Catch of The Day: Destiny Romance Read Online Free PDF

shrugged. ‘I – I just went home to change.’
    ‘This place ain’t like some celebrity watering hole you see in the mags,’ Olive chided. ‘There’s no need to dress up. Your work gear’s fine.’ Turning, she faced the blokes, who were hanging onto their every word. ‘All right, you lot. This is Winnie Cherry, the editor of
Beach Life
. She’s new in town, like the magazine. So please stop gawking and start making her feel welcome.’
    ‘First drink’s on me,’ Kirk yelped over the cheers, nearly deafening Alex, whose stomach dropped.
    ‘Now that’s what I call a gentleman.’ Olive grinned, propelling Winnie by the elbow towards them. Thankfully, the usual pub din soon returned. Alex was uneasy enough about having to exchange words with Winnie again – let alone being eavesdropped on as well.
    The magazine editor slotted in between him and Kirk, visibly flinching when her chocolate-brown gaze fell his way. ‘Oh . . . I didn’t notice you there before.’
    Kirk leant forwards, his eyes darting between them. ‘You two
know
each other?’
    Alex signalled with a raised finger at the bartender for another drink. He fished in his wallet for some notes. ‘She’s my new boss.’
    ‘Not exactly,’ Winnie cut in, a blush licking her cheeks. ‘He’s doing some freelance photography work for the magazine – when he’s not fishing.’
    Kirk raised dark brows. ‘Oh, that’s right, the camera obsession. You know, I reckon being a photographer would be a great gig.’ He rested a hand on Alex’s shoulder. ‘All the pretty girls you’d get to meet —’
    ‘Landscapes are more my thing,’ Alex cut in.
    ‘Whatever floats your boat.’ Kirk turned his attention back to Winnie, masterfully narrowing the gap between them, ever the smooth operator. ‘Anyway, what can I get you to drink?’
    Tipping her head back, she assessed the shelves of gleaming bottles behind the bar. ‘You know, I might go a scotch and Coke.’
    Olive clapped her on the back. ‘Nice one. When in Kingston, do as the Kingstonites do.’
    Minutes later, with Kirk making a toilet visit and Olive drifting off to talk to a friend, Alex was stuck alone with Winnie again. He could practically see her brain behind her crumpled brow trying to come up with safe conversation topics. Sure, she was pretty beneath all that slap, but she was also the exact opposite of his type.
    ‘So I gather you’re not from around here?’ she probed finally.
    ‘Cause I’m decked out in Armani?’ he shot back.
    ‘No, you definitely look the part.’ She wrinkled her irritatingly perfect ski-jump nose. ‘Though it’s good to see you’ve changed from earlier. It’s your accent. It sounds . . . international.’
    ‘I’ve moved around a bit.’ It wasn’t her business to know just how many kilometres he’d travelled to escape his old life. The very last thing he needed was a journalist digging around. Which didn’t bode well with him now working for
Beach Life
, sure. But he was certain she’d be too busy while in town touching up her make-up and organising her outfits to notice much else. He decided to turn the tables, put her off the scent. ‘I gather you’re from Sydney.’
    Her eyes danced. ‘You can tell?’
    He chose not to mention the pole-up-the-derriere stance as the giveaway. ‘I saw your numberplates – in between dodging gravel. So what makes a girl like you leave the harbour city behind and head all the way out here? It can’t just be a little magazine.’
    Her glossy lips tightened into a line. ‘Why not? It’s a good gig – great for career advancement – and I intend to make the most of it.’ She turned away to order another drink. One of the guys from the Country Fire Service stepped up to pay.
    A few hours later, Alex watched Winnie stand by the jukebox and sway to Elton John’s ‘Candle in the Wind’, her eyes closed. The free drinks had been coming thick and fast and Olive was no longer around to