“Fine, I'll stay here for a couple of weeks if that’s what it takes. Just don't expect me to like it, okay? There is nothing out here but red dust and half-dead trees, for goodness sake.” She sagged against the wall, reaching out to steady herself. If she thought Kim was going to tell her to come home, she had just been put straight—so much for wishful thinking.
“Great, just don't come back without talking to me first. I'll see if I can talk to them about it. Honey, you know I believe in you, but I don't want to see you lose this contract because you're being precious. Consider this the break you needed to have and make the best of it. Who knows…maybe that new series will start to rumble around in your mind.” She laughed. “You never know what characters you’ll come across out there in the middle of the desert.”
“Yeah, sure… Talk to you later.” Delilah hung up the phone and stood in the small, cramped room as disappointment swamped her. She had hoped her friend and manager would come to her rescue like she always did. It was hard not to feel as though she was being abandoned by everyone she trusted.
Not one to dwell on misfortunes, Delilah took a deep breath and went to rinse her cup in the stained sink. Leaving it on the draining board, she walked out and headed for the front of the shop in search of Sue. The older woman was unpacking boxes of biscuits and placing them on the shelves, rotating the stock as she went.
“Can I help?”
“If you aren't scared of breaking those lovely red nails, sure. Bust open a box and match up the tickets on the shelf to the product and go for it.” Sue handed over a box cutter and got back to what she was doing.
Delilah flicked it open before bending down and slicing open a box. One by one she placed the packets on the shelf until the box was empty. Then she grabbed another one and worked quietly until they were finished. She stacked the folded empty boxes and gathered them in her arms before following Sue out to where they dumped them in a recycle bin.
“How about I make us both a cup of tea? I could use a break and if you have some scissors down there, maybe I could trim this broken nail back too.” There were dirty marks on her lemon-colored skirt and she rubbed them with her fingers, doubting they would ever come out.
“Sure. You know where everything is. I'll have mine out here, if you don't mind. We can sit out front in the sun for a bit.”
Delilah made the tea and carried two mugs out through the shop. She looked for Sue and headed out front when she thought she heard voices coming from outside. The door was ajar and she leaned her butt against it, pushing it open as she slipped out, trying not to spill the tea.
Sue leaned against a dirty farm ute with a cheerful grin on her face. She spoke to a man with his back to Delilah. When Sue noticed Delilah, she stopped talking and pointed. Piercing blue eyes looked into her face when he turned and she faltered, spilling some of the hot liquid onto her fingers. Before she could cry out, the cups were taken from her.
“Jeez, what are you trying to do to yourself? It's those bloody heels. They'll be the death of you out here.”
* * *
Blake placed the cups on the side of his ute and grabbed her hands. They were already red and, from the look on her face, painful. He turned the tap on the water tank on the back of his vehicle and pushed her hands under the cool flow.
“Those damned shoes are too fancy for walking around out here in the bush, don't you think?”
She glanced up at him with bright eyes and frowned, lines marring her perfect smooth forehead. “Really, no I don't. There is never a good reason not to wear great shoes.” She shook her fingers, blowing on the red marks that slowly faded to pink. “That hurt.”
Blake stared at the woman in front of him and wondered if Sue had lost her mind. This female was all fluff and fancy—not at all what he had in mind when he got the phone call. He gazed over his shoulder at his aunt and raised an eyebrow.
Sue nodded her head, a small smile lifting the corners of her mouth. Her eyes were wise and trusting as they glanced at each other.
He turned back and looked again at the woman in front of him. Her expensive-looking yellow suit was dirty and creased, and those deadly high heels color-matched perfectly. Her hair was no doubt the result of many hours at the hairdresser, artfully swept up in some sort of fashionable style with a mix of shades that ranged from pale blonde to soft brown. The wayward strands that had slipped from her hair tie dropped over her temples to curl around delicate shell-like ears.
Picture perfect makeup enhanced the greenest eyes he’d ever seen. His gaze dropped to her lips and a lightning bolt of emotion hit him in the gut. The cupid’s bow of her mouth sent jolts of electricity straight to his groin. Sucking in a breath, he glanced back at Sue with a frown on his face.
She stood quietly, an all-knowing look in her eyes. Another slight nod of her head was the only movement she made.
“Well now, how is that burn feeling, Miss…” His voice was lower than before and he coughed to clear his throat.
“Connors, Delilah Connors. Stings a bit, but not as much as before. Thanks, Mr.…” She cocked her head to one side and looked at him.
“Blake Richards, but Blake will be
