An Aussie Christmas Angel by Clare Revell Read Free Book Online

outfit, don’t I?
    She looked at the closet and sighed. Did she go formal or casual or a mixture of the two? That would depend entirely on where he was taking her, and she had no idea where that was going to be. The front door opened and closed, and she heard John in the hallway talking to Pip.
    He was back. Her heart sang. Good. Now all she had to worry about was what she would wear. A dress? No. She didn’t have one she considered suitable for a date. Finally, she opted for black pants and a fitted beige shirt that Pip always declared showed off her figure wonderfully.
    She frowned at her reflection. She was the typical pear shape and hated it. If only she were model sized then perhaps…
    She mentally shook a finger at herself. Enough. If God wanted her to have a size-six figure, He’d have given her one. This is how He wanted her to be and John must like her a little if he was taking her to dinner.
    Tugging her shirt down, she grabbed her jacket. Despite the heat of the day, it got cooler once the sun set and the last thing she wanted was to be too cold to enjoy the evening properly. She headed into the hallway. Butterflies vied with nausea for her attention. As much as she told herself this was just dinner, she couldn’t help wishing it was more. Much more. But it wouldn’t happen. After all, he lived in England and she lived in Australia. You couldn’t get much further apart if you tried.
    She sat in the lounge and looked at the Christmas tree. She didn’t want to think about Christmas. She’d be alone most of it. Last year she and Pip hosted a houseful. This year it’d be just her, rattling around the place. At least she didn’t have to cook dinner for one. That really would be the icing on the cake of a blue Christmas.
    John came into the room, and she smiled. “Ready?”
    He nodded. “You look lovely.”
    She looked down at herself and then back up. “Thank you. You’re sure you don’t mind me driving?”
    “Well, as I haven’t got a car, we’d have to walk otherwise.”
    She laughed. “True. So, where are we going?”
    “The Rocks. Figured we could eat then go walk along the harbor, look at the bridge and the Opera House. Is that all right?”
    “It sounds perfect.”
     
    ****
     
    Sitting opposite him, Jo reflected how their evening was almost perfect. John was charming and witty, tempered with the British reserve she’d come to expect from him. But he was quiet.
    “I had a bit of a scare last week.” Not much of a conversationalist, Jo leaned forward as she spoke, attempting to draw him out of his shell.
    “Oh?”
    “There was this huge spider in my car. And I mean huge.” She demonstrated with her hands.
    “Really, that big?” He looked at her and widened the gap between his own hands. “You sure it wasn’t this big?”
    Jo smiled and stretched her arms as wide as they’d go. “No, this big. Anyway, I was driving to church, singing away as I do and the spider just drops from the mirror. How I managed to pull over without crashing I have no idea, as I must have swerved all over the road. Anyway, there I was standing by the car, panicking, and this guy I’d never met before pulls over behind me and asks if I’m OK.”
    He laughed as he set his glass down. “Seriously?”
    “Yeah. So I explained and he offered to help. Now, normally I wouldn’t dare let a stranger into my car, but I wasn’t staying in there with the spider and couldn’t drive the car until it had gone.”
    “Dorrie hates spiders.”
    “The English ones don’t kill you though.”
    John pointed his finger at her across his fork. “True, but try telling her that. I mean, a giant spider killed off her TV hero when she was eight. And if a time lord can be killed by one then so can she.”
    “I can understand the logic there. I’ve never liked them, but the one in my car was a huntsman. Anyway, the bloke found it, removed it and we both went on our way.” She paused. “How are you with spiders?”
    “I can