Page 35 of Third Time’s a Charm

“It wouldn’t be good luck,” Janey says darkly as she hands over my coffee.

“Well, if you see some almost-naked guys by a rusted-out old Commodore, tell them Wally’s still waiting.”

He doesn’t elaborate on what he’s waiting for, and I’m scared to ask.

“Thanks for the coffee,” Louise says with a wave of her cup, and we push through the plastic strips onto the street.

By unspoken agreement, neither of us tastes our coffee before we’re back on the footpath, a good distance from the door of the shop. I’m fully prepared to spit it out and throw the rest in the nearby bin.

Louise is the first to brave the test. Her eyes widen, and she turns to me, just as the black gold hits my tongue.

“Huh. I was not expecting that.” I almost moan.

“Aren’t you glad we stopped?” Louise grins.

Across the road from the general store are a couple of massive silos, painted with the most extraordinary sepia-toned scenes of World War I soldiers and horses. So we wander across the road to admire them while we drink—or more accurately, savour—our coffee.

“Do they really search your car for fruit and vegetables at the border?”

“Absolutely. Although I’ve never seen anyone standing around in their jocks before.”

“If the brother looks anything like Wally, let’s hope it stays that way.”

We drink in silence for a minute or two before Louise gives me a sidelong glance.

“So, do you?” she asks, out of nowhere.

I raise a questioning eyebrow.

“Need coaching?” she elaborates. There’s a world of mischief in her voice, and a telltale pink in her cheeks, giving me the impression she knows she’s stepped over a line, but can’t help herself.

Coffee sprays from my mouth and, unpleasantly, my nose. I double over, gasping for air.

“Well?” she demands once I’ve finished spluttering.

“What kind of a question is that?” I try to deflect.

“The usual kind. A curious one.” She sips the last of her coffee and holds out her hand for my now-empty cup, her eyes never leaving mine.

“And not one I’m going to answer,” I respond, prim as a vicar in a Regency drama.

“Hmm. I’ll just have to find out for myself then, I guess.” With a flick of her shoulder, Louise swishes off to drop the cups in the bin, leaving me gaping like the fish I caught.

Chapter Twenty

Louise

In all the times I’ve driven through this area, I’ve never even noticed the Malleup General Store, never mind stopped. But I’m so glad we did today. Not only did we get an exceptional—and much-needed—cup of coffee, but we had the most entertaining conversation I’ve had in a while.

Jasper’s face when we walked into the general store was priceless. And the banter between Wally, Janey and the two women was gold. I’ll bet that author uses it in a book somewhere.

He was so embarrassed by Janey suggesting he looked like he didn’t need coaching that I couldn’t help but tease him about it. Totally worth the coffee spray that only just missed me. No sign of his usual impassive mask at all. Although, now that I have time to think about it, I may have gone a teensy bit too far. But it’s too late to worry about it now.

Once we’re back on the road a constant stream of semi-trailers, probably headed to Melbourne, surrounds us, shaking the car and blowing great plumes of red dust up to obscure our vision.

I’m just about to break out the lollies for a post-coffee treat when there’s a loud clang, followed by an almighty smash. I scream and my hands lash out, grabbing at the door and central console. The car zigzags briefly, and a shower of crumbled glass and dust lands in my lap.

“What the hell was that?” Jasper gasps once the car's under control and he's pulled us safely off the road in a shallow ditch.