The Next Season (novella) Read Online Free

to fill the silence that had descended once again. ‘I promise I’ll pay you back the moment I can.’
    He looked at her as he shook the last few drops of petrol into the tank. ‘There’s really no need.’ Then he screwed the lid back on the can and straightened up. ‘It was good to see you again.’
    That was her cue to agree with him, but she found the words caught in the back of her throat. Did he really mean that? As mortifying as it had been to have him finding her in a petrol drought on the side of the road, and then not being able to afford a fill-up, the idea of saying goodbye so soon literally made her heart ache. It had been nice hearing about his sister, but Zoe wanted to hear about him. Aside from the whole relationship-status thing, she also wanted to know what he’d been doing for the last seven years. She wanted to hear about his work, about the things he’d crafted recently, and what he did in his spare time aside from surfing.
    There were so many questions swirling in her head that she felt like some kind of journalist in mad pursuit of an interview.
    â€˜Bye Zoe,’ he said again, before she’d found the wherewithal to speak. He tipped his cap in a polite retreat, as if he were a stranger who’d stopped to help. Her heart pounded in her chest. It felt wrong to simply let him walk away when they’d once been close in the most intimate way.
    â€˜I might see you round?’ She cringed at the hopeful tone in her voice. Could she sound any more desperate? But after the initial shock of seeing him again… Well, it had been nice to see a familiar face. Right now, she could do with a friend.
    He shrugged, barely slowing his steps as he tossed a reply over his shoulder. ‘Maybe. Say hi to Sandee for me.’
    â€˜Will do.’ Zoe lifted her hand to wave but it fell to her side before she followed through. He wasn’t looking anyway. She stood by her car, frozen, unable to stop herself watching him as he climbed into his ute. The motor roared to life and then he sped off as if he couldn’t get away from her fast enough. She supposed she shouldn’t be surprised. It may have been seven years since she first left Wildwood Point, but they hadn’t exactly parted on good terms. All her fault of course. If he’d recognised her before he approached her car he might not even have stopped to help.
    Forcing herself to put thoughts of Shaun Elliot out of her mind—or at least make a damn good attempt—Zoe took a deep breath and hopped back into the Kingswood. She smoothed her hands over the steering wheel. ‘All set to go again, Jemima,’ she said as she turned the key in the ignition. The car rumbled to life and she indicated to move back onto the road. She couldn’t wait to see Sandee. At least she’d be guaranteed a warm welcome there. It was almost dusk now so she kept a look out for kangaroos as she drove the short distance to Sandee’s place on the other side of town. The closer she got, the more she relaxed.
    When she turned into the driveway of a house less than two hundred metres from the clear and always sparkling Indian Ocean, the smell of home cooking wafted in through her open window. She moaned. If her nose had it right, that aroma belonged to Sandee’s famous chicken schnitzel and she prayed there’d be enough for her. Grabbing only herhandbag from the front seat of the Kingswood, she all but ran up the short drive to the open front door, figuring she could get the rest of her stuff later.
    Sounds of Giggle and Hoot on the TV in the lounge room mingled with the clinking of knives and forks on plates in the kitchen.
    Feeling lighter already, Zoe grinned as she called down the hallway. ‘Anybody home?’
    Within seconds she heard chairs scraping, and a child who looked to be about three years old careened out of the kitchen and ran towards the front door. ‘Who you?’ the little