Oh, boy. Now she was going to have gotten the dog killed,andgotten the house robbed and the doll collection stolen.Andlost all her credit cards. And herpassport.All at once! On her first day!

Too late. She was up the hill and already gasping for breath. She couldn’t evenseethe dog. At least she hadn’t seen its body, though.

Yet.

Please don’t get hit,she prayed, as if it would help.Please don’t get hit.And ran, her lungs on fire, because the elliptical machine wasnotthe same as running uphill after the stupidest dog in the world.