Page 72 of The Winning Ticket

“No, it’s fine. I wasn’t sure how he’d feel about me being here, seeing as he’s so against your Brisbane life.”

Jake’s shoulders relax a little. “No, he’s fine. He actually offered to cover any callouts this morning. Normally, I’d be on call all day.”

“Oh, good. Well, in that case, I’ll happily let you drive me around.”

“Happy to be of service, Little B.”

After devouring breakfast, we head to Jake’s ute to explore the area.

“So, I was looking up waterfalls and stuff to check out, and I found this place called Queen Mary Falls out at Killarney. Do you think we have time to go out there?” I ask, looking at the list I’d put together on my phone.

Jake pulls out his phone and connects it to the car before typing the details into his maps app. “It says here that driving out there takes just under an hour. We should have enough time to check it out for a bit before I need to back in town.”

This sounds perfect, and I smile at him. He grins back, leans across the centre console, and kisses me softly before placing his hand on the back of my headrest. He looks over his shoulder and backs the car out of the driveway.

A shiver runs down my spine that has nothing to do with the air conditioning inside the ute. Is there anything this man does that isn’t sexy as hell?

An hour later, we pull into the car park, and I know immediately that I will love this place. I’ve always enjoyed getting out in nature but haven’t had a chance to go bush walking in years. As soon as I open the car door, a sense of peace washes over me, and I can hear a chorus of birds and the distant rumble of the waterfall. A few other cars are in the car park, but we seem to have beaten any crowds. I know this place is popular, so I’m grateful we aren’t going to be stuck in a crowd of people.

Jake leads the way to the track, and I follow behind with my camera slung around my neck. The humidity is thick in the air as we enter the bush, and when we arrive at the waterfall, I stand and stare at it in awe.

“Wow… this is gorgeous. How did I not know about this place?” Jake asks quietly, standing beside me while he drinks from his water bottle.

“There is so much to look at out here, JJ. You just have to want to look.” I smile at him, and he shakes his head.

“Subtle, Little B.”

“Oh, you wanted me to be direct? You live in a gorgeous part of Australia. Maybe it’s time to explore it more. How’s that?” I give him a cheeky grin, and he smacks my butt lightly.

“Point taken. Maybe you can explore it more with me then?”

I regard him closely, hearing the unspoken question. Could I see myself out here with him? Absolutely. Does that scare me? Extremely.

“I’d like that,” I whisper, and the slow smile that spreads across his face makes my heart race.

Neither of us says anything more while we stare at the waterfall. But when Jake gently takes my hand, I squeeze his fingers tightly while I do my best not to let my imagination run away with me.

Because a large part of me wonders why I’m fighting these feelings I’m having so hard.

The same large part of me wonders what would happen if I let myself fall even harder for this man who has worked his way deep into my heart.

The rest of the day flies by while I work through the list of places I want to check out. I’ve filled an entire memory card full of photos and am slightly tipsy from the wine tastings I’ve done at several local wineries. Jake has thankfully not had a call out, so he’s spent the entire day staying true to his word to be my chauffeur.

We decide to have dinner at the local pub, and I watch him while he winds his way through the tables with our drinks. He has been waved down by a few different people who have wanted to say hi to him, and while he politely nods each time, he hasn’t stopped to talk to any of them, which I find interesting.

But it’s the older man who steps up to him just before he makes it back to the table that has me the most curious. Jake’s parents divorced when I was young, so I never really knew his dad, but I can see the resemblance as clear as day. Jake stops to talk to him for a few moments before nodding towards me. His Dad looks over at me, giving me a slight nod before heading back to his table and rejoining the woman I assume is Jake’s stepmother.

“Here we go.” Jake places my wine in front of me before taking his seat and having a mouthful of his Coke.

“Thanks. Was that your Dad?” I nod towards the table where the man had sat back down.

“Yeah. I wasn’t sure if you’d want to meet him.”

“You should tell them to join us,” I say, without really thinking it through.

Jake raises an eyebrow. “Are you sure?”

Am I? I can’t back out now, but we are entering dangerous waters by double-dating with his father. Everything about this weekend has felt like a relationship, and I’m wondering how much more we can blur the lines before it’s time to accept that this has gone much further than friends with benefits.

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