Saxin the Park

Copyright

Copyright © 2017 by Briony Vreedenburgh All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. ISBN 978-0-9945457-2-5 www.breeverity.com This book previously published under the title “Amanda”

Sax in the Park

Chapter 1 Amanda arrived at the park in a rush, and quickly flicked out her picnic blanket on to the cool green grass while grimacing a greeting to her friends. “Late again!” She had worked right up to the last minute before she needed to leave for the concert, as always. She never seemed to find a spare second to relax these days, but she was hoping that the concert would provide a bit of respite from her crazy, hectic life. She sat down and pulled the things from her picnic basket. Someone pressed a plastic goblet of wine into her hand, and she took a deep draught. It was a cool, dry white; crisp and cold and just perfect for a balmy November evening. She sighed, and leaned back on her elbows. Her phone buzzed and she pulled it out, only to find there were four new messages. Taking another long swig of the wine, she asked, “What time is this concert supposed to start anyway?” “It says here that it starts at eight. There’s supposed to be a laser show before the music actually starts so I suppose they’re waiting until the sun goes down.” Penny Davis was the one who had invited Amanda to the concert, calling her a few weeks ago to complain that no one ever saw her anymore. Penny was the unofficial social secretary for their group of friends. With her strawberry blonde looks, athletic build and sunny personality, she was the perfect host and, if she was not hosting, she was the perfect person to have at your event. She knew everyone, and if she didn’t, she was happy to stroll up to someone new and get to know them. When Penny told her the last event she had been to, which had been six months ago, Amanda had felt so guilty, she agreed to attend, even though work was very nearly suffocating her at the moment. And now, with several clients trying to get in touch with her, she felt the noose tighten even more. “Cool. I can get a few quick texts in before it starts.” Amanda put her head 1

“Cool. I can get a few quick texts in before it starts.” Amanda putSaxher head in the Park down, and started tapping away at the keys on her phone. Penny clicked her tongue at her. “Put that thing away, Amanda. You’re here to relax, remember? And to talk to us? Because we haven’t seen you in months?” “I can’t help it,” Amanda replied without looking up. “My clients just keep calling and calling if I don’t respond.” “Maybe you need an assistant,” suggested Lydia del Castro, who sat beside Penny on the other side. “Surely you are making enough money now to at least put someone on part time?” Amanda and Lydia had gone to university together, however where the dark haired, chocolate eyed Lydia had decided to follow the business and management stream, Amanda had preferred marketing. Lydia had gone on to a career in consulting, while Amanda had worked for a marketing company for many years before opening her own business. Amanda shook her head. “I don’t think I’m quite there yet.” “You don’t think?” “To be honest, I haven’t really had time to look at my financials in months.” She finished one message, and pressed send with a flourish, but before she could start another, Penny had pulled the phone from her hand, and popped it into her cooler. “There. Now you have to talk to us.” Penny grinned, but all Amanda felt was vague sense of alarm. There was barely a moment in the past couple of years that her phone hadn’t been in her hand. Just as she was about to demand that Penny hand it back, there was a zing of lights from the stage, and the laser show began, accompanied by a loud classical overture. She wouldn’t be able to get any work done now, even if she wanted to. She decided to sit back, breathe, and just enjoy the evening. She even forgave Penny enough that when her friend stood up and said, “Let’s go down the front to dance,” she quickly agreed. Lydia volunteered to stay there and watch their stuff. Dancing felt good. Amanda couldn’t keep the smile from her face as she shimmied and swayed to the music. She missed this - when she was working for someone else, she was out every weekend, and sometimes during the week as well, chatting, flirting and dancing. Now, her business took all of her time. She heard a bad note from the saxophonist, and she grinned. Most of the concert-goers wouldn’t have even noticed, but she had played the sax in high 2

concert-goers wouldn’t have even noticed, but she had played the sax in high Sax in the Park

school, and always seemed to hear its brassy tones over the rest of the band. Then he hit another one. She squinted against the lights from the stage and tried to make out the player. He stood at the back in the brass lineup, his face obscured by his gleaming instrument. There was something familiar about his stance, and with his blond hair, and Amanda puzzled over it until he put his sax down. Then, her mouth dropped open in surprise. She nudged Penny. “Isn’t that Aidan Young?” “What?” She could hardly hear Penny’s voice over the music, so she shook her head and Penny went back to her dancing. She would ask her later. In the meantime, she looked her fill at Aidan Young. He was even better looking than he had been the last time she saw him, nearly eight years ago when he left Perth to pursue his career in the east. When he tore her heart into a million pieces and then dashed them in her face. She scowled at him as the track ended. Penny said, “What was that you said?” “I said the sax player was Aidan Young.” Penny shook her head. “Never heard of him.” Amanda let her mouth drop open in mock surprise. “Someone you don’t know? How is that even possible?” Penny accepted the jibe with a smirk, then said, “Which one is he?” “At the back, second on the right.” As Amanda looked over, he seemed to link glances with her, and the world stopped moving for a moment. The air between them seemed to thicken and shimmer, and Amanda’s heart drummed in her chest. Then Aidan slowly nodded to her. She quickly looked away. Penny didn’t seem to notice the exchange. “Cute,” she remarked. “How do you know him?” “We went to high school together.” Where they were not only band mates but good friends, and then more than friends, until Aidan decided his career was more important than his girlfriend. Amanda felt a long-forgotten pang of hurt from his rejection. It had been swift and brutal, they were together one day, and the next he had hopped on a plane, only letting her know via text that he was following his dreams and 3

plane, only letting her know via text that he was following his dreams and Sax in the Park

moving to Sydney. He hadn’t even had the guts to tell her to her face. Water under the bridge now. It’s eight years later. Hopefully he’s grown up a bit, but even if he hasn’t, it’s not your problem. Still, as the next song started up, Amanda was prepared to concede it still smarted a little.

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Chapter 2 Aidan could feel Greg’s eyes on his back as he cleaned his sax and packed it away. It hadn’t been a good night. He had been all thumbs, just as soon as he had seen Amanda Salter in the audience, shaking her groove thang for all it was worth. Greg was going to carve him a new arsehole. And he deserved it. Ah well. Best get it over and done with. He swung around, case in hand, only for Greg to deliberately catch his eye. “Can I have a word, mate?” Aidan nodded without saying anything, and followed Greg to a quiet corner. Around them dozens of musicians and roadies scuttled around, putting beloved instruments to bed, rolling power cords and crating up sound equipment. Despite that, in their little corner of the tent, the background noise seemed to dull down to a steady hum. Greg sighed. “Some pretty ordinary playing tonight, man.” His eyes flicked up to Aidan’s as if asking for an explanation. “Yeah,” Aidan replied, running his hand around the back of his neck. “Sorry, hey. I just got a bit distracted for a second.” “A second? It was the whole set.” Aidan nodded unhappily. “Yeah, I know.” “Kind of makes me think again about taking you on regularly.” Aidan’s stomach dropped. Greg had mentioned he needed a regular sax, and Aidan had jumped at the opportunity of basing himself in Perth, especially with his Mum so unwell. But after tonight’s performance, he couldn’t fault Greg for being concerned. “I’m better than tonight, Greg.” “I know you are, buddy. I’ve heard you play. But I have Tony pushing for me to give him the gig as well.” 5

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Tony Vincenzo played pretty much as well as Aidan. He mentally kissed the gig goodbye and wondered about buying his flight back to Sydney. But Greg’s next words brought him up short. “I reckon we should have a play-off.” Aidan frowned at Greg’s grin. “A what?” “A play-off. You know, to decide who gets the gig.” Aidan frowned. “That’s a bit infantile, isn’t it?” “Not at all. The other week they had a drummer play-off at the Windsor’s open mic night. The crowds loved it.” Ah, so here was the reason Greg wanted to do this - to draw the crowds to his weekly open mic session. Cheeky bugger. “Don’t you want to stick around Perth? You know the music industry here, Aidan. This is probably the best gig you’re going to get.” Aidan knew it was true. Finding a gig in Perth was hard. Finding a paying gig, well, that was like the gold at the end of the rainbow. And he did need to stay in Perth, if he could manage it. He sighed. “Fine. I’ll play your little game.” Greg beamed. “Brilliant. So, next Wednesday night, at the Windsor. Ah, shit.” Aidan was surprised by the change of tone in Greg’s voice. He noticed that Greg was looking past his shoulder. “What?” “Marc’s got a new bunch of groupies hanging around. I’m out of here, before he wants me to talk to them.” Greg swiftly walked away. Before he even turned around, Aidan sensed her presence. Amanda Salter. Gorgeous as ever. And looking mightily pissed off. Luckily, she was in amongst a gaggle of her friends, so he didn’t have to suffer the indignity of her totally ignoring him, brushing him off like she had with the look she had given him when their eyes met earlier. Not that he didn’t deserve it. He had treated her really badly, breaking up with her by text as he flew off to the east coast. Truth be told, he did it that way because he didn’t know if he could actually say goodbye to her face to face. But he knew she wasn’t leaving Perth, and he knew he could never get his big break if he stayed. Their parting was always going to happen. He could have just been less of an arsehole when it finally did happen. “Aidan, let me introduce you to the ladies.” Marc Evans, the lead vocalist 6

“Aidan, let me introduce you to the ladies.” Marc Evans, the lead vocalist Sax in the Park

for the band, was the classic man whore. He loved the ladies - all of them. Even when they were kids in primary school, Marc had been kissing the little girls behind the sports shed. “Ladies, this is Aidan Young, our superstar saxophonist.” Aidan chose not to hear the snort that came from Amanda. “Hey.” His casual greeting came out as a bit of a growl. Then he saw someone else he knew. “Lydia? Hey.” He had known Lydia at university, she was a friend of Amanda’s. Now, she stepped forward and gave him a brief hug. “Hi Aidan. Welcome back. When did you get to Perth?” Stepping back, he noticed she wasn’t smiling. That wasn’t a good omen. “My mum had a stroke a few weeks ago. I was on the next plane.” He winced. Mentioning planes seemed like a bad idea. Confirmed, when he saw Amanda’s brows draw together even more. “Is she alright?” Amanda’s voice was exactly the same. He looked over to her and smiled. “She’s okay. Still learning to live with some new restrictions. How are you Amanda?” She’d let her hair grow out, and now it cascaded down her shoulders in a brown, glossy wave. The light was low inside the tent, but Aidan knew her eyes would be a familiar mix of green and blue. “I’m fine.” After that, an uncomfortable silence descended, broken after a few seconds by Penny, who stepped forward and grasped his hand. “I’m Penny,” she said. “Good to meet you Aidan.” “Good to meet you too,” he replied a little bemusedly, still looking at Amanda. In his peripheral vision he saw Penny glance between him and Amanda, and he colored. He knew he would be the main topic of conversation between them all after they left the concert. And he wouldn’t come out looking like the hero, by any means. Penny let go of his hand. “So… we should get going.” She sounded amused. Amanda turned on her heel and stalked away, as did Penny after a small, apologetic smile in his direction. Lydia, at least, said, “See you,” to him before she, too, walked away. 7

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For a moment, he was angry. How could she treat him like that? Then common sense reasserted itself. How else could she treat him, when he had been the world’s greatest arsehole? He thought back over their friendship, their high school years and the friendly competition that always existed between them. The first couple of years of Uni, when she decided to study business instead of music. The magic night when they went from being friends to being much, much more than friends. And his cowardly exit from her life eight years ago. He had to talk to her. Had to explain what went through his twenty-two year old head, the fear that talking to her or touching her might make him change his mind and stay. How he had known texting her was the stupidest idea in the universe, but how he couldn't work out a better way to tell her. How he had missed her. And how seeing her now brought back so many emotions he didn’t know what to do with them all.

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Chapter 3 With the phone wedged between her shoulder and ear, and her mind on the design work on the computer screen in front of her and strewn all over the keyboard and desk, Amanda answered on autopilot. “Salter Marketing, this is Amanda.” “Amanda? It’s Aidan.” A jumble of emotions skidded across Amanda’s heart. Pleasure at hearing his voice was quickly replaced by suspicion. Coldly she asked, “How did you get this number?” She could almost see his face flushing. “I rang an old number I had for your house. Luckily, your parents still live there. Your mum remembered me, and gave me your mobile.” Thanks so much, Mum. “Okay. And why exactly are you calling?” “I just wanted to talk to you.” “About?” “About us.” “There is no us.” “I know. And I want to clear that up with you.” His words made Amanda suddenly furious. Did he really think he could clean up the mess he had left behind with a few quick words over the phone? Amanda took a deep, irritated breath. “Listen, Aidan, I’m really busy right now…” “That’s okay. Come out for a drink with me later.” “No.” The word was out before Amanda even realised she had said it. “Oh, come on.” Aidan’s voice was wheedling, an old tone that Amanda remembered. “What have you got to lose?” Even as her head told her she had three deadlines to meet, and that Aidan 9

Even as her head told her she had three deadlines to meet, and that Sax inAidan the Park Young was bad for her, and that what she had to lose was every shred of dignity and self-respect she had built up over the years, her heart chimed in, slyly reminding her of the friendship that had existed before they got together, and all of her practical thoughts went to shit. “Amanda? You still there?” She sighed. “Yes, I’m still here.” She was a little disgusted with herself, that even now hearing his voice could make her heart flutter, just a tiny bit. “I’m just not sure I can afford the time away from work.” “This would be in the evening. After work.” She laughed joylessly. “Yeah. You’ve never run your own business, have you? Sixteen hour days are pretty much normal for me.” “Sixteen?” He was silent for a moment before continuing. “In that case I insist you come out.” Amanda felt her eyebrows shoot up in surprise, then draw back down into a frown. “Excuse me?” “Working sixteen hours a day is just crazy for anyone. Everyone needs some downtime.” She was seized by a sudden longing to cast her responsibilities aside and just go with him. Really, what harm would it do? Aidan Young couldn’t hurt her anymore. He was just an old acquaintance, a cute friend from the past. The fight went out of her. “Okay, fine. But I can only afford an hour tops, alright?” “An hour sounds good to me. Where should we meet? Perth has changed so much in the past eight years, I can’t even find any of our old watering holes.” Did that mean he had looked for the pubs they used to go to? A smile crossed her face, then her brain caught up to her heart again. Stop it, Amanda. Don’t even go there. “Let’s go to Dusk, in Newcastle Street. It’s a small wine bar, so it won’t be as noisy as a normal pub.” “Sounds good,” he agreed. “Shall we say seven o’clock?” “Sure.” “Alright then.” He sounded pleased. Amanda wasn’t sure what she was feeling. “I’ll see you then. Bye.” “Bye.” For a long moment after the call, Amanda stared at her computer without actually seeing anything. Had she made a dreadful mistake? She certainly had 10

actually seeing anything. Had she made a dreadful mistake? She certainly had Sax in the Park

no intention of allowing Aidan Young back into her heart. Not after what happened the last time. This was just a quick drink with an old friend. A few laughs, a few reminiscences, he would say what he had to say about their doomed relationship, and it would all be done. She let out a breath she didn’t realize she had been holding. It would be totally fine.

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Chapter 4 She was still trying to convince herself when he arrived at the bar later that evening. She had arrived early, having a quick vodka and soda to settle her nerves. It was bad enough having to face him in amongst a group of her friends, but this? Face to face, one on one? Watching his familiar, easy stroll as he approached, Amanda noted the changes that eight years had wrought on him - he was always a tall, thin guy, but the years had added a little rounding and a little muscle that sat well on him. His face had softened, no longer as highly chiseled, but still long and lean. His light blue eyes still shone out from under blond brows, which seemed to be a little more craggy than Amanda remembered. She was able to dredge up a tight smile when he reached the table she was seated at and, after a moment’s hesitation, sat down. Amanda wondered if he expected a hug - all through high school there had been a welcoming hug every day. She would not hug him now. He didn’t deserve it. “Hi Amanda. Thanks for coming.” He seemed nervous, rubbing his hands together and licking his lips. “Hey.” She wasn’t going to give him an inch. “What are you drinking?” he asked, indicating her glass. “Vodka and soda,” she replied. “I’ll get you another one.” He jumped back up from the table and walked over to the bar. He was wearing canvas pants, a far cry from the tight jeans he used to favor. She found herself vaguely wondering if he still had a nice arse. Amanda! For goodness sake! At least try to behave. She flushed under her own censure, and swallowed down the last of her 12

She flushed under her own censure, and swallowed down the last Sax inof the her Park drink. A minute later, Aidan arrived back and put a new one down in front of her, as well as something for himself. “What’s that?” Amanda pointed at his drink. “Jameson’s and Coke.” She nodded. At least he had moved on from bourbon. That had to be a tick in his favor. “You look nice,” he said, and she nodded her thanks at the compliment. She had changed her clothes at least half a dozen times. The red, floral halterneck was one of her favorites, and she was comfortable in it, which was important, since she certainly wasn’t comfortable here, with Aidan. They both took a drink, then Amanda sat back in her chair, arms crossed over her chest. “Why are we here, Aidan? What do you need to get off your chest? I seriously only have an hour free, so if you have something to say, just come out and say it.” She knew it was harsh, but she simply could not sit across a table from him pretending that everything was okay. Didn’t he know how badly he had hurt her? How long it had taken her to trust again? “Wow.” He gave a short laugh. “Straight to the point, hey? Alright.” He took another long drink of his whiskey, then put the glass down and leaned forward to look Amanda directly in the eyes. “I’m sorry. What I did to you was totally wrong. And both of us have suffered as a consequence.” A harsh laugh broke from her. “Both of us suffered? Really? Because what I heard was you were having a great time in Sydney.” In the early days, straight after he had left, she craved to hear about him. She wasn’t sure why. Especially since each new piece of information she had received had pierced her heart a little more. He shrugged. “I got work. The money was good. But I missed you.” He put out a conciliatory hand, but Amanda pulled hers away. “You knew where I was.” She couldn’t keep the bitterness from her tone. “You didn’t even call.” “I didn’t know what kind of reception I would get.” He looked into her eyes and half smiled, which only annoyed her. 13

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“You knew exactly the reception you would get,” she snapped. “Okay, I did,” he conceded, “which was why I couldn’t pick up the phone.” He sighed. “I loved you, Manda. Walking away was the hardest thing I ever did. And I regretted it every day.” “Then why did you do it?” She crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes flashing anger. “It was my big chance.” He spread his hands. “And I thought if I went, maybe you would follow me.” Amanda was flabbergasted for a moment. He thought she would follow? Didn’t he know her at all? “I never would have. My life was here. Uni and friends and family. There was no way I would have given all that up.” “Well, I know that now,” he said with a roll of his eyes. “You knew it then, too.” He shook his head. “I was young and dumb. I thought you loved me enough to throw caution to the wind and come to Sydney.” He smiled humorlessly. “I was wrong.” “You certainly were.” Aidan picked up his drink and drained it. Then he looked across the table, directly into her eyes. “We were such good friends, Manda. Long before we got together. I’m moving back to Perth to look after my parents. I’d really like to be friends again.” He stretched his hand across the table again, but this time, she didn’t pull away. “Can we go back to being friends?” She moved restlessly in her seat, letting out a sigh. “I don’t know if we can be, Aidan. You hurt me pretty badly.” “But it’s eight years later. And I’m changed, Manda. I wouldn’t take you for granted now like I did then.” She grimaced. “Damn right you wouldn’t. I’ve changed too, Aidan. Life went on without you.” A crooked smile crossed her lips. “Despite what I thought when you left, life went on without you.” “Looks like you’ve done okay for yourself?” Amanda nodded and a little pride crept into her voice. “I have my own business and it’s going really well. It’s pretty busy, but I’m doing what I love and that’s the most important thing.” She cast her eyes down, and then looked back up into Aidan’s. “I’m just not sure, Aidan. There’s not a lot of room in my 14

back up into Aidan’s. “I’m just not sure, Aidan. There’s not a lot of room in my Sax in the Park

life now for friends. The concert was the first time I’d been out in a good six months…” “…Which is why you need friends now more than ever,” he interrupted. “It’s just not good for you to do nothing but work.” “How do you know what’s good for me?” It was a childish reply, but Amanda felt as if the conversation was slipping out of her hands. “Because I know you. I know you go full on, balls and all, with everything you do. And I can see the exhaustion in your face.” Amanda felt tears gathering in her eyes and, horrified, she looked down into her lap, to blink them away. When she looked back up, she could still feel the damp remnants of them on her bottom lashes. But her voice was steady, determined. “It’s pretty hard, the hours I have to do. But it’s normal for a new business. You put in the hard yards at the start, and you reap the rewards at the end.” “Hmm.” Aidan didn’t seem convinced. “Everyone does it.” He raised an eyebrow at her and she found herself chuckling. “They do,” she insisted. “The first couple of years is always the hardest.” “And how long have you been at it?” “Three years now.” “So, shouldn’t you be at least starting to reap the rewards?” “Perhaps.” “So, maybe it’s time to regroup and reconnect with the world?” She hated that Aidan was making sense. “Maybe.” “Maybe.” He smiled at her, a radiant, Aidan smile. Her heart wanted to leap, but she kept it firmly leashed. That smile had been her undoing once before. “I’ll think about it, okay?” “Okay.” He squeezed her hand. “So, can we go back to being friends?” His expression changed to one of pleading. “I need all the friends I can get. Perth feels like a foreign country after eight years. So much has changed.” A laugh bubbled up in her at his hangdog expression. “Well, I can’t let you be in Perth and be friendless now, can I?” The smile dropped from her face. “It won’t be the same, though, will it?” “No it won’t,” replied Aidan confidently. “It’ll be better.” 15

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Chapter 5 “Well, that was cheesy of him.” Amanda had invited Lydia around to try to work out exactly how she had managed to make friends again with Aidan. She hadn’t expected him to offer friendship. When he had, she had been seduced by his smile and his eyes, and her memories of their old camaraderie. “It was, wasn’t it? He might think it’ll be better. I’ll need to be convinced.” Lydia cradled a cup of coffee and leaned against the sage laminate of Amanda’s kitchen bench. “I just can’t believe you said yes to him. After you’ve hated him for eight years straight.” “I haven’t hated him,” she replied, taking a bite out of a sugar-coated donut. At Lydia’s raised eyebrow, she backpedaled a little. “I might have been pissed off with him. And I might have hated him for a little bit of that time. But not the full eight years. The last few years I’ve just been… I don’t know. Sad. That what we had was lost.” “So when it was offered again, you jumped at it.” Lydia shook her head. “I hope you haven’t done something you’ll regret.” She blew over her coffee and took a sip. “Me too.” Amanda polished off the donut and took another from the pack of thirteen lying on the bench. “But he seemed to be a bit more responsible. And it didn’t feel wrong, you know.” “No, I suppose it wouldn’t have,” said Lydia. “Otherwise you would have gotten out of there quick smart.” “Exactly,” agreed Amanda. “So what happens now?” Amanda sighed. “I have no idea. Should I call him? Or will he call me? Or will he just drop around, like he used to when I was living at Mum’s house?” She shrugged. “And I really don’t have time to go out anywhere. Right now I 17

She shrugged. “And I really don’t have time to go out anywhere. Right I Sax innow the Park have four deadlines that I’m going to have to push to get to.” “You really should look at getting an assistant,” Lydia remarked. “Have you had a chance to look at your financials yet?” “No,” confessed Amanda. “I’ve just been throwing everything at the accountant, and she’s been taking care of tax and filing and all that stuff. I know I’m doing well enough - the bank hasn’t come knocking at my door, so I haven’t exceeded my overdraft - but I really do need to find some time to sit down and have a look at the numbers.” “I could have a look at them for you, if you want?” Amanda always felt a little bit overawed by Lydia when it came to the nitty gritty of business. Lydia was a consultant in a boutique firm, running her own team. It was her job to examine businesses for ways they could expand and grow. And she was brilliant at her job. Amanda knew if she handed her data over to Lydia, she would come up with a dozen ways for Amanda to build her business. But Amanda just wasn’t sure that was what she wanted. She was content with her business staying small and manageable. Well, mostly manageable. “Thanks for that, but I’ll get to it,” she replied. “Sooner or later.” “Okay. The offer is there, if you ever want to take it up.” “Thanks for that. I really appreciate it.” “And Amanda?” Lydia seemed to consider her words carefully. “Just stay alert with the whole Aidan thing, won’t you? I don’t want to have to scrape you up off the floor like I did the last time he behaved like an ass.” Amanda smiled at her. “I’ll be careful.”

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Chapter 6 “Mum, what are you doing? I said I’d empty the dishwasher.” Aidan frowned in concern, but his mother slowly straightened up and said shakily, “I’m not disabled, you know. I can still empty my own dishwasher.” She picked up a plate in both hands and turned to put it away in an overhead cupboard. Aidan swallowed to keep his tears at bay. His mother was so fragile and quivery since her stroke. Nothing like the energetic, switched-on woman she used to be. Her hair had gone gray and she wore glasses all the time now. Dad too. Aidan felt bad that he had been away so long. A ceramic mug tumbled out of his mother’s unsteady hand and hit the lino floor. Thankfully, it just bounced a little, and a chip flew off it. “See Mum? Let me do it. Please.” “Fine.” His mother shuffled to a chair and sat down. Aidan winced. Even sitting, her body never stopped moving, tiny tics working their way over her all the time. Aidan was terrified that she would have another stroke, that any exertion she made could be the one to cause the next seizure. He worked hard to get her to let him do all of the housework. But she was just as stubborn as he was. He moved to the dishwasher and swiftly put everything away. All done,” he said cheerfully, only to turn and find his mother crying. “Mum? What is it?” He squatted before her, touching her knee. “I feel so useless,” she sobbed. “I hate being like this.” “I know,” Aidan replied soothingly. Her head snapped up. “No, you don’t,” she said, as sharply as her quavering voice would allow. “You have no idea what this is like.” “I can see it frustrates you, Mum,” he said patiently. “And I’m trying to help.” “Then you need to let me make my mistakes,” she said, her chagrin evident 19

“Then you need to let me make my mistakes,” she said, her chagrin Saxevident in the Park in her tone. She reached up a hand to cradle his face. “I know you’re only trying to help, son, but this is my new reality. I have to get used to it.” He frowned. “I wish you guys would think about moving into a village. I’d be so much less worried.” “And we’d be so much less happy.” His mother grimaced. “Like it or not, this is the home we are going to stay in forever.” “There are so many problems with this house,” Aidan argued. “The stairs. The cold. The…” “But it’s our house,” replied his mother. “It’s our memories and our achievement.” Aidan nodded. “I know,” he said glumly. “But I’d be happier if you moved.” “Well, you’d better get used to it,” his mother replied, “because we’re staying right here.” His dad walked into the kitchen. “Is he trying to get us to move again?” he asked pleasantly. Aidan stood up. His dad used to be as tall as he was, but he had shrunk down a little over the years. Aidan could look at the top of his head now. And the hair was sparse there. “Yep,” replied his mother. “And I told him absolutely not, again.” “Good,” said his dad. “Want a cuppa? Aidan?” Aidan had to smile at his folks. They were a formidable pair when you got them together. There was never any discord with them. It was a truth he relied on - that his parents would always be a force to be reckoned with. They were better together. They always had been. Aidan had thought he and Amanda were like them, but time had proven him wrong. “Sure. A cuppa would be great.” His dad moved swiftly around the kitchen, getting mugs from an overhead, switching on the kettle, getting the coffee out of the pantry. It was obviously a routine he was well used to. Before long, a steaming mug of black coffee was placed in front of him, and his dad sat down at the table. “So, have you decided what you’re going to do?” His dad’s tone was measured, but Aidan detected the undercurrent of worry. His parents didn’t want him to give up his life in Sydney to move back to Perth. But this was where Aidan’s stubbornness outstripped theirs. “I’m staying,” he said firmly. “I already told you that.” “You don’t have to, son,” his dad replied. “We can look after ourselves just 20

“You don’t have to, son,” his dad replied. “We can look after ourselves just Sax in the Park

fine. We’ve done it for years.” “I know,” said Aidan. “But I’ll feel better being closer.” His mum put a hand over his. “And nothing we say will change your mind?” “Nothing.” “In that case, you’d better start looking for work. And a place to live.” He smiled. “Already looking at a job. And once that’s done, I’ll get out of your hair.” “You already have a job lined up?” His dad queried. “Kind of. It’s with a band, and the band leader wants me and another guy to play off for the gig.” “Sounds a bit strange,” his dad remarked, picking up his coffee. “I know. But I think he’s trying to kill two birds with one stone, you know? Get people to his open mic night, and make a decision about the sax player at the same time. Or maybe even get the audience to make the decision for him.” Aidan frowned. “Whatever it is, I’m stuck with it. It’s too good a gig to pass up.” “Well, we all know you’re the best sax player around, so my money will be on you.” He could hear the pride in his mum’s voice, and he grinned. “Thanks Mum. You’ll always be my number one groupie.” They were all quiet for a moment, then his mum said, “What about Amanda?” He was glad to be able to say, “I think we patched things up the other night.” “So you’re back together?” Now he heard delight in his mum’s tone. She had always loved Amanda, and berated him soundly when he let her go. “No, but we’re friends again. That’s probably all I can expect.” “True,” his mum agreed absently. “You treated her pretty badly.” “I thought you were supposed to be on my side, Mum?” Aidan said with a smile. “And I thought you were supposed to be a smart kid, but you still went to Sydney without her,” his mum retorted. He was surprised into a chuckle. “Touché. Well, at least we’re friends again now. That’s a start.” “Yep. It’s a start.” His mum’s voice was a little preoccupied and Aidan frowned. “Don’t get any ideas Mum. We’re not together. And I’m pretty sure that ship 21

“Don’t get any ideas Mum. We’re not together. And I’m pretty sure that ship Sax in the Park

has sailed.” “Never say never,” his mum replied mysteriously. “Oh god, don’t do anything, Mum, I beg of you,” he said half-seriously. She acted as if she hadn’t heard him. “Why don’t you ask her around for dinner some time?” “No, Mum.” “Why not? I haven’t seen her in years. I’d like to see her again.” “No. Mum.” Now his dad was chuckling. “You might as well give up now, son,” he said to Aidan. “You know Mum won’t give up until she sees you married off and with a massive tribe of kids.” Suddenly, Aiden’s throat closed as he thought just how close his mum had come to death, how she might have missed all of that. “You know what?” He replied hoarsely. “I really want that to happen too.” He stood up and went to his mum’s side of the table, putting his arms around her shoulders and kissing her head. “I’m so glad you’re still here to hassle me, Mum.” She squeezed his arm. “Me too. So, are you bringing Amanda around?” “The answer is still no.” All three of them laughed and, for the first time in a long time, Aidan felt content. Now, he just needed to get his life sorted, and that contentment could continue.

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Chapter 7 Amanda looked around at her desk with her mouth open. Every piece of paper was gone, either filed or actioned. All of her clients were quiet. Deadlines were under control. And there was a fresh cup of tea by her elbow. Three days ago she had scoffed when Lydia suggested she might need an assistant. Two days ago, she almost disappeared under a pile of work. Yesterday, Lydia introduced her to Sarah. And today, miracles. “Wow, Sarah, you’re a machine,” she said approvingly. “Well, I still haven’t sorted out your online filing, or waded through your emails, but I’m getting there.” Sarah was around twenty, perky and energetic with a short dark bob and big blue-framed glasses. She was also Lydia’s go-to person for cleaning up and organising offices. She had worked on multiplepartner businesses where she had to organise a bunch of middle-aged, set-intheir-ways executives. Amanda’s simple one man band was probably a walk in the park for her. Still, it was impressive what she had accomplished in two days. “I never would have believed it if I hadn’t seen it for myself,” Amanda said, taking a quick sip of her cuppa. “I guess the big question is - will I be able to keep it like this?” “You know what?” answered Sarah. “If I were you, I’d look for someone part time to come in and do all the filing and organising type stuff. Not only does it mean you’re less stressed, it also means you can put those hours into paid work, which will increase your bottom line.” “Will you come and work for me?” Amanda was only half joking, knowing that Sarah concentrated on helping businesses develop organisational practices. Sarah laughed. “You couldn’t afford me,” she said, “but I can probably point 23

Sarah laughed. “You couldn’t afford me,” she said, “but I can probably point Sax in the Park a few people in your direction, if you want?” “Did you get a chance to look at my financials? Could I afford to do it?” Sarah put her own mug down and looked Amanda in the eye. “Amanda, you’re clearing a little over two hundred thousand dollars this year. I think you can afford it. Unless you have a couple of mortgages you didn’t tell me about?” Amanda stared back at Sarah, dumbfounded. “How much?” “Two hundred thousand.” “You’re joking, right?” “Not joking.” Amanda shook her head slowly. “Well, in that case, send me a few candidates.” She was still shaking her head when her phone rang. “Salter Marketing, this is Amanda.” “Manda? It’s Aidan.” “Hey. How are you doing?” “Yeah good. Listen, I wondered if you wanted to go salsa dancing tonight?” “Tonight? I…” She looked around. Usually, she would have a mountain of things to do, emails to send, calls to make. But not tonight. There was just one problem. “I’ve never been salsa dancing in my life.” “You’ll love it. I can teach you as we go along.” She could hear Aidan’s enthusiasm in his voice, and Sarah, still seated near her, whispered, “Do it! It’s the best fun!” “Well, for once I am actually free, so, sure! Where and when? And what should I wear?” Aidan gave her all the details which she scrawled down on the brand new notepad Sarah had placed on her desk to replace all the ratty little notes she used to leave scattered everywhere. “The Game Sports Bar? Doesn’t sound like somewhere they would be doing salsa dancing. Or any other kind of dancing either!” “You just wait. You’ll love it,” promised Aidan just before he hung up. Sarah’s eyebrows were high. “Going out tonight?” she queried. “I’m going salsa dancing,” proclaimed Amanda, unable to wipe the smile from her face. “Good for you. Was that your boyfriend?” Amanda was quick to disabue Sarah of the notion. “Oh no. Aidan is a good 24

Amanda was quick to disabue Sarah of the notion. “Oh no. Aidan is a good Sax in the Park

friend. We only just reconnected a few days ago. He’s been away in Sydney for a few years.” “Nice,” replied Sarah approvingly. “Well, I’ll be back tomorrow to finish things up, and I’ll bring you that list of candidates as well, if you like.” “That’d be great. I can’t thank you enough.” Sarah laughed. “You’ll stop thanking me when you get my bill.” Amanda joined her in laughing. “You’re worth every cent of it.” She showed Sarah the door, then turned around and marched back to her office, standing in the doorway and just looking at the shiny, clean area. It felt like a weight had been lifted off her shoulders - she could find things she was looking for, and all her client information was in folders or in files in her filing cabinet. Everything was at her fingertips. She felt a guilty pleasure at being able to turn the light off in the office at six, to get ready for her venture into salsa dancing. She decided to wear a patterned mid-calf length skirt that swirled out at the bottom, but that was fitted to mid-thigh. That way, she’d have a nice swirly effect, but no one in the bar would get a nice view of her underwear. A fitted black t-shirt and a chunky necklace rounded out her outfit, along with flat shoes. She didn’t have any heels that would lend themselves to dancing. On a whim, she placed a large fake flower in her hair. Standing in front of the mirror applying her lipstick, she was excited. For the first time in ages, she actually felt excited to be going out. What was that all about? Was it the dancing? Or was it dancing with Aidan? Or could it just be that she was free on a night when usually she would be swamped with work? She didn’t know, and she didn’t really care. All she was worried about was getting out there and having a good time.

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Chapter 8 Her hair was full of sweat, she was laughing and twirling, and right in front of her, Aidan Young held her closely gripped around the waist, one of his hands in hers. He was laughing too. “Your left foot, Manda. Left foot.” She stood on his toes yet again. “Shit sorry,” she said, for the umpteenth time, but her lack of contrition shone through in her shining eyes and her wide grin. “I forgive you, but my toes are going to hate you forever,” replied Aidan. The band finished playing a fast bossanova, and they unclasped their hands to applaud the musicians. Aidan suggested, “Will we stop and have a drink?” Amanda sagged her shoulders dramatically. “Yes please. This salsa dancing is hard work.” They wandered to the bar. A couple of people sat there, but it wasn’t crowded, and they soon had their drinks. Sipping through her straw, Amanda shot a cheeky glance at Aidan and said, “So, do I have any talent at all? Or am I destined to stomp on people’s toes for the rest of my days?” Aidan shook his head pityingly. “You know, I’ve never known anyone to have so little an appreciation of the rhythm.” “Shut up,” she said. “I so do have rhythm.” “No, no you don’t.” “Look.” She put her drink down on the bar and grabbed a handful of skirt. In front of Aidan, she sashayed in time to the beat, saying out loud, “One, two, cha-cha-cha, one two cha-cha-cha,” as if it were a mantra. He grinned. “Well, at least I was able to teach you something,” he said. She stuck her tongue out at him, and continued her steps, adding in twirls and angled steps as she went. 26

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Take that, Aidan Young. I can so dance. After a few minutes, she was puffed out yet again, and collapsed into the chair beside him. She turned her laughing face to him, only to interrupt a look of fiery longing, which he hid as soon as she saw it. “What was that?” she asked, downing her drink in one long gulp. “What?” “That face?” “What face.” She lifted her eyebrows. “Come on, Aidan. It might have been a while, but I can still work out when you do a face.” “I wasn’t doing a face.” His negative response was offset by the flush that crept high into his cheeks. She stared at him for a moment. Did she really want to know? If it was anything other that friendship, did she really want Aidan to tell her? No, she did not. “Fine. Keep your faces to yourself then.” The band started playing a slower rhythm, still Latin, but much more suited to swaying with a lover. Amanda was just about to order another drink and suggest they sit it out when Aidan growled, “Come on,” and pulled her up off her chair and into his arms. They were only as close as they had been doing the salsa, but everything felt different. Amanda blushed in Aidan’s arms, finding it difficult to look into his face. She kept her eyes trained on his shirtfront as he used his arms and body to shuffle her around the floor. Sometimes his grip tightened and it felt like he was going to say something, then it would loosen off again, leaving Amanda disappointed or frustrated or some other impossible, crazy emotion. What on earth was she thinking? Aidan had all but destroyed her. They were supposed to be friends again. Friends. But perhaps friendship was impossible knowing their background. Could they really be friends without the power of their old passion coming between them? Amanda was afraid. Her own feelings, her own body was betraying her. Here, tucked in close against Aidan’s body, she felt safe and secure, even though she knew she was neither of those things here with him. Then he said quietly, “Amanda.” In the big room the word was lost in amongst a hundred other conversations floating in the air, but she felt it rumble 27

amongst a hundred other conversations floating in the air, but she felt it rumble Sax in the Park

through his chest. She looked up at him, afraid of what she would see. His eyes burned into her, blue and questioning and troubled all at the same time. She felt his breathing become more rapid, as did her own. Her heart drummed in her chest and her eyes focused on Aidan’s lips, which he wet with the tip of his tongue. “Shit.” He pulled away, taking her by the hand and leading her off the dance floor, back to the seats at the bar. “What happened?” asked Amanda cautiously. “A mistake. That’s all.” Aidan ordered a shot and a spirit, and a vodka for her as well. When the drinks arrived, he drank the shot quickly, following it up with a good swig of the spirit. She wished he had asked her what she wanted to drink instead of just ordering. A long, cold glass of water would have been a better option. Confused, Amanda sat silently, her straw in her mouth, but not drinking. What had just happened? It was obvious there had been a moment - a mistake Aidan called it. He was right. It would have been a mistake. Going from friends to more again would be a mistake. Just look at how well that worked out the last time. Only, it did happen. All the old passion and want had returned, if only for a moment. Amanda had felt it. Despite believing herself to have hated Aidan Young for a long time, despite knowing what he might do, what he had already done, she still felt it. “Just a mistake,” Aidan said again, but he watched Amanda’s face. She wondered what he was thinking, if he was feeling the same confusion she was. “Let’s walk,” she suggested, and the two of them quickly stepped out of the bar and into the cool of the evening. Northbridge was quiet on a weekday night and it wasn’t very late yet, so there were still families sauntering along the footpaths, dropping into the ice cream stores before making their way home. They walked silently for a few minutes. Amanda didn’t know how to break the silence. Should she admit to the feelings she had back at the bar? Did she want Aidan to know what went through her when he was staring down at her like a starving man? The shivery, silvery happiness that should never have happened? Or did she want to know if it was real - if the old feelings were right? Aidan broke into her thoughts. “I’m not sure we can just be friends.” 28

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He said it matter-of-factly, and Amanda colored and kept her eyes on her feet. Was he expecting an answer? Was there even an answer for a statement like that? “Amanda.” He stopped her by taking a gentle hold of her arm. “I think we need to talk about this.” “Do you?” She said, finally looking into his face. “Because I’m not sure. Is there even anything to talk about?” “Of course there is. I know you felt what I did.” Well, she did now. “Yes, but there are so many questions, Aidan. Was it just leftover from years ago? And if it wasn’t, what the hell was it? I didn’t want to get involved with you again. How do I even know you’re changed? And is it enough for me to let my heart be involved again?” She found her cheeks were wet with tears. “I can’t go through that again, Aidan. I just can’t.” With that, she flung herself away from him and ran down the street, back to where her car was parked. Unlocking the door and getting inside, she heard her mobile phone ping. Opening it up, she found a text. It was from Aidan. She read it, blinking through her tear-filled eyes to make out the words. “I’ve changed. I’ll call you tomorrow.”

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Chapter 9 Poor Sarah bore the brunt of Amanda’s sleepless night the next morning when she arrived to complete her office overhaul, bringing the list of potential assistant candidates that she promised. Amanda could barely bring herself to look at them. “Thanks,” she said distractedly. “So, did we have a good time salsa dancing?” Amanda looked up quickly to find Sarah smiling at her through her thick glasses. “The dancing was fine. Great. Loved it. Sucked at it, but loved it.” “Then why do you look like Mopey McMoperson?” She threw a wan smile at Sarah. “It got… intense. And I got scared. And now he’s going to call me.” Sarah sat down, then jumped back up. “Listen, I’m just going to make us both a coffee, then I’ll be back, okay?” “Sure.” Amanda leaned her head back against the headrest of her office chair. She had bought one that was tall and wide and comfortable, and now, she was glad. She needed somewhere to rest her head. It felt as if it would explode. In far too short a time later, Sarah came back with the coffees, deposited them on the desk and demanded, “Tell me everything.” There was something about Sarah. Despite not knowing her really well, Amanda felt as if she could spill all her secrets, knowing Sarah wouldn’t tattle, that she might have some sage advice to offer. Maybe it was because her job was de-cluttering - offices, and e-mails and maybe lives as well. “I said he was a friend, right? An old friend? Truth is, about eight years ago we were together, only he picked up one day and left for Sydney, and only told me about it by text when he was on the plane.” “Sounds like a dick,” Sarah replied conversationally. 30

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“That’s what I thought,” agreed Amanda, “only here he is, coming back into my life. We were supposed to just be friends, but there’s something, I don’t know, maybe… unfinished about us.” “Well, considering how he left, I’d say that’s for certain.” “But I’m not annoyed at him any more. That’s water under the bridge.” “Maybe, but it’s still something you have to think about, isn’t it? I mean, he ditched you once, what’s to stop him doing it again?” “I know right?” Amanda was surprised Sarah understood so easily. “And yet he tells me he’s changed.” “Of course he did. That’s what he wants you to think.” “But what if he actually has changed? What if being with him is what's supposed to be?” Sarah shook her head dubiously. “I don’t know about ‘supposed to be’,” she said, “but I have heard of a leopard not being able to change its spots.” “Ah, but it could also be teaching an old dog new tricks.” “But actions speak louder than words.” Amanda sighed. “So what do you think I should do?” Sarah shrugged. “Give him enough rope, and he’ll hang himself.” Amanda screwed up her nose. “Hang himself?” “Not literally. I just mean, look at how he behaves. You’ll see if he’s changed. It might take a few meetings, but you’ll see it eventually.” “And in the meantime? While I’m looking?” Sarah’s eyes gleamed. “Is he cute?” “Oh yes. Still very cute.” “Then do whatever works for you.” Amanda remembered Aidan’s mesmerising eyes, the feel of his long body against hers, and the fireworks they used to create, every time they made love. She shivered. “Oh, boy, am I in trouble.”

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Chapter 10 He laughed at himself in a crazy, self-deprecating way as he wiped the sweat off his hand before he could pick up the phone and make the call. He hadn’t been nervous like this since his first gig in Sydney. When he’d said, “I’ll call you,” to Amanda last night, he’d felt buoyed over their connection, and anxious to get past the past and to move along with their future. But today, in the cold, harsh light, he realised he hadn’t received a reply to his text from Amanda, and he had no idea what she was thinking. Was she thinking like him - that there was a future they should explore? Or was she secretly hating him for coming back and throwing her life into chaos? Would she even pick up the phone? Come on, Aidan. You’re a big boy. One phone call, no matter how bad, won’t kill you. He ignored that his fingers shook as he dialed. On the third ring, just about when his nerve had failed him and he was about to hang up, he heard, “Salter Marketing, this is Amanda,” and a great whoosh of relief passed through him. “I thought you weren’t going to answer,” he blurted out. Then, realizing just how gauche that sounded, he blushed fiery red. Thank goodness Amanda couldn’t see him. “No, I’d just put the phone down in the other room,” she replied, and he noticed she was very slightly breathless. “I have someone here helping me to de-clutter, so things are all over the place.” Aidan chuckled. “That’s right. You’ve always been a bit of a hoarder.” “I am not.” Then she paused, and when she started to talk again, Aidan could hear the amusement in her voice. “No, actually, you’re right. I am. I like to keep all the papers and things to do with my clients, but I’m just not very good at keeping them in the right places.” A little plaintiveness seeped into her 32

good at keeping them in the right places.” A little plaintiveness seepedSaxinto in the her Park voice, then she laughed. “Listen, we should meet up somewhere to talk.” “I’d like that.” Aidan nearly fell off his seat. He expected at least some resistance. Her instant agreement left him foundering. “Oh, well… in that case… how about somewhere in Subi?” Even though he had been gone for eight years, the local slang for the suburb of Subiaco still slipped right off his tongue. “The Vic?” suggested Amanda, continuing instantly in a less enthusiastic tone, “or not, it’ll be kind of loud. There’s that beer garden side of the Subi Hotel?” “Perfect,” Aidan confirmed. “Will I meet you there?” “Sure. Um, can we make it tomorrow night? I’m going to have to work tonight.” Aidan was disappointed. “Can’t your work wait until tomorrow?” “No, Aidan, it can’t. I’m already pushing deadlines because of Sarah and her de-clutter. I don’t need to get even further out of sync.” “Did you get an assistant yet?” “Not yet. But I have a list of candidates.” “You should probably look at that. You work far too much.” “Thanks for your input. Now, what time on Saturday?” He made it fairly early, before the large, drunk crowds moved in, so they would have a better chance of actually being able to hear each other have a conversation instead of having to shout at each other, and rang off. Smiling and rubbing his hands together, he made his way into the lounge room. “What are you so happy about?” asked his mum, who was seated watching some daytime soap opera. “Remember what you said about Amanda? And how dumb I was to let her go? Well, just watch this space.” “Oh, good,” she replied absently, before returning her attention to her program.

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Chapter 11 Saturday night at the Subi Hotel was always busy, but at 6 o’clock it was more the dinner crowd than the drinking crowd, so the beer garden wasn’t loaded with people. Amanda was glad. She wanted some time to actually talk to Aidan. To discover again what it was they had between them, and to remember what it was that broke them apart. Of course, it was his leaving and moving to Sydney, but underneath Amanda suspected if their relationship was mature enough, they would have overcome that particular obstacle. She was beginning to consider that they were simply too young to handle the consequences of Aidan’s rash actions. When she examined everything without her rose colored glasses, Amanda realised Aidan had been overconfident and self-centered, while she had been unsure of her own direction, and clinging to family and friends. Now, with both of them eight years older and wiser, she wondered if the relationship could splutter back into life. There was certainly still a physical connection there. She had seen his face when she was dancing, and their almost kiss on the dance floor had been thrilling and terrifying in equal measure. The other question was did she have enough time to put into a relationship right now? Would Aidan be prepared to take a step back so that she could run her business effectively? So far, he hadn’t shown much of a likelihood to do that, pressing her to go out when she told him she had to work, asking over and over again if she had employed an assistant yet (she hadn’t), and generally putting his own interest above hers. If the relationship was going to resume, she would have to nip that behavior in the bud, right from the start. She wore a strapless white two-piece dress tonight, a frothy, chiffon number tight around the breasts and that flowed out into a full skirt. She always felt very girly when she wore it. Coupled with silver shoes and a dash of red 34

very girly when she wore it. Coupled with silver shoes and a dash Sax inof the red Park lipstick, she felt as if she looked really good, and her confidence was boosted when Aidan arrived and his eyes goggled. “Wow, you look amazing,” he said, taking both of her hands and kissing her cheek. She smiled. “Thanks. You look nice too.” He seemed to have made an effort as well, camel-colored trousers and a crisp, white shirt with two buttons undone at the throat. The sleeves of the shirt were rolled up and his forearms were in view - tanned and wiry. He had combed his hair off his face, so all the planes and angles of his chiselled features were clearly in view, and turning heads. Amanda had watched, amused, as a pair of women nearby had goggled as he approached, then whispered and giggled behind their hands. They sat down at a nearby table, Aidan rubbing his hands together. “So,” he said. “We should talk.” “But first we should get some drinks.” “I’ll go,” volunteered Aidan, but Amanda shook her head. “We’ll both go.” She felt better knowing that she wasn’t beholden to Aidan Young, even in this small matter, not at least until they had reached some kind of understanding, good or bad. Standing beside him at the bar, she took note of his familiar profile, the way he stood, leaning on the bar when he talked to the bartender, his ready smile which went directly to his eyes. All of the things she had always loved about him were still right there. His warm personality, gauged by the smiling reaction of the girl behind the bar, his eyes sliding over everyone else in the place, without any insecurity about himself. He had always been a cocky bastard. It was one of his charms. The drinks arrived and they returned to the beer garden, selecting a table toward the side. “Now we should talk.” Aidan took a long sip of his ale before quietly licking his lips, and putting the drink back down on the table. He didn’t quite catch Amanda’s eye. “What I did to you when I went to Sydney? That was unforgivable. I was so sure you would drop everything and fly over, but it was arrogant and domineering. And I’ve regretted it every single day since I did it.” Now he looked into her face, perhaps to check on how she was taking his words. Her brows were drawn. “You knew me better than that, Aidan. But even without that, you know what hurt the most? You didn’t even ask.” 35

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“I know.” “Why didn’t you just ask me if I wanted to come?” “Because I couldn’t bear it if you said no. I figured this was a better way because it would all be fine when you said yes, but if you didn’t, I’d have to stay in Sydney to see what I could make of myself. And it was good, Manda,” he said, warming up to his subject. “I did some session work with a production company over there, and then John Stringer, you know the blues guitarist? He asked me to play with him. But you know what he always said?” “What was that?” “That a piece of heart was missing from my music. He said I blew a good sax, but it would never be my best until I got my heart back.” He took her hand across the table, and Amanda blushed, holding eye contact with him. “It was you, Manda. The piece missing. For eight years. I’ve known it the whole time. Have you?” “No.” She pulled her hand away, not ready yet to fall into Aidan’s mesmerizing eyes. “You damaged me, Aidan. I was furious with you, then I lost all confidence. I only pulled myself back, thanks to my friends and family here. You never called me, nothing after those first two texts. And you didn’t even ask me.” She breathed in deeply, trying to keep her tears at bay. She had cried too many tears over Aidan Young already. “Biggest mistake of my life,” he said. “But I’ve changed, Manda. I’m not that guy anymore.” “What guy exactly would that be?” “The guy who takes you for granted.” He took her hand again. “Manda, if you give me another chance, I promise I’ll be different. I’m already different.” She gave him a wan smile. “How can I believe that?” “Let me show you.” “Huh. That’s exactly the advice someone else gave me as well.” “Yeah? They sound really smart.” The smile fell away from Aidan’s face. “Seriously, Manda, since I’ve been back, I’ve thought about nothing but you. When I saw you at that concert, I couldn’t even play properly. You heard me. I thought just being friends would be enough, but it’s not. I want you back, Manda. All of you.” Now, her tears flowed freely. “And what if it doesn’t work out?” “Yeah, but what if it does?” 36

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“And how can I forget what you did to me?” “I’ll give you new memories, honey. Like this.” He leaned over to her, and pressed a kiss against her lips, short but sweet and full of passion. The kiss melted the last of her resistance. This was Aidan, the only guy she had ever loved. She’d tried to love others, but no one ever matched up. And he was here. In front of her, and ready to love her again. She reached for him, pulling him to her by his shirtfront and kissed him again, this time a long, slow swirl. Without breaking contact, she moved from her own seat to plop herself down in Aidan’s lap. His arms encircled her and she took his face in her hands. For long minutes, she savored the smell and taste of him, sensations she had missed for eight years. She let one of her hands drop to his lap to fumble with his crotch. The outline of his cock was already visible through his trousers. He groaned, and said against her hair, “We should get out of here.” “We really should,” she breathed. “Only you should get your hand out of there, and we’re going to have to wait a tick or everyone will know what you’ve been doing.” She stood up and held out her hand. “Let them look,” she said.

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Chapter 12 Aidan suggested they quit the pub, and go up the DNA tower at Kings Park. Surely that would be romantic enough - amazing city views, away from the rest of the world. Aidan would have the perfect opportunity to show Amanda exactly what he was feeling for her. And he was feeling amazing. This girl consumed his thoughts. And when he saw her in the pub earlier, in her sexy white dress, pale shoulders uncovered, he had been hard pressed not to whisk her away and explore all the soft curves of her body. He had offered to go buy the drinks, so that he could bring his errant body back under control. Amanda was hot. There was no doubt. The top of the tower sounded ideal for a cheeky make out session. It had been one of their haunts as teenagers. She stood looking down on him from the top of the tower, a hand on one protruding hip, looking sexy as hell. She held her shoes in her hand. Her hair was whipped up by the breeze, and she laughed at him as he wheezed his way up the last ten steps. “Get a move on, old man,” she said. “I haven’t got all night.” They had started to run up the stairs, one on each side, shouting at each other like children. Until they got to about step 70, when Aidan had realised he wasn’t as young as he used to be. He staggered across the last step and on to the platform, gasping. “Give me a minute,” he said, holding up one finger, then leaning his hands on his knees and drawing in sweet, pure breaths of the night air. “Oh come on, it’s only a hundred steps,” Amanda said, laughter in her tone. “But I’m an old man. You said so.” His breathing started to settle, and he stood, looking at Amanda, feeling his body once more start to lose control. She turned to look out over the railing, drawing in a deep, satisfied breath, then letting it go. “Isn’t it incredible up here?” 38

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Coming to stand beside her, Aidan nodded. “We certainly do live in a beautiful place.” He looked over the lights of Perth, a small city by anyone’s calculations, but stunning just the same. “Can you see Rottnest?” Rottnest was an island off the coast of Perth, famous for its colony of marsupials called Quokkas, one of the few places they could be found in the world. But tonight, it was just a little too misty to see Rottnest from the tower. “No, I can’t. But truthfully, there’s something else here that I’d prefer to be looking at.” He placed one of his hands over hers, noticing how pale her skin was in comparison to his. She looked quickly at their hands, then up into his face with a questioning expression. They stood, staring at each other for what seemed like an eternity. Then Aidan took the initiative, and leaned forward, kissing her gently on the lips. He watched her eyes close, and a languid, fluid expression cross her face. “You’re so beautiful,” he whispered, before stepping closer and kissing her again. He felt her press her body up against his, and he responded, deepening the kiss and pulling her close, bringing her amazing breasts hard up against his chest. He broke the kiss, and worked his way down her throat and to the top of her cleavage. She whimpered softly, dropping her head back. He reverently placed a series of butterfly kisses on her chest. His hand worked up her ribs until it was under her breast, pushing it higher. Moving slightly to the side of her, to block the view for anyone else who happened to be wandering up the tower, he hooked a finger around the edge of her top, and pulled it to the side. Her breast popped out, nipple already hard. He was rewarded with her throaty sigh as the night air hit the sensitive nub. He took it in his mouth, rolled it around his tongue. Her moans deepened, and she bumped her pelvis against his. Through his shirt, he could feel her nails desperately digging into his skin. He was gasping for air again, but this time, for all the right reasons. He could feel his dick, hard as a rock, trying to force its way out of his trousers. He groaned, and whispered in Amanda’s ear “What do you want, honey?” He pushed her against the railing, and stood as close as he could, their sexes hard up against each other. “To the car?” she suggested breathily and he nodded. They ran down the stairs as quickly as possible. 39

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The backseat of Aidan’s car was spacious, since he drove an old Falcon. He unlocked the car, flung open the door and threw Amanda across it. She giggled, and started to remove her dress. “Wait,” Aidan said. “I want to do that.” He slid over her, closing the door as he did. He ground his cock along her opening and was satisfied with a gasp from her. Aidan ran his hands up Amanda’s ribs, pulling up her top as he did. She lifted her arms, and he slid the article off her, leaving her laying beneath him. Aidan leaned down to suckle each of her red, hard nipples in turn. She wriggled underneath him, sending offshoots of desire to every nerve in his body. “I want to see all of you,” he whispered before taking her earlobe in his teeth and lips and suckling for a moment before letting go. He could see lust glittering in her eyes as she helped him remove her skirt. Her lacy underwear came off along with them, and he leaned back so he could drink in the sight of her entire body. “Fuck, Manda, you’re amazing,” he said on a reverent breath. He placed one finger at her opening, flicking over her clitoris as he did. She writhed and whimpered. He pushed his finger inside her. “God, you’re so wet.” He explored her, finding joy in discovering the spots that made her squeak a little more, and the ones that elicited a satisfied purr. Then he introduced a second finger, and she moaned loudly. Her moan seemed to hit him right in the gut. He needed to bury himself deep inside her, feel her muscles holding him, caressing him. He needed to fuck her, first hard and fast, then slow and long, and then every other way in between. His mind focused on her body, and his body, and pushing them together in the closest possible way. Keeping his two fingers in her, he felt in his pocket for a condom, which he handed to Amanda. Then he undid his belt and his trousers, and tried to lever them down. He managed to pull one side down over his hip then, to his frustration, he couldn’t work out how to get them over the other without either removing his fingers, which he really didn’t want to do, contorting himself into a position that his body simply couldn’t do, or without squashing Amanda beneath him. He gave her a mute look of helplessness, and Amanda giggled softly, before helping him to pull the offending jeans to his knees. His jocks 40

softly, before helping him to pull the offending jeans to his knees. His jocks Sax in the Park

joined them. Then, he removed his fingers. Amanda had already taken the condom out of its foil. She rolled it down his hard cock, then drew her fingernails back up the sides of it. That was just about as much as Aidan could take. He positioned himself at her opening. She held her breath, and closed her eyes. He pushed himself gently into her, rocking backwards and forwards, moving deeper and deeper into her passage with each thrust. Soon, he found himself plunged as far into her as he could go. Her hips rose to meet him, and both of them exhaled noisily. “I want to make you come, beautiful,” he said. “How do you want to be fucked? Hard?” He thrust inside her quickly a few times, rewarded by her soft moan. “Or slow?” He slid in and out slowly, his own groan forced out of him by the feel of her slick, textured opening. “Hard,” she moaned. “And fast, baby. Fuck me hard and fast.” She writhed, her face contorted and sweating. It was the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. Aidan didn’t need to be told twice. He thrust into her, each time forcefully pushing his cock as far into her as it would go. He was rewarded with the tightening of her muscles around him, her cries getting higher and louder, until with a guttural moan, she orgasmed. With the relaxation of her muscles, Aidan could slide in and out of her with ease, which he did, bringing his own climax to a head. Then, he slowed down, pushing out the silky sensation of her for as long as he could stand it, sliding gently in and out, randomly bumping up hard against her pelvis until he thought he would explode. He rode her hard then, thrusting into her and letting his head drop back. Suddenly, on a roar he came. His eyes rolled back in his head as he emptied inside her, and a small corner of his consciousness registered that she was coming again too. Then, his body flopped forward and he lay across her, panting. They lay like that, spent, for a minute or two while their breathing returned to something approaching normal. When he could lift his head, he looked into her eyes and said, “I remembered that, but I didn’t remember it being quite that good.” “Sex was always good with us Aidan,” she said, still gasping a little. “Mmm,” he said, cradling his head into the curve of her neck. “I’ve missed 41

“Mmm,” he said, cradling his head into the curve of her neck. “I’ve missed Sax in the Park

you.” “I’ve missed you too, but the seat belt buckle is digging into my spine.” They laughed a little and struggled to sit up, encircled in each others’ arms. “Aidan,” Amanda said suddenly. “You’ve got your sax, right?” “In the boot, as always,” he said. “Why?” “Play me something.” “What?” “Anything. I just haven’t really heard you play since you got back.” He smiled and pulled his trousers back on before getting out of the car and getting his sax from the boot. It was a struggle to open the case and fit it together in the confines of the car, but shortly, he had thrown the case over on to the passenger seat, and the sax gleamed. Aidan’s blood picked up a little. He always loved to play, loved how the music emanated from not only his fingers but also seemed to come out of his every pore. “Are you ready?” “Ready.” He played, and she leaned against him, eyes closed for what seemed like hours. He played all the songs they used to love, then new ones he’d learned and written, pulling every tiny bit of soul from his instrument, and pushing his own soul back into it. He played of love and loss, of bitterness and recrimination, of hope and warmth, of reclamation and redemption. And when he was done, she pulled his head around and kissed him again, only it was a different kiss. It was a kiss that tasted of forgiveness. “I think you might have found that piece of your heart,” she whispered. Desire smoked deep in her eyes, and he wanted desperately to be inside her again. He put the sax aside and straddled her body, his cock hard. She had forgiven him. It was all he ever wanted.

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Chapter 13 Amanda’s new assistant, Dee, started work a week later, on the Monday. She had taken a week to interview three candidates, and then decide on one. She felt awful having to call the other two to tell them the bad news, but she was certain Dee would make her life so much easier. Dee was bright and energetic, with a brand new marketing degree, and a wish to make a difference. She buzzed into the office on Monday morning, full of beans and ready to help in whatever way she could. But by lunchtime on Monday, Amanda was just about ready to tear her hair out. While Dee was certainly eager to impress, and had a slew of really good characteristics and skills that would make her a brilliant assistant, Amanda had to teach her everything. Which meant everything was going even slower than it usually did, and Amanda realised she would be working well into the evening probably all of this week and maybe most of the next one as well, until Dee got herself together. She worried about the deadlines that were due today and tomorrow, wondering if she could call her clients and ask for a day or two extension, but horrified by the unprofessionalism of such a call. She tried to be calm and friendly with Dee, but she found herself stepping outside with a cup of coffee several times just to ease her rising temper, when the girl simply didn’t seem to understand. While she was outside, her phone rang. It was Aidan. She gave a tired smile. It would be nice to talk to someone who wasn’t just about trying to please her. “Hey Aidan.” “Hi Honey. How’s things with the new assistant?” “She’s… well, let’s just say she’s very new,” replied Amanda, lowering her voice so Dee couldn’t hear. “That’s not what I wanted to hear.” 43

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“Well, to be honest, I probably shouldn’t expect her to make much of a difference for the first couple of weeks. She’s got to have time to learn my processes and clients and things. I’m still going to be flat out for the next few weeks.” “True. Hey, guess what we’re going to do on Tuesdays from now on?” Amanda’s stomach dropped. “What?” “Salsa lessons!” Amanda was silent, sipping her coffee, holding on to her temper by a thread, though the anger threatened to spill over. “Honey? You there?” In a tight tone, Amanda replied, “I can’t Aidan. I already told you, I’m flat out for the next few weeks.” “Surely you can put it off for one night?” With that, Amanda exploded. “No I can not ‘put it off for one night’. God, you have got to stop doing that! I have a business to run, Aidan. Clients and deadlines and people who rely on me. I can’t just go waltzing off when I feel like it.” “But that’s why you got an assistant.” “Didn’t you hear a word I said?” “About what?” Amanda growled into the phone, and said, “I have to go.” She hung up, with Aidan still saying, “What is it? What did I do?” in her ear.

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Chapter 14 Aidan closed his phone, confused. Amanda was behaving very strangely. She seemed really stressed. But she could have been nicer about the salsa lessons. He’d gone to great lengths to find somewhere close to where she lived that they could go. He went into the lounge room, still frowning. His mum sat there, in front of her soap operas again. “You should get outside more, Mum,” he said, dropping into a worn chair. “I get outside plenty, thanks very much,” his mum replied. Her voice was still wobbly and slow, but Aidan could still hear the steely determination in it. “These TV shows will rot your brain.” She laughed. “I know. And I have so little left, I can’t really afford to rot any of it.” Aidan gave a halfhearted smile. “What’s up, kiddo?” she said. Aidan looked at the phone in his hand and frowned. “I don’t know. Amanda’s all upset with me, and I don’t even know why.” “What did you do?” “What did I do? Nothing! I rang her to tell her about the salsa lessons I organized, and she went off her tree at me.” “What did she say?” “Something about how she has a business and clients and that she can’t just drop it all and run.” His mother looked at him and raised an eyebrow, and he groaned. “I know, Mum. I know she can’t. But I’m asking for two hours a week. That’s all.” His mum smiled, and flicked off the TV. Sitting back in her chair, she said, “You know I love you, right?” He squinted at her suspiciously. “Yes,” he replied cautiously. 45

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“Then know that what I’m about to say is said only with your happiness in mind?” “Go on.” “You’re selfish.” He jutted out his bottom lip. “I am not.” “You are. You always have been. And it’s something I tried to stomp out of you, but you were always a selfish, selfish person.” “That hurts Mum.” She inclined her head a little. “It’s for your own good, Aidan. You’ve got to start thinking about other people.” “I do,” he argued. “All the time. Amanda loved salsa dancing. So I got us lessons.” “But you didn’t even ask her first before charging ahead,” his mum replied. “You have to take other people’s circumstances into consideration. Take us, for example.” “Us?” “Me and Dad. You tried and tried to get us to move. We don’t want to go to an old people’s home.” “Assisted living community,” corrected Aidan. “And it would be good for you.” “No, it would be good for you,” countered his mum firmly. Aidan was silent for a moment, and his mum pressed her advantage. “Admit it, son. You wanted us there so you wouldn’t have to worry about us so much.” “Sure, but it’s also for your benefit.” “But you didn’t ask us what we wanted.” His mum smiled. “If you’d asked, we would have told you why we want to stay here. But you didn’t ask. You just barreled in from Sydney and tried to bully us into going.” “I did not bully,” protested Aidan. “You did so. And I bet you tried to get Amanda to agree to the lessons, even after she said she couldn’t.” Aidan went silent again. It was true. “And how about when you left in the first place? You tried to force Amanda into following.” “That was eight years ago,” protested Aidan. “Oh, and look at that. You’re still doing it.” 46

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His mum stood from her chair uneasily, and walked over to where Aidan had slumped on the couch. Sitting back down beside him, she took his hand. Unwillingly, he left it there. He wanted to snatch it away, to tell her she was wrong and cruel, but there was too much truth in her words. Was he really that selfish? Did he really try to bully people into doing what he wanted? “All you need to do, kiddo, is talk to people before you rush in and take action. And especially Amanda. She has a life and a business - and she’s not reliant on you to decide when she does and doesn’t need to take care of those things.” Aidan looked down at his mother’s hand clasped in his. It was small, and becoming wrinkled on the back, the blue veins popping out through the mottled skin. He ran his thumb over it. “You’re right.” “I know,” his mum replied, and Aidan had to let out a short chuckle. “So, go and apologize to that girl, tell her you’re going to listen to her from now on, and go make us a cuppa, would you?” He laughed. “Kick me while I’m down, why don’t you?” “And there’s bickies in the cupboard.”

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Chapter 15 Amanda had refused to take Aidan’s calls since Monday. And today was Wednesday, the day of the stupid duel-to-win-a-job. He wasn’t sure he could perform properly. Not with this cloud over him, this fear that he had done something beyond stupid. He felt as if he had lost Amanda again, although the words had not been said. And it was his own fault. He knew he needed to apologize. For telling Amanda he had changed when, in fact, he hadn’t much changed at all. And he needed to tell her that he was ready to change, ready to grow up and ready to take her into account when he did stuff. No more of this alpha male bullshit. It obviously didn’t suit her, so it didn’t suit him either. He would change, if only so that he could keep the love of his life. But without actually having spoken to Amanda, Aidan wasn’t able to concentrate properly. He couldn’t pull together anything more than a mediocresounding improv, and he couldn’t pull that fat, sweet sound out of his instrument. He sent a text to Amanda. “Sax duel is tonight at the Windsor. Need to talk to you before then. Please.” He got dressed, in a dark, long sleeved shirt and dark trousers, with his shoes polished to a shiny raven black. He rolled his sleeves back a little. Combed his hair back and brushed his teeth. Still, Amanda didn’t answer. He sighed. He didn’t know what else to do. With a shrug, he picked up his saxophone case and went into the lounge room. To his surprise, his mum and dad were sitting there, dressed to go out. They must be off to dinner or something. “Where are you guys going?” he asked distractedly. 48

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“We’re coming with you!” “What?” His dad grinned and threw an arm around his shoulders. “Son, we are so proud of you, of what you’ve accomplished with your music. And we wanted to support you tonight.” Tears gathered in Aidan’s eyes, which he quickly wiped away. “Seriously?” “Seriously,” his mum agreed firmly, tucking her arm around his. “Now, let’s go get ‘em.” Aidan’s heart lightened a little. Perhaps, with his parents by his side, he’d do better. By the time they reached his old Ford, he was smiling and confident. But his smile dropped away when he saw Amanda standing uncertainly by her car, just a little way off. His parents looked at her with interest, but Aidan said under his breath, “Can you guys hop in the car and wait for me for just a minute?” They nodded and got in the car. Aidan jogged over to where Amanda was standing. “Hey,” he said. “Hey.” There was a moment of silence, before both of them started talking together, then laughing. “You first,” Amanda said. Aidan nodded. “Listen, honey, I’ve made a mistake. A big one. And it took my mum telling me to pull my head in before I realised the mistake I’d made.” “What mistake was that?” “Taking you for granted. Over and over again. For years and years.” “Go on,” she said. “It’s like, I got back and just fell into the same old pattern - I did something, and just expected you to come along. But my mum made me realise. It’s eight years later, you’ve got a business you have to take care of, and eight years of friendships and life and things that I don’t even know about.” He looked down with a small smile. “I’m sorry. For not thinking about you.” He took her hands. “I promise to try to change. I can’t guarantee I’ll get it right all of the time, but I’ll do what I can.” Amanda was silent for a moment, and Aidan feared she wasn’t going to accept his apology. Then she smiled, that gorgeous, sexy smile that tore a hole in his heart every time he saw it. 49

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“I was wrong too, you know,” she admitted. “When you came back, we both just fell into the old ways. I let you take over - buy me drinks I didn’t want, go places I didn’t necessarily want to go… the salsa lessons was just me realizing that I can’t be like that with you any more. I have too many other obligations.” “I know,” he murmured, but she stopped him with a squeeze on his fingers. “So, we have to do this like adults, okay?” “Okay,” he replied with a little trepidation. “Okay. Aidan Young, I love you. I’ve always loved you, even when I hated you to pieces. So, let’s draw a line in the sand, and start an actual partnership, instead of just a relationship.” Aidan had smiled at her declaration of love, but the frown descended on his forehead as she continued. “What does that mean, partnership?” he asked. “It means we work together to make it work,” she answered. “I stop being a doormat, and you stop being a pushy bastard, and we do this like grownups.” He pulled her in close, putting his arms around her waist. “Grownups, hey?” Dropping a kiss on to her upturned lips, he said, “I like the sound of that.” He kissed her again, this time longer and deeper, until the sound of a car horn pulled them out of it. His dad had his head stuck out of the car window. “I hate to interrupt,” he shouted. “But if we don’t hurry up, you’ll lose by default.” “Go,” urged Amanda, pushing Aidan toward his car. “I’ll follow.” “You’ll be there?” “Nowhere else in the world I’d prefer to be.”

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Chapter 16 Not only did his parents and Amanda turn up, when he arrived Aidan found Penny, Lydia and Marc were there as well. “Wish me luck,” Aidan said to everyone, a note of fake cheer in his voice. The others didn’t notice, except for Amanda who looked at him with a little concern. He winked at her, and her brow cleared. He trudged up to the stage, noticing that Tony Vincenzo had already made his way there, and was unpacking his sax. “Hey,” he said to Tony, receiving a terse nod in reply. It seemed Tony was in competition mode. And that suited Aidan just fine. He opened his case, fitting together the saxophone with loving care, making sure that all the pieces fit together just right. Then he warmed up the reed, first just blowing, then slow scales, building in speed until he could hear the sax was ready to play. “Ready?” Aidan said, and Tony nodded. Greg had decreed that each player would play two songs, showing off their skills as best they could. The winner would be judged by the crowd. It wasn’t exactly the most scientific of methods, but it would be enough to settle the matter in Greg’s eyes. Tony was up first. He broke into the first bars of George Michael’s Careless Whisper, and the crowd bellowed their approval. Aidan watched as Tony lost himself in the music. He and his saxophone were one and the same, the instrument an extension of his body. Throwing his head back, he lifted the sax and wailed out the notes, pure and true. It was a brilliant performance, one that Aidan wasn’t certain he could beat. Tony smiled a little self consciously, and turned to Aidan, who was also clapping, albeit slowly. He nodded to Aidan, and stepped aside. The crowd silenced. 51

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He had chosen Born to Run. Bruce Springsteen’s song was fantastic for the sax, with its solo in the middle where the player could show off his skills. And Aidan did just that. His tenor sax, deep and sultry, matched his sinuous movements, his unconscious sexiness. He noticed in the gloom outside the spotlight that a bunch of girls had come to the front of the stage and were fangirling, trying to catch his eye. He smiled at them around the mouthpiece, and they simpered. That kind of stuff was priceless. Greg would know Aidan would pull the crowds, at least the female ones. As the song finished, the crowd were on their feet again. The competition was joined. Tony’s second track was something very different. Mr Saxobeat was a dance track from the early 2000’s, and Tony soon had everyone on their feet, dancing. The repetitive sax was mesmerizing, and of course, he put his own take on it, adding improvisations as he went. The crowd loved it, and they loved him. Aidan frowned slightly. He would have to pull out something incredible to win. But he knew just what to do. He slowly moved into the spotlight and started to play. Baker Street. Gerry Rafferty. Only one of the most iconic saxophone pieces ever. And he nailed it. As he finished, everyone was on their feet, clapping and shouting. He accepted his applause, then motioned for Tony to join him on the stage. The cheers grew even louder. Greg jumped up on the stage. “Alright,” he said, elbowing his way between Aidan and Tony, “you all know how this works. Whoever gets the loudest applause, judged by me, will be the winner. Alright. So first up, the unbelievable Tony Vincenzo!” He pushed Tony forward, and the crowd cheered loud and long. “And now, the amazing Aidan Young!” Aidan was pushed forward, and the crowd roared again. Aidan was sure he could hear his fangirls screaming, and smiled. Greg shushed the crowd, waiting until everyone was totally silent before he shouted, “I think we’re going to have to have a redraw,” 52

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The crowd cheered. “So first, Tony!” The crowd bellowed. “And, Aidan!” The crowd bellowed again. The butterflies started banging against his ribcage. An expectant silence fell over the crowd. Greg smiled and shook his head. Then he shouted, “It looks like we have ourselves a draw!” He grabbed each of their hands and pulled them skyward. The crowd went wild. They stepped down from the stage, backs being slapped from all directions. But Aidan was furious. Greg hadn’t make a decision. His future was still up in the air.

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Chapter 17 Amanda could see Aidan’s expression before he reached the table and inwardly she groaned. He was not happy. The others at the table cheered and congratulated him, and Marc put a glass of beer down in front of him, so they could all toast his success. Amanda noticed Aidan pulling himself together, accepting the congratulations of his family and friends, and trying to put on a mask of happiness. But the chatter and conversation couldn’t mask the steely glint in his light blue eyes. He glanced over at her, and she mouthed, “What’s wrong?” He indicated that she should come with him outside on the porch. She nodded, picked up her drink, and followed him outside. “What is it?” she said. “Greg was supposed to choose a sax for the permanent position based on tonight’s performance.” “Oh.” Amanda knew Aidan needed to get a job to stay in Perth for any length of time. “So what are you going to do?” Before he could respond, a voice said, “He’s going to take a job with Perth’s best band.” They parted to see Greg standing there, grinning, with Tony beside him, also grinning. Amanda was confused, and she could see Aidan was as well. If Greg was giving the job to Aidan, why on earth would Tony be smiling? Then Greg explained, “I think with your tenor sax and Tony’s alto, we could get some wicked grooves going on. There’s a bunch of tracks for double sax we could add to the repertoire.” Amanda watched Aidan’s face clear, and a grin wash over it. She could see he loved the idea of two saxophones. And who wouldn’t? She thought it was a great idea. 54

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“You’ve got yourself a deal,” said Aidan, holding out his hand to Greg. Greg shook it, and then Aidan patted Tony on the back. “Man, when you pulled out Careless Whisper, I thought I was done.” “Are you kidding me?” replied Tony. “Baker Street? You caned me.” Amanda let the boys have their little love-in for a few more moments, then she said, “Aidan? Did you want to go let your parents know the good news?” Greg and Tony said their goodbyes and walked away in different directions. Aidan put his arms around Amanda’s waist. “You know what? I’m not sure that I really want to go back in there right now.” “No?” she asked with a smirk, certain of what he was going to say next. She wasn’t disappointed. “No. I want to take this body of yours and make love to it until you scream.” He said the words close to her ear, and she shivered. Then, he let her go just a little and added in a contrite tone, “That is, if that’s what you want too? Or we could go back and join the party?” He looked at her worriedly, and she realised this was his first attempt at being a grownup in a partnership. She laughed. He was so awkward. “You know what? We should go back to the party. But later? Oh boy, you are gonna get some sweet, sweet love.” A look of relief passed over his face, followed by a more raw, primal expression. “I can’t wait.” And neither could Amanda.

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Thanks

Thank you so much for choosing to read Sax in the Park. I had a great time writing it, I hope you had just as great a time reading it! If you enjoyed it, I wonder if you would be so kind as to pop a review on Amazon or Goodreads for me? Reviews mean that indie authors (like me) need to stress less over the promotion and marketing of our books, which is awesome for you, because it means we spend more time writing book goodies for you to enjoy!! And if you’re anything like me, you devour All the books. (Nom nom nom… all the books…) Ahem. The next book in the Perth Girls series is For Business and Pleasure - read on for a sneaky peek…

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For Business and Pleasure

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CLICK HERE to read For Business and Pleasure, and you can read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited! CHAPTER ONE From the dizzying heights of her gorgeous Lucchesi heels, Lydia del Castro scanned the room, a sigh escaping her lips. Lights blazed like small suns, 58

scanned the room, a sigh escaping her lips. Lights blazed like small suns, Sax in the Park highlighting canvasses and cultivating shadows on sculptures. Lydia lapped up the colors and textures like a desert wanderer at an oasis. Actually, the metaphor wasn’t far from the truth. She had firmly locked her artistic aspirations away years ago, when she decided to pursue business instead of fine arts at university. Not that I regret the decision, she thought as she strolled amongst the artworks, letting her senses soak up the paint and plaster. She was practical enough to realize while she was a good artist, she wasn’t a great one. The Arts could be a harsh mistress for artists who were middle of the road. Quite apart from that, she excelled at business and enjoyed the senior consulting role she had worked hard to achieve. She had a comfortable life, she still indulged in some sculpting when she had the time or when she found herself yearning for some culture. A quick visit to a gallery like this one often satisfied her needs. She stopped a passing waiter and swapped her empty champagne glass for a full one. Looking up to thank him, she noticed herself reflected in a mirror behind him, and quickly looked away. That one glance confirmed she appeared just as ordinary as usual; wavy shoulder length mousy hair, serious brown eyes, eyebrows in need of constant plucking, a figure not fat but not thin, and not tall but not short. Her face was a little flushed from the champagne, but at least, she reflected, she looked good in the white linen dress suit she chose for the occasion, and her killer heels were to die for. Holding her head a little higher, she continued to teeter around the gallery, stopping to admire the more appealing pieces, and working out in her head if she could afford to add one or two more pieces to her collection. If she was honest, she knew she spent a little too much of her income on paintings. She loved to surround herself with beautiful things. One side of her mouth lifted in a wry smile. It was becoming a problem because, while her flat was spacious, there was only so much room on the walls. What about the wall beside the kitchen? Surely I could jiggle the others so I can fit another one. It would only be a small one. What in the name of all that is holy is that? The canvas in front of her assaulted her eyes, and she struggled to keep her mouth from pursing like she was sucking a sour, unripe lemon. It was a garish, 59

mouth from pursing like she was sucking a sour, unripe lemon. It was a garish, Sax in the Park

screaming abstract, a mess of bold colors with no form or function at all. And still, she stared. Scanning the disaster, her brain somehow registered the artists name. Tad Milford. OK, so that’ll be one we need to avoid in the future. She knew she should stop staring at the monstrosity, but she found it had somehow taken hold of her vision. And as she gawked, she noticed in her periphery others stopped to stare at the painting too. Move along, Lydia. Before you burn out your retinas. But her feet were nailed to the floor. “Dear God,” she muttered under her breath to the man standing beside her who also stared at the painting. “Is there any redeeming feature in this picture at all?” He threw a glance at Lydia, then his gaze returned to the painting. “There has to be something,” he replied, a note of caution in his voice. “The colors are good and bright.” “Well, there’s that. And I suppose that blob of white is right in the middle.” “A very good place for a blob to be,” agreed the man. “But apart from that?” “Apart from that?” “It’s a nightmare straight from hell.” She shuddered theatrically, and the man smiled. And what a smile it was. She thought nothing would be able to tear her gaze from the painting, she was wrong. His smile lit up the entire room, and she couldn’t help but smile back, noticing his dark blue eyes and high cheekbones as she did. In between all the rushing hormones she felt a stab of recognition. This guy looks really familiar. “Do I know you?” she asked, then flushed. “Wow, that sounded like a really corny pickup line. I didn’t mean it like that. It’s just… I feel like I’ve met you before.” His smile broadened, and Lydia tried not to drool. “I’m not sure,” he said. “Is it possible I’ve seen you around here?” “You come to the gallery often? Are you a buyer?” “Sometimes. Sometimes a browser. Sometimes an artist.” Lydia could see amusement in his eyes. “Awesome. What do you paint?” “Abstract, mostly. But tell me, why do you think people are bidding on 60

“Abstract, mostly. But tell me, why do you think people are bidding on Sax in the Park

this? What do they see?” He indicated the revolting canvas and Lydia reluctantly went back to looking at it. A second viewing didn’t improve it. It was just as ugly as the first time. The guy’s question made Lydia think for a moment, before she replied “Perhaps it’s people’s tastes can vary from one end of the spectrum to the other?” “Possibly. Or maybe the art is actually good, and you are a terrible judge?” He raised one eyebrow, almost as a challenge. “I think I have a pretty good eye.” “Then I ask again, why are people bidding on this, if it’s so awful?” “I really don’t know.” She eyed the man, who was now regarding her seriously. She felt suddenly awkward, like a student being pressed with a question she didn’t know the answer to. “Why do you think they are?” “Because of the name.” He took a step toward her. She realized just how tall he was, but well-built tall, not skinny. “The painter is well known in his other field of business. His colleagues and competitors might like to possess one of his artworks.” She read the name again. “Tad Milford. Never heard of him.” But actually, it does ring some kind of distant bell. “I think you’ll be hearing much from him in the future.” The man seemed very sure of himself. “If this is an example of his work, I think he will fade into obscurity.” “I think not.” He took another step closer, and Lydia caught his subtle scent, woodsy and musky. She closed her eyes and breathed it in, lifting her chin to take the greatest advantage of the tantalizing essence. He murmured in a husky tone, “I think Tad Milford will feature very clearly in your life from now on.” Lydia’s eyes flew open and she found herself caught in the man’s stormy blue gaze. He lifted a hand as if to caress her cheek. She held her breath. “Over here, Ladies and Gentlemen.” The singsong voice of the bustling guide and the group of muttering buyers she herded over to look at the horrible painting, brought Lydia back to the present and with a gasp, she backed away from the man. He lifted his shoulder in a half shrug and smiled a little wicked smile in her direction. Lydia’s heartbeat ratcheted up. She turned away from him, and pretended to listen to the guide, even though she couldn’t hear 61

him, and pretended to listen to the guide, even though she couldn’t hear Sax in the Park

anything over the buzzing in her head. Slowly, her pulse returned to normal, and the stain of blush left her cheeks. She refused to catch the man’s eye again, and studiously listened to the guide extolling the virtues of the painting. “We picked this artist up a few months ago, based on an amazing body of work that he presented to us, but by far, this amazing contemporary abstract is the cream of the crop.” Seriously? What was it, sour cream? The guide was a stunning manicured blonde in stilettos. She could have been a walking model for Chanel or Dior, her suit tailored to perfection, and not a hair out of place. Lydia hated her on sight. And the crap gushing out of her mouth increased Lydia’s dislike exponentially. “It displays the artist’s intention to discuss inner turmoil, while giving us a sense of center, of peace.” Where do they come up with these things? The only thing that would give me peace would be if it made its way into my garbage bin. “With striking use of color and mono the artist displays the light and shade that are all of our complex human emotions.” She’s giving me complex human emotions. She felt a jostle behind her, and the man who had been giving her so much trouble strolled up to the front of the group. He turned to face the crowd, a serious look on his face. “No, that’s not what the artist intended at all.” Oh God, no. The blonde simpered, and took one of the man’s hands in both of hers. “Ladies and Gentlemen, a wonderful surprise for you all. I suppose I should bow to the greater wisdom of the artist himself, Tad Milford.” She introduced him with a flourish worthy of a second rate game show hostess, and the crowd responded with a smattering of polite applause. Lydia’s mouth fell open. She stared at Tad Milford. He sent an amused grin her way. “I am led to believe the painting is a nightmare straight from hell.” With that, Lydia got the hell out of there. Tad tried to follow the girl with his eyes as she fled, only he lost her as he found himself accosted by a bunch of art buyers from the group, most of them middle aged women, who only seemed to want to flatter him and run their fat, bejeweled fingers up and down his arm. Their bold stares and unspoken 62

bejeweled fingers up and down his arm. Their bold stares and unspoken Sax in the Park

invitations would have made him laugh out loud, if he hadn’t been so nauseated by them. But he plastered on his best good-humored expression, and answered banal question after banal question about his painting, adroitly avoiding saying much about his personal life. After enduring as much as he could stomach of the sycophantic buyers, Tad looked around to try to find the girl again. He did feel a little bit guilty at the way he had tricked her - but really, it was her own fault for not paying attention to the signals he was throwing out. He all but told her he painted the thing. She was just so caught up in her own little world, she didn’t even hear him. But something had happened between them in the moments before Cecilia had brought her group of buyers over to his painting, and Tad wanted to explore it further. As he wandered around, eyes flicking right and left to try to catch a glimpse of her, his breath hitched and his heart beat just a little faster as he thought about his body’s response to her closeness. It was like they were alone in the room, only the two of them, gazing fire into each other’s eyes. He hitched his trousers and wriggled a little as things in there got a little more strained and uncomfortable. A wry smile crossed his face. At least she would be under no misapprehensions as to his interest. He finally spied her out, hidden in a side alcove housing some other artist’s works. She was in profile, half looking at the artworks, and half looking fearfully out into the crowd. He chuckled as she grabbed a glass of champagne from a passing waiter and chugged half of its contents in one mouthful. Working his way across the room without taking his eyes off her, forced to detour around the segments of society who hung out at art openings; not only buyers, but also those who were there to see and be seen, and artists hoping for a favorable glance or word from a critic, he ended up coming up a little behind her, and out of her peripheral vision. Drinking her second mouthful of champagne, but this time sipping the beverage a little more demurely. He decided to make his presence known, so he leaned over to her ear and said, “A bit more comfortable now, are we?” She gasped and spun around. In what seemed like slow motion, Tad watched as her champagne sloshed out of her glass, and over his shirt. Then, one of her feet caught on the other as she tried to take a quick step forward, and she flailed in her ridiculously high heels, falling forward into his arms. He put 63

she flailed in her ridiculously high heels, falling forward into his arms. He put Sax in the Park

his hands out to steady her as her glass tipped, and bathed him in the remainder of her champagne. “I am so very sorry.” Her voice held anguish and embarrassment, so Tad gently held her arms at the elbow while she struggled to stay upright. Accepting his help probably increased her humiliation, but he figured she would prefer to lean on him rather than end up in a heap of white suit and high heels on the polished wooden floor. “Not a problem. It’s not every day I have a champagne shower with a pretty girl.” Her beautiful chocolate eyes flicked up to his skeptically, but before she said anything, Cecilia came rushing up, saying “Mr. Milford! Are you alright?” She scowled at the other girl, proceeded to snatch a handful of napkins off a waiter, and started to mop ineffectually at the champagne dripping down Tad’s shirt while still addressing the girl. “You’re just lucky your champagne didn’t land on any of the artworks, or you’d be in all kinds of trouble.” Cecelia’s voice was nothing more than a hiss, and Tad noticed the girl’s mouth fall open, and her gaze narrow. “It’s not that bad, Celia. It was only half a glass of champagne. Less.” Tad’s tone was conciliatory. “We can sort it. You go… do what you do.” He gave her a small smile, and a little push. “Well,” she sniffed, glancing between Tad and Lydia. “If you think you can handle it...” “I definitely can.” “Alright. Well, I’ll be over there if you need me. It wouldn’t hurt if you would actually meet some of the buyers, rather than chasing tail.” With one last scowl at the other girl, she stalked back over to the other side of the room, flicking the champagne-drenched napkins at an unsuspecting waiter as she went. Tad’s attention returned to the girl as she said, “Chasing tail?” Tad could hear the mix of amusement and outrage in her voice, and he tried to press his advantage “Yeah, she can be a bit of a dragon lady sometimes. But she knows how to sell a painting. Even a nightmare straight from hell.” A wary expression crossed her face, and he mentally booted himself in the arse for the ill-timed comment. She obviously still felt awful, and Tad’s heart 64

arse for the ill-timed comment. She obviously still felt awful, and Tad’s heart Sax in the Park

went out to her as he heard her gulp back her tears. It was all he could do not to take her in his arms and caress the tears away. He had a stern word to his libido, which was attempting a comeback, and he said “I’m sorry. That was poor form. Maybe we can start again?” She looked up at him, her eyes sparkling with unshed tears. She was stunning. Tad’s breath hitched in his throat. But she looked down just as quickly, fishing in her purse. She thrust a business card at Tad. “Here. Call me to organize payment for any damage.” He read the card. Lydia Del Castro. Senior Consultant. Carlson Collins. So THAT was where she knew him from. He took the card, and opened his mouth as if to say more, but she had already disappeared. Click here to continue reading or read for FREE on Kindle Unlimited!

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Other Titles By Bree Verity

Other Titles by Bree Verity: Sax in the Park For Business and Pleasure Troubled by the Texan Under the Spotlight

The Hidden Duchess The Unwilling Smuggler The Ruined Lady A Bouquet of Love - A Wedding Anthology

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About Bree Verity

About Bree Verity Bree Verity grew up on a diet of tea and crumpets, dancing, Regency novels, old movies and musicals. It's no wonder she has ended up writing love stories. She lives in Perth Western Australia with her teenage son, her longsuffering, patient and wonderful partner, and her two doggy writing buddies, Millie and Boofie. She keeps it very quiet from them that she is equally a cat person. She is horribly charmed by the tiny house movement and, although she realizes she would very quickly go crazy in such a confined space, she will watch anything and everything about building tiny houses. If someone invented a way to directly infuse tea into the veins, she would sign up for that shizzle immediately. Bree loves to hear from her readers, and can be contacted on Facebook or Twitter, or sign up for news and information at her website www.breeverity.com

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