Leopard Hunt – Chapter 8

Tuesday 13th January, 2015

“Would you like to check out another place with me?”

Clarissa was in the kitchen of the apartment making herself a late breakfast when Mason had called. Liam and Neil had left for the radio station a couple of hours earlier, and she was at a loose end.

“I suppose so. At least until I get a better offer.” She chuckled at how unlikely that was. “Where do you want me to meet you?”

“I’ll pick you up. Just be ready in twenty minutes.”

“You’ve got a car?”

It was Mason’s turn to chuckle. “Nope.”

“Taxi?” Clarissa remembered the promise Mason had made for that night and narrowed her eyes. “You haven’t rented a limo, have you?”

Mason laughed. “No, to all of the above. You’ll see. Oh, and please don’t tell anyone about the place we’re going to look at. I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up if it doesn’t work out. I’ll see you soon.”

The call disconnected before Clarissa could respond. She contemplated calling him back and demanding an explanation but decided it was easier to do that in person. Instead, she finished her breakfast and then went to her room to get ready.

She was waiting outside enjoying the warm January sun when Mason arrived. He was being driven by a neatly dressed older woman whose hair was tied into a tight bun. Clarissa took in the real-estate company’s logo down the side of the car and prepared to get in the back seat. She was therefore surprised when both Mason and the woman exited the vehicle, Mason carrying a backpack.

“Clarissa, this is Rosemary. Rosemary, Clarissa is the other person I told you would be checking out the apartment with me.”

Rosemary smiled as she reached out to shake Clarissa’s hand. “Pleased to meet you.” She glanced back at Mason. “Shall we go look at it now?”

“By all means.” Mason grinned as he hooked his arm into Clarissa’s, and instead of turning back to the car, started walking along the driveway that ran down the side of the block and back towards her unit.

“What are you doing?” Clarissa frowned up at the tall American. “Where are we going?”

“I’m going to show you a place that I think I can convince my dad to buy for me. It’s big enough for Deon and Kevin to live in, too. We just need to make sure it’s suitable.”

“You’re going to love it!” Rosemary said as she smiled at the two of them. “Spacious, well-laid-out, and still relatively new.”

It was only as they passed her unit that Clarissa realised where they were going. She stumbled for a moment, causing Mason to give her a look of concern. “The three-bedroom unit at the back of the block? The one that’s for sale?”

“Exactly!” Mason chuckled. “I think I can sell the idea to Deon on location alone, and Kevin seemed keen last night to share a place if I do most of the cooking. What do you think? Will they go for it?”

While the real-estate agent fumbled with the key safe on the security door at the front of the townhouse-style apartment in question, Clarissa tried to get her thoughts into gear. “We’ll need to see it first. It might be a tip.”

“That’s what we’re doing now.” Mason frowned. “A tip? What do you mean?”

Clarissa was puzzled for a moment before realising that the word meant something else to Mason. “A rubbish dump.” She smirked. “Like a typical teenage male’s bedroom.”

Mason chuckled before becoming more serious. “I’m only going to be able to sell the idea to my dad if I can convince him I’ve got two guaranteed renters. I need Deon and Kevin to move in if it’s going to work.”

“If it’s up to scratch…” Clarissa let her voice fade as the ramifications sank in. She didn’t mind Deon being so close, and if Daphne moved in with Kevin, like they had been talking about, she’d have another friend nearby when Deon was travelling.

Rosemary stepped back, holding the door to the apartment open. “Here we are. Come inside, and I’ll show you around.”

* * *

Deon hesitated when he saw who was in the room. It was the second and last day of the AFL Players’ Association induction camp in Melbourne, but he had been asked by one of the organisers to leave the scheduled session for an unexplained meeting. He hadn’t questioned the request and had followed the person to a small room within the Etihad Stadium complex.

What he hadn’t expected to see was the new president of the AFL Players’ Association, three people wearing Hawthorn Football Club apparel, and Ty.

Ty’s grin of greeting was only momentary, which told Deon that something serious was going on.

It was the AFLPA president who spoke first. “Take a seat, Deon. There’s something we want to ask you before we approach your club.”

“What’s this about?” Deon asked as he took the only empty seat in the room.

“Dave.” Ty grimaced. “That bastard’s trial is coming up at the end of the month, and Dave is going to have to testify. I know the Leopards will be joining Dad and me there to support Dave as well as Dad and me, but I think it’ll mean a lot to him if you fly down from Sydney to be there, too.”

“Okay, but my club…” Deon knew it wasn’t a decision he could make on his own. He had responsibilities to his team, though he also wanted to support his former teammate. He shivered at the thought of what had been done to Dave when he was eleven. He didn’t know the details—he didn’t want to know the details—but he knew enough that the guy who did it was a monster.

The AFLPA president nodded. “That’s why we’re here. Hawthorn,” he said, indicating the three other people in the room, “are willing to pay for you to fly down and stay in Melbourne for the week of the trial. They’re also offering their training facilities so you can keep up your preparation for the upcoming season when you’re not at the courthouse or with Dave.”

“You can stay with Dad and me at Paddy’s place,” Ty said. “Paddy will agree if I ask him.” He glanced at the others in the room. “Paddy’s house isn’t far from the city. It’s a short trip from there to the courthouse.”

One of the Hawthorn representatives leant forward. “Deon, we really want you there for Dave. We’re giving him all the support we can, but he also needs his friends with him. Will you help us?”

“If my club allows it, of course I’ll be there.”

The three Hawthorn men visibly relaxed. The one who spoke turned to the AFLPA president. “Can you send through the initial request to GWS? The media is going to know that a current AFL player is going to testify at the trial, but we want to keep the name of the club out of it for Dave’s sake.” He grimaced. “Too many people already know, but we’re trying to not increase those numbers. We’ll contact them, if you like, but we’d prefer it if the request came from the AFLPA.”

The president nodded. “Sure. I’ll do it as soon as we’ve finished here.”

“Thanks!” The Hawthorn representative smiled at Deon. “We’ll be in touch with you shortly to organise flights and other details once GWS say you can go. Look out for an email from me.”

Deon nodded and then gave them a wry smile. “Okay, but it’ll help if I knew who you are…”

Everyone in the room chuckled as they realised that no one had introduced themselves, a matter that was quickly rectified.

* * *

After thanking Rosemary and letting her drive off, Mason and Clarissa retired to her apartment. They were both quiet while Clarissa made them drinks. Mason still struggled with the idea of instant coffee, but he had to admit to himself that the Australian version tasted much better than the stuff he’d tried back home.

“It needs a good clean and probably a repaint once the owners move out,” Clarissa finally said as she placed a steaming mug in front of Mason. “And that kitchen isn’t as spacious as she tried to make it sound.” She snorted. “Slightly bigger than this one, but both are small.”

“I can work with that kitchen.” Mason agreed with Clarissa about the cleaning required, but he thought if that was addressed, the place might be acceptable. He was concerned, though, that he might be overlooking something in his eagerness to buy. That was why he wanted Clarissa’s opinion.

“The master bedroom was decent, but the other two didn’t seem big enough…” Clarissa shook her head.

Mason cocked his head. “They were cluttered, but that’s probably more the way the owners laid out their furniture. I think a different layout would be more efficient. They definitely need extra storage space, though. The closets weren’t big enough.”

Clarissa nodded before moving on. “The living room was a good size. Maybe too big. It’ll be a pain to clean.”

“I can try to get a housekeeper in once a week to look after that.” Mason grinned. “I just have to sell the idea to the ‘rents first. Since they use a housekeeper, I think I can get away with it.” He chuckled. “Now, if it were my grandma that I needed to convince, I’d have a snowball’s chance in hell. She thinks I should be doing it all myself.”

“Get Deon to do it. He’ll need to earn his keep.”

“If I’m doing the cooking and Deon’s doing the cleaning, what does that leave for Kevin to do?”

She shrugged. “You’re big boys. I’m sure you can find chores for him to do.” She narrowed her eyes. “Are you going to go for it?”

Mason took a deep breath. “I think so. It’s the first place I’ve seen that I’m comfortable with. I also like the neighbours.” He winked.

Clarissa pursed her lips. “The Provans have the place between the two units. They’re a retired couple and keep pretty much to themselves, but they’ve been nice the couple of times we’ve said hello. We haven’t met the people from the front unit, though. The Provans told us that Richardsons have two school-aged kids, and they’re currently away on holiday. They’re due back at the end of the month.”

“Do the Provans know about Liam and Neil?”

Clarissa snorted. “Since Liam was outside giving Neil a goodbye kiss when our neighbours walked past one day, I think the answer is yes. They didn’t say anything, and I’ve spoken to them since then, so I think they’re okay.”

“In that case…” Mason reached into his backpack and pulled out his laptop. “Time to let my dad know.”

“Do you want our WiFi details?”

“No need. When I got the phone, they sold me a broadband connection for my laptop at the same time.” A couple of minutes later, Mason was reviewing the email he had prepared in anticipation. After making a couple of changes, he sent it off. “Now the hard part.”

“Waiting for a response?”

“No, talking to him.” Mason pulled out his phone and rang his father.

The call was answered after three rings. “Mason?”

“Hi, Dad. I’ve just sent you an email with updated details about the apartment I checked out this morning. I’d like to buy it, if I can.”

Mason could hear the disapproval over the phone. “Mason, we’re happy to buy you a one- or two- bedroom apartment, but three bedrooms is excessive. It’s too expensive, and it’s too risky. If you can’t sublet the rooms, we’ll be out of pocket for a lot of money.”

“I’ve already got two guys ready to rent it when it becomes available, Dad. That’ll help with the costs.”

There was a short pause. “How old are these guys?”

“They’re both nineteen. Why?”

“And if they drop out of college, where will that leave you? Students are not the most reliable tenants for apartments. Don’t let looks fool you; you need to do a financial-history check before you lease the spare rooms to anyone.”

Mason ground his teeth. “They’re not students. They both have full-time jobs.”

“How long have you known them? Did you meet them at that bar you went to last week?”

Mason’s jaw dropped. “How do you know about that?”

“You charged your drinks to your credit card. The card that I pay for. When I saw the name of the place on the bill, I had someone check to see what sort of place it was.” To Mason’s surprise, his father’s tone softened. “Mason, don’t let them take advantage of you. I’m guessing they’re good-looking guys, and I understand that you’re lonely, but please be careful. Don’t be too trusting.”

After a momentary flash of anger at what his father was saying, Mason laughed. “Dad, they’re straight.” He winked at Clarissa while continuing to talk on the phone. “Yes, they’re good-looking, but they’ve both got girlfriends. That’s how I know them; their girlfriends will be starting at the University of Sydney at the same time as me. Clarissa, Deon’s girlfriend, is with me now, if you want to talk to her.”

Clarissa raised an eyebrow before holding out a hand to accept the phone. Mason held up a hand and shook his head to indicate that he wasn’t ready to pass it over.

There was another pause, longer this time, before Mason’s father spoke again. “What are their names, and what do they do for a living?”

“Deon Bradshaw and Kevin Scanlan.” Mason rolled his eyes. “I presume you’re going to do a background check on them, so you’ll find out that they’re both professional football players. And you know how much they get paid. I’ll email you the details when we finish.” Mason wasn’t above misdirecting his father. He had already discovered that the amount Australian football players were paid was considerably less on average than American professional players, but it didn’t hurt to give his father the impression that Deon and Kevin made more than they really did.

“Okay. I’ll check them out as well as the apartment you want to purchase. I’ll be in touch.”

“Thanks, Dad.”

“I’m not promising anything, Mason, but I’ll look into it. If it seems reasonable, I’ll let you know.”

Mason rolled his eyes. “I understand. The auction is in less than two weeks, though, so don’t take too long. I’d like to get it before the auction, if I can.  I’m not planning on looking at other places unless I don’t get this one.”

“Do you know why they’re selling?”

“The family is moving to Brisbane. The father has a job there, and they’re selling so they can buy a house once they arrive. The realtor told me the reserve price for the auction will be set very reasonably because they want to sell quickly.”

“Okay. Take care, son. Your mother and I both love you.”

Mason blinked as the call ended. He slowly lowered the phone while trying to understand how parents who claim to love him can send him away against his will to another country for four years.

He only came out of his reflection when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Are you okay?” Clarissa asked.

Mason made a face before smiling. “Yeah, I’m okay.”

He glanced at the time on his phone and made a quick mental calculation. “There’s someone else I’d like to talk to, if he’s available.” He sent off a text message and then picked up his now lukewarm coffee. “I think that call went pretty well, all things considered.”

“What did your father say?”

“He didn’t say yes, but he never does. He’s going to look into it and get back to me. He wouldn’t say that if he wasn’t giving the idea serious thought.”

Clarissa stared at him for a couple of seconds. “You gave him the impression that you’ve already lined up Kevin and Deon to share with you.”

Mason grinned. “So, I had better get a move on to make sure that’s actually the case. I’ll call Kevin tonight to talk about it, but can you mention it to Deon when you pick him up tonight? Just don’t tell them about the apartment yet. I don’t want to get anyone’s hopes up until we know I can buy it.”

“Sure.” She continued to stare, though this time in a more contemplative manner. “Your father’s going to a lot of effort for you if he’s going to do background checks on whoever you’re going to rent out the other rooms to.”

Mason snorted. “He’s paranoid. He thought I’d picked up two guys at a gay bar and had invited them to live with me.”

Clarissa frowned. “And that’s something you’ll need to discuss with them. Are you planning on bringing guys home for the night? Are they going to be comfortable with that?”

Mason realised she was right. There were a lot of things to discuss if he was going to share an apartment with the two football players. If things were like they were back home, Kevin and Deon would be media-shy when it came to any hint of a scandal. Sharing an apartment with someone who brought home guys for one-night stands might qualify as such a scandal.

His thoughts were interrupted by the receipt of a text message. He read it and then grinned. “Time to introduce you to one of my best friends.” He turned back to his computer and brought up Skype.

A couple of minutes later, Jeremy was smiling back at him. “Dude!” The background he could see told Mason that Jeremy was in his apartment.

Mason grinned. “Let’s see if I can do this.” He took a breath. “Gudday, Jeremy.” When Clarissa rolled her eyes, Mason shrugged. “Okay, I don’t have that quite right. Clarissa, come over here and show me how to do it properly.”

Clarissa pulled one of the chairs up next to Mason and smiled at the laptop. “G’day, Jeremy.”

“Lady dude!” Jeremy smiled and then looked at Mason. “Have you finally seen the light?”

Mason chuckled. “Nope. Her boyfriend’s really cute, and I’m hoping to move in with him. It’s the only reason I’m putting up with her.”

Clarissa hit him in the arm.

“Hey!” Mason rubbed his bicep. “You need to learn how to hit like a girl.”

Jeremy laughed. “Clarissa, was it? Don’t listen to him. It looks like I’ve found the person to keep this dude under control. He needs all the help he can get.”

“Hey!”

Clarissa ignored Mason and smiled at Jeremy. “I’ll send you my contact details. I may need your help, especially if he’s after my boyfriend.”

Jeremy grinned. “Mason, I need a formal introduction.” He winked at Clarissa. “I’m single, and if you ever tire of that boyfriend of yours, let me know.”

Clarissa laughed. “I’m very happy at the moment, but that doesn’t mean we can’t be friends.” She raised an eyebrow at Mason. “Well?”

Mason rolled his eyes. “Jeremy, this is Clarissa. She’s going to be at college with me, though she’s not doing engineering. Clarissa, this is my best friend, Jeremy.”

Jeremy’s grin broadened. “Pleased to meet you. If you need any help in keeping this goofball under control, let me know.”

Mason stiffened and gave Jeremy a mock frown. “Say what?”

“Dude, while most of the time you’re quiet and sedate, you’ve been known to go overboard and wild, especially when you’re pissed off with something. Try and tell me that you’re not trying to max out that Amex card of yours as a way of sending a ‘fuck you’ message to the ‘rents.”

“My card doesn’t have a max.” Mason gave Jeremy a sheepish smile. “But you may be right.”

“So, besides teasing me with the good-looking lady at your side, anything exciting happening?”

“I may have found an apartment. Clarissa and I have checked it out, and now I just need my dad to agree to buy it.”

“Cool!” Jeremy winked at Clarissa. “Was it a suitable bachelor pad with room for lots of parties?” His brow wrinkled. “Wait a sec. Mason, didn’t you say you were going to move in with Clarissa’s boyfriend?”

“He did.” Clarissa looked to the heavens for a moment before smiling. “Deon’s just moved here to Sydney, too, and he’s supposed to be looking for a place to share with Kevin, a friend of his, but neither has been putting in any effort to find somewhere to live. Mason had the idea last night that the three of them could share a place, and Kevin agreed.”

Mason chuckled. “What she’s leaving off is the fact that Deon doesn’t know about this yet. Clarissa still hasn’t told him what he’ll be doing.”

“He doesn’t have a say in the matter?”

“Of course, he does!” Clarissa looked offended. “He gets to say whatever I tell him to say.”

Mason winked at Jeremy. “As you may have noticed, she’s pretty strong-willed.”

“So, you’ll all be going to college together?”

Mason shook his head. “Kevin and Deon are professional football players in the Australian equivalent of the NFL. They’re both rookies, but they’re full-time athletes.”

“Dude!” Jeremy’s jaw dropped. “And you’re going to live with them?”

“That’s the plan.” Mason grinned at Clarissa. “As soon as Clarissa tells Deon what to think.”

Clarissa frowned. “I don’t tell him what to think. I merely tell him what’s in his best interest, and he’s supposed to know better than to disagree.” She grinned. “Which is usually the case.”

The three chatted for almost an hour as Mason brought Jeremy up to date on what was going on in his life, and Clarissa got to know Mason’s best friend.

After the Skype call ended, Clarissa sat and contemplated Mason.

“What?” Mason asked.

She was silent for a moment, and then sighed. “It’s tough, isn’t it? Being so far away from everyone, I mean.”

Mason grimaced and then nodded.

She reached out and rested a hand on his arm. “You know I’m here if you ever want to talk.” She pulled a face. “I know what it’s like, but my family and other friends are only a short flight or a day’s drive away. For you…”

Mason wrapped an arm around her shoulders and pulled her in for a one-arm hug. “Thank you, but I’m making new friends. It can be painful at times now, but I’ll get over it.”

That’s what Mason kept telling himself. It wasn’t as if he had any choice.

* * *

“Helena!” Ty gave Oliver’s girlfriend a quick peck on the cheek. “How have you been?”

“I’m good. What brings you out here to Lilydale?”

The two strolled towards the kitchen. The aromas in the air told Ty that someone was cooking dinner, but it didn’t smell like one of Oliver’s creations. “I’m here mainly to see Charlie, but I’ll say hi to the rest of the guys before I head home.”

When he entered the kitchen, Ty paused. Ben and Ross were busy trying to cook something—exactly what eluded Ty—and seemed more than a little flustered. Oliver was seated at the kitchen table typing on a laptop.

“Hey, guys!” He waved to the two cooks before peering over Oliver’s shoulder. “What are you doing?”

“Sending recipes to Neil. He wants finger food for the party on Saturday night, and he asked me last weekend for some suggestions. I’ve been putting it off because I’ve been so busy.” Oliver winked at Helena before turning his attention back to the laptop. “But I need to get this done tonight so they’ll have plenty of time to prepare.”

“What party?”

Helena answered for her boyfriend. “Liam and Clarissa are having a housewarming party on Saturday. Neil’s beginning to panic, especially as he doesn’t know how many people are going to be showing up. Deon and Kevin have invited their teammates, but they haven’t told Neil how many have said they’re going.”

Ty frowned. “I’m going to have to have a word with Neil. How dare he organise a party without inviting me?”

Helena laughed. “It’s in Sydney, brat. What are you going to do? Fly up just for the party?”

Ty shrugged. “Details, details.” He glanced to the hallway that led to the bedrooms. “Is Charlie in his room?”

“He is,” Oliver said without looking up. “He’s working on something and wanted some peace and quiet, but it should be fine to interrupt him.”

“Ollie,” Ben asked as Ty left the room. “Is the cream supposed to boil?”

“Fuck no!”

Ty chuckled as he left Oliver to sort out the culinary issues. He walked down to his old room, now Charlie’s, and knocked on the door. After hearing a positive response, he entered, closing the door behind him.

“Brat!” Charlie gave him a nervous look. “What are you doing here?”

“I’ve come to do some planning with you. I didn’t want to do this over the phone, and I had a couple of hours free, so…” Ty shrugged.

“What sort of planning?”

“The trial.” Ty sighed when Charlie flinched. Personally, he felt angry when the topic was raised, but he knew Charlie was much closer to Dave than he was and hence reacted more in line with how Dave would be feeling.

“I’ve spoken to most of the team. Everyone who’s not working or can get time off will be there.”

Ty nodded. “Dad and I will be there, too. I haven’t spoken to Paul or Peter yet, but I’m sure they’ll come.”

“Julie said she’ll speak to both of them this week.” Charlie dropped his head as he sat down. “I wish the guy would take a plea bargain so Dave doesn’t have to go through this, but I’ve been told he’s holding out. It seems he thinks the evidence is weak since it’s all around ten years old.”

Ty dropped onto the bed next to Charlie. “Deon may be able to make it, too, if GWS let him. The Players’ Association is putting in a request to let him come back for the week.”

Charlie’s head snapped up. “They know?”

“Just a handful. The president and a couple of others. Hawthorn is using them as an intermediary so no one will know which club is involved.”

Charlie snorted. “They’ll know it’s the Leopards. We’re all going to be there.”

“Yeah, but as far as AFL players are concerned, that still means it could be any of Hawthorn, Carlton, GWS or the Western Bulldogs. If Deon can make it, that’s more likely to make the speculation that it’s him that was the victim.” Ty gave Charlie a wry smile. “Otherwise, why was he flying down to Melbourne for the trial?”

“A lot of people know Dave’s got mental-health issues.”

“Charlie…” Ty paused to think for a moment on how to address his former teammate’s worries. “We can’t protect Dave from all speculation. Hawthorn told me the TV and radio stations and the newspapers have all told the AFL Commission that they won’t mention him by name or what club he plays for. I wouldn’t trust them myself, but the AFL has a lot of influence. We have to believe they can keep the details out of the mainstream media. It’s the non-official sites that we need to be concerned about, and hopefully they won’t have enough information to make an informed guess.”

Charlie dropped his head again. “Hopefully.”

Ty understood his concerns. The news that a current AFL player would be a witness for the prosecution at the trial of Fredrick Rollingford was already out there. So far there hadn’t been any public statement, but too many people knew for it to remain a secret. When it was announced, that’s when everything would hit the fan.

Being there to support Dave was all they could do. Everything else was out of their control.

* * *

It was after eight that night when Deon and his teammates arrived at the luggage carousel at the airport and waited for their luggage to appear. All of them were still hyped up over the two-day induction camp they had just completed.

“I still think that if you’ve been in a committed relationship for several months, and she tells you that she’s ready for sex, then it’s okay.”

Deon shook his head. They were continuing to debate one of the scenarios the AFL presenter had given them in the session on respecting women. “If it’s been discussed beforehand, okay, but if she’s drunk when she says it the first time, you can’t assume she really means it.” For Deon, it wasn’t a theoretical situation. He knew that he had to wait for Clarissa, and when it was time, he needed to make sure she was truly ready.

“Maybe she needed some Dutch courage. We’ve already agreed that it was her decision as to when to have sex. Maybe the drinks were needed to allow her to say yes.”

“Possibly, but I think we’re better off erring on the side of caution. If the next day she asks why I didn’t have sex with her when she wanted it, then I know for next time. But without knowing that, I can’t assume…” Deon’s voice petered out as he saw who was approaching the group. “Clarissa?” He intercepted her and pulled her into a hug and a kiss. “What are you doing here? I said I’d get a lift home with one of the guys.”

“I know, but I thought I’d make a better offer.” She raised an eyebrow. “That is, assuming you prefer me to your teammates.”

He laughed as he escorted her back to the group, one arm remaining wrapped around her. “Jack, it looks like I won’t need that lift, after all.”

“Okay, Deon.” Jack grinned. “She certainly looks like better company than me and my dad.” He nodded his head towards Clarissa, still smiling. “Look after him, Clarissa. He’s had a long couple of days.”

She gave him a look of mock shock. “What about me? Now that he’s here, his job is to pamper me. He’s been neglecting his duty for the last two days, and now he has to make up for it.”

Deon’s teammates all laughed, a couple of them giving him a slap on the back. It was about ten minutes later that Deon’s bag appeared on the luggage carousel and it was time to say farewell to his mates.

Deon led the way outside.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Clarissa asked.

Deon glanced towards the taxi rank and then back at his smirking girlfriend. “Are we taking the train?” He knew it would be a long walk from the nearest train station to the host family he lived with.

“Nope.” She grinned. “Come with me.”

She led him along the concourse until she reached a suited gentleman of Middle Eastern appearance. “We’re ready to go, Tareq.”

The man nodded. “Thank you, Miss Hargraves.” He reached towards Deon’s bag. “Would you like me to carry that for you, sir?”

Deon hesitated before handing over his luggage. He gave Clarissa a quizzical look. “What’s going on?”

She laughed. “Mason booked us a hire car. He insisted. Tareq will drop me off and then take you home. Until then…” She slipped a hand into one of his and smiled.

“Is this a sort-of apology for the trick you two played on me last night?”

“Actually, no. He insisted on doing this for us earlier in the day. It was his way of trying to show he’s a friend.” She grinned up at him. “And last night was all on Karen. I had almost nothing to do with it.”

“Almost nothing?” Deon leant over and gave Clarissa a quick kiss. “Your ‘almost nothing’ almost gave me a heart attack.”

To Deon’s surprise—because he was expecting more playful banter—Clarissa sighed. “Mason could end up being a good friend, but he’s got a tendency of wanting to spend money to create a good impression. He needs to learn that he doesn’t need to do that.” She looked up at Deon. “But I think his heart is in the right place, and since you and he will probably be seeing a lot more of each other, it’ll be good if you two get along.”

Deon blinked, and then blinked again when they stopped next to a gleaming new-model Mercedes. He glanced at where Tareq was opening the boot and then back at Clarissa. “What do you mean?”

“You and Kevin haven’t been getting your act into gear when it comes to finding a place to live in, and Mason’s been looking for one- or two-bedroom units. After talking it over with Kevin last night, he’s started to also look for three-bedroom units for the three of you to share. Kevin’s on board with the idea, so it just leaves you to agree. There are things you need to discuss with Mason, but I think it could work out well for all of you.”

Deon wasn’t sure what to think, but he was able to get to the rear car door before her. Opening it, he smiled and waved her in. “It sounds like we’ve got a few things to talk about in the car.”

Clarissa sniffed. “If you want, but that wasn’t my plan.” She gave him a mock glare as she sat in the car. “Instead of talking, I’ve got other plans for that mouth of yours.”

Deon laughed as he dashed around to the other side of the Mercedes. He was eager to start exploring those other plans.