Swept Away By The Seductive Stranger

‘You’re very direct, aren’t you?’ He liked that.

She laughed. ‘Usually yes. Although not so much right now. It’s the nurse in me.’ She glanced out the window for a beat or two before looking at him again. ‘What I’m trying to say—very inelegantly—is that I hope you don’t think...I mean want or expect even...that this is anything more than just last night. Just two strangers on a train, in a...bubble almost. Indulging in something spontaneous. I mean, I like you but...hell, I don’t even know your last name or where you live or what kind of doctor you are or even if you’re going on to Perth.’

Callum opened his mouth to tell her it was okay. He got it. He felt exactly the same way about what had happened between them. About spontaneity. About getting out of his head and just not being himself for a night. But she held up her hand to ward it off.

‘No. Don’t tell me. I don’t want to know any of it either. I’d kind of like to keep this whole thing as a big, delicious secret. This...crazy thing I did once that’ll make me smile whenever I think about it. Maybe...’ she smiled ‘...scandalise my grandkids about it one day.’

Grandkids. Of course there’d be grandkids. And kids. With honey-blonde hair and grey eyes. She was young and, despite what she said about the guys in her town, he had no doubt someone would snap her up.

Whereas he couldn’t even look that far ahead.

‘So,’ Callum said, forcing himself to lighten the mood, ‘you just want to use me for my body and callously walk away? Pretend it never happened?’

She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth as she nodded and said, ‘Yes.’ She toyed with her spoon again. ‘Does that make me a terrible person?’

Callum chuckled at the little frown knitting her brow. He’d never met a woman who was such a compelling mix of confidence and uncertainty. ‘No,’ he teased. ‘Relax. It was one night. We barely know one another. I promise you haven’t broken my heart and I’m not about to drop down on one knee and ask you to marry me. You are not a terrible person and we should absolutely go our own ways after this with a smile on our faces and very fond memories of our night.’

‘Is that how you’re going to remember it?’ she asked, placing her elbow on the table and propping her chin on her fist. ‘Fondly?’

She was teasing now and he liked it. ‘Very fondly.’

She grinned. ‘Me too.’

‘Good. Now...’ he thrust the breakfast menu at her ‘...order your breakfast. You must be hungry.’

Her gaze dropped to the menu but he could still see the smile playing on her mouth as she muttered, ‘Starving.’

* * *

Felicity ate like the train was about to run out of food. She was absolutely famished from her vigorous night between the sheets. Callum laughed at how much she put away and the happy little bubble around her grew.

It continued when they moved to the lounge. Jock’s heart attack was a hot topic with their fellow travellers and everyone was agog at how they’d saved Jock’s life. They were so impressed they didn’t seem to mind the fact that both she and Callum had lied to them about what they did.

Or at least they didn’t call them on it anyway.

The day flew and before Felicity knew it the train was rolling through the outer suburbs of Adelaide, bringing her closer and closer to home. She was treating herself to a few days in the city first, though. The last week in October was a perfect time to do her Christmas shopping and also hit the beach before the full tilt of summer. There were no beaches in the Clare Valley. Vineyards and antique shops, amazing restaurants with gourmet offerings and dinky little tearooms for sure, but no beach.

It was back to work on Monday and the magical time she’d spent in Sydney with her best friend Luci and the train trip and last night would all soon be pushed to the side as she morphed back into Flick and her life revolved around work and small-town life.

So she was going to savour this for as long as she could.

Half an hour later the train had pulled up at the platform and she was saying goodbye to her fellow travellers and Donald as she disembarked. A part of her wanted to stay on for ever, stay in this bubble for ever with Callum. But it was neither real nor possible so she channelled Flick and let it go, stepping onto the platform.