Page 95 of The Felicity Theory (The Laws of Love 4)

CHAPTER 23

“Okay guys, here’s your snorkel and mask,” Troy, their tour guide, said. “Have you made sure you’ve all signed the register? Don’t want to leave anyone behind. That would be the end of my licence.”

He grinned the standard Aussie grin, teeth sparkling, heavy crinkles forming around his eyes below a tangle of sun-streaked hair. He reminded her of Shocky, and that made Felicity feel sad once more for the fate of the Shaggin’ Wagon. It would have looked very at home in Byron Bay and Airlie Beach.

Now, she was on a boat off the coast of Cairns, waiting for her first ever snorkel to see the magical world hidden beneath that turquoise water. The girls who’d befriended her, Tanya from Liverpool and Gita from Germany, were both lovely, and had done this before, having been in Australia backpacking for over a year. Tanya helped Felicity put on her mask and snorkel tightly, but she decided that Scarlet wouldn’t cope with the flippers, and so gave them a miss.

Feeling for all the world like an ugly deep-sea fish as her lips spread over the snorkel’s mouth, she couldn’t help thinking that if Oliver saw her, he’d laugh his deep sexy laugh.

Oh wow, she missed him. So badly.

It had only been five days, but if she was honest, she was counting them off as she slid into sleep each night in a different backpackers’, wishing that instead of sharing a room with three sleeping strangers, she had his warm hard body and his soft kisses on the back of her neck to rock her to sleep.

But they did talk on FaceTime and text a few times a day.

Nothing major or earth shattering. Simply sharing tid-bits from their day and his comments on the selfies she sent him. Nothing about the fact she was due to fly back to the UK in a less than three weeks. And that each day, going home crept closer to being a reality.

Holding her nose and jumping into the water off the back of the boat at least stopped her thinking about that.

She was assailed by a rainbow of colours, an underwater fairyland. The striped backs of angelfish, the multi-coloured coral. A school of tiny iridescent fish swooped around her, curious, and she was convinced she’d arrived on the set ofFinding Nemo.

Tanya swam over and pointed out more fish and she kept nodding and bobbing, except the nodding and the bobbing was making her feel quite disoriented. A bit like a bedraggled squirrel, she thought to herself, and smiled inside her snorkel. Back came all the memories of the jokes they’d shared, the nights of making love in tangled sheets…

Damn it, woman. Focus on Nemo!

* * *

Oliver gotout of the cab, and thanked the driver. As he walked in, Graham called out from the desk, “I listened to you on the radio this morning, Mr Blake. Went well, didn’t it?”

He paused. Graham avidly read all his books and commented on his YouTube channel. He was a big fan, and you always stopped and gave your fans the time of day.

“Thanks. Lots of phone-ins so yes, pretty successful I think. Thanks for listening.”

“Bet you’re looking forward to putting your feet up.”

“No rest for the wicked. I have my last chapter to write.” Mind you, he had plans to change into some tracksuit pants and phone Felicity first.

As if Graham was a mind reader, he asked, “When’s your lady back from her travels?”

Oliver managed to tamp down the smile that was at risk of turning to pure mush. “In about a week, I think.” Hopefully she wouldn’t decide to make it any longer.

“Be nice to have her cheery smile back.”

“Yep. Sure will.”

As he turned towards the lift, his heart swelled. Itwouldbe wonderful to see her smile again. And to hold her naked body in his arms, hear her laughter ringing through his apartment. Her little touches, fresh flowers in a vase, yet another print propped against the wall. A whimsical ornament. For barely two more weeks. What was he going to do with it all when she left? Would he keep it, like a reverse Miss Havisham out ofGreat Expectations? Pining for his English rose by hanging onto a whole heap of op-shop finds?

As the lift whooshed up to the penthouse apartment, he mulled over his options. Should he suggest she stay longer? Not possible, the school term started soon. Suggest he fly over and visit her in London? Not practical, at least not yet. He had a book to complete, three months of seminars booked. And what if he turned up in London and it just wasn’t the same between them? Wouldn’t it be better to hold onto his memories? Keep them pristine, perfect?

He smiled at that. Fucking idiot. Perfect didn’t exist, Felicity had shown him that… See, he was getting quite comfortable with uncertainty.

As the lift doors opened into his apartment, he heard a voice. A woman talking on her phone. He dropped his bag and bounded up the hallway, unable to think of anything except that she was back. Early.

A huge grin spread like butter across his face as a silhouette walked out of the living room, her curvaceous figure dark against a window full of bright blue Bondi sky.

That walk… that familiar halo of hair.

Not red.

---