Playing for Love (Summer Beach Vets 1) - Escape Down Under by H.Y. Hanna Read Free Book Online Page B

the entrance—“THE LAUGHING KOOKABURRA CAFÉ”—and next to the words was a stylised carving of a bird that looked a bit like an enormous kingfisher, throwing its head back, its beak open in laughter.
    Craig paused by the entrance and picked up a flower that had fallen onto the post. It was a yellow-and-white frangipani. Sara looked up and saw a frangipani tree spreading its branches above them. Their sweet perfume drifted down. The ground around the entrance was littered with more fallen blooms. 
    Craig held the frangipani out to her and Sara took it, remembering the old man, Ru, and what he had said about the positioning of the flower. She could feel Craig’s eyes on her as she raised the frangipani bloom to her face, then tucked it carefully above her right ear.
    She might have imagined it, but she thought Craig’s broad shoulders relaxed slightly. She almost didn’t dare look up at him as she said, as lightly as she could, “Aren’t you going to wear one too?”
    “Well, if I didn’t think it would damage my manly reputation, I’d wear one behind my ear,” said Craig in a teasing voice. “The right ear,” he added softly as he led her into the café.

CHAPTER 8
     
     
     
    Sara looked around with interest as they entered the café. The place was decorated with simple, rustic charm: faded wooden furniture, canvas seats, and potted palms in various corners. There were several tables inside, but most of the people seemed to be sitting at tables outside on the terrace. Craig led the way to the edge of the terrace where an intimate table was set for two, with a small posy of flowers and a flickering candle between them.
    Sara caught her breath. She didn’t think she had ever been to dinner in a more beautiful setting. Beyond the table, the view stretched to the horizon, showing a deep indigo sea beneath a sky which was still streaked with crimson and orange. The beach spread below them like a blanket of pale grey and, in the distance, the dark silhouettes of the clifftops formed a dramatic cut out against the evening sky.
    The shrill call of a seagull rang out close by and, beyond it, Sara could hear the soft murmuring of the ocean. A breeze stirred her hair, fanning the tendrils away from her face and bringing a whisper of goosebumps across her bare arms.
    She sat down and sighed with contentment. “Summer Beach is so incredibly beautiful. I don’t know how anybody who has been here could ever leave.”
    “Well, hopefully sometimes they don’t.”
    Sara looked quickly at him, but Craig’s blue eyes were in shadow and she couldn’t read the expression in them. Had she heard him right? Or was she just reading extra meaning into his words? Feeling a blush tinge her cheeks, she hastily pulled the menu towards her and flipped it open, just to give herself something to do.
    “A man I met on the plane said I must try the yabbies here,” Sara commented, scanning the items on the menu. Everything sounded delicious. She didn’t know how to begin to choose.
    “Yabbies?” Craig made a face. “Yeah, they’re a house special here, but I’m not a huge fan of them myself. Order them if you like, though.”
    “You know what?” Sara smiled, pushing her menu towards him. “I’m just going to let you order everything.”
    Craig raised an eyebrow, then gave her that grin again. The one that turned her insides to mush. Sara didn’t know how she could have ever found Jeff’s fake smile attractive. That was a pale imitation of the real thing on this man here.
    “Do you like fish?” he asked.
    Sara nodded. “As long as they’re not raw.”
    “Okay, how about some barramundi? One of the best Australian fish. Really tender, moist white flesh. And maybe calamari and some bread dips to start?” He picked up the wine list. “What do you say to a Hunter Valley cabernet sauvignon ?”
    Sara smiled. “It all sounds great. I can’t wait.”
    “Well, I’m glad you’re not one of those girls who insists on only