Free Love or Money? by Carrie Stone Page B

sensually attractive. She wasn’t Fee though. She could never be Fee. But then Fee had made it clear from her lack of contact since the Kings Head incident that she wasn’t interested.   Dan had come to accept in the past ten days that it would take more than he had to give to win around a woman like Fee. She was too much hard work. It was kinder to his own heart to let her go, than allow himself to be in love with a woman who would never want him.
    The new woman was just the fun he needed to distract his mind and heart. As long as he worked on keeping Stacey pacified, he had nothing to lose.   He just hoped his new love interest wouldn’t take too much longer to respond to him. He had cleared an hour’s slot in his day to make the most of her.
     
    Felicity awoke to brilliant sunshine streaming through her seventh floor hotel room window. Despite the slight chill in the air, she threw back the heavy quilt and got out of her Queen-sized canopy bed.
    The flight had been more draining and tiresomely long than she’d anticipated. Even her frequent trips to Singapore and Hong Kong alongside Maurice paled in comparison. She had experienced jet lag of the worst kind, but cleverly staying awake followed by a half day of sleeping had brought her body clock in sy nc with the local time. It was her first proper day ‘on holiday’ and discovering Sydney, and she felt nervous tension bubble in her stomach. A full day with no work commitments, social commitments or plans. Only herself for company. The thought was terrifying.
    Looking out of the window she watched Sydney city below her coming to life.   She hadn’t known what to expect from her new location, but as she saw the bustle of office workers in their suits rushing towards the high rise offices around her, she realised it reminded her of the London she had left behind.
    Opening her suitcase, she opted for jeans, a plain top and flat shoes. Surveying her finished look in the large wall mirror she picked up her leather handbag and thin leather jacket. She couldn’t remember the last time she’d dressed so casually on a week day.
    Making her way out of the hotel, she joined the stream of early morning workers in the Central Business District, listening with fascination to the varied Ozzie accents, the diverse range of ethnic people and appreciating the more relaxed stance. It felt like London to her, only much more appealing.  Choosing to ignore the metro and following her tourist map, she began walking in the direction of Sydney Harbour. 
    Striding slower than her usual rushed pace, she took her time browsing the many shops along her route, appreciating the freedom and carefree attitude she’d adopted for the day.
    Spotting a Starbucks, she headed towards it, grateful for the familiar aroma of coffee. She chose a comfortable seat near to the front of the shop, allowing herself to people -watch whilst she sipped on Mocha Latte and bit into her favourite chocolate brownie.  
    A tall, well-built man caught her attention and she felt her heart momentarily skip a beat. Her mind was instantly filled with images of James. The man was walking towards her in the same confident manner, his mousey brown hair styled into the familiar messy cut and a wide grin on his face displaying the same crooked teeth. The brownie she was chewing on stuck in her throat as he turned directly toward s her.
    “ Excuse me; you wouldn’t happen to know how to get to Moozo’s from here would you?” he asked in a strong Western Australian accent.
    Caught offguard, Felicity felt herself fluster. He was so much like James it was unreal. He looked at her quizzically, waiting for her response and she struggled to find something to say.
    “Are you a mute?” he asked grinning.
    Fel icity laughed despite herself. “Sorry - you just remind me of someone I know. I’m also not from here, so I haven’t a clue where you need to go” she said apologetically, catching sight of the name Aidan scribbled