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‘Great! I’ll make a booking and get back to you with the details.’
Mrs Miranda Maxwell ... mmm, has a nice ring to it.She added ‘has a nice surname’ to her ideal qualities list after hanging up the phone, then brought the chocolate bar to her mouth and hesitated. She didn’t really feel like it anymore. She put it in a zip-lock sandwich bag and called her mother.
‘Mum, guess what?’
‘What?’
‘Two birds, one stone.’
NINE
“We delight in the beauty of the butterfly, but rarely admit the changes it has gone through to achieve that beauty.”
~ Maya Angelou
A wolf whistle greeted Miranda as she exited the staff bathroom and stepped into the hotel lobby, an elegant black dress clinging to her curves, hair secured loosely on top of her head with a diamanté studded clip.
‘Big night ahead?’ David enquired from the concierge desk, flashing his charming smile.
‘I’m going on a date, if you must know.’ Miranda grinned triumphantly.
‘Anyone I know?’
‘I wouldn’t think so, it’s with ahenot a she.’
‘Look, I may be popular with the ladies but I do have mates too, you know,’ Davidassured.
Yeah, I wonder how many of their girlfriends you’ve hit on.
‘I hope you enjoy your date, Miranda, but if the guy turns out to be a loser, maybe you and I should get together sometime and see if there’s any leftover spark between us, huh?’
With an indignant toss of her head, Miranda marched past him and out the golden rimmed doors. He would not charm his way back into her life. During work hours he was her colleague, so she’d be polite and pleasant and professional, but when her shift at reception ended, she could ignore the cheating jerk.
With all thoughts of David firmly pushed from her mind, Miranda’s attention was now on enjoying her imminent date with the gorgeous Sam Maxwell, and moving her belongings into her new home in Hunter Street tomorrow. She sashayed with confidence, swaying her voluptuous hips, and smiling at strangers as they passed by. This would be a great weekend, she could feel it.
‘Well, thank you,’Miranda said, as Sam pulled the chair out for her. He’d secured the best table at Lava Restaurant, with views of Sydney Harbour, and a floor to ceiling lava lamp behind them. Soft lighting and cruisy jazz music created an intimate ambience. Sam had obviously been here before, as he’d already nodded hello to four people, even the chef who popped his head out of the kitchen to acknowledge him.
‘The Thai fish curry with steamed rice looks good,’ Mirandasaid.
‘It is. Had it a couple of weeks ago. But, will that fit in with your keto diet?’ Sam smiled.
‘Oh, that.’ Miranda lowered her gaze, recalling her embarrassing bookstore visit. ‘You remembered?’
‘It came to me after you left the house. I knew I’d seen you somewhere before.’
‘I recognised you too, but...’
‘You were embarrassed to mention it. That’s okay.’ He took a casual swig of water. ‘Once, when I was starting out as a real estate agent, I was so nervous at my first open house I accidentally dropped the keys into a stormwater drain at the front of the property. They were on my personal key ring too, so I couldn’t even drive to the office to get the spare. My boss wasn’t impressed!’
‘Oh no! What happened?’
‘One of my colleagues drove out to give me the spare keys, but by then there were eight people waiting impatiently to see the house. After I’d finished the open house, I tried to find the keys, but they must have washed away. I waited on the side of the road for forty-five minutes for a locksmith.’ Sam shook his head, running a hand through his blonde-tinged hair. ‘I now keep the keys securely in my pocket until I’m at the front door.’
‘Good idea!’ They both chuckled.
The music from Mission Impossible sounded. ‘Excuse me, Miranda, I need to get this.’ He pointed to his phone.
A waiter approached, but on glancing at Sam he mouthed that he’d come back later. Sam flicked his fingers, letting him know it was okay to take their order. He lowered the phone. ‘I’ll have the New Zealand venison, and a bottle of Pepperjack Shiraz.’ He glanced quickly at Miranda withraised eyebrows and she nodded her approval on the wine choice, then he returned to his call.
