Page 92 of Just Say (Hell) No
“I don’t know,” Nyree said. “Six dollars at the op shop, though.”
“Oh, no, thanks,” her mum said when Marko hovered the wine bottle over her glass. “Too many kilojoules, don’t you think, Nyree?”
“Not subtle, Mum,” Nyree said, and took another swallow. “And fortunately, Marko likes me curvy. Possibly drunk as well. Also fortunate.”
Marko said, “True. First thing I thought when I saw Nyree was that she was, ah… curvy. Second thing was that she didn’t run very fast. Slowest runner I’ve ever seen, in fact, and it didn’t even matter. Maybe it was her painting that knocked me sideways like that, but I think all that did was seal the deal. I have to admit—I think it was her smile. And her eyes.”
Grant snorted, and Marko looked at him blandly and said, “Pardon?”
“Maybe I’m thinking,” Grant said, “that you seemed able to resist her before. Maybe I’m wondering why now.”
“Because I met her now?” Marko asked. Quietly. Dangerously, that lion slinking through the tall grass.
“Or because you’re not playing in Otago anymore,” Grant said. “Because you have a point to make.”
Silence for a frozen minute, and then Nyree’s mum said, “Do you have any new paintings, darling? Or have you given it up?”
Given itup?It didn’t matter, because Marko ignored her. He said, “I didn’t know who Nyree was when I met her again. And if one of us has been at a disadvantage since that day, it’s been me. Been a step behind the whole way, haven’t I.”
“Also,” Nyree said, because she was tired of this, and she wasn’t that shy girl on the terrace anymore, “it could be that I have some sense. And somecaution.Marko didn’t know who I was, but I knew exactly whohewas.”
“It could be, in fact,” Marko said, “that she made sure I was good enough for her before she fell in love with me.”
Grant snorted and muttered, “That what you call it, then.”
It wasn’t like Nyree hadn’t seen it before. She just hadn’t seen it quite like this. Marko’s energy being drawn into himself, like before a tsunami. When the water was pulled out to sea, but you knew it was coming back.
He said, “Pardon?” Low. Dark. That wave was comingin.
Ella actually got up and left the table. Nyree wanted to, but she wanted to see, as well. It could be the wine, and it could be the man, but she had to know what would happen next.
“Grant.” Her mum had her hand on her stepfather’s arm.
He didn’t look at her. He was looking at Nyree. “I’m in this fella’s house,” he said. “And I’m asking myself why.”
Her mother said, “Grant. Stop.”
“Don’t fool yourself,” Grant said. “He’s a bloody footballer. It’s all about winning. He couldn’t win with me, couldn’t get his way, so he ran away to the Blues. Ran as far as he could go, didn’t he, without going to France. But don’t fool yourself. It’s still about winning.”
Nyree wasn’t waiting for the tsunami. She stood up, took her wineglass with her for luck, and said, “Then he wins. Just like you won Mum. Or let’s look at it another way. Just like Mum wonyou,and I won Marko. It could have nothing to do with you, did you think of that? It could be all about me, and about him. It could be that we both have a passion for what we do, and for each other. It could be that we’re a match.”
Marko was in two places at once. He wanted to pick Nyree up off her feet, kiss her the way she loved, carry her to bed, and love her hard and sweet until the candles burned down. And he wanted to punch his former coach in the face.
Unfortunately, he couldn’t do either thing. One of them, though, he’d get to do later, so there was that. For now, he had to take care of the other one.
He said, “Yes, we are, baby,” and stood up himself. “Nyree’s painted something amazing. Would you like to see it, Miriama?”
Sometimes, you couldn’t batter your way through the line. Sometimes, you had to sidestep. It wasn’t his best talent, but he’d give it a go.
Miriama jumped up and said, “Of course. I always love seeing your beautiful things, darling. I have one she did for my birthday in the lounge at home,” she told Marko. “Everybody says how pretty it is.”
He could see Nyree’s tension as she led the way upstairs, but he was pretty sure this visit to view her work was necessary. At least for him.
She opened the door and said, “The thing on the easel is new. New direction, I guess. I don’t know if it’ll work or not, but… it’s where I want to go. Interiors. Out the windows, at the max. That’s what I want to do next. Painting beautiful spaces.”
Miriama said, “Oh, it’s lovely. Truly. It’s your room. How clever. And so colorful.” And Nyree relaxed a little.
Grant had his hands behind his back, peering at the painting. After that, he took a stroll around the room and looked at the flowers. He was about to pronounce judgment. Marko could tell.
