Page 9 of Something Real with the Sea Monster
“Sorry. The only other pairs I have are maternity jeans cause my bump got too big.”
“It’s fine,” I tell her. “I’ll just get changed when I get my stuff.”
We climb into Mia’s car, and I try not to breathe in too deeply on the drive across town, which only takes a few minutes. The jeans still cut into me. I can’t believe Mia spent the last ten years thinking she was fat. I’m so glad she found Luke because I know he tells her every day how gorgeous she is, and unlike hearing it from everyone else in the world, she actually seems to believe him.
Kraken Cove is nothing like Sydney. We drive down the main street, and I crane my neck trying to read all the signs I didn’t take in last time I was here. “Where do you shop?” I ask Mia, scanning the scant few shops on the main street and coming up with nothing that looks like it sells anything I’d even consider wearing.
Mia laughs. “I don’t. I buy everything online these days. You get used to it.”
I gape at her. Imagine never setting foot in a trendy boutique shop ever again! Or going on a thrift shopping spree all Saturday picking out cute vintage finds and designer gems.
That’s not a life I could live long term. “Ha.” I laugh weakly. Mia seems happy. Who am I to burst her bubble?
My car is right where I left it, with only a huge splat of bird poop on the windshield to let anyone know it spent all night unattended. I fish my keys from the pocket of Mia’s jeans—quite a feat—and unlock it.
I have to wrestle with my enormous suitcase to get the top open and then can’t find the cute faded blue jeans I want, so I have to rummage around for a while. The carpark is empty apart from a few cars with dew on the windshields, and the sleepy little town seems like it’s still waking up.
I yank the suitcase out of the boot and onto the ground, finally locate the jeans, and try unsuccessfully to get the case back in my car. I bend my knees, and there’s a nasty ripping sound from theseams of Mia’s jeans. I freeze. “Uh oh. Sorry.” I glance around. I was going to run across the road to the public toilets by the pier, but there’s no one around and I don’t want to actually rip Mia’s jeans any more than I already have. “Hey, cover for me.”
“What are you—oh!”
The jeans are harder to get off than I expected. I almost topple over when I toe off my shoes and go to yank them down my hips.
Behind me, Mia squawks.
“Yeah, yeah. It’ll only take a minute. Just watch out and make sure no one comes by.” I’m rushing and fumble and drop my jeans on the ground, so I have to bend and pick them up.
Mia squawks again.
Finally I yank them up my legs and stand, just in time to hear her say, “Hi, Jack.”
Great. Just great. I haul the waistband of my jeans up over my ass, thanking all that’s holy that I at least remembered to wear nice panties for the day my new boss sees my ass. Oh god. This was not how I wanted this to start out.
I spin, lifting my chin and determinedly looking Jack right in the face. To my silent satisfaction, his mouth is actually hanging open, and beneath the beard, his cheeks are a dusty shade of red.
He coughs. “Hi, Mia. Hi, Tegan. I was just coming out to ask if you needed a, um… a hand. With your case, I mean. That thing looks heavy.”
I step closer to Mia and lower my voice. “What happened to cover for me?”
“I tried to warn you,” she whispers back.
“In bird?”
Jack easily lifts my giant case and slips it back into my boot like there’s nothing to it. I’m not even sure how I lifted that fucker yesterday. Rage gave me strength I guess.
“You weren’t kidding when you said you might stick around for a while, huh?” He turns and smiles at me with a grin that stilllooks a little dopey and lopsided, and god damn it, why does he have to have the whole cute boy-next-door thing going on?
“Where I’m concerned, there’s no such thing as traveling light.”
“So I see.”
“Yeah, I think you did. Not exactly the way I usually start a new job, though to be fair, that’s kinda how the last one ended.”
I’m not surprised at all when there’s awkward laughter from both Mia and Jack. I really need to figure out when not to say stuff like that.
“Anyway, what I meant is, if the job is still available, I’d like to take you up on that offer.”
Jack’s cute smile is back. “Absolutely. Would you ladies like to come up for a coffee?”
